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4k 360-degree camera accessory going for $499 with the Essential Phone

Dan Bartram
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The Essential Phone was somewhat of a design standout when it came to comparable smartphones but early reviews couldn’t warrant the price tag. But with the major price job it put the device back on the charts for a pretty decent purchase.

The deals keep coming with the Essential Phone as you can pick up the device with the 4k 360-degree camera accessory on Amazon for $499.

That’s $100 less than it normally sells for so is a cracking deal. It did briefly go for $399 on Black Friday but that’s not much good now is it?

Keeping in mind the Essential Phone is $449 by itself, that puts the 360-degree accessory at a pretty bargain price. That’s some serious hardware for a really good price.

Amazon’s Prime Video app for Android TV lands in the Play Store, but there’s a catch

Alexandra Arici
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It’s no secret that Amazon and Google have been at each other’s throats lately. Not so long ago Google blocked YouTube from the Amazon Echo Show (it restored access a few weeks later and then pulled it again) and Amazon stopped selling Google products, although this has changed as of late.

Anyway, it seems the two companies are in the process of working out their differences, which might be the reason why Amazon today released the Prime Video app for Android TV in the Play Store.

Well sort of. The thing is you won’t be able to download it just yet, as the app doesn’t seem to compatible any devices just yet. The issue seems to be on Amazon’s side, who needs to enable compatibility or something like that. This incongruity indicates Amazon wasn’t quite ready to release the app.

Even so, if you have an Android TV at your disposal, you can go ahead and try to install the app on your device and see if it works for you.

So far, Amazon’s Prime Video app was been included only in the NVIDIA Shield TV which launched at CES 2017 back in January. But the service was intimately tied with the Shield TV’s firmware, so it never popped up in the Google Play Store. Well, that’s no longer the case, as of this week.

Are you excited that Amazon’s Prime Video app for Android TV has landed in the Play Store? Let us know in the comment section below.

9 tech gifts that look a lot more expensive than they are

Alexandra Arici
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Buying gifts for your friends and family members can be a difficult task – and all too often we spend much more than we should on presents that just don’t hit the mark. And if you’re on a tight budget this year, gift buying can seem even more difficult than usual.

But fortunately, there are a lot of good promotions available to take advantage of. Case in point, at Android Guys Deals we have discounted some products that could make for great gifts. And we’ve chosen a list of products that look a lot more expensive than they are, which are sure to impress your loved ones.

TRELAB X11 wireless earphones

Price: $36.99 (previously $199.99)

Have a friend or family member who loves going to the gym? Then the TRELAB X11 wireless earphones might be something to consider. They look pretty futuristic and can be used a single earpiece or as a pair.

The wireless earphones support multi-device connection and offer noise cancellation & HD sound experience.

Boosted Acoustic Wood Headphones

Price: $17.99 (previously $129.99)

What if your friend prefers over the ear headphones instead of earphones? Then you might want to look at the stylish Boosted Acoustic Headphones which come with an interesting wood (Rosewood or Walnut) design. The pair is powered by 40mm drivers to provide clear sound which escapes into the user’s ear through the comfortable earpads.

Fader Stealth Drone

Price: $69.99 (previously $129.99)

Drones are also fun gifts, so one lucky member of your family will be thrilled to find it under the Christmas tree. The Fader drone includes a six-axis gyro module and an HD camera that can record 720p in real-time, as well as LED lights which enable it to fly at night. For a bit of extra fun, the drone comes with an aerobatic “flip” capability.

8x Telephoto Smartphone Lens

Price: $12.99 (previously $49.99)

Unlock the amazing photography capabilities of your smartphone with this 8x telephoto lens. Simply clip on the accessory in order to shoot clearer images at up to 8 times closer. You can also adjust the lens like you would on a normal DSLR camera.

Ticwatch 2 Active Smartwatch

Price: $169 (previously $199.99)

While sporty watches like the Samsung Gear Sport cost around $249.99, you can get the Ticwatch 2 Active for only $169.

Mobvoi’s sleek Ticwatch 2 Active boasts a simple, clean design and runs Ticwear OS, not Android Wear. Even so, users have access to a wide range of tracking features, as well as apps. The smartwatch also features call & text capabilities, so you can remain connected even as you leave your phone behind.

FRESHeCOLOR Bluetooth Portable Speaker

Price: $29.99 (previously $249.95)

A Bluetooth speaker with a funky design that can be carried anywhere thanks to the attached handle. What’s more, the embedded LED lights react to the music adding a special ambiance to your gatherings and parties.

Users can control the volume and playlists directly from the speakers, so you can don’t need to have your phone near you at all times.

