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The Galaxy S7 has a hidden feature: native DPI scaling

Andrew Orr
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0

A hidden feature of the Android N Developer Preview was recently discovered, and brings with it a simple, yet powerful change: native DPI scaling. In the past, Samsung’s phones didn’t have good default DPI settings, but that changes with the Galaxy S7 line.

DPI, or dots-per-inch, is a measurement of printing or video dot density. The most common way to measure it is how many individual dots, or pixels, can fit in a line of one inch. This is called pixels-per-inch. Although PPI and DPI are different, for our purposes we can comfortably interchange them. High DPI means your pictures can be printed in large sizes without losing image quality.

On smartphone screens, the UI elements that the developer uses should have a high DPI, since phones are coming out with a higher PPI count each year. The problem that UI designers have, whether you’re working on a website or smartphone app, is making sure the UI elements you use look great on a variety of screen sizes and resolutions.

DPI_IMG3

Introducing .DisplayScalingActivity

It’s hard to find this menu in Samsung’s TouchWiz skin, but users of Nova will be able to find it with ease. Here are the steps:

  • Download Nova if you don’t already have it. You don’t need to set it as default, but launch it to access the Nova home screen.
  • Go to the Widget Section by long-pressing on the home screen and selecting Widgets. Select the Activities widget and put it on the home screen.
  • Open Activities, scroll down to Settings and choose .DisplayScalingActivity, which will create a new icon on your home screen. Opening the menu will give you a choice of Standard or Condensed. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll be asked to reboot (don’t worry, this is normal) and the new settings will then be set.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 has a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440, at 535 PPI. As noted above, this means that a single line of 535 pixels can fit within one inch. The Standard DPI on the S7 is 640 while the Condensed version is around 540. A difference of 100 may not sound like much at first, but it’s the difference between UI elements that cram a bunch of information into a little space (condensed), or letting the elements breathe by making use of active white space and having a sense of flow in the display of information (standard).

DPI_IMG2

So what does this have to do with Android N?

It appears that Google may be taking a page out of Samsung’s eBook. DPI scaling is no longer a hidden feature, whether in TouchWiz or elsewhere. It’s not just DPI either. Some of the new features of Android N, like multitasking cards and multi-window quick toggles in the notification shade, first appeared in Samsung’s phones. What do you think? For our power user readers, are you excited about this feature?

Source: XDA Developers

 

 

Stop paying for big brand overhead; Buy an unlocked phone online (Xiaomi)

Matt Adams
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5

I’m currently in the review process for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, and it is undoubtedly the most attractive phone I’ve ever seen in person. It’s also about $800. That kind of money used to be what you’d pay for a model with upgraded memory or some kind perks. Now, Samsung appears to be making it the new normal.

First, lets get a couple facts out of the way. The Samsung Galaxy S7 retails for $669 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge comes in at $779 at my carrier of choice, T-Mobile. That breaks down to $27.92 a month with zero up front for the vanilla Galaxy S7, and $30 a month with a $59.99 down payment for the curvaceous S7 Edge. Add in tax (~7% here in Ohio) and you’re well over $700 or $800 for your phone of choice. That’s a lot of money.

I think it’s time we stopped putting up with this.

These phones are marvels of technology for sure. But, at $800 you have to ask yourself what you’re really buying. Through bulk rate buying, Samsung can get the component cost down to about $255 for the Galaxy S7.  Add in other overhead like advertising, manufacturing and human costs,  et. al, and you have a recipe for one of the most expensive phones out there.

Samsung spent $45 million advertising the Samsung Galaxy S6. Forty. Five. Million. Dollars. For a phone that wasn’t that good.

I’m sorry, flagships. I just can’t anymore.

Alternatives

I love phones. I never seem to get burned out on them, no matter how many times I’ve switched. And I’ve switched a lot. I love experiencing what a new phone has to offer. I love seeing a company’s vision for what the mobile space should look like. I just love phones.

