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Six things we like about the Honor 10

Alexandra Arici
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The iPhone X-inspired notch based design has become quite a hit with Android phone makers. And the latest to join the pack is Honor with its new Honor 10 which launches globally today.

Packing flagship-like specs and design, the Honor 10 will be sold for a mid-range price, which is a big part of its appeal. First revealed in China last month, the device will go on sale today in Europe for €399 / $473 and up. There’s no word on US pricing on availability just yet.

Although given that some Honor smartphones launched stateside, there’s a chance tht the Honor 10 might land on the North American market at some point in time.

But why should you consider buying the Honor 10 in the first place? Well in what follows we are going to highlight the things we believe make the phone standout.

Gorgeous chameleonic design

When you look at the Honor 10, you can’t help notice there’s a striking Huawei P20 resemblance. You have the colorful glass back, complete with the stunning gradient color options and of course, the notch. The display cutout smiles at onlookers from the top of a 5.84-inch LCD screen with 2280 x 1080 resolution.

The most striking Honor 10 versions are the Phantom Blue and Phantom Green versions, as they benefit from the company’s so-called “color radiance” Aurora Glass coating technology.

Made from fifteen different layers of glass with a nano-scale optical coating, the Blue version shows shades of blue and purple depending on how the light hits it. While the Green model flaunts blue and green hues reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis. Honor will also offer two additional variants in Midnight Black and Glacier Gray, which aren’t as distinctive looking.

Under-glass ultrasonic fingerprint reader

The phone is the first from Honor to include an under-the-glass fingerprint reader. According to the company, the sensor is hidden under the display in order to keep the design clean.

The main advantage here is that the Qualcomm-made biometric authentication system should work perfectly even when wet or greasy.

AI-camera features galore

The Honor 10 relies on the flagship Kirin 970 chip and also includes a neural processing unit (NPU). This means the device packs some AI-related features with the camera being the main beneficiary.

According to Honor, the phone uses a NPU-powered semantic image segmentation technique to deliver better image quality. What this system does is identify all the subjects and objects by their outlines in a single shot. So the Honor 10 will be able to take multiple subjects into account when taking a photo and apply local optimizations on the image.

Just like the P20, the phone is also smart enough to be able to recognize different scenes and use the best settings to shot it. It has a library of 22 scenes including blue sky, texture of grass and more.

On the front sits a 24-megapixel selfie camera with portrait mode, complete with a studio lighting system which that replicates what we’ve seen on the P20 Pro. Thanks to the AI tech on board, Honor also promises the secondary camera will offer better face detection in the image gallery, as well as an advanced self-timer.

Powerful configuration

Albeit sporting a wallet-friendly configuration, the Honor 10 offers includes lots of RAM and storage.

The base model will ship out with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, the same as the Galaxy S9. Honor will also offer an option with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There’s no microSD card slot available.

3.5mm headphone jack

Unlike the Huawei P20 with which it resembles so much, the Honor 10 retains the 3.5 mm headphone jack. So rejoice, you’ll be able to use your old, favorite headphones with this stunner.

Last but not least…

Price

How could we forget the price? The phone will go on sale today for €399.99 / $473 for the 64GB option and €449.99 / $532 for the 128GB version.

Yet it remains to be seen whether the Honor 10 will be able to eclipse the competition, including the OnePlus 6, which is expected to launch tomorrow. Although it certainly appears to have the potential to do so.

Nine features we love from Android 9 Pie

Jason England
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Android 9 Pie has just officially been served to us with a new look and new features. For those lucky enough to have a Pixel or Essential phone you’re already running it. While many of us will still be waiting to enjoy our Android Pie ala mode in the future. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the features that make Android 9 Pie so delicious.

Adaptive Battery

First and foremost is adaptive battery. One of the biggest complaints and headaches with your phone is running out of juice. Android Pie takes care of this for you with their new artificial intelligence learning algorithms. Android takes a look at what apps you use, how often you use them, and when. With this information, it can adjust what apps use your power and when, providing you more battery life to get through the day.

