Starting today, Verizon and Google will start rolling out Universal Profile RCS (or Chat, as the carrier calls it) in the Messaging app for Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users on the network.
Verizon has confirmed this information to Droid-Life, and the option should start appearing beginning today, December 6.
While Big Red already supports advanced messaging features such as read receipts and typing indicators in its own Messages+ app, the Universal Profile ensures that these features will work like as intended when messaging people who are on other carriers.
Moreover, Verizon employees have also posted the internal document announcing the change on Reddit. It reveals the full list of features while naming Google’s Messages app as the place to access the new options.
New messaging features coming to your Pixel 3
Starting today, Pixel 3 owners at Verizon will be able to do things like sending larger texts of up to 8000 characters, create large chat groups of up to 100 participants or send high-quality pictures and videos.
What’s more, users have the ability to send messages over Wi-Fi, even in the absence of a cellular connection. Typing indicators and read receipts are also part of the package.
Other upcoming features include stuff like local sharing, mobile payments, sending audio recordings, stickers and so much more.
Note that all this only works for users who have Chat enabled on their Pixel 3 devices. Otherwise, enhanced messaging will fall back to the standard SMS/MMS.
Last month, we heard that Verizon was planning to launch Universal Profile RCS early next year. Well fortunately for Pixel 3 users at Big Red, they will be getting a taste of enhanced messaging earlier than expect.
But given that RCS is still a long way from becoming a universal standard like SMS, whether or not you’ll actually be able to take advantage of the new feature will depend on who you are texting with.
HMD Global this week unveiled a new smartphone in the form of the Nokia 8.1. The new device will go on sale in Europe, as well as the UK for the affordable price of €399 / £379.99 (or $452). Interested parties will be able to place an order for it come January 14.
The Nokia 8.1 is an upper mid-ranger coming with great specs. Among its major highlights is the spacious 6.18-inch FHD+ display that comes with HDR10 support. The screen benefits from HMD’s PureDisplay screen technology which promotes richer colors and higher contrasts. It also includes a notch on top.
The Nokia 8.1 might have had all the qualities needed to be called an affordable flagship, save for the processor powering it, a mid-range Snapdragon 710. This is an octa-core 10nm chipset clocked at 2.2GHz, which albeit not being as powerful as the Snapdragon 845, will still do a very good job of keeping things working smoothly on board the device.
Furthermore, the Nokia 8.1 will ship out with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable up to 400GB via microSD).
HMD’s partnership with Carl Zeiss continues with the Nokia 8.1
In terms of photography, the Nokia 8.1 boasts a Zeiss-optimized dual-lens arrangement with a main 12MP (f/1.8) and a secondary 13MP sensor for portrait shots. HMD has also included optical image stabilization on board, so you can get steady shots. Nokia’s popular Bothie feature that lets you shoot with both cameras is also supported here.
Rounding up the package is a 3,500 mAh battery with fast charge 18W. HMD boasts the phone will be able to support up to 2-days of use on a single charge.
Another big highlight with the Nokia 8.1 is that the device runs Android 9 Pie out of the box. Given the low number of phones launching with the latest version of Android on board, it’s quite refreshing.
As we mentioned above, the phone will go on sale next month in Europe in Blue/Silver, Steel/Copper and Iron/Steel color options. Unfortunately, HMD already confirmed the Nokia 8.1 won’t make it to the US.
Got yourself a new and shiny OnePlus 6T? The company’s latest flagship is one of the best smartphones you can get under $550 right now, so you’ve made a great choice.
Now what? You need to get started with your new device. In this article, we’re going to explore the top ten things to do with your OnePlus 6T after you’ve unboxed it and popped in your SIM.
Snap a case on it
While the OnePlus 6T is an affordable flagship, it still cost a pretty penny. So in order to protect your investment, it’s essential that you use a protective case.
Fortunately, you have plenty of options to choose from. And since OnePlus does a great job at supporting its smartphones with awesome accessories, you can get yourself an official case right from the manufacturer.
One of the 6T’s new tricks is the in-display fingerprint sensor. So among the first things you should do is set it up. To do so you will have to go to Settings>Security & Lock screen>Fingerprint>Add a fingerprint.
You’ll need to have set a PIN, pattern, or password to protect your phone beforehand. Once that’s done, follow the instructions to configure your fingerprint.
