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Benq TH685P 1080p Gaming Projector review

Jason England
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When shopping for a projector, you’re often presented with a few different categories. There are ultra-portable models like the Anker Capsule II that sacrifice brightness and resolution in favor of convenience and portability. Then there are projectors that try to strike a balance between quality and portability, such as the Viewsonic M2e that I reviewed last year. Finally, we have the Benq TH685P, a cinema-focused projector that is more suited for a dedicated media room in your home that was sent to us for review.

Design

The Benq TH685P is fairly large measuring 12.28 x 8.56 x 4.33 inches, however, it is surprisingly lightweight, and it features multiple ways to mount it. Whether you want to use the holes in the bottom to mount it upside down from the ceiling, or put it behind a screen and project the picture from the back. There’s also the more traditional and convenient way, by placing it on a table and using the three adjustable feet to angle and level the picture out. 

As far as ports go, the TH685P includes two HDMI 2.0b HDCP 2.2 ports on the back for connecting a streaming dongle, Blu-ray player, console, and more. Along with HDMI ports, is an audio input and output jack, both of which are 3.5mm, and a 1.5A USB Type-A input that can be used to power a streaming dongle. Unfortunately, that’s not enough power to stream 4K HDR with most dongles, so you’re going to need to power it separately if you want the best quality. 

Located on top of the Benq TH685P are all of the controls you could ever need to navigate menus or control playback. 

Additionally, there are two rotating dials located near the lens of the TH685P. One of these is used to adjust the zoom, a feature that is very helpful for getting the picture just the right size without the need to move it back and forth constantly.

The second dial is used to focus, and I found it a little difficult to make precise adjustments due to how stiff the focus ring is, however, this is something you’ll be setting up once, and hopefully not touching again. At least there won’t be any danger of it slipping accidentally, although, it would have been nice if Benq had built-in autofocus. 

User experience

The TH685P is essentially a dummy display, and by that, I mean there is a minimal interface with no smart apps or way to view content without additional input. This means a streaming dongle, Blu-ray player, console, or some other input source is required. 

You might think this is a strike against the TH685P, but you wouldn’t be thinking that if you had tried some of the software I’ve experienced on other projectors. The software is often a half-baked attempt that is barely useable, and you end up plugging in a dongle anyways to escape the limited selection or broken apps. Benq has simply saved you some frustration here by giving you no choice but to connect a video source. 

What the TH685P lacks in smart features, it makes up with plenty of options for customizing your viewing experience. You can access these via the menu using the controls on top of the projector, or by using the included remote. The menu offers two different interfaces, a basic one by default for those of you who like to keep it simple, and a more advanced interface for those of us who like to dig in and really tweak the picture quality. You can even adjust the color output depending on the color of the surface you’re projecting on. 

While the remote works great for powering the projector on/off, adjusting the volume, changing picture settings, switching sources, and browsing menus—that’s about all it can do. Despite having buttons for playback controls, I was unable to control my Chromecast Ultra or PS5 while watching content. Just something to be aware of. 

Video quality

Coming from a 65-inch 4K TV, I wasn’t expecting much out of the TH685P’s 1080p output, especially when projected on the wall at nearly double the size. However, I was completely blown away by the clarity of the 1080p picture. What made it even more stunning, was how incredibly bright it is with 3500 ANSI lumens, it even made it possible to use during the day. Although, it looks much better in a dark room. Furthermore, the saturation and dynamic range from the HDR10 support makes movies and games look incredible. 

Speaking of gaming, the Benq TH685P’s prime selling feature is the 120Hz refresh rate and 8.3ms low input specifically for gamers. I had a blast playing games blown up on a 100-inch screen without feeling any lag. 

My only criticism of the picture quality, comes from something known as the rainbow effect. It’s an issue with certain projectors where you’ll notice red or green pixels popping up on the screen during some scenes. I only noticed this around 10% of the time while using the TH685P, and only with certain films I watched. It seems some movies are more prone to triggering this effect than others, however, I don’t recall seeing it while gaming.

This is one of those issues, where some people may not notice the split second it pops up on the screen, while it will drive others crazy. Personally, I wasn’t too thrown off by it, but it was noticeable and worth mentioning if you’re considering purchasing the Benq TH685P. 

Audio quality

Typically, I watch movies either using a 5.1 surround sound setup or a soundbar. I don’t expect much from TV speakers, let alone a tiny projector speaker. That’s why I was completely shocked the first time I watched a movie with the TH685P. I was in awe of the depth and separation of the sound coming out of this tiny speaker inside of this little box. 