Graphene 5K HyperCharger

Price: $22.99 (previously $69.98)

Graphene 5K HyperCharger is a super-thin and lightweight external battery that features 2 HyperPort USB charging ports. The juicer can add an extra of 5,000 mAh power whenever you need it. And thanks to the built-in HyperCharging Generation 3 tech, you can get some power on your phone at superfast speeds.

JS Wireless Power Bank

Price: $68.25 (previously $97.50)

Shopping for someone who can’t stand cables? Then the JS Wireless Power Bank might be worthy of your attention. It has a 6,000 mAh battery capacity and is compatible with any Qi-enabled device or model equipped with a Qi receiver. And even if its marketed as a wireless power bank, the product does have ports for USB and micro USB charging so you can charge up to three devices at a time.

It ships out with a wireless charging adapter to make other Android devices compatible with wireless charging.

Zubot Interactive HD Surveillance Smart Robot

Price: $134.99 (previously $149.99)

For those who put home security above anything else, the Zubot Surveillance Smart Robot might be an excellent gift.

Zubot is an HD Wi-Fi robot that can be controlled via a smartphone to patrol your house while you’re away on holiday. It can take pictures and video and even survey the propriety at night thanks to its IR night vision.

Note that some of these products might ship after Christmas. But alas, it’s better to get the right present a little bit later than the wrong one on time.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is not even out and Chinese clones have already appeared

Alexandra Arici
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One of the most anticipated flagship smartphones expected to make a debut in early 2018 is the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Information about the phone has been steadily leaking online for the past few months including renders based on CAD-designs, so we have a pretty good idea of how the Galaxy S9 will look like. And so do Chinese companies it seems.

The Galaxy S9 hasn’t even been announced yet and already device manufacturer Vkworld is tempting potential buyers with a phone which appears to have all the visual characteristics of the Galaxy S9. Although it’s poised to launch with a much larger battery and a smaller price tag.

As you can see from the images, the Vkworld’s aptly named S9 model looks exactly like the leaked Galaxy S9 pictures. We have a bezel-less display with slimmed down chin and forehead, the 18:9 aspect ratio, and a fingerprint scanner on the back sitting below the dual camera setup. As a side note, next year only the Galaxy S9+ will include a dual-camera setup, while the standard Galaxy S9 will feature a single lens on the back.

If you’re wondering about the internal specs of the Vkworld S9, well the phone is expected to take advantage of a 5.99-inch 2K display with an Helio X30 chipset under the hood. The handset will ship with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and an impressive 5,000 mAh battery, which will definitely over-shine the Galaxy S9’s.

Last but not least, Vkworld’s offering will go on sale for $300 a pop – a lot cheaper than the Galaxy S9 which will probably arrive with a price tag of at least $700. The Vkworld S9 is expected to launch in Spring 2018, probably soon after the Samsung Galaxy S9 makes an official debut.

Google Pixelbook variant with Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM finally goes on sale

Alexandra Arici
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Introduced during the Pixel 2 event back in October, the Pixelbook is Google’s latest high-end Chromebook.

So far customers interested in this premium laptop could purchase only the variant with Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. But starting this week, interest parties can place an order for the more advanced version which takes advantage of a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.

But a word of warning, it won’t come cheap. A Pixelbook with his higher-end configuration will set you back with up to $1,549, so it’s not a purchase for the faint-hearted.

In return for this amount of money, you’ll receive a 4-in-1 laptop with an aluminum unibody which combines the best elements of a laptop, smartphone, and tablet. It’s available with a 12.3-inch display with 2400 x 1600 resolution and 235ppi.

What’s more, the Pixelbook is the first laptop to come equipped with the Google Assistant, so you will be able to interact with it simply by using voice commands.

The laptop can be used with an accompanying Pixelbook Pen accessory, which will set you back with an additional $99. This small stylus has a latency of only 10 milliseconds, so it can aptly replicate the traditional pen-on-paper experience. It’s great for sketching and drawing.

Customers interested in purchasing the Pixelbook can do so from the Google Store. There are three variants available to choose from:

–    Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD

–    Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD

–    Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD

The high-end variant with an Intel Core i7 ships January 3.

Google offers a detailed glimpse of security enhancements in Android Oreo

Alexandra Arici
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With Android Oreo, Google has doubled down on security by making it safer to get apps, hardening the kernel or making Android easier to update. And in a new blog post this week, Google is taking a more in-depth look at the security goodness inside Oreo.

Google’s latest mobile operating system comes with support for features such as OEM Lock Hardware Abstraction Layer – which is a tool which gives manufacturers more flexibility on how to protect their own devices. Speaking of hardware, Google reminds us that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL take advantage of a specialized chipset that’s capable of verifying code in real time and resist both physical and remote data attacks and exploits. Google invites all manufacturers to take advantage of this feature on their new Oreo devices.