Browsing through Gearbest’s listings shows me that I don’t have to wait two years between new experiences. I don’t have to spend $800 to get a well built phone with great specs. Here are some of my favorites currently on Gearbest for literally half (or less) of a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro

  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 hexa-core
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • ROM: 32 GB
  • Camera: 16 MP/5 MP
  • Screen: 5.5″ 1920 x 1080 FHD
  • Battery: 4000 mAh
  • Other features: Fingerprint scanner, metal body, expandable memory
  • Price: $245
  • Website

Xiaomi Mi5

  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • ROM: 32 GB
  • Camera: 16 MP/4 MP
  • Screen: 5.15″ 1920 x 1080 FHD
  • Battery: 3000 mAh
  • Other features: USB Type-C, Quick Charge 3.0, Bluetooth 4.2, fingerprint scanner
  • Price: $439
  • Website

Xiaomi Mi4C (Advanced Edition)

  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • ROM: 32 GB
  • Camera: 13 MP/5 MP
  • Screen: 5.0″ 1920 x 1080 FHD
  • Battery: 3080 mAh
  • Other features: Edge tap, USB Type-C, Infrared
  • Price: $258
  • Website

Xiaomi Mi4S

  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • ROM: 64 GB
  • Camera: 13 MP/5 MP
  • Screen: 5.0″ 1920 x 1080 FHD
  • Battery: 3260 mAh
  • Other features: Fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C, expandable memory
  • Price: $348
  • Website

Conclusion

Elephone is just one company putting out top tier phones for a fraction of the price. Gearbest and other sites like Amazon and B&H Photo offer a lot of great unlocked options for really good prices. These phones prove that you don’t have to buy overhead to buy a great phone. Keep your eyes peeled to our Twitter for more of these posts and some great deals on great phones.

U.S. Cellular offering LG G5 presale on March 28

Andrew Orr
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0

Today U.S. Cellular announced it will be offering a presale for the LG G5 starting March 28. The G5 will be offered for $0 down, and will be fully available on April 1. Customers who buy the G5 from U.S. Cellular before April 17 will get an LG Battery Bundle, which includes an extra battery and a battery charging cradle.

LG G5 Pre-Order at U.S. Cellular Link

Joe Settimi, vice president of marketing for U.S. Cellular says,

“Since Mobile World Congress, we have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the LG G5 because we can’t wait for our customers to take advantage of LG’s most innovative device on our high-quality, national network…The LG Friends devices along with the LG G5 create a totally new smartphone experience that can enhance and simplify our customers’ lives.”

Later in April, U.S. Cellular will also have a selection of LG Friends devices, including the LG 360 Cam and the LG 360 VR headset. With U.S. Cellular’s $0 down installment pricing, qualified customers make 24 monthly payments of $26.50 for the LG G5 that are conveniently added to their bill. Customers can upgrade this device in as little as 18 months if they trade it in for any new device with installment pricing. With a two-year agreement, the LG G5 will be available for $199.99. In addition, if a current customer refers a friend to U.S. Cellular, and the friend chooses to activate a smartphone on a Shared Connect plan, they both will receive $50.

LG G5 Specs

[graphiq id=”56e1P9UFbD” title=”LG G5″ width=”600″ height=”727″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/56e1P9UFbD” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/5086/LG-G5″ link_text=”LG G5 | SpecOut”]

LG Friends

  • LG VR Headset
  • 360 Cam
  • Rolling Bot

LG-Friends

Pre-registration opens for LG G5 on T-Mobile

Andrew Orr
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0

The LG G5 which launches on April 1 (no foolin’?) is ready for pre-registration on T-Mobile. Customers who buy the G5 before April 17 will qualify for a free LG Battery Bundle ($80). For users who buy a G5 before April 5 will receive a free LG 360 CAM ($200).

The LG G5 will be on T-Mobile for $0 down and $26.25 per month for 23 months (24th payment is $26.24) with one of T-Mobile’s interest-free financing plans.

LG G5 Pre-Registration Link

LG G5 Specs

[graphiq id=”3xlIhtEJrBb” title=”LG G5″ width=”600″ height=”727″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/3xlIhtEJrBb” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/5086/LG-G5″ link_text=”LG G5 | SpecOut”]

LG Friends

  • LG VR Headset
  • 360 Cam
  • Rolling Bot

The set of LG 'Friends'

First update to Android N preview rolling out today

Andrew Orr
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0

The Android N Developer Preview was released as an OTA (over-the-air) update just a week ago, and today its getting its first update. In case you want to update your device (Nexus 5X, 6P, 9, 9 LTE) the traditional method of flashing, you can still do that as long as your device is enrolled in the beta program. You can find the updated images here.

