ZTE on Monday kicked off the week announcing the availability details for its Axon products. Moreover, it also introduced a new model as part of the Axon family, too.
Axon Mini
Joining the ZTE Axon lineup is the Axon mini, a 5.2-inch smartphone powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor with 3GB RAM. Internal storage is listed at 32GB with an microSD expansion card allowing for extra space.
In terms of cameras, the Axon mini offers up a 13-megapixel rear shooter with an 8-megapixel unit around front. Battery is listed at 2800mAh which should be more than enough to get average users through a day of usage.
Built from “Boeing 787 aircraft-grade aluminum-titanium alloy”, the phone supports a trio of biometric authentication options: fingerprint, voice control and eye-scan.
The Axon mini will be sold in a standard and Premium version; however, it’s not immediately clear what the difference is. There’s mention of NBA-themed models in the press release but we cannot surmise of they’re one in the same.
Pricing starts at $379 for the Axon mini with a slight increase for Rose Gold. Don’t look for this one to come stateside anytime soon as ZTE has a more global audience in mind. As of today, ZTE plans to release it in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Japan, India, Australia, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain and Italy.
Axon Watch
As for the Axon Watch, it will be made available for purchase from ZTE’s MyZTE site in China starting from October 27. Poweed by Tencent OC, the watch features a 1.4-inch Gorilla Glass screen with sapphire coating and features an IP67 certification. In other words, it’s built to withstand the elements.
Specs for the Axon Watch include a 300 mAh battery, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB storage and Bluetooth 4.1. The watch supports both voice and gesture control and can also be used for health and fitness purposes.
Axon Max
ZTE is also announcing a new Axon Max smartphone which promises a larger display and bigger battery. Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the details offered up in the press release. Other outlets are reporting that the phone could boast a 6-inch display with 4GB RAM but that’s not been confirmed as of yet.
Hulu, the second name you probably think of when you think of streaming media, announced that they will have a Virtual Reality app ready to go when the Samsung Gear VR launches in November. The $99 Virtual Reality device will launch next month ahead of competitors Oculus, HTC and Sony and will hopefully lead the charge of personal virtual reality devices. There is currently a $199 Innovator Edition available, but hopes are high for a lower priced version for the masses. They will already have Netflix, YouTube and Hulu on board for streaming media at launch.
“We’re ready” states Tim Connolly, Hulu’s head of distribution.
Hulu appears to be going in feet first to support VR. There are rumors that the media giant will create a new series that will only be able to be viewed in 3D. Hulu is already producing a short VR film called “The Big One”. The film is being helmed by YouTuber Freddie Wong, made alongside his upcoming original Hulu series.
[blockquote author=”Tim Connolly”]”We think this is a smart bet that helps position us as an innovator and helps us learn earlier on what could be a substantive storytelling environment,”[/blockquote]
Hulu has been known for its serialized TV shows, but live television isn’t in their immediate plans. Expanding to live TV would give them a boost over competitors Netflix and YouTube, but Connolly states they’re currently in “if” mode right now. Last week, Bloomberg reported that Amazon has been in talks to bring live television to their Prime streaming service and Apple has been securing deals with networks for their streaming service.
A live VR program could score with consumers. Apps like Twitter’s Periscope are gaining in popularity as people can take a peak inside other lives in real time. Being able to do that or watch live breaking news in 3D would be a compelling product.
The LG G4 is one of the best phones on the market this year. It’s fast, fluid, and has a removable back and battery. Today we’re going to take a look at some cases for the LG G4 that make it look even better or add functionality (Qi Wireless Charging!) without adding a bunch of bulk to the phone. And you won’t have to worry about getting dinged for shipping since everything on our list ships free!
Yootech Quick Circle Case with Qi Wireless Charging
The LG G4 is feature packed, but one of the biggest missing features is wireless charging. As someone who loves Qi Wireless Charging, this was huge for me. At first I tried installing a Qi Antenna into my phone and it worked really well, although installation can be a bit of a pain. But if you’re looking for a folio case anyway, this Yootech case should be at the top of your list. Not only do you get Qi Wireless charging, but you also get the excellent Quick Circle functionality in the G4 that will let you do things like answer calls and look at text messages without opening up the case.
