Home Blog Page 438

Sales of the new Xiaomi Redmi 10 with 50MP camera begin on August 20 starting at $179

Jason England
-
0

Xiaomi has a reputation for producing phones that give you a lot of bang for your buck, and one of the prime examples is the mid-range Redmi lineup which just got a new addition. With an announcement today on its blog, Xiaomi introduced the new Redmi 10 that will be available for purchase starting August 20, 2021, starting at $179.

As far as specs, the Redmi 10 features a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate that automatically adjusts based on what content you’re viewing to save battery life. It also includes dual speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack for watching videos or listening to music.

Under the hood, the Redmi 10 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 SoC and comes with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. Storage is also flexible with options for either 64GB or 128GB models.

When it comes to photography, the Redmi 10 sports an 8MP front-facing camera housed in the center hole punch in the display. While on the back, is a 50MP main camera, one of the highest resolution cameras you can get at this price level. There’s also an 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor to ensure you have plenty of options when taking images.

Keeping the lights on, so to speak, is a large 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging and Xiaomi even includes a 22.5W charger in the box. The Redmi 10 runs the latest version of MIUI 12.5 which is based on Android 11.

The Xiaomi Redmi 10 can be purchased beginning on August 20, 2021, in matte Carbon Gray and Pebble White, or in a textured glossy Sea Blue version. Prices start at $179 for the 4GB+64GB model, with the 4GB+128GB variant selling for $199, and the 6GB+128GB model will set you back $219.

Google intros $450 Pixel 5a for August 26

Scott Webster
-
0

Google on Tuesday announced that its newest smartphone, the Pixel 5a with 5G, will arrive on August 26. Priced $449, it builds on the A-series of Pixel phones and provides users with a strong mid-range experience.

Powered by stock Android 11 at launch, the Pixel 5a is the first of the A-series to feature IP67 water and dust resistance. Additionally, it boasts a 4680mAh battery, the largest in the Pixel thus far.

The Pixel 5a isn’t the most powerful of Google’s phones but the “A” family never is. Instead, it’s one of the most well-rounded mid-range phones on the market with specs that average consumers seek out. That is often to say a large screen, big battery, and good camera.

Key features include a 6.34-inch (2400 x 1080) OLED display protected by Gorilla Glass 3, a 12-megapixel and 16-megapixel wide rear camera configuration, a rear fingerprint reader, and NFC.

Internally we find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor supported by 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Again, not the top of the line, but certainly more than what most people need.

Keeping with the tradition of its predecessors, the Pixel 5a comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack. And following on the heels of 2020’s Pixel 4a (5G), this one supports 4G bands and sub-6GHz 5G networks.

The Mostly Black Pixel 5 is available for pre-order in the US and Japan where it is priced $449. The phone starts shipping on August 26.

On the horizon are another two handsets as Google formally announced its Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro for release later this year.

Just $20, this collection of eBooks will turn you into a master of product design

AG Deals Team
-
0

Are you able to differentiate between good and bad design? When you look at a product, or its packaging, are you able to quickly identify its intended purpose? Can you tell the difference between a good interface and one that needs help?

Suffice it to say, product design is of utmost value. And if you’re on a team that’s responsible for creating a product or solution, someone has to be in charge of the design.

Should you need help with better understanding the intricacies that go along with product creation, you might want to check out the five part eBook collection available in the AG Deals Store. Valued at nearly $180, readers can pick up the highly-rated eBooks for just $19.99.

Over the course of approximately 1,800 pages you come to appreciate the importance of user experience, interfaces, patterns, and other design decisions. While you’ll pick up pro tips and best practices, you’ll also have the benefit of data to help shape you. Equally important, you’ll learn what makes for harmful design and find out what drives consumers away.

Get Started

Pick up the full five-part eBook collection in the AG Deals Store and start reading on your mobile device. The books are offered in Kindle format and can also be enjoyed on the line of Amazon tablets.

Sony phone buyer’s guide

AndroidGuys
-
0

Buying a phone in 2021 is an entirely different situation than it was just a few years back. Many consumers are used to buying their phones from their wireless service provider but that’s slowly changing.

Thanks to the growing presence of unlocked handsets, customers are now able to choose from a much wider selection. Instead of being stuck with what your carrier offers, consider going direct to the manufacturer.

Sony is one brand that has pretty much only ever really offered its phones in unlocked manner. Sure, there were a few models in the early days of Android which could be purchased with a carrier, but that’s a distant memory.

We’ve put together this Sony phone buyer’s guide to help you make heads or tails out of everything. This should help you get a better understanding of what’s currently available from Sony.

Sony Phone Buyer’s Guide

Sony currently offers three lines of phones, each with two versions available. Much like it does with its cameras, these are mostly designated “Mark II” and “Mark III”. The sole difference being that its Xperia 10 is offered in a standard and a Plus variant.

