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BLU Products launches new smartphones at CES

Scott Webster
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BLU Products launches new smartphones at CES

BLU Products this week announced a number of new Android smartphone, some launching later this month. With prices that range from $90-$200, you’ll find new stuff such as the VIVO Air, Studio X, Studio G, and Studio Energy.

Basic details for the handsets breaks down as so:

Vivo Air (Mid-January at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked for $199.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1900/2100
  • Display: HD Super AMOLED 4.8-inch 720 x 1280, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • Processor: Mediatek 6592, 1.7 GHz Octa-Core with MALI-450 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat
  • Camera: Rear – 8.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.1mm pixel size, 1/3.2 inch sensor, 2.4mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 5.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory
  • Dimensions: 139.8 x 67.5 x 5.15 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2100mAh
  • Available Colors: White/Gold, Black

Studio Energy (End-January at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual SIM support for $179.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1700/1900, 850/1900/2100
  • Display: IPS 5.0-inch 720 x 1280 HD, with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • Processor: Mediatek 6582, 1.3 GHz Quad-Core with MALI-400 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat
  • Camera: Rear – 8.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.4mm pixel size, 1/3.2 inch sensor, 2.2mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 2.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio, OTG Reverse Charge
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 144.5 x 71.45 x 10.4 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 5000mAh
  • Available Colors: Ceramic White, Sandstone Gray, Blue, Gold

Life One (2nd Generation) (End-March at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual SIM support)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/1700/1900/2100, (4G LTE) 700/1700/2600
  • Display: IPS 5.0-inch 720 x 1280 HD with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • Processor: 64-Bit Qualcomm 8916 Snapdragon 410, 1.2GHz Quad-Core with Adreno 306 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Camera: Rear – 13.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.12mm pixel size, 1/3.06 inch sensor, 0.5mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 5.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 143.5 x 72.1 x 7.5 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2420mAh
  • Available Colors: Sandstone Gray, Ceramic White, Blue, Gold

Life One XL (End-March at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual SIM support at $199.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 42Mbps) 850/1700/1900/2100, (4G LTE) 700/1700/2600
  • Display: IPS 5.5-inch 720 x 1280 HD with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • Processor: 64-Bit Qualcomm 8916 Snapdragon 410, 1.2GHz Quad-Core with Adreno 306 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Camera: Rear – 13.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.12mm pixel size, 1/3.06 inch sensor, 0.5mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 5.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 156 x 78 x 8.3 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2820mAh
  • Available Colors: Sandstone Gray, Ceramic White, Blue, Gold

Studio X (End-January at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual SIM support at $129.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1700/1900, 850/1900/2100
  • Display: IPS 5.0-inch 720 x 1280 HD with Capacitive Touchscreen
  • Processor: Mediatek 6582, 1.3 GHz Quad-Core with MALI-400 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Camera: Rear – 8.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.4mm pixel size, 1/3.2 inch sensor, 2.2mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 2.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 144 x 72 x 10.5 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2100mAh
  • Available Colors: Black, White, Blue, Pink, Gold

Studio X Plus (End-January at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual SIM support at $149.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1700/1900, 850/1900/2100
  • Display: IPS 5.5-inch 720 x 1280 HD with Capacitive Touchscreen
  • Processor: Mediatek 6582, 1.3 GHz Quad-Core with MALI-400 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Camera: Rear – 8.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.4mm pixel size, 1/3.2 inch sensor, 2.2mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 2.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 155 x 76.6 x 10.6 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2600mAh
  • Available Colors: Black, White, Blue, Pink, Gold

Studio G (End-January at Amazon.com and other retailers unlocked with dual sim support at $89.00)

  • Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1700/1900, 850/1900/2100
  • Display: IPS 5.0-inch 480 x 854 with Capacitive Touchscreen
  • Processor: Mediatek 6582, 1.3 GHz Quad-Core with MALI-400 graphics GPU
  • OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat, upgradeable to Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Camera: Rear – 5.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, (1.75mm pixel size, 1/5 inch sensor, 2.8mm aperture), HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 2.0 megapixel
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n/, GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio
  • Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB
  • Dimensions: 143 x 73.2 x 9.9 mm
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2000mAh
  • Available Colors: Black, White, Blue, Pink, Gold

Xiaomi makes the Redmi 2 official

Derrick Miyao
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Xiaomi has tons of momentum heading into 2015 and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.  They just announced their first phone for the year, the Redmi 2.  It will be an entry-level device and will come with 4G LTE support, dual-sim, and will sell for less than $150 dollars but only in China.