Not only does this case look good, it adds a bunch of functionality too. It protects the body of your phone from drops and falls, and the folio cover protects the screen from scratches too. You can pick up this great case in one of three colors for only $13.99 with free Prime Shipping.
If you’re looking for a minimal case, i-Blason has your back. The Halo Series bumper is a barely there case that focuses on protecting that beautiful leather backing or dimpled design battery cover while still showing off their design. There is a raised lip to protect your phone when face down, and the anti-scratch material means that the case can take a licking and keep on looking great. The Halo case is slim and has a low profile, but is also incredibly light, coming in at .3 ounces.
You can pick up the i-Blason Halo Series case in one of four colors for only $12.99 with free Prime Shipping.
Anyone who knows me can tell you how big of a fan I am of matte black. I think it looks fantastic without sticking out in a crowd. The Diztronic Full Matte Soft Touch Case is one of my all time favorite cases for exactly that reason. It comes in a sexy Matte Black, but you can also pick it up in Matte Charcoal Gray or Matte Navy Blue. The Navy Blue has a distinct purple tint to it, but don’t let that scare you off guys, it looks great. The Matte covering helps prevent fingerprints from showing up on your case, and the case will fit both leather and ceramic battery covers that come on the LG G4.
The Diztronic Full Matte Soft Touch Case measures in at only 1.6mm which means it is incredibly thin, and it’s made out Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) which means it’s flexible but durable at the same time. You can pick up this sexy case in one of three colors for only $9.89 with free Prime Shipping.
Caseology simply makes great phone cases, and the Daybreak series for the LG G4 is no exception. If you’re not as big of a matte black fan as I am but you want a case like the Diztronic Full Matte Soft Touch Case we talked about, this could be the case for you. The Daybreak series is a bit more of a glossy option that is made out of the same TPU material so it’s durable and flexible too. There is a lip over the front of the screen to protect it in case of falls and a focus on making sure all ports and buttons are easily accessible.
You can pick up the Caseology Daybreak Series in one of 35(!!) colors and designs for $9.99 with free Prime Shipping.
JD is a new company to our list, but from the looks of it, they know what they’re doing. Their Slim Cushion cases are a very slim TPU rubber skin. This design makes it one of the slimmest options on the list. The Slim Cushion case is more an option for those who want to add grip and protect against scratches and scrapes, rather than a case with lots of protection from falling. Like the Halo Series from i-Blason, the JD Slim Cushion case is only .3 ounces, so this barely there case adds zero bulk to your phone while making it easier to hold and more fashionable.
You can pick up the JD Slim Cushion case in one of 4 colors for as low as $7.95 with free Prime Shipping.
Wood cases are all the rage, but if you don’t feel like shelling out upwards of of $20 for a wood case, you may want to check out this Wood Print Hard Case by CasesByLorraine. I’m not sure who Lorraine is, but she sure knows how to make a nice case. The hard shell case is pretty light since it’s actually a hard plastic case that is designed to look like wood. There are 20 different designs to choose from ranging from simple to complicated that will definitely make your phone a conversation piece.
This CasesByLorraien Wood Print Hard Case is only $8.99 and comes with free shipping. If you like the look of this case but want real wood, check out the Natural Bamboo Case by kwmobile.
Classy, simple, beautiful. These are the three words that immediately come to mind when I see the Verus Layered Dandy Series Wallet Case. This elegantly designed case looks like real leather, but won’t cost you real leather prices. The case is designed to be as snug as possible, so this won’t work with the leather backings that come on some LG G4s. If you want to pick up a replacement back you can check out this one for pretty cheap.
