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Just $68.99, this Bluetooth mechanical keyboard pairs with phones, tablets

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Head over to the AndroidGuys Deals Store today and you’ll find that we’re offering a Bluetooth mechanical keyboard for just $68.99. At 20% off its normal price, it makes for a really cool accessory for phones and tablets.

Paired over 2.4GHz or Bluetooth, the dual-mode MK75 keyboard can connect to three devices at one time. Moreover, a dedicated slot holds your phone or tablet into place. Break this one out at a coffee shop or cafe and you’ll turn heads for sure.

About the MK75 Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard

The MK75 has a monochromatic design that integrates an ergonomic, gaming and mechanical keyboard. Bastron has designed a versatile keyboard with unparalleled connectivity, allowing any smartphone or tablet to be connected directly to the slot incorporated. The MK75 can connect to up to 3 devices at the same time and switch between them easily.

  • Enjoy excellent typing feeling w/ the 75 real mechanical keys
  • Connect w/ dual-mode via 2.4GHz wireless & Bluetooth
  • Connect 3 devices at the same time & easily switch among them
  • Put your phone or tablet on the incorporated slot
  • Multi-connection
  • Dual mode connection: 2.4GHz wireless + Bluetooth
  • Strong anti-interference capability
  • Real mechanical keys w/ blue switches
  • Runs on 4 AA alkaline batteries (not included)
  • Up to 6 months of using time
  • Manufacturer’s 1-year warranty

Availability

You can purchase the Bastron MK75 Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard from the AndroidGuys Deals Store for just $68.99 right now. This is a 20% discount off its normal price of $86.25 so act fast.

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.

Sharp S7 Android One phone heads to Japan

AndroidGuys
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Sharp, yeah that brand, is back with another Android One smartphone, the S7. Set to arrive in Japan later this year, the phone is among the first to run Android 10.

The Sharp S7 features a 5.5-inch (2160 x 1080) display, 12-megapixel rear camera, and 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

Other specifications worth highlighting include a microSD expansion card slot and 4,000mAh battery. Interestingly enough, Sharp says the S7 will last one week on a full charge.

Realistically this is far from accurate as Sharp measures this with just one hour of usage per day and 23 hours on standby. With that said, we’d anticipate somewhere between 1-2 days.

Wrapped in metal, the phone is water resistant and rated against dust and shock. In terms of color options, the handset will sell in Silver, Gray, and Peach. Pricing and exact launch timing will be revealed at a later date.

As part of the Android One program, the Sharp S7 is expected to receive at least one major software update (two years) and three years of security patches.

Cheaper Samsung Galaxy Note 10 rumored for Europe

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Samsung looks to be readying a cheaper approach to its Galaxy Note 10 line of phones, according to rumors circulating in the last few weeks.

A new report from SamMobile indicates that an SM-N770F variant will arrive in Europe before long and figures to come in red and black colors.

It has been some time since we saw Samsung take this approach to the Galaxy Note series; the last one we recall is the Galaxy Note 3 Neo from around five years back.

Given the starting price of the Galaxy Note 10 is about $950, we welcome the idea of a cheaper take on the design.

READ: How to save big on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10

As to what the hardware experience is inside, that remains to be seen. We assume Samsung would dial down storage and performance in favor of cost, but there’s no telling yet. Perhaps removing a camera lens or two might be in order, too.

Oppo Ace debuts with ridiculous charging speed

AndroidGuys
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Oppo on Thursday announced its latest phone, the Reno Ace, a device that features some of the most high-end hardware you’ll find.

When it comes to specifications, the phone closely resembles the 7T, the newest device from its OnePlus sister brand. Included are the Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, a 6.5-inch 1080p display (20:9 aspect ratio) with water drop cutout and 90Hz refresh rate.

Also present is the ever-popular Sony 48-megapixel IMX586 sensor which is supported by 13-megapixel 5x hybrid zoom telephoto lens, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel monochrome sensor.

All that stuff pales compared to the battery of the Reno Ace. Tucked inside is a 4,000mAh dual-cell battery which can be charged from 0 to 100 percent in just 30 minutes. According to Oppo, five minutes on a charger can add two hours of usage to the device.

How does it do this? The phone comes with a 65W charger with its VOOC Flash Charge circuit technology. Of course this requires a proprietary charger to achieve such speeds. The Reno Ace does support USB-C Power Delivery and Qualcomm Quick Charge at 18W which is still incredibly quick.

The Reno Ace lands in China first and with a starting price of 3,199 yuan (~$450 USD) where it includes 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. For 3,799 yuan (~$530 USD) you get 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.