Granted, the sound would be better if you used a 5.1 system or a soundbar, but if you don’t have one of those already, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how good the TH685P sounds. I know I was. 

It also has plenty of volume to combat the sound of the fan, which is, unfortunately, pretty loud. That’s par for the course with projectors in my experience though. Especially ones with such bright bulbs in them.

Final thoughts

There is a lot to love about the Benq TH685P. It has a stunning bright saturated HDR picture thanks to its 3500 ANSI lumens output, which can reach up to 100-inches at 8.2-feet away from the wall. The speaker also sounds fantastic for how compact it is. Plus, it has been geared for next-gen gaming with a 120Hz high refresh rate and a latency of 8.3ms. 

At the same time, the TH685P also has a loud fan and puts out a lot of heat, along with a slight issue with the rainbow effect that’s common in some projectors. As with most products, there are always pros and cons, the Benq TH685P tends to have more in the pro column for me, and makes for a great addition to your media or gaming room setup for $800. 

Buy from Amazon Buy from Benq

The Best Mobile Games of 2022

AndroidGuys
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0

Mobile games keep getting better and better, with new releases happening every day and many existing titles receiving regular updates that keep them fresh and exciting. With so much choice, it’s hard to keep track of exactly how many games there are available for mobile players, but there are easily over a million in both Google Play and Apple App Stores. 

With so many options to choose from, gamers can have a bit of a tough time trying to find new mobile apps to play. So if you’re looking for something new to play this summer, here are some fun options. 

Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty: Mobile broke records when it was first released in late 2019. Becoming the most downloaded game within its first year, it reached 270 million in the first 12 months. Of course, with the Call of Duty brand behind it, the mobile version was always going to be a big success.  

More than two years on, Call of Duty: Mobile continues to be a massive hit among players. In addition to the engaging gameplay, Activision continually releases updates that add new maps, weapons, character customizations, and challenges to the game. 

CoD: Mobile uses a battle pass system, with players buying one for each new season to get the most from the new content. Even without the pass, COD: Mobile is still an entertaining game that you can spend hours on without getting tired. 

The mobile version also includes a mix of maps from previous titles in the franchise, including popular ones like Crash, Crossfire, and Nuketown, as well as a few brand new ones exclusive to mobile.

Photo by SCREEN POST on Unsplash

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Rush

Slot games are certainly nothing new; the first machines were created way back in the 19th century, but they’ve come a long way since then. 

Today, online casinos like PokerStars Casino offer an entire catalogue of different titles, including exclusive ones that can’t be found anywhere else. 

One of these exclusive slots is Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Rush, a game heavily based on the hit TV game show of the same name. It uses a 5×5 grid of reels with more than 55,000 different possible paylines. 

It boasts the MegaTrail feature, which adds extra jeopardy and excitement by creating the possibility of the player unlocking a bonus worth x1,000 the stake. This is compounded by the fact that it’s a highly volatile slot, making more significant (but less frequent) wins possible than those with lower volatility. 

GRID Autosport

GRID is one of the best-known brands of racing simulation games on the market, though it’s seen most of its success on consoles and computers. Recently, however, the game moved to mobile, and versions are now available on iOS and Android. 

Shrinking a game down to fit into a smartphone comes with many challenges, most notably the controls. But Feral Interactive has managed it brilliantly, creating a premium product worth the $9.99/£8.99 it costs.

While not matching those found on the PS5, the graphics are incredibly impressive, as is the selection of vehicles and events you can compete with. Players can choose from 100 cars and race them on 100 different circuits, providing endless fun and entertainment. 

GRID Autosport is suitable for both casual players and diehard petrol heads. It features a range of other assists that players can use (or not) to set the difficulty at a comfortable level. 

The upfront price also means there are no microtransactions in the game, something that many players will be very happy about. As a result, you’re not continually nagged to buy tickets or gold, and there are no waiting times or ad screens. 

If you’re looking for something new to play this summer, then you can’t go wrong with any of these fantastic titles. They’ll give you hours of fun, no matter what the weather decides to do.

EDITOR NOTE: Please exercise caution when using a gambling or betting service which employs real money.

If you reside in a location where gambling, sports betting or betting over the internet or through an is illegal, please do not click on anything related to these activities within this post. You must be of proper legal age to click on any betting or gambling related items even if it is legal to do so in your country.

Thermacell LIV Mosquito Repellent System review

Patrick Baker
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As winter (finally) begins to melt away into spring, I, like many others, am getting excited for warmer weather, being outdoors, spending my weekends hiking, and my evenings around a bonfire. Nothing can ruin the perfect warm evening outside… aside from all those pesky mosquitoes.