This Wallet Case has one thing that most lack: a magnetic clip. In my opinion, Wallet Cases should stay closed unless you intentionally open them up. What is the point of protecting the screen with one of these cases if it’s just going to fly open if you drop it? Verus does it right here. You can also slip three cards in the case for going out on the town, or if you feel like going without a wallet for the day. This is one of the best wallet cases out there.
You can pick up the Verus Layered Dandy Series Wallet Case for $20.99 in Coffee Brown, Black or Wine Red. As always, shipping is free.
ULAK is another newbie on our list, but this case really stands out if you want a combination of protection and a design that is guaranteed to catch people’s eye. There are 9 color combinations and designs for the Shockproof Rubber case, but they all have one thing in common: fantastic drop protection. These cases will add a little but of bulk to the G4, but since the phablet is already a two hander, it shouldn’t matter that much. The 3-1 design features a soft inner shell, hard outer case and bumper to make sure your phone never even knows it’s been dropped.
You can pick up the ULAK Shockrpoof Rubber case is one of 9 designs for as low as $8.99 with free Prime Shipping
So for those of you out there who weren’t aware, when you purchase an Amazon Fire tablet, you can’t install just any app that you see fit. In fact, you can’t install ANY apps from the Google Play Store. Not that it’s always a bad thing, but you are kind of “stuck” using Amazon’s App Store.
Now the Amazon App Store frequently sees better deals than those that can be found in the Google Play Store, but there are still some benefits to being able to install anything you want. Well, it just so happens that a dedicated user over at the XDA Forums has found a way to install the Google Play Store and Google Play Services on the latest Amazon Fire tablets. Even better, you don’t even need to try to root your new tablet to get the best features from Google.
In order to get the Google Play Store and Google Play Services installed, you’ll need to make sure that your computer has all the drivers downloaded already. Usually, this is performed whenever you plug a new device into your computer, so it should happen automatically. Once you’ve acquainted your Fire Tablet with your computer of choice, you’ll need to download some files that can be found in the XDA thread.
Now that you’ve got those files downloaded form the XDA thread, you’ll need to enable ADB Debugging. This option can be found in the Developer Options within Settings on your Fire Tablet. Once you’re all set and ready to go, follow the video, and you’re on your way to having the Google Play Store and all its wonders, on your brand new Amazon Fire Tablet.
Let us know if you ran into any issues, and what you think about Amazon’s latest rendition of Fire Tablets.
Everyone knows how to use Google. But there are a lot of features and add-ons that have been introduced in the last year or so that we aren’t necessarily aware of. To help with that, Google released a few new YouTube videos that go on to explain all the features.
Titled ‘Meet the Google app‘ this is a set of three different videos that cover various facets of your life where Google can come in handy. Each video has a different theme, and each video showcases what Google can do to improve your day-to-day life.
Check out the videos below, and let us know what you think about the progress that Google has made with Google Now since its inception. With the release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google has introduced even more features, known as Google Now On Tap, which aims to help you use Google without exiting any app that you’re already in.
Now On Tap is pegged to be a new and innovative wave for Android devices. Even though you can only get these features with Android 6.0, Now On Tap will help you complete tasks without hitting the back or home button once. We’ll dive more in depth into Now On Tap later, but in the meantime, check out these videos from Google and let us know what you think.
Hold on to that Mass Effect: Infiltrator saved game, as Electronic Arts (EA) has ended support for several of their mobile games, pulling them off the Google Play and APple App Store marketplaces as of September 1st, 2015.
Although most of the games are iOS exclusives, certain Android versions of EA games have also been taken down. Some of the titles affected include mobile spin-offs of popular EA franchises, including Burnout, Dead Space and Mass Effect.
EA says that these games will no longer be updated, however their focus will remain on existing popular mobile games and on developing new titles for both Android and iOS platforms, including the upcoming release of Real Racing 3.
The following list of games on Android are affected:
Bejeweled 2
Burnout CRASH!
Dead Space
Flight Control Rocket
Mass Effect: Infiltrator
EA has also stated that users who have already downloaded one of the above-mentioned titles should be able to continue playing on their devices as normal.
