AndroidGuys

What is the perfect Android smartphone?

Matt Adams

-

November 11, 2015

Technology is infiltrating every aspect of our lives. The majority of us would agree that it’s a great thing. Advances in technology and automation have made tasks easier and more cost effective. Technology brings us together by making it easier and cheaper to communicate across short and vast distances. A short time ago it was incredibly costly to talk to a family member in another country on the phone, and just a little before that, it wasn’t all too uncommon to write letters by hand. Heck, I bet some of you remember paying extra money just to talk to relatives in another state – on a landline.

We’ve moved into a time of where you don’t need to keep as much information in your head. Memorization becomes less of a necessity when you can pull a computer out of your pocket, ask it a question, and it returns the answer you’re looking for in seconds. Only a few years ago we were relying on dictionaries, maps and encyclopedias for guidance or answers to important questions.

Today, our central hub is the mobile phone. It’s always with us. It contains the information we need, and it connects us to those we care about. But, it seems that no matter how good a particular model is, we tend to find a flaw, two or worse more. It’s too big, it’s not big enough. The speakers are too tinny or it can’t hold enough of our pictures and videos. There’s too much bloat. The screen quality isn’t good enough or the brightness isn’t bright enough. Simply put, a perfect Android phone has been a Unicorn and it’s time to change that.

We’re here to tell OEMs that we want a phone with no compromises. We want a phone on our terms.

We put together a poll asking our readers and followers to help understand what it is that might constitute a perfect smartphone. Thanks to you, we received a lot of feedback and some great data. Below are the results of what our community feels are the most important aspects of a phone. We’ll try to match up your answers to current market phones and come up with our perfect phone at the end.

From the data we’ve collected, we’re going to figure out what the perfect phone is. Maybe our friends at Samsung, HTC, LG, and Sony (among many others) will listen. And, just maybe, we will get the perfect smartphone.

Screen

The first pillar in our perfect phone is going to be the screen. It’s our main source of interaction with the device. Not only does it show information and entertainment, but it’s also the main input now that physical keyboards have gone out of style (Help us Blackberry Priv! You’re our only hope!).

In the graph below, we see that 44.6% of respondents prefer the modern day “phablet”. For the purposes of this discussion we’re going to define a phablet as anything 5.5″ or larger.

The Samsung Galaxy Note line has pioneered this space since the original Note came out in 2011. The rest of the market has finally caught up, and pretty much every manufacturer offers a phablet device now. Even Apple who famously demanded that their phones be small so you could easily touch the top of the screen now with one hand has one of the largest phones on the market. Samsung has definitely pushed the market in not only display size but also quality. Their displays are renowned for their deep blacks, saturated colors, and high brightness.

What’s clear from the results is that Samsung phones are hitting the sweet spot with their flagships.The 5.2″ display has tied the 5.7″ display in our results. So users prefer either a phablet or a device that is easier to manage in one hand with a 5.2″ display. The Samsung Galaxy S6 (5.2″) and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 just so happened to be those sizes and are widely considered the best displays on the market. Samsung probably helped define these categories as they were the pioneers in larger screen sizes. What’s interesting is that our respondents prefer a 1080p display on the 5.2″ screens instead of 1440p like on the S6.

We’re going to pick the 5.7″ 1440p display for our perfect phone screen. The highest number of people responded that they’re comfortable with phablets, and that is where the industry appears headed. We tend to agree with the data and think the Super AMOLED 5.7″ AMOLED display is absolutely fantastic and would want nothing less

Storage

Storage is a tricky one. It’s a balance of on-board and expandable avenues that give and take. If your on-board storage is lacking, it’s nice to be able to throw a microSD card into your phone and expand it to suit your needs. There are few examples when expandable storage won’t play nice with the Android Operating System, but with Marshmallow being released, you will now be able to treat your microSD card as internal storage.

Study after study have told us that 16GB of on-board storage should no longer be the standard for base models. Phones now shoot video in 4K, have burst mode photography, and tend to be our main media players. Apps are becoming much more useful but that means they require more space than in years past.

With the ability to download videos from YouTube for offline consumption, space is becoming ever more valuable. The real question here is how much do you really want expandable storage? Not only does your microSD card give you more space to store your pictures and video, but it also makes it incredibly easy to move them back and forth between devices. In the age of data caps and throttled data, the cloud isn’t always an option.

For our perfect phone, we’re going to pick a minimum of 32GB of storage with a microSD card slot. The potential price and design compromises are worth it in our eyes.

Battery and Charging

It’s no secret that we’re moving more toward embedded batteries. There are still champions of removable batteries like LG but major OEMs like Sony, Motorola, and even Samsung – champion of the removable battery – are sealing their batteries inside. Like everything else, there are tradeoffs to be made. Sealing your battery inside the phone normally means better build quality, and in some cases, bigger batteries.

A removable battery means that you can swap out batteries when yours goes dead or if it becomes faulty. True power users generally prefer this feature due to using their phone so much. But, with the rise in quick charging, bigger batteries, more power efficient screens and processors and smaller portable battery packs, are removable batteries still needed? The answer may surprise you.

To be honest, I’m a little surprised it’s this one-sided. There was a LOT of chatter around the time of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5’s release about the lack of removable battery. The Note has always been the power user’s phone. Expandable storage and removable batteries were supposedly the biggest selling points for the Note series. But maybe Samsung was right to eschew those features for a more sturdy design.

In these two graphs, we’re seeing a shift in how people view charging technology. Quick charging only hit the scene in the past few years, but it is becoming mandatory to almost half of the respondents. Even those that said they didn’t need it in a phone did express some interest in it. Only about 6% of those who responded don’t care about rapid charging at all.

On the other hand, Qi wireless charging is a bit of a different story. While a lot of people either had to have it in their phone or were interested in it, almost a third of those who responded didn’t care at all about the wireless charging technology. That’s a much bigger percentage than I thought we’d see.

In our perfect device, we’re going to employ both quick charging and wireless charging. Quick charging is a must, and while wireless charging might not be to most, it could be a feature that puts a phone over the top for some. So we can get the best build quality possible, we’re also going to go with an embedded battery. Since we have both Quick and Wireless charging, staying charged up should be relatively easy.

Buttons and Fingerprint Scanner

One of the biggest advances in smartphones today are fingerprint scanners. I truly feel like I’m using a futuristic device when I place my finger on a sensor and it immediately unlocks the phone. We really do live in the future. But how important is that really? Are fingerprint scanners a passing fad or here to stay?

I tend to stick in the “here to stay” camp. Android Pay is a huge advancement mobile payments since it can be used on almost any Android phone. But you need home screen security for that. Google is going to push the market forward again. Nexus imprint is a brilliant technology that all future OEMs are going to have to integrate into their phones. It’s better than every other fingerprint scanner on the market, even TouchID on Apple’s devices.

