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Gentle Wakeup: Let’s wake up in a better mood (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Overview

Let’s face it, waking up in the morning is no fun. That moment the sound of the alarm clock meets your eardrums, your ready to fight. Of course, that could be more to do with having to go to work, either way, traditional alarms aren’t very popular. To that end, more developers are finding new ways to wake people up. There are apps that make you do math while there are some that make you take a selfie. Heck, there is even on that lets you receive a call from a total stranger. But today we are gonna talk about one that gently wakes you up with the simulation of the sun…Gentle Wakeup.

Developer: Dr. Alexander Rieger
Cost: Free with a $3.99 upgrade to Pro

Review

Gentle WakeupGentleWakeup 2 is a unique take on the alarm clock. It mimics what nature intended by waking you up with a gentle light. We need to first understand the process Gentle Wakeup uses. When setting your alarm you should know the process starts 20 minutes before your alarm time. So setting your alarm at for 7:30 am will have the process starting at 7:10 am.

Once the alarm process starts your screen turns on with a very dim yellow glow. As the minutes tick it gradually gets brighter. Once it’s time for your alarm, the screen is at full brightness and hopefully you are awake. This will likely work only if you have the phone or tablet placed in a way that it is on your face.

Now that we understand the process, let’s go over some of the options available in the settings. Most of the normal features are included such as repeat alarms, snooze, multiple alarms and naming those alarms. Now I mentioned that the process starts 20 minutes before you alarm time, but that can be adjusted to a more suitable time if that fits your individual preference.

Other features include having a vibration going when the alarm starts with numerous configurations to fit your needs. You can also have the clock showing if you choose. If you feel the need for a morning pick me up, you can set a message to display for yourself to start it off right. Gentle Wakeup also gives you the option to set a maximum duration for the alarm to last ranging from five minutes to two hours.

Displaying on the main screen of Gentle Wakeup is your clock. Did you expect something else? You can customize that down to the second…literally. Extra stuff that you may want to display include next alarm set and notification in your action bar.

Now you may wonder why I haven’t talked about sounds, well that’s because it’s in the Pro version. For an upgrade fee of $3.99 you can add sounds. These aren’t your normal sounds, no sir. Well, there is one normal annoying sound, but mostly you have roosters, birds chirping, white noise and more.

Summary

This is a unique take on the alarm. I’m not sure most people will be able to use it as we are more accustom to annoying noises and music these days. I would definitely not use this as a primary alarm until you’re sure you can wake up to it. But if you’re a person who could handle this then you should. Who doesn’t like waking up to a pleasant sunrise.

Download Gentle Wakeup from the Play Store

Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 review: A new standard in earphone value

Josh Noriega
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I was contacted by Rock Jaw Audio about an opportunity to review its flagship earphone, the Alfa Genus V2. I hadn’t heard of the company before, attributed to the fact that it is an underdog British audio manufacturer. But the rave reviews I was seeing really caught my eye. What could this company be doing to get such good word?

Upon opening the packaging, I could see a couple differentiating factors for earphones in this price bracket (£44 retail, or about $65). Namely, a metal build and frequency tuning filters – features you’ll only really find on high-end earphones. Let’s check out if the Alfa Genus V2 can hit all the right notes.

Design

From afar, the Alfa Genus V2 look unassuming. The earpiece design is cylindrical, with a slight taper. But up close, you’ll notice some nice design cues.

The lightweight Aluminum casing is surrounded by a glossy finish with the slightest ridged texture (you’ll only see it up close). There are accents of the true metal color at the front portion of the chassis, the cable stem, and rear cap.

A subtle but interesting aspect is that the back end concaves and there’s a tiny opening at the center. I think that this is a bass port, like on the Sennheiser IE 800, to improve the sub-bass response. When I cover the holes with my fingers, I notice that the sub-bass is dampened. You don’t really find this extent of audio detail on earphones at this price range, resulting in a deep and well-defined low-end. But we’ll talk about the audio quality a little further in the review.

The cable is fairly basic, but is done well. It’s made of a firm, rubbery wrapping, and close to 4 ft. in length. It’s a little on the thick-side, but the benefit is resistance to tangles. Shortly down the left earpiece wire is a simple one-button remote. There’s a mic for picking up calls, but the button can also switch tracks with multiple presses.