If there’s one thing people can say about Sony’s phones, it’s that they are easily distinguishable from their angular shoulders and premium appearance. Worth noting, too, Sony’s handsets tend to lean into camera capabilities with excellent sensors and shooting modes.

Xperia 1 III

Sitting at the top of the Sony food chain is the Xperia 1 III, a flagship phone that hangs with the best of them. For your money you get a 6.5-inch 4K HDR display at 120Hz, a triple rear camera setup, and a generous 4,500mAh battery.

Running Android 11, this one has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G processor backed by 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage capacity. Need more room? Toss in a microSD expansion card for up to 1TB of additional space.

One of the biggest draws is the suite of camera shooting modes, including the 4K HDR Movie recording with up to 60fps. The phone is a durable one, to be sure, thanks to Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and the IPX5/X8 water resistance and dust proof protection.

If you’re shopping with a slight smaller budget but still want something incredibly robust, you may wish to consider the Xperia 1 (Mark II) which is still available.

Xperia 5 III

About as powerful of a phone that a typical user might want or need, this one has 6.1-inch display with incredibly high refresh rate and touch sampling rate.

Co-developed by the engineers behind Sony’s Alpha series of cameras, the phone packs three cameras with object tracking, fast autofocus, and a suite of software features that lead to excellent shots in all levels of light.

The Xperia 5 III handset runs Android 11 and houses high-end hardware such as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

Mark II Series

Moving down the ladder just a rung, to the previous generation, both the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 are available in MK II variants. Powered by Android 10, they feature still-powerful hardware with an excellent set cameras and settings. Start here if you’re not quite ready to commit to a flagship just yet.

Verizon adds the Orbic Myra 5G UW featuring a large screen and battery to its lineup for $350

Jason England
-
0

While flagship phones such as the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 get a lot of attention and press, for some people that’s too much phone and way too expensive. Most people would be perfectly suited with a phone that offers decent performance for an affordable price, such as the Orbic Myra 5G UW that just launched on Verizon for $350.

This is the first mid-range phone that Orbic has released for Verizon and here’s what your hard-earned $350 could get you. The Myra 5G UW was built for Verizon’s 5G network in mind and supports Verizon’s nationwide 5G Ultra-Wideband network.

Along with its 5G support, the Myra 5G UW features a large 6.78-inch 1600 x 720 TFT 60Hz display with a hole punch front-facing camera. Additionally, the Myra 5G UW will be the first smartphone from Orbic to support Verizon Adaptive Sound, Verizon’s new mobile audio solution, but you’ll have to wait for an update to be pushed to enable it.

Powering the Myra 5G UW is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC and 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. It’s also possible to expand the storage up to 1TB with a microSD card slot, so you’ll never have to worry about running out of space.

Around on the back of the phone is a triple camera setup with a 48MP main camera, an 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP sensor for taking macro photos. When you’re looking to get your selfie on, that is serviced by the 16MP front-facing camera.

Finally, the Orbic Myra 5G UW comes out of the box running Android 11 and has a large 5,000mAh battery to help you get through the day. It also supports 18W charging speeds with Quick Charge 3.0.

The Orbic Myra 5G UW is not a flashy phone but it offers some decent specs for an affordable price. It can be picked up starting today for $350 from Verizon’s website or retail stores.

Pick up the ZTE Axon 30 with under-display camera in September for $499

Jason England
-
0

ZTE’s Axon 20 5G was the first to market featuring an under-display front-facing camera. Unfortunately, the camera failed to impress in quality and in being completely invisible behind the screen.

Since then, ZTE has been hard at work improving both the quality of the photos as well as making the camera blend in more seamlessly, and now, it’s finally ready to release the Axon 30 with a new and improved under-display camera.

As with the Axon 20 5G, the main focus of ZTE’s latest smartphone is the 16MP under-display camera. This time it has been improved with a special pixel matrix, larger light-sensitive camera, higher resolution display over the camera, and more.

Not only will all of these changes help hide the camera better than before, but they will also ensure your selfies look much better than the ones from the Axon 20 5G.

Beyond the under-display front-facing camera gimmick, the Axon 30 has a lot going for it. For starters, ZTE has included a large 6.92-inch 2460 x 1080 AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and touch sampling rate of 360Hz. Combine this with the DTS:X Ultra immersive 3D audio, and you’ll have a wonderful way to enjoy bingeing all your favorite shows.

Under the hood, the Axon 30 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870G SoC and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. It also features memory fusion technology that allows up to 5GB of free storage space to be used as additional memory. Speaking of storage, the Axon 30 comes with a choice of 128GB or 256GB along with a microSD card slot for expansion.

On the back of the Axon 30 is the AI quad-camera array which includes a 64MP main camera, 120-degree wide-angle camera, a 3cm macro lens, and a depth-of-field sensor. This will give you plenty of options when you’re out shooting.

