Just a little head’s up for those of you who are planning to buy a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL from Best Buy.
Before you do so, you should know that the phones are SIM locked to Verizon. This means the phones need to be activated first at Big Red before you can start using a card from another carrier.
Big Red has confirmed for The Verge that once the Pixel 3 is activated on its network, the device will be automatically unlocked overnight.
That was not the case with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which could be instantly unlocked and compatible with most carriers in the country.
Verizon has recently updated its policy
So why the change? It has to do with Verizon’s new set of rules, which stipulate that any devices purchase after October 8 will be SIM-locked to the carrier. And it’s not just the Pixel 3 getting this treatment, but all the phones sold by Verizon.
The carrier says it has adopted this new policy as a means to protect itself from theft and fraud.
The Pixel 3 is sold exclusively by Verizon in the US, which means you won’t be able to get it from any other carrier. So if you’re not a Verizon subscriber and don’t have any plans to become one in the near future, what should you do?
Well, you could wait for Google to start selling the unlocked phones via its official Store. The only caveat is you will have to wait until October 23 to do so. There are only four days left until then, so it shouldn’t be such a big problem.
As a quick reminder, if you plan to buy from the Google Store or Best Buy, the Pixel 3 with 64GB of storage will take you back with $799, while the 128GB variant costs $899. The Pixel 3 XL starts at $899 with 64GB of storage, while for the 128GB model you’ll have to shell out $999.
Welcome to In Brief, the AndroidGuys tech briefing. Today is Thursday, October 18th, and we’re taking a look at all the tech news you need to know. In this post, we want you to learn about the news the way you want to learn. We’ve embedded a podcast version of all this news below. If you don’t want to listen, you can read just like you normally would.
In today’s edition, Google brings Digital Wellbeing to Android One, Keep Notes is refreshed, the Misft Vapor 2 is leaked in its entirety, and more.
We’d love feedback on this post, so please let us know what you think in the comments. If we can improve in some way, we’d love to know!
Digital Wellbeing coming to Android One handsets
With the release of Android Pie, Google introduced its new “Digital Wellbeing” initiative, along with an accompanying app. This has been only limited to Pixel devices, but Google is now bringing the app to Android One devices.
The latest update to the app on the Play Store, brings compatibility to Android One handsets. Those compatible devices must be enrolled in the beta program for Wellbeing, along with being updated to Android 9 Pie.
Google has been pretty quiet about whether this app will expand to more Android devices in the future. Until this changes, you’ll have to own a Pixel or Android One device to take advantage.
Google Keep receives Material Design 2 UI Overhaul
After being rebranded to Keep Notes on Android last month, a big UI redesign is now rolling out. Google has been slowly bringing its new Material Theme UI to various applications, and now Keep is joining in the fun.
When compared to the old version, the main background of the app is now white, and the card colors are a bit softer than before. There is also a new sidebar menu which gives you access to Notes, Reminders, Archive, Trash, and more.
The update is rolling out to users now and comes with a version number of 5.0.411.09. Users should be able to download the update in the coming days if it’s not already available.
Misfit Vapor 2 gets shown off ahead of official announcement
We are expecting to see a new fitness tracker from Misfit announced at any moment. It seems that the Vapor 2 has been leaked, revealing its overall design and a few key specs.
The listing reveals that the wearable will include a 5ATM rating, GPS, and heart rate monitor. There will also be two different screen sizes, but there will be a single band width of 20mm.
Pricing for these starts at around $265, but you can opt for a metal-link band for about $290. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that these will include the new Snapdragon 3100 Wear chipset from Qualcomm.
The OnePlus 6T could work with Verizon
The OnePlus 6T is set to be unveiled in less than two weeks and we are continuing to learn more about the device. Previous rumors suggested the OnePlus was working with T-Mobile to provide the first official carrier partnership in the US.
However, the 6T may have another trick up its sleeve as PCMag is reporting that the device could work with Verizon. According to the report, the 6T includes LTE Band 13, which is “critical for good Verizon compatibility”.
Unfortunately, there’s no mention of whether Verizon is working on certifying the device. We’ll learn more in a couple of weeks when OnePlus unveils its more important device ever.
