Home Blog Page 1050

T-Mobile adding $129 ZTE ZMAX PRO to its budget lineup

AndroidGuys
-
1

T-Mobile is expanding its budget phone selection by adding ZTE‘s ZMAX PRO to its lineup. The ZMAX PRO is available now for the off-contract price of $129. The ZMAX PRO continues ZTE’s attempts to blur the lines between budget devices and premium flagships by offering a compelling package at an unbelievable price.

ZTE ZMAX PRO

The ZTE ZMAX PRO has a 6″ 1080p IPS LCD display shielded by Gorilla Glass 3, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of Expandable Storage, a 3400 mAh battery, and a 13 MP main camera. The ZMAX also features a fingerprint reader for added security and Android 6.0 Marshmellow.

ZTE released the ZMAX PRO earlier this summer at Metro PCs for the low price of $99 (after mail-in rebate). The ZMAX PRO carried by T-Mobile will be an identical device, but without the associated savings. The choice ultimately comes down to a $30 price difference and what carrier you want to buy your device through. At $99 or $129, ZTE has created an extremely convincing package for the budget conscious consumer.

Buyer’s Guide: T-Mobile

Samsung Pay now offers new payment options, expands to new countries

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Samsung’s mobile payment service launched last year to offer users an intuitive and secure way to virtually pay anywhere physical credit cards were accepted. This week, the Korean tech giant has announced Samsung Pay has been updated to include a suite of new features. Samsung is also expanding its availability to a few new territories.

Samsung wants to make it worthwhile for shoppers to switch from competitors like Android Pay and Apple Pay, so the company will be implementing the “payment+” strategy to see it come to pass.

Starting this November, Samsung Pay will allow customers in the US to use the mobile wallet payment option when doing business with a number of merchant apps including Velocity, Raise, Fancy and Hello Vine. More options will be added soon.

samsung-pay-gets-new-features

Also, starting from November onwards, Samsung Pay will rock a feature reminiscent of Apple’s Passbook, meaning users will also be able to store membership and loyalty cards like the ones offered by Starbucks or Macy’s.

Additionally, Samsung Pay users worldwide will be able to take advantage of Mastercard’s Masterpass, an option which allows shoppers to store shipping and payment information for easy access.

Just this week we reported Google partnered up with Visa and Mastercard in order to make Android Pay more practical.

Furthermore, Samsung is now working with Capital One and USAA, so Samsung Pay currently supports more than 500 banks and credit unions in the US. That amounts to over 85% of the country’s total debit and credit card market. It’s pretty impressive.

Samsung Pay hasn’t been around for very long, but the service already seems to be quite a popular option. That’s why Samsung announced it will make Samsung Pay available in Malaysia, Russia, and Thailand as well, bumping up the number of markets it’s available into a hefty 10.

BLU R1 Plus with huge battery spotted at FCC, headed for Amazon soon

Alexandra Arici
-
0

BLU is a little-known smartphone maker from the US  who is also trying to leave its footprint on the crowded mobile market. So far, the company has been involved in some interesting endeavors. For example, earlier this year it was rumored that BLU will be partnering up with Cyanogen to release one of the first smartphones to come without Google apps.

At this point it doesn’t seem like the project will be finalized, given Cyanogen’s recent chance in strategy, but that doesn’t mean BLU doesn’t have other smartphone models in the works.

Not so long ago BLU partnered up with Amazon to make Amazon Prime members a really appealing offer. Customers signed with the program were allowed to buy a specially curated version of the BLU R1 HD for only $49.99 a pop. Outside the Amazon partnership, the phone was priced between $99 and $109.99.

blu-r1-plus-back-view

Now it looks like BLU and Amazon might be gearing up to launch the next-gen BLU R1. The handset dubbed the BLU R1 Pro has been spotted making an appearance at the FCC indicating it might not be long until Amazon will start offering it, reports Android Community.

blu-r1-plus-goes-through-the-ffc

Like the previous device, the BLU R1 Pro is also expected to come with a ton of pre-installed Amazon apps including Amazon shipping, Kindle, Music, Video, Photo, and Alexa. But despite the deep Amazon integration, it seems like the phone will also offer access to Google apps such as the Play Store, Google Maps or YouTube.