As somebody who loves the outdoors, I have certainly used my fair share of mosquito repellents from sprays to candles to wristbands. However, despite my best efforts, I always seem to walk away from an enjoyable summer’s night with at least a couple itchy mosquito bites.

I was therefore very excited when I got the opportunity to try Thermacell’s LIV Mosquito Repellent System. After looking into the company, I was surprised that I had never heard of Thermacell before as they offer several solutions to the common mosquito problem that I found rather innovative.

The LIV system is designed to protect certain areas of the user’s home from mosquitoes with as little effort from the user as possible.

The system has a main hub that attaches, typically, to the side of the user’s house, and a few repellers that are installed around the perimeter of the protected area. After that, the hub connects to the user’s smartphone, and the user has several options to decide how and when to turn on the repellers to begin their mosquito-free living!

Heads Up!

As I am writing this review, it is only March, and the mosquitoes are (thankfully) not out yet. Thus, this review will be based around my experiences setting up and testing the system. I hope to provide an update a little later in the year to be able to speak to the effectiveness of the system’s mosquito-repelling abilities.

System Components

The kit that I received came with the hub, three repellers, three thirty-foot cables, two different types of mounts, and four repellent capsules. 

The hub plugs in to a standard electrical outlet and acts as the control center for the repellers. It looks like a large Alexa and is about the size of an electrical meter. Two screws come with the hub so that it can be mounted to the external side of your house. There are also two lights on the hub that indicate when the hub is powered on and if the hub is connected to Wi-Fi.

The repellers look very similar to path lights that I have seen that border the sidewalks leading up to people’s houses. I was surprised to find out that they were made of metal (not plastic) and that they looked very sleek. They are about the size of a one-liter bottle with lights along the midsection and a gap at the top to let out the repellent.

I received two options for the base of the repellers: a spike and a round base. The spike sticks into the ground to be completely hidden and the round base is much wider and allows the repeller to simply sit on the ground. Each repeller has input and output cables coming out of the bottom. The repellent cartridges sit inside of the top of the repeller. The repellent capsules look like multi-colored ping pong balls. My set came with four capsules, and each capsule should last for forty hours of mosquito protection.

Setup

When I opened the large box that arrived at my door, I really liked how neatly packaged all the components of the system were inside. Everything was very well-labeled, and I was amused by the terrible reviews that the mosquitoes gave the product written on the insides of the components for each box.

The setup was very straightforward, and everything was very well organized. Before I talk about my experiences setting up the system, I would like to note that it is a weatherproof system. Thus, you only need to set it up one time, and then it can be left outside all year long.

The repellers came in two parts, which were very easy to assemble and connect to the bases. It was also very straightforward to figure out how the connection cables attach each of the repellers to each other, and one of the repellers to the hub.

When I plugged in the hub to give the system power, I realized that the system could not be controlled without the LIV+ app. This did not turn out to be a problem, but I had not realized that the system could not be controlled without it. After downloading the app and forgetting my Wi-Fi password a few times, it was very easy to connect the hub to my cell phone. Now from my device, I turned the system on to give it a test run without any repellent.

When I turned the system on, the ring of lights on each of the repellers turned to yellow. From learning about the product before I received it, I knew that this meant the repellers were warming up. However, I do not know that I would have known this if I had not learned that the repellers had to warm up before I got the system. After about five minutes, the repellers turned on and the ring of lights on each repeller changed from yellow to blue which meant that they would be actively repelling mosquitoes.

Once I knew how the system worked, I wanted to do a test before I inserted the repellent capsules. I wanted to see if the hub would be able to communicate with the repellers over a distance longer than thirty feet of cable. This is because the area which I planned on protecting was greater than thirty feet from my house.

Sure enough, by simply connecting two of the thirty-foot cables together, the hub was able to activate the repellers from sixty feet away which left me very pleased.

Consequently, I also found out that if you happen to connect a repeller to another while the first repeller is already on, the second repeller does not turn on. I don’t know if this would ever happen as a user would normally only install the system once and then turn it on and off whenever they needed it, but I thought it was interesting.

When I went to get the repellent capsules from the box they came in, I found out that it is very important to store the capsules right side up. A little bit of repellent had spilled into the packaging during shipping, and as I tilted one of the capsules to take a picture, even more repellent spilled out into the box. However, once I removed the lid on the capsules, they were very easy to insert into the repellers.

Overall, the setup was very easy, and only took me about thirty minutes. It doesn’t take a special set of skills to install this system. If you can set up an Alexa, you should be able to put together this system very easily.

