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Moto Z Play Droid unboxing and first impressions

AndroidGuys
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Motorola today announced its latest smartphone, the Moto Z Play Droid, which figures to be an exclusive smartphone for Verizon. With specifications that fall more in the middle of the pack for today’s handsets, it’s still quite the attractive package.

We received a review unit of the Moto Z Play Droid on Friday and have spent a couple of days getting to know the device. We’re not ready to compile a full-on review of the phone just yet, but we do have some first impressions we’d like to share.

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Taking the phone out of the box you realize that this iteration of Motorola is unlike anything else in the company’s history. Like the Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid this phone is svelte and sexy. On the surface it exudes premium craftsmanship and begs to be looked at from all angles.

It’s almost as if Motorola took the old Cliq XT design from years back and gave it a 2016 reboot. By that we mean it has a modern design with black cues but is also trimmed in a silver finish. It’s familiar to us because we knew something similar from 2010, but it’s oh so fresh with more solid materials. Dare we say it also looks as if Lenovo/Motorola took more time with details.

The Moto Z Play Droid is a heavy device; it’s more dense than we expected it to be. Looking it over, there’s so much here that intimidates us. It has been a very long time since Motorola delivered a phone that we were afraid to leave the house with over fear of ruining it. One drop and we’re afraid it would be scuffed, scraped, or worse, shattered. We want to show it off so badly but, at the same time, we want to protect with some sort of case. As much as we like to insure ourselves with cases, we enjoy looking at the details on the rear.

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It didn’t take us long to realize that there’s no Verizon branding on the phone. While it’s certainly prominent on the box and in the apps, it’s not on the surface of the handset. There is a “Droid” branding under the camera, but that’s it. Otherwise, it’s a simple stylized “M” on the rear and a Moto on the front above the display. We’re not sure if this was Motorola’s doing or if Verizon loosened its grip a bit, but we’ll take it.

Holding and using the Moto Z Play Droid with one hand is comfortable, even with our smaller hands. At 5.5-inches, the display does have a little thicker bezel than some of its competitors, but we’ve seen worse. The 1080p resolution is crisp and color is quite accurate in our first few days with the phone.

In addition to the phone itself, the box also comes with a wall charger (USB Type-C), a MotoMod protective shell for the rear, and a tool to remove the microSD and Nano-SIM cards. There’s also a small booklet but there are no headphones. Speaking of which, a quick glance at the bottom shows us that Motorola did leave the 3.5mm port in this model.

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The protective rear shell snaps into place via magnets and fits snugly against the phone. In fact, you’d be forgiven if you thought that it was part of the handset itself. The wood grain design has the same realistic appearance that is found in other, previous Motorola phones built in the Moto Maker tool.

Apps

Powering on the phone and checking the app tray we find that there’s no mistaking this for anything but a Verizon model. There are nearly one half dozen apps with Verizon branding pre-loaded including VZ Navigator, VZ Protect, My Verizon, Message+, and Cloud. You’ll also find a couple of others here, too: Android Pay, Caller Name ID, Amazon Kindle, IMDb,  NFL Mobile, and Slacker Radio.

Android

After spending time away from Motorola phones, it was refreshing to be return to the software experience. Specifically, we were happy to find a largely untouched version of Android (6.0.1 Marshmallow) with only minor additions. And when we say additions, it’s subtle stuff that really enhances things.

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Who doesn’t love picking their phone up and seeing the screen wake up? Moreover, we appreciate being able to twist our wrist to launch the camera, double chop to kick on the flashlight, or simply wave their hand over the display to wake it? To us, it’s just the right amount of OEM customization.

A couple of days into using the phone and we’re totally in love with it. Sure, the Moto Z Play Droid isn’t going to best any benchmarks but that matters little to us. We’re not pushing our phones to their limits and wager to guess that most of you aren’t either. With that said, the Snapdragon 625 processor (2GHz octa-core) and 3GB RAM do the trick so far. We’ll keep adding more apps and games to it to see how it fares with more demanding titles; look for that in the full review.

