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Honor 10 launches as more affordable Huawei P20 clone

Andrew Myrick
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The Honor 10 was originally announced back in March, but was only limited to those in China. Honor is switching things up a bit by making its latest flagship device available in the UK.

A special event was held in London, where the Honor 10 was shown off in all of its glory. The handset sports many flagship specs and is practically Honor’s version of the Huawei P20 lineup.

Honor 10 Specs

  • 5.84-inch LCD Display
  • Kirin 970 SoC
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB Storage
  • 24MP Front Camera
  • 24MP + 16MP Dual Rear Cameras
  • 3,400mAh Battery

Ultrasonic FingerPrint

Without running through the specs individually, there are some key features that help the Honor 10 stand apart. Getting us started is the fingerprint scanner. Instead of opting for a rear-mounted scanner, Honor opted for a front-mounted sensor.

This has been placed just below the display, giving users a bit of a chin to “deal with”. However, this is embedded beneath the glass and uses the new “Ultrasonic FingerPrint” technology.

This allows users to be able to still unlock their devices without worrying about whether your hands are wet or not. Additionally, the technology will hopefully combat accidental unlock in the future.

Aurora Glass Design

The move to a front-mounted sensor allows for Honor to give users a better look at the gorgeous material used for the casing.

As you can see, the color shifts depending on what angle you are looking at. This is called “Aurora Glass Design” and you will see different colors that match the Aurora Borealis.

The Huawei P20 Pro turned heads in more ways than one, but this new casing design is arguably the best on the market. It only made sense for Huawei’s sub-brand to jump on board and take advantage.

AI Everywhere

It would seem as the market is stagnating a bit when it comes to the spec department. We pretty much know what each flagship device will run, and this is giving OEM’s the opportunity to adapt.

However, we aren’t talking about personal assistants like Google Assistant, Bixby, or Siri. Instead, manufacturers are integrating Neural Processing Units (NPU) into their devices.

This allows the handset to work even harder for you and opens the door for more features and functions. The Honor 10 is just the latest handset to be focused on AI.

In fact, the device’s tagline for social media has been #BeautyInAI. Both the front and rear cameras take advantage of this technology thanks to general enhancements and a dedicated “AI Portrait Mode”.

What about US?

If you’ve liked what you’ve been reading, then there’s a chance that you’ll want to get your hands on the Honor 10. Unfortunately, it seems that those of us here in the States may have to resort to importing from the likes of GearBest or others.

Honor did not explicitly state any intentions to bring its latest device to the US. Although, we’ve seen this game before and could see a US launch in the next few months.

Let us know what you think about the Honor 10 in the comments below and if you would like to see it launched here in the States.

Master & Dynamic launch new MW50+ Wireless On-Ear and Over-Ear headphones

AndroidGuys
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Master & Dynamic is known for its audio products built with premium quality materials and made to last a very long time. Today the company is releasing a new product, the MW50+. These headphones come with on-ear and over-ear pads, so the consumer can choose how they want to listen to their media.

Since the company’s inception, Master & Dynamic have offered various on-ear and over-ear headphones. Now the user can decide which style they want to use on a daily basis. The magnetically attached lambskin earpads are easy to detach and reattach multiple times a day without compromising the headphone.

For the on-ear pads, the user can enjoy a more on-the-go style of fit. With the over-ear pads, they can experience full sound isolation to assist with focus or relaxation. Each fit does not change the acoustic performance coming from the MW50+ headphones themselves, which should rival the MW50’s sound quality.

Not only are the MW50+ wireless, but they also come in three colorways: silver/black, silver/brown, and black/black. The headphones feature a 16-hour battery life with a USB – C port for quick charging when the battery is depleted. Patented antenna technology allows the user to (theoretically) be 100ft away from the source without having and audio quality issues.

The elegant and detail-rich MW50+ fit well without Master & Dynamic’s portfolio of products and is available today for pre-order. The 2-in-1 headphones cost $399, but unfortunately, don’t have a ship date. Now, though, you don’t have to worry about which headphones you have on you, but rather which color to buy.

