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CLCKR review

AndroidGuys
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One of the drawbacks to these increasingly larger smartphones is that they’re not exactly easy to operate with one hand. Even though they’re slim and sleek, phones with screen sizes around 5.7-inches and above aren’t all that practical when held with one hand.

This is a perfect opportunity for brands like Popsockets who make their money with products designed specifically with one-handed usage in mind. They’re hardly alone in the space, and there is a growing number of players angling for your attention and money.

One such brand, CLCKR, recently sent us a handful of its products which are billed as a grip and a stand in one. And whereas Popsocket is a circular unit that’s applied to the back of your phone, these are more of a wafer-like shape.

Place one of these on the back of your device leave it alone and you’ll find it takes up little space and barely thickens the overall experience.

Pulling the strap out provides enough space for you to insert two or three fingers. This makes it easy to snap selfies or play games with one hand.

Take things a step further, though, and you can click the strap into a different placement. This creates a stand-like base that lets you sit your phone down for video chat. Tip it on its side and you’ve got a way to rest your phone for watching full-screen videos.

Our Impressions

First off, we appreciate that CLCKR provides a nice range of colors and designs. It’s easy to go with generic colors or shades, but there are plenty of options, including matte black, shiny holographic, camouflage, and metallic rose gold.

These are very easy to put into place; you simply adhere it to the rear of your phone, near the bottom. Designed for one-time usage, you can gently place it a time or two to find the right fit before firmly pressing it into position.

It’s not all that often that we want to use our phones with one hand, so the CLICKR largely stays snug against the rear. It’s low-profile stuff that doesn’t add bulk to your pocket.

Although we’ve only used it a few weeks, the CLCKR seems to snap firmly each time and doesn’t show any signs of wear. A few months from now it could be a different situation, particularly at the area where you pull on the edge of the fabric to unlock.

The CLCKR promises to work with wireless charging, but our findings were a little hit and miss at times. We had to play with the placement on chargers every so often just to make sure the charge would start. Other times thing went just fine.

Using the strap is convenient and natural, making large phones feel much more compact. Whether scrolling away on social media, playing games, or typing out messages, it’s much easier when you have control of your phone. This does exactly that.

We also like that we can place our phone on the table for watching video, reading, and other hands-free activities. Be it landscape or portrait mode, the CLCKR works well and feels stable.

Conclusion

If you’ve got a phone that feels a little too awkward to use with one hand, you owe to yourself to try something like what CLCKR puts forth. Priced about $15 or so, you can take the strain off your hand with an unobtrusive add-on accessory. Not only that, but you’ll also end up with a stand that props your device up, too.

Availability

Choose from a variety of colors and designs at the CLCKR website with prices ranging from $15-$18. The company also offers cases for select iPhone models which have the grip and stand built into the rear; they’re priced about $30-$35 as of today.

Opinion: Amazon’s Echo products make Google Assistant look boring

Jason England
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Ever since I got my first Echo Dot, I’ve been hooked on having smart speakers in my home. I started with Alexa, but being a heavy user of Google services, I quickly made the change to Google Assistant with the first Google Home speaker.

It took a little time for Assistant to catch up with Alexa, but it did, and I’ve never regretted the switch in digital assistants. At least in terms of AI smarts and capabilities. I can’t say the same for the hardware.

While there are plenty of devices to choose from on both sides, I’ve always been a little disappointed with the lack of innovation from Google’s Assistant-enabled hardware.

Since the first Echo speaker, we’ve seen Amazon launch product after product featuring Alexa, each experimenting with different designs and ways to get Alexa into our lives. Google, on the other hand, only offers up a handful of hero products for Assistant.

A perfect example would be the Echo Show, Amazon’s first smart display launched back in 2017. It would take over a year from the release of the Echo Show for Google and its partners to release a Google Assistant-enabled smart display.

Amazon hasn’t stopped there though, since the release of the Echo Show, it has gone onto release several more innovative Alexa products. For example, there is an Echo Sub to add more bass to your Echo speakers, or the Echo Input that allows you to add Alexa capabilities to your existing audio setup.

Think of as sort of a Chromecast Audio before Google discontinued it, except there is a mic, and it reacts to Alexa commands. That’s a product I’d love for my current home audio equipment.

