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Google Pixel 4a review

Scott Webster
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Much of the money spent advertising smartphones typically centers around flagships, and that makes sense for the most part. It’s the bleeding-edge tech, heavy with hardware and coupled with the latest software. It’s big sexy designs with curves and gorgeous colors.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are low end phones which typically come with more generic designs. They’re not as flashy, tend to cut corners, and tend to run just a little behind in terms of software. The thing is, though, this is where a huge swath of buyers reside.

Somewhere in the middle is Google’s Pixel “a” series. What began in 2019 with the Pixel 3a, we see continued in 2020 with the Pixel 4a. That is to say a moderately powerful phone with up-to-the-minute software. And then there’s also the incredible camera experience, too.

Pixel 4a Review

After having spent the last few weeks living with the Pixel 4a as my daily driver, I am happy to put forth my review of the device.

As someone who has used the Pixel 3a as my main phone for the last 15 months, making the transition was seamless. See, I’m more of a casual phone user who cares more about having a great camera than playing games. Not that I don’t have a few favorites, mind you.

While I can certainly appreciate how awesome a phone like the OnePlus 8 Pro is, there is hardware that largely goes untested. I don’t need that much RAM or processing power, but I do like having it.

Similarly, I can see how less powerful hardware matters in day-to-day usage. Apps and games are slower to open and they’ll start to close on you in the background. Get too many Chrome tabs open and your browser feels sluggish.

The TL;DR

The Pixel 4a ($350) is all the phone I will need for the next year or more. I’d venture to say it’s more than enough phone for a huge segment of the market.

Software

Google’s stock Android software experience has been my preferred user interface ever since the Nexus One launched back in 2010. It’s come an incredibly long way over the decade and has folded in tons of great features, but it continues to be the benchmark for clean, clutter-free software.

Having spent a few years living with various Nexus and Pixel phones I know what I am getting as it pertains to updates. Whether that’s major annual software releases or monthly patches and fixes, it’s consistent and timely. You can’t ask for more than that.

One feature that I do miss in the Pixel 4a that was present in its predecessor is the Active Edge. Being able to squeeze the sides of my phone for a quick Google search or to activate Google Assistant was one of those things I never expected to use. In fact, I thought it was a wasted feature when it was first announced. Alas, here I am a few years later, missing it. Nevertheless, there are other ways to activate or trigger Google Assistant.

Design

The design for the Pixel 4a is similar to last year’s model but the rear camera is different enough to quickly tell the two apart. It, like the standard Pixel 4, has a square in the top left corner, but doesn’t have the secondary telephoto lens. More on that later.

One of the first things we tend to do with our phones is tuck them away in a protective case. It’s unfortunate that we might spend upwards of $1,000 on a phone with some gorgeous glass or metal materials only to cover it in plastic or fabric.

I want to knock the Pixel 4a for being bland and utilitarian looking, but I can’t. I mean, in all fairness the black design is rather uninspiring but none of that matters with a case on the phone.

Google has opted to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack for the Pixel 4a, and that’s something I’m pretty about. I may be behind the times or in need of an upgrade, but my car stereo doesn’t have a Bluetooth connection. It has an auxiliary input and I’ve used it over and over with the Pixel 3a. Really, this is one of the reasons I’ve held onto it as a daily driver.

Performance

General performance has never been a pain point for me in the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4a just kicks the proverbial can down the road. Thanks to a punchier processor and more memory, the Pixel 4a is more than adequate for my needs.

Storage is doubled as compared to last year, going from 64GB to 128GB. That’s a good move in my opinion, even with cloud storage and backup so readily available.

I love when phones have a snappy facial recognition system for unlocking and security, I do. But, thanks to the ongoing pandemic that is COVID-19, masks make that all but useless. And you know what? That’s one of the first things that began to bother me with the Pixel 4. Forgoing a fingerprint reader altogether was a risky move and couldn’t have come at a more troublesome time.