Enhanced Notifications

Beginning with Android P, your notifications just got supercharged. In the past, you were able to send replies but now you’ll have the option of smart replies. That means less typing for you and a quicker way to deal with your notifications. Even better, you will be able to see previews of photos sent in the notification as well.

More info on your lock screen

Your lock screen and always on display just got more useful. Android Pie will now show your weather and calendar events. The most exciting part for me is that I won’t even have to turn on my display to see my upcoming events or weather. I’ll simply have to glance at the always on display and move along with my day.

App Actions

App Actions put Google’s AI front and center with the software trying to predict what you need to save you time. For instance, when you’re getting ready to leave for work in the morning quick shortcuts to Google Maps and your music app would appear up top.

Another example would be when you connect headphones and a shortcut for the last playlist you listened to would appear. Over time the AI should get to know you better helping you launch what you want faster and easier.

Adaptive Brightness

Meet your new intelligent adaptive brightness. Sure we are all used to our brightness adjusting automatically to our surroundings. We are also accustomed to setting our own threshold to our own personal tastes. These abilities are still here in Android Pie. However, it will now learn our preferences and adjust on its own based on these preferences.

More Privacy

Beginning in Android Pie when an app is idle or running in the background Android will restrict access to sensors such as the microphone, camera, and more. If the app requires this permission to run then there will be a persistent notification always shown. Making sure you know what apps are listening to you at all times. One of the best ways to know you are secure is through transparency and Pie is serving us a big helping of that.

Redesigned Volume Controls

The volume controls and the way they function were redesigned in Android Pie. The controls have been changed to a vertical orientation and moved to the edge with the volume rocker. Not only is this easier to adjust one handed but it makes more sense with it closer to the physical buttons. Another change is by default it will control your media volume. No more trying to adjust the media volume only to have it adjust your ringtone or some other random volume level.

New Overview Menu

 

The new overview menu where you view your recently used applications has gotten a serious overhaul. Instead of the old Rolodex view where you vertically scroll through your apps, it has gone horizontal.

Now you see a full preview of your app and you use the scrubber on the bottom to move through them. The full view of the app also comes with new features such as the ability to copy and paste text from the overview menu itself.

Digital Wellbeing

Unlike many of the other features, Digital Wellbeing was not a part of the Android P preview program. Instead, it was launched in beta form along with the official release of Android Pie. Digital Wellbeing looks to help you take control of your digital life and the time you spend on your phone.

Think of it as something similar to counting calories or wearing a fitness tracker. Once you start seeing those calories add up or realize how stationary you’ve been, it motivates you to make a change.

With Digital Wellbeing tracking your phone usage you’ll be more likely to cut back the time spent on your phone or on certain apps. Just like a fitness tracker, you can set goals or limits on apps and it will remind you when you’ve reached that limit.

Whether or not this will actually cause you to make a change is yet to be seen and it’s currently in beta for Pixel users only at the moment. Regardless, given the right tools and determination, anyone can make a change.

Fossil unveils next-gen of Wear OS smartwatches with NFC, heart-rate tracking and more

Alexandra Arici
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Fossil is among the few brands out there that fully dedicates itself to smartwatches. The company offers something suited for every taste and is regularly updating its portfolio of devices.

Case in point, this week Fossil unveiled a new line-up of Wear OS devices. The new Q family represents the fourth-generation of smartwatches launched by the company.

While the new smartwatches do bring a series of new technologies onboard, they are still based on the Snapdragon 2100 platform. Which was introduced back in 2016.

Back in May, we reported that Qualcomm has started working on new chipsets for Wear OS smartwatches. These processors will come to replace the current generation of wearables chips and will be available this fall.

These chips are apparently going to be designed from the group up and will allow manufacturers to build smaller watches with better battery life.

Should you buy a new smartwatch now?

So you might want to consider waiting a few months before your next smartwatch purchase. But if you need one now, Fossil’s updated Q line is already available for purchase on the company’s website.

The new family will include the Fossil Q Venture HR and Fossil Q Explorist HR, two models which have been designed to offer a holistic experience via a new set of features.

