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OnePlus 3 vs. ZTE Axon 7

Jack McNenny
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22

Only a couple times a year do we get a fantastic rivalry of two very tempting smartphones going head-to-head for our business. Earlier this year we had the Galaxy S7 and the G5 announced on the same day, which you can find the respective reviews here (S7) and here (G5). Now, we have two very similar phones attempting to do very similar things, at a cheaper price. Welcome to the OnePlus 3 versus the ZTE Axon 7 spec smackdown.

 

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So, let’s take a look here. These two phones cost $399 and offer similar hardware with a few key differences that puts one over the other. While it won’t be another couple weeks until I get my hands on the Axon 7, there are some things we can certainly predict to be true.

The Axon 7’s display sports a higher resolution QHD AMOLED display that will surely crush the same-sized 1080p AMOLED screen from the OnePlus 3 with a much higher pixel density.

Another noticeable difference is the memory options. ZTE will offer a higher 128GB of internal storage with 6GB RAM for a higher price, however the OnePlus 3 already offers 6GB RAM for their only model.

I was definitely a fan of the 3’s camera, but I’m not sure yet which camera will triumph here. ZTE will offer a higher megapixel count than the OnePlus 3, however there’s more involved with taking a good photo, including aperture, software optimization, and post-processing.

Battery life should be better on the Axon 7, however we’ll have to see if the higher resolution screen plays nice with the phone’s daily endurance.

The audio of the Axon 7 is a big selling point, and will absolutely beat the OnePlus 3. The phone will include Dolby Atmos + Dolby Digital Plus (7+1 Surround Sound), played through dual-front facing speakers that we all crave to have.

Overall, when looking at what ZTE offers for the same price, the Axon 7 bests the OnePlus 3 in the hardware department. However as we’ve stated in our review, the software on the OnePlus 3 is almost the same if not better than stock Android, so the Axon 7’s software skin will be heavily involved in determining the success of this phone.

Stayed tuned for a review of the Axon 7 as ZTE will start shipping the device on July 27th. But in the meantime, which of these two powerful, yet affordable phones are you leaning towards?

MEEM: Mirror your Life!

AndroidGuys
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0

Charging cable, app, memory, in a nutshell, this is MEEM. The MEEM cable is a product that never crossed my mind as something that would be necessary for the day to day use of Android. But with all the cloud backup solutions you might not feel like your data is actually yours anymore.

Cable

Sure you could plug your phone into a computer and back it up manually, but that takes time away from the things you really want to be doing. Enter MEEM, simply plug your phoneMeem_Featured-Image into the MEEM charging cable and it takes care of the backing up you stuff  for you.

App

Plug the MEEM in for the first time and it asks to go to the Play Store to download the app. Once it’s downloaded the MEEM app asks what should be backed up. The 2016-07-12 14_00_59-MEEM - Android Apps on Google Playitems that MEEM can backup are Contacts, Calendar, Messages, Photos, and Videos.

Memory

Now that your phone is charging with the cable and you have picked the things to be backed up with the app, it’s time for the real magic to happen. Every time you plug in your phone the things you pick for backup will autoMAGICLY be backed up to the cable itself. There is a 16gb memory chip built into the cable that stores all the data you ask the MEME app to back up.

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As a backup utility, I feel like MEEM works great. I plug my phone into it to charge at night and the app pops up and shows its backing up. The downside to this is that there is no real way to verify what is already on the MEEM or look at what is acutely being backed up. So we will just have to take their word for it. I did talk to MEEM directly and they stated that this is something they will be working on in future updates.

The MEEM is $49.99 at https://www.meemmemory.com/product/meem/

 

Pre-orders commence for $400 ZTE Axon 7

Scott Webster
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0

ZTE on Wednesday announced that it is now accepting pre-orders for its 2016 flagship smartphone, the Axon 7. Powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the Axon 7 is a $400 handset with specs that keep pace with most of today’s top-tier phones.

Key specifications for the Axon 7 include:

  • 5.5-inch quad HD display with 2.5D curved glass
  • 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB storage with microSD support for another 128GB
  • 20-megapixel rear camera (OIS, f/1.8, sapphire lens)
  • 8-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 3,250mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0

If interested in purchasing the ZTE Axon 7, you can pre-order it from a variety of outlets including Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, Newegg, and ZTE. Shipping begins on July 17 for select colors.