In today’s day and age, having all of your technological devices with you is becoming easier and easier. Partially due to the fact that our devices are becoming slimmer and lighter, but also because of the bags and cases that we can carry everything we need with us.
There are a lot of different options out there that help you take your tech life with you at all times, from backpacks, to messenger bags, and even a backpack that has a portable battery built in. We’ll be taking a look at one of the more professional, yet convenient options available.
The Boa Saddle bag from booq, is a great option that has that professional look, and awesome function at the same time. Made from Nylon and leather, the Boa the durability to hold up against most issues, and the function to hold everything you’ll need.
[toggles title=”Specifications”]
Fits: 15″ Mac & PC
Exterior: 16.5″ x 12.2″ x 5.9″
Interior: 14.6″ x 10.2″ x 1.1″
Weight: 2.36lbs
[/toggles]
On the outside, you’ll find the “Ballistic Nylon” everywhere with the exception of two places; the leather handles, and the strap that allows you to attach to your luggage handle. Having the ability to easily put the Boa on top of your luggage while walking around the airport, will make your travels much less painful. You won’t have to worry about slinging the Boa over your shoulder and worry about it falling off when you have to bend over to pick something up.
As for inside the Boa, booq claims that it is “Deceptively spacious”, and they definitely got that right. When I first received the Boa, I was a bit concerned about being able to get everything I need with me, into the bag, but I was wrong about that. The Boa has a total of 12 different pockets. There are three main pockets, one for your laptop, one for your miscellaneous items or tablet(s), and an outer pocket that can be used for anything else.
The main pocket that is the home for your laptop is lined in fleece to keep your laptop clean, and helps provide some protection while you’re walking about. The next pocket is the one that holds everything else you need for your travels. Within this section, there are eight pockets, complete with smaller pockets to house some pens, and a few larger pockets that can hold a 7″ tablet with ease.
The third section that can be found on the Boa Saddle, has a smaller pocket within, but also is a tight fit, so if you have a tablet larger than 7″, this would be the place to house it. The smaller pocket within, is just large enough to hold your smartphone. Someone who carries more than one smartphone around, doesn’t want to hog up those precious pants pockets with a bunch of phones or anything else. So booq thought of that, and built-in a pocket so that you can throw your extra phone in there and still have it protected.
The final pocket that can be found on the booq Boa Saddle is just a miscellaneous one, that can house anything extra you may have. There’s also a key ring on the inside with a detachable fob so that you can put your keys in there and have everything in one place.
If you’re still wondering about how much you can put into the Boa Saddle, here’s everything I carry with me on a daily basis, just to help you get an idea.
That’s the most I’ve ever been able to carry with me at one time, and I really have everything I’ll ever need all in one place. So what happens if you ever forget where you left your Boa Saddle Bag, or if it gets stolen? Well booq took that into account and included a Terrlinq name plate, on the outside of the Boa Saddle. Once you get the Boa, you’ll want to head over to Terralinq’s site and get your bag registered. Now, you won’t be able to look at where your bag is on a map, but, if a good samaritan finds your bag, they’ll be able to visit Terralinq, and get your contact information. Once they have your contact information, you’ll be able to try to get your bag back, and hopefully everything will still be left the way it was.
One more thing that may be causing you some concern after seeing the amount of items that I keep in my bag. Weight. I’ve been using the Boa for about a month, and have tweaked my Everyday Carry a few times, but you really don’t notice the weight. Obviously, if you carry something like the IntoCircuit Power Castle, then you’re bag will feel a bit too heavy, and you may want to rethink that. Regardless, with the leather handles, and the convenient shoulder strap, you’ll never really notice how heavy the Boa is, even with a bunch of items in it.