Aesthetics

I am very happy with the way this system looks in my yard. The repellers are not ugly or bulky, and the fact that they have lights makes them look very sharp (you can even change the color of the lights in the app).

If I were to see these repellers in a friend’s yard I would have simply thought that they were nice-looking decorative lights which, to me, makes it even cooler to repel mosquitoes as well. The hub is also small enough that it doesn’t look like a large eyesore on the external wall of your house.

My only aesthetic advice before installing this system is to make sure you have a plan to hide the cords. The repellers must be connected by cords and should be spaced out far so you need a plan for how to keep the cords from laying in the yard. It would be very easy to cover with mulch or to run along the bottom edge of a house or patio, though. I’ve even buried cords the same size if that’s the route you want to go, but if aesthetics is important to you, don’t let them lay.

LIV+ App

The LIV+ App works very well with this system. It took me no time at all to figure out how to connect the hub to my device.

Once the hub was connected, I was able to give the system a name in case I had multiple hubs (I named mine “Firepit”). Then, not only was I able to turn the system on and off just through my phone, but I was also able to set timers and schedules to tell the system when to turn on and off so that I wouldn’t even have to think about it.

I was also able to change the color of the lights to match my style and the app also kept track of how much life I had left in my repellent cartridges. I also believe that you can connect the app to a smart home device so that you can turn the system on and off with a voice command, but I was not able to try out this feature.

Spring and Summer Performance

After having the Thermacell LIV+ Mosquito Repellent system glowing beautifully by my fire pit for a few months, I was almost excited when, while sitting in my yard, I felt the first mosquito of the summer land on my arm.

Immediately, I whipped out my phone and opened the LIV+ app. I selected my system and turned on the repellers without getting up from my chair.

I am happy to report that with just two repellers, the firepit was able to have a relatively mosquito-free night (except for only a couple stowaways, who were quickly squashed).

The system does take a little while to get going, so if you’re looking to completely minimize the number of mosquitoes you see, I would recommend turning on the system about 10 to 15 minutes before you plan to be outside.

Doing so is made very easy with the LIV+ app as you can turn on the system from anywhere and you can even make schedules so that your repellers will start working at certain times throughout the week without you even having to think about it.

With this system installed, for me, applying copious amounts of bug spray to enjoy an evening in my yard will be a thing of the past.

Takeaways

I was very impressed by my first impressions of the Thermacell LIV Mosquito Repellent System. It was very easy to install and to learn how to use.

The system itself looks very nice and you won’t have to tuck it in a back corner of your yard if you can find a way to hide the cords. It’s great that Thermacell has one app specifically for the LIV system, as that makes it simple and very straightforward.

Take an Otterbox Waterproof Drybox with you on your summer adventures

Scott Webster
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We’re officially in the summer season. That means many of us are finding time hit the beach, take in a hike, spend the day at the park, or go camping. Then there are those of us who might also sneak in a day at the pool, a kayak trip down the river, or a few hours of fishing.

Whatever it is you do this summer, you’ll want to make sure you protect your phone. It’s probably the device that you used to navigate to your destination and it’s the very thing that provides a playlist of tunes. We don’t have to tell you that your phone is important.

Also important are your keys, wallet, sunglasses, and other small items that you might not always need but will want to have on hand. Do you really have pockets in that bathing suit and do you want to carry keys and a wallet around?

It all fits in there at once.

The Waterproof Drybox, from Otterbox, is the sort of thing that addresses those very concerns. Yes, it’s that same Otterbox. You know, the one behind those industry-leading tough phone cases.

Measuring around 8.5-inches long by 5-inches wide, the Drybox is a polycarbonate case that’s strong enough to tumble from high places and airtight, too. Indeed, it can withstand being submerged up to 90 feet for up to 30 minutes. It weighs less than a pound but it’s rough and tough just like that grandfather of yours.

Otterbox DryBox Features

  • Waterproof up to 90 feet for 30 minutes
  • Tough polycarbonate construction
  • Stainless-steel hinge and latch pins
  • Interior foam liner
  • Easy open/durable latches
  • Pressure release slot

As strong as it is on the outside, its interior foam is gentle on the inside. You can rest assured knowing that your precious items will be safe from the elements while you dunk, dive, hike, and lounge the day away.

Learn more about the 3250 Series of Drybox from Otterbox at the manufacturer’s website. Pick yours up in your choice of two colors: Black and Trail Side (Tan / Green / RealTree Graphic). $50

  • It all fits in there at once.