blu-r1-plus-front-screen

According to the filing, the BLU R1 Plus should make a debut with a 5-inch display with 720p, exactly like its predecessor. The most notable improvement is the updated MediaTek MT6737V chipset under the hood. Also, expected to make it onboard of the phone are a USB port, dual SIM support and 3.5mm headphone jack.

blu-r1-plus-software

It should be noted the phone will take advantage of a massive 4,100 mAh battery, which is a bit odd given that the BLU R1 Plus is at best a mid-range device. A lot remains undisclosed, like the amount of RAM or camera capacities, but we’re pretty sure we won’t see anything out of the ordinary in these departments.

blu-r1-plus-lower-view

blu-r1-plus-top-view

We don’t know what kind of version of Android will come pre-installed on the phone, but we can certainly say it won’t be Android 7.0 Nougat.

No information on when the BLU R1 Plus is supposed to land, but it shouldn’t be too long until Amazon announces it.

 

Google rolling out soft update to fix Pixel camera flaring problems soon

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL are the new kids on the block and customers are very excited to finally get their hands on the phones. But even if the devices haven’t been around for long, some users are already signaling an issue with the phones.

A number of Pixel owners have taken to Reddit and Google’s Product Forums to complain about a “halo effect” the phone’s camera is apparently susceptible to.

Now, we should mention that all cameras are susceptible to the “halo effect”, but the sheer frequency of flares spottings in Pixel-taken photos is what’s actually causing the uproar. Basically the light is bouncing off the camera at a certain angle and produces the effect. Sometimes it can be even used to produce creative impact, so it’s not all bad.

example-of-pixel-flare-in-photo

Google has already acknowledged the issue, but it explained that lens flaring is something that affects every Pixel regardless of whether a user might have noticed it or not. So returning the Pixel and asking for an exchange won’t solve anything.

“The Pixel camera’s lens structure is very highly controlled – this means that all Pixel take high-quality images, but it also means all Pixels have the same flare characteristics”, said a Google representative.

But the good news is that Google is already working on a fix, which will come in the form of a software update in the upcoming few weeks.

Google is currently focused on developing a set of new algorithms designed to recognize the halo/arc flare. Subsequently, they will be worked into HDR+ in order to mathematically subtract the effect from the resulting photographs.

The two Pixel phones haven’t been on the market for long and hopefully other issues won’t pop along the way. Google has done a good job at addressing customers’ concerns in a timely manner and with the update coming in the upcoming weeks, Pixel owners should be quite pleased.

Oukitel launches the iPhone-esque U15S for $159 a pop

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Young upstarts like the Chinese smartphone maker Oukitel are extremely eager to deliver products featuring attractive features at a minimal price point.

In the past few months Oukitel has been busy unleashing a myriad of devices on the market in the hopes of getting customers’ attention. The latest arrival, the U15S is now available for pre-sale for $159.99. However, if you want to wait, you’ll be pleased to know that GearBest is already hosting a flash sale for the device, offering it for $139.99 for a limited time.

oukitel-u15s-features-aluminum-body

Oukitel’s new U15S looks very much akin to the iPhone, except it costs so much less. If you’re wondering about the specifications this super-affordable handset brings to the table, let us tell you the US15S makes a debut with a 5.5-inch SHARP display with 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution and 5-point multi-touch.

oukitel-u15s-software

The device features a MediaTek MTK6750T Cortex A53 octa-core 64-bit chipset under the hood combined with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (microSD card slot available for expansion to 128GB).

The U15S takes advantage of a 13MP Panasonic back camera plus a 5MP selfie snapper. It’s not the most advanced camera combo, but given that this is a mid-range handset the options provided are pretty decent.

However, the variant sold on GearBest features a 16MP Panasonic main camera plus an 8MP OV secondary shooter.

oukitel-u15s-is-super-affordable

The handset takes advantage of a 2,450 mAh SCUD high density battery which should ensure the phone can support a pretty decent life cycle.

The phone includes a fingerprint sensor located on the back and ships out with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, although and Android 7.0 Nougat update is expected to be rolled out at some point.

oukitel-u15s-specs

Oukitel calls the U15S a main trend flagship model and truth be told, the phone could make for an excellent starter phone. The device features a super thin aircraft aluminum metal alloy body which makes it quite pretty to look at. It’s sold in Champagne Gold or Space Gray (another strong iPhone reference).