The on screen vs. physical button debate has been going on for a long time. I’m personally one of the 27% who don’t care which I have. I adapt to either based on the device I use. I do prefer the physical home button of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 but it’s very easy to knock yourself out of whatever media you’re watching by accidentally pressing a button.

Generally when you have physical buttons, they take up the space where you could have front facing speakers. While many of you said you didn’t really care about the placement of your speakers, if you can fit in front facing speakers, you probably should.

Since this is our perfect phone we’re going to go with on screen buttons, Nexus imprint on the back and front facing speakers. Almost seems like the new Nexus line nailed it.

Speakers and NFC

This is another question I was genuinely shocked to see the results. I assumed that most people would fall into the “Yes, but I don’t have to have front facing speakers” category. A larger number of people who HAD to have front facing speakers showed up, and with as much as we consume media on our devices, it shocks me that almost 21% of you don’t care about speaker placement at all.

One of the biggest debates around the OnePlus 2 was the lack of NFC. OnePlus claimed they listened to their customers and left the radio out of their device.

Many people didn’t appreciate that decision. NFC is vital to wireless payments. The popularity of the new payment method is exploding with the introduction of Android Pay and Samsung Pay. But, was OnePlus right? Do people care if they have NFC?

An astounding 88% of respondents want NFC. For over half, they don’t HAVE to have NFC on their phone to make the purchase, but the interest is there. According to those who answered our survey, OnePlus got it wrong. We’re definitely going to include NFC in our perfect phone.

Build Quality and Price

Build quality and price are another category where trade-offs are seen much of the time. There’s a reason that the LG G4 dropped in price so rapidly while the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has stayed so expensive. Samsung has been famous in the past for making phones with cheap plastic bodies. This is a double edged sword because they could stand up to falls a little better than most, but they didn’t feel premium. There’s a large segment of the population that wants a premium device when they spend $600+ on a device or sign a 2-year contract.

I think our graph bares out what we’re seeing in the market today. The iPhone is a huge seller. The Galaxy line has switched over to more premium materials. How your phone feels in your hand and how it looks matters. We’ve gotten to the point where every phone can perform, now most people want one that looks good while doing it.

And people are willing to pay for it. In the graph we definitely see a segment of the population that is going to stick to cheaper phones. That makes sense. With phones like the Motorola Moto G, Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3, Asus ZenFone 2, and others, the mid-range market is exploding.

But, this is about a perfect phone, not the best value. We all have our limits, but we’re going to get the best build and materials that we can for the standard flagship price of about $650. Metal frame? Glass front and back? Or maybe you prefer an aluminum body like the Nexus 6P or HTC One? Our perfect phone is built like a tank but feels perfect in the hand.

The Perfect Phone

So, what does our perfect phone look like? To begin, we’re going to take the 5.7″ 1440p screen from the Galaxy Note 5. It has fantastic color saturation, beautiful blacks due to it’s AMOLED technology and gets very bright. It’s a fantastic size, and even though for some it may not be a one handed device, this size is the new normal for most. Our desires for beautifully displayed media trumps most one handed use desires.

Continuing down the media thought process, we’re going to put Boomsound speakers on the front of our perfect phone. You were split, almost evenly about placement and importance of speakers. On screen buttons and front facing speakers that can shake a few windows make for an immersive media experience that won’t be rivaled.

Some power users may tell have responded that 64GB of storage should be the minimum but to keep our costs low, we’re going to go with 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM to push anything we can throw at it. Fear not, because we’re adding a microSD card slot so you can add as much storage as you see fit. If you’re anything like me, I use my phone to watch movies all the time so I want plenty of space to hold them and continue on with my daily activities without the phone yelling at me that it’s full.

To satisfy our power users, we are going to beef the phone up a little bit. We’re going to trade the slim and sexy bodies of say a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 or Huawei Nexus 6P for a few extra millimeters to pack in more battery. Our embedded battery must clock in at at least 3,500mAh. Not only do we need a big battery, but we are going to build in support for quick charging and wireless charging.

Samsung has proved that you can have wireless charging and premium materials and we’re going to continue that trend.

To shake it up a little bit, our perfect phone is going to employ a Moto Maker type system so you can customize your colors. Do you want a red metal band and a white front with a black glass back? You get it. Do you want leather instead of glass on the back? Yep! Order it up. Our perfect phone isn’t just one phone for everyone. It’s a perfect phone for each person. The fingerprint scanner will take the place of the dimple on the back of most Motorola phones, much like the Nexus line does now.

We’re going to need to see USB Type-C so we’re future proofed, water resistance, Bluetooth 4.1, the latest Wifi standards and a Sony IMX240 sensor on the back of our phone for the best possible pictures. To top it off, it’s going to cost $650. Companies have proven before that they can make phones with very few compromises, but will any of them step up to make our perfect phone?

What are the real world examples of phones that come close? After carefully pouring over your responses and the choices we’ve made thereafter, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, HTC One M9, and Huawei Nexus 6P most closely resemble our perfect phone. We’ve also taken elements of the Motorola Moto X Pure and Sony Xperia Z5 to round out this perfect device.

If you’d like to see our raw data, feel free to click here to check out the answers. There are a few more question and answers that we didn’t address in this article so definitely check that out if you’re interested. Did we miss anything? Have any qualms about our choices? Make your case down in the comments.

And all of this, of course, is just the hardware side of things. Software is an entirely different subject… for another day.

Upgrade your audio setup with Koloss from Thonet & Vander (Review)

AndroidGuys

-

November 11, 2015

0

Thonet & Vander is a fairly new addition to the audio market, but they are definitely trying to make a name for themselves in the US. I have been able to spend the last few weeks listening to their Bluetooth-enabled, high-end speaker set dubbed Koloss. With a name like that, you would assume that these speakers would be powerful, large, and beastly. Thonet & Vander sure hope you think so, but let’s take a look and see if they actually live up to that name.

[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]

Design

There is no looking past the fact that these speakers are absolutely enormous compared to the normal Bluetooth speakers we see pass through here at AndroidGuys, but then again, these are not really meant for portability. At almost 2-feet tall, each speaker makes its presence known in whatever room it’s in. I had a nice place next to my television that I planned on putting them, but when they arrived, I was worried that they might be too large to fit where I had planned. Thankfully, the fit was perfect, and they were setup within minutes.

In the box along with the Koloss, you will find a 3.5mm to RCA cable, a cable for connecting the left and right speakers, a European and US power cable, and a remote control. I was hoping for another cable for connecting these to my television, but thankfully I had an optical cable that I used instead.