Set up face unlock
The OnePlus 6T’s in-display fingerprint sensor is cool and all, but it’s a little slow. So it wouldn’t hurt to set up a second way to unlock your phone. Like it’s the predecessor, the OnePlus 6T features a face unlock system. It’s not as advanced (or secure) as the one on the iPhone X, but will do its job and it’s quite fast.
To set it up, simply head to Settings>Security & lockscreen>Face unlock>Add face and let the phone scan your face.
Adjust color temperature
Because how good colors look on the screen is often a matter of debate between individuals who each has his/her own preferences, OnePlus includes the option to manually adjust color temperature on your phone.
To do so visit Settings>Display>Screen Calibration. You can choose from the pre-set options or opt for Custom color which allows you to manually adjust color temperature.
Toggle the notch
Compared to the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 6T features a teardrop-shaped notch that’s a lot smaller. However, if you still prefer your phone without a notch, you can turn it off from settings. Just go to Settings>Display>Notch>Hide the notch area.
Customize Quick Settings
You can customize the Quick Settings area on your OnePlus 6T and add the shortcuts to the features you use the most. Simply swipe down at the top of your screen to see your Quick Settings.
Pull it all the way down until you spot the Pencil icon underneath. Tap on it and hold & drag to add the tiles you want (including NFC, Gaming Mode, Reading Mode and more)
Try out the new camera modes
While on paper the OnePlus 6T’s camera specs haven’t changed much compared to the previous iteration, some improvements have been added to the mix.
The lenses on board are a 16M (f/1.7) camera with OIS plus a 20MP (f/1.7) sensor. Flip to the selfie camera and you have a 16MP (f/2.0) with HDR and EIS.
Well, the OnePlus 6T comes with a new Night Mode, which is optimized for low-light photography.
Another upgrade is Studio Lighting, which is basically the opposite of Night Mode. This feature will allow you to change the brightness of the scene during a portrait shoot while you are actually taking the photo.
As you use your new phone for the first time, you should definitely try them out.
Change the theme
The OnePlus 6T comes with a default all-white UI which is nice to look at. However, it consumes a lot more power than a dark theme, so you might want to change it. Or customize it for that matter.
Go to Settings>Display>Theme and choose from the three options available (Colorful, Light, Dark). What’s more, you also have customizable accent colors which are pretty great.
Give quick gestures a try
The OnePlus 6T lets you take advantage of a host of Quick Gestures, and you don’t even need to wake the phone to use some.
Head on to Settings>Buttons & gestures>Quick Gestures to see what’s available. For example, drawing an O can open up the selfie camera. You can assign it other functions like recording a video or opening up the flashlight app.
Customize the Alert Slider
OnePlus phones come with an additional button called the Alert Slider. On the OnePlus 6T, you will find it on the right side. It’s there to let you easily switch between ring, vibrate and silent. But the phone also offers some other useful tweaks for it.
Just go to Settings>Buttons & gesture>Alert Slider to explore further. For example, in Silent mode, you can configure the phone to mute all media.
Recording a call can be incredibly practical in a number of situations. But even as our phones are smarter than ever, recording a call isn’t as easy as you’d think it would be.
The feature is not found natively on Android, so if you want to record calls you will have to download an app on your phone. Fortunately, there are many apps available in the Google Play Store that let you do just that.
However, before proceeding any further, we should note that call recording is illegal in some countries including the US, so you should first check your country’s legislation on the matter or proceed at your own risk.
So in case, you need to record your calls on your Android device, here are some best apps to do it.
Important note: These apps won’t work for those of you who have a device running Android 9 Pie. Google put a stop to call recording with the latest version of Android, so for those of you who have a device on Pie, the only option to do call recording is to root.
Google Voice
What it is:
Google Voice is a service that lets you make and receive calls, texts and use call forwarding free of charge. It also has a semi-hidden feature that allows you to record calls.
Why we like it:
The app lets you record calls for free. To access the feature, click on the hamburger menu located at the top right-hand corner, then go to Settings>Calls>Turn on Incoming Call Options.
Google Voice also provides advanced voicemail transcriptions that you can read in the app or have them sent to your email account.
The app allows to make international calls at competitive rates, so you can save as much as you.
A call recording app with a very clean and intuitive UI, that allows for plenty of customizations when it comes to recording calls.