Master & Dynamic MW50+ Link

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ users can finally use ARCore apps

Alexandra Arici
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Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ just got a little bit better. Starting this week support for ARCore, Google’s augmented reality (AR) app platform is live on the two flagships.

This means that Samsung Galaxy S9 owners are now able to try ARCore-based AR apps that make use of the phone’s camera to place virtual objects in the environment.

How to use the feature

To get started, you will need to download the ARCore app from the Google Play Store. Then you can install any app that utilizes the SDK. Here are a few examples of apps you can try on your Galaxy S9 or S9+:

  • ARuler – the app uses AR to measure things in the real world with your smartphone’s camera.
  • Portal AR – lets you step into modern Scotland. Step from your living room to the amazing Highland coastline or the world-renowned Scottish university buildings.
  • IKEA Place – allows you to visually place and arrange IKEA products in your space.
  • Just a Line – an experimental app by Google that lets you make simple drawings in AR, then share your creations with a short video.
  • My Tamagotchi Forever – the app allows players to place Tamagotchi village on any surface and explore it in AR.
  • Atom Visualizer – view and explore atomic models in AR.

ARCore is basically Google’s answer to Apple’s ARKit. The solution has been developed with the aim of enabling AR experiences for Android phones without the need for any additional hardware.

Back in February, Google said that Samsung’s older flagships including the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 support ARCore. But the Galaxy S9 wasn’t ARCore-ready at launch.

The Galaxy S9 duo became available for purchase nearly two months ago and now after quite a wait, users can finally enjoy some AR action on their smartphone.

Does ARCore work on your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+? Let us know in the comment section below?

Grasshopper lets you learn beginner code thru gaming (review)

AndroidGuys
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Coding seems to be all the rage nowadays. Seemingly limitless articles explain why coding is becoming the new have-to skill, and how not know at least a little code is going to severely limit your future job prospects.

But where to start? There are so many computer languages to learn, and so many ways to go about learning them.

Believe it or not (more than likely believe it), Google wants to help you get a taste of coding, but in a more “non-coding” environment. Instead of a blank command line staring at you, goading you into creating a bug-filled script, Google wants to provide your first taste of coding in the form of- wait for it…..a mobile game.

So they’ve brought us Grasshopper, an Android game who’s sole intent is to teach you basic coding, in the format of a multi-level Android game.

Grasshopper has been in beta for a while, and just recently released by Google into the Play Store. Grasshopper helps you learn the basics of Javascript, a primary language used by websites all over the world.

A product of Google’s “Area 120”, where employees are encouraged to devote 20% of time to side projects they deem valuable and potential products, Grasshopper takes you on a puzzle-style game adventure, routing you through very beginner-level introduction to terms and layout, progressing deeper into more & more challenging topics and coding scenarios.

Gameplay

To enjoy Grasshopper, first download the app from the Play Store. Once in the app, you can go through an ultra-short mini-course titled, “What is Code?”. Then you dive straight into learning Javascript, through a sequential series of coding puzzles to tackle. The puzzles are broken into units.

Google spends the first couple of puzzles in each unit teaching you a principle or tactic within Javascript, with an easier puzzle to solve. Then you are given one or two additional puzzles to solve on your own.

If you ever get stuck, the game gives you quick access to a forum. Here you can investigate others’ troubles and solutions to the puzzle at hand.

When you complete the unit’s series of coding puzzles, you then have one or two quiz-level puzzles to tackle. Once you show your ability by solving these, you take your newfound expertise to the next unit. From here you build on it with the next topic or principle.

Visuals & Sound

The look and sound of Grasshopper, while a unique palette of earthy blues & greens, still has a Google-esque feel to it. The type and backgrounds are very clean & clear, and the limited animations are cute almost to the point of goofy.

Sound/audio is minimal to non-existent. But I actually liked this, being coding is a pretty solitary & quiet endeavor. Also, the silence (I believe) helps with concentration and thinking during a particularly challenging puzzle.