Then, at Amazon’s annual hardware event in 2019, it unveiled even more innovative ways to use Alexa while on the go. First, there are the Echo Frames, a pair of prescription glasses with Alexa built-in. Next, was the Echo Loop, which is a smart ring with Alexa built-in, it looks somewhat weird when in use, but it’s still pretty ingenious.

One could argue, that these are both niche products and neither are essential. And while that is certainly true, it doesn’t change the fact that both are far more innovative than anything Google is doing with its Assistant hardware. I’d love to see more experimentation from Google, finding new fun ways to work Assistant into our lives.

Beyond the more out-there concepts, Amazon also showed off some more practical Echo products. Starting with the Echo Flex that will add Alexa to any outlet along with a USB charging port. There are even accessories for the Echo Flex, including a nightlight and motion sensor attachment.

Finally, Amazon introduced a new Echo Dot with a clock built-in. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been wanting something exactly like this since the first Echo Dot launched. Sony released something similar with the S50G using Google Assistant previously, but it is quite pricey. There was also one from Insignia, but it has since been discontinued and I never cared for the style of that one.

All I want is a cheap, attractive alarm clock replacement with a visible clock. If Google made a similar product with a built-in clock, I’d have it on pre-order as soon as it popped up. In the meantime, I’ve had to make do with a smart display, which works great, but is also a bit overkill for a beside alarm clock.

No matter how you look at it, Amazon is straight-up killing it with Echo products. It releases far more options, and many more innovative products feature Alexa than Google’s Assistant.

Next to Amazon’s offerings, Google Assistant looks boring. Seeing as how I’m so invested and committed to Assistant products, I just wish we could see some more experimentation on Google’s behalf with its hardware.

Motorola offers up Moto G Stylus, Moto G Power for spring 2020

AndroidGuys
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Motorola on Friday added two new models to its G series of smartphones. This time, instead of attaching it to the 8th generation, Motorola is simply giving them a suffix. Whereas you might expect the Moto G8 Stylus and Moto G8 Power, it’s just the Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power.

The two phones share a number of features, including the display size, processor, and software. But, as you’d expect, one employs the usage of a stylus digital pen and the other centers around the battery life.

Here’s a breakdown as to how each phone shakes out.

Motorola G Stylus

  • Android 10
  • 6.4-inch full HD+ display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 655 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB storage
  • Stylus for marking up photos, note, edit photos, etc.
  • 48-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture and laser auto-focus
  • 2-megapixel macro camera
  • 16-megapixel ultra-wide action camera
  • 16-megapixel selfie camera
  • 4,000mAh battery

Motorola G Power

  • Android 10
  • 6.4-inch full HD+ display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 655 processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB storage
  • 16-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture and laser auto-focus
  • 2-megapixel macro camera
  • 8-megapixel wide-angle camera
  • 16-megapixel selfie camera
  • 5,000mAh battery

The Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power also feature stereo speakers, USB-C ports with 10W fast charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, and FM radio.

Availability

Both the Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power go on sale later this spring and are expected to cost $300 and $250, respectively. Look for them as unlocked phones at a variety of retailers; select carriers will introduce their own versions, too.

Mobvoi slashes smartwatch prices up to 35% for Valentine’s Day

AndroidGuys
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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s time to figure out what you’re getting your special someone. You are buying them something, right?

If a smartwatch is on your list of potential gift ideas, the time (pun intended) is right. Mobvoi, makers of Wear OS wearables, has dropped prices for a number of its of models as part of an ongoing Valentine’s Day promotion.

READ: TicWatch S2 review – The best budget Wear OS experience

While many of its products are already affordably priced, we’ll never turn our nose up at a sale. You could be looking at up to $50 off, depending on which model you select.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the ongoing Mobvoi sale.

Feb 3th-11th

Feb 3th-12th

Feb 3th-13th

Feb 3th-15th

We’ve reviewed a number of Mobvoi’s wearables in the past and have found them to be certainly worth the money. If you’re on the hunt for something a little more wallet-friendly than what Fossil and others put forward, we’d suggest starting with Mobvoi’s TicWatch line.

Customers can find these prices at both Mobvoi’s website and through Amazon.