HiFuture FutureFit ZONE smartwatch review

Connor Fricke
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HiFuture has released its brand new fitness smartwatch, the FutureFit ZONE. If you haven’t heard of them, HiFuture is a relatively newer company, founded in 2016. HiFuture focuses on creating premium quality consumer electronics and mobile audio accessories, with a vision of providing consumers with high-quality products at affordable prices. Partnering with brands like Qualcomm, Realtek, BES, and others, they create some pretty reliable technology.

The FutureFit ZONE is without a doubt an affordable fitness tracking smartwatch. You can currently find the product on its website for about $45 USD, or even less when using any available discount codes.

Compared to the rest of the market, this is a really solid price for the features that the ZONE comes with. The watch comes in three color options of black, grey, and pink.

The watch comes with tons of features like heart rate, oxygen, blood pressure, and sleep monitoring, as well as a pedometer and 24 different sports modes to track your workouts. With an IP68 waterproof rating, you can be prepared to take the device almost anywhere.

More Specs and Features

At the root of it, the ZONE is just loaded with features. First off, with 24 different available sport modes, you can track the metrics of all of your workouts.

Once you download the app, you will be able to see some stored data about your heart rate, daily steps, and such, but I feel that the information you can find leaves a lot to be desired.

I couldn’t seem to find much information about individual workouts; it just seemed that the info was added to a running total of steps and calories burned for the day. The watch showed that I burned a total of about 465 kcals burned over two weeks, which is obviously way too low. I took the watch with me numerous times to intense workouts or mountain biking sessions.

I do believe the heart rate sensor is accurate, if nothing else, but I have no way of confirming the measurement accuracy of the blood pressure reading or oxygen levels. Regardless, I wouldn’t suggest using the watch for medical purposes.

Additionally with the app, you can find and download unique custom watch faces to personalize the feel of the watch so that you can opt for whatever aesthetic fits your style. Another small feature that I think is important to look for is the wake-up function. The Zone can be woken up automatically when you turn your wrist and bring it up, which is honestly something I didn’t really expect from it.

Besides the features that I would consider ‘extras’ there are some other essential features that are worth mentioning if you’re considering making the purchase. With 14 days of standby battery life, I think a dead watch will never be a concern. Two weeks is impressive for most smartwatches that I’ve experienced. I’m lucky to get two full days out of my Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2.

Besides this, the watch can receive notifications from your phone like most smartwatches, set alarms, use it to find your phone, adjust the brightness, and set different reminders through the app. It also tracks distances for your workouts as well as your daily walking distance but it doesn’t mention anywhere on the website that it uses GPS, so the data should be taken lightly as I am guessing the metrics are pulled from your step count. 

Cheap or Inexpensive?

On the outside, the FutureFit Zone feels good. The wristband is comfortable and interchangeable, and the watch itself is pretty lightweight. It comes with plenty of room for size adjustment so I don’t think that most people should have to worry about needing a new wristband size.

The display is plenty large, but the actual screen doesn’t cover the entirety of the watches face like the photos seem to show on the website. Of course you won’t really notice this minor flaw if you use a watch face with a black background, but it is very noticeable and rather unattractive in my humble opinion if you prefer a more colorful watch face. 

Besides this, the display resolution and refresh rate are both fairly low compared to the more high quality watches that I’ve owned previously. It gives the whole watch a very clunky or outdated feel as far as software goes, but it’s another thing that can be easily overlooked if you just want a low budget watch to time your workouts, set alarms, receive notifications, etc.

In an interesting if not minor detail, the button on the side of the watch can be pressed or spun, but it doesn’t do anything besides wake up the display and open the app drawer. The spinning function doesn’t do anything at all as far as I am aware of.

Another aspect where I feel the ZONE lacks quality is the app. The whole UI looks pretty early development, and it seems to lack some important features as I previously mentioned.

I would like to be able to see the actual battery percentage and I think it would be cool if I could download additional apps to install on the watch like a weather or a calendar app. Besides this, the app also gets rather annoying by hitting you with notifications. This is every time you disconnect the watch from your phone either intentionally or accidentally.

It is also a bit irritating to mange which push notifications the watch sends because the list of available app is not based on those installed on your phone but rather a select list of popular applications like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and a few others. I will give them some credit because it seems to still be early on in development, but I think making improvements to the app should be a priority. 

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a low budget smartwatch with essential features to help you track your day to day fitness, the FutureFit ZONE could be a worthy option for you.

While it’s not the best looking, and its software needs work, it does all of the things (and more) that I think a fitness smartwatch needs to do.

The watch has not been accurate in tracking calories burned but it has done a solid job of distances, time, sleep and other metrics. It boasts an impressive battery life and a solid waterproof rating. It’s comfortable and lightweight and after a small period it doesn’t even feel like it’s there. 