Why we like it:
You can set up the app to automatically record all calls, or you can select which type of calls to record (all, contacts, unknown).
Users can easily select contacts to ignore when it comes to recording by virtue of a single tap.
The app allows you to adjust the settings of the recorded call like audio quality, increase audio quality or audio format.
Users can choose between different color themes.
The app includes multiple Caller ID settings (for example Real-time caller ID which identifies callers even then ones not in your contact list in real time).
A straightforward call recording app that will record cellular calls, but not calls made over Wi-Fi or VoIP.
Why we like it:
Call Recorder – ACR can automatically record and save calls based on phone number.
The app offers a lot of Recording settings. For example, you can automatically turn on your phone’s loudspeaker during the call, select your preferred recording format or turn on the shake to record option.
Call Recorder – ACR also features a dark theme and comes with an built-in media player, so users can play their recordings from within the app.
A call recording app which not only lets you record cellular calls but also calls made via VoIP services like WhatsApp, Skype and Viber.
Why we like it:
The app has a clean, uncluttered interface that’s quite easy to navigate. It comes complete with a dark theme.
Cube Call Recorder ACR has plenty or Recording settings to take advantage of. You can opt to have your recordings start automatically or to exclude some callers and so on.
Includes a Map option that places all your recordings on the world’s map, so you can get an overall view of them.
Note: Some features are only available in the Premium version such as the ability to hide the app from view. To unlock these features you will have to shed $1.99/3 months.
Another simple to use call recording app that lets you record both incoming and outgoing calls.
Why we like it:
Call Recorder allows you to easily customize your call recording experience via Settings. From there you can do things like Enable call recording for Outgoing or Incoming calls, make a list of numbers to exclude and opt whether a notification should be shown when the app is recording.
The app comes with a PIN protection feature.
Users call also select their preferred audio source and choose the format to save their recordings in.
Overall a very simple app to use.
Note: There’s a Pro version that unlocks in exchange for $4.99.
Qualcomm this week unveiled its next-gen premium mobile processor, the Snapdragon 855, which will power next year’s flagship. The announcement was made during the company’s Tech Summit in Hawaii, which last year saw the announcement of the Snapdragon 845.
Previous rumors have suggested the chipset might end up being called the Snapdragon 8150, but alas, Qualcomm decided to go with the more logical naming scheme. So what’s the new chipset all about?
Since 2019 is going to mark the kickstart of the 5G era, it’s no wonder that one of the Snapdragon 855’s main features is support for multi-gigabit data speeds on 5G networks.
But Qualcomm won’t be embedding a 5G-capable X50 modem in every single Snapdragon 855 unit. Instead, it will ship it with Qualcomm’s new X24 LTE chip which promises speeds up to 2Gbps. Manufacturers will be given the option to include the X50 modem into their flagship, should they want to offer their customers the 5G option.
Speaking of which, Qualcomm confirmed that Samsung is going to be one of the first companies to release a 5G-ready phone, sometime in the first half of 2019. The device will obviously be powered by a Snapdragon 855.
In the US, Verizon and AT&T have already started 5G networks and have also promised to deliver 5G-ready hardware in the first part of 2019.
What else is new?
Apart from ushering the era of 5G in, the new 7nm process should also offer big improvements when it comes to battery life and performance. There’s a new dedicated vision processor that can process depth mapping at 60 fps, as well as capture 4K HDR video at 60fps. All of this can be done while using 25% of the power used previously.
The chipset also includes Qualcomm’s 4th-gen multi-core AI engine, which promises 3x performance boost in all artificial intelligence features, compared to the predecessor.
Moreover, the chip maker introduced the first computer vision ISP (image signal processor) named Qualcomm Spectra, a piece of dedicated hardware that will inform machine vision tasks. These upgrades will have a great impact in areas such as photography, as your next phone will be better at recognizing who and what you’re capturing.
What’s more, we also have a new Snapdragon Elite Gaming feature that’s designed to bring new gaming experiences to high-end handsets. Qualcomm was kind of cryptic here, but we’ll know more soon enough.
Additionally, the next-gen top-of-the-line chip comes with support for Qualcomm’s newly announced 3D Sonic Sensor which is an ultrasonic type of fingerprint sensor that’s fast and accurate.