The overall design and build quality of the Koloss is pretty nice. They feel sturdy and well built when you pick them up, but they are not so hefty that you will have difficulty moving them around if needed. Each speaker comes with two 6.5″ woofers made of “aramid fiber,” basically Kevlar, topped with a silk 1″ tweeter. The speakers have mesh covers on the front to protect the drivers from damage, but it is easily popped off. I immediately took the covers off because the woofers have this awesome yellow color that contrasts well with the black wood body.

One great thing about the Koloss is that it has a bevy of ways to connect it to devices, there are both digital and analog inputs on the back of the device and you can also connect wirelessly over Bluetooth 4.1. All the buttons are on the left side of the left speaker, which is where you will find the “Pair” button to pair your Bluetooth devices.

Usability

Setting up the Koloss is fairly simple even with the almost useless instructions and paring over Bluetooth is a snap, but using the Koloss proved less user friendly that I expected. First of all, the remote included in the box uses a CR2025 battery that was not included, and I had to do volume adjustments and source selections on the speakers themselves. This sounds like a first world problem, but I would expect a battery to be included with a set of high-end speakers.

Once I actually had the remote powered, using it was extremely challenging. The sensor for the remote is on the left speaker, and it has a tiny field-of-view in which the remote is picked up. Do not expect to change the volume or source from any extreme angle using this remote. Furthermore, there is no display on the speakers to show you a volume level or anything else. When you are using the remote, there is no way to tell if you are actually changing the volume until you hear it increase or decrease. You also have to memorize the source order since there is no display to tell you which source the Koloss is using for audio. All together, this proved to be a pretty frustrating remote experience.

Sound Quality

So after all of that, how does the Koloss actually sound? To put it briefly, extremely nice. Let me preface this section by saying that I am not an audiophile, and these speakers are definitely not reference speakers. That being said, the sound you get out of the Koloss is going to be enjoyable for pretty much anyone who hears them. I had numerous friends and family members come listen to the Koloss, and the unanimous result was that the sound is awesome. On the side of the speaker and on the remote, you have the option to adjust treble and bass to your liking. Although, this does prove to be somewhat difficult with the lack of a display to look at.

Thonet & Vander tout the Koloss’ ability to provide a perfect balance of purity and power, but I found that the speakers sometimes put power over purity. With 160W of power (80W per speaker), these speakers can crank out some serious volume. The bass on the Koloss is occasionally overpowering to the mid and high range when listening to music, but that was pretty much remedied by playing with the bass levels a bit. At normal listening levels, the clarity of sound is great and separation is quite nice. Crank these bad boys up into party volume territory and you begin to lose some of the clarity, but most people will likely not mind or even notice.

This experience seems to be pretty similar between both Bluetooth and digital inputs. I never suffered from any drops or stutters when playing over Bluetooth from my Nexus 6, but I found the range to be pretty poor. I could only go about 30 feet away before music just stopped playing. I was hoping for a slightly larger Bluetooth range, but I guess I will just have to leave my phone when I need to grab a drink.

Overall, the sound that I got out of the Koloss was extremely pleasing, but definitely not perfect. It will definitely not blow anyone away, but the sound from these speakers are fun and can get loud enough for whatever you need. Be careful not to shake your house to the ground.

[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]

As my first foray into Thonet & Vander, the Koloss has me interested in the company and makes me want to check out some of their other offerings. These speakers are far from perfect, but they provide a fun listening experience and would be a great addition to many people’s speaker setup.

The range of audio inputs available, the enjoyable sound quality, and the cool design make the Koloss an awesome set of speakers for the average person. The poor remote control experience, absence of a display for volume/inputs, and lack of audiophile sound will probably make this system a turn-off for those looking for a purer sound.

At the $400 price point, I think that the Koloss speaker is a definite contender for the average customer’s speaker needs and would recommend it to anyone looking to get into a quality speaker setup. You can check out the Koloss at Thonet & Vander’s website or on Newegg.

Google deliberating on building its own smartphone – Should it?

Josh Noriega

-

November 11, 2015

3

Google may have inadvertently put itself in a pickle with the Nexus program. The software giant did benefit at the beginning by joining forces with popular OEMs to build special Google-exclusive smartphones, but as the company and Android have matured, it’s appearing that the strategy has to change in order for the hardware to follow.

According to an insider report provided by The Information, “People who work at Google say there is debate and discussion about the topic right now”. It doesn’t sound like there’s a decision yet, but the constant hardware challenges have been brought up – such as inhibited control over phone design. Also, the non-uniformity of Android among manufacturers has not been good for its image.

Let’s examine this conundrum for a second. What’s the problem with changing things up for growth? Well, Google’s revenue is dependent on manufacturers. These alliances and partnerships is how Android got to where it is. Also, buddy-ing up with phone-makers portrayed to everyone what Android was all about – openness, flexibility, and “be together. not the same” ideology. If Google distances themselves from OEMs, it could not only be biting the hand(s) that feeds them but also fragmenting the ideals it built itself on.

Please bear with me while I argue with myself now. Should Google actually be afraid of its partners running away? I mean, where would they go to? As Microsoft has shown, it’s not easy to build an OS and convince people that it’s better. We’ve known Samsung has been home-brewing Tizen for a while now. Why hasn’t it emerged? Well, the fact that Tizen is only on the Gear S2 answers that question. It’s only because Android Wear is so new that it can actually compete (or can it even?).

Android has evolved so much that the only competitor can be the other long-standing giant – iOS. Therefore, I am in concurrence that Google should do what it wants to better its product. When I look at the newly launched Nexus 5X and 6P, I don’t see unified design. Apple is much more refined with its products lineup. If Google is going to mature to that level, it needs to take control and make it happen.

The launch of the new Pixel C tablet (which runs Android has opposed to Chrome OS as on the Chromebook Pixel) could very well be a foreshadowing of Google’s new in-house direction. Pixel devices are built by Google, and moving forward to a Pixel phone makes so much sense at this point.

What are your thoughts on the whole ordeal? Should Google stick with its roots, or do you think the prospect of a Pixel phone sounds rad?

How To: Customize your Facebook news feed preferences on Android

Tips & Tools

AndroidGuys

-

November 11, 2015

0

[df-subtitle]This handy tutorial helps you clean up your timeline[/df-subtitle]
facebook_feed_preferences (2) As some of you know, a recent update to the Facebook application for Android now gives users more control over their Facebook respective timelines. Specifically, Facebook allows the user to handpick who is shown at the top of their feed and who is quietly pushed to the background. Indeed, it is possible to stay friends with somebody yet keep them from cluttering up your timeline with passive aggressive comments about ex boyfriends. More importantly, it ensures that you never miss a post from somebody important to you.

Although Facebook publicly announced the new feature, it isn’t overly obvious as to how to go about setting it up. Here’s a quick walkthrough of the options and how they can help you.