You can currently purchase it for under $40 through HiFuture’s website. For a limited time you can use promo code HIFZONE to knock an additional $7 off the price.

Droid Transfer Review

Andrew Allen
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Sometimes you may be presented with a situation that has you needing to pull data from your phone for later use. Whether it’s a special conversation with a recently lost loved one or maybe you have a big presentation coming up with thoughts in a chat. Or you just want to have an offline backup of all your contacts. Droid Transfer from Wide Angle Software is a fantastic suite of tools to pull just about anything from your Android phone to your PC.

What is Droid Transfer?

Droid Transfer sets out to allow you access to your most common app catalogs on Android with the ability to sync them in some fashion to your Windows PC. Using their software toolkit you can backup your Android Messages, or export SMS and MMS to PDF, text, or HTML formats.

You can also transfer your contacts and calendars to numerous other platforms like Outlook or Windows Contacts. You can also back them up for easy transfer to your new Android devices. The same can be said for your music downloads on your Android phone. Droid Transfer can easily convert these to iTunes format to sync there.

How’s it work?

Droid Transfer by Wide Angle Software can work either wirelessly or via a wired connection to your PC. Let’s start with the wireless option, as this is the most common way most users will likely attempt their transfers.

After downloading the Droid Transfer Windows application and the companion app on Android, you need to launch the PC app. Here you will be presented with a prompt to use the QR code on the screen to wireless connect hassle-free. Afterward, you are ready to start choosing which data points you want to work with.

 

The wired connection is a bit more technical but nothing to be afraid of. You will have to put turn-on developer options on your Android phone and enable USB debugging. Once this is in place you need to trust the connection the first time you plug in and then your phone and Droid Transfer can seamlessly communicate in the exact same manner they would wirelessly.

Real results

After the initial setup of the connection type, you should be ready to go with managing your data from your phone. Other than having to accept the permissions on your phone when going from say Contacts to Messages, I had zero issues while using Droid Transfer.

I easily back up my SMS log to PDF format. I was able to export my Contacts in CSV format which can come in handy. I was also able to print my SMS history directly within Droid Transfer with full date and time stamps.

You can also use Droid Transfer as a wireless file management tool. I moved files between my PC and Pixel with little to no difference as if it were a normal drive on my computer.  The same is true for music. I moved numerous songs back in forth with no complaints.

Conclusion

Droid Transfer is a powerful tool to work with your phone’s data and apps. I can see many ways this would come in handy for users to backup, restore, and just archive Android app data. The interface and onboarding are intuitive and simple with a minimal learning curve. If you’ve used Windows default file manager, Droid Transfer should be a breeze.

Droid Transfer is free to download but you will be limited to only five interactions without purchasing a license. Thankfully, this won’t break the bank and is only $30. You can download the Windows PC application directly from Wide Angle Software and the Android companion app from the Google Play Store.

Download Droid Transfer

Download Droid Transfer Companion app

Need a stylus for your device? Check out Adonit’s offerings

Scott Webster
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Phone screens keep getting a little bit bigger with each generation, sometimes even pushing the boundary of 7-inches. At the same time, Chromebooks are more flexible than ever and 2-in-1 devices are increasingly common.

Thanks to these changes in mobile tech we can be more productive at home, in the office, or wherever our works takes us.

One of the cooler ways in which gadgets help us is when they blur the lines between technology and old school ways of getting things done. That is to say when we’re able to jot down notes or doodle on our screens in the same way we do with paper. And because things are so smart, they’re often able to convert handwriting into editable text.

A stylus can make us more productive, sure, but it can also help us unwind and provide entertainment, too. Coloring in pictures in an app, marking up a document, sketching a logo, or retouching a scanned photo are better when done with a device more precise than our finger.

If you’ve got a newer iPad, tablet, Chromebook with a touch screen, or something else that allows for touch, you’d be wise to add a stylus to your kit. Moreover, you may want to check out some of the offerings from Adonit.

With a number of options to choose from, there are plenty of designs and colors to suit your needs. Here are three models to consider: Neo, Neo Duo, and Neo Lite.

