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Fossil Q Control review

AndroidGuys
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Think back a few years to when Android Wear was introduced and how many thought that Google had tapped into something extremely special. Having all but pulled the plug on its Google Glass endeavor, Android Wear seemed much more practical and beneficial.

As much as we didn’t picture ourselves wearing Glass, or having this little screen hovering right outside of our eye, we were intrigued. There truly was something interesting and intriguing about it — regardless of how dumb we might have looked.

Android Wear was going to fix that. We would go back to wearing watches again, relying on them for not only the time, but notifications, tracking, and so many other things. Right? Yeah, right.

Fitbit, Jawbone, and Pebble notwithstanding, the first few years and iterations of smartwatches were exciting and full of promise. We had companies like Motorola, LG, Samsung, and Huawei getting into wearables.

Android had already conquered the smartphone space on the backs of these brands; it made sense that the same would be replicated on the wrist. And, really, why buy an activity tracker when there was something much smarter to consider?

Today that landscape is entirely different. Pretty much all of those phone companies have gone stopped working on wearables with some deciding to go after VR and AR instead. But, despite that, Google has continued to refine and rebrand its wearable OS.

Known now as Wear OS, it’s the platform of choice for smartwatch makers. The problem? That list of watch manufacturers has evolved and is now largely comprised of traditional companies like Fossil, Casio, Movado, and TAG Heuer.

Somewhere along the line tech brands stopped caring so much about watches. At the same time, your favorite watchmakers got smarter and began tapping into Wear OS.

One wearable brand we’ve reviewed a few times here is Fossil. Historically, we’ve found the watches to be among the best in the space, largely because of the hardware and materials. Today finds us looking at one of its newest models, the Q Control.

Fossil Q Control

The Fossil Q Control is one of the first models under the brand to focus more on the sporty side of things. Whereas the company’s umbrella covers the likes of Kate Spade, Diesel, and Michael Kors, the main brand has been more traditional in its approach. To be more specific, it tends to focus on leather and premium bands with fashion-focused designs.

The Q Control looks unlike most of the Fossil stuff you’ve seen over the years. At first blush it reminds us of something that Samsung might produce. The black on black is not all that exciting but it’s not meant to be. This is the sort of watch you want if you’re looking to track your activities and/or live a more active lifestyle.

The Q Control also calls to mind the Misfit Vapor, another brand under the Fossil line. In fact, there’s a lot of crossover between the two models with both offering the same tracking features.

Design

The review unit we received was all black, however there is also a rose gold version offered, too. Both have a 45mm case which comes in at 14mm thick. Water resistant up to 50 meters, you can certainly take it for a swim or keep it on in the shower.

With interchangeable 20mm straps, you can change up the look of the watch by simply sliding a pin on the back of the band. Heading out to a formal event or night on the town? You can go from sporty and uninspired to eye catching inside of a few seconds.

As we see it, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the design of the Q Control. Our main complaint, at least with the black, is that it’s pretty uninspiring. The side edge of the face is more of a brushed nickel than black but it’s dark and semi-stylish nonetheless. Fossil calls it “Gunmetal” and it’s comprised of stainless steel. With the right band we could see this being a very attractive unit.

The display is a 1.39-inch circle with 450×450 pixel resolution and it offers up a bright, rich image. The blacks are deep and dark thanks the OLED screen, but the color can sometimes feel a little oversaturated. On the other hand, it’s better than having a watch that makes you squint or causes you to cover it from light.

We applaud Fossil for giving us a full circle here as the flat tire seems to be a thing of the past. That wasn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world, but we appreciate that a circular display is a full circle again.

As far as other physical characteristics go, there’s one button to the side of the screen and a heart rate monitor on the back. The included silicone bands are very soft and flexible, making for a comfortable wearing experience. The face feels somewhat heavy upon first wearing it, but we got used to it fairly quick.

We’ve had watches, especially those in the “active” market, which employ generic materials in the band. Moreover, we’ve seen our share of bands which cause minor skin irritation, or feel generally stiff. This is not the case here as the out-of-box Q Control experience is a pleasure to wear.

Hardware

Internally, the watch houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor with 768MB RAM and 4GB storage. If you want to add your own music, and somehow still have MP3 files to do so, there’s room here.

Noticeably absent from the Q Control are LTE radios and NFC connectivity. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of owning a watch with either of those, you know how convenient it can be. But, LTE is not a necessity and NFC (Google Pay, for instance) is more want than need. There’s also no GPS inside, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

There’s a microphone located on the left edge of the display which allows for voice commands and usage. Want to trigger or use Google Assistant? Talk to the hand because the face ain’t… Well, talk to the hand. It works, and it’s really nice to have when your phone is tucked away.

Software

In terms of software, the Wear OS has grown over the years and feels a little bit more natural and intuitive with each iteration. The Q Control comes with standard fare of apps and features including reminders, weather, and translate. Indeed, there are also plenty of watch faces to be found with many of them offering further personalization.

Although Wear OS has grown in the four years since it launched as Android Wear, there’s still something in it that sometimes feels like a hacked-on software experience. It’s nowhere near what it was in the first few years, but we’re occasionally reminded that the hardware and software come from two different places.

As a “sports watch” the Q Control does an okay job. It’s certainly not going to be in direct competition with any Garmin or high end Fitbit, but it’s an excellent everyday unit.