Usability

Rock Jaw is very considerate with the V2’s packaging. You’ll get four sets of silicone eartips (small, large, and 2x medium), a double flange pair, and two sizes of foam tips. There’s also a small drawstring pouch to carry it all.

I found the fit to be fantastic out of the box (medium silicone tips are pre-installed). It easily seals and stays in place. Isolation for silicone tips is decent too, but it’s great that Rock Jaw includes foam tips to improve it further.

The cable is also decently resistant against microphonics (noise from cord rubbing). Although, unlike most manufacturers, Rock Jaw didn’t put a chin slider above the y-splitter. I don’t know why it wouldn’t; it’s not like there’s much to it (just a small attachment that keeps the cords tidy.

I really praise Rock Jaw for incorporating an interchangeable filter system into the Alfa Genus V2. This isn’t a feature I’d expect on sub-$100 earphones; I’ve only seen it on high-end models. It works like most do, where you get three different ways to tune the sound signature: neutral (balanced), bass, or treble emphasis.

Changing the filters simply involves unscrewing the nozzles and screwing in one of the three included pairs. Super easy. The V2 comes with the bass filters pre-installed. It’s a little baffling why they don’t come with the neutral setting, for those who don’t care about messing with the true sound.

Sound

*I’ll be primarily be commenting about the neutral sound filter.

I’ll cut to the chase and say that I was very impressed with the sound quality of the Alfa Genus V2. When you’ve heard as many headphones as I have, you come into an expectation at a price bracket. Frankly, the V2 blew away my expectation for a sub-$100 earphone. This is the type of earphone that makes you regret spending so much on your daily driver investment.

Let’s talk about what that means. First, the V2’s articulation is notably clean. Cheaper headphones typically suffer from muddiness more or less throughout the spectrum, and while the V2 isn’t completely absent from it, it is surprisingly crisp for the price-point. Not only that, but the sounds have encompassing depth, and do a great job filling out the perceived 3D space around you (aka soundstage).

Earlier, I also suggested an excellent bass response. Particularly, the deep sub-bass is like what you’d find on much pricier earphones (assumingly due to the port on the back of the earpiece). However, it leads to a hard-hitting, punchy mid-bass, which may not be for everyone (and this is with the neutral filter). This is my biggest complaint about the sound signature, as the bass tends to overshadow. You must be a huge basshead to prefer the bass filter, as things become severely bloated at that point.

I loved the mid-range of the V2. Even with the prominent bass, it’s forward enough to still be appreciated. Things like vocals and guitar strums have a lushness and airy-ness, after the likes of Shure’s reproduction. The treble is also not just pushed to the background. It can crank out some decent detail, although, I could use more upper-end sparkle.

Final Thoughts

I am super impressed with the Alfa Genus V2. Not to sound like a snob, but I don’t expect much from sub-$100 headphones. Rock Jaw has shown me that gems are out there. No, it’s not perfect, and no, I won’t tell you there isn’t value in high-end earphones. But these challenge the price gap very well, and they’re my new go-to when recommending the best bang for your buck earphone.

The Alfa Genus V2 is sold through Rock Jaw’s UK site, but I was told that they’ll be on Amazon.com next week!

Alfa Genus V2 product page

The Oneplus 3 is far from a flagship killer

Derrick Miyao
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The news about the OnePlus 3 has been all the rage the past couple of weeks. It’s true that OnePlus has generated compelling phones over the past couple of years, but is its latest OnePlus 3 truly a flagship killer priced at $399?

The original Oneplus One was without question a phone that got our attention with its incredible price tag at $349 (or $299 for the base model). It was loaded with high end hardware like the Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM, 3100mAh battery, 13MP rear camera, and a 1080p display.04

What made this phone so newsworthy at the time was its price that was half the cost of its competition, like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 4. The major downside to buying a phone from Oneplus was the goofy invite system that was a massive failure where it took users up to six months to get the device.