You can now control your Nvidia Shield TV with your Google Home
NVIDIA has announced a new update to the Shield TV which makes it possible to control your device with Google Home. This comes after a recent update which brought Google Assistant support to the Android TV device.
Once the update arrives, you can use your Google Home (or any other Assistant speaker) to perform various actions. These include turning the unit on or off, opening a specific app, adjusting the volume, and even more.
NVIDIA states that the update is starting to roll out today, and will be available on all Shield TV’s within the next month.
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I am not really a fan of the endless genre. For me, they are all designed in a way that spending on microtransactions is the main goal of it, rather than having entertaining gameplay with great design. That’s why when I approached Alto’s Odyssey, I was a bit skeptical. Fortunately, all of my fears weren’t realized, and I ended up enjoying this game much more than I imagined, and I couldn’t put it down for a while.
While the franchise has been around since 2015 (you might have heard about Alto’s Adventure), Alto’s Odyssey was just launched in July for Android devices. Its premise is pretty simple: you control Alto, a sandboarder with superb stamina, across a beautiful, atmospheric desert. There are several structures in the world that you can grind on, such as ropes, balloons (like the one Team Rocket had, just not Meowth-shaped), and more.
Acceleration is done for you automatically, but you can make your character jump by tapping on the screen. Holding it will let you flip your character in order to make backflips. If you do something wrong, like hitting a rock, falling off a cliff, or landing a flip in the wrong way, Alto will not be able to sandboard anymore, which means game over for you.
Tutorial
In order to familiarize yourself with the controls, Alto’s Odyssey offers a nice tutorial. Apart from the basic controls, it also explains stuff like jumps, backflips, and coins. In case you die on the tutorial, Alto will just revive and you will be able to try again. Later in the game, when you get a nicer sandboard, you will get a tutorial again for learning about tricks on walls. It is all pretty easy, although there is no mention of items you can collect throughout the game apart from coins, which are a common thing in games anyways.
Gameplay
In case you have missed it before, Alto’s Odyssey is an endless runner. This means that the game ends when you die. Not before, not after. Recognizing that this kind of game can get boring very fast, Noodlecake Studios has added a vast amount of different components to keep you entertained.
At the most basic level, you have items that you collect during your trips to the desert. These include super coins (a coin that gives you more coins), pots (which normally house even more coins), magnets (which attract nearby coins to you), and flowers (which let you smash rocks). Although nice to have, these don’t have any meaningful impact on the gameplay and, on their own, provide almost no value.
Also, there is the currency component. It is fairly common for games to have some sort of currency that you collect in order to buy enhancements, new items, or progress in some sort of way. Alto’s Odyssey lets you collect coins that are scattered through the world. You can exchange for a handful of items, but they are not essential. This means that they do not hinder your progress, as we have seen in an increasing amount of games in the Play Store.
There are upgrades that let you prolong the effects of magnets and flowers, but you can also buy a radio (which, once bought, gives you “something useful” when you encounter it while sandboarding), a compass (to travel to other biomes), and a wingsuit (to do additional tricks). If you feel like coins are hard to come by, then you can also buy a coin doubler with real cash. You can also pay to remove ads, or get coins outright.
Objectives
As you may have figured, this is not enough to hold a game these days. It may have worked on the days where Temple Run was popular, but we have thankfully grown as a mobile gamer generation. Alto’s Odyssey introduces objectives, which, in my opinion, work in a superb way to increase the enjoyment out of the game. You get three at first, and, when you complete them, you get to the next level and get three new objectives, and so on.
These objectives can vary both in the required action, and in their difficulty. For example, some are very easy, such as “collect a super coin.” Others require you do to a double backflip, which is not as easy as it sounds. Some require you to hover over globes, to jump over them, to travel a certain amount of meters, and everything in between. It is very entertaining to complete these objectives, since it brings some kind of purpose apart from the “travel as far as you can” that endless games normally have.
As a plus, getting to a certain number of levels will grant you a new character to choose from. These characters have different strengths or are able to do different things. For example, there is one that travels faster than others, while other can double jump. This is the kind of progression that is so commonly missing from other games, so it’s nice to see Alto’s Odyssey providing it.