This includes heart-rate tracking, NFC (for Google Pay), untethered GPS and a swim-proof functionality. Fossil has also made some important battery optimizations so that new Q smartwatches can be charged within an hour and last all day long (up to 24 hours). The new models are compatible with smartphones running iOS 9.3+ and Android 4.4+.

The company says it will offer more than 36 exclusive dials. On top of that, users will be able to use a growing number of third-party apps on their devices like social photo apps.

The new smartwatch range will be available with interchangeable straps and bracelets soon. Pricing will vary between $255 and $275.

Android 9 Pie just dropped and you can already install it on your Essential Phone

Jason England
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Android 9 Pie finally got its name, it’s rolling out to Pixel phones, and the factory images are up. Usually, this is only exciting for owners of Google phones.

This time things are a little different if you’re the proud owner of the Essential Phone. Almost immediately Essential announced the Android Pie update would be available for their phone.

 

This is pretty exciting news as in the past if you didn’t have a Google phone you could be waiting months to get the update. Gone are the days of the latest Android update dropping and the long sigh as we all wait for our phone maker to push it out.

Essential continues to be super fast when it comes to updates

What makes this even more impressive is Essential canceled their next phone and have been rumored to be up for sale, which is quite regretful. To say the least. Yet, they were still able to come out of the gate with the latest Android update the same day as the Pixel phones. This beats out Motorola, OnePlus, LG, and by a wide margin Samsung.

Of course, project Treble has a lot to do with this but that doesn’t take anything away from Essential. Their team has always made speedy updates a priority. Even now as their future seems unclear and the Essential can be bought at bargain prices, their commitment to the phone has never waivered and should be commended.

The Essential Phone came out last year sporting a 5.71-inch display with 1321 x 2560 pixel resolution and a tiny notch on top. The phone is powered by last year’s flagship processor, the Snapdragon 835 and offers the services of 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

So if you are among those who purchase an Essential Phone, you can go ahead and try Android 9 Pie on your device. That’s pretty existing!

How to install Android Pie 9 on your Pixel

Jason England
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Google has officially unleashed Android 9 Pie with all of its sweet new goodies. For us Android geeks, that means it’s a busy day of frantically hitting the update button or taking things into our own hands. If you’re looking to get Google’s latest sweet treat on your Pixel phone then keep reading as we go through your options.

Downloading the OTA

This is by far the simplest and easiest way to get Android Pie running on your device. If you were already running the Android P beta on your Pixel then you’re almost there. Start by going into System, System Update, and Check for update. That’s it, you’re done, easy peasy.

If you are currently running Oreo on your Pixel device then you’ll have to do one extra step. In this case, head over to the Android beta portal, sign into your Google account, and then opt-in to the beta program. After completing this step you’ll have to update your phone as stated above until you’re on the final version of Android Pie.

Manually flashing the OTA or full system image

Some people like a challenge or maybe you’re just impatient, and we couldn’t blame you. For that reason, you might want to take matters into your own hands and flash the update manually.

Before we get started it is important to note if you aren’t familiar with ADB or comfortable using the command line this could damage your phone. For those of you with previous experience or willing to take the risk, please read on.

ADB and Unlocking

To start off you’re going to need the Android SDK for your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. If you need any help you can follow this tutorial. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Android SDK, you’ll need to locate the ADB and fastboot files in the platform-tools folder. Next, you’re going to need to enable developer options and unlock your bootloader.

To do this follow these steps.

  1. Open the settings menu and scroll down to About Phone.
  2. Locate the build number and tap on it 7 times until you get the message, You are now a developer!
  3. Back out of this menu and there should now be a new entry in the settings for Developer options.
  4. Enter into Developer options and enable USB debugging.
  5. Plug your device into your computer and accept the prompt when asked to allow USB debugging. You can also choose to allow this from now on to skip this prompt in the future.

Next, we need to unlock your bootloader. You can do this manually on the phone but since we already have the phone connected to the computer let’s do it with an ADB command. First, you’ll need to open the command prompt and navigate to the platform-tools folder. Then you’ll need to open your command prompt in this folder and enter these commands.