Come 2016 and OnePlus released its third iteration of the device that aimed to be a true flagship killer. The only issue is the price is now $399. Sure that is cheaper than a Samsung Galaxy S7 by $200, but the OnePlus 3 does not have specs that can justify its self proclaimed title as the “flagship killer”.

$399 is almost high enough to be considered flagship pricing. The Moto X Pure and Blackberry PRIV can be had for $299 right now, and the Galaxy S7 can be found for as cheap as $450. The NextBit Robin has been selling at $299, and the very popular Nexus 6P has been priced as low as $419. Even if the OP3 is better on paper, the day to day performance is so insignificant these days that most users will not know the difference unless they have all of the devices to test side by side.

If it truly wants to be a flagship killer it needs to be better than the S7 which it is not.

On paper, the OP3 has more RAM, 6GB vs 4GB but in real world tests performs slower than the S7. While the OP3 has a nice camera, it isn’t supplanting the S7 as the best picture snapper. The OP3 also isn’t displacing the S7 in terms of battery life, water resistance, and certainly isn’t going to take the crown over for the best display with its mediocre 1080p display. Lastly, while the OP3 metal build is nice, it does not match the S7 metal and glass build that has set the standard for all other phones.

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A real flagship killer would be compatible with the largest network in the US

The OP3 isn’t compatible with the largest network in the U.S., Verizon. If Oneplus truly wants to compete as a “flagship killer” it needs to create a Verizon compatible version. With 141M subscribers, in addition to Sprint’s 59M subscribers, OnePlus is missing out on half of the US market.

It also has issues with AT&T, the second largest carrier in the US. I guess if you want to take full advantage of LTE speeds, you better make sure you have T-Mobile as your carrier.

Is the OP3 better than the similarly priced Nexus 6P?

The Nexus 6P was released last year which makes it “old”. On paper the 6P lags behind the OP3 with half the RAM at 3GB, has a lesser processor with the Snapdragon 810 vs the 820, but it ends there. The 6P has an all metal body to match, a 2k AMOLED display vs the 1080p display found on the OP3, has USB type-C with fast charging, has a battery that can last all day, and can even be purchased for as low as $419 when it’s on sale. It’s $20 more for the 6P, but you’re guaranteed updates from Google with customer service that OP3 can only dream of matching.

Hardware wise, the only thing the OP3 has going for it is the 6GB of RAM which does not matter, especially when it has issues for many users. When the full 6GB is utilized, it simply puts more stress on the battery. If Oneplus was smart, it would have dialed back the RAM and saved its customers $50 off the MSRP.

Another phone that only appeals to enthusiasts

There are quite a few AndroidGuys writers who couldn’t resist the hype and picked up their own OP3s, but almost all of them are suffering from connection issues. Many are not getting LTE, and one of them has consistent WiFi connection problems which is makes the OP3 a pain to use at home. These issues would be addressed very quickly by Google on its Nexus devices, but OP3 isn’t nearly the size of Google, so it has to scramble to get a fix out. If you have a build defect with your OP3, you have to wait for the device to ship to China and back just to get it fixed. That’s a major problem for most people who only have one phone.

I’m clearly in the minority when it comes to the OP3. I expect to get many comments from readers telling me how inept I am, but that’s okay. 

The reality is the OP3 is no better than the S7 in any way. I’d rather pay the extra $200 for a Galaxy S7 that will keep me happy with its superior camera, display, expandable memory, water resistance and dust proofing, wireless charging, and endless third party accessories.

At $399 the OP3 matches up to the Nexus 6P almost head to head. For my money I would buy a Nexus 6P any day of the week over the OP3 because of better customer service from Google, global compatibility with networks including Verizon and Sprint, and quicker updates on Android. You can also use the Nexus 6P on Project Fi which can save you money in a different way.

The way I see it, the OP3 has timing on its side. It was released after all of the major flagships when there is a lull in activity. It bridges the gap between the first half flagship releases with the Galaxy S7, HTC 10, and LG G5 and the second half flagships like the Note, iPhone and Nexus. Other than that and the 6GB which seems cool on paper, the OP3 is a whole lot of hype that I am not settling for. #NeverSettle

Clash of Clans: Our top tips for optimal gameplay

Jason Botha
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Clash of Clans players know that they have to be on top of their game in order to do well. Be it your friends or enemy clan, there is always pressure to stay on top and ahead of everyone else.