If you’re just starting to get more active and want some help with accountability and tracking, this is a great option. However, if you’ve come to rely on GPS and a more standalone experience, you’ll find this one lacking.

If you’re interested in tracking walks, runs, or bike rides, you’ll need to rely on your phone for the GPS side of things. This isn’t always convenient, especially if you’re pushing for personal bests or looking to improve on times. Do you want to wear a phone on your arm or hold one in your hand?

Checking your heart rate isn’t quite as simple as it sounds as there’s not really an always-on way to simply glance at it. You’ll have to go through the app to pull it up and even then your rate could have changed a fair amount in that time.

Want to track calories or measure steps and distance? Google Fit handles that for you but it’s something that you’ll be manually working with instead of passively reading. Unlike, say, a Fitbit Ionic, you aren’t going to glance at your wrist and see all of that stuff updated on a regular basis.

Swimming is another area where you might encounter a wonky experience. Out of the box there’s nothing here that makes it easy to track your swims. However, an app like MySwimPro is available, but it looks to be geared toward serious swimmers.

As a whole, the aforementioned things are what cause us to remember that one company is creating software that is designed to work on a variety of devices. The common denominator approach is okay, but it’s certainly not optimal. This is where a Garmin, Misfit, or Fitbit rises above — at least when it comes to sports and activities.

Battery & Charging

The Q Control will get you through a day of usage without any issue. Much longer than that, though, and you’ll be reaching for a charger. Unlike less “smart” watches, you will want to plug this one it at night.

The charging mechanism is similar to what we’ve seen before from Fossil and other players. It amounts to a USB cord with a magnetic platter. There are three pins on the “dock” which line up to the back of the watch. There’s a noticeable vibration and animation to signal that charging is underway.

Conclusion

It’s hard to fault Fossil for anything here as it’s not necessarily their sole responsibility to create a smooth and intuitive user experience. This is a watchmaker first, and one that didn’t rely on any software in the past. It surely doesn’t need to be “smart” to stay in its current line of work. The shortcomings we experienced fell at Google’s feet.

Wear OS is the best that’s available to them and it’s good stuff to be sure. We like having all of the features available within a literal arm’s length, whether with or without a phone. Maybe what the platform needs is a whole litany of features and options that watchmakers can enable or disable based on hardware.

There’s something really great about how cohesive the experience is on a Pixel phone. Given Google is directly responsible for how the hardware works with its software, it makes sense. We’d love to see a Pixel-like watch from Google but as of today that doesn’t seem to be on the horizon. Until then, we‘ll (hopefully) continue to get various watch manufacturers employing the ever-evolving Wear OS.

If it sounds like we hate the software experience, we don’t. In fact, it grows on us more with each update. Further, we root for it and hope that Google is able to deliver something that works for watches in the same way that Android does for phones.

Could the Q Control stand to include GPS, LTE, and/or NFC? Sure, but that comes with a cost. As of today you can purchase the watch for less than $200 from Fossil. This is a good price point for smart wearables designed for the everyday user. Much more and you’ll start looking at dedicated stuff like a Garmin.

Interestingly, and oddly, enough, the Q Control launched with a $275 price tag. That’s way too much for our liking given the overall package. We would have knocked $50 off the wearable before we’d consider it. Where it is today is the right pricing.

Each time we’ve taken a look at Fossil we come away impressed with the overall package. And, each time we’re reminded as to how handy and helpful Android Wear/Wear OS can be on a daily basis. Unfortunately, once we stop wearing them for a bit of time we don’t exactly miss it. The longer we’re away from one, the less enthusiastic we find ourselves at considering the next one.

We have enjoyed our time with the Fossil Q Control to be sure; however, we don’t know that we’ll miss it when we send it back. It’s a solid buy for the money, and well built, but it’s not the cohesive sports tracker and standalone watch that we’d like to see. We understand keeping the cost down and respect that this sits where it is — yet there’s just something lacking.

When it comes to all-around tracking of activities and life, we love Fitbit. Its software experience, and hardware, is among the best you’ll find and there’s a whole array of offerings at different prices. Why does it work so well? Likely because it keeps everything under one roof. If only that were the case here.

When you start to get into $200 or so, and look at what you want versus what you need, then an educated buyer does his or her homework. Our advice, look around, find out exactly what you plan to do or how you want to use a smartwatch, and then narrow your decision.

If, when you’re done whittling down a list of potential sport and fitness watches, you have various Wear OS models to choose from, definitely consider the Fossil Q Control. Other than that, it’s hard for us to fast-track this one to the top of a pile of contenders.

Whitestone Dome glass screen protector for Galaxy Note 9 review

AndroidGuys
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Last week we uploaded our Galaxy Note 9 review and had some overall positive words to say about the device. Such a device is an investment though, and with phones rising in price, you should protect them. That’s where Whitestone Dome arrives. They have, over the past few years, created the best, tempered-glass screen protectors especially for phones with curved displays.

The reason Whitestone Dome’s tempered glass protectors are better than others is in part due to the installation process. They use a process called curing, which uses a UV light to dry solution under the glass. In this process, the adhesive thoroughly covers the display instead of just the corners or sides, like other protectors. Also included in their process in an installation tray, and other accessories to make it virtually impossible to screw applying the screen. The total process takes about 30 minutes, but I assure you, it’s worth it.