Warning this will wipe your device

Remember after you complete this process your device will be fully wiped including all of your files. You must back up anything you want to save before beginning. 

adb devices

This should return a string of characters if your phone is connected and detected. If so, then you can continue with the next commands. If it does not then try unplugging your phone and plugging it back in and repeating the command.

adb reboot bootloader

The phone will reboot and don’t worry that’s what we wanted to happen. Afterward, you’ll be in the bootloader menu and you should see your phone is locked unless it has previously been unlocked. If it says unlocked you’re good to go but if not you’ll need to enter this command to unlock it.

fastboot flashing unlock

Make sure to confirm it by using the volume keys to highlight yes and pressing the power button. Now the bootloader will reboot again and before moving onto the next step you’ll need to enter this command.

fastboot reboot

Flashing the images with flash all

Now that you’ve made it this far you’re almost done. In order to complete the process, you’ll need to download the full Android 9 Pie image for your device or the OTA image. After the download is complete you’ll need something to extract those files, we recommend 7-Zip. You should be all prepared to follow the next and final set of steps to get Android Pie on your device.

  1. Return to your terminal window and enter the command fastboot devices this should return a string of characters like earlier and confirms your phone is connected.
  2. Extract the Android Pie image you downloaded. It should be a .tgz file and will leave you with a .tar file. Now extract the .tar file into the platform-tools folder where ADB and fastboot reside.
  3. The folder should now have several new files including a flash-all.bat for Windows users and flash-all.sh for Linux users. All you have to do now is double click one of these depending on your OS and sit back and wait.
  4. This should take a while so please do not disconnect your phone until it has completed installation. Once your phone reboots you can unplug it from the computer and enjoy.

Flashing the images through ADB

  1. Begin in the bootloader menu of your phone where we unlocked your device. From here you want to enter the command fastboot devices to make sure you are connected. As long as it returns a string of characters you are good to go.
  2. Next, you will flash the bootloader with this command fastboot flash bootloader [name of bootloader file].img
  3. After this process has completed in the terminal window you will need to reboot your bootloader again with fastboot reboot-bootloader
  4. Now time to flash the updated radios with this command fastboot flash radio [radio file name].img
  5. Reboot the bootloader again using fastboot reboot-bootloader
  6. Finally, we can flash the system image fastboot flash -w [image filename].zip

The installation process will take a while and the first time it boots up will take longer than usual. Don’t panic, just let it do its thing and sooner or later you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of all your labor.

What is Digital Wellbeing in Android Pie and how to sign up for it

Andrew Myrick
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Earlier today, Google surprised everyone and released the final version of Android 9.0 Pie. While there are plenty of changes under the hood, there are a few extra features included too.

One such feature is Digital Wellbeing, which was introduced at Google I/O 2018. The company hopes this new feature will allow users to put down their devices and focus on life.

In another surprising move, Google is actually rolling Digital Wellbeing as a beta feature. This means that it is not automatically built into 9.0, instead, users have to opt-in.

What is Digital Wellbeing

But what is the purpose of this feature? Is it worth it in the long run? Or is this just another gimmick being offered.

Before being able to determine whether this will actually be useful, let’s take a look at what is being offered. There are three primary categories:

  • App Timer
  • Do Not Disturb
  • Wind Down

Holding all of this information is the Dashboard, which shows a breakdown of exactly how you are using your device. This information includes a nice little pie chart, showing the apps that you have used the most.

Below the chart, Dashboard shares how many times you have unlocked your device, along with the number of notifications. Further down the list, there are various sections to help find “Ways to disconnect”.

App Timer

App Timer Digital Wellbeing Android Pie

The first option we are looking at is the App Timer found in the Digital Wellbeing section. This will allow you to set limits to how long an application can be used.

As you approach the end of the timer, a notification will appear revealing how much time is left. Once the timer is up, the app icon will be greyed out, hopefully curbing your desire to open the app.