The Redmi 2 will come in five Easter like colors, white, pink, yellow, green and black.  The screen will be similar to last year’s phone, 4.7″ IPS HD 720p, although it will be thinner and lighter.  Powering the device will be a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor which is supposedly 53% faster than the previous generation Snapdragon 400.  Common to entry-level devices, the Redmi 2 will have 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage with the ability to expand via microsd.  The phone also supports QuickCharge and improves charging by 40%, a feature I have grown to love on my Note 4.  The ability to charge quickly has replaced my need to swap batteries.

I would love to see this phone make it to other markets like the US as 60 million Xiaomi phones were sold last year in just 8 Asian markets.  They must be doing something right if they can sell that many phones in just one year.

Xiaomi press release

150104-xiaomi-redmi-2-official-03

LG unwraps 5.5-inch G Flex 2 at CES

Scott Webster
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G-Flex2_2-2

LG got its 2015 CES event underway a few moments ago, announcing new TV’s, appliances, and more. But, that’s not what you’re here for; you care about its Android endeavors. So, let’s get to it!

The newly announced G Flex 2 arrives in Korea later this month before heading off to other markets shortly thereafter. As you might expect, the model features the bending, but not breaking curved design as well as the self-healing back. If you thought healing in three minutes was cool, wait until you see your phone remove a blemish in 10 seconds.

Powered by Android 5.0 Lollipop, the G Flex 2 packs a 64-bit 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. Yes, it’s a beast. Internally we find 16GB/32GB storage with microSD expansion, 2GB RAM, and a 3000mAh embedded battery. Speaking of the battery, it charges from 0-50% in roughly 40 minutes, letting you get back out there rather quickly. The 5.5-inch display is 1080p, which LG says is the sweet spot for a device like this.

In terms of cameras, the G Flex 2 boasts a 13-megapixel rear shooter with the laser auto-focus found in the G3. The front-facing camera supports Gesture Shot up to 1.5 meters away, allowing for better selfie poses.

As for custom software touches, the usual LG stuff is here, but with improvements across the board:

  • Gesture Shot makes it easy to capture the perfect selfie with a simple hand gesture recognizable from up to 1.5 meters away.
  • Gesture View makes it easy to check your last shot immediately after taking a photo or selfie.
  • Glance View displays key information such as time, recent messages or missed calls with a downward swipe of the curved screen even while the display is off.

The LG G Flex 2 will be initially offered in Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red. Regardless of color, the Spin Hairline pattern, which mimics the movement of stars in the night, looks fantastic. We can’t wait to get our hands on one of these!

BLU launches new 4G capable devices

AndroidGuys
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BLU launches new 4G capable devices

4G is taking over the existing network bands due to the speed and flexibility it provides above 3G. But the problem is our old devices are not capable enough to run a 4G network and truth to be told, phone manufacturers include 4G capabilities mostly on their high-end flagship devices.

Drilling a hole in our pockets just for LTE is not very wise and contract phones are sometimes hard to bear with. BLU comes to rescue for such individuals. With their new Studio LTE series, they offer devices ranging from lowest to biggest in terms of hardware for every category of consumers all embedded with 4G chips.

They currently offer only three devices namely, Studio 6.0 LTE, Studio 5.0 HD LTE, Studio Mini LTE. All these devices have Snapdragon chipsets at the core and they have a pretty decent hardware. Not to mention they are all unlocked too. All I can say is that their highest end device that is the Studio 6.0 LTE offers specs a little superior to the HTC Desire 816 at a price little less than it ($279 to be precise).