It’s also always been said that it’s the small things that matter, and that applies very well in Clash. Be it a single spent gem or an extra minion that you placed down, there’s always little things you can do to improve your position.  That’s why we’re here to give you some of the best tips for advancing your village.

Read on to get our first tip.

Use cheap units

Although this depends heavily on what your intent for attacking is, using a horde of archers and barbarians is usually much more effective than a few strong troops. Dragons, for example, are great, but they use a lot of resources and take precious time to train. If you’re saving and looting for dark elixir, you should not really be using it to train troops either.

Ultimately, if your primary goal is to save up resources, you need to make an effort to use cheap units that are quick to produce. The best units to make depends on your Town Hall level; see this Clash of Clans Town Hall Farming Guide by Level for more details.

Black-Mist

Save every gem

It may be tempting to spend fifteen gems on an upgrading building, but don’t do it. Every penny matters and all that quick spending adds up very quickly. Get a reasonable number of gems to work towards, and you’ll reach it soon enough. Removing bushes and completing achievements are pretty much the only way in which you can actually make gems, but it’s sufficient.

Make it a goal to complete these achievements, be it ‘Mortar Mauler’ or ‘Nice and Tidy’. You’ll thank yourself later. You can then spend them on things like shields and heroes.

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Do not rush your town hall

The awesome weapons and troops that await you at the next town may be desirable, but it is not worth rushing there. Let me explain it: when you upgrade your town hall, your new opponents get significantly harder as you are limited to attacking town halls that are one level below you. A bit confused? Say that you were a town hall 8, but rushed to town hall 9. Now you have to attack harder bases with the same troops as you had before.

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This makes it harder to get resources, and inevitably slows down your progress. Short story: don’t rush.

Use spells sparingly

Spells are very expensive and take a while to brew. You can also take a limited amount of spells to aid you in a battle. For this reason it can affect farming resources and should not be used without reason. It may be tempting to just drop them, but you’re only making the situation worse if your expenses exceed your incomes.

If you care about trophies, spells can also literally mean the difference between a 30% raid and a 100% raids. You should drop them wisely. Determine the best locations and the best times for when you drop them, be it a single troop that can get you 50% or twenty balloons that are terrorizing the base.

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Take advantage of shields

If you are inactive for some time, you can still make a neat sum of resources via your collectors and drills. But, only if no one else can get it. Use your saved up gems to purchase a shield that best corresponds with you absence time.

Furthermore, if you have an existing shield, try not to decrease it by attacking opponents. In the past, your whole shield would be removed if you attacked someone, but now it penalizes you by three hours. It’s up to you.

Playtoko-CoC-Membeli-Shield-2

Make use of bonuses

You can get bonuses from either participating in war or from getting five combined stars from attacking opponents. With a reasonable payout often in the hundreds of thousands, it’s an excellent opportunity to make some extra cash. Pushing harder in war and attacking more often suddenly becomes a bigger priority when you see how much you can make off this.

You even get a bonus from a successful attack, and more depending on what league you’re in.

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Tailor your armies in war

Don’t use any old army composition when in war. Strive to tailor your army according to the base you are going to attack. If it has weak air defenses, attack with air troops. If their walls are weak, use land troops instead. This will help ensure that you get the maximum possible efficiency in your attack.

It also helps to browse the web and YouTube for bases similar to your opponent’s. Very often you will end up finding a base that is almost matching with a solution on how to beat it.

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Watch and Learn

YouTube has a wealth of videos from thousands of Clashers on how to execute different attack styles. GoWiWi, GoWiPe and LavaLoon are just some of the more popular styles and very often result in attackers getting three stars when done properly.

Some of these videos are two hours long and require months of practice to effectively work. You should also always watch attacks of clan members and find their mistakes, making sure to not replicate them.

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That’s it, folks.

Happy clashing!