The build number for this update is NPC56W for the Nexus 5X/6P, and NPC56X for the Nexus 9/9 LTE. Reports are indicating there is also an update to the Nexus Player, with a build number of NCP56R.

gsmarena_001

Android N Features

  • Multi-window mode
  • Better tablet support
  • New settings menu
  • Enhanced Doze mode
  • Redesigned notification panel
  • Change display size
  • Faster app optimization
  • Recent apps and multitasking
  • New data saver
  • Dark mode
  • Improved call screening and number blocking
  • Emergency info on your lock screen
  • Android public beta program
  • Moving to OpenJDK from Java APIs
Source: Google+

Verizon joins other carriers to offer Samsung Galaxy S7 deals

Andrew Orr
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0

Verizon is now offering a “buy one, get one free” deal for the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge phones. In order to qualify, you must first buy a device on a payment plan. No more than eight weeks later, a prepaid Visa card will arrive in the mail in the full amount of your new phone. This promotion is valid until March 31, 2016.

Eligible Verizon Phones

Galaxy-S7-Edge

Other carriers are offering the same BOGO (buy one, get one free) deal, including AT&T and T-Mobile and Sprint. US Cellular has a buy one, get a Samsung Gear VR free, with a six-game bundle.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Specs

[graphiq id=”jJNdi70Pqt” title=”Samsung Galaxy S7″ width=”600″ height=”727″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/jJNdi70Pqt” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/5087/Samsung-Galaxy-S7″ link_text=”Samsung Galaxy S7 | SpecOut”]

Note: This article was updated to add new information that Sprint is offering a BOGO deal for the S7 as well.

Source: FierceWireless

Planet Surfer: Charming, casual, timing-based, space themed fun. [Review]

Donovan Jeska
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0

Overview

Planet Surfer is a cool concept with a fun aesthetic; you blast off from planet to planet, matching the color of your planet to the one to which you’re blasting off.

Developer: WebAlive

Price: Free (ad-supported, $1.07 to remove)

Highlights:

  • Blast off to faraway planets.
  • Play Support.
  • Challenging gameplay.

Setup

As with many casual games, there is minimal setup for this game. Planet Surfer automatically logs you into Google Play, but beyond that you’re good to go.

Impressions

I’m torn on Planet Surfer. On the one hand, I am terrible at it. On the other, it’s a simple, if challenging game with good production value and a proper application of ads. Anyway. Here’s what I think of it, with just a hint of bitterness that – again – I’m terrible at this game.

PS High Score

The idea is simple; your spaceship revolves around a colored planet as it rotates in space, and when the tip of your ship is pointed toward another planet of the same color, you blast off toward it with a tap. If you land on a planet of a different color, your ship explodes. There are additional layers to the gameplay, including collectible stars that you can use as currency to buy additional rocket skins, and enemy rockets that will also explode your ship if you touch them. This happened a lot to me. I’m bad.

1457892975198

Unfortunately, Planet Surfer suffers from a similar problem as other “endless” games of its kind; you start from scratch every time, and by the time you reach the upper levels that make it interesting, you have 1) invested lots of time getting there, and 2) died many, many times in the process. And then when you finally do die on that record-setting run, you have nothing to show for it, nothing to do except start over.

1457893022391

One of the things that really stood out to me is the way the ads are implemented. There are no mandatory full-screen ads, and the only video ads are purely optional – and they reward you with stars for watching. The only other ads are small banners at the bottom of the screen – very unobtrusive. I’m impressed.

What I like

  • Adorable graphics.
  • Great ad scheme.
  • No in-app purchases!

What I don’t

  • I’m terrible at the game.
  • Repetitive and endless.

Conclusion

Planet Surfer is charming, but unfortunately suffers from the same problems as do most endless-style games; no sense of progression, and you start from scratch. Every. Time. Also, you will die. A lot. Every time, in fact. Every. Time.

Google Play Store –  Planet Surfer

How to change your theme on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

Derrick Miyao
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12

Did you get a new Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 edge? One of Samsung’s latest features it has included on its devices is the ability to personalize the look of your icons, wallpaper, sounds, and colors with the ability to swap out “themes”. There isn’t a whole lot to downloading a theme, and if you don’t like it you can simply follow the instructions again and swap back to your old theme.

DSC01091

Here’s how to change your theme:

Applies to the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, Note 5, S7, and S7 edge.

  1. From the Home screen, touch Apps Apps Icon.
  2. Touch Settings .
  3. Go to the Personalize menuScreenshot_20160317-215345
  4. Touch Themes Themes Settings Icon.
    Note: It may be necessary to touch the PERSONAL tab and then touch Themes.
  5. Touch one of the available themes, or touch STORE to open the Samsung Theme Store and select another theme.Screenshot_20160317-215414

6. Touch FREE or DOWNLOAD.

Screenshot_20160317-223350

7. When the download is complete, touch APPLY to apply the theme to your device.

Screenshot_20160317-215609

8. Your device will apply the downloaded theme and open your Home screen.

Screenshot_20160317-215622

Try it out. Let us know in the comments below if you’ve used this feature.