Of course, you can just bypass this timer, and continue using the app regardless. However, Google is hoping that App Timers will help keep you on your p’s and q’s and out of time-wasting apps.

Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb Digital Wellbeing Android Pie

Obviously, DND has been around on Android for quite some time. But, Google has brought a few new enhancements with the help of Digital Wellbeing.

In previous iterations of Android, Do Not Disturb mode would only silence sounds and vibrations of notifications. With Digital Wellbeing in Android Pie, any visuals attached to those notifications will also cease.

This means that your screen won’t light up at an inopportune time to distract you from your current task. But once DND is turned off, everything will go back to normal, opening the floodgate of notifications.

Wind Down

Wind Down Digital Wellbeing Android Pie

The final addition to Digital Wellbeing is Wind Down mode and is pretty self-explanatory. It’s no secret that quite a large number of folks use their phones while in bed.

However, this has been found to not be very helpful and can interrupt your sleep cycles due to the blue light from the display. Wind Down aims to change this by automatically enabling Night Light, Do Not Disturb, and switching the screen to grayscale.

After Wind Down has been set up for the first time, the change in the display will remind you to step away and get some sleep.

How to sign up for Digital Wellbeing?

As we mentioned previously, this new feature is not automatically built into Android 9.0 Pie. Instead, interested parties have to opt into the beta program, and you can do so via the button below.

Once you have registered, Google will send you an email confirming that you want to use Digital Wellbeing. From there, a new settings panel will appear, making it possible to access everything you want to.

The important thing to remember here is that you won’t have to download a separate file or anything. Instead, Google will just automatically add it to your device, so you can just start messing around with everything.

Sign up for Digital Wellbeing!

Fracter review: Are you afraid of the dark?

Jason England
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Fracter has been described as a mash-up between Limbo and Monument Valley, two extremely popular and beautiful games. When your game is in the company of those two you’re off to a good start. With the use of a dark eerie geometric world, it is no surprise it has drawn comparisons to these two games. However, can Fracter live up to acclaim that both Limbo and Monument Valley have garnered? That’s what I set out to discover.

Story

Fracter’s story revolves around a girl trapped in a world of darkness looking to reunite herself with the light within. It is filled with metaphors such as “The Maze is empty, the only monsters you find are the ones you bring”. It is lines like this which elevates the gameplay from just a puzzler to something more deep and meaningful. You aren’t just chasing after something or collecting items. Instead, you are trying to put yourself back together and root out the darkness that is within.

Fracter

Gameplay

You begin Fracter as a girl exploring a dark room with a mirror. After looking at yourself, many light versions escape running off leaving you weak. The only way to regain your inner light is to enter the different doors and locate all of your missing pieces.

Behind every door is a pitch black maze filled with winding paths, puzzles, and shadowy beings that attack you on sight. It is your task to wander these mazes without detection solving puzzles to open new paths in order to reunite yourself with your light counterparts.

Similar to Monument Valley there are no special powers or jumping involved. You traverse the shadows alone with only an orb of light above your head to light the way. Not only does it light the way, but when it begins to pulse you can tap on it for a tip, usually about how to solve the current puzzle.

The puzzles consist mainly of towers of light that must be rotated or bent with mirrors to activate cubes, blocks that must be moved, and rotating platforms. These start out very simple in the beginning to teach you the mechanics and become more challenging later when they are combined together.

The puzzles themselves aren’t extremely difficult but become more challenging due to the darkness, your limited field of view, and dark beings lurking through the levels. You have no attacks or special abilities to kill these beings. Instead, your first option is to creep behind them or hide to escape being detected. Your other option is to use light as either a force field or to trigger it once they are in its path to kill them.

Fracter

If you are unlucky enough to be discovered these dark beings pounce on you so quickly it is often impossible to avoid. Be careful to step lightly as you explore and to learn their patterns as they patrol to evade being noticed. However, if you are captured don’t worry because you won’t have start from the beginning or lose any of your fractured pieces. You’ll simply respawn somewhere nearby.