Adonit Neo ($40)

  • Available in Space Gray and Matte Silver
  • Magnetic attachment for select iPad models
  • USB Type-C charging
  • Supports palm rejection
  • Replaceable spiral tip
  • 9 hours continuous use

Adonit Neo Duo ($55)

  • Available in Graphite Black and Matte Silver
  • Magnetic attachment for select iPad models
  • Precision disc for accuracy
  • Compatible with most capacitive screens
  • USB Type-C charging
  • Supports palm rejection
  • Screw-in nib tip
  • 9 hours continuous use

Adonit Neo Lite ($30)

  • Available in Graphite Black and Matte Silver
  • Magnetic attachment for select iPad models
  • Precision disc for accuracy
  • Compatible with all capacitive touch screens
  • Replaceable disc
  • No battery to deal with

Do you really need a gaming phone?

AndroidGuys
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Smartphones are great for so many things. They help us stay abreast of the latest events, keep in touch with our loved ones, and even manage our finances. They’re also great for entertainment, with music and video streaming services giving us access to almost every piece of content ever made. More people are using their devices for gaming too, taking advantage of the portability to enjoy everything from AAA (major company) titles to quick games we enjoy on the go. Casino games are also hugely popular on mobile devices, especially because sites like oddschecker have made it easy to find all of the latest bonuses for players to take advantage of. 

As more gamers started playing games on their smartphones, the companies that have spend decades manufacturing PC hardware for gamers have moved into the mobile market. 

In doing so, they’ve brought many of the same concepts, including the desire for power, quality graphics, enhanced cooling, and ergonomics. If you look at a dedicated gaming phone, you’ll also notice most of the design choices have been copied and pasted right from the giant towers hardware PC players buy. 

But is any of this necessary or is it just a marketing trick by companies looking to keep selling expensive hardware?

Can Gaming Phones Play More Games?

A gaming PC justifies its heft price tag because it has the hardware to run all of the games you could want to throw at it. It’ll run far more titles than your grandma’s five-year-old laptop and it’ll run everything else better.

The reason for this is that AAA computer games are incredibly resource-intensive. To get the photo-quality graphics, realistic physics, and challenging AI-controlled opponents, you need a lot of hardware to run all the complex calculations in real time. 

This isn’t necessarily true for smartphones though. A budget laptop is going to struggle to play many of the games available in the Steam marketplace simply because it doesn’t have the graphics processing power required. However, almost all smartphones sold in advanced economies today will be capable of handling every title in the Google Play Store. 

The same is true when you compare a modern gaming phone to devices from a few years ago. A five-year-old Android device like the OnePlus 5 would still handle the latest mobile games like Call of Duty: Mobile, but a gaming PC of a similar age would quickly get out of breath when trying to handle Call of Duty: Vanguard. 

Can Gaming Phones Run Games Better?

Gaming phones may not have much of an advantage in terms of the number of games that they can play, but do they at least offer benefits in the way of quality? 

There are some quantifiable metrics like load times, framerates, and whether you can use higher levels of graphics settings. In these cases, gaming phones may offer a benefit but it depends on what device you’re comparing it to and which title(s) you choose to try. 

Any such benefits are going to be marginal. This is because the CPU and GPU contained in gaming phones are very similar to those found in flagships. For example, the Asus ROG Phone 5, which was released in March 2021, uses a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset and comes with 8, 12, and 16 GB options for memory. 

In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra which was released two months earlier used the same 888 chipset and had 12 GB of memory. They both also used the Adreno 660 GPU, giving them equal performance here too. 

For this reason, any perceived benefits of loading times and reduced lag may be more down to the placebo effect than anything measurable, but in that case, it may not matter if the player is happy. 

Do Gaming Phones Make Graphics Look Better?

So we’ve established that gaming phones will typically have the same graphics processors as similarly-priced flagship smartphones, but that isn’t the only factor that can influence how good (or bad) the images shown to the user look. 

Part of the job is taken up by the display itself. The bigger the resolution, the more detail the player will get to see; the faster the refresh rate, the smoother the movements will appear; and the higher the brightness, the more vivid the graphics will appear. 

We can, again, drill down into the numbers here to see if there will be any difference in the hardware’s capability. In this case, the ROG Phone actually performs worse than the Galaxy S21 Ultra. 

Asus’ gaming phone boasts an AMOLED HDR10+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2448 pixels and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. In comparison, Samsung’s flagship has an AMOLED HDR10+ screen with a larger resolution of 1440 x 3200 and a 1,500 nits. 

The Galaxy’s screen is also physically larger, has a higher pixel density, and fills more of the phone’s body. The only place where it falls down in comparison is the refresh rate which is 120 Hz instead of 144. But even that isn’t a huge difference and is one that most users wouldn’t notice. 

Do Gaming Phones Make Playing Easier?

This is where gaming phones may come into their own. For many years, gaming hardware manufacturers have been investing a lot of money into designing products that are ergonomic. 