You can find full specifications in the source link given below. Here is a little price sheet for you to follow.

Studio 6.0 LTE – $279

Studio 5.0 HD LTE – $199

Studio Mini LTE – $119

Source: PRNewswire

Blu Studio 7.0 is one of the world’s first 7 inch smartphones

AndroidGuys
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Blu Studio 7.0 is one of the world’s first 7 inch smartphones

Biggest phone yet?

Blu products has announced a budget device with a 7 inch display. The Blu Studio 7.0 is the first smartphone I’ve used which has a 7 inch display. There have been tablets with phone capabilities which were usable with a Bluetooth headset, but the Studio 7.0 is set apart in that it has a dedicated ear piece and when I say it’s just a giant phone, it’s exactly that.

Blu Studio 7.0 press release

BLU Products Introduces the BLU STUDIO 7.0 Smartphone to Make Staying Connected Easier, Faster, and Affordable

MIAMI, Dec. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — BLU Products, the market leader in unlocked devices in the United States, introduced today the new Studio 7.0 smartphone device connecting the best of both worlds by blending a 7-inch screen with a compact design that lets you comfortably hold it one-handed for phone calls, or fitting into your jeans pocket.

“The market trend shows that the demand in small tablets is fading, as a direct result to the median in a smartphone now approaching over 5 inches, meaning the term phablet no longer applies to a broad range of devices in the 5.5 inch to 6.0 inch category” said Samuel Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “What the consumer wants today is a single device that brings value with an awesome display size and convenience.”

The Studio 7.0 is now available at Amazon.com, unlocked, and exceptionally priced at $149.99, compatible with any GSM Network in the United States allowing consumers to choose their service plans from companies such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket Wireless, Tracfone, Go Smart, Simple Mobile, Net 10, Straight Talk, Ultra Mobile, Telcel America, H20 Wireless, Red Pocket, and Walmart Family Mobile, among others.

The Studio 7.0 features a vivid 7.0 inch HD display, powered by a 1.3 GHz Dual-Core processor and can access 4G HSPA+ speeds up to 21mbps nationwide on any GSM network in the United States, in addition to a 5.0 Mega Pixel auto focus main camera capable of recording HD video at 1080p and a front facing 2.0 Mega Pixel camera. Storage Includes 8GB of internal memory and an expandable micro SD slot up to a 64GB, plus 1GB RAM.

Learn more at http://www.bluproducts.com/index.php/studio-7-0
Full Specifications Include:

Network: (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, (4G HSPA+ 21Mbps) 850/1900 or 850/2100

Display: 7.0-inch 600 x1024 HD with Capacitive Touchscreen
Processor: 1.3 GHz Dual-Core with Mali 400 graphics GPU

OS: Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat

Camera: Rear – 5.0 megapixel, autofocus with LED Flash, HD 1080p@30fps video recording Front – 2.0 megapixel

Connectivity: WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v3.0, Hotspot, micro-USB, FM Radio

Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory + microSD slot expandable up to 64GB

Dimensions: 187.5 x 103 x 9.4mm

Battery: Li-Ion 3000mAh

Colors: White, Grey, Blue, and Gold

TL;DR

Right now, you can buy a Blu Studio 7.0 on Amazon for $150 or less! Check it out after this short unboxing video: 

Blu Studio 7.0 – Amazon.com

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HTC Desire Eye Review: better camera than smartphone

Benton Trerise
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HTC decided to take a new on a new strategy with the announcement of the RE action camera, focus on camera software, and the release of the HTC Desire Eye. The HTC Desire Eye aims to provide a great camera experience on both the front and the back, both being 13 MP shooters with dual LED flash. I got the chance to use this phone as my daily driver for a couple of weeks. Lets dive in.

