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Financial planning with apps – Why it is important to track expenses (Promoted)

AndroidGuys
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Financial planning enables you to chalk out your long as well as short term financial goals easily. And attaining your financial goals is directly related to your financial stability. In this article, let us find out why you are required to give prime importance to tracking your expenses and plan your finances especially when there are so many financial apps to fall back upon when it comes to investment, savings, and returns. The article will deal with the following aspects, namely,

  • Tools that can assist you in achieving your financial goals
  • Reasons why financial planning is crucial

Tools that can assist you in achieving your financial goals

These days financial planning and savings has become much easier as there are several tools that can assist you in the same. The most sought after tools are the financial planning apps that have proved to be effective. Why is it so? The reasons can be summarized as below-

  • These financial apps can be easily downloaded and installed promptly
  • Some are free, some are offered on trial while few have to be paid for.
  • They are available on your mobile or any other hand held device which makes them easily accessible regardless of wherever you are.
  • There are many fields available in the apps that allow you to put the accurate inputs to get the best results or returns.
  • Few are investment apps that will help you in investing in ETFs or Exchange Traded Funds and other investment vehicles.
  • Mostly the interface is user-friendly
  • Menus enable easy and hassle free navigation
  • Even if you are not into trading or investing, these apps can be used and do not require you to know rocket science to use them
  • Some of the financial planning apps also offer the privilege of free usage for the first month

Regardless of the app you are using, make sure you are able to get answers to the following before you take the plunge-

  • What are you using the apps for
  • What you expect from app
  • Whether or not you are confident in using it

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Reasons why financial planning is crucial

Given below are the main aspects that you ought to take into account when setting your finances straight.

Cash flow

Keeping track of your cash flow is the first step to stability financially. Planning your taxes, frugal spending habits, and budgeting can do justice to your cash flow status.

Investment

You choose your investment vehicle depending on how much you earn, the amount you can keep aside for the rainy days, your disposable income, and the expense you incur on your lifestyle.

Capital

This is directly related to your cash flow. Spending patterns influence your cash flow, which in turn impacts your capital.

Assets

Assets can serve as a “cushion” or “buffer” when you are in dire need of some cash. However, it is important to remember that there are several assets that are attached to liabilities. As such, it is essential to determine the actual value of your assets after taking into account the liabilities.

Savings

Opt for investments that are highly liquid in nature. In that way, you know you have liquid cash to fall back upon when you need it the most.

Lifestyle changes and standard of living

In order that you save money and keep your hard earned cash from getting drained off ‘unceremoniously’, opt for changes in your lifestyle. Once in a while it is alright to lead an extravagant life but not always. In times of trouble, you shed the frills and fancies to maintain financial equilibrium in your life.

Tutti Studio’s cool retro Matti speaker wants to bring back the boombox era

Alexandra Arici
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With the advent of personal music players, boomboxes slowly faded away. But with the new dawn of Bluetooth and improved speaker technology, portable music devices have started to revive the retro feel.

It’s the case of the newly unveiled Tutti Studio Matti, a block-shaped wireless speaker that wants to bring back the boombox era.

A portable speaker, the Matti features a thick, molded polymer sub-chassis, steel grills, and an aluminum handle. For protection, it comes equipped with silicone rubber bumpers.

Get the party started with Matti

Users can use the Matti as a stand-alone device or in concert with other Matti speakers. In the former scenario, you’ll be able to enable “Stereo Mode” for a traditional sound experience in which you hear both left and right channels from a single speaker.

Add one more Matti speaker for a true stereo experience.  With three you’ll be able to create a completely immersive sound experience. Hardcore party fans can link up to eight Matti speakers together.

Oh and there’s also a microphone included on board for Karaoke or MC battles. Super fun!

https://www.androidguys.com/2018/03/05/1more-in-ear-headphones/

Tutti Studio is offering the speaker in four color schemes: black rubber with rose gold speaker grilles, emergency orange rubber with mint green grills, light punk rubber with dark pink grilles and cream rubber with silver speaker grilles.

The wireless speaker includes a battery that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge and can deliver party appropriate volume.

If Matti got your attention, then you should know Tutti Studio is in the process of crowdfunding the product on Kickstarter right now. They currently managed to gather $32,523 from their $48,000 goal, so if everything goes well Matti will be ready to ship in April. There are still 17 days to go.