Let’s Go!

To get started, simply look for the icon at the top right of the Facebook app that has three horizontal lines. This icon that appears just to the right of your globe which represents your general notifications. Got it? Now, scroll down to the section marked as help and settings and look for the subheading of “News Feed Preferences”.

A variety of options

As you will see on this splash screen, Facebook lets you control and customize the news feed to your very liking. You will see three options, each of which gives you different, yet related, types of control over your timeline.

Prioritize

The first one, which is indicated by a star icon, lets you pick those whose posts you want to see every time you open the Facebook app. According to Facebook, you will always find these posts at the top of your news feed – regardless of who you follow or what your friends are doing.

Simply tap the name or picture of your contact and you will see the star icon overlay. Do this for each person you’d like to see every time out. Once you are satisfied with your settings simply go back by tapping the arrow in the upper left corner.

Unfollow

The second icon, “Unfollow people to hide their posts”, does exactly that. You can pick people or pages that you just don’t care enough to see their posts but still want to remain semi-connected. Maybe it’s somebody you don’t agree with their politics, or perhaps litters your feed with constant updates about what song they’re listening to. Whatever, we don’t care.

Do note that this is not an irrevocable process and does not unfriend you from the person. They will not see that you have done anything on your end. Everything stays the same in their eyes.

Reconnect

The smiley face icon allows you to reconnect with people who you may have previously already marked as unfollowed. Scrolling through here lets you see not only the people but also pages you stopped following at some point in the past.

It’s here that you can also look to see how long it has been since you started unfollowing. You may wish to use this as an opportunity to clean up your feet all together and go back and just simply unlike or unfriend those contacts.

reconnect

All set!

There you have it, a nice and simple way to clean up your Facebook feed and get it into shape. The idea behind this, of course, is to deliver more engagement with the people that you care most about. Spend a few minutes pruning your setup and you’re likely to dip into Facebook more often.

Cyanogen “C-Apps” are now available for download and flashing

News

AndroidGuys

-

November 11, 2015

0

If you’re at all familiar with Cyanogen OS, you know that they have a handful of features that they added over the community version of CyanogenMod to make their flavor of Android marketable and unique. Today, however, CyanogenMod and Cyanogen Inc. have announced that you can download the “C-Apps” and flash them to your CyanogenMod-based ROM and enjoy ~~all~~ most of the cool features that come with Cyanogen OS out of the box.

Apps included in the package include:

Theme Chooser with per-app theming
Theme Store
AudioFX
Cyanogen Accounts
Gallery
Dialer with TrueCaller integration
Email powered by Boxer
Screencast
CMLogger
CyanogenStats

The latter two could be a reason for conflict for some people, but the fact that all of these apps are being made available at all is pretty impressive. Conspicuously missing from this list is Nextbit’s Baton, but you should be able to download the app from the Play Store and sign in with your Cyanogen account (which is now available on your phone/tablet) to be able to take advantage of all of its awesome cloudiness.

In case you aren’t familiar (you probably aren’t), Baton is an app that is produced by the same people who are building the Nextbit Robin. Baton looks at all of the apps that you have on your phone and backs up as much appdata as it can to the cloud. Surprisingly a lot of apps can be used with Baton and it’s sort of surprising that it doesn’t need root to do its job. Having it on just one phone isn’t very helpful, but I can speak from experience that Baton makes setting up a new phone much easier because for the apps that you’ve used in the past, your information is already there.

Also missing is the Cyanogen NextCamera. This is also available from external sources, but it is unclear whether they have any intent to distribute the app. That said, there are plenty of camera options available in the Play Store, so it’s not as though you’re left high and dry.

It’s worth noting that these apps are designed for CM12.1 devices (Android 5.1.1) and flashing to older versions of CyanogenMod may make things behave strangely. For the sake of experimentation, I tried flashing the package to a device I have running CM11 (Android 4.4.2) and it didn’t work at all.

In any case, having these “C-Apps” available as an option is certainly a good thing, especially as some Cyanogen OS phones may be reaching their EOL date. It’s good to know that they will at least be partially supported by the power of the community!

Source: Cyanogen Inc

Day One Apps: The first apps we install on every new Android (Volume 2)

News

Matt Adams

-

November 11, 2015

1

Like many writers here at AndroidGuys, I go through a lot of phones. Between test units and phones I’ve owned this year, I’m averaging one a month. That’s a lot! Each and every one of those phones gets a pre-selected set of apps installed on them. They’re the apps that I need to get my daily tasks completed and keep me in contact with my loved ones. Here are my Day One Apps.

Sync for Reddit (Dev edition)

Reddit is where I get most of my news and entertainment. The social news site easily counts for the most amount of time I have an app open on my phone. I chose to support the developer by buying the dev app. The free version of the app is great and fully featured, but you do get a preview of new features with the dev version and you’re directly supporting the app’s development.

I love the material look of Sync for Reddit and the AMOLED dark mode. I wake up early and check out Reddit to see what’s on the front page, and the AMOLED Dark mode has saved my eyes every day since I turned it on. There are a ton of customizable options like how the app handles links to external sites and a great messaging and profile system.

Play Store link: Sync for Reddit Dev, Sync for Reddit (Free)

Raindar

Raindar is the least complicated app on my phone. I open it. It loads. It shows me the radar in my area. The app hasn’t been updated in a few years, and there are other apps that will show you the radar, but I love Raindar. It’s lightweight, loads incredibly quick, and shows me only exactly what I want. There are no ads or in-app purchases to be found. You can select from a few options, but not many. There is an option to turn on the storm track or display traffic on top of the map to see how it is being affected by the storm. It’s pretty simple, and that’s what I like about it. It does exactly what I need without being too complicated.

Play Store link: Raindar

ESPN

Though it has a few names in its short life, the ESPN app is a mainstay for on my homescreen. It isn’t the most in depth app, it doesn’t have the best design, it does show ads, but what it also does is deliver the information I want incredibly fast and accurately. Having the times of my favorite team’s next games greet me instantly is something I really didn’t know I needed until I had it. If I want to read a little bit, one swipe to the right brings me ESPN’s front page headlines.

The one thing that ESPN does need to clean up is their push alerts. I like getting alerts with the biggest breaking news sent to my phone, but where Gameday is going to be next week or a 30 for 30 advertisement doesn’t reach that bar. If they stop abusing that aspect, I’ll turn the alerts back on, but until then, they stay off.

Play Store link: ESPN

Snapchat

Snapchat has come from a niche video app to one of the most popular social apps on the planet. The silver bullet for an app like Snapchat is taking something cool and making it incredibly easy. So many opportunities for a cool picture, and especially video, are lost because people don’t want to mess with getting them uploaded. Snapchat handles this elegantly and quickly. I’m not a big snapper, but I love keeping up to date on my friends’ daily adventures.