There is a little thickness to your Note 9 after you install the screen, not too much to disturb any case. Also, there may be a slight smell for a few hours afterward due to the curing process. Now though, your phone’s display is protected against scratches and impact. Note that glass is still glass and it can still break. You still need to keep your phone in safe conditions, or you’ll have to implement Whitestone Dome’s lifetime warranty process.

With the Whitestone Dome screen protector, you near-$1000 phone now has a great chance of keeping its display in perfect condition. The Note 9 is a great device and keeping it looking good should be something you’d want to do with it. For all this easy and worthwhile protection, Whitestone Dome’s screen protector is $45 for a 1-pack, $60 for a 2-pack. You can get them on Amazon via the link below.

Let us know how you’re liking your protected Galaxy Note 9, and your general thoughts on the phone as well.

Amazon: Whitestone Dome Glass Galaxy Note 9 (1-pack)

Amazon: Whitestone Dome Glass Galaxy Note 9 (2-pack)

The Best Unlocked Phones you can buy today

Andrew Myrick
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It’s all fine and dandy to be able to walk into a store and pick out the best smartphone available. What’s not as easy is what to do if you don’t want a phone from a carrier or someone like Samsung.

Well, we’re here to help as we have compiled a list of the best “unlocked” phones you can buy today. Just a reminder, all of these are devices that are not available in from your carrier of choice.

Best Overall

Our Pick: OnePlus 6

OnePlus continues to deliver flagship devices at unbelievable prices. The OnePlus 6 starts off at $529 and offers excellent specs, build quality, and a second-to-none software experience.

The OnePlus 6 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The octa-core chip is clocked at 2.8 GHz and is fast as hell. Backing up the SoC is either 6 or 8 GB of RAM and 64, 128, or 256 GB of storage. While there’s no expandable storage here, OnePlus offers a ton of storage standard and it’s only about $50 to purchase a model with higher capacity.

Read more: OnePlus 6 review: The best value smartphone of 2018

On the back of the phone, we find a dual 16 + 20 MP camera setup. Both of the sensors have a f/1.7 aperture, while the main sensor has both EIS and OIS for extra stability. The front-facing camera is a 16 MP f/2.0 sensor that promises excellent selfies.

One of the biggest changes for OnePlus is going to a glass back. Previous iterations normally had metal backs, but this year we’re seeing a gorgeous black or white glass that gives the OP6 an even more premium look.

Unfortunately, we still don’t have wireless charging, but OnePlus does include its excellent DASH charging that promises a day’s worth of battery in just an hour of charging.

OnePlus 6 purchase links: OnePlus | Amazon

The runners-up

Huawei P20 Pro

Despite not being readily available here in the States, Huawei has created another head-turner with the P20 Pro. The handset sports a unique design, along with some powerful specs.

On the front, there is a 6.1-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2240 x 1080. This may seem like a bit of a bummer, but opting for the FHD display definitely helps with battery life.

We would also be remiss if we failed to mention the notch found at the top, which houses the front-facing cameras. However, Huawei has included a way for users to hide the notch through the software.

Under the hood, the P20 Pro is packing just a little bit of heat (/s). Powering this beast is the Kirin 970 chipset, with a total of 8 cores. This has been combined with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.

As for the cameras, the front of the P20 Pro sport a single 24MP lens with a f/2.0 aperture. On the rear, we have an 8MP telephoto lens, 20MP monochrome sensor, and a 40MP RGB sensor with a f/1.8 aperture.

All of this combines for an extremely appealing package for just about anyone interested. Since you can’t just walk into Best Buy and pick one of these up, you’ll have to resort to online ordering.

Huawei P20 Pro purchase links: Amazon | Swappa | eBay

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

The days of Sony providing a real presence in the US are long gone (if they ever were really relevant). Instead, the company has focused on providing its new flagships to other regions of the world.

Sony’s latest offering, the Xperia XZ2 Premium, is what the company thinks a flagship smartphone in 2018 should be. The handset launched earlier this year and sports a new, curved, design compared to previous iterations.

Under the hood, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which has become the standard. Additionally, there are 6GB of RAM and 64GB of base storage, which can be expanded.

On the front, Sony has packed a gorgeous 5.8-inch 4K display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. More importantly, there are no notches to be found here.

As for the cameras, there is a single 13MP front-facing sensor. On the rear, there is a primary 19MP sensor and a secondary 12MP lens.

All of this has been packaged into a rather interesting, yet gorgeous, design. However, you’ll have to swallow the pill of paying $999 outright for this one.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium purchase links: Amazon | Focus | Best Buy

Best Under $500

Our Pick: Honor View 10

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor released one of the best phones of the year in the Honor View 10 (also called the Honor V10 in some markets). The $499 device combines high-end specs, simple yet elegant design, and a great camera to offer great value to customers.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Honor View 10 is the display. The display itself won’t blow anyone away, but Honor somehow managed to get a 6-inch 18:9 display on the device and keep the front-facing fingerprint scanner too. The button sits just below the screen and can also go back and open the multitasking menu via swipes and taps. We’ve seen this tech in phones from Motorola, but never on a phone with this aspect ratio.

Just because you’re spending a little bit less on a device doesn’t mean you should miss out on the best processor available. Honor included the Hisilicon Kirin 970 chip, Huawei’s in-house flagship processor, in the Honor View 10. The chip also includes a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that helps the phone process AI-related tasks. Not bad for $500.