Fingerprint reader

The fingerprint reader was easy to set up and has responded quickly in every situation we’ve employed it. Whether waking a phone up or authenticating a purchase, we found it to be accurate and fast. We’d love to see Motorola put some sort of reader on the rear where the logo is, but that’s a quibble. To us, if you’re not pulling double duty with the reader acting as a home button, we say move it around back.

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Sound

As for speakers, there’s only one on the Moto Z Play Droid; it’s the same one for taking calls. Listening to music is decent as there’s plenty of sound. It could be more rich, but we don’t ever find ourselves breaking out a phone to take in a playlist.

Watching videos on YouTube or Netflix was pleasurable, but not overly robust. Again, we’re not the type to spend extended periods on our phone watching movies and expecting a theater experience. Throw in some headphones or pair to a speaker and now we’re talking.

Camera

The 16-megapixel camera features laser autofocus, phase detection autofocus, and an f/2.0 aperture. There’s also a dual-LED flash on the back to brighten up your shots. We’ve not tested the camera in all lighting conditions yet, but thus far we’re impressed with the shots. The software is no-frills so there’s something to be desired in some aspects. On the other hand, we like that we’re not bogged down with too many choices for scenarios. we’ve yet to kick the tires on the front-facing camera.

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Hasselblad MotoMod

As part of our review kit, we also received one of the Hasselblad camera MotoMods to try out. Indeed, you can snap this guy on to the back of the phone as easily as the case and give your Motorola phone a 12-megapixel camera with a 10X optical zoom. Capable of taking RAW images, the camera also boasts a Xenon flash.

As you might expect, the camera can connect with both the Motorola Z Droid and Motorola Z Force Droid, too. Moreover, the other MotoMods launched in the last few weeks can be attached to the Moto Z Play Droid. We’ve already snapped a number of pictures with the Hasselblad MotoMod and will share those in our full review.

Battery

The phone comes with an internal, non-removable 3,510mAh battery. We’ve found that it lasts us well beyond two full days of use but we’re not using it as a daily driver just yet. Additionally, we’ve yet to load all of our apps and accounts to the handset so we do expect to see it drop. Charging is super fast, for what it’s worth, thanks to the TurboPower cable. According to Motorola, spending 15 minutes on the charger will result in 10 hours of power.

We’re really enjoying the Moto Z Play Droid so far and look forward to putting it through its paces. Look for a more thorough review in the coming days and weeks!

Samsung’s latest smartwatches look like the real deal

AndroidGuys
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Samsung announced two beautiful new smartwatches at IFA this morning, the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 Frontier.

Samsung has been an industry pioneer with smartwatches, making its first release in 2013. While competitor Apple is still on its first version of a smartwatch, Samsung is now on its third and boy does it show how well Samsung can evolve in such a short time. From 2013 when Samsung released the rectangular Galaxy Gear, to today’s two round and truly watch-like S3s, Samsung has upped its game big time.

Galaxy Gear (2013)
Galaxy Gear (2013)

Internally both models of the S3 smartwatches are identical, with a dual core 1GHz processor, 4GB of internal memory, 768MB RAM (Android Wear watches have 512MB), 380mAh battery, wireless charging, IP68 water and dust resistance rating, built-in speaker, with your standard Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC (now supports mobile payments), and GPS. Both watches also do not run Google’s software in Android Wear, instead Samsung chose to stick with its own in house software, Tizen. The Gear S3 Explorer comes with the LTE connectivity option so users can go phone free with a SIM card and mobile plan.

Design wise, both feature Samsung’s beautiful circular Super AMOLED display, that very few watches share. Other round watches like the Moto 360 2 have the “flat tire” look to house the sensors in the display. As a watch wearer and collector, I prefer the full display of the S2 and S3 well over the flat tire look.