BlackBerry launches the DTEK60 with metal/glass design, Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Alexandra Arici
-
0

This week Canadian company, BlackBerry has unveiled its third Android smartphone, the DTEK60. It’s also the company’s last “official” handset, as BlackBerry has announced last month it plans to outsource hardware development to partners.

Anyway, the DTEK60 follows the entry-level DTEK50 from earlier this year. However, the DTEK60 comes bundling higher-end specs and is looking quite premium. Like the DTEK50, the newcomer is based on the reference design from TLC, more specifically the Alcatel Idol 4S.

blackberry-android-devices

BlackBerry has tried to make its last smartphone quite note-worthy, so the DTEK60 arrives with a 5.5-inch QuadHD display with 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution. The powerhouse of the device is a Snapdragon 820 chipset working side-by-side with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (a microSD card allows for memory expansion up to 2TB of storage).

Smartphone photography enthusiasts will be glad to know that the DTEK60 takes advantage of an impressive 21MP rear camera plus an 8MP selfie shooter.

blackberry-dtek60-frontal-view

Other specifications include a sensible 3,000 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0, a USB Type-C, a fingerprint scanner located on the back and a customizable side button.

BlackBerry’s latest phone is pretty high-end, as the company opted for a metal frame and dual-glass panel design when making the DTEK60.

Software has always been BlackBerry’s strongest point and the company is marketing the device as a super secure Android device. The DTEK60 launches with a extra safe version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but BlackBerry says it has plans to upgrade to Nougat sometime in the near future.

blackberry-dtek60-software

On top of that, BlackBerry says the phone comes with a secure bootloader, Hardware Root of Trust and will quick updates for security patches.

The phone ships out pre-installed with the DTEK app which enables users to monitor their OS and apps for signs of any risks associated with them. The softwear will also track apps and send allerts if it detects someone taking photos without your knowledge or sending texts and accessing your contacts.

The Hardware Root of Trust tool we mentioned above is a proprietary BlackBerry technique said to add instant security to the phone right from the very start.

blackberry-dtek60-back-view

The DTEK60 also takes advantage of FIPS 140-2 Compliant Full Disk Encryption – a technology meant to encrypt private info and keep it safe in case the phone is lost.

Naturally, the new phone comes bundles with BlackBerry popular productivity apps including Hub, Calendar, and keyboard.

Like the case of the DTEK50, BlackBerry plans to primary sell the DTEK60 to businesses and governments that will then deploy them to their employees. But that doesn’t mean that the average consumer can’t purchase it.

The phone is now available for pickup from ShopBlackBerry.com for $499 a pop. The DTEK60 is being offered in eight countries including US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Netherlands.

Google Cast rebranded as Home with UI refresh

Andrew Orr
-
0

The Google Cast app just got a refresh. It’s now called Home, and offers UI tweaks and support for new devices like the Chromecast Ultra.

The rebrand brings Cast more in line with the new Google Home device. You probably won’t notice much unless you have a Google Home device or a Chromecast Ultra. You still use the app to set up and manage Cast devices, as well as finding Chromecast content.

But the new app gets rid of the search bar and the Devices tab. It also renames the section “What’s on” to “Watch.” The app has a new icon as well. The tabs are now: Watch and Discover. The search bar at the top is replaced by a Material Design floating icon in the bottom right.

google-home-app

Weirdly, the new icon isn’t round, like Google has been doing with other app icons. If you have a Pixel phone it’s going to stick out like a sore thumb on your home screen.

If you have a Chromecast, there is a new voice control section in the Backdrop settings area. Presumably this lets you control the Home app with the Home device via Assistant. For now though, this feature isn’t fully fleshed out yet.

The new app is rolling out over the next couple of days. As of right now, it’s still listed as Google Cast in the Play Store.

Google Play Link

Kinivo BTH260 Bluetooth Headphones: 20+ hours of battery life at a good price

AndroidGuys
-
0

As companies like Apple and Motorola remove headphone jacks to accelerate our move towards the wireless age, the search for cheap wireless alternatives is at an all time high. Consumers quickly realize that going wireless is about much more than just cutting the cord. While Bluetooth technology has solved many issues like tangled cords, it introduces its challenges like range and battery life. Kinivo has an answer with their BTH260 Bluetooth Sports Headphones. These headphones retail for $79.99 but can be found for $44.99 on Amazon Prime.