Get a 4-course Shell developer master class for just $12

AndroidGuys
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Up for your consideration today is a 4-course Shell Developer Master Class Bundle. For a limited time, you can purchase the full kit for a mere $12, using a promo code.

Designed for beginners and professionals, the target audience includes data analysts, Unix professionals, administrators, and mainframe professionals. This shell scripting course is particularly beneficial for newcomers but experienced professionals can also brush up to further develop their career in Unix Fields.

  • Shell Scripting on Linux
  • Linux Bash Scripting Training
  • Bash Shell Scripting – Building Blocks of Bash Shell
  • Shell Programming on Cygwin

Through the Shell Developer Master Class Bundle users will get to know the basic architecture of Unix and its command lines to execute. Learn shell scripting basics and creation of small custom scripts. You’ll also understand how to automate work with bash scripting and gain working knowledge on variables loops and other string operations.

Availability

If you purchased the training directly from its educators, EDUCBA, it would cost you up to $50 for the bundle. Buy it from the AndroidGuys Deals Store, though, and it’s yours for only $19.99.

Use the special promo code of 40LEARN40 at checkout and you can knock 40% off the cost, bringing it down to just $12. Hurry, this code won’t last long!

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.

Google readying a 5G Pixel phone, report suggests

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We’re less than a week away from Google’s next hardware event where it’s expected the company will introduce a number of products. Key among them, of course, will be the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Also anticipated are a possible smartwatch a new Pixel notebook.

According to a new Nikkei Asian Review report, Google is testing a 5G-ready version of its phone. While the timing of an announcement is unclear, it’s possible that Google may unveil the 5G phone at the October 15 gathering.

Even if Google only teases its device, it should still be the first US-based company to deliver a 5G phone to market. Assuming it doesn’t launch until Spring 2020 when the budget-friendly Pixel debuts, it would likely beat Apple to the punch. Apple historically introduces its phones in the fall with the newest models having just hit the market.

READ: Pixel 3a review at 90 days

The Nikkei source says that Google will employ the Snapdragon 855 processor in the 5G phone. For what it’s worth, there’s already a Snapdragon 855+ chipset on the market, however it’s largely targeted to gaming-centric devices. It’s assumed that a Snapdragon 865 or 875 is on the horizon, too.

Essential teases GEM, an elongated device with an interesting design

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Essential looks to be readying a follow up to its PH-1 smartphone. But, rather than going the route you might expect, the company has something a little different in mind.

Essential’s twitter account on Tuesday posted a couple of images for its new device which looks to have a code name or project name of GEM. The two pictures show what appears to be an elongated remote control-like design. As such, there are at least four colors for the back —  at least at this stage.

The tweet came just a few hours after Essential’s founder, Andy Rubin, showed off a couple of his own images, including a glimpse of its UI. It’s a departure of the norm to be sure.

A short video gives us a peek at how the so-called “GEM Colorshift” material works, and we have to admit it’s very, very cool stuff. The color transitions depending on the angle you view it. Blue gives way to green and yellow in one while red leads into orange and yellow on another. According to Rubin, they’re still working on the colors.

As you can see from the pictures, this is no ordinary rectangle slab phone. It’s a rectangle, sure, but it’s an elongated one that calls to mind the remote control of the NVIDIA Shield.

According to details surfacing on XDA-Developers, the GEM could draw power from a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 processor. Given the display doesn’t lend itself to gaming or watching video, it should be more than sufficient.

While other phone makers are going bigger than ever, introducing dual screen and folding designs, we applaud Essential for taking a different route.

Palm launched a small companion-like experience for phones which runs Android and featured a camera. It wouldn’t surprise us if the Essential GEM was a similar, albeit more advanced approach.

Rubin has quite an interesting history when it comes to mobile phones. He was one of the co-creators of the Danger Hiptop/T-Mobile Sidekick, a device which helped to transition the industry toward “smart phones”. More importantly, he is the co-founder of Android, and well, you know where that ended up.

Obviously there are plenty of questions around the GEM. What is its intended use? How powerful is it? When can we get our hands on one?

ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera review

AndroidGuys
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Ask five people to define home security and you’ll likely get five different answers. Each of us has a different idea as to what peace of mind and security means. Moreover, each of us has our own respective budgets to work with, too.

Brands like Nest, Honeywell, and Ring offer excellent products but they can get pretty costly. And while they do tend to integrate nicely with smart homes, not everyone needs that.

Fortunately, we no longer need to spend hundreds of dollars up front, or subscribe to monthly plans, to keep an eye on things. Thanks to brands like ANNKE we can dip our toes into the water instead of diving headfirst.

The ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera is an example of a smart camera that doesn’t cost all that much (about $30) yet provides the fundamentals of home security.

What is the HD Smart Wireless PT Camera?