There are a total of 180 objectives to complete, which gives you plenty of stuff to complete and increases its replay value significantly.
Biomes
Even though they are referred to as “levels,” the game itself only changes when you reach a new biome. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a biome is “a major ecological community type.” In this game, a biome is kind of that too, because the environment changes a bit from biome to biome. You start on a plain desert that has few stuff in it, but you can go to ruins, canyons, and temples.
While every world is randomly-generated, this variation in the environments that you find makes the game a lot less monotonous. Also, as previously said, when you reach a certain level, you can purchase a snowboard that lets you slide through walls and jump from one wall to the other, which brings a whole new dimension to the game. This makes it less dependent on sandboarding through the desert only, increasing its fun factor.
Graphics and Sound
There’s no way of talking about Alto’s Odyssey without its graphics. This is, by far, the greatest “feature” of the game. They are not striving for realism, but rather for simplicity and creating an atmosphere. There are time variations, so you will play in every condition from dawn until dusk. The background with the rising sun while the foreground has shadows all over is breathtaking, and really does a lot to set an atmosphere of relaxation and calmness.
All special effects are smooth and details, while not prominent, add a lot to the philosophy. Most of the elements in the game are simple without feeling unpolished. For example, in order to identify walls that can be jumped at, the game adds small dots that do not disturb the design style. Balloons have just enough details to figure that it is a balloon, but nothing more. Flags from ropes are just colored squares, but once you board through them, they fall gracefully to the ground. Nothing tries to be realistic, but everything does its best to immerse you into the experience.
Of course, this could not be done without audio that properly sets the tone. Sound effects and music all work together to complement the atmosphere set by the graphics. Normally, I find that audio in games is just there, either adding just a little bit to the gameplay or not making it worse. This game, however, is one of the few in which the graphics and the sound work together in a superb way towards a common goal.
Zen Mode
If all you want is to relax and sandboard without feeling anxious about objectives and unlocking characters, there is a Zen Mode. Here, Alto cannot die, although you can still screw up, but tapping on the screen will fix that. Also, the game recommends you to play with headphones because the music is incredibly relaxing. This mode highlights the work made by the team in order to portray this game as a relaxing, breathtaking adventure.
Conclusion
Alto’s Odyssey gets elements from the endless genre, but slaps a lot of different mechanics on top to make an enjoyable game. Objectives, new characters, and additional mechanics make this game stray away from the usual get-highest-score-possible business. Even if you are not fully convinced by this, the graphics at least are worth a look. Such an atmospheric game, in which the graphics and the sound blend together to create an astonishing experience, is something that is not commonly seen on the Play Store. Give it a go, you might end up as hooked as I was.
In the brink of my beloved Inbox being taken away by Google, and Newton dying, with Astro on its way out too, it’s time to find a great email app for Android. If you’re unfamiliar about why I would even do this, it’s the same as finding another home launcher. Different features, different looks, different possibilities. One of the only criteria I had for finding an app is the ability to use on different platforms (Android, iOS, macOS, etc.). While features and UI were the next most significant things to monitor.
Google Gmail
The obvious best choice for Android is Gmail. Gmail is pre-installed on nearly every Android phone available, and it handles much more than just your Gmail accounts.
Along with handling different email clients, you can have multiple accounts in one app and enjoy separate or unified inboxes. For those that are going to miss Inbox, Gmail has already started to adopt some of its features. You can smart filter your emails via bundles, use smart replies, and even incorporate Google Calendar and Docs.
The design of Gmail hasn’t changed all that much recently, but it does support Material Design, Google’s design language. Unfortunately, there aren’t many UI options, so no dark mode. With a generally decent UI, Google’s own support, and a host of features, Gmail is hard to beat as your new email app. Plus, it’s free.
Another email app that is synonymous with a client is Outlook. Just like Gmail, Outlook supports way more than just @outlook.com email addresses. Outlook though has the opposite UX path than Gmail. Outlook has a somewhat better design with simpler (read: fewer) features.
At the bottom of the inbox screen, you have three static options: “Inbox,” “Search,” and “Calendar.” This makes it easy to plan out your next meeting or event or find missing emails. You also have tabs at the top for “Focus,” which is basically priority mail, and “Other,” which is the rest. For something that almost ‘just works,’ Outlook would be the perfect choice for you. If you like to tinker with your apps, check elsewhere.