Keeping you powered up throughout the day is the 4,200mAh battery that supports fast-charging up to 55W.

Sales for the ZTE Axon 30 begin on September 9, 2021, via the ZTE website. The 8GB+128GB model will start at $499 / €499/ £429 while the 12GB+256GB model will set you back $599/ €599/£519.

Verizon is adopting RCS and Google Messages beginning 2022

Jason England
-
0

Verizon has announced that it will make the switch to the Messages by Google app and embrace the Rich Communications Standard, which replaces SMS, beginning in 2022.

This is a big announcement from the last hold out of the big three carriers. Both AT&T and T-Mobile already agreed to adopt the RCS standard earlier this year, and that means customers on all three major carriers will get to enjoy the benefit of the modern texting standard.

Google has spent years trying to push the RCS standard and includes it by default in its Messages app on Android. The new Rich Communications Standard includes a host of improvements over the old SMS many of us currently use.

For starters, it allows for sending of higher quality images and videos. Something SMS has lacked for many years now as smartphones have grown leaps and bounds in the camera department.

It will also allow for chatting over Wi-Fi or data, read receipts, and end-to-end encryption for one-on-one chats. Encryption for group chats is currently in the works as well.

Basically, the only downsides to RCS are that both the network and the texting app you use must support the protocol. That’s why getting Verizon on board with AT&T and T-Mobile was so important, as well as getting Verizon to partner with Google and bundle its Messages app. This will allow Android users to enjoy RCS in all its glory across all the major networks.

It has taken years now, but in 2022 every Android user on the big three wireless networks in the U.S. will be able to enjoy a new modernized texting experience. The biggest problem is that Apple currently doesn’t support RCS, meaning that any time you text with an iPhone user you’ll lose out on encryption and all the other goodies RCS includes.

There is some hope though, RCS is a standard from the GSMA and Apple could adopt it any time it chooses. It just depends on if the Cupertino tech giant decides whether it is worth adding to iMessage or not.

FlexiSpot Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair review

Scott Webster
-
0

Let’s face it, pretty much all of us could do at least a little bit better with staying active. Are you stretching as much as you should be? How often do you get up from that desk?

Thanks to the global pandemic a lot of people have been forced to work from home or take classes online. And while things do occasionally look better, we might as well admit that the new normal is not going to be anything resembling the old normal.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that things have to be bad or that we cannot make the best of our situations. As I see it, it’s a perfect opportunity to define a better way of doing things. Take working conditions, for instance.

Small changes around the home or home office can have long-lasting effects. Picking up a second monitor can do wonders for your productivity. A standing desk can also help ensure you aren’t falling into bad habits like slumping at the computer for hours on end.

Walking treadmills are nice, if you have the room to put one in place. You’ll also need to make sure your desk situation is conducive to one, too.

The Sit2Go 2-in-1 Fitness Chair, from FlexiSpot, aims to replace your office chair, or at least find a place in your home. It’s more or less like having a stationary bicycle at your desk with a bit of freedom and functionality.

Offered in white, the Sit2Go is an exercise bike that is easy to put together and even easier to work with. It’s designed to sit under your desk, but moves about the house without any real effort.

Thanks to its adjustable seat height, the chair works for family members and coworkers of all sizes. And the breathable mesh backrest keeps you from getting all sweaty should you get carried away with a brisk pace.

Features

  • Height adjustable seat with mesh backrest
  • Track distance, calories, time, and more
  • Adjustable resistance levels
  • Moves from room to room and locks itself in place

Impressions

I found the SitGo to be simple to install, taking all of about five minutes to put the seat and back rest on and swing the legs out. Toss in a few (four) AA batteries, screw in the pedals, and you’re all set.

The fitness chair is very quiet to operate and works terrific under a standing desk. It captures not only the length of time you’re pedaling, but also calories burned, and distance, too. With a number of resistance levels to choose from you can go from leisurely and mindlessly getting in some miles to pushing your cardio levels a bit.

I liked that this bike pretty much locks in place whenever I sit on it, but it can take a few times to figure out how to manage the desk. Hint, pull the desk to you instead of trying to slide the bike.

Increasingly, I find myself moving to the bike and standing desk as I’ve become more comfortable with the settings. I miss having the multiple screens and more powerful PC, but working from a laptop or Chromebook and getting in a few miles has become more important to me.

Things look to be opening up here and there, but I am not really that interested in dealing with that many people just yet. This means the trips to the YMCA and gym are down. And with high levels of humidity, mixed with plenty of rain, it’s not exactly easy to bike to the office.

Thanks to the Sit2Go, I can get in 10 miles before lunch and not break out in a sweat. Hell, I can get another 10 or more in after lunch, too.

