In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was Google…
Yesterday, Google created a sweet new blog called The Keyword. It’s meant to be a central repository of Google news and product announcements. Similar to how Alphabet was created to reign in all of Google’s projects, The Keyword was created to unite Google’s blogs.
Until now, Google has had a blog for almost all of its products: Android, Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, Google Fiber, etc. The Keyword’s About section says that it officially replaces 19 existing Google blogs in the English language. But now, there is only One Blog To Rule Them All.
Why This Matters
So why should you care? Ultimately, this benefits all of us. For readers, you now only have one resource to visit when you want to read all of Google’s news and releases. Don’t worry, you won’t have to replace all of your bookmarks either. Old bookmarks and feeds automatically redirect to The Keyword.
You can quickly browse and find the latest news or find news by topic, like Diversity, Machine Learning, Doodles and much more. Want to find news about a particular product? There’s a section for that too.
This is also great for bloggers and journalists. The Keyword has a handy Press Section that gives us official Google product images and logos, as well as videos, to use in articles. Images can be broken down into Headshots, Logos and Life At Google.
Also in the About section, the company gives a little blurb about the name:
Where you’re from is an important part of who you are, and the name “The Keyword” is a nod to the origins of search. Keywords also unlock information, which is what we’re hoping to do here — provide a central, official source of news about who we are, what we do, and what we value. (Plus, we like that it has “word” in it.)
TinyBouncer is an Indie style game that involves a whole lot of bouncing and swiping. Jumping on a bouncy caterpillar, you have to gain sufficient height to reach the distance goal, while also weaving through the endless amount of diverse obstacles. The game requires concentration and a will to accomplish in order to advance.
The app is developed by NEKKI.
Setup
TinyBouncer is more or less your typical Indie game. It has minimal setup, and you can start playing right after downloading without adjusting any settings or preferences. What makes it stand out, however, is the fact that the game file is relatively large as compared to similar games, although the game, at 50MB, is still not that big.
Gameplay
About to start the jumping
When I first opened the game, I was immediately drawn in by the catchy background music. It’s fast paced, and provides the rhythm for one to play. Usually, I would not play a game with the music on, but TinyBouncer is an exception. It really helps me concentrate with what I’m doing. It’s similar to retro music and falls in nicely with the type of game.
Another thing was the clean design, which went hand-in-hand with the attractive graphics. Again, it’s typical to see in an Indie game, but it nevertheless leaves a good impression and really builds up the game. The game utilizes a geometric design throughout the app and also ties in a bug/animal theme, a unique combination which gives the game character. The design is well executed and ties in all elements together, elements which most would not really think of adding together.
Moving on to the actual gameplay, your goal is to jump to the height goal by jumping off a caterpillar. Each jump takes you further, but you have to touch the left or right side of the screen in order to dodge obstacles. It’s actually kind of tricky as you have to avoid them again when falling back down. It’s not something I would dub as original, but I would say it’s something well executed.
As you progress, you get to different levels and stages that increase in difficulty and get a slight theme change. Along the way, you can also pick up floating coins which you can use to buy different characters, which come with more benefits as they get more expensive. Such upgrades include increased jumping power and faster swiping speed. I did get to use some of these, and they do make a small difference that should help to get further in the game.
Adverts are, of course, present and do subtract from the game slightly. They are not intrusive or super-annoying, but are nevertheless there and do pop up in the rare occasion. It’s definitely something I could accept, however.
The game ran without a hitch on my Huawei P9 Lite.
Conclusion
TinyBouncer is a well executed Indie game that takes an unoriginal idea and turns into something unique. If it’s your type of game, chances are that you’ll spend hours on it. The graphics are great, the gameplay works just fine, and the game as a whole is a neatly polished packaged just waiting to be played.
If you’re one of the many who purchased a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, you know it’s easily the best looking Android smartphone of the year. The curved metal edges flow beautifully into curved front and rear glass making for a device that grabs attention as soon as you pull it out of your pocket. That beauty comes with a risk – no matter what version of Gorilla Glass used, it still can shatter or scratch given the right conditions. That’s generally why most owners of the Galaxy Note 7 use a case and for a phone of such beauty. So why not consider a case that accentuates the device rather than just protects it?
The LED flip cover is an official case from Samsung for the Galaxy Note 7. It’s a wallet style case where you clip your phone into it and a flap folds over to protect the front. It’s made of an ultra soft, yet textured plastic with an internal frame that acts as a skeleton to offer drop protection.