Match the Three Stooges is exactly what you think it is (review)

AndroidGuys
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The venerable “match-3” puzzle games run in the dozens in the Play Store; with the main point of variation being theme of which the blocks or items represent, along with the corresponding background, music, and sounds effects.
Well, in case you’ve been searching for a match-3 showcasing the timeless comedy and visual appeal that is the Three Stooges, you are now in luck. Available for free in the Play Store, Match the Three Stooges from the developer Polyslab Games provides authentic Stooge music, dialogue, and sound effects while you move through 100 different levels of match-3 action.

Gameplay

Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-16-34No surprises here: the game plays exactly like almost every other match-3 puzzler out there. A maze of mismatched Three Stooges faces and symbols are arranged on screen; your job is to move one block one space (up, down, left, or right) to match up three in a row. Upon doing so these three blocks disappear dropping down the blocks from above. This can and will cause a domino effect as these falling blocks create three-in-a-rows of their own, help you to clear the screen in the limited number of moves each level provides.

You have access to several ‘weapons’ you can purchase with Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-15-18currency earned through the game, and through real money via your Google account. These include pies in the face (takes out all items of the same color), bombs (blows away whole chunks of your board), and other assorted ordinance.
At the end of each level you are graded (one to three stars) based on how efficient you were in clearing your board.

Controls work fairly well, though this game is better-suited for a tablet device. The blocks on my Galaxy S5 were a bit small to accurately grab and drag where I wanted them to go.

Music, Sound Effects, and Visuals

The music, while actually fairly well done (a mix of classic stooge-esque goofy tunes and more modern rock instrumentals), does get old rather quickly, especially if you’re playing in a public space. The star of the game in my opinion is the sound effects, which are full-on snippets from a lot of the classic Three Stooges skits. These run pretty constantly through the game, whether you’re making a move, deliberating quietly, or during a board-clearing domino effect.

Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-19-29The visuals run in between these two extremes; good but not great, though they certainly won’t make you want to turn the game off.

Verdict

Again, if you’re looking for a match-3 puzzle game, you have a Screenshot_2016-06-13-23-19-43plethora of choices in the Play Store.  If you’re looking for this type of game and are a huge Three Stooges fan, then you just hit a small, free lottery, my friend.  Enjoy.

 

IdeaUSA W205: The Gateway to a starter wireless multi-speaker system (review)

Derrick Miyao
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At $69.99, the IdeaUSA W205 is a versatile smart speaker that connects and streams music in a variety of ways, from Bluetooth to wi-fi. It’s portable, lightweight, with good sound quality. And it’s a nice starter piece for building a home wireless speaker system at an affordable price.

Many Options for Streaming Music

Like most wireless speakers in the under $100 price range, the W205 streams music using Bluetooth, micro SD card (TF), Airplay, or connects physically with an audio cable. It also connects to wi-fi with the help of the free IdeaHome app. The app has the ability to connect and control other IdeaUSA speakers, creating a multi-room audio system. The speakers can play independent of one another, playing different music in separate rooms, or in tandem. (Sometimes IdeaUSA offers a discount when two or more speakers are purchased at the same time.)

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I had no problems connecting the speaker using all of the previously mentioned methods with the exception of wi-fi. Even though my router meets the minimum required 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n, I was not able to connect after several attempts. I was too lazy to contact customer support, which seems responsive based on a few customer reviews that cited similar issues. Most people didn’t seem to have a problem connecting to wi-fi, though.

Solid Performance

I performed the usual music tests, listening to classical, country, rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and podcasts, playing the speaker for about eight hours without needing to recharge. I even blasted “Game of Thrones” when I was testing out the ability to connect to my tablet.

The W205 performed solidly considering its size; the two subwoofers do a good job helping to project the sound. No surprise that it doesn’t handle deep bass very well, either sounding muddled or non-existent. As noted in many of my reviews, speakers in this price range usually perform well in the mid-range.

Unobtrusive Design

Simply designed with a wraparound grill, the W205 is unobtrusive with a 5-inch squareish sized ovoid, dent resistant, hard plastic/metal body. Available in either red or dark silver, its rounded edges make it easy to hold and carry from room-to-room or to the outdoors.

Controls are located on top: power, wi-fi/Bluetooth, six programmable playlist buttons, volume, play, back/forward. There’s no mic, which is not a surprise since IdeaUSA markets this as a home speaker. There are indicator lights for wi-fi, Bluetooth, TF card (micro SD), aux, charging mode, and battery level.