Android already supported Verified Boot – a security feature design to prevent devices booting up with software that has been tampered with. Well in Oreo, Google has upgraded it to Verified Boot 2.0 which includes new tools meant to enable faster updates by taking heavy advantage of Project Treble, as well as header and footer code across the board to make it easier to detect when something is amiss in boot and rollback protection.

What’s more, Project Treble now allows vendor HALs for individual device components to run sandboxed from the main core of the system, thus keeping the device safe from unwanted exploits. Platform and vendor-made code are separated to keep each component as controlled as possible.

On top of that, Oreo has been updated to include compliance with IETF RFC 7844 anonymity profile. Which means the net.hostname is now empty, and the device DHCP client no longer sends a hostname. Google has also built-in a new MAC address randomization tool in the code to make sure devices remain relatively anonymous while connected to a Wi-Fi.

Android Instant Apps now run in a restricted sandbox in order to limit certain permissions and capabilities such as reading the on-device app list or transmitting cleartext traffic. WebView has been split off from the rest of the web browsing code in Android, so Instant Apps can run safely. It includes Safe Browsing to protect against potentially dangerous sites.

To conclude, it’s worth mentioning that some of these features are already available for mobile users on Oreo, while some will be rolled out in the not too distant future.

For more info on Android Oreo’s updated security, check out the official Android Developers Blog.

Essential Phone is now getting Oreo Beta 2

Dan Bartram
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Android Oreo on the Essential Phone is getting ever more of a reality as the second beta release has been issued as an over-the-air update.

Currently Android Oreo is only in beta form and is being publicly tested to iron out the kinks before the official stable release. The second release of the software has just been released to fix a number of bugs to bring it one step closer to the final stable build.

Oreo Beta 2 (build OPM1.170911.213) for the PH-1 has begun rolling out today for those running Oreo Beta 1 as an OTA. Along with the bug fixes you’ll also get smart text selection and picture-in-picture mode activated from Oreo.

If you’re not on the beta build already then you can sideload Beta 2 of Oreo on the Essential Phone using ADB. The process is rather extensive but if you fancy having a go then go ahead and follow the instructions here.

If you are already running Oreo on the Essential Phone then let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment below.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) vs LG G6 (Smartphone Showdown)

Alexandra Arici
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We’re not even in 2018, but this week Samsung already announced the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018), which in theory are the successors of the Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017).

We say in theory, because the new phones seem to have reduced the gap between Samsung’s middle-range family and its flagship Galaxy S lineup considerably. The Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ are premium-looking devices with specs on-par with some of this year’s most notable flagships. Like the LG G6. So how do they really compare against one another?

On the outside

Samsung’s new mid-ranger features an all-glass body and borrows the InfinityDisplay design of the Galaxy S8, although in a cruder form. The phone has thicker upper and lower bezels, although the signature 18:5:9 aspect ratio is still present. The 5.6-inch display features FullHD+ resolution and is compatible with Samsung’s Gear VR headset – which is a first for Samsung’s mid-rangers. On the back, the fingerprint scanner positioned under the main camera sensor, offers a glance into the future, as we expect the Galaxy S9 to come with a similar arrangement next year.

Moving on to the LG G6, the handset utilizes a rather simple but straightforward design formula with a metal frame sandwiched by a couple different kinds of Gorilla Glass. It has Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. But unlike previous G-series flagships, the LG G6 features a unibody design, which means there’s no removable battery available.

With the LG G6, the company opted for very narrow bezels on the sides, as well as on the top and bottom. Rounded corners are utilized for both the display and the outer frame, and the result is that one-handed experience is pretty great.

Like the Galaxy A8 (2018), the G6 features a new 18:9 aspect ratio screen of 5.7-inch LCD variety with more advanced 2880 x 1440 resolution. The lack of an OLED display means that the LG G6 is not Daydream compatible, so Google’s headset won’t work with the phone. Unlike Samsung, LG hasn’t unveiled any new VR offerings as of late.

On the bright side, the display comes with Dobly Vision / HDR 10 support for viewing all sort of HDR content.

On the inside

The Galaxy A8 is powered by an octa-core Exynos chipset clocked at 2.2GHz and comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of internal storage (microSD card slot for memory expansion up to 256GB available). A 3,000 mAh battery with Fast Charging keeps the smartphone up and running.

Despite being LG’s first flagship for this year, the G6 takes advantage of 2016’s Snapdragon 821 – a quad-core processor clocked at 2.35GHz working alongside 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage. A version with 128GB of storage known as the LG G6+ is also available. Both include a microSD card slot.