Review Usage

I have been using the Kinivo BTH260 headphones exclusively for almost three weeks. I listen to music and podcasts daily while at work and the gym.

Build and Quality

The Kinivo BTH260 Bluetooth headphones are made entirely of plastic and do feel a bit cheap, but do not let that fool you, these headphones can take a beating and are sweat proof with an IPX7 rating. I have subjected these headphone to being stored in my pocket while at work, thrown in my locker, stored in the bottom of my backpack, and I have dropped them on at least two occasions. Despite my rough habits with my headphones, they survived and are still kicking.

Kinivo IP rating

More impressive than the BTH260’s ability to stand up to my abuse is how Kinivo was able to make the plastic frame of the headphones comfortable. After an hour or two of listening to music, I was able to adjust to the headphones sitting on the tops of my ears. The padding resting against your ears is also incredibly soft and comfortable, but it is worth noting that the pleather pads did make my ears sweat while wearing them for extended periods of time.

Kinivo BTH260

The standout feature on the Kinivo BTH260 Bluetooth headphones has to be the battery life. The box claims 25 hours of battery life on a single charge, and I easily got 22+ hours during the first six days of having the headphones. After my second charge, I got about seven days of use and 23+ hours. I am still working on burning through my third charge since getting the headphones 20 days ago. I have personally never owned headphones with this kind of longevity, and it is a breath of fresh air.

 

819vvmnelpl-_sl1500_

The sound quality of the headphones is where I begin to draw issue with the full retail price of the Kinivo BTH260s. While these headphones do a great job at staying on your head during various activities, the bass is not very punchy, and even spoken word can begin to garble together if the environment around you is mildly loud.

The maximum volume on the BTH260s is not enough to get you through many situations. These headphones may get as loud as many other “premium” headphones, but due to their on ear nature, they block almost no ambient sounds, making it, so any outside noise is a problem. On multiple occasions, I found myself extremely frustrated with the inability to listen to my podcasts and music because the exterior noise was loud enough to drown out the headphones. I find this to be my biggest complaint about the Kinivo BTH260s headphones.

81jvewzlucl-_sl1500_

 

Conclusion

Kinivo has created a set of sports headphones with amazing battery life, and ok sound in quiet environments. In ideal conditions, these headphones are an excellent companion for any athlete or professional who needs long battery life and does not want to worry about headphones falling out all day. Start to mix loud environments into the formula, and the value these headphones represent quickly diminishes. At only $45 on Amazon Prime for wireless freedom, Kinivo’s BTH260s will be a good value for many.

How to create an emergency contact on your smartphone (ICE)

AndroidGuys
-
3

We live in a connected world where everyone has access to the internet at almost all times. We have computers, smartphones, tablets and gaming gadgets that allow us to connect to information and others at any time. Many people carry their smartphones on them all the time in order to have access to email, Facebook, Twitter as well as messaging and calling.

When cell-phones first became popular, one of the main selling points was to allow for phone calls in the case of an emergency. I’ve seen elderly people that carry phones in their pockets and purses specifically for this reason. But what if you had an emergency or accident where you couldn’t use your phone? Would a stranger or a medic know who to contact if you needed help?

For those of us who carry their smartphones with them at all times, it makes sense to create an ICE (in-case of emergency) contact screen. There are a few easy ways you can do this on Android and it’s something that could just save your life.

Add ICE with an app

One easy way to create emergency contact information on your smartphone is through an application. A simple search for ‘ICE’ with in the Google Play store brings up a handful of applications built to specifically show emergency contact information on your smartphone. There are free ICE apps as well as paid versions, so feel free to look closely at the options before making a decision.