Sound

An important aspect which cannot be overlooked in games such as Fracter is the sound design. The ethereal soundtrack helps immerse you in this gloomy world they have created. Combined with the sound effects from your footsteps, moving pieces during puzzles, and warnings of shadowy beings closeby and sound becomes an important detail in this game.

Most games that make such extensive use of sound suggest wearing headphones while playing but Fracter does not. I highly recommend it though as it really amplifies the immersion in the game.

Controls

To guide your way through the maze and around obstacles Fracter makes use of a virtual joystick. You’re given the option of a static position in the bottom left corner, hold to move, or a floating joystick.

Fracter

I preferred the static joystick to keep things consistent but the floating joystick that appears wherever you place your finger is a great option. Outside of the joystick, you’ll also find yourself tapping and turning columns of light to help solve puzzles as you go along.

Conclusion

Fracter has successfully combined the dark mysterious feel of Limbo with the geometric world design and puzzles of Monument Valley creating something unique in the process. The absence of light along with the limited view keeps you on your toes while exploring and makes the puzzles more challenging. Thanks to the wonderful sound design you feel immersed enough in the game to make your heartbeat race when you come across beings lurking throughout.

My only criticism would be that the levels get a little long in the tooth as you progress. This leads to you wandering around lost in darkness more when I’d rather be solving puzzles. However, this is part of the maze aspect of the game and I just happen to prefer solving puzzles over mazes.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the game and if you’d like to give Fracter a try as well it’ll set you back $3.99 in the Play Store. If you find that to be a little expensive, I’d suggest adding it to your wishlist and watching for a sale because it is certainly worth a playthrough.

T-Mobile Essential plan debuts with unlimited basics

AndroidGuys
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For those of you who don’t care about traveling outside of the US, or using mobile hotspots, consider T-Mobile’s latest rate plan, T-Mobile Essentials. Set to commence on August 10, the provider’s new ‘Essential’ offering is an unlimited plan with no frills.

Pricing starts at just $60 per month for the first line, provided you are set up on the automatic bill payment. A second line runs $30 per month; lines 3-6 cost just $15 per month.

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Nine features and settings every Google Home user needs to know

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For the money, customers will get unlimited talk, text, and high speed data. It doesn’t come with Netflix, mobile hotspots, or any international features, so that’s what keeps the cost down.

As T-Mobile sees it, not all of its users need the frills and benefits of its One or One Plus plans. To that end, the new Essentials offering should suffice. Video streams are capped at 480p, or what’s commonly referred to as “DVD quality”.

The T-Mobile Essentials plan comes with unlimited mobile hotspot data at 3G speeds. For $10/month, subscribers can purchase 10GB of high-speed 4G LTE mobile hotspot data.

Customers who do not opt into the Autopay automatic option will pay $5 per line, per month.

The best cases for the Moto Z3 Play

Alexandra Arici
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0

Have you just acquired a new Moto Z3 Play or are you planning to get one? Well, then maybe you should also consider getting a case that offers comprehensive protection for your device.

You have plenty of options when it comes to getting a case for your Moto Z3 Play. This way you will ensure the phone’s big screen won’t get scratched, as well as keep the back of the device protected and clean. Plus, with a good case, the phone’s camera won’t stick out anymore.

So below we’ve rounded up some of the best for the Moto Z3 Play that could be worthy of your attention.

Moto Mod Style Shells

Price: $14.99

Obviously, we’re going to start with the official accessories. The Style Shells use the same magnetic pins as the Moto Mods to snap into place. While the Shells don’t offer side protection for the Moto Z3 Play, they will the phone’s glass back safe.

Right now you can get your own Style Shell for $14.99. You can pick between Herringbone Nylon or Crimson Ballistic Nylon.

Buy Moto Mod Style Shells

LK Clear Gel Case

Price: $8

Some cases make your phone look bulkier. Or they simply hide the design of the phone. Well, you won’t have to worry about that with the LK Clear Gel Case which is slim and see-through.