You can currently place a pre-order for Matti for $169 and up. Once the campaign is over, the speaker will go on sale for for a heftier $299. Those who don’t want to wait can do so immediately from the official website.

Stay tuned for our upcoming review of Matti!

Unlocked Galaxy S8 and Note 8 will receive Android Oreo in 2-3 weeks

Dan Bartram
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Despite the fact that Android P Developer Preview is already out, some of the flagship devices are still waiting to get Android Oreo. The rollout of Android Oreo for carrier models of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ started a few weeks back, but unlocked devices and the Note 8 were left in the dark.

Hopefully, that wait is coming to an end as unlocked models of the Galaxy S8, and the Note 8 should be hitting devices in the next 2-3 weeks.

Android Oreo, which comes bundled with Samsung Experience 9.0, brings many new features both natively and as part of Samsung’s overlay.

You may be wondering why unlocked devices have been delayed until after the carrier-locked Galaxy S8 models have gotten the update? For those releases, Samsung develops the firmware and then sends it off to the specific carrier for testing before being pushed to the customer. However, with firmware intended for unlocked devices, Samsung apparently has to issue it to every single carrier it could run on and wait for it to be tested across the board. That means every carrier needs to approve the same software version before it can be released. With that being the case, there’s no wonder there’s such an inherent delay in pushing software updates.

Still, at least in a few weeks at least Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 owners can at least have the latest version of Android on their devices.

Gourmia GTA2800 WiFi Air Fryer review

AndroidGuys
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Spend some time walking around an appliance or electronics store and you’ll see an increasing number of devices termed “smart” or “connected”. Be it a refrigerator, washing machine, wireless speaker, lamp, or something else, there’s a growing movement.

We were sent the Gourmia GTA2800, which is one of, if not the, first connected air fryers. Indeed, this all-in-one appliance promises to cook a wide variety of foods and types, supported by a mobile app. Here’s our review of the Gourmia GTA2800.

Air frying has fast become one of our favorite ways to cook a lot of common items. Rather than relying on oil, these devices circulate incredibly hot air around the food to cook, crisp, and warm. Temperatures can reach into the hundreds of degrees (up to 450 here) and provide a great alternative to using oil. Not only does it keep food from feeling greasy, it doesn’t smell up the house with that fried stench that lingers.

We’ve used a standard air fryer for the last year or so, having come to rely on it almost weekly for various meals or sides. We were already very familiar with this sort of device prior to receiving the Gourmia GTA2800.

The first thing we noticed was how big the GTA2800 is by comparison. It occupies almost twice as much as space as our current unit. Given the $280 price tag we figured it would be bigger and offer more features; it certainly is and certainly does.

Weighing in at just under 18 pounds, this air fryer eats up your counter space. Moreover, if you have cupboards above, you might have difficulty fully opening the unit. We had to move ours to an area where there was nothing above otherwise we couldn’t get it to click and stay open. The lid needs a good foot or so to open completely.

The front panel houses an LED display with numbers and symbols which show things like temperature, cooking time, fan speed, and more. You’ll also find two rows of icons for a variety of presets for food types. These are designed to be quick start “set it and forget it” options for things like chicken, dried fruit, pizza, and even steak.

Gourmia accessoriesThe GTA2800 comes with just about anything you’d ever need to air fry, roast, and or bake. Included are baking pans, a kebab wheel, rotisserie spit, a basket, and more. The fryer also came with instructions and recipes to help get started or find some inspiration.

It’s entirely possible to open the box, set up, and be cooking inside of five minutes. If you’re following instructions on the side of a bag of popcorn chicken, you just need to pick the desired temperature and time. Start with presets, though, if you’re creating from scratch or doing something homemade.

Over the last few weeks we cooked a host of different foods, including chicken, tater tots, potatoes, and vegetables. The experience has been pleasurable if not straight forward. Gourmia holds your hand without making you feel like an idiot along the way.

As far as the “connected” side of things is concerned, though, we didn’t use it all that much. Not for a lack of remembering, but more of a lack of need. In short, there’s not much in the mobile app that demands attention or adds to the overall experience.

Aside from being able to trigger the air fryer to start and stop, the app is little more than a mobile version of the LED panel and buttons. The presets are nice, but if you’re at the fryer and putting food in, you’re just as likely to push the buttons or start the frying.