HTC Desire Eye Review

Design

The HTC Desire Eye is an interestingly designed device. Along the top you have your headphone jack. On the left side towards the top you have your SIM and SD card tray that pull out by using your nail. On the bottom is the micro USB port on the right side. The right side is where things are a little different. Starting from the bottom, you have a camera button, and then a little bit up you have the power button, and then the volume buttons at the top. The configuration of the power and volume button is different from most devices these days. I’m sure it is because you use the power button more often, and HTC felt they should put that lower because of the height of the device, but I often found myself pressing the wrong button since I’m so used to the opposite.

Speaking of the height, because of the camera hardware at the top and its 5.2″ screen, The HTC Desire Eye is very tall at 151.7mm. While HTC did its best to shave down the size by having small bezels on the side and making it pretty thin (8.5mm), the height was noticeable. It made one-handed use difficult, and I often felt as though it was going to topple out of my hand.

On the front you have a 5.2″ FHD screen which has on-screen navigation buttons. The screen was nice to use overall. Pictures and text were crisp and clear, and colors were true on the LCD display. However, there were a few times I felt the screen was too bright, with even the lowest setting being too much. At the top you can see the massive 13 MP, dual LED flash, and various sensors. On the back you have the same thing: 13 MP camera with dual LED flash. Also on the front right above and below the screen you have HTC’s signature BoomSound front-facing speakers.

The color scheme is not to my personal preference, as it has a white front and back, and a coral coloring on the sides. In fact, a lot about this phone tells me that it was designed with a focus on women, but more on that later. What is nice is the phone is IPX7 certified, so getting the device wet and dirty shouldn’t be a worry. Overall, the device felt well-built.

Camera

Next, lets talk about what this device was built for: the camera. Or rather, the cameras. As I said before, on the front and the back you have a 13 MP both with dual LED flash. The full specs for each camera are as follows (from the HTC Desire Eye page):

Main Camera:

  • 13MP
  • BSI sensor
  • f/2.0
  • 28mm lens
  • wide-angle
  • HDR capability
  • 1080p Full HD video recording
  • Dual LED Flash

Front camera:

  • 13MP
  • Auto-focus with zoom capability
  • BSI sensor
  • f/2.2
  • 22mm lens
  • wide-angle
  • HDR capability
  • 1080p Full HD video recording
  • Dual LED Flash

Pretty good for a smartphone. My biggest complaint here is they are without optical zoom, but that is impossible when you are also trying to make the phone thin. Overall I was pleased with the pictures I took, though. Below are some of the pictures I took. Note: I do not have very many, as I had technical issues when backing up the photos. If you’d like some more pictures, please see this review.

Front Camera, my family at Thanksgiving
Front Camera
Rear Camera
Front Camera, me and my wife
Front Camera, me and my brother, Ryan
Rear Camera, fully zoomed

What was cool about the fact that the front camera has the same resolution as the rear, is I could use it to see the viewfinder. The camera also has a built-in auto capture features. I’m not quite sure how it works, as it supposedly takes a picture when you are still. However I found that it seemed to take pictures at random intervals. Another feature that worked was saying “capture” or “cheese” will take a picture. That is how I took the family picture above, and it worked quite well.

The camera is feature-packed with a lot of software features that enhances your photo-taking experience. One cool feature is the built-in ability to take a picture from both the front and rear camera, much like the app Frontback does. Navigating these features was a little un-intuitive, but that’s how I feel about HTC’s Sense UI as a whole. Another feature that tells me this phone is geared towards women is a “make-up level”, that adjusts your make-up in the picture to your preference. I have no idea if this works or not, but for those who love taking selfies will be glad to know this is an option.

Performance and Usage

Here is where the phone disappointed. With a Snapdragon 801 (Quad-core, 2.3 GHz), Adreno 330, and 2 GB of RAM, this phone is packed with power. Yet, I still found that the phone would lag and stutter at times. Most often it was when opening the multi-tasking window and graphics-intensive games. Also, when using navigation and streaming music, the phone would often freeze. I almost missed an exit the first time this happened as I didn’t realize it had done so. It took powering the screen off and back on, and exiting the navigation for it to be usable again. Odd. It may be a bug, but it happened often, even after restarting the phone.