Our last primary option on Android to choose from is Edison Mail. Edison is the first app on this list that doesn’t have a desktop client, in case you were looking for an all in one solution. The UI of Edison is pretty basic, but that allows the app to be a bit faster in performance.
One of Edison’s claim to fame is its one-click unsubscribe feature. This allows you to unsubscribe from annoying spammers quickly. You can also undo send if you have a quick finger. Unfortunately, Edison doesn’t have a big name behind it which can be troublesome for security features or word of mouth.
There are a few alternatives that are available as well if the top 3 don’t meet your fancy. Without getting into each one’s features, I’ll point out their highlight differentiator.
Missive – Allows you to chat with your teams along with interact with multiple emails in one gesture.
Bluemail – Specializes in having smart email notification settings along with focusing on setting individual settings for your various email accounts.
Typeapp – Typeapp comes with the most unique UI design in the list, it also focuses on being people-centric and having smart filtering bundles.
Coming Soon
If you were to be one of those that keep their ears out for upcoming email apps, you’d know there’s always one on the horizon. It has been confirmed from each of their developers that Spark, Pigeon, and Canary mail are coming to Android. Eventually.
These apps currently only reside in iOS and macOS but are compelling apps in their own rights. Stay tuned to see if one of them come to Android and take Gmail’s throne.
Which email app seems to be the best for you? Comment down belong on what app you’ve chosen and why. Until one of the new apps come are finally launched, I’m going to stick with Inbox and Gmail. At least until Inbox is officially put to rest.
I like the ability to customize many options and for them to work cohesively with other apps. By the way, you never really know how many emails you get a day until you test out a new client.
Welcome to In Brief, the AndroidGuys tech briefing. Today is Wednesday, October 17th, and we’re taking a look at all the tech news you need to know. In this post, we want you to learn about the news the way you want to learn. We’ve embedded a podcast version of all this news below. If you don’t want to listen, you can read just like you normally would.
In today’s edition, Spotify launches a new Wear OS app, the Mi Mix 3 could come with 10GB of RAM, and big news out of Essential.
We’d love feedback on this post, so please let us know what you think in the comments. If we can improve in some way, we’d love to know!
Brand new Spotify app coming to Wear OS
Despite its struggles over the last few years, Google is still seemingly committed to Wear OS. Not only is Google still on the horse, but various other services are also dedicated to providing a great wearable experience.
The app will launch later this week, and will make it possible to browse through your favorite content from your wrist. Additionally, Spotify has partnered with Fossil Group to have the new app pre-installed on all Fossil Gen 4 and Michael Kors Access Runway smartwatches.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will have 10GB of RAM
If you thought that we were done seeing new smartphones in 2018, then you would be wrong. Next up on the list will seemingly be the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, which is set to be revealed on October 25th.
The company has started sending out press invitations for the official unveiling. The invite itself doesn’t share too much information, other than the fact that the Mi Mix 3 will be compatible with 5G.
Additionally, there is some information which suggests that there will be a variant launched with 10GB of RAM. This likely won’t be the entry-level version, but that much RAM in a smartphone is absolutely insane.
You can now pre-order the Pocophone F1 in the US from B&H
The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 was introduced back in September and has been one of the most exciting phones of the year. Until now, you had to rely on different websites to have the device imported from China.
It seems that is all about to change as B&H Photo has the handset listed as available for pre-order. However, there are some issues for those that are interested in the Pocophone.
Namely, the carrier support is severely lacking, as there are no major LTE bands included with the device. If you can get past that, or just want a great handset with incredible specs, you can pre-order one for yourself today for just $369.99.
Essential lays off a-third of its staff
After reports surfaced that Essential was working on an “AI-centric” smartphone, those reports now be put to bed. In a statement to Bloomberg, the company confirmed that it has now laid off one-third of its staff.
Those laid off were primarily located in the hardware and sales divisions. In the statement, Essential claimed that they are still working on a new “truly game-changing consumer product”.
Considering that Essential only had a staff of 120 workers, this is a substantial blow. We are hoping to see the company rebound, but it may end up being too little too late.