What We Didn’t Like

If there is a gripe with Grasshopper, it’s that using it on a phone leaves the visible code a bit hard to follow. On a computer, the code is strung out in long strings, like intended. Reading left-to-right is a pretty natural affair.

On phones or similar small-screen Android device, it’s a different story. A locked rotation in portrait orientation breaks some code into multiple lines. Specific arrays and other character combinations are broken up amongst two or more horizontal lines. The resulting orphan brackets, parentheses, and alphanumeric strings can make comprehension of certain code particularly challenging. If a landscape orientation was available, it would alleviate a lot of this frustration.

Overall

Grasshopper is generally a very, very good introduction for total beginners of all ages into the world of coding and Javascript. Google has done a great job at making exploring coding very approachable. The visuals are easy on the eyes, and plenty of chances and ways to master any given topic. If you have an itch to try out coding, or if your kiddo would like to try it out, Grasshopper is a highly-recommended option.

Download Grasshopper from the Play Store here.

Google One coming to simplify Drive storage plans

AndroidGuys
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Google Drive is a great way to store your various folder and files in the cloud and access them on many devices. You may not realize it, but Drive is the backend storage for many Google services including Photos and Mail. Soon, Google will be releasing their new Google One plan, which will simplify the payment plans for their storage.

After you use the free 15GB of storage that Google provides, you’d need to pay to receive more space. The plans used to be $20/yr for 100GB of storage, $100/yr for 1TB, $200/yr for 2TB and more. With Google One, while the 100gb will stay the same, we’re getting an additional 200GB tier and a much cheaper 2TB tier. 200Gb/yr will be $30, and 1TB will be $100/yr. That’s right, no more 1TB tier — 1TB users will automatically be changed to the new 2TB level. There are tiers up to 30TB a year.

Some additional benefits are being added to the new Google One plans. Seeing that people who pay for storage are more than likely using various Google products, the company added one-tap customer service as well. You’ll also be able to gain credits for Google Play as well as deals on hotels, and much more. Google stated it’ll be adding more benefits as time progresses.

Google One will be rolling out over the coming months, and remember it is not a replacement or competitor to Google Drive. It’s just a simple plan for paying for storage, one that seems nothing but valuable for consumers. If you’d like to learn more about the plan sign up at the link below.

Google One Sign-Up Link

OnePlus, Motorola, Verizon (Episode 2)

Matt Adams
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Welcome to In Brief, our periodic podcast which aims to provide you with all of the important things happening in the world of Android.

In this episode, we discuss some last minute leaks for the OnePlus 6 smartphone, launch details for Motorola’s G6 and E5 line, and Verizon’s new Visible service.

It’s our goal to keep these podcasts short but there’s a reason we call it the 15-minute podcast that’s never 15 minutes. We hope you enjoy the show!

We’re currently beta testing this podcast and doing it in the real world. We’ll iterate and improve and be on track with the formal numbering convention in no time!

Subscribe to the AndroidGuys Audio Experience!

Google Play Music | Simplecast | iTunes (coming soon) | Spotify (coming soon) | Stitcher | Pocket Casts

The OnePlus 6 leaks in full

Source

  • A listing for the OnePlus 6 briefly appeared on Amazon Germany, the post has since been removed
  • The posting indicated that the base model version will be priced at 519 euros which is about $620
  • The product photos show a small notch at the top and a glass back with vertical camera alignment
  • Previous leaks point to the OnePlus 6 featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, 64, 128, and possibly 256 GB of storage, and dual 16 + 20 MP rear cameras
  • The OnePlus 6 is set to be debuted on Wednesday, May 16 with a possible availability date of Tuesday, May 22