Otherwise I had no issues with searching the web, watching videos, and other normal usage. So as long as you’re not looking to do heavy gaming (or evidently a lot of navigation), you should be good.

When watching videos, the speakers proved very nice. Not the best speakers, but anytime the speakers are facing forward it significantly improves the experience. However, what another weird design choice HTC made was using the top speaker as the earpiece during phone calls. I’m not sure why exactly, but talking on the phone was uncomfortable. People sounded far away and tinny, and it almost hurt my ear. I tried lowering the volume, but then they sounded too quiet. So you get great speakers at the cost of a terrible phone earpiece.

As far as battery goes, I never had any major issues. It has a 2400 mAh battery, and I easily made it through a day of use (7AM-10PM). I could play some games (when they worked well), use the camera, surf the web, and watch videos and still be above 15% at the end of the day. I averaged about 3 and 1/2 hours of screen on time each day, so not bad.

HTC has included a Power Saver and Extreme Power Saver into the software. You can set the Extreme Power Saver to kick in at a certain percentage to squeeze out those couple of extra hours. I didn’t find a big difference when using the regular Power Saver feature, but the Extreme Power Saving mode did help it to last a little longer.

Conclusion

The HTC Desire Eye is a different approach to a smartphone, with particular focus on the camera. Unfortunately, it seems as though they tried to squeeze too much into one package if you ask me. At the end of the day, it seems to me that the HTC Desire Eye is a better camera than a smartphone.

If you are someone who needs a good camera on your smartphone, or like to take a lot of selfies, but don’t necessarily need a powerhouse, but just a phone that can surf the web, than this phone is a good choice. With front-facing speakers, decent battery life, and IPX7 certification, it makes this a good device to travel with.

However, with the odd design choices, and weird performance from pretty good specs, I wouldn’t recommend this to those trying to find a somewhat cheaper Android smartphone that performs well.

You can get the HTC Desire Eye off-contract for $549, or $149 on a new 2-year contract from AT&T.

HTC Desire Eye

Plague – Watch news spread like a virus (app review)

AndroidGuys
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Plague – Watch news spread like a virus (app review)

The Plague is the latest new app to join the social media world. It almost reminds me of another app, Secret in which people post their thoughts anonymously. However, the difference with the Plague is when you post something, anyone can see who the author is. Once you open the app, it asks you to set up an account. You do not need to be linked to any other social media forums. Perfect way to start a new identity. That’s it.

Once you have registered, you can see posts depending if anyone near you has done so. Swipe up or down to read the next post. It also means you’re infecting the next user with the post. There are two buttons at the top of the screen a user can click. One involves checking statistics and other tidbits of information about any of your posts. The other buttons allows you to actually post your thoughts, pictures, and video clips.

I can’t say that this is the simplest app ever made. There are others that can take that honor. However, I like how once users share their post, one can see what part of the world has read their post. Notifications can alert you to any activity regarding your post. I also like the fact there is no need to worry about adding friends or having to delete or block annoying posts.

I do notice if there are any news stories you would like to share, you would have to type in the actual web link in its entirety. Once anyone clicks on the link, a new webpage is opened. A minor inconvenience as users have Facebook and other social media outlets that can share news. Plague focuses more on what you, as the users want to share. Another dislike is when I check to see if there are any interesting posts, what I get is a message that my “news board” is ‘Cleared’. That could probably mean that no one where I live has posted anything, or that no one has infected (shared with) me. I am sure though that as people are aware of this app, there will be more posts and more social interaction.

What we like:

  • Users can see how far their post has spread and infected other viewers.
  • Simple but a very unique concept that is not hard to set up and use.

What we do not like:

  • In order for links to work correctly, must type in it’s entirety and just make sure it is correct or the link will be dead.
  • As with many new apps, there are very few users so my news board is always empty, unless someone infects me with an interesting post. So I could be waiting for days.

There’s not really much to dislike about this social media forum. All in all, the concept is great and I hope that the app itself spreads like the plague. The larger the base, the farther news will spread, and the better the social experience will be.