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I’m not sure why IdeaUSA chose to use a combination of synthesized chimes and an affected British-Asian (?) accent male voice to alert users when a function has been turned on. I am not a fan of the booming voice announcing “Bluetooth mode has been on” (sic) every time I touch the button. It actually startled my dog a few times when I booted up the Bluetooth.

Summary

The W205 is a good affordable wireless speaker and especially worthy of consideration if you’re in the market for a reasonably priced multi-room system.

Check out the IdeaUSA W205 Wireless speaker at Amazon for $69.99.

Key Specs & Other Information

 Dimensions: 5” x 5.3” x 2”

 Weight: 1.1 lbs

 Speaker output: 2 x 3W

 Bluetooth: v. 2.1

 Wi-fi: 2.4G, 802.11 b/g/n

 Lithium ion battery, lasts 8-10 hours on one charge

 Speaker comes with USB cable and 2.5 mm aux-in cable

 Warranty: 1 year + 30 day money back guarantee

Google announces update policy for Nexus Devices

AndroidGuys
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Today, as Google rolls out the Stagefright patches, it also announced the new policy for security updates and Android updates.  From here on out, all Nexus devices will receive security patches and updates for the longer of three years from initial availability or 18 months from last sale of the device from the Google Store. Major updates, however, will be continued for only two years.

Google has done well with supporting its devices, this new policy brings it in line with Samsung, except Google, is faster with releasing updates. Starting this week it will release OTA updates that are focused on security as well as normal updates.  These updates will be going to the Nexus 4,5,6,7,9,10, and the Nexus Player.

Both the Nexus 5x and 6P released with Marshmallow and with this new policy it could carry them both as far as Android O.

Below are the devices and dates listed that Google promises to update with the latest Android. (Left out all past dates.)

  • Nexus 5X- September 2017
  • Nexus 6P- September 2017
  • Nexus 9- October 2016

 

 

 

 

App and Game News (June 21)

Josiah Ward
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Thousands of apps and games get added to/updated on the Google Play Store every day and it is easy to miss these updates. It’s hard to stay on top of everything that happens in the mobile space. Aside from the big name players and their popular titles, indie devs and other game makers are pushing out stuff that’s worth covering.

For those, and other reasons, we here at AndroidGuys have collected some news for you guys:

Minecraft

Minecraft has sold over 100 million copies to date, averaging about 53,000 copies every day. In celebration of this, Minecraft has addedpistons to Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Minecraft: Windows 10 edition. Pistons allow players make contraptions such as drawbridges and trap doors.

“The Friendly Update”, as it’s being called is available for free to both Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition users. Also in the update, you are able to download the Rube Goldberg machine featured in the video below for free.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition can be downloaded on the Google Play Store

 

Evolution: Heroes of Utopia

My.com has announced an update for their game, Evolution: Heroes of Utopia, which has been installed across Apple and Android Devices over 2 million times. The new update introduces terraforming, which gives players a unique experience every time they have to start anew.

Every conquered location in Utopia can be terraformed, which will completely change the way the location is played with one of three unique perks. Once a player chooses a perk, they can move on to another location. This allows every game play experience to be completely unique to every player.
You can download Evolution: Heroes of Utopia here.

Weather Channel

The Weather Channel has introduced a new way to plan your run based on the weather. Within the Weather Channel App, you can get your GoRun forecast, which will tell you all the science to help you decide the best time to work out outdoors using the Weather Company’s powerful analytics. The GoRun forecast helps find the optimal times to go for a run based on your unique preferences and athletic profile. The forecast will continue to adapt to you the more you use it. These forecasts can be viewed in either 48-hour or 10 day formats, helping you plan your runs for your whole week.

Get the Weather Channel App

Plants Vs Zombies: Heroes

Plants vs Zombies: Heroes, the crazy card game that includes all your favorite superpowered PvZ characters, has introduced an update prior to its worldwide release. There is now a Ranked Multiplayer mode, an improved deck builder and some other minor gameplay improvements. The PvZ team also released a “Behind the seeds” trailer, which you can watch below. The game is currently only available in Brazil, New Zealand, and Canada, but a worldwide release will be coming soon.