This makes them more comfortable to use, especially during long gaming sessions, but it also helps to make gaming easier. Hotkeys let you perform actions quicker by moving the buttons to within reach or shrinking the number of presses required. 

The Asus ROG Phone range really excels in this area. It has the charging port placed on the side and not the bottom, making it easier to hold the phone while it’s plugged in. It also features several hotkey buttons that can be programmed for each game, speeding up your reaction time when it really counts. 

So if you play enough games for this to make a difference to you, then you may find that buying one of these gaming phones could be worthwhile. However, if you’re only buying for performance, you may be better just choosing a new flagship.

GoCube 2×2 is a smaller, lighter, and unique approach to Rubik’s Cube

Scott Webster
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If you’re a fan of puzzles and time wasters, you’ve probably spent time with a Rubik’s Cube somewhere along the way. And why not? It’s one of the most popular products of its kind, having sold more than 350 million units since its launch nearly fifty years ago.

We previously reviewed a connected, or smart, version of the gaming cube and found it to be a fun approach to the casual puzzler. Not only is it a great way to learn the various strategies behind the cube, it’s also an interesting way to improve your skills.

More recently we have a chance to look at a new approach to the GoCube in the form of the GoCube 2×2. Priced just $50, it brings about a unique twist to the cube.

Instead of having three rows and columns to contend with, this one is two rows and columns. And while you might think it should be considerably easier to solve, it’s still quite challenging.

Much like the original GoCube, this cube pairs with a mobile app to help walk you through solving the puzzle. Using internal sensors, it can track and measure what’s going on. Indeed, the app shows a virtual version of the real-world counterpart and can help guide you through the twists and turns needed to complete the cube.

It’s not just about cheating your way to solving things; the app can also track how efficient you are at solving things. Are you getting better at the GoCube 2×2? Does it take you more moves to complete it or might you be able to knock it out in quicker time?

Similar to the standard GoCube, this one is easy to operate with smooth and quiet movements. That is to say it doesn’t feel at all like a “knock-off” approach to the original Rubik’s Cube.

GoCube 2x2x gamifies things, too. When not solving it and playing in the traditional manner, you can play Cubeysizer which converts your twists and turns into music. Simon is the classic game of follow the leader as you try to copy the moves made in the app.

Feeling confident in how well you can knock out the GoCube? Why not see how you stack against the global leaderboard?

If you’re looking for something new and fun to take with you on road trips, or to fiddle with at the desk, you should give the GoCube 2×2 a look. It’s more deceiving than it looks and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it.

You can learn more about the GoCube 2×2 at the manufacturer’s website where it is available to purchase for about $50. It can also be found at Amazon where it’s currently listed at the same price.

POCO F4 and POCO X4 GT arrive as overstuffed mid-range phones

Scott Webster
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Xiaomi sub-brand POCO is back at it with a pair of new budget-conscious phones for a global audience. The POCO F4 and POCO X4 GT are priced like mid-range handsets but feature specifications typically found in more expensive devices.

POCO F4

The POCO F4 closely resembles the Xiaomi Redmi K40S and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor with 6GB LPDDR RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. A 8GB/256GB variant is also being made available.

The phone comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display at 2400 x 1800 pixel resolution and 120HZ refresh rate. In terms of battery, it boasts a 4,500mAh power source with 67W fast charging.

The rear houses a 64-megapixel main camera with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and 2-megapixel macro camera. Of note, the primary shooter has optical image stabilization (OIS), a feature not common for handsets at this price. Around front is a 20-megapixel selfie camera.

The POCO F4, which runs Android 12 with MIUI 13, has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and comes with support for 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, and NFC.

POCO X4 GT

A little bit more well-rounded of a device, the POCO X4 GT has a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD display at 2460 x 1080 resolution with up to 144Hz refresh rate.

Under the hood are a MediaTek Dimensity 8100 processor with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. Also offered is a version with 256GB storage capacity. The battery comes in at 5,080mAh and also supports the 67W fast charging.

The camera situation is similar with a 64-megapixel primary unit complemented by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and 2-megapixel macro shooter. The front also has the 20-megapixel camera.

Other specifications include Android 12-based MIUI 13, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Availability

The new POCO phones will be offered in parts of Asia, Europe, and the UK starting June 27. The Poco F4 (6GB RAM/128GB) starts at €399; the 8GB RAM/256GB variant will cost €449. This shakes out to about $420 USD and $525 USD, respectively. The Poco X4 GT (8GB RAM/128GB) will cost €379 (~$400USD), with the 8GB RAM/256GB option to cost €429 (~$450 USD).

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