The app does offer an up-to-date display of the air fryer’s status, including remaining time. This is admittedly helpful for when you put something in longer term and can’t get back to the kitchen just to peek. We liked the app for starting up and then monitoring while we set out for a few quick errands.

It would have been cool to physically see the food from a remote vantage but getting a camera into the fryer is likely a tricky feat. We felt that sentiment more when experimenting with our own recipes and foods. Using the presets and suggestions, though, there was never really a need to see. In short, trust the system.

We might have also appreciated some hooks with Google Home, Alexa, or IFTTT. Maybe something as simple as flashing a few lights or changing their colors when the fryer is done. This area seems a logical one to improve upon or work on.

The Gourmia GTA2800 is an excellent device and has already completely replaced the old air fryer in our household. In fact, we’ve been slowly trying to use it over the toaster oven as of late, too. We suspect that we’ll be removing it from the counter before long as there’s little need for it outside of toasting bread, bagels, and rolls.

The $280 price point might scare some away, which we totally get. In fact, were we to make a recommendation based, we might suggest saving a little money and opting for the non-connected version. At least until other features are baked in down the road.

Gourmia is a brand we’ve not had any experience with in the past but, in looking at its portfolio, we’d definitely consider it for future needs. The air fryer is user friendly, solidly built, and packed with options.

You can learn more about the GTA2800 at Gourmia’s website; it’s available for purchase through Amazon for $279.99.

Google Play Instant lets you test drive games without downloading

AndroidGuys
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In a recent blog post, Google has announced the availability of a cool new feature within the Google Play app: Instant Games.Instant Screen
Google Play Instant is a small but growing set of games available to play a working trial, without downloading. This new feature allows players to jump right to a playable version of the game in question. When the playable version is complete, the player has the option to install right then, or simply go back to the Games app to continue browsing.

Why is This Important?

It’s important to note here we’re talking about the Play Games app, not the Play Store app. But this feature can sure remove some annoying steps when it comes to trying out new games. Namely:

  1. Finding a possible game.
  2. Downloading.
  3. Any setup steps necessary within.
  4. If you don’t like, delete from your device. Only to go back into Games for other options.

    Instant notification

With Instant Games you can instead to choose to click a “Play” button with a small lightning bolt adjacent to it. This lightning bolt is the icon that shows you’re playing an Instant version of the title (this lightning bolt can be seen in your notifications shade while in this mode, as well).

 

The one main downside to this feature is the game list currently available; Clash Royale is the current (and obvious) headliner amongst the handful of titles available.
But Instant Games does a great job of lowering the ‘try-it-out’ barrier for casual gamers; it’s likely this new feature is likely to be adopted by a lot more titles in the near future.

Next time you’re in Play Games, click over to the Arcade section and give a few Instant Games a try!

Golden Axe Classic review: Capitalization on nostalgia

Donovan Jeska
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If you’ve read some of my other Sega reviews, you know that I grew up with a Sega Genesis as my primary gaming console back in the ’90s. My favorite games were, among others: Sonic, Streets of Rage 2, and Golden Axe. And Sega, now without a first party console to call home, has turned to mobile as its platform of choice.

Sega has been slowly bringing its massive collection of retro games to the Play Store for a while now, something Nintendo should have been doing for years.

A faithful port of a golden age beat-’em-up

Golden Axe Title
Sega’s done a good job of modernizing Golden Axe’s old-school title screen.

Golden Axe is one of the original Golden Age Side Scrolling Beat ‘Em Up titles. Released in 1989 along with Final Fight, Golden Axe took the formula of 1987’s Double Dragon and dropped it into a high fantasy, chainmail bikini setting reminiscent of Frank Frazetta’s art.

That formula is a simple, familiar one; throw waves of nameless baddies at the player(s) as they work their way from left-to-right across a level. At the end of said level is a big baddie, with lots of health and new movesets. Rinse and repeat, with more, recolored enemies.

As with nearly all beat ’em ups from the 16-bit generation, Golden Axe sports a barebones plot; an evil warlord has taken over the kingdom and must be stopped. Unlike other games of its ilk, though, it sported rich animations, and a beautiful world filled with fanciful enemies and environments.

Where Double Dragon, Final Fight and Streets of Rage all featured a dystopian urban setting, Golden Axe gave us the first look at video game high fantasy.