Why do you need a mobile anti-virus? (PROMOTED)

Guest Blogger
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2

When mobile devices first flooded the market and it became evident that more users were accessing the internet via a mobile device than through their home PCs, there suddenly came a surge of concern that malware would become a predominant threat. Luckily, that hasn’t yet become a problem but that is not to say that it couldn’t and one day very soon. Having said that, a mobile antivirus is still necessary to guard against threats, but these are threats of another kind.

Sony Xperia Z5 screen

War of the Worlds – Mac vs Google

What some critics have noticed in terms of the need for antivirus protection on mobile devices is that there appears to be a war of the worlds with Mac castigating Android as a virus infested operating system and Google claiming that Mac has its security breaches but is downplaying them to save face. It is, indeed, true that mobile devices haven’t been attacked nearly as viciously or as often as desktop PCs but this is not to say that it won’t happen at some point in the near future.

The problem is just that consumers are looking for the conventional virus that self-replicates and infects the entire operating system and that is the type of malware not yet seen in mobile phones. So if Mac is correct and the Android system is corrupted with serious security threats and if Google is correct and Mac has problems but keeping them hush-hush, why haven’t users of those two operating systems come forward with apparent issues?

Threats of a Non-Malicious Nature

What companies like Panda Security have determined is that the real threat to Google’s android OS comes from advertisers who are seeking to gain access to the user’s personal information. The Android OS may still be immune to malicious attacks that seek to infiltrate the OS, but it has been found that unscrupulous advertisers are putting code into ads that look to gain access to personal and financial information that shouldn’t be transmitted when an advert is clicked. At this point in time there is no definitive proof that financial information is at risk, but there is some amount of concern that hackers who develop some of these ads may one day write that into the code as well. This would be for their own personal gain aside from the advertisers they program for.

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So then, why is it necessary to use antivirus protection on a mobile device if there have been no known malicious threats to date? As mentioned, there is no guarantee that an ambitious hacker wouldn’t someday infiltrate the OS, causing widespread disruption and in an effort to be on top of any threat that could arise, it is often prudent to use third party apps that offer added layers of protection against potential future threats. If history has anything to say about the subject, one extremely malicious person could be waiting for the right moment to release chaos on the mobile world. To say that a malicious threat has never been evidenced is not to say that it never will be, and that is reason enough to purchase the best protection money can buy.

Clarito headphones: Another great set of headphones from Rock Jaw (Review)

AndroidGuys
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0

Last month my colleague, Josh Noriega, reviewed a set of headphones from a British company called Rock Jaw. Based on his review, I was eager to try out another set of in-ear headphones the company offers called Clarito. This set runs about $20 cheaper than the Alfa Genus pair that Josh reviewed. But does it live up to the high standard that the Alfa sets? Let’s take a closer look.

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Design

First impressions are always important when it comes to technology. As soon as I laid eyes on the box for the Clarito headphones, I was impressed. It’s not that it has amazing packaging, it’s the fact that the headphones were presented in a clean and neat way that showed Rock Jaw cared about its product.

https://www.androidguys.com/buyers-guide-headphones/

Right out the box, the Clarito headphones scream quality. With a shiny lightweight aluminum casing, it has first class written all over it. It comes with four different sized ear tips that are sure to fit comfortably in almost every ear.

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While the headphones are comfortable, I must confess that it didn’t pass my running test to see if it would fall out. On a short run, I found myself constantly pushing the tips back into my ear; however, I seem to always have trouble with that, aside from a couple of rare exceptions.

The headphones sport a roughly four-foot-long cord that is by far my favorite cord I have seen. It’s made of a thick rubber that isn’t heavy but feels like it would take a lot to tear. On the cord, it has an adjustment clip that you can attach to your shirt to keep the cable from moving around while walking.

Rock Jaw is kind enough to include a nice felt bag to carry your headphones in. After all, you want to make sure you protect your new headphones.