Create a lock-screen with ICE

Another solution to having emergency contact information on your smartphone is to create a personalized lock-screen. This is fairly simple to do. First, open a text editor and write all pertinent information within a text document, including your name and your emergency contact information. Once written and formatted properly, use your smartphone’s ‘screen-capture’ function to save your document as an image. Find that image and set it as your lock screen within your system settings.

settings in samsung
Under ‘Display and wallpaper’ you can set your own lock screen image

In newer versions of Android, you can go to ‘SETTINGS’ then ‘DISPLAY AND WALLPAPER’ then ‘WALLPAPER’ and then select ‘LOCK SCREEN’ to change the image that shows on your phone when it’s locked. This will allow anyone that finds your phone, whether you need help or have just lost your phone, to view whom to contact in an emergency or otherwise.

Showing personal information on lock-screen

The final option for displaying ICE information on your smartphone is using the built-in setting. This is only available on select Android devices, but if it’s available, it’s an easy solution to use. On newer versions of Android, you can go to ‘SETTINGS’ then ‘LOCK SCREEN AND SECURITY’ then to ‘INFO AND APP SHORTCUTS’. Here you can set the ‘OWNER INFORMATION’ to whatever your prefer. It’s basic text that will show up on your device before you unlock it. Be sure to set your phone as secure before using this feature so an unauthorized user doesn’t skip past this crucial information when checking your phone.

contact info setting

As you can see, there are a few easy ways to set up ICE on your Android device. Like any emergency situation, you may not think how important it is to be prepared until it is too late. It only takes a few minutes to properly set up ICE and it may just save you or your loved ones in a life or death situation.

contact info display

ZIDOO X8 TV Box dual boots Android 6.0 and OpenWRT(NAS) on the cheap

AndroidGuys
-
0

Are you the kind of person who likes to push your technology to new limits or extend a set of fun features to otherwise standard hardware? Have you hacked together devices and gadgets that normally don’t have anything to do with each other? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re likely the type of person who might be interested in the ZIDOO X8 TV Box.

Powered by both Android 6.0 Marshmallow and Open WRT(NAS), the unit brings a whole suite of features and hardware to your television. And, regardless of how smart your TV is, it can always get even cooler.

Want access to the Google Play Store? Already installed. Want to pass 4K video through? Use the built-in input. Need something to view pictures or videos from a memory card? Toss it in and sit back! For even more storage and functionality, tap into the network attached storage (NAS) kit and go big.

zidoo-x8-realtek-rtd1295-android-6-0-openwrt-nas-tv-box-383517

Kick-ass Hardware

The ZIDOO X8 is a small unit that takes up very little space and looks right at home in any environment. Powered by a quad-core processor, it also offers up 2GB and 8GB internal storage. Moreover, the device includes Bluetooth 4.0 so you can add a wireless keyboard, mouse, speakers, or something else.

The WiFi connection supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies so you’ll be getting the best data speeds available. Want to connect directly to your network? Plug directly into the Ethernet port and enjoy.

zidoo-x8-realtek-rtd1295-android-6-0-openwrt-nas-tv-box-383518

Let’s say you have somehow acquired some media in the form of video from… well, wherever. The ZIDOO X8 supports pretty much any standard you’ll come across, giving you a place to sit back, kick up the feet, and binge.

Killer Software

All of this talk about hardware is great, but it ultimately takes a back seat to the software capabilities. Thanks to the Android 6.0 + OpenWRT(NAS) dual system, users can enjoy Samba server, iTunes(DAAP) server, DLNA(UPnP) server, FTP server, AFP function (for Apple TimeMachine), and BitTorrent download functions. Yeah, it’s a beast.

geekbuying-zidoo-x8-realtek-rtd1295-android-6-0-openwrt-nas-tv-box-390806

Media

  • Video Supported: HDR, 10-bit HEVC/H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, VP9 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 fps, automatic frame rate switching
  • Audio Supported: HD audio(7.1ch) decode and passthrough Redesigned Native player,Blu-ray better compatibility,Powerful subtitles ,Support MVC ISO,MVC MKV. Built in ZDMC(Base on kodi 16.0)
  • Picture Supported: HD JPEG/BMP/GIF/PNG/TIFF
  • Resolution 4K

 

Normally the ZIDOO X8 runs about $150, but right now you can save nearly 30 percent on the box. Head to Geekbuying and you can grab it for a mere $110.

Package Contents

  • TV box
  • IR remote
  • HDMI cable
  • Power adapter
  • SATA cable
  • User manual
1...1,0491,0501,051...1,275Page 1,050 of 1,275