I was really happy to see that the fingerprint reader is still present in the Pixel 4a. It might be a little more flush and harder to identify blindly at first, but muscle memory (and the right protective case) makes it easy to adapt to over time.

Do I care that the Pixel 4a is not waterproof or water resistant? Eh, not really. That often comes with having the right protective case. And because of my line of work and lifestyle, I don’t really get into precarious places or environments.

The battery is a tad bit bigger this year and that’s always welcome. Getting a full day of usage out of the phone has not been an issue yet and charging is quite fast. A few minutes here and there throughout the day is all that I need to ensure I’m heading to bed with juice left over.

While on the subject, I would love to see wireless charging added to the next generation of Pixel “a” phones. I feel by then we ought to be at that point where it should be standardized.

When most phone makers are going with ultra-wide and macro sensors for their additional cameras, Google opted for a telephoto one in the Pixel 4. And having used that phone semi-regularly over the last year, I can tell you that the telephoto is rarely used. I say all of that to say that I don’t miss it one bit in the Pixel 4a.

The camera experience in the Pixel 4a is as good as anything I want or need. I will often use portrait mode when taking pictures of just about anything so that it adds the depth. But, even when I don’t, and just snap off a bunch of pictures using the automatic settings, I love the results.

A big part of this is due to the software. Google not only has excellent hardware and extremely smart chips in its phones, but it keeps the camera app simple and straightforward. As much as I like the settings that come with many flagships with AI and Pro modes, I rarely used them. Along those lines, these features are often hidden away or not placed in intuitive places.

The Pixel 4a puts forth a number of camera settings, including Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait Mode HDR+, and more. There’s a lot to play with and some of these can produce seriously good results. The best part is that I often don’t have to think about what I am shooting or spend much time switching settings.

Conclusion

If you were to tell me that Google iterated on its Pixel 3a for 2020 and kept the price the same, I would have said, “fair enough, I expected as much.” But that’s not what happened. Google not only pushed things forward a bit in a few areas, it dropped the price by $50 in the process.

I quickly warmed to the Pixel 4a. If you’re holding onto a Pixel or Pixel 2 and are ready for something new, this is a great start. You’ll have no problem getting up to speed and appreciate spending about half the money this time around.

As an unlocked phone that’s readily available, it’s an excellent option for pretty much any consumer. It’s affordable enough to add a few to your family plan yet powerful enough to keep you from repeating this one year from now.

Availability

You can purchase the Google Pixel 4a for $350 from Google’s store as well as through Verizon and retailers like Best Buy.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Chromebook review

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We live and work in the cloud. It’s nothing for us to spend an entire day online, hopping between social media, email, docs, and services.

Rarely do we need to plug into a printer, insert a disc, or sit down to the same desk. It’s for those very reasons that Google began dabbling in Chromebooks nearly a decade ago.

When Chromebooks burst onto the scene one of the first things people noticed about them was that they were considerably cheaper than traditional laptops. How could they cost $200-$300 when we’re conditioned to spending $1,000 for a similar experience?

We quickly learned that those products weren’t designed to compete with standard laptops. Corners were cut, ports and optical drives were removed, and it was pretty obvious as to the differences. In the end, however, none of that mattered all that much. We could still do everything we needed.

Over time we’ve seen Chromebooks evolve from budget-priced devices to more expensive models that feature robust hardware and interesting designs. Indeed, you can get sexy and powerful Chromebooks. This is not to suggest that Chromebooks are in a completely different space. We now have products that run the entire gamut.

Lenovo is a brand that has been producing a whole array of Chromebooks over the years. Up for review today is its IdeaPad 3 Chromebook.

Design

Priced $250, the IdeaPad 3 Chromebook features a 14-inch display that folds all the way back. Inside are Intel Celeron processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB storage.

Silver in color, the Chromebook is unassuming if not a tad boring looking. At about 3lbs, it’s lighter than it appears thanks to polycarbonate and ABS plastics.