From choosing your character (there are three!) to the tactics and cheap-shots that made the game so fun and frustrating, Golden Axe has been painstakingly recreated for mobile by the Sega team. It is in every way the game that spawned two sequels and three spinoffs – blemishes and all.

On Infrastructure and Advertising

As fantastic as it is that Sega offers a free, ad-supported version of its classic titles, you almost spend more time watching ads than you do playing the game.

Upon pressing “Start Game” you have to watch. In between levels, you have to watch an ad. Saving your game, you have to watch an ad. Rewinding gameplay 15 seconds (which is a tremendously cool feature I’d have given anything for in my childhood), requires you to watch an ad. It’s exhausting.

Golden Axe Ads
You’ll be seeing this screen a lot.

In lieu of ads, you can buy the full, paid version – which also gets you access to Cloud Saves via Google Play – for $1.99. And as wonderful as the game is, it’s only going to take you an hour or so to beat once you get the hang of it. Not worth $2, these days.

I’d like to see a virtual pass from Sega. $10 for the entire current library and all subsequent Classics releases would do the trick. Even $20, probably. But $1.99 for each ad-free game, many of which that you can beat in an hour and likely won’t play again? Steep.

A single app – a virtual Sega Console, if you will – would allow Sega to compile all of its games into one place, rather than releasing them on the Play Store. Each game could be an in-app purchase via Google Play (or one purchase for all games, mentioned above) and each game could be accessed from inside the Virtual Console. A one-stop shop, if you will.

  • Play This Game If…. You’re looking for a jolt of Sega Genesis nostalgia, or you love side-scrolling beat ’em ups.
  • Avoid This Game If… You hate ads, or are looking for a long-lasting mobile game.

Tips

  • Smack the little blue and green gnomes that run around – they drop health and magic items.
  • Sprint and attack whenever possible. It results in a running attack that’s hard for enemies to dodge.
  • Stay mobile. Enemies will actively try to surround you – and subsequently slash you to death.
  • Basic Controls: A – Magic | B – Attack | C – Jump
  • If you can tolerate the ads, Save and Rewind often.

Download Golden Axe Classic

Need a good laugh? Try these eight funny apps!

Alexandra Arici
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People need to laugh more often these days. With so much going on around us, it’s sometimes tempting to descend into hopelessness.

To avoid that, make laughter a daily priority. Many studies have shown that using your funny bone brings about some serious health benefits. You know that too because laughing makes you feel better and you can actually feel the benefits.

So you need to giggle, chortle, tee-hee or chuckle every day. And to do that you don’t even need to have a funny friend around at all times. Just take out your Android phone and download some apps. Don’t know where to start?

We’ve assembled a list of some of the funniest apps for when you need a good laugh to lighten up your day.

Imgur

What it is:

A simple and fun way to discover and enjoy the magic of the Internet. Browse through thousands of memes, but also learn something new every day about your favorite topics.

Why you should try it:

  • Think of Imgur as the Instagram of funny pictures and memes. The app offers quick access to card-based galleries that streamline the site’s gigantic library of images into more accessible categories.
  • Users can get involved in the site’s community and interact with the funniest commenters. Who knows, you might even stumble upon love.
  • The app is updated constantly with fresh batches of posts that are guaranteed to make you smile at any hour of day or night.

Install Imgur

Cracked Reader Lite

What it is:

Cracked.com is the go-to-place if you want to learn new and intriguing semi-verifiable facts, which are delivered in a satirical but informative way. Cracked Reader Lite brings all the fun to your Android handset.

Why you should try it:

  • The app brings you all the mind-blowing “facts” expertly blended with pop culture analysis and fun info-graphics at your fingertips
  • It features an easy to navigate interface and a fast loading feed featuring the latest content.
  • Quickly find articles that interest you by choosing from the many categories including Music & TV, Tech or Video Games.

Install Cracked Reader Lite

iFunny

What it is:

iFunny is a community of over 10M+ users who love to laugh. The app gives access to the latest memes and videos (which were added by others), but you can also upload your own creations.

Why you should try it:

  • Stuck on a long and boring train ride with no one to talk to? Take out your phone and immerse yourself in the iFunny sea of memes and videos. It’s guaranteed to keep you entertained until you reach your destination.
  • The app lets users engage with members of the community and make new friends who appreciate your kind of humor.
  • Bonus: iFunny users are said to be 146% happier than baby koalas!!!