Master & Dynamic debuts new colors for MW07 PLUS wireless earbuds

AndroidGuys
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Master & Dynamic on Thursday introduced two new color options for its MW07 PLUS wireless earbuds. Indeed, Jade Green and Black Pearl join the existing four colors to bring the total to six.

Designed around stones and gems, the colors are deep and multilayered and speak to the premium brand’s high-end wireless earbuds.

Made from handcrafted acetate and consistent with the initial release of MW07 PLUS, the earphones feature Beryllium drivers and Bluetooth 5.0 with a 100ft/30m connectivity range for rich, warm sound. They offer 10 hours of playtime with an additional 30 hours of battery life in the sleek stainless steel case for 40 hours total playtime.

We’re huge fans of the Master & Dynamic brand, having become particularly fond of its on-ear headphones. The MW07 PLUS are at the top of its food chain, carrying a $299 price tag. We really enjoyed both these and their sibling, the MW07 GO when we reviewed them a few months back.

MW07 PLUS Colors

  • Black Quartz
  • Tortoise Shell
  • Black Pearl
  • Steel Blue
  • Jade Green
  • White Marble

Learn more about Master & Dynamic and its portfolio of premium audio products at its website.

Unlock 120 hours of coding training for just $39 today

AndroidGuys
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Alright, be honest for a moment. It’s February and you already gave up on your New Years resolution, didn’t you? There’s no better time than now to double down on yourself and get back in the swing of things.

If you’ve resolved to become someone with a set of in-demand skills, coding is one of the smartest routes to take. The 2020 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle is the perfect place to start, even if you’ve had no experience whatsoever in the various platforms and principles of code.

Buy it now for $39

With ten courses and more than 120 hours of in-depth training, the bundle will get you up to speed with HTML5, Python, JavaScript and the other tools that coding professionals routinely use. It’s available for over 95 percent off at just $39 right now.

Includes

  • The Complete Full-Stack JavaScript Course
  • The Complete 2020 Web Developer Project Bootcamp
  • Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 & CSS3
  • Learn Flutter & Dart: Complete App Development Projects
  • Data Mining with Python – Real-Life Data Science Exercises
  • Beginners R Programming: Data Science and Machine Learning
  • Python Programming, CS, Algorithms & Data Structures
  • Django 2 & Python: The Ultimate Web Development Bootcamp
  • JavaScript Beginner Bootcamp
  • The Deep Learning Masterclass: Classify Images with Keras

Among the coursework, you’ll learn how to use JavaScript to build responsive website apps, and how to use Python and HTML5 to build powerful programs. Moreover, there’s training on how to integrate third-party apps and strings into your builds, and building apps with Google’s cross-platform development framework, Flutter.

This isn’t your full ticket to the coding show, but it’s a great place to get started. Why? Because you can learn at your own pace, in the order you want. Your purchase entitles you to lifetime access that’s available on mobile and desktop, and around the clock.

Get started with the skills and tools to earn top salaries in coding with the 2020 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle for just $39. The price point won’t last forever!

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.

Now available – Nokia 2.3 offers big battery, low-price

AndroidGuys
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HMD Global’s (Nokia) latest entry-level smartphone, the Nokia 2.3, is now available for pre-orders. The handset gives consumers a big screen and a big battery but with a small price tag.

Running Android 9, the phone comes with two years of OS updates as well as three years of security updates. It features a 6.2-inch display a 19:9 aspect ratio a small notch for the front-facing camera.

Internally, the Nokia 2.3 has a MediaTek Helio A22 processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. Users can insert a microSD expansion card in the slot for additional media.

A 13-megapixel camera is located on the back and is complemented with a depth camera for portrait shots. Around front is a 5-megapixel camera.

Other noteworthy details include a 4,000mAh battery, which HMD says should get two days of usage per full charge, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Similar to other Nokia phones, there’s a dedicated Google Assistant button.

In terms of software smarts, the AI-powered “Recommended Shot” feature automatically grabs alternate images just before and right after the shutter button is pressed. As one might expect, it offers up suggestions for the best final result. The phone also has extra tweaks for night shots, too.

The Nokia 2.3 is framed in aluminum with the back having a “3D nano-textured” design. Color options include Sand and Charcoal in the US.