Read more: Honor View 10 Review: The budget flagship king?

Not only do you get a great processor, but the rest of the specs are impressive too. There’s 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage standard. A 3750 mAh battery keeps the show running all day, and a dual 16 MP + 20 MP camera provides great pictures even in low light.

So, what’s the biggest problem with the Honor View 10? Availability. Right now it’s next to impossible to get the phone in the United States without importing it. The best you can do is finding a unit on third-party sites like eBay or AliExpress. Honor says the View 10 is launching “this year” in the US, but we don’t have any specifics yet.

Honor View 10 purchase links: eBay | GearBest | AliExpress

Runner-up: Huawei Mate 10 Pro

Despite the controversy that surrounds the company, Huawei churns out great devices every year. This year is no different with the Mate 10 Pro. The device is Huawei’s best phone ever and offers customers blistering speed, fantastic looks, and quality build quality.

Like most flagships released in 2017, Huawei opted for a glass and metal sandwich for the Mate 10 Pro. This gives the device an ultra-premium feel in the hand. When you pick it up, you instantly remember why you dropped $800 on the device. It feels like something that would cost that much.

Read more: Huawei Mate 10 Pro review

Between the glass on the front and back of the device sits an absolutely gigantic battery. The battery measures in at 4,000 mAh making it one of the largest on the market today. It tops battery champs like the Pixel 2 XL and OnePlus 6, equaled only by the Razer Phone and Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Combining that big of a battery with strong background restrictions in software means that the Mate 10 Pro ranks near the top of the charts in battery life.

The Mate 10 Pro ships with the Kirin 970 chips that boasts enhanced A.I. capabilities. What exactly does that mean? Huawei says that the chip has an on-board NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that allows it to process A.I.-related tasks faster than ever. This lets the Mate 10 Pro provide contextually aware smart tips, offer better noise cancelation in calls, and scene recognition in the camera application. This is one seriously smart phone.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro purchase links: Amazon | Best Buy

Best Under $300

Our Pick: Moto G6

Motorola is back with another installment in its fabulous G lineup and we’re in love. While it doesn’t quite have the specs of the Pocophone F1, it does have more than adequate specs for the price.

Inside the device, we find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage standard. The plentiful RAM stands out to us as most flagships have the same amount of RAM but cost far, far more that the $250 Moto G6. We also love the 64 GB of internal storage that can easily be expanded via micro SD card.

Read more: Moto G6 vs Moto G5, worth the upgrade?

Motorola decided to class its G lineup a bit and use some more premium materials. Both the front and the back of the G6 are coated in Gorilla Glass. The back looks and feels outstanding and reminds us of phones that cost far, far more.

But, one of the big draws of picking up a Motorola device has always been its adherence to stock Android. The Moto G6 is no different. It comes with a clean build of Android Oreo with a few smart additions thrown in by Motorola.

This phone is fast, clean, and fun to use and you can pick one up by clicking one of the links below.

Motorola Moto G6 purchase links: Amazon | Motorola | Verizon Wireless | Best Buy

Runners-up

Nokia 6.1

Although owned by HMD Global, the Nokia brand is making a rather surprising return to stardom. Instead of trying to take down the flagship brands, Nokia is focusing on the budget market.

The “new” Nokia 6.1 features a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. No notch can be found here, as you’ll be looking at the Nokia 6.1 Plus if you want to be special.

The Snapdragon 630 chipset acts as the brains of the operation, which works with up to 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of storage. This can be expanded to up to 256GB with the help of a microSD card.

On the front, there is a serviceable 8MP selfie camera capable of taking 1080p videos at 30fps. Moving to the rear, there’s a single 16MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash.

The more intriguing aspect of the Nokia 6.1 is the fact that it runs Android One. This provides a near-stock experience without dealing with any extra bloatware, which is something that should be coming to more handsets

Nokia 6.1 purchase links: Amazon | Best Buy | B&H Photo

Huawei Mate SE

Huawei might have suffered some setbacks recently with the Mate 10 Pro, but it hasn’t stopped the China-based company from selling its phones in the US. One of the most compelling devices it offers is the $230 Mate SE.

The Mate SE features some high-end features like a 1080p 18:9 display, a dual rear camera setup, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage.

The display is a 5.93-inch 1080p panel that reaches from edge to edge. You’ll have to get out your microscope to find the bezels here (okay, maybe we’re exaggerating a bit) and it makes the phone feel all that more premium. When you combine the power-efficient 1080p display with the generous 3,340 mAh battery, you’re in for some amazing battery life too!

Read more: Huawei Mate SE review

The standard loadout for most flagship phones in 2017 and early 2018 has been 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. That’s pretty generous and leads to some happy customers. But, Huawei went one step further and included these specs on the budget Mate SE. Not only do you get a ton of RAM and storage, but there’s a micro SD card slot to boot so you can add even more storage.

All-in-all, the Huawei Mate SE is one of, if not the best, cheap phone on the market today.

Huawei Mate SE purchase links: Amazon | B&H Photo | Walmart

Buying on a tight budget? Here’s what your carrier has for under $200

AndroidGuys
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Are you on the hunt for a new smartphone but don’t have much money to spend? Like, seriously, your budget is $200 or less.

Maybe you need a new phone to replace something in a pinch. Or, perhaps you’re picking out a first handset for your child or parent. Whatever the reason, sometimes you have needs and don’t have much disposable income.