Moto E and G availability

Source

  • Motorola is back with another installment to its best ever selling lineup, the Moto G and Moto E. Most versions coming to US, Canada, and international markets
  • Moto G6 will be available at through a variety of carriers as well as unlocked at various online retailers
  • Moto G6 Play will be sold as prepaid, sold unlocked, and through AT&T as postpaid
  • Moto E5 Plus will be available as a prepaid phone and as postpaid through Sprint
  • Moto E5 Play will be available as a prepaid phone, as postpaid through Sprint, and via Xfinity Mobile
  • The devices range from the $100 price point up to around $300 and will be available near the end of the May 2018

Verizon Visible

Source

  • A new “offshoot service” from Verizon called Visible is promising $40/mo unlimited plans
  • There are drawbacks like a capped network download speed of 5Mbps, video streaming capped at 480p, and streaming audio capped at .5Mbps
  • Currently, it is both invite only and iPhone only, but Android support is said to be coming soon
  • You can pay for the service through credit card, PayPal and Venmo and the service is contract-free meaning you can cancel at any time

Can the $99 Crazybaby Air Nano earbuds beat the Apple Airpods at their own game? (review)

Matt Adams
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Truly wireless earbuds are fantastic. Not dealing with any wires at all really makes you feel like you’re living in the future. Just pop earbuds in, fire up your music and you’re on your way. Or so you’d think, right?

With as cool as these sound, truly wireless earbuds come with a lot of disadvantages too. Whether that be connection issues, battery problems, or something else, there are a lot of areas of concern to consider when picking up a pair of wireless earbuds.

That’s why it’s so refreshing to find a pair of great earbuds in 2018. More and more, earbuds are hitting the market, but how do you know if they’re really any good? Sure, you could go pick up a pair Apple Airpods and know what you’re getting, but not everyone is comfortable with a $159 price tag, or handing over their cash to Apple.

That’s why there’s a massive fight to be an Airpods competitor right now. We’ve taken a look at several models from Anker, Syllable, YEVO, Optoma, and Rowkin, among others. But, the most promising candidate might be the latest offering from Crazybaby.

The Crazybaby Air Nano truly wireless earbuds are compact, sound great, and won’t break the bank. But, are they all they’re cracked up to be?

Sound Quality

We have spent the better part of the last two months using the Air Nanos as our “daily driver” earbuds. We were initially impressed with the sound quality that these little guys put out and that hasn’t faded.

It stands to reason when you miniaturize everything, you will have to sacrifice something. Normally that’s either battery life (more on that later) or sound quality. We were pleasantly surprised that Crazybaby figured out how to keep the audio quality with the Air Nanos.

Bass response is very strong considering the size of the drivers. We found that the Air Nanos often delivered as much, or more, bass as bigger, wired earbuds. That’s truly impressive.

The mids and highs were just okay and nothing really to write home about, but nothing offensive either. Listening to strong female vocalists can be a painful experience with low-quality earbuds, but we found sounds from Hayley Williams, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato (stop judging me) to be pleasant, but not great.

Overall, the Crazybaby Air Nanos aren’t going to reignite your long lost love for music, but they’re “fine.” They sound bad next to any decent quality wired earbuds or headphones, but for wireless earbuds, they get the job done adequately.

You’re always going to give up some sound quality with truly wireless earbuds and that’s a compromise you have to be willing to make to get rid of cables.

Battery

Battery life was just okay. We could stretch out the listening time to about two hours with the volume near 50% on our device. When you pop the volume up, you get closer to an hour of battery life. Not ideal, especially for those long workout sessions that we routinely participate in (totally). Crazybaby says that the Air Nanos are rated for three hours but we never got close to that number.

The charging case is also supposed to recharge the earbuds a total of three times (for a theoretical 12 hours of listening time). In practice, we got a little over two charges from the battery case, although your mileage may vary. The battery case also has some quirks like the fact that it won’t charge the earbuds if you’re also charging the case. This led to some frustration on a long car trip, but, hey, at least it uses USB type-C to recharge.

Build

If there’s one thing that Crazybaby absolutely nailed, it’s build quality. The Air Nanos feel dense and solid, like a quality product. I don’t have any doubt that they would stand up long term.