As far as carrier support goes, the US version of the Nokia 2.3 supports LTE in bands 2, 4, 5, 12, and 66, or basic support for AT&T and T-Mobile networks. It’s also compatible with GSM networks like Cricket, Tracfone, and Simple Mobile.

It will be available as unlocked phone from Amazon and Best Buy for $129 when it goes on sale February 9.

Just $13, this JavaScript bootcamp bundle opens a door to the world of coding

AndroidGuys
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We know how hard or intimidating it can be to learn a new coding language or discipline. You cannot create an app, build a website, or dabble in machine learning or AI without understanding what might be a seemingly foreign language. And when it comes to code, JavaScript rules over all. It’s the starting point for basically anything and everything.

If you’ve ever had the itch to create something code-based, you’ll need a good place to jump in. The 2020 JavaScript Beginner Bootcamp Course, on sale for just $12.99, opens a door to the world of coding.

It will start from scratch and build up your understanding of the world’s most popular programming language. View JavaScript in action with whiteboard videos optimized for viewing on your smartphone. You’ll… take a deeper dive into the language and possibly launch a career as a JavaScript web developer.

JavaScript Bootcamp Includes

  • Access 184 lectures & 20 hours of content 24/7
  • Build projects as you learn concepts to get a taste of building applications on a small scale
  • Look under the hood to understand how JavaScript works
  • Create Interactive Webpage & deploy to the web
  • Become interview ready w/ whiteboard algorithm challenges

This training course is yours for life so feel to take your time and soak it in. Once done, you’ll have the know-how to create apps for mobile, web, and desktop in Google’s own language.

Availability

Worth about $200, this coursework is yours for only $13, or nearly 93% off. Where else can you get an education like this for just 65¢ per hour?

Best Sellers

Save even more!

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.

Jabra Elite 75t review

AndroidGuys
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The Jabra Elite 75t are one of the company’s latest true wireless earbuds, originally making their debut in November 2019. While they were initially priced at $200, they dropped to $180 upon arriving and find themselves in an increasingly crowded space.

When it comes to earbuds, true wireless is the way to go. No longer relegated to only the priciest of models, it’s a standard that we’ve come to appreciate. Just about anyone can find a pair that speaks to them; all budgets are welcome.

The Jabra Elite 75t are among the higher end of the proverbial food chain, but come in lower priced than Apple’s Airpods Pro or Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus. And while they are a successor to the Elite 65t, they carry a slightly higher price tag.

We’ve had a pair of Jabra Elite 75t at the office since around Thanksgiving, and found ourselves using them more and more over the holidays. Now that the dust has settled and we’ve been able to cobble together the time, we’re putting forth our review.

Comfort

The Elite 75t are incredibly comfortable to wear, even for longer periods. The ear tips, of which you get three sizes, have a silicone gel that conforms nicely to the shape of your ear.

The overall size and weight of the earbuds is among the smaller we’ve seen, further lending itself to comfort. You won’t receive any ear hooks to secure them but you’ll not miss them as they fit quite securely. Once in your ear you really don’t notice they’re there.

Sound

Considering how small and lightweight the Elite 75t are, we were really blown away by their deep bass and rich sound. If you’re into the heavier, pounding music that thumps in cars, you’ll appreciate how these earbuds are tuned.

Jabra provides an app to adjust the equalizer settings so you can manually tweak things to your tastes, but the default setting is resonant and omnipresent.

We dialed up the mids and highs a smidge because it’s more in line with the music we tend to prefer. Additionally vocal stuff like podcasts and audiobooks sound more natural and not as heavy.

Battery

Jabra claims the Elite 75t get up to 7.5 hours of playback on a full charge. We found it got close to this mark a few times but often ended up closer to seven hours when keeping volume levels high. Still, for most people that’s three or more trips to the gym or maybe a week’s worth of commuting to and from work.

The charging case has enough battery in it to provide another two full charges plus a little extra, giving you a theoretical 28 hours of life. That’s impressive stuff when you factor in the size of the earbuds.

Charging Case

The charging case is also pretty compact, fitting nicely in the front pocket of a pair of pants. The lid snaps closed with a magnetic bite; the earbuds also latch into place via magnet, too. Even if the lid opens up somehow in transit, the earbuds stay put.