It fits over the sides of the Note 7 rather cleanly and is made from a hard clear plastic which allows the color of the phone to show through. As a wallet case it is made as good as any I’ve come across, but its unique feature is the NFC enabled LED lights that show notifications, phone calls, texts, alarms and more.
You can even customize your own icons once you download the proper support.
Even though Samsung provides instructions on how to download the additional features as you see in the image above, the phone automatically detects the case the first time you install it and offers you a direct download. It’s certainly a smart case and is easy enough for anyone to use.
The LED lights on the front are activated by simply opening and closing the case or pressing the power button on the Note 7. It is also activated when a notification pops up to indicate:
Time
Music playing
Unread messages
Phone calls
Missed calls
Alerts
Low battery
There’s also a card slot on the interior of the case which has enough room for up to two credit cards. By not offering more slots, it keeps the case and phone thin enough to not be noticeable in your pocket.
The case doesn’t come cheap with a price tag of $59.99, but you can find it for under $40 at Amazon. It comes in black, gold and blue like shown in the images. I grabbed the blue for added color to my all black Note 7 and absolutely love it.
Images can’t do justice to how good this case feels. The case is so well designed that it feels like it belongs on the Note 7 like tires belong on wheels. I appreciate the excellent looks as the Note 7 is an expensive phone that deserves to be shown off, even if it is in a case.
Summary
It’s well documented that Gorilla Glass 5 is prone to scratching so a flip case like protects the back, sides and front while maintaining a slim profile.
It’s isn’t easy to recommend spending $59.99 on a case when there are high quality alternatives from companies like Caseology, BodyGuardz and Spigen. However the LED notification panel on the front is pretty freaking cool and the case is one of the best made pieces you can add to your Note 7. I grabbed mine from Amazon for $35 and think it is a bargain at that price.
If you’re on the fence about this case, Best Buy carries the LED Flip Cover in stores and price matches sites like Amazon. Pictures don’t do this case justice.
U.S. Cellular customers who are looking for a new phone or tablet now have two more options from LG. The LG X Power and LG G Pad X II are available starting today at U.S. Cellular. The LG X Power is a budget phone with a massive 4100 mAh battery, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and 5.3″ 720p display that should last users up to 2 days on a single charge. The LG G Pad X II is a tablet focused on media and entertainment consumption with a 10.1″ screen, kickstand for reading or watching movies, and “Reader mode” to reduce eyestrain while reading. For those looking to upgrade, both devices are available today at U.S. Cellular locations and www.USCellular.com for $0 down when using installment billing.
The LG X Power is an incredibly impressive package at only $149.00 full retail. The phone features a 1.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 720p 5.3″ display, and 16 GB of internal storage with micro SD expansion. This phone’s specifications are far from that of current flagship devices, but the components LG has used for this handset should allow users to get two days of use on a single charge with the 4100 mAh battery. This is extremely impressive when you take into account that most flagships struggle to get through a heavy day’s use without topping off at some point.
The LG G Pad X II has slightly better specs than the LG X Power. The tablet sports a 10.1″ display, a 1.2 GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of expandable internal memory, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. While battery life will not near the two-day mark, this tablet should still perform great for watching movies, reading, working, and basic multitasking.
LG and U.S. Cellular have partnered to bring two very convincing packages to consumers. While the mid-range market for Android devices continues to expand, devices that have competitive specs and a price like the LG X Power or LG G Pad X II will continue to stand out. Both of these devices are available today at your local US Cellular location, or online at www.USCellular.com.
Google is constantly working to improve its productivity suite. Last week, the company brought natural language search so it’s easier than ever to search for documents in Drive. Today, Google is rolling out a new feature to Docs, Sheets, and Slides called Explore.
Explore
Explore is a way to bring insights, design tools, and research recommendations to your documents to help you get work done more quickly. According to Google,
“it’s like having a researcher, analyst and designer by your side.”
Insights for Sheets
Insights helps you make sense of your data. For example, let’s say you have a big spreadsheet filled with numbers, like prices. You can search the sidebar for things like:
“how many units were sold on Black Friday?”
“what are the top three items by sales price?”
“what was the total cost of jackets last month?”
This makes it easy to get specific answers if you find spreadsheet formulas confusing (like me).
Designs for Slides
Using Explore in Slides gives you more attractive design templates. But this is different than regular templates. Explore can automatically create design suggestions based on the slide content. You just pick a suggestion you like and apply it with a click.