You’ll find that the display or top half of the Chromebook has a bit of flex to it. While it’s not exactly flimsy, it’ll bend with a moderate amount of pressure. A thick border frames the screen which has a 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution.

Speaking of the display, it has an LED backlight and tops out at about 220 nits of brightness. When compared to other budget Chromebooks, the IdeaPad 3 falls short both on paper and in practice. We found the overall picture to be fuzzy, muted, and generally dim. We could see it from virtually all angles, but we never found it to be anything special.

The IdeaPad 3’s has a fairly comfortable typing experience with a decent amount of space between them. We like it when keys are backlit but that’s not the case here. On the other hand, Lenovo says the keyboard is spill-resistant. A few drops of water from condensation on a water bottle didn’t seem to do anything at all, but we’re always reluctant to go all-in with a spill.

Audio is so-so for the most part, and can occasionally sound muddy. It largely depends on the source, of course. There are two speakers under the Chromebook which fire through to the table. Working with the IdeaPad 3 on your blanketed lap may force you to put in headphones.

Ports and Connectivity

Given they rely on so much on being connected to the internet, you’d expect solid support for Wi-Fi, right? The IdeaPad 3 Chromebook largely delivers on this front with the 802.11ac standard. We would have liked to see 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), but that is likely to keep cost in line.

On the left side of the Chromebook you’ll find a microSD expansion card slot, a USB Type-C port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, and a combination headphone and microphone jack. The right side houses an additional USB 3.1 Type-A port and a USB-C port.

We like that the IdeaPad 3 employs USB Type-C for charging as that’s largely what makes up the cables and chargers in our home and office. Cheaper Chromebooks often use a proprietary port; this means one less cable to worry about.

Performance

Our review unit came with  a dual-core (1.1GHz) Intel Celeron N4020 processor with 4GB of memory and 32GB of flash storage. It’s about what you’d expect in a Chromebook in this price range and sufficient for day-to-day tasks.

Over a typical day of light use (web browsing, YouTube, email, social media) and having a handful of tabs open at a time, we found the IdeaPad 3 to be mostly snappy. There’s nothing overly awesome going on hardware-wise so we didn’t get into anything fancy, but the IdeaPad 3 handled all the things a student or work-from-home type might need.

When it comes to battery life, however, the IdeaPad 3 really shines. Lenovo claims about ten hours per charge and we’d have a hard time saying otherwise. This happens, though, when you’re not dealing with a super-high resolution display. The twisted nematic (TN) panel, and the lower NIT brightness are much easier on the battery than what’s found in pricier laptops.

Conclusion

If you need a Chromebook for simple computing needs such as home schooling or work-from-home tasks, and budget is a main concern, the IdeaPad 3 should meet your needs. You’ll trade off a high-resolution display and price tag for sufficient computing power, an array of external connectivity, and excellent battery life. All for a reasonable $250.

The IdeaPad 3 Chromebook is perfectly aligned with the needs of younger students or as a secondary laptop for the home. Likewise, it’s a good options for people who might want to catch up on work email and tasks from home.

Learn more about the IdeaPad 3 Chromebook at Lenovo’s website. You can purchase the device at a variety of retailers, including B&H Photo Video.

Android 11 makes its formal debut

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After spending much of 2020 kicking about in various developer previews and beta releases, Google has made its Android 11 officially available.

Starting immediately, Android 11 will begin rolling out to select Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and realme handsets. Additional devices and partner announcements are expected in the coming months.

As outlined by Google, some of the more noteworthy features in Android 11 include the following.

Messaging apps and conversations are changed to include bubbles for pop-up chat and actionable notifications. Chatting can be done much easier and without switching apps.

Privacy is improved as users can grant applications a one-time access to sensitive permissions. Moreover, apps can automatically reset their permissions if they have not been used in a long time. This way an update doesn’t sneak past you which lets an app do something you don’t like.

A new screen has been designed for when the lock button is pressed, providing quick acces to smart home device controls.