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Where the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 frontier differ is in the design. The frontier is designed for those who prefer the sportier look, with a rugged design but still maintains it natural design to look like a watch. The classic is more of a minimalist design where users can wear it in just about any situtation, from dinners to work, the classic design fits in rather easily.

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“The classic was designed with meticulous attention to detail – with its size and shape chosen to attain the same consistency and balance of a well-crafted luxury watch.” – Samsung press release

New features

With a new design comes new features. Samsung opted to stick with the rotating bezel which first debuted on the Gear S2, and enhanced it with the ability to reject or accept a call or snooze an alarm. With the AMOLED display, Samsung can have an always on display to show the time without putting significant strain on the battery. The latest Galaxy devices also employ this feature which can be left off if so chosen.

Samsung has also added in Samsung Pay into the S3 meaning you can truly leave your wallet at home, if the merchants in your area support it.

Another cool an unique feature is the smartwatch’s ability to notify friends and family of an emergency with its new SOS feature. We’ve read countless stories this year of wearables saving lives, and Samsung takes it one step further with this watch.

Samsung really left no stones unturned here, and even standardized its watch strap to 22mm allowing for greater interchangeability of non smartwatch watch bands.

This is the closest a smartwatch has ever been to a real analogue watch and I’m interested to see how well this sells around the globe when it is made available in the fall.

This post was originally published at SmarterWatching.com.

 

Google announces in-app search tool ‘Inside Search’

AndroidGuys
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Google has revealed a new feature coming to Android devices today, Inside Search, which allows users to search for content inside the apps on their devices right from the Google app.

Located in the “In Apps” tab of the Google app, this feature allows you to search for anything that has been saved in your apps. This includes contacts, songs, lists, and much more without having to jump into the app itself. The search all takes place on your device, so there’s no need for a data connection or Wi-Fi access. Your data is only visible to you, and you can even choose which apps show up in Inside Search from the settings of the Google app.

Google has also announced that the LG V20 will also feature a dedicated shortcut for this feature, continuing the recent hype buildup surrounding the first Android 7.0 device.

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A quick example of ‘Inside Search’ at work
Google has also announced that the LG V20 will also feature a dedicated shortcut for this feature, continuing the recent hype buildup surrounding the first Android 7.0 device.
An example of ‘Inside Search’ on the V20

 

As of today, Inside Search works with Gmail, Spotify and YouTube among other apps, and in the coming months Google should be adding more, including Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, Evernote, Glide, Todoist and Google Keep. This new feature should make searching for that elusive contact number or long-archived conversation much easier, and it is a welcome addition that we don’t even have to wait for Nougat to enjoy.

 

Acer refreshes its tablet, phone, and Chromebook lineup at IFA 2016

Matt Adams
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IFA 2016 in Berlin, Germany kicks off on Friday and we’re already seeing companies detail its new product lineups. Acer is one of the first to take the wraps off the new devices that will be offered up to consumers soon. Of note are some very interesting phones, a brand new tablet, and a compelling Chromebook. Let’s take a look.

Acer Liquid Z6 and Liquid Z6 Plus

The two newest phones coming from Acer are new phones in the “Liquid” lineup. The little brother, the Liquid Z6 is a budget device that launches with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, a 5″ display, MediaTek MT6737 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and an 8MP camera on the rear of the phone with a 2MP shooter on the front.

Its big brother, the Liquid Z6 Plus is much closer to a flagship device. The Plus has a 5.5″ display, MediaTek MT6753 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 13MP and 5MP cameras and also launches with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Also of note are the huge battery (4080mAh) and fingerprint scanner that will feature in the Liquid Z6 Plus.

Both phones will feature 2.5D curved displays and slim designs. The Liquid Z6 will be available in November for about $130 whereas the Liquid Z6 Plus will launch in December for about $275.