RED Hydrogen One Specs are leaked ahead of launch
In July of 2017, the RED Hydrogen One was announced, with a unique focus on camera performance. Since then, the company has experienced a few issues, which has caused some delays.
It seems that we are finally nearing the launch as the spec sheet for the device has been leaked. The sheet reveals the Hydrogen One will sport dual 12.3MP rear-mounted sensors along with dual 8.3MP front-facing cameras.
We will also see a rather unique design with front-firing speakers, a huge 4500mAh battery, and more. The only information not shared was the processor, which is believed to be the Snapdragon 835 chipset.
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Do you own at least two Google Home devices? Any combination of Google Home, Home Mini, Home Max, or Home Hub will suffice. Two of one, one each, whatever.
Did you know that you can create a multi-room playback experience where you can play music and other audio across the whole house? You’ve already got everything you need to do so.
One of the best things about Google Home units is that they can work independently as well as together. This is great for when you have music, podcasts, audiobooks, or something else you’d like to listen to around the home.
Let’s say you’re cleaning the house on a Saturday morning and you find yourself going from room to room. The last thing you want to do is pause playback for a few minutes at a time; you want that playlist to pump no matter where you are in the house.
If you own multiple Home devices, you definitely want to set things up so you can create multi-room playback. The next time you throw a party or backyard barbecue you’ll have music everywhere and look like a hero.
Setting this up is as easy as it gets. All you really need to do is open the Google Home and follow a couple of quick steps. Before proceeding, ensure that your audio devices are set up on the same Wi-Fi network and that your phone is connected to it.
In the top right of the menu look for Devices icon to see your available audio devices.
In the top right corner of the audio device, tap the card menu and create a Group
By default the name will be “Home” but you can create anything you’d like by erasing and starting fresh
You’ll see all of the speakers and devices on the same WiFi network as your Google Home. Simply tap the box next to the items you want to add to the group.
After a few moments you’ll see the group as a card in the Home app; you’ll be able to control it via voice or cast to it inside of an app. Note that Chromecast audio devices can be added to a group as well as Google Home speakers.
From here you can simply tell your Google Home, or phone, to play a particular song or playlist on your group.
When you look at the lineup of smartphones, all you are likely to see are glass and metal sandwiches. These look absolutely phenomenal, but aren’t exactly the most rugged options on the market.
It seems that ruggedized phones have taken a back seat from most OEM’s. There are still a few options available, and the Poptel P10 is one of the latest to hit the scene.
Poptel P10 Specs
On the specs-side of things, there’s not really too much to write home about with the Poptel P10. We have a 5.5-inch display with a 2015-sequel resolution of 1280 x 640.
Under the hood, Poptel included the MediaTek Helio P23 chipset combined with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. This is all powered by a respectable 3,600mAh battery that aims to get you through the day.
As for the cameras, again there isn’t much to write home about. There is a single 13MP sensor found on the back, along with an 8MP selfie camera. We’ll touch a bit more on these later, but they are pretty pedestrian for the budget market.
Some of the extras included is the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, and Android 8.1 Oreo. These are all things that we would expect to see from a budget handset, albeit a bit disappointing for the price tag.
Ruggedness
As you can tell from the spec sheet, the Poptel P10 isn’t really designed for spec-heads. Instead, it’s designed to be practically indestructible, regardless of what you throw at it.
The P10 is IP68-rated, which means that the handset is waterproof in up to about 4 feet of water for half an hour. This also means that it is resistant to dust, sand, and just about anything else that would ruin those precious flagships.
In our testing, we had some accidental drops with the P10 and you can’t even tell. The rugged body provides shock-resistance and we didn’t even end up scratching the screen at all. That point alone sold me on someone picking up the device for a little one who needs a smartphone.
Aside from the frame, the body of the handset is also rugged, and sports an interesting texture. This allows for the phone to actually sit nicely in the hand, without feeling like it will slip out at any time.
On another note, it was pretty neat to see the different Torx screws placed around the device. These are not to be unscrewed or tinkered with, but added a nice touch that I didn’t think I would care about.
Performance
Now, it’s all fine and dandy that the P10 can withstand the elements, but how does it perform. In short, surprisingly well. I was heading into this review expecting lagginess and just an overall bad experience.