Install iFunny

Voice Changer

What it is:

The app does what its name suggests: it changes your voice by applying various cool effects. It also allows you to share your creation with friends and have a good laugh.

Why you should try it:

  • Voice Changer allows users to change their voice and have a blast hearing the results. Ever wondered what you would sound like if you were a Dragon, Cyborg or even Killer? Now you can find out.
  • Users can also create an image accompanied by sound or create voice from text.
  • The app lets you save the recording and then set it as ringtone or notification sound.

Install Voice Changer

Androidify

What it is:

If you’re one of the biggest Android fans out there, Androidify is the app for you, as it  allows you to create your Android lookalike.

Why you should try it:

  • Because it’s fun to create avatars, and especially Android avatars. Provided you’re an Android fan, of course.
  • The app lets you generate and share animated Android characters as emoticons, animated GIFs, and pictures over texts, posts or chats.
  • You can submit your creations on Androidify.com, so your avatar can hang with the other cool Android avatars.

Install Androidify

BuzzFeed

What it is:

Amuse yourself by taking a few chill quizzes on BuzzFeed. The app also allows you to discover more about your personality, while also serving up the latest news.

Why you should try it:

  • BuzzFeed lightens up your mood by offering a great mix of trending articles, quizzes, news and funny videos you can watch on your Android phone.
  • Use the Trending section to be up to date with the posts that are on the verge to go viral.
  • Don’t have time to read/watch something now? No worries you can bookmark the post now and come back to it later. You can also sync them to all your devices.

Install BuzzFeed

Comedy Central

What it is:

Comedy Central gives you access to full episodes of your favorite shows from the network on your Android smartphone or tablet.

Why you should try it:

  • Provides relief from the stress of the modern world by allowing you watch a funny show or two. Full episodes from Comedy Central TV shows are available for you to take advantage of.
  • Various categories available for you to browse through including Drunk History, Unsend, Nine-to-Five Comedians or Hart of the City.
  • Sign with your cable provider and you’ll be allowed to unlock even more episodes, all for your pleasure.

Install Comedy Central

Fu** Weather

What it is:

This funny weather app puts a smile regardless of the weather conditions outside, while delivering legit information.

Why you should try it:

  • It’s winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, so most people are quite reluctant to leave their warm house behind in the morning. This app delivers the most hilariously obscene weather report on your Android device, so you can get a boost of positive energy before going out into the (frozen) world.
  • Despite its amusing component, the app actually offers accurate weather information. It delivers hourly and weekly reports.
  • The app also includes weather maps (radar, satellite, temperature, humidity, wind), as well as home screen widgets and optional weather notifications.

Install Fu** Weather

Have you tried any of these apps? If you haven’t so far, which one would you download first? Let us know in the comment section below.

Google officially introduces Files Go

AndroidGuys
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Google has just officially announced their new Files Go app for Android — previously available in beta. Files Go is a more efficient way to manage files and storage on your device. With this recent release (and update), Google has added a few more features to improve usage with the app.

The first of the three new features is File Search. Just like browsing the internet, you’re now able to search for files on your phone. Google has included their backend features to help with Search; things like instant results, search history, autocomplete and filters. Whenever you open the ‘Files’ tab now, you should see the option to search at the top.

Read more: What the hell is Files Go and what does it do?

Next up is the ability to show the location of duplicate files. Deleting duplicates files isn’t new to the app but instead seeing where the copies exist before removal. When you try to remove duplicates now, you should see and tap on the small ‘i’ icon and then Files Go will list the other locations.

Lastly, Google has added functionality to allow Files Go to work seamlessly with Google Photos. The app can now detect when photos and videos are backed up to Google Photos and suggest for you to delete the files and free up some space.

All of these features should work offline, so no worrying about data usage with this app. If you’re interested, you can click on the link below to download Files Go to your device today.

Download it from Google Play

BLU S1 long term review: Great in some respects but needs work in others

AndroidGuys
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The BLU S1 marks the beginning of a new approach for Florida-based Android OEM BLU. A company whose acronym meaning “Bold Like Us” wants to market the company as one unafraid to take risks in order to better the smartphone experience. The company’s latest device is the first of its kind from the OEM to feature both GSM and CDMA (though limited) support.