Acer Iconia Talk S

The brand new Acer Iconia Talk S is a new 7″ 4G LTE tablet targeting business professionals. With a 7″ display coming in at 1280 x 720, the Iconia Talk S is more of a huge phone rather than a small tablet. It has dual-sim capabilities, a quad-core processor, and up to 9 hours of battery life. The anti-slip finish enables users to hold onto the large device with one hand and the 13 MP camera allows for great, high-resolution pictures. The Iconia Talk S comes with Acer’s own pre-installed suite of software including the Z Snap, EZ WakeUp, and EZ Utilitiess as well as Microsoft’s Office Suite.

The Acer Iconia Talk S will be available in September and cost roughly $190.

Acer Chromebook R 13

Today Acer all unveiled its newest Chromebook, the R 13. As the name indicated, the Chromebook has a 13″ display with an impressive 1080p resolution. It comes with 4GB of RAM and either 16, 32, or 64GB of onboard storage that can be expanded through a microSD card slot. It also comes with a USB type-C port, 13-hour battery and is able to turn 360-degrees so you can use it as a tablet as well.

You can pick up the Acer Chromebook R 13 in October for $399.

Don’t miss the 2016 Google Play Indie Games Festival!

Jason Botha
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One particular game genre that has increased in popularity over the past years is the indie genre. Indie games are typically small-scale applications that are made by a small group of individuals, or even a single person. The developers have very little funding and resources, which leaves the fate of the game entirely in the developer’s hands. As a result, Indie games are some of the most diverse that one can find on the Play Store.

To recognize and encourage the Indie developer community, Google is hosting the Google Play Indie Games Festival. The festival, which takes place on the 24th of September, will showcase a wide variety of Indie games. Some of the apps that will be on display will be unreleased to the general public at that time.

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Inside the Terra Gallery in San Francisco

The festival runs for the entirety of the day and will be hosted at the Terra Gallery, in San Francisco.

We’re also excited to announce the games selected to exhibit and compete at the event. From over 200 submissions, we carefully picked 30 games that promise the most fun and engaging experiences to attendees. Fans will have a chance to play a variety of indie games not yet available publicly.

Entrance is free, and anyone present will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite game. You need to register here first before the day. There is a prize up for grabs for attendees.

Boost Mobile adds the budget friendly ZTE Warp 7 to its lineup

Matt Adams
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Boost Mobile, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) which uses Sprint’s network, is adding the newest budget-friendly ZTE device to its stable of phones. The ZTE Warp 7 will work with both GSM and CDMA networks, feature a 5.5″ display and a quad-core processor.

  • Display: 5.5″ 720p
  • Processor: 1.2GHz Quad Core Processor
  • Storage: 16GB
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Camera: 13 MP main camera
  • Battery: 3080mAh
  • OS: Android 6.0

The best part about the ZTE Warp 7 might be its price. Coming in at a cool $99, it certainly won’t break the bank. This is another device that straddles the budget and mid-tier lineup which offers nice specs for an even nicer price. In addition to the 16GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot is included with support up to 64GB (sold separately).

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ZTE has been the budget king lately with the Warp 7 and the recently announced Zmax Pro. The latter features a 6″ 1080p display, Snapdragon 617 processor, and 3,400mAh battery for a similar price as the Warp 7.

How to talk to your kids about technology

Andrew Orr
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As a parent, there are many subjects to discuss with your kids: puberty, sex and death are usually the most common. But what about technology? Where do you even begin?

Digital Citizenship

The website DigitalCitizenship.net defines digital citizenship as “the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior with regard to technology use.” 

A good place to start a discussion with your kids can be about digital citizenship. We teach our kids how to behave in the physical world, and how to deal with social interactions. But some parents may not even think about teaching them proper online behavior and etiquette.