Removing the “flagship” mindset was tough at first, but once I did that, the P10 was impressive. Sure, we’re not getting Stock Android, but instead, a skinned version from Poptel.
This is adequate and doesn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth, but it’s not a good one either. Regardless, we have seen worse versions of skinned Android on devices that are priced much higher.
You will begin to experience some lag when trying to do any type of intense gaming, but that’s to be expected. If you just want to play some solitaire or other non-graphic-intensive games, then you’ll be just fine. Just don’t expect to be able to play Fortnite on the go with the P10.
On the battery side of things, we would have liked to see more. Sure, the LCD panel doesn’t draw a lot of power, but we didn’t see as much battery life as we expected. This may have something to do with power consumption from the Helio P23, but we would have liked to see Poptel push the limits with a bigger battery.
Finally, it’s important to make note that the P10 will only work GSM networks. So, if you’re on Verizon or Sprint, you’ll be left out to dry.
Camera
I almost skipped this section because of how disappointing it is. But it wouldn’t be a proper AndroidGuys review without at least touching on it.
The cameras will do exactly what you think – Take potato pictures. If you need a work phone that takes pictures of various pieces of equipment, then it’ll work just fine.
However, if you need those high-quality pictures for your job, then you might want to look elsewhere. The P10 will get the job done (see the recurring theme?), but there are definitely noticeable sacrifices.
The camera software itself is actually refreshing to see, as there’s not much going on here. You are greeted with the shutter button and a few different modes, but there’s nothing super-crazy or insane.
Conclusion
All-in-all, the Poptel P10 is just an adequate smartphone with a pretty sweet rugged design. If you need a spare work phone that is able to withstand the elements while providing access to calls, messages, or emails, then you’ve come to the right place. If you are expecting an experience on par with the Moto G lineup, then you might want to take a step back.
Pricing for the Poptel P10 starts at $219.99 and is available in Black, Orange, Navy Blue, Green, and Gray. Currently, the handset is available from our friends over at GearBest and AliExpress and you can get one now.
Let us know what you think about the Poptel P10 and if you will be picking one up!
Smart products are everywhere. Anything that we can add technology to, we usually end up doing. That ranges from everything like lights, fans, and security systems to garage doors, car chargers, and more.
Adding smart technology to otherwise dumb products can be a real game changer. No longer do we have to wonder if that shadowy figure in front of our door is a robber or sweet old grandma. Now we can unlock the front door of our home so we can get in even faster since its pouring down rain. Connected tech, in most instances, makes our lives easier.
But, there’s a different kind of tech being added to products too. It’s tech that keeps us from doing dumb things. You can see traces of this in Google’s new Android 9 Pie operating system. It includes the Digital Wellbeing app that alerts us to how much we’re actually on our phones. Smartwatches and fitness trackers can let us know where we’ve gone or how long we’ve been running, but also when we’re doing too much.
Did you know there’s tech that can keep you from losing your wallet too? If you’ve ever been lucky enough to lose your wallet or have it stolen, you know it can be a serious situation.
So, we went on a search for the best connected wallets. There isn’t a ton out there right now but we feel we’ve brought together three of the best options you can purchase right now.
Ekster Senate and Parliament
Ekster Parliament
The first two wallets we’re taking a look at are both from Ekster, the Senate and Parliament. These two don’t look like traditional wallets, but that’s actually an advantage to some consumers. Sometimes you want something just a little bit different.
Both the Senate and Parliament are a little bit bigger than your standard wallet. While they aren’t as wide, they are taller to account for the card holder inside. This card holder can house up to six cards (three if you have raised print on the cards) or the Trackr, the little device that makes these wallets smart.
Trackr is a third-party company that Ekster teamed up with for these wallets. The Trackr device is about the size of a business card and a few centimeters thick. If features a small window for solar recharging (one charge can last three months) and a small button.
Pressing this button interacts with the Trackr app you can download from the Play Store. If you’re ever missing your phone but have your wallet, a quick press of this button will ring your phone through the app. You can also ring your wallet through the app and set up alerts to tell you when you’ve walked out of range of your wallet. You can turn these off or tell the app to not alert you when connected to your home WiFi network.