Were I to use this in my home, I suspect I would move it from room to room or even take it out on the back deck. It rolls nicely and takes up less space than a yoga mat. I could see myself enjoying a movie on the projector or taking in a playlist on a sunny Saturday morning.

At $369.99 I’ll be the first to admit that this is a pretty big ask for a lot of readers. That seems like quite a bit of money and it is –if you’re not serious about the purchase. In looking up other exercise bikes I found that the Sit2Go is right in line with expectations.

If you’ve committed yourself to being more active or taking your health more seriously, I can definitely recommend the FlexiSpot Sit2Go.

Where to Buy

Learn more about the Sit2Go at FlexiSpot’s website where you can also purchase it. While you’re there, check out some of the other products available, especially if you’re on the hunt for a standing desk or something to convert your standard one.

Snag aPowerREC and record webcam, audio, screens, and more

AG Deals Team
-
0

Whether it’s working from home, taking remote classes, or doing anything in a virtual setting, the “new normal” can be a challenge for some. Sure, it’s nice to get together over Zoom or Skype to collaborate and catch up, but what happens after you hang up?

Did you take good notes during that call? Are you clear about what was agreed upon or what the assignment is? If only you could recall that conversation and play it back. Thanks to apps like aPowerREC you can.

Available in the AG Deals Store, aPowerREC is the sort of tool that comes in incredibly handy in the post-pandemic world. It’s perfect for recording (parts or all of) your computer screen, plus it also lets you annotate and edit the video.

Further, aPowerREC also lets users record specific windows or programs, capture audio through microphones, and even clean up recordings. It’s also possible to schedule recordings tasks, export your video to Google Drive, Dropbox, and YouTube, and more.

aPowerREC Features

  • Screen. Record screen activities on your display
  • Webcam. Record webcam only or record webcam with screen
  • Audio. Record system sound & microphone
  • Annotation. Add texts, lines, arrows, & other real-time editing works
  • Edit. Trim video length, add a watermark, & other advanced editing
  • Task. Create scheduled recording tasks to record PC screen/webcam at a specific time automatically
  • Zoom recording. Zoom in on a certain part of area during screen recording
  • Locked windows. Record a specific window or program exclusively, and the recording process won’t be interrupted even when you’re using other programs
  • Spotlight recording. Emphasize certain part of the recorded screen, highlighting the screen recording details
  • Sharing. Integration with Google Drive, RecCloud, FTP, Dropbox, and YouTube

Get Started

A one-year license to aPowerREC normally retails for about $59 but AndroidGuys readers can save 49 percent and grab it for just $29.99. Even better, a lifetime license can be yours for just $49.99, a 60 percent savings.

GRID Studio turns smartphones into wall art: A review

Scott Webster
-
0

What do you do with your old phone when you’re done with it? Does it pass down to other, younger members of the family? Do you sell it? Ever thought about pulling it apart and turning it into wall art?

Grid Studio does exactly that, taking select phones and other notable gadgets, and repurposing them as a piece of artwork.

With quite a selection of iPhone models to choose from, GRID Studio has been expanding its portfolio to include Android devices. Now available are the first generation Samsung Galaxy S and the original Google Pixel. Also offered are the first-gen Apple Watch, Game Boy Color, and Sony PSP, and other devices.

Our team was provided a framed Google Pixel here at the office and we fell fast in love with it. A perfect way of looking back at a key moment in time, it also provides a way of looking directly under the hood of the phone.

Each piece is more or less a disassembled product spread across a framed white panel. Depending on which device you choose you’ll end up with either an A3 (11.7 x 16.5 inches) or 13-inch square with a two-inch deep black frame.

If you thought a phone was interesting to look at, breaking it apart and looking closely at the individual components is even better. Each part is clearly labeled, including the display, battery, speakers, cameras, case, cables, and processor. Also included are measurements, a blurb about the release, and in some instances, a quote.

Each piece of art is individually and personally constructed with an exacting level of detail. Truly, pictures don’t quite capture how cool the overall design is for the piece.

Should you struggle to find new or interesting gifts for friends and loved ones, I certainly suggest checking out the pieces at Grid Studio. This goes double if they are or were particularly fond of a specific model or gadget.

  • The care and detail of the GRID Studio artwork
  • A beautifully wrapped gift
  • Looks great in any environment

You can tell from the moment you open your box that it’s something assembled with care and love. From the way in which it’s packed to the wrapping paper and wax seal, it’s great stuff.

Order Yours Today

To be clear, these don’t come cheap but a quality piece of art never does. And that’s what these truly are — quality artwork. The attention to detail, the spacing and framing, and the overall approach is unique and different.

Pieces range from around $130 on up with most devices hovering around $150-$180. Sign up for the email mailing list and you can save 10% on your first purchase.

1...437438439...1,315Page 438 of 1,315