Google is also expanding its screenshot tools to allow for built-in screen recording on all devices running Android 11. Additionally, there is platform-level support for digital IDs such as driver’s licenses, wireless Android Auto connection for compatible vehicles, new media controls, and personal and work profiles.

According to Google, nearly all Pixel phones will pick up additional features, including organizing and managing phones. Specifically, any from the Pixel 2 and newer will have app suggestions for the home screen based on routines as well as new “overview actions” that allow users to take screenshots of apps and select text, images, and more.

On Pixel phones a new Live View with Location Sharing feature lets you share a precise location with others. Using AR, it will guide users to that person wherever they happen to be, even if tucked away back in the corner of a park.

AI-powered Rezi ensures hiring managers see your résumé

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Does it feel like your résumé isn’t being seen? You’ve submitted it to scores of prospective employers and hiring managers and yet nobody wants to contact you? What gives?

As it turns out, your résumé is likely being filtered out by applicant tracking systems (ATS). That is to say bots are in charge of whether or not your résumé makes it to the next round. Indeed, about three out of every four job applicants are rejected before a human even gets a chance to look at their résumé. The system is working against you.

Why not game the system and jump through the loopholes? Rezi Résumé is a software application that knows precisely what bots want to see and will help you build a better résumé and get it in front of real human eyes. All for $29.

Rezi is a résumé generator with the flexibility and customization that you need and deserve. You’re qualified for the position. Now it’s time to ensure your skillset and qualifications get to shine.

Rezi Features

  • Build hirable résumés w/ hackable formats for every experience level
  • Get instant feedback on your résumé
  • Enjoy more interviews & successful job applications
  • Get quicker job interviews & offers
  • Use Rezi A.I. to extract keywords from job descriptions and optimize your résumé

Rezi builds ATS-optimized, hireable résumés using AI tools to take keywords from a job listing and power up your application. Additionally, gives you feedback on your document and provides a free monthly review from actual expert.

Rezi is an invaluable tool for job seekers and those looking to start a new career. A lifetime subscription to the service is typically valued at around $540, but it is on sale right now for $29 in the AG Deals Store.

Best Sellers

Earn Credits!

For every $25 you spend in the AG Deals Store you get $1 credit added to your account. And, if you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

First Time Buying?

If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.

Free Stuff

Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.

Bagotte BG800 robot vacuum review

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Having a robot vacuum in your home is pretty damn cool. There’s something about the peace of mind that comes with owning one, knowing it can put in the time when we don’t necessarily want to. Even better, it’s great that they can get a head start on cleaning the house in the event of guest.

We’re a few generations into robot vacuum cleaners and the kinks have been largely ironed out. Indeed, they’re one of those things that often work better than expected.

We’ve seen and used our share of smart/robot vacuum cleaners over the last few years. Offered at different price points, there are various features one might look for or need when considering one.

As is the case with other gadgets you can usually apply the old adage of “you get what you pay for” with robot vacuums. But, much like we’ve seen in headphones, speakers, and other tech, there’s something to be said about trying new brands. You can generally save a little bit of money if you go with a lesser-known company and still get the features you want or need.

Bagotte is one of those brands that we were only peripherally aware of, having hit our radar some time back. We’d not had any personal experience with the company but the chatter we picked up along the way seemed to suggest it was worth checking out.

Our team was provided a pair of robot vacuum cleaners (BG700, BG800) from Bagotte and we’ve had them running about the home and office for a few months now. And while they do share a handful of characteristics, we’re going to focus on the newer model, the BG800.

What is the Bagotte BG800?

A flat puck of a device, the Bagotte BG800 has the same general look as almost all robot vacuum cleaners. About three inches tall, it works on both hard surfaces and those with carpet. With a suction power that’s higher than most, it can be operated via voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

What are the BG800’s main features?

Whether you plan to run the vacuum manually via remote, by voice, or by a preset schedule, the BG800 is that quiet little assistant that goes about its business without drawing unwanted attention.