Research for Docs
Explore for Docs makes writing reports and research papers much easier. Opening Explore gives you smart suggestions based on your content. Maybe you’re writing a company report about shopping expenses. Open Explore to get Google images based on the keywords found in your document.
Maybe you already have the image? No problem. In Explore, you’ll find three tabs for Web search, Images, and your Google Drive. Search Drive and drag/drop an image into your report.
I’m assuming the Explore feature will gradually roll out to everyone. I checked my own Google account to see if I could test it, but it didn’t show up.
BlueStacks App Player from BlueStacks Inc. is designed to allow you to use your Android apps on a PC or Mac. Their slogan for the application is “Play Bigger,” and that’s exactly what BlueStacks App Player offers. Not necessarily better, but often times bigger–BlueStacks is essentially a software emulation program that can run windowed or full-screen on a Windows or Mac computer. This review covers the Mac version of BlueStacks App Player in its current release as of time of publishing. Please be advised that BlueStacks may look and operate differently on PC and as the software is updated over time.
Upon booting up BlueStacks for the first time, you’re asked to enter your Google account credentials. After a successful login, you will be presented with a homepage of sorts that lets you launch any compatible app. It’s different from what you find on a smartphone or tablet with Google’s mobile operating system, but still functional and easy to navigate.
Typical ‘Home Page’ upon starting up BlueStacks App Player
From here you have full access to all compatible applications that you’ve purchased or previously accessed with your Google account. Applications will need to be downloaded for your new emulated device, and some compatibility issues may arise–just as if you were running a different version of Android on your smartphone or tablet.
It’s not just games either. You can download music or office-based apps, e-reader applications, or creativity programs. Microsoft Word (mobile version) installs and performs perfectly fine and even allows you to connect to your Microsoft One Drive for access to online documents. If you download Instagram or Twitter, you can even use the webcam built into your computer as the camera. Pretty neat!
Twitter Application when used through BlueStacks
The general interface is simple to use and differs very little from what you would see on a tablet in landscape mode. Some settings show different options being that they’re in an emulated mode but are self-explanatory in nature. I found that applications behaved similarly to their native devices; however, a handful of applications that I tried either did not load at all or had minor graphical glitches.
The biggest difference I found while using BlueStacks compared to an Android device was using the mouse to click and scroll instead of the traditional swiping that would be used on your smartphone or tablet. This took some getting used to and was especially cumbersome in games that required swiping. After some time it became less of a burden, but it’s definitely not ideal.
BlueStacks Settings menu differs from what you might see on your smartphone
Searching from the program is very useful. If the application you are searching for is not found on the “device”, BlueStacks automatically lists a clickable option to search the Google Play Store instead. This is incredibly handy.
Searching in BlueStacks is quick and effective
So, why does BlueStacks even exist? What’s the real purpose of having Android emulated on a Mac or PC? Well, in general, I can’t think of too many reasons why you’d want to use BlueStacks App Player over Android on a dedicated device. However, this could be very handy for someone developing an Android application on a PC or Mac for testing purposes. Or maybe you left your tablet at home, and you’re traveling with your MacBook and want to get in a couple games of Clash of Clans. The possibilities are there, and BlueStacks App Player is definitely filling the void.
I would definitely recommend BlueStacks for someone that needs to access Android in a pinch or for an instance where you want to try out an application in Android before purchasing a new device. It’s far from perfect, but when it works, it works like a charm.
Wireless headphones have certainly taken hold in the mobile accessory market. What was once highly limited to big brand names has now been infiltrated by unknown brands at ultra competitive prices. It’s been a personal quest of mine to review low-budget accessories because there are so many options that make a whole lot of sense. While brands like Bose and Beats are sure to please many, the prices are out of reach for most.
When it comes to in ear Bluetooth headphones, there are a few styles to select from. True wireless earbuds now exist in the form of the Gear IconX and Bragi Dash, but those suffer from poor battery life and high first generation pricing. There aren’t many people who are willing to spend $200 on a set of wireless earbuds that only last 1-3 hours on a single charge.
There are Bluetooth earbuds with a neck piece that contains the internal electronic components with earpieces that come from them and slide into your ears.
The Bluetooth earbuds like the VTIN VRazr in the image above provide grip onto your ears while the internals are in each ear piece, and are connected by a single wire. Each style of Bluetooth earbuds has its own benefits and downfalls. The main benefit of the over ear style wireless earbuds is comfort for those with smaller ears. Many people don’t like to wear a neck band and in ear wireless earbuds like the Gear IconX can simply be too big for most. With the three included silicone tips, this style of earbud is rather comfortable and can be worn for several hours at a time without fatigue.