Play Store link: Snapchat

Fenix for Twitter

Fenix is my twitter app of choice. Much like with Snapchat, I’m not a big tweeter, but I love seeing what’s going on around the world. Fenix has the best layout and the best set of options I’ve come across so far. I particularly love the ability to swipe right and left for your timeline, mentions, activity, messages and favorites. Fenix is fast and super stable. If you get the right settings combination, it’s also pretty easy on your battery and looks great.

Play Store link: Fenix for Twitter

ES File Explorer

File explorers used to just be for power users. That’s not the case anymore, and there are a ton of options out there for you to choose from. My personal favorite is ES File Explorer. I’ve used it for years because it gives me a ton of options and is a powerful app. The layout is something that, in my opinion, stands out from other file explorers. I always know where I am in my file directory and how I can get to where I need to go. Navigation is simple and intuitive, and there are plenty of options at the ready. While I don’t personally use the feature, ES does let you transfer files from your phone to your computer or another device from within the app so you’re not jumping around to multiple apps to pull and throw what you need.

Play Store link: ES File Explorer

Pushbullet

Pushbullet may be my favorite app of all time. I have been lucky enough to watch it grow from its very early stages. The developers are active on the Android subreddit on Reddit. They’ve added functionality over time to make it one of the most powerful and time save apps on the Play Store. I love, love, love being able to respond to text messages in a threaded conversation on my computer. Many times at work I’ll get a text and can respond faster than it would even take me to get my phone out of my pocket and continue on with my work. Another incredibly useful feature is being able to push links and files from my computer to my phone and vice versa. I can’t recommend Pushbullet enough.

Play Store link: Pushbullet

Tapet

I’m a person that generally sets a background and never touches it again. But I love cool new stuff. I don’t know if I’m lazy or I just gloss over my wallpapers so I never think to change it, but Tapet is perfect for this. Tapet creates material design wallpapers and changes them for you either on a timer or on demand. You can set your preferences for colors and designs that you like, and Tapet will follow these guidelines to make perfect, interesting wallpapers for you.

There is an in-app purchase in here, but the devs are so good that I had no idea it was even an option after months of using it. Tapet is a lot like Sync for Reddit in the fact that the app is so good, and the developers are so awesome I just want to support them with my money even if it doesn’t unlock any extra features.

Play Store link: Tapet Wallpapers

Sunrise Calendar

Sunrise Calendar keeps me organized. My wife and I share a calendar to keep us on the same page with babysitter schedules, doctor appointments, and sports schedules. The thing that makes Sunrise stand out for me is the widget. It is always one swipe to the right and takes up the entire page so I can see everything coming for the next week. I also love the public calendars that you can subscribe to.

During the World Cup I knew exactly when every team was playing and it even updated games that had already ended with the score. Right now I’m subscribed to calendars for Arsenal FC, Ohio State Football, The Cincinnati Reds and Bengals, the Kentucky Wildcats, Oregon Ducks, and Germany’s World Cup winning soccer team.

If you’re into TV and movies, there are calendars to alert you of prime time shows and movie openings. There’s pretty much a public calendar for everything. Sunrise definitely makes my life more organized.

Play Store link: Sunrise Calendar

Facer

Facer is almost a required app for anyone who has an Android Wear smartwatch. Facer allows you to create or import third party watch faces for your watch. I currently have an Asus ZenWatch 2 and absolutely love it. There are a ton of compatible watch faces to download from Face Repo, and Facer lets you sync them in seconds. You can also change how these watch faces behave. If you’d like 24 hour time instead of 12 hour, you can do that. Do you want to add the temperature? How much battery your phone or watch has left? Make it happen, captain.

Play Store link: Facer

Timely

Rounding out my list of must have apps is Timely, my alarm clock. Timely isn’t like other alarm clocks. I will dismiss an alarm and fall right back asleep and not remember doing it, so I need a little bit more. Timely lets me set up challenges to turn off my alarm. Every morning I have to match shapes to their cut outs before it will let me turn it off. I LOVE this feature. It makes me actually think about what’s going on. You can also set up a math puzzle or random pattern if matching isn’t your preference.

What really sets Timely apart for me is the cross device syncing. As I said at the beginning of this list, I change phones a lot. Timely loads up all of my saved alarms instantly, and lets me choose what alarms go off on what device. If I want to set it up to have my tablet across the room to go off at one time and my phone go off at another, I can do that easily.

Play Store link: Timely

Are any of these apps on your day one install? Do you have any apps you think I should put on my list? Check out the comments section below and let us know what you think.

Get the Blackberry Priv wallpapers and APK files to transform your current device

News

Andrew Myrick

-

November 11, 2015

0

The Blackberry Priv is turning heads everywhere for smartphone users. With this Blackberry’s first foray into Android, while keeping the physical keyboard that many of us loved or at least used, back in the day, it’s an interesting device to consider if you’re in the market. Now, there are those of us out there who like the concept of what Blackberry is doing, but don’t want to shell out the dough, or use a Jump! to get this device.

So instead of having to jump to another device, an awesome user on the XDA Forums has extracted all the APK files you would need to transform your current Android device into the PRIV minus the physical keyboard. The thread that can be found here, has all the files you need, from the keyboard, to the launcher, and Blackberry Hub. Also included when you download Blackberry’s new Android launcher, are all the wallpapers that will be pre-packaged with the Priv, and we all love new wallpapers.

Personally, I have a little bit of experience with Blackberry OS from my days with the Blackberry Z10, so there’s some familiarity there. The keyboard, is awesome, and while we haven’t completely jumped into the Launcher yet, it seems pretty intuitive for the most part.

The Blackberry keyboard is a fairly different from most, if not all, third-party keyboards that you’ll find on the market. The keyboard that can be compared to Blackberry’s rendition is Fleksy, and there are a few reasons why. The first being that there’s no swype gestures, so you can’t just slide your fingers from letter to letter. Instead you’ll have to use your keyboard in the archaic fashion, typing each letter you want.

This is where the next similarity to Fleksy comes into play. The gestures. As you type, there will be words that hover over the various keys on your keyboard. For example, if you start typing “Hello”, the keyboard will recognize what you’re typing, and a simple swipe up on the “L”, will complete the word for you. As the Blackberry keyboard learns more about you r tendencies, the more accurate the predictions will become.

When you first take a glance at Blackberry’s keyboard, you’ll think that you can just hit that “?123” key to switch to your symbols and such. However, there’s another gesture that can be used to navigate the keyboard quickly. Swipe down on the keyboard and you’ll transition to the three different screens available within the keyboard; the main keyboard, numbers and basic symbols, and more symbols.