Steal This Look: Give your Android a makeover in five minutes (Sci-Fi Sleek)

AndroidGuys
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1

We’re huge fans of changing the home screen around a bit and creating a new user experience for our Android. In fact, we love it so much that we have an ongoing series of Get This Look posts. In a nutshell we show you a new layout, app, widget, or icon set for your Android handset and tell you which apps you’ll need to mimic the feel.

Some of these are a little easier to create than others and many of them can be tweaked to no end. The following details are but the ingredients to which you can create your own delicious Android dish; your results will vary. Which is awesome! If nothing else, this is a great way to discover new apps, widgets, icons, and more!

Screenshot_2016-03-17-19-14-50

We call this look “Sci-Fi Sleek” because it combines a “sci-fi” look and feel with a minimalist, “sleek” design.

If you like a darker, simpler theme that cries “less is more,” you’re really going to like what we are offering this week. “Sci-Fi”, as a term, is often synonymous with space, darker hues and tones, digital design, robotics, space ships, planets, exploration, and technology. With this sci-fi sleek look, you will be capturing the embodiment of what we perceive as “sci-fi” while also maintaining the minimalist look that is so popular in Android today.

Why pay for some of these apps?

You might put in a few bucks to get things rolling but you’ll be glad you did in the long run. The sheer level of configuration and customization behind a few of these titles means endless designs. If you’ve been doing the custom home screen stuff for a while, you may have already purchased some of these apps already.

What you’ll need

A couple of things to note about this design:

  • Desktop grid is set to 5×4 with subgrid positioning enabled
  • The Dock is set at 7 icons
  • The base Zooper Widget is set at 4X3
  • The Fade widget is scaled at 105%
  • For a cleaner look, we’ve hidden the notification bar through Nova Launcher’s settings and we’ve also moved all of our main app icons to the dock
  • We’ve selected different color variants for our app icons than what Aeon applies by default

Using the apps contained in this and previous Steal This Look articles, the sky and your imagination are the limit for how you can customize your device’s look and feel.

Feel free to leave your ideas and creations below in the comments, and stay tuned next Friday for a new edition of Steal This Look!

 

 

 

 

New Android Wear smartwatches from Fossil, Nixon and Michael Kors announced

Andrew Orr
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1

This year at Baselworld, a show held in Switzerland dubbed “the most important marketplace and trendsetting show for the world’s watch and jewelry industry,” has several announcements in the Android Wear category. Companies like Fossil Brand, Michael Kors and Nixon have all announced their versions of fashionable smartwatches.

Fossil

Fossil has a line of wearables, including activity trackers and analog watches. The Fossil Q line will “strike the perfect balance of fashion and function.” Three devices – Q Wander, Q Marshal, and Q Motion have touchscreen displays, refined steel and leather accents.

[blockquote author=”Jill Elliott, Chief Creative Officer”]Customers want to be connected to the world around them, and are eager to access information about daily activities, filtered content and their social networks. The expanded Fossil Q line brings creativity, curiosity and connectivity through smarter watches and trackers that enhance their personal style.[/blockquote]

 

 

Q Line

  • Q Wander features a curved, multi-finish case with sculpted wire lugs, in a combination of beauty and function. The interchangeable leather strap gives a sense of style that customers come to expect from Fossil. ($275)
  • Q Marshal has a rugged case with a bold navy blue plate case artfully paired with vintage-styled leather straps. ($275)
  • Q Motion is an activity and sleep tracker sends notifications of calls, texts and activity due to its haptic technology and multi-colored LED lights. Water-resistant up to 50 meters and no need for recharging with coin cell batteries. ($95)

Nixon

Nixon smartwatch

Watch and accessories brand Nixon announced its first ever smartwatch, called The Mission. The Mission is the “world’s first, ultra-rugged sports smartwatch,” featuring a set of apps tailored for sports, and will pair with Nixon’s Misson Control app which will be powered by Surfline, Snocountry and Trace for live surf and snow condition alerts.

Michael Kors

Michael Kors also released the Michael Kors Access collection. These watches will have exclusive Michael Kors display faces, interchangeable leather and silicone bands, and also “glamorous versions for women and sporty versions for men,” because this is 2016 yet women apparently can’t be sporty, nor men glamorous. The models will start at $395.

[blockquote author=”Michael Kors”]I’m in the business of making people’s lives easier through fashion, I thought, ‘Why can’t tech accessories be chic and glamorous?'[/blockquote]

Source: Fossil Brand

 

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