[pb-app-box pname=’io.plague’ name=’Plague – The Network’ theme=’dark’ lang=’en’]

 

Sony Smartwatch 3 Review

Dan Bartram
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We’ve already covered Sony’s 2nd generation smartwatch over at AndroidGuys where great hardware was unfortunately let down by the same half-baked software we’d become accustom to seeing on smartwatches. That was until Android Wear made an appearance, and since then we have seen a number of offerings from companies, one of which is Sony who… Read more »

The post Sony Smartwatch 3 Review appeared first on SmarterWatching.

New Kingdom Rush sequel “Origins” (review)

AndroidGuys
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New Kingdom Rush sequel “Origins” (review)

Kingdom Rush: Origins was recently released on android as a prequel to the first two Kingdom Rush games, delving even further back in time to the era of elves, goblins and magic. For those new to the series, Kingdom Rush: Origins is a tower defense game with a great visual style. A couple of added features set it apart from other games in the same genre, including well thought out upgrades for towers and heroes, who you can use as an additional line of defense. For players who are familiar with the series, Origins brings improved visuals, animations and a new hero attack.

Unlike typical tower defense games, Ironhide Studios has added multiple gameplay elements that help it stand out from the crowd. The powers in the game allow for more complex strategies, and the great RPG-like upgrades system put in place provides a lot of variety depending on which towers the player prefers. The addition of heroes with their own powers adds yet another strategy element to the game, and while not necessary to complete the game, more heroes with their own unique abilities can be unlocked through in-app purchases. Kingdom Rush: Origins is a very polished game that provides a great formula for lovers of the series and tower defense games in general.

Kingdom Rush

For all its merits however, Origins does not bring much to the table in terms of new features or improved gameplay. The visual style has been slightly updated and hero powers were added but Origins is essentially the same game with a different skin. The price of the Kingdom Rush games has increased with each iteration with Origins coming in at 3 dollars. The price is quite steep considering the minute improvements in overall gameplay and its dependency on features that were considered ground breaking at the launch of the first game. Despite this, the Kingdom Rush series has proven itself to be a solid competitor in the tower defense games lineup with Origins currently sitting at the #3 position on the top paid apps in the play store.

 

 

 

[pb-app-box pname=’com.ironhidegames.android.kingdomrushorigins’ name=’Kingdom Rush Origins’ theme=’dark’ lang=’en’]

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Clash of Kings review

Juan Vega
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Clash of Kings review

Fight other players and exotic creatures in this addicting real-time strategy game. Clash of Kings is the latest hit from Empire Game Studio set in a vivid fantasy medieval world. You start off by laying siege to a castle in an attempt to take back your home. Your armies ultimately succeed but before you have enough time to break out the ale, you are thrown into the process of rebuilding your empire.

Design

Empire Game Studio did a great job in making Clash of Kings look as appealing as it is fun to play. The visuals for Clash of Kings are very crisp and vibrant, which is always huge boon, as it does not matter how fun a game may be to play, if you have to stare at ugly images all day, the game will eventually wither away. Characters looked merry and detailed (you know, as much as they can, during a time of war). Overall, Clash of Kings did a phenomenal job in making sure that the game look HD, as all modern games should be.

Gameplay

After the effects of your recent siege begin to dissipate, you are greeted by a mysterious woman. From the looks of her attire, she must have lost most of her clothing during the attack. Nonetheless, she serves as a basic tutorial and she instructs you as to how to rebuild your home. Once you have some basic military and resource building constructed, you are free to rule as you please. Clicking on the various building types shows you what they offer and what the requirements are for building it. There is also handy info board near the castle that you can click on to get further information, should you need it.

Final Thoughts

With all that said, the game really comes down to you upgrading your buildings to get better troops, then sending those upgraded men to battle against monsters and other players, which takes place on an expanded multiplayer world map. Clash of Kings is a great game for those that enjoy city building and strategy games. The game itself is free but there are some in-game purchases that you can procure to give you an edge against your opponents.

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