Sound

I’ve had a number of pricier headphones throughout my life that were muddy, bassy, and muffled. On the other hand, I’ve had some that were inexpensive while also sounding like I was at an actual concert. The truth is you never know what you will get at any price point, but the sound the Clarito headphones deliver will make you happy that you dropped the $30.

Clarito rocks a crisp dynamic sound that you hear with every cymbal, bass kick, and note. The highs and bass are perfectly balanced and deliver an enjoyable experience whether you’re listening to your favorite album or watching the new Star Wars movie.

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Summary

Rock Jaw has proven itself worthy to be a contender in the audio market. It only has a few headphones in its portfolio at the moment, so I’m eager to see how much more it grows in the future and the products it will develop.

Buy from Rock Jaw or Amazon

Siri-like devices are taking over the world (PROMOTED)

Guest Blogger
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1

In the beginning, God said let there be light, and there was light. Not to be overly blasphemous, but you can now be a god too. And by that, I mean that if you speak it, it shall come to pass. Literally. From your car to your home to your to-do list, everything can be managed using your voice. If you prefer to no longer lift a finger, there are three technologies you must own.

Your Voice is a Guardian Angel

Of course, being a god means you’ll have enemies. Protect yourself with a voice controlled home security system. Several systems can be controlled using your voice including ADT (through the ADT Pulse Voice app), Alarm.com, Xfinity Home (through X1 services), and Vivint Home Security (via the power of Alexa). Using your voice, you’ll be able to arm your system, disarm it, lock your doors, and call for help.

Basically Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up! + steroids = your voice-controlled security system.

Google Home and Amazon Echo Want to Rule Your Home

The second thing you’ll need in your quest to control the world with your tongue is an at-home personal assistant. Currently, the best option is Amazon Echo; but soon, Google Home will be a competitor. Both allow you to verbally control your home. You can use either device to control your home’s temperature, order a pizza, listen to jokes, and even request an Uber using nothing but your voice. Think of them like Siri for home, but more useful. The big question is, which device should you choose?

Amazon

  • Echos Knowledge Comes From Wikipedia
  • Option To Use Echo or Lower Priced Echo Dot or Amazon Tap
  • Echo works with lots of other smart home devices including third-party devices and has an open API.
  • Alexa Doesn’t Care About You
  • Speakers Not Connected
  • Alexa Can Be Purchased Now

Google

  • Google Home uses Google
  • One Device – Pricing TBD
  • Google Home compatibility is TBD, but it’s possible it might only play with Works with Nest (Google owned).
  • Google knows you and it feeds some of that knowledge to Google Home to personalize your experience.
  • Can Sync Music Across Multiple Speakers
  • Google Home is Coming Soon

If we were keeping score, and I think we should, that’s 3 points for Echo and 3 points for Google Home. Echo should get a bonus point because you can buy it now; otherwise, I’d say these two devices are neck and neck depending on what you want to achieve. Both will let you command your life with your voice.

Oh, and if you can do a little tinkering, you can also control your car. Mind blown.

Control the World On the Go

If you’re going to play god, you can’t be confined to the walls of your home. And that means you’ll need to buy a smartwatch running Android Wear or soon, Android Wear 2.0. Using nothing but your mouth, you can send emails, a text, check your schedule, and more. And did I mention that a smartwatch can make you a genius? It can, backed by the almighty power of Google. Trivia night just got a whole lot easier.

So what are you waiting for? Clear your throat, take a swig of water, and sit awestruck at the power that is your voice.

House of Marley Get Together portable audio system is worthy of your One Love (review)

Derrick Miyao
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1

One love, one heart
Let’s get together and feel all right
Hear the children cryin’ (one love)
Hear the children cryin’ (one heart)
Sayin’ give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Sayin’ let’s get together and feel all right

(opening lyrics from Bob Marley’s One Love)

Bob Marley was a legendary musical artist that inspired his listeners with his unique style and lyrics. Sadly Bob Marley was taken from this world at age 36 in 1981, yet he lives on through his music that brings happiness to anyone who listens to it. If you have listened to his music, you can feel his love and passion for togetherness and even though he moved on, his message holds as much power today as it did when he first created the music.