Qualcomm’s Tech Summit is currently ongoing, so we expect more details about the new Snapdragon 855 to pop up, including quite possibly some demos.
With the rise of mobile gaming, one of the genres that have slowly become more relevant is text-based games. These kind of games are ideal for being consumed in small bursts, are not battery-hungry, and often have interesting stories to tell, making them ideal for consumption on phones.
They are also more interactive than reading a book, making them a good balance between gaming and reading. Two Hours To Live takes this concept even further, giving you limited time to complete a story, and making you a part of it.
Two Hours To Live is a text-based game in which the choices you make decide the outcome of the story. After having a virus injected by an unknown scientists, the main character is given a two-hour limit to pay money to be saved, or die if he refuses to cooperate. Every now and then, you are asked how do you think the story will unfold. Your answers are the difference between saving Jay or dying before the story is completed.
There is a timer reminding you at all times how much time Jay has left. In case you answer something and the story doesn’t go in that direction, you lose time, which means you won’t get until the end of the story.
Gameplay
Unlike other text-based games I have played (like Lifeline), this one consists of a long scroll view with the text written on it. It doesn’t scroll by itself or presents the text in some kind of dialog interface or something similar. The whole game, which is divided in chapters, is a big block of text that you have to read through.
In order to avoid cheating (that is, going through the whole block of text quickly to reach the end with lots of time), the game lowers the timer automatically in certain sections. This means you will always have the urge of finishing quickly, even in subsequent playthroughs.
When you reach the end of certain chapters, the game asks you what do you think is going to happen next, and gives you three different options for you to predict. If you get the right one, you will see a positive message and letters at the top of the screen (that spell EPILOGUE) will turn green. I suppose that, by filling all of the letters, you will reach the end of the game.
Unfortunately, my decision making wasn’t good enough to reach this, and I frequently got negative messages by Jay, and reductions in my available time as a consequence. Getting all of the prompts correctly means that you either have to be good at guessing, or you need to do several runs in order to remember where the story goes.
Sadly, I have already described all interactions the user makes in Two Hours To Live. You scroll through text and occasionally get asked questions that may or may not lower your available time. There’s also several transitions between chapters in which you are presented with full-screen ads, which, as you know, are the worst offenders in terms of obtrusiveness. They even created some folders on my device with some kind of cache.
There’s a bookmark feature that replaces the save button, making it more appropriate for a text-based game. However, I found the hard way that this is the only way of saving. There’s no such thing as auto-save.
This means that if you don’t bookmark your current position, and then exit the game, your progress will be lost. It’s very uncommon to see games that ask you to save by yourself (Pokémon games spring to my mind), but it’s not a dealbreaker. I just had to re-do four chapters.
Story
With so little interactive elements, then the story needs to be good to keep the game afloat and interesting. Fortunately, the story meets expectations, with interesting and intriguing elements that keep you on the edge. There are some elements I consider annoying, like the constant babbling of Jay’s wife, which add very little to the overall story. Also, there are some very minor grammatical mistakes on the text.
The biggest problem that I had with it is the name “Escorpiones Negras.” This is some kind of drug dealing group that is central to the story. With such a prominent role in it, the developer could have at least researched a little bit about Spanish language.
The correct expression would be “Escorpiones Negros” because “escorpiones,” Spanish word for scorpions, is a male noun. Having to read through such a big mistake so many times throughout the story made me enjoy it less, since it just cuts out the immersion.
Graphics and Sound
I don’t know where to start here. The graphics are appalling, there’s no way around it. The interface is horrible, the use of colors is horrible, and the style is horrible. There’s at least four different fonts used throughout the game, if not more. The font for the title of the game is different from the “New Story” label in the Start New Story button, which is already different from the “An Epic Interactive Story” subtitle.
Sometimes the text has glow, sometimes it has shadow. Sometimes the shadow is black, sometimes yellow. The Start New Story button looks different than the continue button at the bottom of each chapter, which also looks different to the buttons used for the outcome prediction. Everything is all over the place.
Worst of all, the game hasn’t been optimized for the long screens we have now. I thought at first that the game looked a bit stretched out but dismissed it. However, when I re-checked the screenshots in the Play Store, I now see that the interface I got is massively stretched, since the game apparently was done with a 4:3 screen in mind.