This Trackr came in especially handy in a recent situation. I asked my brother to carry the wallet and give me his impressions of it. Due to some poor driving in front of him, he, unfortunately, rear-ended a truck and his phone went flying. He remembered that he could press the button to ring his phone and he found it wedged between seats. It saved the day.
You can see the Trackr poking out of the rear card slot here.
The Trackr app has some other excellent features as well. Of course, you can use it to ring your wallet if you can’t find it. But, it also helps passively find other Trackr devices as well. As I was testing the Senate, I got an alert on my phone that I recently walked passed another Trackr-enabled product that had been lost. The app found the product and alerted its owner with an updated GPS location.
Back to the wallet itself, this is one of the softest leathers I’ve ever felt. I’m not a big leather person, but I never want to put this wallet down because it feels so nice. As you can see in some of the pictures, the brown is wearing rather nicely and should have a nice patina as it gets used more and more.
The biggest difference between the Senate and Parliament is the flap that allows you to store some extra cards. If you want to keep it minimal, you can grab the Senate and just throw your cards in the middle pop-up slot, which is RFID shielded. If you need a bit more, grab the Parliament.
Both wallets have the option for the cash strap that allows you to hold important papers or money. I don’t love having money exposed in this way, but it seems like the best option given the design of the wallets.
Overall, the Ekster Senate and Parliament are not only excellent smart wallets, but they’re also conversation starters. I’ve had multiple people ask me about them as I got out a card to pay. I told them what I’m about to tell you, they’re simply fantastic. Sure, you don’t need a smart wallet, but if you’re as forgetful as I am, I would definitely suggest picking one of these up for the outstanding Trackr support.
If you decide to pick up one of the wallets from Ekster’s site, they’ve provided a discount code for our readers. Just copy and paste androidguys-EKSTER to receive 15% off your order. You can also check out Ekster’s new Kickstarter campaign for its brand new wallet with voice activation tracking!
If you’re looking for something that looks more like a standard wallet, the Nomad Slim Wallet might be for you. There are two big differences between the wallets from Nomad and Ekster; design and tracking.
As we said, the Nomad Slim Wallet looks like a regular wallet. It’s a bi-fold design that features card slots on both sides. One side houses the tracking card and one slot where I keep my license and insurance cards. The other side has four slots for your cards. I’ve found that these are big enough for one card, two if you have something small and laminated. On the back of the wallet is another slot big enough for one more card.
The Nomad also uses different leather than the Ekster wallets. It uses Horween leather that doesn’t feel as soft and is pretty lightweight. Now, don’t take that as a negative because it isn’t. Sure, we love some soft leather, but I have zero doubt how well this wallet will stand up to abuse over time and how long it’ll last. It’s a quality product.
As for tracking, Nomad is teaming up with Tile for the Slim Wallet. Yep, that Tile. Tile has been one of the most popular tracking companies in recent years and makes trackers that you can stick in your bag, on your keyring, or pretty much anywhere else you can think of. This time, it’s stuck in a pocket inside the wallet and you can’t tell it is even there. While the Trackr on the Ekster wallets is tall and a little thick, the Tile tracker is much smaller and feels thinner.
There are some downsides to this though. While you can recharge the Trackr, you can’t with the Tile. Tile says the included tracking device has a year-long battery life and then you’ll need to buy a replacement. Luckily, you get a discount on your replacement.
Tile’s app is fantastic it. You get the features you’d expect like tracking, GPS location, and crowd location, as well as the ability to ring your phone from the tracker and vice versa. I love the layout and how easy it is the navigate. Everything feels intuitive.
Overall, I love the Nomad Slim Wallet. It is a fantastic intersection of classic style with modern technology. If you’re as forgetful as I am, you need a wallet with tracking because you’ll definitely leave it behind at some point. If you’re looking for something that looks traditional but offers fantastic features, the Nomad Slim Wallet is the one for you.
Death. The one thing that none of us can avoid. It’s coming for all of us and it’s the last thing that any of us will do, too. Surely, it is the last thing you really want to think about.
Do you know what else you probably don’t want to think about? What happens with your social media accounts when you pass? Yes, we’re talking about your words, pictures, and legacy.