Holding down the keys across the top row, won’t bring up the option to enter a number, instead, you’ll have to switch the keyboard. However, in lieu of entering the numbers, you are able to enter special characters or capitalized letters, if need be.

There’s nothing really revolutionary about what Blackberry is bringing to the Priv, but it’s more of making the device a familiar friend for those coming from Blackberry OS. We’ll be sure to jump into the Blackberry launcher more in-depth here in the next few days, but the first indications are that it seems to be a pretty functional launcher-replacement, with some unexpected features that aren’t found in stock launchers.

[graphiq id=”1AU598EzCPb” title=”BlackBerry Priv” width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/1AU598EzCPb” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3626/BlackBerry-Priv” link_text=”BlackBerry Priv | SpecOut”]

If you’re interested in jumping on the Blackberry train, head over to XDA and download the files that you’ll need. Just as a reminder, there are APK’s that cannot be installed without root access, so be careful when attempting to give yourself the true Blackberry experience on your device of choice.

Additionally, these files will NOT work if your device is running anything below Android 5.0. So if you’re on Android KitKat, you’ll be out of luck and will run into errors when trying to install these files on your devices.

Source: XDA-Developers

Super fun headphones for the active lifestyle: Soul Transform On-Ear Headphones (Review)

Derrick Miyao

-

November 11, 2015

0

I really shouldn’t be writing this review with these Transform headphones from Soul electronics on my head blasting music, but seriously they are so fun to listen to that I don’t want to take them off. I’m typically the type who needs quiet to focus, but the Transform headphones by Soul have got me in a groove. It’s a little late and my dog and I just got back from a two mile jog. My brain is in high-gear jamming out to some music, and while I have the energy, I might as well let you know how I feel about these headphones.

Design

The Transform On-Ear headphones by Soul are designed for active types who love to listen to music while they stay active. They’re made from a light but durable plastic with a sporty design. My set happens to be red, gray and black, although they come in electric blue and lightning green too. They definitely look the part.

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

The ear cups are lined with a breathable and washable mesh material that is similar to what most basketball or fitness athletic shorts are made from. A very important feature is that the ear cups can be removed and are fully washable so you don’t have to worry about sweating into them.

The cable of the Soul Transform headphones is 49 inches long which is perfect for most people. It definitely needs length as active types are sometimes in super stretched out positions from jumping, stretching or lifting weights. The cable itself is flat and is also coated with a rubbery material which really does keep it from tangling in on itself. Just four or five inches down from the left ear cup is an inline controller which has a built-in microphone for phone calls, and a main button for answering and ending phone calls and playing or pausing music(Android devices). For iOS devices, the inline remote control serves as a microphone, volume up/down, fast forward/rewind, play/pause and answer and end phone calls.

Usage

Like I stated in the opening sentence I love these headphones. No, they are not designed to be reference monitors which are tuned for balance and clarity. And neither are most smartphones. I have never used on-ear headphones to workout with but this set has me contemplating making a permanent switch.

I’ve always used earbuds because they blocked out sound well and are light weight. There were not many on-ear headphones that were designed for the active types and Soul is definitely looking to change that. Earbuds can be fun to listen to, but they cannot reproduce the sound that their larger counterparts can. The Transform headphones enable me to feel my music. Not to sound cheesy, but I really feel my music in my soul. They are specially tuned to Soul’s signature sound, which to me is a little bass heavy, but is a sound signature I love for working out. The bass slightly muddles out the mid-ranges if I look for them, but the highs come through nicely through the rumbling bass. It’s really nice to feel the bass on my ears when I am working out, as it really helps to get me pumped up which is exactly what I need for my workout after a full day at work.

The inline mic picked up my voice very clearly when I tried it out for a work call. The inline remote worked as promised.

The only downside for the Transform headphones was that they made my ears hotter than normal as compared to when I use earbuds. When working out, I naturally heat up, and having two large ear cups over my ears holds in the heat. It may have kept my ears a little warmer because they fit like a glove. Soul was smart for making these fit snugly against my head as the last thing I want is headphones bouncing around on my head. Indoors the heat was not a good thing, but for my jog, they were actually nice to have as it has gotten into the 40’s here in San Diego. So they naturally serve as ear muffs and prevent my ears from getting cold. These didn’t budge an inch off my head during any of my workouts.

I may not use the Transform headphones in the gym on a regular basis due to the added heat, but for the days I am squatting and dead lifting, I will definitely have these on my head as I really need that extra push. And for the mornings and nights when it is chilly out, these will be a must have in order to keep my ears warm.

These headphones are light weight but are very durable. I have been tossing them around during my workouts and also when I get home. I’ve washed the ear cups several times now and I have no doubts they will last me a long time.

What I liked:

Quality materials
Design for active lifestyle
Punchy and fun sound signature
Light-weight
Tangle-free, flat and rubberized cord
49″ cable length
Washable ear pads
Carrying Pouch
Durability

What I didn’t like:

No volume control for Android devices
Caused my ears to get a little warm

Summary

For $99 the Soul Transform headphones are a great option for anyone, but especially the active types. If you like your music to be fun and punchy with bass, these headphones are definitely designed for you. They fit like a glove, get you pumped up and can withstand the active lifestyle.

If you would like to learn more, head on over to Soulelectronics.com or Amazon.com.

Please excuse me while I go jam out to some music. These headphones are so much fun to listen to.

<br />

Pre-order the Samsung Gear VR for $99

News

AndroidGuys

-

November 11, 2015

0

As of today you can now pre-order the Samsung Gear VR if you live in the U.S. If you remember, Samsung’s Gear VR powered by Oculus, was first released last year for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and sold for $199.99. Available media for virtual reality last year was slim and it is picking up traction now with devices like Samsung’s Gear VR and Google’s Cardboard.

This year the Samsung Gear VR is 19% lighter than last year’s edition, features a new touchpad for easier navigation and more importantly it is $100 cheaper. If you have a Samsung Galaxy Note5, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge you can now pre-order the device at Bestbuy.com, Amazon.com and Samsung.com. Orders are expected to arrive as early as November 20.

The package contents will include the Gear VR Innovator Edition headset, pouch, replacement face foams, lens cleaning cloth, user manual and warranty information. Samsung has its own dedicated Milk VR store to download videos and games specifically designed for virtual reality. Other content you can enjoy on Gear VR are movies from Netflix, Vimeo, 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate and you can even stream live broadcasts from twitch.

“Samsung is leveraging its leadership in mobile, by giving millions of Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners’ access to amazing virtual reality
experiences including immersive games, the ability to explore beautiful photographs and exciting videos in 360 degrees, and much more,” said Nick
DiCarlo, vice president, Immersive Products and Virtual Reality at Samsung Electronics America.