Not to worry, there’s plenty to choose from out there. While we often look to unlocked phones for flexibility and selection, you’ll find that your current wireless provider has options, too.

We’ve been keeping an eye on all of the phones offered across the big four carriers, sorting and curating. What follows are models sold by Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Each costs less than $200 in total.

SEE ALSO: The best budget Android phones you can buy

If you have to stay with your current provider because of grandfathered rate plan, or are considering a new carrier, these are the cheapest routes.

Some of the phones listed below are offered across different carriers; we’ve highlighted a few of them, listing key specifications.

Motorola Moto E5 Play

The E5 Play follows the same design language set forth by its predecessors and goes with the same approach internally, too. In essence, look for a utilitarian phone with capable specs, and not much else.

READ: Moto E5 Play review

In terms of hardware, the Moto E5 Play packs a 5.2-inch 1,280-by-720 IPS panel, a quad-core processor (1.4GHz), and 16GB storage. Additionally, it offers up a microSD expansion card slot for external storage of media; a 2,800mAh battery powers the show.

As for cameras, this one has an 8-megapixel shooter on the back with a 5-megapixel sensor on the front. Taken as a whole, there’s nothing too fancy, to be sure.

Despite not being a “rugged” phone, the Moto E5 Play does have a water-repellent coating and can handle life’s spills and accidents.

Verizon

AT&T

LG K30

A no-frills phone offered through at least three of the carriers listed here, the LG K30 gives users a 5.3-inch display at 1280x 720 pixel resolution.

Powered by a quad-core processor at 1.4GHz, the phone packs 32GB worth of storage space and a 2,880mAh battery.

As for cameras, the LG handset includes a 13-megapixel shooter on the back with a 5-megapixel sensor around front. Decked in metal and glass, the K30 also has a fingerprint reader, fast charging capability, and VoLTE support.

T-Mobile

Sprint

Samsung now offers three new pairs of AKG wireless earphones in the US

Alexandra Arici
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Last Friday, Samsung announced that the Galaxy A6 and Galaxy Tab A 10.5 are coming to the US. Actually, they just went on sale today.

Well, today the Korean tech giant is launching three pairs of new wireless headphones by AKG in the States. Pricing starts at $99.95 for the most lower-end model called the Y100.

These are in-ear headphones and Samsung says they are capable of bringing crisp, clean sound regardless of whether you’re at home or in a crowded place. The Y100 include a feature called Ambient Aware which allows users to control their surrounding sound with a simple tap.

Y100

The Y100 come with an estimated battery life of up to 8 hours. They are available in Pink, Green, Blue and Black.

The high-end model brings studio-quality audio

Next, Samsung also offers the Y500 which are a bit more advanced at $149.95. The on-ear headphones feature what AKG calls Multi-point Connectivity. This will allow users to pair two Bluetooth devices at the same time.

What’s more, the Y500 have a play/pause automation feature embedded so the headphones will stop playing when taken off the ear and resume once they have been placed back. Samsung says the Y500 should be able to offer a battery life of 33 hours. Get them in Black, Blue, Green or Pink.

Y500

Last but not least, Samsung offers the N700NC for more demanding users. These over-ear headphones are capable of delivering studio-quality sound thanks to features like Adaptive Noise Cancellation.

This allows users to control how much background noise they want to let in. The N700NC’s battery life has been rated at up to 20 hours on a single charge. Samsung is selling these premium headphones for $349.95. They are only available in Silver.

AKG N700NC

Interested in Samsung’s new audio accessories? Well starting today you’ll be able to order the Y500 and Y100 at AKG.com, Amazon, Samsung.com, Sprint and US Cellular. The premium N700NC will go on sale later this year through AKG.com, Amazon and Samsung.

America’s four top carriers team up for Project Verify in an effort to eliminate app passwords

Alexandra Arici
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Keep forgetting your passwords to all your different accounts? Today we use so many different apps on our smartphones. And they each require us to log in with an account. But having so many different ones will eventually leave you frustrated as you struggle to remember password after password.

US carriers are well aware of this fact, so they have joined forces to create a solution. America’s biggest wireless providers – Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint – have teamed to launch a single sign-on service for smartphone users. The service is called Project Verify and was created to automatically authenticate any apps that require logins. Which means users will no longer have to type in a unique password.

US carriers are seeking to make passwords obsolete

Project Verify takes advantage of a multi-factor solution that analyzes things like IP addresses and SIM card details to verify a user. The entire system is designed to be harder to crack by hackers.

Users will need to manually authorize an app to use Project Verify in order to to be authenticated. Although for the time being, it doesn’t look like any apps support Project Verify. This will, of course, change soon.

While there’s an obvious advantage to this new service, the fact that you won’t have to remember complicated passwords anymore, there are also some concerns. Having Project Verify enabled on your phone could potentially mean anyone who had access to your phone could easily also login into your apps too. However, this issue could be addressed simply by installing a PIN or other biometric data for protection.

Even so, if someone stole your device or somehow managed to guess/crack your PIN, they could end up doing a lot of damage.

Nevertheless, the initiative does appear to have some potential, and we’re curious to find out more details about how the system works and which apps will be compatible with Project Verify.

What is 5G?

AndroidGuys
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One of the most critical commodities in today’s world is the internet. Not just any internet either, but a fast and stable internet. Nowadays, we don’t only have to power our phones and computers, but also vehicles, smart home accessories, and more. This power of 4G is currently powering this connectivity, and it has been and will continue to be great.