Vicki Davis, a teacher and IT Integrator, lays out what she calls the “9 Key Ps” of digital citizenship:

  1. Passwords
  2. Privacy
  3. Personal Information
  4. Photographs
  5. Property
  6. Permission
  7. Protection
  8. Professionalism
  9. Personal Brand

Passwords

It’s important to teach kids how to create secure passwords, and this is a lesson some adults need too. Learning about password managers is a good start, as they are easy to use.

Privacy

Remember: privacy is a right. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has a great article on privacy. If your child’s school has issued devices to the kids like a tablet, you should go into the device’s settings and make sure everything is locked own, if the school’s IT team hasn’t already done so. Some questions to ask:

  • What kind of device has your child received (e.g., Apple iPad, Google Chromebook, Microsoft Surface, etc.)?
  • Which application(s) is your child using (e.g., Google Apps for Education; Microsoft in Education; other cloud-based services; other applications)?
  • Were you or your child given the option to opt out of using the technology?
  • Was your child offered an alternative technology option?
  • Did you or your child authorize a corporation to collect information from your child and used outside the context of their education-focused application?

Personal Information

We’re encouraged to share every detail about ourselves on social networks. But, this is something that should be only shared with people you choose like friends. Sometimes personal information can be used against you, like if a hacker tries to guess your answers to security questions. “What was the name of your first pet?” “What street did you grow up on?” Et cetera. Don’t let potential hackers find these answers on your Facebook profile.

Photographs

The phrase “Let’s take a selfie” has now become almost ingrained in our culture. While this isn’t good or bad in itself, it’s good to teach your kids about the kinds of photos they share online. Sometimes personal information can be shared accidentally in a photo like a license plate or credit card number.

Do your kids know about geotagging and other location-aware features? With the right tools, a hacker can download one of your photos from Facebook and pinpoint your location using certain software. Gizmodo has a good guide to removing location data from photos before sharing them.

If your kids are older, it’s also a good idea to talk to them about sexting. It’s vital that teens are aware of the potential legal consequences of sexting. While it may seem like fun-and-games, teenagers have been arrested on charges of child pornography because they sexted their boyfriend/girlfriend.

Property

Another topic to discuss with your kids is copyright. While the nuances of copyright law can be boring, talk to them about intellectual property. If they use an electronic device for school, help them find royalty-free images and not Google Images. Plagiarism is a hot topic in school, specifically in classes like English, but teachers might not discuss using proper images. A good resource that I often use for my articles is Pixabay.

Permission

This falls under the same umbrella as property. Do your kids know how to get permission for the work they use, and how to cite it? Again, this is probably taught in school, but it doesn’t hurt to include it in a discussion at home.

Protection

No, not that kind of protection, that’s an entirely different conversation! This protection is learning about malware like viruses, spyware, and adware. A good start is downloading some antivirus software.

Professionalism & Personal Brand

These two topics can be grouped together. The topic of a personal brand sounds weird at first. It doesn’t have to be about learning how to market yourself, like for a job. Rather, it’s about asking your kids how they want to be perceived online. Are they intentional about what they share on social networks? Do they realize that things shared online tend to stick around for a long time?

Netiquette

A word you may have seen in the past is netiquette. Short for “internet etiquette”, netiquette is about “electronic responsibility for actions and deeds.” Cyberbullying and online trolling can be a starting point, and depending on how old your kids are, this discussion could even grow to involve subjects like ethics and morals.

As DigitalCitizenship.net says,

“Often rules and regulations are created or the technology is simply banned to stop inappropriate use. It is not enough to create rules and policy, we must teach everyone to become responsible digital citizens in this new society.”

Conclusion

I’d like to conclude by talking about one of my favorite authors, Cory Doctorow. He writes fantastic books for adults and teenagers alike. He has a couple of books that I recommend: Little Brother and Homeland. Think of George Orwell’s 1984 as Little Brother’s spirit animal.