If you want some idea of what to expect in my review before I break into the review, here it is: the BLU S1 is great in some respects, solid in others, and needs some work in others. The BLU S1’s performance is a mixed bag that could impress you in the right places, but you won’t know until we get into the nitty-gritty of what gives this phone its unique flavor.

First, let’s give a rundown of the specs:

  • Display: 5.2-inch, Curved Glass with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
  • Resolution: 1280 x 720 (Pixel Density: 282PPI)
  • Processor: 64-bit, 1.5Ghz, octa-core MediaTek MT6750
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 16GB with 64GB microSD card slot
  • Front camera: 5MP (f/2.0) Selfie Camera
  • Rear camera: 13MP (f/2.2) with Phase Detection Autofocus
  • Battery: 2,800mAh
  • OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
  • Other noteworthy features: 4G LTE with 300Mbps speeds, GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) and CDMA (Sprint, Boost Mobile) compatibility, Fingerprint sensor, FM Radio

Build Quality and Design

The BLU S1 has a plastic build that makes it nearly the identical twin of the BLU Vivo 8L, but when you hold the phone in your hands, you’ll see that the plastic build doesn’t equal “cheap.” This just goes to show that OEMs can make solid plastic build qualities without compromising on durability and design.

Speaking of design, there are two antenna lines on the BLU S1, one at the top back cover and one at the bottom back cover, but both are uniform and give something of a subtle personality to an otherwise “plain Jane” smartphone.

Near the top of the device’s back cover sits the 13MP camera lens, with a camera flash beneath it and the company’s name, BLU. Turn the BLU S1 over to the front and you can see the front-facing camera at the top left, with a speaker to its right. Beneath the 5.2-inch, Curved Glass Display sits a fingerprint sensor-embedded home button.

On the right side of the Curved Glass Display sits the volume rocker with its volume up and volume down buttons as well as the power/standby button beneath it. The left side houses the dual-SIM card slot, while the bottom of the phone showcases the microphone to the left, micro-USB port in the middle and speaker grille on the right.

Display

The BLU S1 has a 5.2-inch, Curved Glass Display with an HD (1280 x 720p) screen resolution and 282 PPI pixel density, which represents a good compromise of screen resolution with screen size. The “Curved Glass” here refers to the rounded corners of the display, the curved “edges” if you will; you won’t find anything similar to a curved display here, though, so don’t think of this as a Samsung-made, curved-edge display panel. Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 makes an appearance here, which is the starting point for durable displays in this budget-friendly, upper entry-level price point.

The display has excellent viewing angles and the color wallpapers will bring out the excellent color production. The panel on the BLU S1 is good, and at this price point, it’s a surprisingly good panel.

Processor

The BLU S1 features a 64-bit, 1.5Ghz octa-core MediaTek MT6750 SoC, which means that this budget-friendly phone has the same processor as smartphones such as the ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1), UHANS Max 2, the iPhone X-cloned Oukitel U18, and the Bluboo S8+. These eight cores work similarly to other octa-core smartphones: there are four cores that handle basic, low-intensive tasks, while the remaining four cores handle the most advanced, heavy-intensive tasks.

Overall, there’s a quickness about phone functions, such as launching the camera and other phone apps, though there were some slight stutters in performance in gameplay for example.

I never experienced lag that would force someone to put down the phone, though some individuals would never accept lagging performance in a smartphone no matter the price. The lag in gameplay was noticeable at first, until the first software update seemed to fix the initial lag. Slight stutters here and there continue with further use, though you won’t find stutters interrupting your daily routine.

RAM and Memory

The BLU S1’s 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage is what you’ll find as a nice compromise when it comes to budget-friendly phones nowadays. I didn’t find apps to reload often as 2GB seems to be about the least an Android device in 2018 needs. Apps stay in memory, so you won’t have to concern yourself with clearing the RAM all the time.

The 16GB of storage is sufficient out of the box, with about 10.5GB of storage available for personal use. Of course, you can always take advantage of the BLU S1’s 64GB microSD card slot, Google Photos cloud storage, and Google Drive, but I think 32GB of storage is a better compromise standard for all smartphones (whether budget-friendly or not).

BLU has aimed for a specific price point here, but the way to keep consumers loyal is to give them a comfortable experience out of the box. 10GB of storage remaining for a phone that costs nearly $200 isn’t giving enough to everyday consumers.