Now, however, companies are looking forward to the next generation of wireless connectivity, 5G.

Even though 4G has not reached its final maturity and is still not available everywhere, companies are testing 5G. Being the 5th generation, it should help bridge this new family of internet-connected devices. These devices include smartwatches, smart home tech, cars, and the ever incoming wave of technological equipment.

5G focuses on the inter-connectivity of several different genres of technology, while 4G concentrated on the mobile internet, and 3G on simple mobile data.

Benefits

Besides improving interconnectivity between different types of devices, there are several other benefits of having 5G over its predecessors. We’re looking at even faster upload and download speeds, decreased latency, and more bandwidth. Naturally, what this equates to is better performance, better efficiency, and possible lesser cost (after a while).

With a stable and mature 5G connection, we’d be able to download a full length, high-quality movies in seconds. People would be able to stream sporting events from various angles with a little-to-no delay from the real world action. Gamers could play with no lag. The job market would be more stable (in jobs that require even a little reliance on the internet) and our Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices would perform even better.

These benefits would affect not only general consumers and population but also businesses. Businesses that rely upon any internet connection (read: most places) could perform more efficiently. Also, communications between companies would be more stable as well, so b2b marketing has the potential to boom.

Time Span

One of the next questions many have concerning 5G is its prospective time span. Even though 4G coverage hasn’t wholly eclipsed 3G, 5G will be coming soon. Several mobile companies have started rolling out infrastructure and started test the new generation. Companies as big as Verizon, AT&T, and Telstra already have trials cities up and running, but you won’t have a device able to utilize the connections just yet.

Devices are said to start rolling out with the necessary 5G capable hardware in 2019. The services, though, won’t be more widely available until near-2020. Even then, just like with older generations, it’ll take time for the service to roll out in multiple areas, mainly rural areas. That said, 5G will be worth the wait. Due to its more software nature than hardware, it’ll also be more accessible to upgrade after its initial rollout.

Cost

Lastly, one of the other major concerns about any new network is its cost. (Maybe) Fortunately, 5G has yet to come with a price tag. One of the plans with this generation is to have it cost less (per unit of measure) than 4G. Having a less expensive network would help with a speedier widespread rollout and adoption rate. A lower cost could also help on a smaller scale by allowing mobile carriers to continue to offer unlimited data.

All in all, 5G will be a welcome upgrade to today’s mobile network situation. Nearly everyone loves having a fast and stable connection, and getting the next billion users and devices connected is essential. The future, with its blazing fast internet, is coming soon, and hopefully, 5G will be the technology to bring us into the next era. For now, go back to tweeting and downloading that hot gif on your paltry 4G LTE service.

Why monday.com is the universal team management tool for your team

AndroidGuys
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Every project management tool seeks to do the same instrumental thing: keep teams connected, on task and on deadline to get major initiatives done. But the market is getting pretty crowded, and for good reason — no platform seems to have gotten the right feel for what people need to see, and how that information should be displayed so that it’s both actionable/relevant, and contextualized.

That’s why monday.com is worth a shot. The platform is based off a simple, but powerful idea: that as humans, we like to feel like we’re contributing to part of a greater/effort good — an idea that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle as we focus on the details of getting stuff done. So projects are put onto a task board (think of it like a digital whiteboard), where everyone can have the same level of visibility into anyone else who’s contributing set of tasks.

That transparency breaks down the silos between teams that cause communication errors and costly project mistakes — and it’s a beautiful, simple way to connect people to the processes that drive forward big business initiatives.

Whether you’re part of a tech-forward team or not, monday.com is a welcome relief to cumbersome Excel files, messy (physical) whiteboards, or meetings that waste time when actual work could be completed.

The scalable, intuitive structure can effectively work for a team of two, or an international team of 2,000+ — and a beautiful, color-coded board lays out tasks you can cleanly see and tag for various stages of completion. That way, employees can see exactly what needs to be done (and who needs to do it), while managers can optimize their time re-allocating resources as necessary to optimize processes. It’s a win-win.

monday.com also allows teams to communicate within the platform, cutting down on the amount of laborious sifting through various email threads to figure out a workflow. Messages can be sent inside of tasks — so all the communication is contextualized before meeting resolution or seeking it.

The platform also supports uploads, so documents and videos can be added to facilitate more collaboration, and integration with other productivity apps. So, if your team is already using tools like Slack, Google Calendar, Dropbox, Microsoft Excel, Trello, and Jira, there’s specific, clean shortcuts to integrate the information from those platforms into monday.com.

And even beyond team communication and management, you can use monday.com for client-facing exchanges, so all your messages are consolidated into a single place.

The platform recently raised $50M in funding, and received nods from the likes of Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and more for its ability to empower international teams to do better work together. Best of all, unlike other team management software, which can be pricey and time-intensive to scope, test and run, you can try monday.com today — for free.

Don’t just take our word for it; the tool is already being used by major brands and companies, including McDonalds, Fiverr, Philips, DHL, Discovery Channel, and more!

See if monday.com is the right fit for your team: create your free account and start using the platform today.

Motorola Moto E5 Play review

AndroidGuys
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For more than a couple of years now, Motorola’s E series of phones has delivered entry-level, straightforward phones for users who don’t demand a lot of their device. It makes sense that they do so well in developing and emerging markets; it’s all that you need with just a little extra left over.