AndroidGuys is far from a site that takes a politcal stance, yet with all of the tragedies that have occurred in 2016, you would hope that people listened to his music and learned to use love over violence to solve the world’s problems.

Bob Marley also lives on through a company called House of Marley, which was founded by the Marley family to spread Bob’s values of equality, sustainability, and charity. It continues to carry on the message through electronic accessories like headphones and speakers, and from my experience, does a pretty great job.

I’ve been using the House of Marley Get Together wireless audio system, and it is my new One Love when it comes to portable speakers.

Let’s check it out.

Sustainable design

DSC03143The House of Marley Get Together speaker isn’t something you would expect when you think of Rastafari and Jamaica which is what we associate with Bob Marley. Instead the Get Together speaker is more of a modern design. It has a clean front and back made from bamboo, surrounded by an eco friendly exclusive fabric called REWIND which is made from cotton, hemp and recycled plastic bottles.

Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was how heavy the speaker is weighing in at six pounds. Looking at the speaker you can see why it is so heavy – it has two 3.5″ woofers with two 1″ tweeters installed in what looks like half an inch of bamboo at the front.

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The exterior is neatly covered in gray REWIND fabric with four touch controls at the top right. The controls include the +/- symbols for controlling the volume, a Bluetooth button for pairing to your favorite device, and a power button. There is also an LED indicator which lets you know if you’re paired to a device and powered on.

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On the back of the Get Together is a bass port, DC in charging port, USB out, and an auxiliary 3.5mm audio input.

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The Get Together is a typical speaker in design, but it uses environmentally friendly resources to build it. House of Marley used responsibly harvested certified wood, and recycled materials to minimize the environmental impact which is a rarity amongst manufacturers who make disposable electronics. It typically requires much more planning and engineering to use eco friendly materials, yet House of Marley engineers did that while keeping the cost in line with similar spec’d devices at $199.99.

Usage

What you notice first about the Get Together audio system is its incredible look. The gorgeous bamboo front and back, mixed in with the REWIND fabric give this speaker an ultra modern look that sets itself apart from the crowd of silver, black and white speakers we are all accustomed to. What I love about the high quality bamboo is that no two speakers will ever look alike. All wood grain has unique characteristics, and this speaker looks like it belongs in a penthouse loft.

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At six pounds, this speaker isn’t quite as portable as ones that you can throw in your back pocket. The weight has a purpose where it has two 3.5″ drivers with two full tweeters at the corners that give the Get Together sound that even Bob Marley would be proud of. While many speakers today put a lot of emphasis on bass, House of Marley opted to focus on clear and detailed sound versus going with overpowering lows. The bass comes from the bass port in the back, so if you want to hear more bass in your music, all you have to do is put the back of the speaker closer to a wall and the bass will reflect.

The lack of protective grills for the 3.5″ speakers is another sign this speaker isn’t designed to be taken with you on all of your excursions. DSC03127It’s made for picnics, hanging out at the park, or outdoors at a party. While it isn’t as portable as pocketable speakers, it uses that weight and size to pump out very loud sound that is crisp and balanced, but detailed at low and max volumes. When I compare the sound to the identically priced Bose Soundlink Mini II, it is a sound that is worth carrying the extra five pounds for. The Get Together was made to enjoy with friends, whereas the Bose Soundlink Mini II is more of a personal speaker. If I was stuck with one speaker for the next five years, I would take my $200 and spend it on the House of Marley Get Together 10/10 times over the Bose Soundlink Mini II.

Classic rock, reggae, country, jazz, rap, R&B and even classical all sound fantastic on the Get Together. It’s a speaker made for all music, and is one that will be my goto over all other portable speakers unless I need one that is rugged and waterproof.

The USB out port on the backside of the speaker can also charge your phone while it streams music through the speaker. I’ve consistently averaged eight hours of battery life at 50-75% of the max volume.

Overall I couldn’t be more pleased with the House of Marley Get Together speaker.

Conclusion

DSC03136In a world of disposable electronics, I love that House of Marley is focused on taking care of the environment by using sustainable materials. And in a world of tragedies, hate, violence and poverty, I love that House of Marley uses the name and brand to give back to children through its 1love charity.