Fingerprint Sensor

The fingerprint sensor is embedded into the home button. I found it to be easy to set up and extremely responsive. Given that Android has supported this protocol since 6.0, it makes sense to have one present in any phone, regardless of cost.

Do note that you have to press and hold the button for it to return “home”. This could be improved in future models; I’d like to simply touch or swipe it to unlock or go back to the home screen.

Battery and Charging

The BLU S1 features a 2,800mAh battery, which performs well when taking into account the phone’s 5.2-inch screen and HD (720p) screen resolution. The phone can last a strong 12 hours in my testing, but I’ve also discovered that you may want to employ Android’s battery saver mode on the phone to get double the battery life when out and about. Employing the battery mode, I got 37 hours of usage out of the BLU S1.

With my own unit, I’ve discovered that the battery stats (software) are somewhat off; I used my phone for 3 hours but noticed that my battery stats had only added another 20 minutes to the SOT, for example. In addition, the battery stats fail to record any activity on the smartphone that

The battery itself is reliable, but you may not want to take the battery stats too seriously.

As for charging the BLU S1, you’re looking at a 3-4-hour charging time: yes, 3 to 4 hours. What started at 2.5-3 hours of battery life back at October’s end has now extended to 3-4 hours of charging time on my unit (though yours may fare better in this regard). There is no fast charging tech here, so you’re looking at standard slow charging.

This means that the BLU S1 charges no higher than 25% after 1 hour plugged in, which is frustrating for those who have used devices that do feature fast charging. BLU should bring fast charging to its devices because in 2018 smartphones should take no longer than 2 hours to charge.

Camera

The BLU S1 has two cameras, a front-facing 5MP camera and a rear, 13MP camera. Only the back camera has a camera flash; the front does not.

The camera is rather solid. There are a few problems with the camera such as its inability to render colors accurately at times. Sometimes, light blues are rendered dark, and colors as a whole are rendered stale rather than alive, vibrant, and sharp.

The camera app itself is what you’d expect of the Google Camera app: camera filters, HDR, Flash, White Balance, Exposure, and other settings. You won’t find advanced features like you would in say an LG device, but there’s more than enough here to get good pictures out of the S1.

One of the issues with the 5MP selfie camera is that it tends to have noise in selfies taken up close. Taking a selfie in my turquoise green polo shirt showed a lot of image noise in the shirt itself. As for the 13MP rear camera, images can often be smeared and smudged because the back camera lacks a protective lens cover to prevent smudging and smearing. This means that you’ll need to use a cloth or sleeve to quickly clean your back camera lens before taking photos in the sun or in well-lit rooms and settings.

Software

The BLU S1 is powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, which isn’t the latest Android 8.1 Oreo. Seeing that the S1 was announced back in September, it would’ve been a nice gesture to see this phone arrive with Oreo rather than Nougat.

Regardless of its somewhat outdated software, the BLU S1 does provide a pure vanilla Android experience, with the exception of a few BLU apps. Other than that, BLU remains out of your way and allows you to customize your Android experience as you see fit.

Do keep in mind, though, that BLU won’t let you not use its Rewards app without reminding you constantly; I received three or four popups in my notifications each day reminding me to sign up for and take advantage of my 2,000 rewards points through BLU’s Rewards program.

As for updates, it’s unlikely that there’ll be any new OS updates. A 324MB update brought support for new Sprint MVNOs, updates to Google apps, and Google security patches. There hasn’t been an update since and it’s nearly five months since the BLU S1’s release. My suggestion is that, if you want an Android Oreo-powered smartphone, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Price and Compatibility

The BLU S1 was released with the retail price of $179.99. But, you can now pick up the S1 for less than $100. Amazon offers certified refurbished BLU S1 units for $79.99, with new devices being sold for $99.99.

According to BLU’s own website, the BLU S1 is free at Sprint, giving you a $200 Visa Prepaid card and free SIM card when you activate your BLU S1 on Sprint’s CDMA network. In other words, you can get the BLU S1 for free as a Sprint customer.

The BLU S1 comes in Grey, Black and Gold colors.

Final Thoughts

With all that’s been said, the BLU S1 is a competitive, budget-friendly Android-powered smartphone. However, I would like to offer up some pros and cons so that Blu might create an ever better experience for the next generation.