The Bagotte BG800 is built to run for about 40-50 minutes per charge. When it’s time to do so, it docks itself on a base and replenishes the battery.

There are 14 sensors built into the vacuum so it knows exactly where obstacles, walls, and other barriers are located. Indeed, it can even understand where stairs are and back away from them.

How does the BG800 perform?

The vacuum has a gorgeous, glossy finish that looks both modern and futuristic. Unfortunately, it takes all of one cycle before it picks up loose hair, dust, and dander — on the exterior. Fortunately, a damp cloth is all it takes to wipe it clean.

We appreciate the simple design and controls; the remote makes it easy to manage cleaning cycles, especially if you need to stop, start, or pause. Truth be told, once you get it connected to a Google Home, you can also just use your voice to handle your vacuum.

The mobile app gives you a decent look at the battery status and allows for many of the same controls in the physical remote. And while it doesn’t provide all that fine of detail, there is a map that helps you get a feel for the area that’s been cleaned.

The Bagotte BG800 is a great unit that handles its business without any fuss. We like running it on occasion here at the office. There’s not a lot of foot traffic and we rarely have any food, crumbs, or other dirt to worry about. With that said, the vacuum does a terrific job picking them up.

Robot vacuums generally have two ways of moving about an environment. Some bounce from wall and corner to another like a DVD player standby screen. Others, like the BG800 move with precise lines back and forth from one end the room to another.

There’s a certain piece of mind that comes with being able to watch your vacuum do its job, even if from the corner of your eye. And while those which bounce around seemingly random are effective, it’s hard to understand where it is in terms of completion.

In a related note, the BG800 comes with a roll of boundary strip that can be secured with 3M tape. The idea is that you can block off an area that you don’t want the vacuum to cover. Maybe you’ve got a section of a room that has a delicate rug or item that you’d prefer to clean on your own. Another idea might be to run it across a walkway to keep the vacuum from heading down a hall into another section of the home.

The last thing you want is a $250 item tumbling down the steps because you forgot to shut a door or put a baby gate up. We appreciate that the sensors can detect when the unit approaches steps, pausing, and backing away.

Other smart vacuum cleaners we’ve used have two sets of brushes to help sweep dirt under the unit. There’s only one present here and we noticed the difference. We found random areas where the vacuum didn’t seem to reach, but they’re usually corners tucked out of the way.

As much as we appreciate robot vacuums, we still use more traditional upright models to really get a deep clean. They’re often considerably stronger and more adaptable with accessories. It’s easier to get into corners and tight spaces and they’re helpful at all heights.

BG700 versus BG800

If you’re hesitant to invest money on a robot vacuum or don’t want to spend too much on an unfamiliar brand, consider the BG700. The previous generation runs about $100 less and features many of the same functions.

They’re nearly identical in size, have app and remote controls, work well on hard floors and low pile carpet, and can be outfitted with an optional water tank for a mopping-like clean.

For the extra money the BG800 will add the straight line cleaning with real-time mapping and the higher suction.

Conclusion

The Bagotte BG800 is less expensive than similar devices from other brands, but we think it’s worth the gamble. It’s a great stepping off point into the space and it won’t cost you all that much.

We’ve come to like the speed and flexibility of the Bagotte BG800; it’s also really quiet, too. It’s great to have a dependable vacuum that automatically cleans the office in and around the desk, cubicles, and shelves. Scheduling is nice, but so is using voice commands via Google Assistant.

Learn more about the BG800 and BG700 at Bagotte’s website where there are also links to purchase each through Amazon. As of today you can find the BG800 for about $237 with the BG700 going for as low as $130 in used condition.

Yoto Player review

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While most of the reviews we do here tend to center around accessories for mobile devices, every once in a while we will check out something a bit more fringe or unique. Up for review today we have the Yoto Player. And even though it does pair with your phone, it can operate as a standalone device for the younger demographic.

What is the Yoto Player?

The Yoto Player is a connected speaker that has carefully and thoughtfully added content to treat children, both young and old. The parent has the choice of loading cards with books and stories and music (sold separately) that are age appropriate to the child or children listening. There is also an option to create a custom card.