The Boa is something that I would recommend to anyone looking for a professional shoulder bag, that can carry everything you need. Add in the built-in Terralinq tracking, and you’ve got the end-all shoulder bag. Now, with a professional bag, there’s a cost associated with it, and for the premium look, feel, and function, the Boa’s going to cost you. If you’re interested in the Boa Saddle Bag from booq, it’ll set you back about $195 with free shipping directly from booq. Or you can save 5 cents by getting the Boa from Amazon with Prime Shipping.
While the price is a bit steep, the booq Boa Saddle is a great option out there for anyone who wants a professional and functional shoulder bag. Let us know what you think about the Boa Saddle in the comment section below.
Whenever you go to the Play Store (or App Store, or Windows Store, or whatever store you use) and search for something, the store goes through multiple algorithms to determine exactly what apps to show you, and it does it so fast, you don’t even know it’s happening. But when you stop to think about it, what exactly are those algorithms searching for when they are looking for your perfect app?
I recently got the chance to talk to Gareth Price of Ready Set Rocket about App Store Optimization (ASO) and why the current system is completely broken. So open your mind tanks because I (with Gareth’s help) am about to drop some high octane knowledge on you! Let’s ride!
If you have not heard of Ready Set Rocket, they are a marketing firm based in New York City that specializes in optimizing marketing across channels. They also utilize apps and services to help reach untapped customers. Basically, they are marketing for the digital age when many customers are not reachable through TV ads, billboards, and magazines.
What is ASO?
For those of you who do not know what ASO is, here is a little basic info. App store optimization is used by developers to see how apps are entered into the app store and to make sure that the correct app gets in front of the right customer. This can be done through naming, logos, app descriptions, reviews, and number of downloads. Ready Set Rocket represents premium brands with large audiences, which means that ASO is extremely important for them. They have to make sure that they app they make for a client not only performs well and looks nice, but that it is also discoverable by the right audience. In a world full of fake apps, it is crucial to get the official app noticed and downloaded by customers.
So what’s wrong with it?
A group of obviously fake reviews
Unfortunately, Gareth says that the current set up for ASO is broken. In the early 2000’s, search engine optimization (SEO) suffered from people and companies attempting to game the system to cheating their websites to higher placements in search results. Now, ASO is experiencing the same fate with developers and creators discovering loopholes to bump their apps to the top of search results.
You may have noticed that from time to time, poorly created, low-quality apps appear in the top apps for a certain day or week. You can tell by either downloading them or looking at screenshots that the app is not good, but it still has thousands of downloads and high ratings. Odds are, this app faked its reviews and installs.
Gareth revealed to me that there are many ways to game the system. The simplest way is to pay for a bulk amount of reviews and installs on your app. This action is often referred to as black hat. While this is easy and effortless, it is pretty obvious to tell which apps have cheated this way. Usually, the reviews are all similar in length, wording, and general tone.
There are other ways to game the system. If you have ever played a game that offered you tokens (or gems, coins, etc) for downloading a certain app, odds are you downloaded the app, got your tokens, and uninstalled it. While this is not as inherently bad as purchasing installs, it is still a way to gain dishonest installs for an app.
When you hear about something like paying for fake reviews, you have to wonder about the legality of it. Gareth helped shed some light on this for me. He said that purchasing reviews is not illegal, but it goes against the Terms of Service for app stores. So technically these developers are not committing fraud, but just violating the terms they agreed to. App store owners like Google and Apple can remove apps that engage in this activity, but there is no legal action that can be taken.
There’s gotta be something we can do!
So let’s say you have created an app that is awesome and does everything a person could ask from it, but it is getting lost in search results to apps that have gained fake installs. Is there anything you can do about it? Unfortunately, Gareth says there is currently no way for developers, creators, and users to fight these faked apps.
I would suggest writing real reviews on apps you have installed and suspect might be gaining illegitimate installs to let users know how the app really is. App store providers like Google and Apple are the only ones who can directly act against black hat. They can remove apps and developers who go against the terms of service for their stores which may help better apps rise to the top ranks legitimately.
What needs to change about ASO?