The LG G6 benefits from a slightly larger 3,300 mAh battery than the Galaxy A8. The smartphone also includes IP68 certification and is MIL-STD-810G compliant. In contrast, the Galaxy A8 is only IP68-rated.

Photography

The new Galaxy A8 puts a focus on selfies. It’s actually the first handset in Samsung’s portfolio to feature a dual-camera setup on the front which consists of a 16-megapixel/8-megapixel combo with f/1.9. The back has been reserved to a single 16-megapixel snapper with f/1.7 and phase detection autofocus.

When it comes to the LG G6, the dual-camera lives on the back, as you’d normally expect it to. It’s comprised of two 13-megapixel sensors with f/1.8 and f/2.4 apertures respectively.

When it comes to selfies, the LG G6 might not be able to shine as the Galaxy A8, but it does include a decent 5-megapixel 100-degree secondary camera capable of shooting 1080p video.

Software

The LG G6 ships out with Android 7.0 Nougat with the company’s own LG UX 6.0 on top. LG has commenced the Oreo beta program for the LG V30 in South Korea, so we can assume the LG G6 will be next.

Overall LG’s software has come a long way over the past few years and on the G6, the company has worked hard to optimize it in order to provide the smoothest possible experience. There’s very little bloat on board the phone and LG’s own apps do a great job at showing off the new 18:9 aspect ratio.

A while back LG announced a new Face Print (face unlock) feature will be landing on the LG G6 via a software update.

As for the Galaxy A8 (2018) runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat which is very disappointing for a phone launching now. And with Galaxy S8 owners still waiting for the stable Oreo release, we’ll have to assume it’s going to be a long while until the Galaxy A8 gets the update.

Pricing

The LG G6 is one of the cheapest flagships of this year. For example, you can pick up the phone from T-Mobile for just $500 outright, while the unlocked version (with 32GB) is $699.

The LG G6+ model with 128GB storage is available for Prime members on Amazon for only $449.99.

As for the Galaxy A8 (2018), we don’t know for sure how much it will end up costing, although rumor has it it’s going to launch for €499 / $590 in Europe. Samsung will probably share more details about the device and its availability at CES 2018.

There’s a new Trojan in town and it can overheat your smartphone

Alexandra Arici
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Last year’s Galaxy Note 7 disaster left a burning remembrance in our collective consciousness, which could soon be revived by a new Trojan that was recently identified by researchers at Kaspersky Labs.

According to the report, smartphones infected with the new Loapi Trojan (formerly known as the Trojan.AndroidOS.Loapi) are in danger of overheating thus threatening not only the handset, but users’ safety too.

But to be fair, the Trojan hasn’t really been designed to cause physical damage. Overheating is simply a byproduct of Loapi’s true purpose – mining for Monero tokens and hiking your smartphone to use in DDoS attacks against Web resources. You see, it’s because of the constant load caused by mining modules and generated traffic that the battery inside your phone will become smoking hot.

Infected smartphone

To make matters even worse, Loapi has some bad-ass survival skills. Once installed, it will ask you give it admin privileges. If denied, the Trojan will promptly lock the smartphone’s screen and close the settings window. And when disgruntled users try and install anti-virus app, Loapi will labels them as malware and demand you wipe them off your device. It sounds extremely annoying, doesn’t it?

Well, what are users supposed to do to protect their devices? The usual prevention recipes apply here. Don’t click on dubious ads or visit any shady websites. Oh, and yes, don’t download and install apps from unverified sources. Try and stick to the Play Store. Last but not least, it wouldn’t hurt to install a genuine antivirus app like Kaspersky’s own solution.

Liam Neeson’s voice now gives directions in Waze

Alexandra Arici
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Waze users in the US are being treated to a nice surprise this holiday season. Their favorite traffic and maps app just added the ability to have Liam Neeson’s voice guide you to your destination.

The Hollywood actor has starred in a wide variety of movies from the remarkable “Schindler’s List” to the popular Sci-Fi adventure “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”. But he’s probably best-known for the “Taken” series in which he plays a retired CIA operative trying to keep his family out of harm’s way.

The new voice addition in Waze is meant to promote the star’s latest movie aptly named “The Commuter” which is scheduled to be released on January 12 – you can check out the trailer below. The feature will be available for a limited time, as Liam Neeson will lend his voice to the Waze app only until January 14.

In order to take advantage of the new feature, Waze users in the US will need to fire up the app on their Android (or iOS) phone and go to Settings > Voice Directions and choose the Liam Neeson option (the last one).

Not a fan of mister Neeson? No worries, you still have other voice options to choose from including Jane, Amy, Nathan or …Boy Band.

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