For many people, social accounts become a place of memorial and remembrance. Visitors often stop by accounts of those who have passed away simply to share a memory or experience. Others use it for grieving or moving on. For whatever reason, your social media account is important, even after you’ve departed.
Facebook is still the largest network on the planet and things don’t look to change anytime soon. As such, the chances are very high that you’re signed up for an account. Whether you use it actively or just for logging into other apps and services, you probably have a Facebook profile. Do you have a Legacy Contact?
What is a Legacy Contact?
Facebook has an option tucked away in its settings which let you decide what happens with your account should you die. Called the Legacy Contact, it’s where you choose a family member or friend who can manage your account when you pass away.
What Can a Legacy Contact Do?
Once someone notifies Facebook that you’ve passed away, it will memorialize the account and the legacy contact can do a number of things. For instance, they might want to write a post at the top of the timeline, update the profile picture, or respond to friend requests.
Another key feature of the legacy contact is the ability to download an archive of photos, posts, and profile information shared on Facebook. There are a lot of options available to the legacy contact, but one thing they cannot do is log on as you or see your private messages.
Ultimately, it’s truly up to you what happens to your Facebook account once you pass away. If you want, you can have Facebook delete your account altogether. But, if you want to create a Legacy Contact, it’s pretty easy to do. We’ll show you how to do it from your mobile app.
How to Create a Legacy Contact for Facebook
In the app, open up the main menu; it looks like three horizontal lines and is in the top right corner.
Under Settings & Privacy, tap on Settings
Under Account Settings, tap on Personal Information
Tap on Manage Account and follow the prompts to activate and add an account.
Should you wish, you can remove the Legacy Contact at a later date. Additionally, you have to remove them if you decide that you would rather have Facebook delete your account.
Boost Mobile recently welcomed its first Android Oreo Go edition smartphone. It’s called the Coolpad Illumina and obviously, it’s a low-end smartphone which you can pick up for $39.99 (plus tax) for a limited time.
Once the promo period expires, the phone will take you back with $79.99, which is still pretty affordable.
Anyway, in case you don’t know Android Go is a special version of Android designed to bring smooth experience on entry-level smartphones that have low amounts of RAM and storage. The end result is a top-notch user experience on a very affordable Android phone like the Coolpad Illumina.
The Coolpad Illumina is the latest entry to the Android Go family
The handset offers the bare essentials including a 5-inch display, probably with 720p resolution, although Boost Mobile’s website doesn’t make any mention of this aspect. The phone is based on a quad-core Snapdragon 210 processor, backed up by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. There’s also a microSD card slot on board for memory expansion of up to 32GB.
The cameras on board the Coolpad Illumina are quite primitive. Users will get a 5MP rear camera and a measly 2MP front camera. But at least you’ll be able to snap a picture or two if you really have to.
Rounding up this affordable package is a 2,150 mAh battery, which according to Boost Mobile can provide users with up to 16 hours of talk time.
Sure, the Coolpad Illumina is no Huawei Mate 20 Pro when it comes to specs or looks, but most people out there don’t need a fancy device like that anyway.
If you want to get the smartphone for the promotional price tag of $39.99 we suggest you hurry up. Boost Mobile doesn’t say for how long you can grab the deal, so it might expire any minute now.
To help users get out the most of their new smartphone, Boost Mobile is also offering a limited time deal for those who switch from another carrier. Until November 15, customers can get four lines of unlimited data, talk and text for only $25/per line/month.
In order to familiarize yourself with the controls, Alto’s Odyssey offers a nice tutorial. Apart from the basic controls, it also explains stuff like jumps, backflips, and coins. In case you die on the tutorial, Alto will just revive and you will be able to try again. Later in the game, when you get a nicer sandboard, you will get a tutorial again for learning about tricks on walls. It is all pretty easy, although there is no mention of items you can collect throughout the game apart from coins, which are a common thing in games anyways.
Even though they are referred to as “levels,” the game itself only changes when you reach a new biome. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a biome is “a major ecological community type.” In this game, a biome is kind of that too, because the environment changes a bit from biome to biome. You start on a plain desert that has few stuff in it, but you can go to ruins, canyons, and temples.