Dragon Blaze

GAMEVIL has announced the last round of updates for Dragon Blaze, their massive mobile RPG. This final update introduces two more Dragon Busters, Gaia and Iota, which require ultimate editions of certain characters to acquire
This update also brings a new Gameplay mode, called the Tower of Validation, where you must clear level after dangerous level.
Download Dragon Blaze here

Zombie Castaways

Zombie Castaways, the massive game from Vizor Interactive, has made its way from Facebook to Android and iOS. In the game, you are a lovestruck Zombie trying to win over a girl. In order to do this, you must find other Zombies across the beautiful and vivid islands to help you cook Zombium, which will turn you human if you drink it.
You can download Zombie Castaways on The Google Play Store.

Player.me

Player.me, the social discovery platform for games has finally made its way to mobile. Once you download the app, all you have to do is add your account to the app and allow like-minded gamers to keep up with your activities on all platforms.
Download Player.me

HIT

Nexon announced HIT (Heroes of Incredible Tales), a HD hack-and-slash RPG. The game made its debut at E3 last week, and you can watch the trailer below
You can pre-register for the game here.

Evie

Evie, in a pursuit to break the disconnect between your mobile experiences, has launched an app with over 100 million deep links. With one search, you can get to your apps, make reservations, and buy movie tickets. Evie is a custom launcher with one-click access to everything. You can watch the video below and download Evie here.

Angry Birds: Epic

Last Sunday, Angry Birds Epic turned two years old. In celebration of this, Chimera Entertainment released some astonishing statistics:

  • Angry Birds Epic has been downloaded more than 82 million times worldwide
  • The game has a combined playtime of over 27, 000 yearsimage

Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones: Lower price would make it more attractive (Review)

AndroidGuys
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1

Searching for the right pair of headphones can prove to be quite the chore. There are a number of things to factor in when making this purchase. Comfort, design, sound, and price are all things that must be considered. The price is the biggest consideration when making this decision. It would be nice if money was no object, but for many of us, this is simply not an option. Today, I bring you a mid-range headphone at a mid-range price, Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones for $50.

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

In the box

  • Active noise canceling headset
  • Headset pouch
  • Airplane adapter
  • USB Charging cable
  • User manual

monodeals1

Design

Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones are a lightweight set of headphones with adjustable headbands, earpads made of a spongy material, and an outer shell made of glossy plastic. It has a long cord with an inline microphone and noise canceling feature.

Let’s start with the outer shell of the earmuffs. The shiny plastic looked cheap in the pictures and I hoped it was just the pictures. But if I’m being honest, it throws off the look for me as it does look cheaply made. The headband is made of plastic as well, but its matte finish looks better and the housing would have been better if it had followed that design.

On the other hand, the headphones themselves are a comfortable fit. The spongy padding feels good on the ears and prolonged use will not cause any pain. The adjustable headband combined with the soft earpads provide a nice tight fit. There is never a sensation that they are going to fall off.

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Sound

The sound from Monodeal’s headphones is run of the mill and provides more of a hollow sound. I never really detected any mids when listening to music. Hip hop was heavy on bass while rock was trebly. I will admit watching Star Wars with these headphones wasn’t bad at all. So maybe watching TV and movies is the way to go with these headphones.

The inline microphone, to be honest, is nothing special from any other mid-ranged headphone. You could understand callers, and callers could understand you. I wouldn’t use these as a primary talking device, but they will work in a pinch.

The noise canceling feature is what these headphones are really about. There was a considerable difference when in use. Even when around loud machinery, you could tell a difference in the lower level of background noise.

Summary

Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones has quite a few pros and cons about it. It’s hard to justify $50 even with the noise canceling feature. I would price them in the area of $30. With that being said, I will say they are a decent pair of headphones that will do the job.