The book, as well as its sequel, Homeland, is told through the eyes of a teenager named Marcus, a.k.a. “w1n5t0n”. The books discuss politics, technology, privacy and surveillance. As you’re reading, you can’t help but ask yourself, “What would I do if falsely accused by the Department of Homeland Security?”

You can get download a free eBook copy of Little Brother here. Also, check out an article that Cory wrote for teenagers called You Are Not a Digital Native: Privacy in the Age of the Internet.

AT&T set to release the ultra rugged Kyocera DURAFORCE PRO on Aug. 31st

AndroidGuys
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AT&T has a new phone for consumers who need something that can withstand more abuse than your typical user. Think outdoorsy types, construction workers, firefighters and police; the Kyocera DURAFORCE PRO can be preordered on August 31st and is an ultra rugged smartphone that can take a beating.

The DURAFORCE PRO comes with an IP68 rating meaning it can withstand water up to 6.5 feet deep for 30 minutes and is also 100% dustproof. It comes with a dedicated side button for Enhanced-Push-To-Talk which allows for walkie talkie like functionality.

EPTT features:

  • Interoperate with land mobile radio (LMR) networks
  • Integrate communications with mobile resource applications such as AT&T Fleet Complete
  • View GPS-enabled users, and conduct group (or individual) calls through PC desktop, using Integrated Dispatch
  • Combine productivity apps and PTT functionality on one device
  • Improve operational efficiency—saving time and money

The smartphone comes with a 5″ HD display, Snapdragon 617 processor, 32GB internal storage, 3240mAh battery with 20 hour talk time rating, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, and a super wide action camera too.  With the Underwater Mode you can take photos and record video while the phone is completely submerged in up to 6.5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

Starting Wednesday, August 31 you can order the DuraForce PRO smartphone at AT&T stores and www.att.com for $13.97 per month for 30 months on AT&T Next or $17.46 per month for 24 months on AT&T Next Every Year when you have eligible service. It will be available for purchase in stores starting on Friday, September 9.

Verizon data speeds now twice as fast for most of the US

Scott Webster
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Verizon customers should be on the lookout for faster data speeds, according to the wireless service provider. Today finds Verizon announcing that some 460+ markets are getting LTE Advanced coverage to the tune of 50% faster data connections.

Indeed, roughly 288 million POPs, or approximately 90% of the US, are able to take advantage of the two-channel and three-channel carrier aggregation. In other words, nearly everyone under its umbrella could be seeing speeds that are twice as fast as before.

To be clear, the LTE Advanced speeds are in theory and at peak times; don’t look for it all day, every day. Moreover, there are handset limitations in place too. Fortunately, if you’ve purchased a device from Verizon in the last couple of years, you are likely already set to go. Select models may be ready for LTE A out of the box while other models may require a software update.

Verizon, the magnanimous carrier it is, is giving customers the faster data speeds at no additional cost.

T-Mobile tweaks its ONE plan, launches a souped-up ONE Plus option

AndroidGuys
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T-Mobile on Monday kicked off the week with a revision to its recently introduced ONE rate plan.

As a result of the feedback (read as: criticism) of its all-inclusive option, T-Mobile has made an adjustment to its mobile hotspot data speeds. Now, instead of capping at 128Kbps, T-Mobile will let users access share data at 512Kbps.

Additionally, T-Mobile will offer HD day passes for $3 per day. Instead of watching your video streams at 480p, you can watch services at 1080p, 2k, and even 4K resolution. Previously, customers could only purchase an HD add-on package in a one-month bundle.

Buyer’s Guide: T-Mobile

Today also sees T-Mobile rolling out a One Plus plan that offers unlimited mobile hotspot and unlimited HD day passes. Priced at $25, the option defaults to the standard resolution for streaming video but can be toggled to HD at any time. What’s more, the Plus option doubles international data speeds to 256Kbps.

Previously expected to launch on September 6, T-Mobile’s One plans will now debut five days earlier. Look for things to kick of on September 1.

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