The game changes its music depending on the situation. You start with a calm soundtrack, which then changes into a song that just screams “hurry up,” to almost silent surroundings when you are in the forest. Out of the audiovisual elements of this game, the music is the one that actually stands out for being acceptable rather than unpleasant.
Conclusion
Two Hours To Live is a good idea on paper. A non-linear story that makes you choose the outcome of your character, while, quoting Linkin Park, “the clock ticks life away.” At least, the story part delivers on the excitement, with Jay unraveling the plot he has been dragged into in a satisfying way.
However, the actual interactiveness of the game is not that big. While your decisions do affect the outcome, since a wrong choice means Jay is closer to his death, there aren’t that many prompts throughout the game to actually feel like you are making a difference. Coupled with terrible graphics and obtrusive ads, Two Hours To Live is sadly not as good as it could have been.
Niantic on Tuesday announced it will bring one of its biggest, and most anticipated features to it popular Pokemon Go. Slated to arrive in December, Trainer Battles lets players take one another on in head-to-head fights.
Although it has been more than two years since the game first launched, the concept of fighting other players has been high on the list of anticipated mechanics. Once rolled out, Trainer Battles will let players field teams of three in one-on-one throwdowns.
Since the Trainer Battles hasn’t started, the full details are not yet available. With that said, there are a few things we do know about what’s in store for the Pokemon Go feature.
Trainer Battle features
You can battle your in-game friends whenever you’re in range of each other. If you are Ultra or Best Friends, you can challenge your buddy no matter your locations.
Trainers will compete in Trainer Battle Leagues, which determine the CP limit for the participating Pokémon. Strength (CP) alone is not going to guarantee a victory so you’ll want to choose wisely and apply strategy. There are three leagues: Great (up to 1,500CP), Ultra (up to 2,500CP), Master (Unlimited CP).
You can take on other trainers who are not one of your friends; it’s as simple as scanning a QR code.
Your Pokemon will get both Fast and Charge moves for battles so be sure to find the right combo. Also, you can use stardust and candy to purchase a secondary Charge move for use in the fight.
A new component, called Protect Shield, will help you to absorb damage without fainting. Be careful, though, as you only get a couple of them per battle.
Both trainers will receive rewards for battling, including stardust and rare evolution items — even Sinnoh Stones.
Looking for a new smartphone this winter, but you’re on a tight budget? Well, then you might be interested to know that the new Alcatel 1X Evolve was just announced at Metro by T-Mobile.
The smartphone will go on sale on December 10, but pricing details will be made available later. Although, we can tell you it’s going to be wallet-friendly.
The new Alcatel 1X Evolve features a premium design with elegant soft suede fit and finish that feels quite premium. But as you’d expect, specs are on the lower side of the spectrum.
The new handset comes equipped with a 5.34-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 480 x 960 resolution and 2D Dragontrail glass.
TCL launches a new affordable Alcatel phone in the US
The phone takes advantage of a decent 1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739WM processor under the hood. And working in concert with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, the chipset is quite capable of keeping up with your daily demands. There’s also a microSD card slot for memory expansion up to 32GB, for those who need more memory.
In the photography department, the Alcatel 1X Evolve comes boasting an 8MP main camera with LED flash, and a 5MP selfie snapper with LCD screen flash. The main camera can also shoot 1080p video at 30fps.
Powering the whole shenanigan is a 2,460 mAh battery which according to TCL (who owns Alcatel) can offer up to 21 hours (4G) of talk time, 10 hours (4G) of streaming time and up to 337 hours (4G) in standby time.
The device runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box and might get Android Pie at some point in the future. Moreover, the new offering features 4G LTE with 600MHz support for expanded LTE coverage.
So if you’re looking for a smartphone that won’t break the bank this holiday season, the Alcatel 1X Evolve might be a great fit for you. It could even make for a great gift. Remember, the phone goes on sale on December 10, so next week.
While the Pixel 3’s and Galaxy S9’s larger siblings tend to take all the spotlight, what’s great about these two smaller models is that they are almost identical to their higher-end brothers, but are sold for more affordable price tags.
So which one of these pocket-friendly Android devices is better? Keep reading below.
Design and display
The Pixel 3 and Galaxy S9 are both “small-ish” devices compared to most smartphones available on the market today. The Pixel 3 features a 5.5-inch OLED display with 2160 x 1080 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio, while the Galaxy S9 takes advantage of a larger 5.8-inch curved Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio and support for Mobile HDR Premium content.