The case is made of TPU, a soft material that is very easy to grip and is shock-absorbent. And rest assured, it won’t create nasty bubbles on the back thanks to the micro-dot pattern on the inside. However, while the case has all the correct cutouts, it does cover the Moto Mod’s magnetic connector.

Buy LK Clear Gel Case

Venoro Armor Rugged Case

Price: $8.89

Well if you’re the type who needs rugged protection for their phone, then the Venero Armor case might be for you.

The accessory has tactile buttons and all the right cutouts with raised lips to protect the camera and display. What’s more, the case doubles as a kickstand, so you can enjoy your device hands-free. Interested parties can get the accessory in various colors including Red, Purple, Blue or Camouflage.

Buy Venoro Armor Rugged Case

Poetic Karbon Shield Case

Price: $9.95

Poetic, an accessory-maker which is slowly gaining popularity these days, is also offering a case for the Moto Z3 Play. Their product is made of TPU and offers great protection for any kind of shock. It also has a nice design with carbon fiber texture and ultra slim fit.

Buy Poetic Karbon Shield Case

Incipio Interchangeable back plate

Price: $14.99

The Incipio offering is mainly looking to satisfy the needs of those who want to customize their device. Sure, it also provides protection for your phone, although it covers the Moto Mod pins.

With a soft-touch finish and slim figure, the Incipio back plate is perfect for personalization addicts. Customers can get it in Camo Black, Gunmetal and Iridescent Champagne.

Buy Incipio Interchangeable back plate

LK Luxury Leather Wallet

Price: $8.99

Another Moto Z3 Play case from LK. This one is a classic wallet leather case that also offers space for storing credit cards. It can also be used as a kickstand for when you want to make hands-free video calls or watch some Netflix.

The case offers four corner protection thanks to the high-quality TPU inner skin shell. It’s a shock absorbent material that is guaranteed to keep the phone safe.

The accessory is available in Black, but also in two funky colors: Purple and Rose Gold.

Buy LK Luxury Leather Wallet

Pushimei Hybrid Leather case

Price: from $3.82

Want to make your Moto Z3 Play look more unique? Then you might consider getting the Pushimei case. This product is made of a hard PC and soft TPU material to better protect your phone.

Also the design here is quite striking in denim-style. Although it’s not 100% guaranteed it will look like that in real life. But for $4 it’s worth to give it a try, right?

The case is available in Black Denim or Pink Denim.

Buy Pushimei Hybrid Leather case

Android 9 Pie becomes official and goes live for Pixels today

AndroidGuys
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It looks like the rumors were off, and Google is releasing the latest version of the Android OS, Android 9 Pie, today. Amongst all the possible names we’ve heard it seems as though the company is merely going with Pie. Not the worst we’ve heard. After the past few months of betas, the official version is available today for many devices.

This official version of Pie comes just under two weeks from the last developer preview we received. Today’s date is earlier than a recent rumor that the update would be available on August 20th, but still Google’s “early-August” timeline.

Android 9 Pie comes with a host of new features from the last major update of Android 8 Oreo. Users should notice gesture based-navigations UI, AI predictive app actions, Adaptive battery, and Digital Wellbeing. Some features that were shown off at Google I/O 2018 still won’t be available today, unsurprisingly. Slices, a feature that shows relevant info from apps while searching, won’t be available until sometime this fall.

Digital Wellbeing was a significant feature set talked about at this years I/O, which includes multiple services to help with personal and technological health. Digitial Wellbeing is the overarching name for functions such as Android Dashboard, App Timer, Wind Down, and the new Do Not Disturb mode. While we won’t get an official stable version of this feature again until fall, Pixel users can able to sign up for beta access today.

Android 9 Pie can be installed today in a few different ways. Factory images have already been made available by Google and OTAs are also rolling out for Pixel phones soon too. Some of the other devices that were included in the Android 9 Pie beta should also be getting updates soon. As experienced from the beta periods, OnePlus is the first non-Google company to push the update.

You can learn more from Google’s official blog post listed below. Let us know what your favorite new feature of Android 9 Pie! Are you (or even able to) using on your device right now? Let’s get to updating!

Google blog

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