JayBird made the ear fin style popular as an alternative to bulky ear grips, but again those aren’t always comfortable for everyone.
In the image above, you can see where the ear hook holds the component that houses the internal electronics. Connected to that is a traditional shaped earpiece that most are familiar with from similar wired ear pieces. Inside is where the battery, wireless components and controls reside.
The power button sits in the middle flanked by the +/- buttons that control loudness and tracks. The microphone for taking phone calls also sits in the same ear piece.
Battery life is rated at six hours, but I frequently averaged about 4-5 hours mainly because I listen to these at 80% of max volume. The VRazrs also use the aptX driver to deliver CD-like quality over Bluetooth. When you buy Bluetooth headphones you should always look for the aptX driver as data over wireless is limited. aptX helps compress the music in a way that still sounds good. It’s clear from the moment you put the VRazrs on that they do have the aptX driver as the earbuds sound balanced, warm and powerful. Older generation Bluetooth earbuds generally suffer from weak and tinny sound due to the inability to transfer music at a fast enough rate.
When it comes to any style of headphones, they have to sound good first and foremost. All other features are secondary to sound quality and the VTIN VRazrs definitely are worthy of its price.
I wouldn’t say call quality is great when using these outdoors. When I tested them out they suffered from background noise, but indoors they performed adequately. Considering the cost is just $18, it’s hard to expect every area of these earbuds to be flawless.
Summary
It’s a very good thing we have companies like VTIN who offer mobile accessories at such affordable prices. While you may not recognize VTIN like you would Beats or Bose, these cost 1/10th of the price while offering very similar performance.
Right now the VTIN VRazrs are just$12.99 at Amazon with discount code FPZKO7W6, making these an extremely good deal. With free Prime Shipping it seriously makes me wonder how VTIN can make a profit priced at just $12.99. Build quality, sound reproduction and battery life in the VTIN VRazrs are all very good and the price is just icing on the cake.
If you’d like to take advantage of this AndroidGuys’ exclusive discount, head on over to Amazon and get the VTIN VRazrs for $12.99 at Amazon with discount code FPZKO7W6.
UMi Plus has been called the “budget flagship” because it’s able to give a no-compromise experience at a very convenient price, only 179.99$ for a phone which has the Helio P10 Octa core SoC, 4GB RAM, 4000mah Battery, PE+ fast charging technology and 13MP Samsung PDAF Camera with pure Andriod 7.0 update at this Christmas!
We know the good performances of the Helio P10, a chipset able to balance performances and power consumption/heat very well, but let’s not forget how much it’s important to have a nice amount of RAM: with the 4GB provided in the Plus, multitasking will be no more an issue, your apps will be stored and will be ready to be recalled immediately, without having to recharge them all over again, also saving power. Browsing, gaming, keeping track of your activity will be immediate, in addition the system will perform smoother since it won’t be bottlenecked by low RAM. A no-compromise experience which is flagship territory.
But UMi knows that only the processor and the RAM don’t make a complete experience, so they wanted to also dedicate some attention to a few functions and specs that are often overlooked:
UMi Plus has a programmable shortcut button, which allows you to recall the app/setting you prefer. It’s set on the Camera app by default, but you can change it and customize it as you like, so to have your favourite app in just one click.
UMi revealed that Plus will go with SHARP supplier to pursuit an ultra-high color saturation Sunlight screen.
We’ve seen this function used on some model of Xiaomi and Meizu claiming it has 17% better overall color saturation for a richer viewing experience. The great thing to have sunlight screen is that you will not have problem reading your phone under the sun. Not to mention Plus’ display will have 95% NTSC gamut which enhances vivid colors.
Whether you’re looking at photos, watching videos, or using exciting apps, Plus delivers intense vivid colors.
The Fingerprint sensor used on UMi Plus is included into the home button, for an easy and fast usage: it has an outstanding reliability, while being the fastest in its class. It’s enough to press gently on the sensor for 0.1s and the smartphone will immediately unlock, more convenient and faster than using patterns or pass codes. A dedicated Chip encrypts and stores your fingerprints in a totally safe way, no one can access them – not even you!
The Samsung® 13MP camera included uses Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) technology, a 0.1s ultra- fast focusing technique commonly found in DSLR cameras. In addition to high megapixel count, UMi Plus has dual ISP processing for exceptional image quality. The camera provides a “manual mode” which enables you to have total control on most of the camera functions and the “auto mode”, which is the standard one found in every phone, ideal for point-and-click users.