As a no-frills line of handsets, the Moto E is solid, budget-friendly, and offers up an excellent first phone experience. The 2018 model, the E5 is more of the same. We’ve spent time with an E5 Play and are happy to share our impressions.

If you’ve ever had the chance to use a Moto E phone, you know that’s it not an overly sexy device. Simple in design and straightforward in its approach, it’s what we would call an “everyman” phone. That’s the same for the Moto E5 Play.

Design and Features

The E5 Play follows the same design language set forth by its predecessors and goes with the same approach internally, too. In essence, look for a utilitarian phone with capable specs, and not much else.

In terms of hardware, the Moto E5 Play packs a 5.2-inch 1,280-by-720 IPS panel, a quad-core processor (1.4GHz), and 16GB storage. Additionally, it offers up a microSD expansion card slot for external storage of media; a 2,800mAh battery powers the show.

As for cameras, this one has an 8-megapixel shooter on the back with a 5-megapixel sensor on the front. Taken as a whole, there’s nothing too fancy, to be sure.

Despite not being a “rugged” phone, the Moto E5 Play does have a water-repellent coating and can handle life’s spills and accidents.

You’ll find the volume and power buttons on the right side of the phone with a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top edge. A microUSB charging port is located along the bottom; the rear cover removes to access the SIM and microSD slots.

It’s worth noting that while the Verizon model comes with a fingerprint reader on the rear, not all versions are the same across carriers. At last check, the Boost Mobile and Cricket Wireless models do not include the sensor.

Where we do find the Moto E5 to be really interesting, though, comes in the supported network bands. And, while our particular review unit is offered through Verizon and its prepaid line, it supports LTE bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/25/26/29/30/38/41/66. In other words, that’s pretty much anyone you’ll encounter carrier-wise.

Staying with networks, you can purchase the Moto E5 Play through the following providers as of today: Verizon, Cricket, Boost Mobile, T-Mobile, Sprint, Virgin Mobile, and Xfinity. Color options vary but you’ll find it in Black, Dark Lake, and Flash Gray.

Performance & Impressions

In our testing of the phone we found this to be about the baseline for an acceptable smartphone experience. It’s somewhat frustrating to go directly from a flagship to something like this as the differences in hardware are glaringly obvious. With that in mind, we expect that more casual users, or those who don’t replace their phones all that often would complain much.

Powered by Android 8.0 Oreo, the Moto E5 Play has but a smattering of extra touches. Motorola, as always does a fantastic job of keep the platform pretty much untouched. There’s nothing added to the user interface, meaning it’s basically what Google envisions for its software experience.

Viewing angles are good for the Moto E5 Play and the picture is decent enough for our tastes. Because of its resolution it’s not the sort of phone you’ll want to put in a VR headset.

We did find the phone to feel larger than the 5.2-inch display, at least physically in hand. There’s more bezel around the screen than you’ll find in other phones, but that is a trade-off we’re okay with considering the price. The top and bottom edges could shrink somewhat, though, if we’re being totally honest.

When it comes to taking pictures, the Moto E5 Play delivers passable results. Images look good on the phone and when viewed over social media but close inspection reveals fine details are lacking at times. Lower light conditions seem to impact things more than we expected. Pictures taken in cloudy or rainy days were dull and uninspired and not simply because of the subject and environment.

The front-facing camera is alright but nothing spectacular. If selfies are super important, or if you spend a lot of time video chatting with others, you might want to temper your expectations.

The Moto E5 won’t win any benchmark awards. It also won’t take first prize in a beauty contest. Do we care? Not really. It’s all about practicality at this level. You’re not buying this phone because you expect to get a tier-one experience for less than a night on the town. No, you’re buying it because you need a phone or are just starting out with your first one.

With prices that range from around $40-$100 at different outlets, it’s a terrific pickup for the money. And, when you understand that it can go with you from carrier to carrier, that peace of mind is worth it alone. Hell, assuming you opt for something more expensive later on, we’d suggest keeping this one for backup purposes or travel.

If you’re going camping for the weekend, headed to an amusement park for the day, or spending a few weeks abroad, the Moto E5 Play does the trick. In all of those instances you are not going to spend a ton of time using the phone. What’s the point in buying an expensive phone for those purposes? Moreover, why take the risk in losing or damaging one?

We like that the Moto E5 Play is paired with a variety of prepaid carriers. It’s the perfect demographic for it here in the US. Many of those user types are lesser demanding and the price point is right in line with its hardware.

Admittedly, battery life could be better. The phone’s 2,800mAh is touted as being “all-day” but that’s stretching things a bit. With that said, you don’t exactly have to keep a charger on you at all times. And, even when you are charging, it’s super fast (10W) and you’re back up and running before you know it.

In our testing we found it to last plenty long enough for our liking just so much as we plugged it when driving and didn’t pass up any opportunity to charge during meals. If you have a charger at work, you may really only need it once every so often.

Software

While the overall Android experience is excellent in 8.0 Oreo, and Motorola’s extra gestures and enhancements are minimal, we can’t say the same for the installed apps. There’s plenty of carrier-branded influence here, at least on our Verizon review unit.

Among other titles, we found ours to have Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Solitair, Slotomania, Word Blitz, Yahoo Mail, Wish, and Weatherbug. This was in addition to the Verizon stuff. Fortunately, we were able to uninstall these non-essential titles.