Pros of the BLU S1:

  • Provides phone case, earbuds, and screen protector out of the box: This is one thing that sets BLU apart from many Android OEMs.
  • GSM and CDMA compatibility: The BLU S1 is the first phone from the Florida-based OEM to offer Sprint and Boost Mobile compatibility. GSM compatibility means you can also take this phone to AT&T and T-Mobile.
  • Solid build quality: Though plastic, the BLU S1 feels like a solid phone made of premium plastic. I commend BLU for making the S1 in such a way that the device doesn’t feel or look cheap.
  • Retains headphone jack: This is likely an expected feature of budget-friendly smartphones, but it’s good to see BLU retain the headphone jack.
  • Great price: A sub-$200 price tag is hard to beat nowadays, at least for tolerable smartphones.

Recommendations:

  • Add rear camera lens cover: There is no lens cover for the back camera of the BLU S1, meaning that smears and smudges will appear in photos unless the user cleans the camera lens first. I had to do this repeatedly in the same day while out and about taking pictures.
  • Increase display brightness: Brightness is fine indoors where there’s good lighting, but brightness performance drops drastically when you head outdoors. Increased display brightness will help users see clearly when taking photos without the usual “capture and pray” method that hopes one takes a good photo.
  • Camera improvements are needed: The motion gesture to zoom in on the S1’s camera needs improvement. The digital zoom works sometimes, but you could miss out on good opportunities at other times. Also, selfie camera noise is pretty bad and could be enhanced by adding a flash.
  • Needs more storage: The BLU S1 needs additional storage because Android Nougat consumes a third of the 16GB of available storage and only leaves 10GB available out of the box. I’m not a fan of microSD card storage because storage cards can be corrupted and data on those same cards can be lost. Perhaps Blu might provide microSD cards out of the box.
  • Improve audio: The audio of the S1 is sufficient for the price, but I think BLU can push the audio to make it better.
  • Add fast-charging tech: The current charging time for the BLU S1 is too long, leaving users to abandon the S1 throughout the day if they fail to charge it at night.
  • Additional CDMA compatibility: I hope the BLU S2 features Verizon and US Cellular compatibility, two other CDMA carriers in the top 5 in the US. When your goal is to sell a phone, excluding customers is never a wise move. Sure, Verizon may not be so friendly to BLU or the S1, but I’m sure US Cellular would warmly receive the BLU S1 or BLU S2 in the future.
  • Add water and dust resistance: I realize that one can only get so much in a $180 phone, but I think that water protection is essential to smartphone survival these days.

BLU has an excellent smartphone in the BLU S1, and perhaps the “S” will stand for “stellar” after another iteration or two. BLU needs to fix a few essentials and perhaps even bump up the future S2’s price to accommodate fast charging and USB Type-C charging, and the BLU S series will be hard to beat.

You can now use the Google Assistant to send money to your friends (via Google Pay)

Alexandra Arici
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Owe your friend money for last night’s movie tickets? Good news! You can pay him/her right back! Google just announced it’s now possible to money to your friends by asking your Google Assistant.

The feature is rolling out for Android and iOS devices in the US. Users will be able to say something like “Send John $2 for movie ticket” and the Assistant will swiftly make the transfer via Google Pay. Users can also request money by saying “Hey Google, request $10 from Sara for pizza”.

Make payments using your voice

And while you need to have a Google Pay account to send money, you don’t need one to receive the funds. People with a Google Pay account will receive a notification when a new payment is received.

Don’t worry about setting up an account, you’ll be guided through the steps of creating one by your trusty Google Assistant when you ask to make your first payment.

For security, transactions using the Assistant will require proper authentication using your fingerprint or Google password.

Transactions will show up in your Google Pay Send history, so you can check them later. Last month Google announced the merging of Android Pay and Google Wallet into a single service called Google Pay.

Yet, because Google’s intention is to slowly integrate Wallet into Google Pay over the upcoming months, Google Wallet has been renamed to Google Pay Send for now. Quite confusing, we know.

Anyway, in the official press release, Google said the new payment option will also be coming to its smart speakers in the coming months. So owners of Google Home, Home Mini or other Google Assistant-powered speakers will be able to send money simply by asking the virtual helper.

A few days ago Google rolled out another feature for its newly unified mobile payments app. Starting this week, riders will also be able to board the Las Vegas Monorail using Google Pay on their Android phones.

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