Charging is conducted via USB type-C, which we definitely like, and there’s an indicator light located on the back. Jabra says just 15 minutes on a fast charge is all that’s necessary to get an hour of playback. We found that claim to be accurate.

Controls

As we see in most true wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 75t feature touch controls. Each of the earbuds has its own controls which are based on single, double, and triple pressing.

Present are actions for volume, play and pause, skip forward and back, call answer and end, HearThrough mode, and voice assistant. It takes a bit of understanding as to how each works and can be a tad frustrating at first.

It does require a little bit of emphasis to click the buttons. Moreover, you might find you have to use an extra finger or two to stabilize against your head. This prevents accidental pressing or performing the wrong action and is less of a problem that it actually sounds.

Four Mics

Jabra employs four microphones in the Elite 75t, using them for a variety of functions. The HearThrough mode pulls audio in from the environment, letting listeners keep an ear on things happening around them.

On the other hand, these mics make it so that you’re able to focus on just the music or your phone calls. They can be used to block out wind and ambient noises like city streets and windy parks.

Other Features

You can use the Jabra Elite 75t for a digital assistant like Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa. You’ll have to double-press the right earbud to activate it, and it’s nice, but we’d prefer if the earbuds were able to simply listen for the command.

The Elite 75t are IP55-rated which means they’re dust resistant and can resist a sustained, low-pressure water jet spray.

Jabra backs these earbuds with a two-year warranty, or about twice as long as most brands. We’ve never had an issue with Jabra in the years we’ve used its products but do appreciate that it stands behind its portfolio.

Conclusion

We love the Jabra Elite 75t for a variety of reasons. They sound great, if not a little heavy in the low end, and feel good even in extended listening.

Jabra’s app gives listeners the ability to adjust equalizer settings or manage HearThrough mode. A slight tweak here and there can have a rather significant impact on audio.

Battery life is on par with what we would expect at this price. We’ve only had to charge the carrying case two times over the last six weeks and we’re not even close to a third time. This provides nearly 90 hours of playback, or about 15 hours a week. That’s a lot of listening no matter how you slice it.

There’s peace of mind in the IP55 rating and two-year warranty, features that aren’t always present in true wireless earbuds. Sure, you pay a little more here, but we don’t mind.

Availability

Learn more about the Elite 75t at Jabra’s website where they’re available to purchase for $180. Choose from Titanium Black, Black, and Gold Beige. You can also find them at Amazon and Best Buy.

Here’s how to use RCS messaging on “most” Android phones

Andrew Allen
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Google has been busy as of late, advancing its users past the decades-old protocol of SMS. The new universal option that the company is trying to bring to light is Rich Communication Servies, or RCS.

What’s it do?

We first outlined what RCS does and what Google’s intentions were in post back in November 2019. In short, the RCS protocol gives Android Message users the opportunity for more data packed messages between chats. Think “iMessage for Android”.

The fallback is still going to be SMS, but if both parties have RCS, they can share larger groups, videos, and pictures in conversations.

How to turn it on

To be sure, the road has been long and there are still caveats with a rolling release. What’s more, you have to use Android Messages as your client. Getting your phone to take advantage of RCS is just a few menu clicks away after you verify Android Messages is installed.

Let’s do it!

  • Open Android Messages from the application tray
  • If you’ve never used Messages you may get prompted to immediately turn on Chat (RCS)
  • Otherwise, select the hamburger menu in the top right and go to Settings
  • Tap Chat features
  • Make sure status is Connected and Enable chat features is toggled to ON

Chat Away

It’s worth noting that this new RCS option is dependent on multiple variables. So far, there’s no apparent list or reasoning as to which devices are capable of RCS Chat and which are not.

Also, it can also take up to 30 minutes for the Messages app to show Connected.

We do know that most Pixel phones seem to be enabled as do many Samsung phones. I can also verify that Essential phones seem to have the option’s server-side switch to show Chat enabling. Unfortunately, my BlackBerry Key2 LE has yet to present me with the ability to turn on Chat.

Google has voiced that it is actively working to push support to more devices. For those that already have the ability, we hope this tutorial helps you expand your Chat options with your friends and family.

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