We noticed that there was approximately 40% worth of storage space already spoken for so definitely look for a microSD expansion card. A few apps and games later and you’re sitting on the down side of the hill. That’s not even counting the pics and videos you’re likely to take.

We recommend at least trying out some of the Motorola gestures and functionality. A lot of them provide a bit of handiness and practicality. And, really, we miss them when they’re not activated or enabled.

Conclusions

Regardless of where you buy it, the Moto E5 Play makes for a solid all-around value. It’s everything you need in a device (web, social media, email, and messaging) with just a little bit left over.

There’s nothing overly sexy about the phone but we appreciate having the 3.5mm headphone jack, fingerprint sensor, and microSD card. It runs a very modern version of Android and the custom Motorola touches are essentially opt-in. We might like to remove some of the Verizon branded stuff but that ought not reflect on what Motorola’s done here.

For a first time smartphone user, less demanding consumer, or someone who might need a phone in a pinch, the Moto E5 Play is a great bargain. If your phone use is a mix of want and need, you may wish to look elsewhere.

The tech and apps you need for hurricane season

Jason England
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Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural disasters that wreak havoc for miles upon miles. It leaves in its wake flooding, millions of dollars worth of property damage, and of course power outages.

Currently, the US is bracing for what looks to be a very active hurricane season beginning with Florence; this one looks to be a massive storm unlike one we’ve ever experienced on the East coast in recent memory.

Whether you’re bracing for a direct hit from a hurricane or you’re simply near the path, you need to be prepared. If you haven’t already, check the National Hurricane Center on how to prepare for the storm.

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Be Prepared

If you’re wondering what tech and apps can help you through the hurricane then that’s what we’re here for. Before we start with what items you need to pick up you should think about what you already own.

After a hurricane comes through causing flooding or other damage you’re going to be dealing with insurance companies. To make this process go more smoothly it helps to have pictures of all of your big-ticket items.

Make sure to take photos of the inside of your home, including serial numbers of some of your larger purchases such as TVs, laptops, and more. While you’re at it, don’t forget to sync these photos to the cloud service like Google Photos for example.

Weather Radio

A weather radio is essential in times like these. If cell coverage is taken out then you’ll be glad you have one of these to hear weather reports. With this weather radio from Esky, you get everything you need in an emergency situation. It is compact, lightweight, brightly colored, has AM/FM/NOAA radio, includes a flashlight, and can even charge your phone. There are also three handy ways to power it through solar, batteries, or a dynamo crank.

Buy from Amazon Buy from Newegg

Check below for some alternatives that you can try picking up locally from Best Buy and Walmart.

Midland – Weather Alert Radio Midland ER210 Weather Alert Radio

Stay Powered Up

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the path or just near it, power outages are an inevitability. That means you’re gonna need other sources of power. Especially to keep your lifeline to the world powered up because it’s never more important to keep your phone from dying than in an emergency situation. Luckily power banks are an easy and portable way to do just this. Below are a few good choices to choose from.

Amazon

Best Buy

Walmart

Another great option to have is a power bank that can jump-start your car. If you’re evacuating then you don’t want to get stuck with a car that won’t start or stuck behind someone who can’t start their car. This one from iClever has served me well over the past year and even comes with a flashlight built in.

Buy from Amazon

Check below for some alternatives that you can try picking up locally from Best Buy and Walmart.

Shop Best Buy Shop Walmart

Solar Chargers

In a situation where you can be days or even weeks without power having a solar charger can be a lifesaver. These tiny panels won’t be super efficient and are only helpful if the sun is out to directly hit them. Still, it is better than no power at all.

Check below for some alternatives that you can try picking up locally from Best Buy and Walmart.

Shop Best Buy Shop Walmart

Lighting

Storms can hit at any time, including night time and there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a storm with no light. Not only that but the resulting power outages will leave you without light as well. For that reason, it is very important to have some flashlights and lanterns to use during or after the storm.

Check below for some alternatives that you can try picking up locally from Best Buy and Walmart.

Shop Best Buy Shop Walmart

Waterproof Phone Case

While it’s true many flagship phones these days are waterproof, it’s not foolproof or perfect by any means. They also weren’t tested against storm surge or murky flood waters full of chemicals and other garbage.

A phone is one item you don’t want dying on you in the middle of a natural disaster. It’s better to be safe than sorry and get some sort of protection against the elements for one of your most important devices. This JOTO case comes highly rated and works for all phones up to 6 inches in length.

Buy from Amazon

Check below for some alternatives that you can try picking up locally from Best Buy and Walmart.

Shop Best Buy Shop Walmart

Important Apps

Another reason you’ll be glad you kept your phone charged up is for all the useful and vital information you can get using it. When a storm is coming that could threaten your life or your family is when you’ll be wanting to stay as up to date as possible with the latest news. Here are some apps to help you out.

Notifying Friends and Loved Ones

Whether you’re in the storm yourself or you have loved ones in the path you’re going to want to know if they are safe. It is important to know that during an emergency situation such as a natural disaster, cell towers can be damaged or clogged with calls. The best way to keep in contact is through text messages which have a higher likelihood of getting through.

Another useful tool for updating your friends and loved ones is through Facebook Safety Check. This is a feature Facebook enables during national disasters and other emergencies that allows you inform your friends and family quickly and easily that you’re safe.

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