Both of these displays are gorgeous and work really well in all situations, although the Galaxy S9’s tends to be a little bit more colorful.
In terms of design, both Pixel 3 and Galaxy S9 looks very similar to their predecessors. The Galaxy S9 gets the same curved glass front and back as the Galaxy S8, which meet at a thin metal frame. The tall and narrow Infinity Display makes the phone feel elegant and svelte in hand. Compared to the previous model, the Galaxy S9 boasts slightly thinner chin and forehead, but the overall look is maintained.
Turn the phone around and you’ll see a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor that sits beneath the single camera. Samsung is also offering face and iris-unlocking technology on board of this smartphone.
The Pixel 3 retains the same two-tone style we’re already familiar with from the previous generation. But this year Google is using glass instead of metal for the phone’s back. There’s a central fingerprint sensor on the rear, with the camera sensor sitting in the top left corner.
The Pixel 3 has bigger bezels at the top and bottom than the Galaxy S9, although this design choice allows for front-facing speakers to be accommodated.
It’s important to note here that both flagships have skipped the “notch” trend, by opting for the classic look. The same goes for the Galaxy S9+, although the Pixel 3 XL does feature a big notch on top of the display.
The Pixel 3 has IPX8 rating against water ingress, but the Galaxy S9 features full IP68 certification against water and dust.
Power and performance
The two models are based on the Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line chipset, the Snapdragon 845. Both models include the 4GB of RAM and 64GB of base storage. But with the Galaxy S9, you can get a variant with up to 256GB on board, as opposed to just 128GB, which is the maximum you can get with the Pixel 3.
Google’s flagship does not have a microSD card slot, while the Samsung one does. It can be employed to expand memory up to 400GB.
When it comes to battery, the Pixel 3 relies on a 2,915 mAh juice box with 18W fast wired charging. Fast Qi wireless charging is also part of the equation.
The Galaxy S9 has a larger 3,000 mAh battery with Fast wired charging, as well as fast Qi. Despite the slight difference, neither of the phones should struggle to offer all-day performance.
Camera
Both Samsung and Google flagships are known for offering a superior camera experience. And the Pixel 3 and Galaxy S9 are no exception to the rule.
The Galaxy S9 is the first Samsung device to introduce the new variable aperture feature. This means the main 12MP sensor can switch between a fast 1/5 aperture and a f/2.4 aperture depending on the scenario.
In combination with 1.4-micron pixels, the wide aperture can offer improved low-light performance. The rear camera also has optical image stabilization (OIS) and can record video in 4K at up to 60fps or 1080p at 240fps. There’s also a super-slow-motion 960 fps video recording option.
As for the Pixel 3, it uses a 12.2MP sensor with 1.4-micron pixels and f/1.8 aperture. Google has equipped it with optical and electronic image stabilization too. And with the company’s AI-power image processing on board, the Pixel 3 is capable of delivering some great results. The camera is packed with a series of great features like Night Sight mode which promises super well-lit and detailed shots in the most dimly lit environments. It works in a similar way to Google’s HDR+ feature.
Where the Pixel 3 stands out is the dual front camera. It’s a pair of wide-angle lens which enables a new Group Selfie Cam that offers a wide-angle view so you can get more people into one shot.
The Galaxy S9 has only a single front-facing lens of 8MP variety with an 80-degree FOV and wide f/1.7 aperture.
Software
Samsung and Google offer dramatically distinct software experiences. While the search giant leans towards simplicity by offering a pure Android experience, the Korean smartphone behemoth bets on the number of additional features and customizations.
The Galaxy S9 launched with Android 8.0 Oreo and Samsung Experience user interface, but since then the company unveiled One UI. This is the phone maker’s new user interface that comes with modern features, layouts and modes. In the US, Galaxy S9/S9+ users can already access One UI with Android Pie in beta. A public roll-out is expected in January.
One UI marks a new approach for Samsung, by making it easier to use devices single-handed, helping users focus on one thing at a time, and more.
Even so, a certain category of users will always tend to gravitate towards the elegant software experience which only the Pixel can offer. It’s fair to say that in this department, Google’s flagships will always have the advantage. The Pixel 3 was launched with Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Special features
Both flagships come bundling their own set of special features. The Pixel 3 has borrowed the squeezable sides technology that was first introduced by the HTC U11. Like before, a firm squeeze on the phone’s frame will quick-launch certain apps like the Google Assistant.