Let us know in the comments section below if you’ll be making the jump to VR.

T-Mobile Un-Carrier X unveils Binge On video freedom, Simple Choice Amped, and more

News

Josh Noriega

-

November 10, 2015

1

If you’ve been keeping up with T-Mobile’s barrage of punches on the mobile network industry, we have a new act today on that Un-Carrier movement. The big Magenta’s outspoken CEO, John Legere, took center stage to shake things up once again with Un-Carrier X.

So what’s T-Mobile’s latest radical move? The main announcement revolved around Binge On – which is essentially Music Freedom but for video streaming. T-Mobile customers will now be able to stream movies/shows while they’re out and about, with no count against your data plan.

tmobile-binge-on

Right now, there are 24 video services available, but any service is open to joining. Here’s the current list:

[toggles title=”Binge On service list”]

Netflix
HBO NOW
HBO GO
Hulu
Sling TV
Sling Box
ESPN
Showtime
Starz
Movieplex
Encore
T-Mobile TV
Vevo
Vessel
Univision Deportes
Major League Baseball
Go90
DirecTV
Fox Sports
Fox Sports GO
NBC Sports
Crackle
VUDU
Ustream

[/toggles]

Since video is a bit more complicated to stream, T-Mobile said it did some work to optimize it over the network. In an effort for efficiency of the stream, the carrier is stating “DVD or better quality” output (DVD quality is 480P). The Magenta team said that the set quality is sufficient for video watching on a mobile device and for now, they’re sticking with it.

A caveat is that you have to be a customer receiving Data Stash, which means having a minimum of a 3GB Simple Choice postpaid plan. Customers with less than that will still get the optimized video stream, but the data will count against you.

Binge On wasn’t the only thing announced today, there were several significant updates to T-Mobile data plans. In a movement called Simple Choice Amped, T-Mobile is doubling the data of all Simple Choice plans across the board. The current option layout is 1GB, 3GB, and 5GB (for $50, $60, and $70/month, respectively) – so those will increase to 2GB, 6GB, and 10GB.

Along with this, T-Mobile expressed how much it hates data sharing on family plans. Therefore, a campaign called Family Match was launched. It amps the previous family promo – four family plan members can now get 6GB each for $120/month (for a limited time).

tmobile_family_match

T-Mobile Unlimited customers weren’t left out either. Their hotspot tethering limit will increase from 7GB to 14GB. And Binge On will be available while tethering for those customers.

The new Simple Choice plans will initiate on Nov. 15th, and will roll over to existing T-Mobile customers on Nov. 19th. If you’re a Sling user, a promo will kick off with Binge On to get 30% off a Sling subscription.

What do you think about T-Mobile’s new features? Is Binge On something you’ll really benefit from? Sound off in the comments below!

Update [11/11/2015]

In the announcement yesterday, T-Mobile wasn’t exactly direct about the new Simple Choice Amped features affecting pricing. Some of the 4G LTE Data tier options will received a slight price hike. T-Mobile’s defense for this is that, with the doubled data, you’ll actually be paying less per GB.

Currently (before the new system goes into affect on Nov. 15th), $50 gets you 1GB for a month, $60 gets you 3GB, and $70 gets you 5GB. Under Simple Choice Amped, the data tiers will each double. Fortunately, the cheapest option will double to 2GB but the price will remain the same, at $50/month. However, the previous $60 option will increase to $65 for 6GB/month, and the previous $70 option will jump to $80 for 10GB/month.

simple_choice_amped

If you fancy unlimited data, you’ve probably guessed it, the price of that tier will increase by $15 (from the current $80 to $95/month). Since it’s already “unlimited”, the only benefit you’ll get is double the tethering allowable for data. The 7GB cap will increase to 14GB/month.

These changes of course raise concerns for existing customers. Fortunately, the new plans won’t be forced.

tmobile_tweets

T-Mobile’s CEO, John Legere, addressed these concerns on his Twitter page. Current customers can stay on their current plan. If you do, you won’t double your data, but you will still get the Binge On video streaming benefits. So that’s good to know if you don’t need more data.

One thing’s for sure, these things should have been explained in the announcement.

Source: T-Mobile

[toggles title=”T-Mobile Press Release”]T-Mobile Unleashes Mobile Video with Binge On™

Video now streams free at T-Mobile for HBO, Hulu, Netflix, SHOWTIME, Sling TV, STARZ subscribers without using up their high-speed data – 24 total services included initially with more to come

Biggest-ever update to Simple Choice doubles your data at no extra cost when everyone in the family gets extra data

Los Angeles, California — November 10, 2015 — At an event held today in the entertainment capital of the world, T-Mobile [NASDAQ: TMUS] announced its landmark 10th Un-carrier move and responded directly to Americans’ surging demand for mobile entertainment by—of all things—unleashing mobile video. Beginning this Sunday, video streams free at T-Mobile for subscribers of HBO, Hulu, Netflix, SHOWTIME, Sling TV, STARZ, WatchESPN and more—with more streaming services on the way—without ever burning up customers’ high-speed data. And it’s available to all current and new Simple Choice customers on qualifying plans—at absolutely no extra cost.

On top of that, the Un-carrier today also amped up its flagship Simple Choice plan—in the biggest update to Simple Choice ever—by doubling the data at every level and cutting the cost of extra gigs. On top of that, families can now get twice as much high-speed data as before—at no extra cost— when everyone gets extra 4G LTE data. And that’s all on the nation’s fastest 4G LTE network, now reaching 302 million Americans and counting.

Taken together, today’s moves give Un-carrier customers far more data that lasts far longer – prompting T-Mobile President and CEO, John Legere to declare today “Data Day” – the day the company took its Un-carrier movement to the next level.

“Un-carrier X marks the next step in this revolution, and it is massive,” said John Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile. “Today, we’re not only doubling your data in Simple Choice, we’re making your data work a lot harder for you! With Binge On, video streams free from 24 streaming services to start, and more to come! Only T-Mobile would find a way for customers to watch unlimited HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV and more…without eating into their LTE data, while the Duopoly is squeezing consumers with overage fees and over-buying! T-Mobile is un-leashing entertainment and giving customers exactly what they want!”

Binge On − Watch your shows, not your data With Binge On, video now streams free for viewers and subscribers of Crackle, Encore, ESPN, Fox Sports, Fox Sports Go, HBO Now, HBO Go, Hulu, MLB, Movieplex, NBC Sports, Netflix, Sling TV, Sling Box, SHOWTIME, STARZ, T-Mobile TV, Univision Deportes, Ustream, Vessel, Vevo, VUDU—with more streaming services on the way—without ever touching their 4G LTE data on Simple Choice plans with extra data. T-Mobile is also including Verizon’s Go90 and AT&T’s DirecTV streaming services in Binge On, so even the Duopoly’s video services stream without fear of overages.