The soft rubber tips that enter your ear are comfortable and provide a nice seal, keeping out outside noise. While we wouldn’t call these noise isolating, it does help keep out most outside noise for a pleasurable listening experience.

The charging case is similarly well built. It feels like it is made of high-quality plastics and has strong magnets to keep it closed when its supposed to be. With a little force, the case opens up to reveal the earbuds. The case has metal contacts that the earbuds to sit in to recharge.

We did experience a few times where the Air Nanos weren’t seated perfectly and therefore didn’t fully charge. Overall, it’s a pretty good experience, but not perfect.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, we really enjoyed our time with the Crazybaby Air Nano truly wireless earbuds. Are they perfect? No, far from it. Battery life is on the poor side and the charging situation can be sometimes frustrating.

But, when they do work, they’re a contender. Sound quality isn’t anything to write home about, but it gets the job done. The Air Nanos are some of the smallest earbuds out on the market today and do offer decent sound quality.

The bass is very present and you can tell that Crazybaby was going for a more “Beats” sound signature here. While the bass can be a bit all over the place, we’re just happy that there’s some here at all.

If you decide to pick up a pair of the Crazybaby Air Nanos, you have to keep in mind the sacrifices you’re making to stay wireless. If those are sacrifices you’re comfortable making, we can recommend these.

Crazybaby Air Nano purchase links: Crazybaby

What can we expect to change in phone operating systems at the end of 2018? (Promoted)

AndroidGuys
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Every year more users turn to their smartphones to browse the web, place orders, and communicate with others in lieu of using a desktop or laptop computer. In fact, more than half of all the web’s traffic is now transmitted through mobile devices. With increasing reliance on these devices, users expect smartphone manufacturers to make frequent, innovative changes to the phone’s software and operating systems. Read on to see where mobile operating systems are headed in 2018, and what you can expect from your smartphone by the end of the year.

Major Updates from Apple

Most smartphones available in 2018 are running complex operating systems that rival those found on traditional computers. Apple’s current OS, titled iOS, is in its eleventh version and was released at the end of 2017. This updated OS brought changes to newer iPhones such as animated, customization-enabled emojis, and battery health reports.

The next version of iOS 12 will be released in June of 2018, and updates to the core OS file are sure to follow throughout the rest of the year. You can expect improved performance, better battery reporting, and less of a drain from your background apps as Apple generally finds ways to make each OS more efficient. The autocorrect feature is said to be improved with the iOS 12 update as well, making for less frustration for all Apple users.

Vast Improvements for Android Users

Android, Apple’s rival in the smartphone OS market, will also see major changes by the end of 2018. Many newer Android-based phones are running the last stable release of Android, which was titled Oreo. This was the 8th version of the OS to be released. The 9th version of the OS, however, will come with many more features and is already being released for preview in mid-2018. By the end of 2018 you can expect Android 9, or Android P as it’s currently being called, to add new features and enhanced security to your smartphone.

See Also:

Android P will improve the aesthetic of your phone with more transparent layovers in the menu and icon screens and graphics. This modernization of the user interface will help bring a sleeker look to your Android, much in the spirit of Apple’s UI design practices.

A new feature called “Lockdown Mode” designed to enhance your phone’s security will excite many privacy-concerned Android users. While using Lockdown Mode your fingerprints and other biometric input won’t be able to unlock your phone. This prevents the concern of someone using your finger to unlock your phone while you’re sleeping. Android P will also have a feature where you can instantly and automatically connect to your car’s Bluetooth system once in range. This will save you some time from tinkering with Bluetooth settings on your morning commute.

Augmented Reality

Since Augmented Reality apps and games like PokemonGo hit the market in 2016 demand for them has been steadily increasing.

Not only can introducing virtual objects into your real-world view be fun and entertaining, there’s more and more practical uses for the technology being discovered throughout 2018. Some apps are even being used by carpenters and roofers to find the slope or dimensions of a physical project using a phone’s camera and AR software. You can expect smartphone OSs to embrace AR technologies and become more friendly to the development of these advanced apps throughout the year.