The player is a cubelike shape, weighing just a few pounds. It has two knobs on the top that look like ears, a slot for a card containing music or a book, and a power button along the side.

The front has a pixel display that can show a small picture relating to the book/story that is being told or an image that shows the Yoto Player radio is playing. When the player isn’t in use, but still powered on, it displays the time and an image depicting day or night.

There is also a nightlight feature, where the selected color can be lilac, red, green, yellow, blue or white. It can also be turned off. To charge the player, there is a magnetic dock that it connects to.

Setup

To get started, the owner is asked to scan the QR code in the Quick Start guide. Unfortunately, the QR code in the booklet led to an unknown page, but it did take it to the Yoto Player website, so the setup software could be downloaded from there. The app was available for both iOS and Android.

Once the app was downloaded, the setup was pretty simple and straightforward. Settings include naming the player, the previously mentioned nightlight color, allowing Bluetooth pairing, a max volume limit, an option to make the clock a 24 hour clock with optional time zone selection and a battery saver option.

Impressions

The player comes with a welcome card, any others must be purchased separately. There is also a daily podcast to listen to and Yoto Radio, which has family friendly music featuring different styles like pop and jazz.

The website is primarily a UK site, with a link to purchase things in the US. Unfortunately the US site can be tricky to use. If the content selector is used, it produces very few, if any results available for the US.

The same goes if clicking on one of the graphics along the top (Roald Dahl, Ladybird Collection, Mog collection and Yoto originals.) If no selections are made, the screen does populate with items that are both available and sold out.

For the US, the majority of the selections appear to be sold out. In order to receive the best option for cards, it can be suggested to purchase either the starter pack that has six cards, or the Splendiferous Collection by Roald Dahl, which includes six books by Dahl and the six starter pack cards. There is also an option to join the Yoto Club, but unfortunately, it is not currently available for the US.

The Yoto Player is designed to be used wirelessly, lightweight enough for a child to carry around to listen to the tales and tunes it plays. The testing of the player was a bit disappointing, as the battery life was not long; the player tended to shut down after a few minutes, requiring it to be put back on the charger and rebooting.

The battery life seemed to vary day by day, some days a full charge would last several hours, other days it would last only a few minutes. It created some frustration with the younger testers looking forward to listening to the Yoto Radio station.

Loading the cards was an easy thing to do, and once the player has downloaded the card, it can be accessed through the app.

Conclusion

Overall, the Yoto Player leaves mixed thoughts. It is a wonderful concept for parents to allow their children to have their own wireless speaker to listen to stories and music. Unfortunately, the ability to obtain those stories and music can be difficult depending on where the family resides. The best option is to purchase one of the special packages along with the player-both a savings in cost and savings in frustration.

The speaker runs about $100 and that doesn’t include cards to listen to. For what it’s worth, a $25 bundle can be purchased for $10 during the initial purchase. The prices for the individual books and music, if available, are similar to other online audiobook and music purchases.

If the speaker would deliver a consistent performance, it would easily be a great item for families with children. It can introduce children and families to many classic tales and songs and would be good for kids that want their own speaker to select what they listen to.

Cricket now offering $70 Alcatel Apprise

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Cricket on Friday began offering its latest smartphone, the Alcatel Apprise. Powered by Android 10 Go Edition, the handset costs just $70.

As one might expect, a phone of this price won’t be all that powerful in the area of hardware. Indeed, that’s the case as the Alcatel Apprise comes with a quad-core 1.5GHz MediaTek processor with 2GB RAM, and 16GB storage.

The Apprise features a 5.5-inch display at 480 x 960 resolution, or standard definition. Additional specifications include a pair of 5.0-megapixel cameras for the front and back, a 3,000mAh battery, and a microSD expansion card slot.