A camera capable of recording pictures and video in HD (1280 x 720) resolution, the unit offers up a 60.5-degree wide-angle picture with two-way audio. Users can speak to the camera and have their voice heard or drop in on it to listen or monitor the environment.

The best way to describe the size of the camera is to imagine a baseball sitting on top of a Google Home Mini. Lightweight to be sure, it can sit flat on any surface or mount to a wall via the included attachment pieces.

What’s in the box?

  • 2MP HD WIFI Security Camera
  • USB Power Adapter
  • Ethernet Cable
  • Mounting Bracket
  • Mounting Screws and Plugs

What’s setup like?

Given that ANNKE is a Chinese brand there are a few spots where things appear to be translated a little bit rough. We saw this in the mobile app and user manual but nothing to the point of confusion.

The whole process of taking it out of the box and setting it up takes about 5-7 minutes. You can’t connect it to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network but you can directly connect to an Ethernet port. We installed ours onto an Eero network by typing in the credentials and then letting the phone broadcast an audio tone to the camera. From there it’s a matter of moments as it talks to the network and servers.

What does the ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera do?

In short, it’s an unobtrusive camera that you can check from your phone any time you like. Users can swipe the phone’s screen in four directions to pan (350-degrees) and tilt (100-degrees) the camera. In doing so we found the camera responsive, reacting almost real-time.

It’s possible to take snapshots or record video to your phone if you want or need. Additionally, there’s a microSD card slot in the camera itself which can be used for recording video locally.

The infrared night vision feature can light things up to the tune of 32 feet so you can see what’s going on a 3AM just as easily as 3PM.

Who is the ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera for?

We can imagine a number of scenarios where it makes sense to have one of these installed. A few that immediately come to mind include using it as a baby monitor or to check on your elderly parents or grandparents. It would also be a good, inexpensive way to see how your pets are doing while on the go.

Should I buy the ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera?

For the $30 price it’s hard to say no to the camera. We found ours to work well each time we used it. Setup was easy enough and the quality of picture was more than sufficient for our needs.

Motion detection is a nice feature that can be enabled if you’re looking to use it as a security camera. In a related note, the infrared/night vision is an extra bit of peace of mind, too. Sure, you can get a more robust experience, or one that ties to your digital assistant, but you’ll spend considerably more.

Where can I buy the ANNKE HD Smart Wireless PT Camera?

You can learn more about ANNKE and its products at its official website. As of the time of review, this camera was not listed but a related model appears which offers a 1080p experience.

The camera is also available at places like Amazon; the 1080p version is also at Amazon and costs just $10 more at $40.

Move media from one Cast or Smart Display to another with Google’s Stream Transfer

Andrew Allen
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Google may finally be fixing one of my biggest gripes with Chromecast and the new Smart Displays. Today the company introduce Stream Transfers. This new feature is something many of us with multiple Cast-enabled devices have been asking for since release.

Stream Transfer will allow you to move audio, video, and podcasts playback from one device to another in your Home setup. For instance, let’s say you are watching a video on your TV, but you want to move to the kitchen to start dinner where you have a Nest Home display? You can simple say “OK, Google. Move video to Kitchen Display” and the Stream Transfer will move the media to the appropriate output.

 

The reverse is also true if you want to move from the smaller screen to the living room TV. Google says audio will work in the exact same way as well. Now you can not only play your favorite tunes to different Cast devices/groups, you can now have the audio start in one and seamlessly move it to another room or group via voice or app.

Of course all your major Google apps should work without a hitch after the update hits your Cast and Smart Displays today. However, Google says major partners like Spotify and Pandora are already compatible. One has to wonder why any app already supporting Cast won’t work, but we’ve seen the track record with apps like Netflix be suspect in the past.

Either way, this will be a new set of features for our full home media playback we’ll be testing out over the next few weeks. As a guy with 7 different Google devices capable of Casting, I’ll personally be shouting to move my audio from room to room on a regular basis as I knock out household chores.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless review

Jason England
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What do you get when you pair legendary audio company Sennheiser with the latest in wireless audio technology? A pair of stylish, truly wireless headphones that sadly don’t function as good as they look and sound.

Design

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless have a simple yet elegant design. The body of the earbuds are constructed with plastic with a metal touch-sensitive button featuring the Sennheiser logo on the outside.

When it comes to the case Sennheiser really stands out from the crowd here. It is quite compact and also the only one I’ve seen that incorporates fabric. What you end up with is a premium feeling and stylish case to charge and transport your headphones. Just remember, fabric can also pick up stains and, unlike plastic or metal, it won’t just wipe right off.