Enhanced Browsing

These changes in smartphone OSs have great implications for the web and website developers. Many of the new features that are being planned for release by the end of 2018 focus on giving users a simpler, more universal web browsing experience. Mobile browser software is now built with the presumption that websites will have responsive themes and design elements. For web designers, this means it’s more important than ever to be using responsive design on your WordPress hosting or other CMS-based sites.

To keep up with the enhanced browsing capabilities of smartphones, it’s a good idea to build your websites with mobile traffic at top priority. HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript work well with the 2018 releases of mobile browsers, but Adobe Flash is now incompatible with mobile and should not be used. To create the best experience for your smartphone using traffic base, consider getting a WordPress hosting account with fast load times and up-to-date software. This includes PHP version, CMS version, and any updates released for themes and plugins.

With all the changes in the works for mobile OSs in 2018, it can seem hard to keep up from a software developer or web designer’s standpoint. Following the best practices when building your website, with responsive design and light-weight frontends in mind, your mobile users will find your site loads quickly and without error. Smartphone users will enjoy the enhanced security found in 2018 updates, such as the Lockdown Mode coming to Android Phones, and many entertaining and useful features like increased AR compatibility that nearly all new phones will benefit from.

Android Oreo begins rolling out to the Huawei Mate SE

Andrew Myrick
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When the Huawei Mate SE was launched in March, there was one frustrating omission. Huawei opted to ship its latest device with Android Nougat, instead of Oreo.

That has all been rectified as an update is now rolling out to owners of the Mate SE. This update brings Android 8.0 Oreo in-tow, which comes along with Huawei’s EMUI 8.0 overlay.

The update weighs in at just about 2.4GB, and all of the features you have been wanting. These include a new “floating Navigation dock” which lets you take advantage of popular shortcuts from anywhere.

Huawei has also added the ability to connect to two different Bluetooth devices at the same time. This is a feature that is surprising, as you would expect to see this already available.

Nonetheless, the update should be rolling out to all Mate SE owners here in the US. So if you want to check to see if it’s available for you, head into Settings > Software Update and there should be some joy waiting for you.

As a reminder, the Mate SE sports a 5.93-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2160 x 1080. Powering the handset is the Kirin 659 chipset, which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Oh, and there’s a nifty dual-camera setup mounted on the rear.

Huawei decided to release the Mate SE after seeing the success of the Honor 7X. But the company packed some extra RAM and extra storage into its new budget handset.

Let us know if you have installed the update and how it is currently running on your Mate SE. If the update to Oreo piques your interest, then you can head over to Amazon and pick one up for just $229.99 for a limited time.

Buy the Huawei Mate SE!

Question of the Week: Will you spend $119 on Amazon Prime?

AndroidGuys
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As expected, Amazon recently raised the price of its annual membership fee for its Prime service. Having gone up another $20 as compared to last year, it’s now $119 per year to enjoy the same benefits.

This brings to our Question of the Week. Do you think it’s worth the money to sign up for, or renew, an Amazon Prime account? Sure, Amazon continues to add little things along the way, and its movies and television gets better each year. Does that matter enough to you?

You Tell Us

Do you plan to spend $119 on Amazon Prime this year? Is it your opinion that it’s worth the increased rate? Are you constantly taking advantage of savings on shipping and find it to be a wash? Or, was this increase the one that pushed you away?

We’d like to learn a little bit about you and whether you’ll be breaking out the wallet or purse to sign up. How do you justify spending that much? Will you go month to month? Are you canceling once your plan expires?

Share your opinion and win a $25 Gift Card!

Leave us a comment below with whether you’ll spend the money on Amazon Prime this year, and why or why not. We’ll go through the comments after one week and randomly select a winner. If your name is drawn, you’ll win a $25 Google Play Gift Card. Use it to buy apps, games, movies, eBooks, or music — you decide!

Comments entered before Sunday, May 20 (11:59PM PST) will be counted. As long as you’re on point and stick to the topic, we’ll consider you for the drawing!

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