Bob once said, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” These are the family-run charities dedicated to that idea.

Bob Marley’s passion for making this a world a better place lives on through his music and the gadgets that House of Marley makes like the Get Together speaker. As I’ve been listening to music from Bob Marley while I write this review, I could imagine him being very proud of his family for representing him the way he would have wanted. The Get Together not only looks unique and luxurious, but it also sounds fantastic. Highs and mids are extremely detailed from the 1″ tweeters, and lows are deep but not overpowering.

If you have $200 to spend, you won’t find a more well rounded speaker than the Get Together.

You can pick up your own House of Marley Get Together at www.thehouseofmarley.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and B&H Photo.

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Project Fi gets crazy fast roaming speeds while the Nexus 6P gets a massive discount

Matt Adams
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0

Traveling abroad as an American comes with a choice: hop from hotspot to hotspot and hope you can get decent enough speeds to actually use your phone, buy a sim card in the country you’re traveling to and use the local network, or incur massive overages (unless you’re on T-Mobile).

Well, Project Fi is making life a little easier for its customers because Google is teaming up with another great service provider. Earlier this year we brought you news that Google teamed up with US Cellular to improve the network domestically, but now Google has announced that its teamed up with Three internationally to expand how and where you can use your phone abroad.

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Under the new deal, customers will now able to use Three’s network in 135+ destinations worldwide and it won’t cost you any more than using Fi’s service at home. That’s right, only $10 per GB.

Three covers huge destination countries like Ireland, the UK, Italy, France, and Australia, so chances are if you’re traveling this year, you’ll be covered. It is a nice (and surprising) trend that we see with carriers reaching agreements with their counterparts in other countries to provide cheap or even free service to roaming customers.

On T-Mobile, you get LTE speeds in the entirety of North America with free roaming in over 100 countries, while AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are also entered into agreements that let their users connect to partner networks in North America.

Read More: It’s time to ditch the big four carriers and go with Google’s Project Fi (review)

To entice customers to sign up with Fi, Google is also offering $150 off a Nexus 6P if you sign up now. That’s an excellent deal on an excellent phone that many of us at AndroidGuys use as our daily driver.

You can check out Fi’s International Rates page to find out if your destination is covered under the agreement. Let us know down in the comments what you think of Google’s new move. Is Fi finally big enough to compete with the Big Four in the US?

HTC 10 gets $100 price cut through July

AndroidGuys
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0

HTC today revealed that it has knocked $100 off the price of its unlocked Android smartphone, the HTC 10. Head to the HTC website between now and the end of the month and you’ll find it priced at $599. Moreover, HTC is also offering a $100 credit in accessories with proof of purchase of the HTC 10 from any retailer or outlet. This can be used on all sorts of wonderful goodies; Vive accessories are excluded

  • $100 off HTC 10 at htc.com, this includes UH-OH Protection, a free service that comes with the purchase of HTC 10 from HTC.com. HTC will replace the HTC 10 for free if the screen cracks or there is water damage during the first 12 months of owning it.
  • $100 credit for accessories on htc.com with proof of HTC 10 purchase from any retailer/channel (excludes Vive accessories)

Read our review of the HTC 10!

T-Mobile giving away free Samsung phones to familes

Scott Webster
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0

T-Mobile today announced a new limited-time promotion which sees the service provider offering free Samsung smartphones. Starting July 13, customers can receive the Samsung Galaxy On5 or Samsung Galaxy J7 for free with Simple Choice plans on 6GB or 10GB data allotments. Not just one, mind you, but one for each member of the family.

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Families who sign up for the 6GB plan will pay $30 per month per line (for the first four lines) and score the Samsung Galaxy On5 ($140 value) at no cost. Anything beyond four lines is only $20 per month, per line.

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Those who opt for the 10GB plan will pay $40 per month per line and snag the Samsung Galaxy J7 ($240 value) for free. Anything over four lines is $30 per month per line. Families on either plan can do up to 12 lines per account and still get the handsets at no cost.

The cost of the free phones are covered via monthly service credits over the span of two years. Once the term is over, customers own the handsets outright. Cancel service before the two years is up and you’ll be responsible for the remaining balances of phones.

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