Comfort

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones are extremely comfortable and offer a tight and secure fit. Between the ergonomic design and lightweight nature of the buds, it makes them easy to wear and prevents them from falling out, even for someone like myself with smaller than average ear canals.

One HUGE design flaw

Before I can continue with the review I need to take a moment and explain a huge flaw with these headphones. I’ve been reviewing and testing electronics for many years and so when I say this, don’t take it lightly. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones are one of the most frustrating products I’ve ever used.

I constantly had issues where the earbuds refused to disconnect from my phone. Thankfully, there is a power-off option in the app, or else I would have been stuck with all my audio being played through the earbuds, regardless of them being placed back in the case.

Another complaint I have is the buds seemed to run out of battery much faster than they were rated. Even more aggravating, sometimes only the left earbud would die while the right earbud still had almost a full charge.

After being at my wit’s end with these headphones, I began searching the web to find that I was not alone. Many people had, and continue to have, the exact same issues with these headphones.

After a couple of hours of research, I finally stumbled upon the cause. It seems the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones require power from the case to put them into standby. That means the case must always have a charge or else it will not facilitate putting the buds into standby and bringing them out of standby to connect to your phone.

That would be fine if not for glaring one issue: long-pressing the button on the charging case powers it off. Then, the only way to turn the case back on is by plugging it into a power source.

This is a huge design flaw for a charging case on a pair of truly wireless headphones. As it turns out, while in my pocket or bag, the case constantly turns off.

That meant the buds would no longer disconnect when placed inside, forcing me to manually power them off or risk having no audio from my phone. It also meant they would not automatically power on and reconnect when removed. And worst of all, it meant the headphones would not get charged and they died significantly faster.

Once I figured out the cause of the issues I stopped putting the headphones in my pocket or bag, and they began to function as they should. However, it entirely defeats the purpose of having portable headphones. What good are they if you cannot carry them in your pocket or bag without them malfunctioning?

User experience

After I stopped having issues with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless headphones, and only used them at home, the user experience was pretty good.

The buds feature touch controls with just about every option you can imagine including play/pause, skipping tracks, Transparent Hearing, and volume controls.

While I’m not a fan of touch-sensitive buttons on headphones in general, at least Sennheiser gives you plenty of controls. One that stands in particular is volume control. That’s something you’ll find missing on most pairs of truly wireless headphones. It was so nice to not have to reach for my phone for once when adjusting the volume.

App

The Sennheiser app feels a little bare bones, but that’s not a bad thing. The design is clean and it offers only a few options such as Transparent Hearing, an equalizer, smart pause, and voice assistant access options.

Transparent Hearing is one of the most interesting features because it allows you to hear your surroundings without taking the buds out. It can also be activated with a double-tap on the right earbud making it super convenient to use without opening the app.

The equalizer is one of the most beautifully designed equalizers I’ve ever seen. At the same time, it’s not great for those of us who like to have a more accurate way of adjusting the equalizer. While I was able to find the settings which suit my ears, it felt more like a guessing game than like I was in control.

Sound Quality

Sound is one thing Sennheiser knows how to do and the Momentum True Wireless are no exception. These truly wireless headphones sound amazing. The highs are bright and clear giving you plenty of detail and separation between the vocals and instruments.

Bass heads won’t be disappointed because there is a deep rich full bass here without feeling muddy at all. You can even tweak it further in the app to bring out more of the high or low-end depending on your preference.

Of all of my complaints about the Momentum True Wireless, the sound far from one of them. When I was able to get the buds to function properly I truly enjoyed every note that I heard through them and it gave me a real appreciation for the audio prowess of the Sennheiser brand.

Battery life

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless are rated for four hours with an additional eight hours from the case. I don’t usually listen to music longer than a couple of hours consecutively so that’s perfect.

In my experience the Momentum True Wireless required more charging than other truly wireless buds I’ve used. I always felt I had to charge it once a week, even on weeks where I barely used them.

What makes it worse is when the case would run out of power, the buds would power themselves on and automatically connect to my phone, taking over the audio without me knowing. Just another side effect in the flawed design I mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

Sennheiser is a premium audio company and the Momentum True Wireless headphones are stylish and sound amazing. Unfortunately, no amount of style or rich audio quality can make up for a product that is ultimately flawed.

The Momentum True Wireless retails $300 normally but are currently on sale for $270. No matter what the price, I wouldn’t be able to recommend them though. Not when the flaw in the case essentially breaks the product.

There are other pairs of truly wireless headphones on the market and ones that sound just as good, offer more features, and will even cost you less money. The Sony WF-1000XM3 come to mind as a better alternative for those searching for premium sound and lots of features, and they will even be kinder on your wallet.

Buy from Amazon Buy from Sennheiser

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