While the hardware is on the low end of the spectrum, the Android 10 Go Edition will help ensure things move a little snappier. Optimized for lesser-powered phones, it provides many of the same features and capabilities, but with often imperceptible changes.

The Alcatel Apprise has a dedicated Google Assistant button on the side quick voice control inquiries while on the go.

The Apprise can be purchased in Suede Gray for $70 at Cricket today.

This 12-course training bundle will jump-start your career in computer programming

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There’s a great deal of opportunity in the tech space when it comes to programming, coding, and hacking. More and more businesses are bulking up their team with experts in Python, Javascript, and other computer programming languages.

Likewise, there are plenty of options when it comes to learning some of these disciplines. You can get books from the library, check out videos on YouTube, or enroll in school. Or, you can start down the path with some online instructor-led courses.

The Complete Computer Programmer Super Bundle, available in the AG Deals Store for just $45, is exactly what it promises. It’s a 12-course boot camp on Java, Python, C, C++, SQL, and more.

Spanning some 1,330 lessons you’ll have access to more than 120 hours of education from Rob Percival. Along with a primer for newbies, you’ll get training on the algorithms and massive data sets you can build and maintain as well as constructing and debugging a website.

Other topics include object-oriented computer programming, advanced arrays and functions, C# and the .NET framework, Linux Command Line, Ruby, SQL, and IoT (Alexa voice assistant).

Availability

Purchase your lifetime license to the Complete Computer Programmer Super Bundle for just $45 from the AG Deals Store. Normally, each of these 12 courses would run about $200 on their own, so you can see what an incredible bargain it is.

TCL debuts MoveTime Family Watch for seniors

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TCL this week announced its MoveTime Family Watch (MT43A), a wearable device designed with senior citizens in mind.

Looking very much like an Apple Watch, it features a number of communication, safety, and health functions. It’s IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, has fall detection, and a built-in SOS button.

Should a wearer have a fall, or need to contact someone in an emergency situation, the watch can send a message to designated contacts with an exact location. Additionally, a “safe zone” can be created; an alert can be automatically triggered if the wearer ventures outside of the area.

Similar to other smart watches and activity trackers, the MoveTime Family Watch has a built-in pedometer, sleep tracking capabilities, and heart rate tracking. The watch can alert users if it detects unusually low or high heart rates.

Other features include two-way voice and texting, an OLED touch display, 600mAh battery (up to two days), and software that allows for extra large icons.

The MoveTime will be sold as a standalone watch that can be added to a cellular plan this fall. Priced $199, color options include dark grey and black.

TCL announces pair of branded tablets

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TCL, who stepped out from behind the curtain with its own branded smartphones this year, is doing the same for tablets. The Chinese manufacturer this week revealed a pair of tablets at what would have been IFA 2000.

The two tablets, the TABMAX and TABMID, are powered by Android and come in 10-inch and 8-inch screen sizes, respectively.

TCL TABMAX

The TABMAX has a 10.36-inch IPS LCD screen that employs TCL NXTVISION image processing to dial up color saturation and detail. Moreover, it features “intelligent eye protection” to help shield users against blue light and will even warn users if they get too close to the screen.

Running the show are an octa-core MediaTek MT8768T chipset with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and an 8,000mAh battery. A rear 13-megapixel camera can capture 1080p video while the front houses an 8-megapixel camera and dual speakers.

The TCL TABMAX runs €249, or about $300 USD. An LTE version will be available for €299, or approximately $350 USD. Optional accessories include a keyboard case and low-latency stylus.

TCL TABMID

The TCL 10 TABMID comes with an 8-inch IPS display (1200 x 1290 pixels) with the same NXTVISION screen tricks and features.

Interestingly, the TABMID is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor with 4GB RAM. A 5,500mAh battery, 8-megapixel rear, and 5-megapixel front-facing camera round out the main specifications. The TABMID will be priced €229 (~$270 USD) when it arrives.

Both the TABMAX and TABMID are slated to go on sale in the fourth quarter of the year. As of now neither tablet is expected in the US but that could change over the coming months.

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