Google’s latest flagship also includes features like Now Playing (which tells you which song is playing) or Screen Call (for screening calls).
As for the Galaxy S9, it offers the option of turning yourself into a 3D cartoon-like avatar with AR Emoji. What’s more, the flagship is capable of powering a desktop-like experience through DeX.
Both smartphones include a self-developed virtual assistant, although Samsung’s Bixby is still light-years behind the Google Assistant.
Pricing
Introduced back in February at MWC 2018, the Galaxy S9 is widely available with carriers and several retailers in the US.
Prices for the unlocked Galaxy S9 start at $719.99, but if you plan to acquire the device via a carrier, you might be able to score a deal. For example, at the time of writing, AT&T is offering the phone with a $70 discount (conditions apply).
As for the Pixel 3, you will be able to grab it either from the Google Store or from Verizon. Prices start at $800.
Conclusion
While the Pixel 3 is a bit more expensive, it’s worth considering if you’re craving a solid software experience, the latest updates and great photography. Alternatively, the Galaxy S9 comes with a gorgeous display, it’s available with more storage and also offers a very good camera with some special features like super-slow-motion video shooting.
It happens to all of us. Packing for a trip or for an activity and forgetting that one essential item (or more) you can’t do without.
Well Adero, a new startup from California which rose from the ashes of TrackR has a solution to this widely-spread problem.
The company has developed a unique solution which can turn any bag into a smart bag through a system of Smart Tags and Tagles that are backed-up by a mobile app (compatible with Android 5.1+ and iOS 11+).
Keep track of your essential items, always
Just place a Smart Tag on your bag – it can be a backpack, gym bag or anything you use to carry your items around – to get started. Next, stick Taglets on your essential items. Like for example, your keys, your passport or your phone.
Both Taglets and Smart Tag have adhesive cases that use superior adhesive to stay in place, even as you force your backpack into a crammed trunk, or shove your passport in your bag.
To check if you have everything you need, press the Smart Tag and if it lights up red, you know to check the app and see what items are missing. If it flashes green, it means you’re good to go.
Adero’s system also lets you set up notifications for when you need a specific bag. So if you’re going Monday to the gym, the app will send you a reminder to make sure you have everything you need in the bag and will tell you what’s missing from it too.
The Smart Tag is powered by rechargeable batteries that can last up to two months between charges.
So, interested in keeping tabs on your essential items at all times? If the answer is yes, then you should know the Adero Starter Kit is available for purchase starting today from Adero.com for $119.99. The bundle includes 3 Smart Tags (3 smart tag adhesive cases, 3 keyrings and 3 lanyards), 3 Taglets and 1 Smart Tag Charger.
A Delux Kit with 5 Smart Tags and 9 Taglets will be available soon for $199.99.
Note that all this only works for users who have Chat enabled on their Pixel 3 devices. Otherwise, enhanced messaging will fall back to the standard SMS/MMS.
Unlike other text-based games I have played (like Lifeline), this one consists of a long scroll view with the text written on it. It doesn’t scroll by itself or presents the text in some kind of dialog interface or something similar. The whole game, which is divided in chapters, is a big block of text that you have to read through.
There’s a bookmark feature that replaces the save button, making it more appropriate for a text-based game. However, I found the hard way that this is the only way of saving. There’s no such thing as auto-save.
I don’t know where to start here. The graphics are appalling, there’s no way around it. The interface is horrible, the use of colors is horrible, and the style is horrible. There’s at least four different fonts used throughout the game, if not more. The font for the title of the game is different from the “New Story” label in the Start New Story button, which is already different from the “An Epic Interactive Story” subtitle.
The Pixel 3 has bigger bezels at the top and bottom than the Galaxy S9, although this design choice allows for front-facing speakers to be accommodated.
As for the Pixel 3, it uses a 12.2MP sensor with 1.4-micron pixels and f/1.8 aperture. Google has equipped it with optical and electronic image stabilization too. And with the company’s AI-power image processing on board, the Pixel 3 is capable of delivering some great results. The camera is packed with a series of great features like 
One UI marks a new approach for Samsung, by making it easier to use devices single-handed, helping users focus on one thing at a time, and more.