We have heard what is bad about ASO, how people can cheat the system, and what can be done to stop it, but now we need to talk about what needs to change about ASO. Gareth believes that app store providers should tweak their algorithms to be more based on quality than quantity. Perhaps have app stores analyze the semantics of reviews to help spot fakes.
To determine the quality of the app, Gareth feels like there shoulAd be more complex algorithms that go past just installing the app. Take into account how much time the app is used and how long the app is installed before the user removes it should all come into play when determining an app’s placement in the app store. Making these algorithms more transparent also doesn’t help the ASO situation because it allows developers to find ways to game the system. If you kept the algorithms shadowed and complex, developers would spend more time, money, and resources creating a better app than attempting to move up in the rankings.
When will it change?
So are we going to see a change in ASO soon? Unfortunately, probably not. People only have a finite number of app needs, and as app stores reach maturity, those needs are mostly taken care of. The companies that run these app stores (Apple, Google, etc.) are not focused on helping each developer’s app reach it correct position. They are focused on meeting the customers’ needs with the apps they provide. As long as there is a quality app available for users’ needs, these companies are going to be content. As for getting rid of fake reviews and revamping the ranking system, Gareth says we are far away from that.
This whole article might have sounded like one big downer. If you create a quality app, companies who can afford to buy installs and reviews will be rated higher than you even if their app isn’t good. There is not much users can do to stop those who game the system. And app store providers are not too worried about the fake reviews flooding their stores because customer needs are met. If you were a developer reading all of that, you’d probably feel pretty awful.
But Gareth left me with a fantastic piece of advice for developing apps. “Making a high-quality product that people need is the best way to find success.” If that does not lift you up and make you want to try harder, then I do not know what will. Sure, these cheating apps are currently ranked higher than far more quality apps, but that will not last forever. Making a quality app will grow your users organically, and they are way more likely to stay with your app instead of looking for an alternative.
I hope that you have all learned something from this informative and educational. I would like to thank Gareth Price for taking the time to talk with me about app store optimization and to remind everyone that quality always trumps quantity.
As the newest version of Android rolls out to Nexus devices, those of us who are using other flagships are left wondering when it will be our turn. For users in the Samsung camp, we at least have a list of the devices that Samsung will be bringing Marshmallow to at some point. There are no estimated release dates for any of these updates, and the list is preliminary.
If you own a Samsung device that isn’t on this list, it’s still possible that you’ll get Marshmallow.
As expected, this year’s flagships will be getting the update, along with select Galaxy S5 models including the Galaxy S5 Neo. The Galaxy Note Edge and Note 4 on Verizon will also be updated, and we’re hopeful that these models on other carriers will get some love from Samsung as well.
We’ll make sure to provide further updates on Marshmallow for Samsung devices as they come in (hopefully sooner rather than later).
After long-time rumors of a ‘Dislike’ button, Facebook will be trialing a new feature that will allow users to share different reactions to posts on the site.
The feature, known as ‘Reactions’, will act as an extension to the standard Like button, with a set of six emoji: like, love, haha, yay, wow, sad and angry. The reactions will be accessible by hovering or long-pressing the Like button wherever it appears on the News Feed, whether it is from friends, pages you follow or advertisers.
“As you can see, it’s not a “dislike” button,” Chief Product Officer Chris Cox wrote in his announcement, “though we hope it addresses the spirit of this request more broadly. We studied which comments and reactions are most commonly and universally expressed across Facebook, then worked to design an experience around them that was elegant and fun.”
Facebook will be testing Reactions in two countries for the time being: Ireland and Spain. Both were chosen as their users have friend networks that rarely extend beyond their national borders. The site will be using feedback to improve the feature and hopes to roll out Reactions to everyone.
We have heard what is bad about ASO, how people can cheat the system, and what can be done to stop it, but now we need to talk about what needs to change about ASO. Gareth believes that app store providers should tweak their algorithms to be more based on quality than quantity. Perhaps have app stores analyze the semantics of reviews to help spot fakes.