*If you use the code VTYSTGB8 at checkout between June 23-July 23 you can get these headphones for $29.99*

Buy Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones

Third time’s a charm: The OnePlus 3 is a true flagship killer (first impressions)

Matt Adams
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The OnePlus 3 is out to rave reviews. The third flagship from the up-and-coming Chinese startup finally dropped the “Flagship Killer” tagline this time around, but that might be exactly what it has on its hands. Starting at $399, the cost-efficient flagship phone has the same specs you’d expect to find in phones twice its price. So, what’s the catch? Where does the phone suffer from that amazing price tag? Where does it shine in spite of it? Here are our first impressions, we’ll have our full review out soon so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Build

This phone is simply one of the most pleasing devices I’ve ever picked up. It wouldn’t surprise me if OnePlus got the inspiration for its third flagship from the HTC One lineup of phones. The metal body feels strong, but light. The phone weighs only 5.57 oz, which is .19 oz heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S7, but due to the size difference (the OnePlus 3 is half an inch taller) it feels lighter. The OP3 is also thinner than the Galaxy S7 and within 0.01″ of the Apple iPhone 6S. To get a phone that feels so light in spite of being bigger than its competitors is seriously impressive.

OnePlus 3

The bezels on the sides of the screen are sublime. The 2.5D glass also lends to how small they feel, but based on sight alone, this has one of the thinnest bezels around. It’s not quite bezeless like the Sharp Aquos Crystal, but it’s close. You do pay for it a bit in top and bottom bezels, but it’s a good trade-off.

Speaker placement isn’t ideal since it’s bottom firing, but the speaker does get extremely loud. I haven’t had to cup the bottom of the phone to get good sound, but you may have to in very loud environments like a bar.

OnePlus 3 bottom grill

The metal build does feel great and what surprised me the most is that it isn’t slippery. I don’t know exactly what OnePlus did to the metal to accomplish this, but it wins over phones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 who have wonderful build materials but are difficult to hold due to how slippery they can be. Where the build may fall a bit short is the accumulation of dirt and grease from your fingers. I keep my hands pretty clean due to working in a shared environment, but I still find the phone getting a bit grimy on the rear of the body. This can easily be remedied by picking up one of OnePlus’ protective slim cases when you order your phone. I ordered the Sandstone case and love it.

Software

Oxygen OS finally feels like a complete operating system. I think OnePlus, and its customers, felt some growing pains when Cyanogen was dumped for OnePlus’ own Oxygen OS, but it’s made leaps and bounds since then. Where the custom AOSP-based build of Android used to feel rather spartan, the current version feels feature rich and generally free of bugs.

OnePlus 3 software

You aren’t going to find the feature packed skins that HTC, Samsung and LG put on its phones, but rather common sense features and quality of life improvements. Adjustable quick-toggles makes a return, as well as the “Shelf” feature. The Shelf is a left swipe from your home screen and gives you a place to take a quick note, quickly access a few apps or add your favorite widgets.

Also making a return is the popular option to use either hardware or software buttons. I personally use hardware buttons which opens up options for actions on double tapping and long tapping the capacitive buttons. Being taken back to my previous app on a double tap of the recents button or holding the back button for the camera are little things that you don’t truly miss until you don’t have them anymore. Only then can you really appreciate how convenient these options are.

OnePlus has incorporated an Active Display into its ROM much like the way that companies like Motorola have. While not as robust as Motorola’s features, it does compare favorably to the active display on the Nexus 6P. You get a notification and it shows up in black and white on the AMOLED display to save power. You also have the option to turn on Proximity Wake which turns the display on when you wave your hand over it. Very handy when it actually works. I’ve had some issues with it getting to trigger consistently.

OnePlus 3 dark theme

Since OnePlus used an AMOLED display for the OP3, the system-wide dark mode, first introduced with the OnePlus 2, is a real battery saver. I tend to enjoy the aesthetics of dark themes anyway and the Oxygen OS version is no different. It looks great and helps out with battery life. A really smart inclusion by OnePlus.

Conclusion

OnePlus 3 camera

I have to say, I’m very impressed with the OnePlus 3. I think it’s one of, if not the, best phones on the market so far this year regardless of price. I didn’t touch on a lot of features you’ll see in the full review like the blazing fast fingerprint reader, dash charging, display or battery life. We’ll have our full review out soon with a deeper dive into those topics and more.

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