UMi Plus is one of the few devices which allows you to choose between virtual on-screen buttons and physical buttons: users have different preferences on this feature, many prefer virtual keys while many others hate them, so Plus solves the problem giving the possibility to switch between the two types of keys.
A useful notification LED (red/blue/green light) is included, you can know in advance if you have a missed call, an sms or some other notification, without the need to turn on the screen of your smartphone.
UMi is offering a free sample of the Plus to one of its loyal users, just point out to their official product page and participate to their giveaway!
Amazon has thrown its hat into the streaming device update ring. The refresh of the widely popular Fire TV streaming stick comes straight on the heels of Roku upgrading its entire line of streaming devices. Amazon has decided against a complete overhaul, however, and instead opted for marginal improvements in order to keep the device so affordable. Great news for streaming enthusiasts.
Amazon has kept the Fire TV Stick as a full HD (1080P) device, and not pushed it into the realm of 4K like they did to the full Fire TV set top box earlier this year. Instead, the Stick gets a shiny new Alexa-powered remote for voice control. This used to be an add-on for an additional cost, but Amazon has included it for the same low price, just $40, of the original stand alone device. The Alexa remote allows for searching for content across apps, control of media playback, and even ordering a pizza through Domino’s. Also included in the refresh is a slight improvement to the internal specs. A quad-core 1.3 GHz MediaTek processor now powers the stick, Bluetooth 4.1 and a new Wi-Fi antenna that supports dual band MIMO AC wireless signals is on-board for improved wireless streaming performance. The rest of the internals remain the same, with 8GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM.
This is a good job by Amazon to improve its budget streaming device ahead of the holiday season. Keeping the price low and adding some welcome features and improvements without sacrificing anything should keep the Fire TV Stick in competition with similarly priced devices like the Chromecast, and keep it on the list of excellent gift ideas for anyone.
Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has unveiled its two new smartphones–the Mi5s and the Mi5s Plus. Each device will sport different internal and external specifications with the Mi5s being the cheaper and smaller of the two. Xiaomi is set to begin pre-sales for the two devices on Thursday, September 29th, in China.
Xiaomi’s Mi 5s Plus
New to both variants is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is reported to allow quicker and more accurate scans even when your finger is covered in moisture–something current fingerprint sensors have issues with. This is thanks to Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon Sense ID” tech that uses ultrasonic waves to read your fingerprint in a 3D mapping, which should be much more accurate.
The Mi5s and Mi5s Plus also feature a camera upgrade with UltraPixel technology that we saw in the most recent HTC One. This feature should allow for more vibrant images and better shots in low light. The larger Mi5s Plus has two 12MP sensors while the Mi5s has just one 12MP sensor, yet they both include dual-LED flash.
A look at the two-sensor tech in the Mi5s Plus
As you can see in the specs listed below, the Mi5s and Mi5s Plus don’t share the same internals, like an iPhone or Galaxy would, but instead offer more with varied colors, sizes, and memory options.
Xiaomi Mi5s Plus
5.7 inch 1920×1080 display (386 ppi)
Android OS version 6.0 (Marshmallow)
64GB (4GB RAM) or 128GB (6GB RAM) internal storage (non-expandable)
Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
Adreno 530 GPU
Dual 12MP f/2.0, with dual LED flash, camera sensor
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
USB Type-C
Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro sensors
Quick Charge 3.0, 3800 mAh battery (non-removable)
Colors: Gray, Gold, Silver, or Rose Gold
Xiaomi Mi5s
5.15 inch 1920×1080 display (428 ppi) *
Android OS version 6.0 (Marshmallow)
64GB (3GB RAM) or 128GB (4GB RAM) internal storage (non-expandable)
Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821
Adreno 530 GPU
Single 12MP f/2.0 camera with dual LED flash
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
USB Type-C
Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro sensors
Quick Charge 3.0, 3200 mAh battery (non-removable)
Colors: Gray, Gold, Silver, or Rose Gold
*3D touch only available on 128GB/4GB device
Color options available for the Mi5s and Mi5s Plus
Xiaomi has stated previously that it would like to sell smartphones in the U.S. in the future, but as of now, there is no indication these will be sold outside of Asian territories. US Mobile has imported Xiaomi devices in the past and they do fully support the GSM and CDMA networks, but until Xiaomi officially announces anything, we will be left only with the option to import.