Binge On is open to any streaming video provider who meets the technical requirements, which are available online at http://www.t-mobile.com/bingeon. And it’s completely free for video streaming providers to join.

“With Binge On, no one pays—not the customers, not the video streaming services—and everyone wins,” said Legere.

Powered by new technology built in to T-Mobile’s network, Binge On optimizes video for mobile screens, minimizing data consumption while still delivering DVD or better quality (e.g. 480p or better). That means more reliable streaming for services that stream free with Binge On, and for almost all other video, it means T-Mobile Simple Choice customers can watch up to three times more video from their data plan. And, as always, T-Mobile has put customers in total control with a switch to activate or deactivate Binge On for each line in their My T-Mobile account. Binge On is all about customer choice.

In addition, T-Mobile is celebrating the launch of Binge On with an exclusive offer of 30% off a full year’s subscription to Sling TV’s “Best of Live TV” package available to all Simple Choice customers. And those T-Mobile customers with Unlimited smartphone LTE get a free streaming movie rental every single month in 2016 with Binge On.

With mobile video now the #1 way Americans use smartphone data, Binge On is the Un-carrier’s answer to what today’s customers clearly want most from wireless. Customers are using nearly two-and-a-half times more of their wireless data for mobile video in the last two years. But that’s nothing compared to where we’re headed. According to forecasts, mobile video usage is poised to surge more than 400% by 2020.

The old carriers are trying to exploit this trend − and their customers − to line their pockets. For carrier customers, the surge in wireless video has translated directly into an unprecedented surge in overages. Together, the carriers are projected to rake in a record $2.4 billion this year from overage penalties—up a staggering 60% from $1.5 billion just last year. Roughly one quarter of AT&T and Verizon customers say they’ve been hit by overages in the last 6 months – that’s twice as many Verizon customers getting billed for overages compared to just two years ago. Worse still, the carriers’ overages scare customers into buying more data each month than they need—only so Verizon and ATT can repossess it after 30 or 60 days. American wireless customers waste an estimated $45 billion annually overbuying wireless data they don’t use.

With T-Mobile, on the other hand, Binge On now unleashes customers to watch what they want, when they want and on any device they want—without watching their data.

Simple Choice − Now with double the data With this explosion in data usage, a few gigs is just not enough anymore. So, in the biggest update ever to the company’s wildly popular Simple Choice plan, T-Mobile is giving families and businesses what they want most by doubling their high-speed 4G LTE data when everyone gets extra data.

Simple Choice customers still start with one line at just $50 a month for unlimited data, talk and text on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G LTE network. But you’ll now get a full 2GB of 4G LTE data—twice the previous amount—on each line. As before, customers can still add a second line for $30 a month−but now with 2GB of 4G LTE data. Additional lines up to 12 are still only $10 per month—but each now come with 2GB of 4G LTE data.

Of course, Simple Choice customers can add even more 4G LTE data. And now, when everyone in the family gets extra 4G LTE data, families can save even more with T-Mobile’s new Family Match. Everyone will get twice as much data as before at absolutely no extra cost. They can add an extra 4GB of 4G LTE data (on top of the 2GB included), including mobile hotspot data, for just $10 more a month on each line, up to a total of 10GB per line. For families who’d rather customize their data by line, extra data is just $15 a month for each 4GB—compared to $20 a month for 4GB before—a savings of 25% per GB of high-speed data vs. before.

While the Duopoly continues to punish customers on their legacy unlimited LTE plans, the Un-carrier announced it is doubling down on Unlimited Smartphone LTE data by doubling the amount of tethered data included from 7GB to 14GB. And with Binge On, streaming video from participating services won’t eat into that tethered data.

For businesses, the pain is even worse. Nearly two-thirds of small businesses (63%) say they’re now being charged overages, and more than half (52%) of small business limit their employees’ smartphone usage to prevent overages. With the Duopoly, giving employees a smartphone is like creating an open-ended tab where employees can run up insane overages the company has no choice but to pay. With the new Simple Choice plan unveiled today, businesses get double the LTE data at no extra cost at T-Mobile, up to a thousand employees. An average small business with T-Mobile can save 40% compared to AT&T and a full 50% compared to Verizon for similar services.

And, as always, Simple Choice customers have no annual service contracts, no domestic overages and no sharing, and they get all the Un-carrier value the company keeps pouring into the plan – from Simple Global, Music Freedom and Data Stash to Mobile Without Borders, Wi-Fi Un-leashed and Binge On.

To celebrate today’s news, T-Mobile is making the fourth line free. Now, for a limited time, a family of four can get four lines for $120 with 6GB per person (24GB total) – no sharing – at just $30 per line. That’s an incredible four times the high-speed data you get at Verizon who’ll charge you $20 more, and almost five times the data at AT&T where you’ll pay $30 more—$150 for just 5GB your whole family’s gotta share. And now with Binge On, T-Mobile customers don’t just get 6GB each, they get unlimited video streaming from popular sites as well.

Binge On and the new Simple Choice plan will be available starting Sunday, November 15. Existing T-Mobile customers will get Binge On starting Thursday, November 19. For more information on Binge On, see http://www.t-mobile.com/bingeon. For more information on Simple Choice, see http://www.t-mobile.com/SimpleChoiceplan or for Simple Choice for business, see: http://www.t-mobile.com/BusinessSimpleChoicePlan.

Video streams at DVD quality (480p+) with Binge On. You may disable Binge On at any time, but will lose Binge On benefits. Limited time offers on qualifying plans. Taxes/fees add’l. Video streaming from included services does not count toward full-speed data allotment on our network. Third party content and subscription charges may apply. Once high-speed data allotment is reached, all usage slowed to up to 2G speeds until end of bill cycle. Up to 30% off selected subscription; may appear as bill credit or 3rd party discount. Free movie: one SD rental/mo. on selected service via 30-day promo code; must be in good standing on qualifying Unlimited LTE plan. Streaming services’ terms and conditions apply. See T-Mobile.com for details.[/toggles]

AndroidGuys

News & Opinion Since 2007

Screen

Storage

Battery and Charging

Buttons and Fingerprint Scanner

Speakers and NFC

Build Quality and Price

The Perfect Phone

Design

Usability

Sound Quality

Let’s Go!

A variety of options

Prioritize

Unfollow

Reconnect

All set!

Source: Cyanogen Inc

Sync for Reddit (Dev edition)

Raindar

ESPN

Snapchat

Fenix for Twitter

ES File Explorer

Pushbullet

Tapet

Sunrise Calendar

Facer

Timely

Source: XDA-Developers

Design

Usage

What I liked:

What I didn’t like:

Summary