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YouTube’s new Reels feature is borrowed from Instagram

Alexandra Arici
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Stories is one of the most popular features of Instagram, which allows users to share a moment of their day in a form of picture or video snippets that disappear within 24 hours. Well, it seems YouTube is getting a similar feature too.

The new tool is dubbed Reel and is aimed at creators. Its purpose is to let users share content without the need to create a fully-fledged YouTube video. The big difference between Stories in Instagram (and Snapchat, for that matter) is that Reels videos won’t have an expiration date attached to them and they will go on to live forever in the Reels tab, separate from the main YouTube videos made by creators. Yet, there’s the option to link to videos within Reels.

Each Reel can be up to 30-seconds in length and users can add enhancements like filters, text, stickers, and links to their Reels. Viewers will get to rate Reels by giving them the thumbs up or down or write comments.

YouTube is currently rolling out the new feature to creators with more than 10,000 subscribers, so it might be a while before Reels become available for all users.

Would you like to give Reels a try?

How to use your Android smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot

Alexandra Arici
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These days Wi-Fi hotspots are available all around us – in universities, office buildings, cafés or shops – so you can always stay connected to the Internet. But even so, in some situations – like taking a trip to your parents’ cabin – you can still find yourself out of range.

The good news is that your modern Android phone allows you to easily share your mobile data connection with other devices. This way you’ll be able to share phone’s data with your laptop or tablet or help your friend, who tagged along with you, get online too.

So how do you share your Android’s internet connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot? Follow these simple steps:

Note: For this tutorial a Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) running Android 7.0 Nougat was used

  1. Open the Settings Menu
  2. Access Connection (the first option in Settings)
  3. Scroll down until you find the Mobile hotspot and tethering option and tap on it
  4. Tap on the Mobile hotspot toggle to turn it on
  5. Once on you’ll be able to set the name and password of your hotspot

 

After you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be able to connect the second device. To do so you will have to:

  1. Turn the Wi-Fi on the device that will share the main data connection
  2. Select the hotspot from the list of available Wi-Fi networks
  3. Connect to the hotspot by entering the password

A few other things to know:

  • You can connect up to 10 devices to the hotspot via Wi-Fi
  • You can create an allowed device profile and set the connection mode for it by tapping More

  • You can change the Mobile hotspot configurations by tapping More
  • Mobile hotspot increases battery consumption/data usage

Keep in mind that the instructions might vary based on the Android phone you are using. On some Android models, for example, you’ll find the “Tethering and portable hotspot” option once you tap on More under Wireless Networks.

Why do people hate productivity apps? (Promoted)

AndroidGuys
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The modern world is fast and unforgiving. We constantly have to get more than one job done whilst we’re being relentlessly bombarded by distractions that get in our way. On average, we spend only 1 minute and 15 seconds on a task before being interrupted and then it can take us an average of 25 minutes to resume a task once we’ve been distracted. It is no surprise then that today’s modern world is filled with productivity apps to help us focus on the tasks at hand, work more efficiently, and manage our days better.

Studies have shown that the average mobile user in the US uses between three and four productivity apps over the course of a month. The issue with productivity apps, however, stems from their very nature. When the problem is that the average person already checks their phone 150 times per day, are apps that make us look at our phones really the answer?

Productivity apps split opinion and are both loved and hated by the people that use them. Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why people hate them so that we can better understand these enigmas and maybe get a little more out of them or, even better, out of ourselves.

Why do people hate productivity apps?

Because they make you less productive

Using productivity apps takes effort. They don’t just magically turn your life into a finely tuned machine that outputs effortlessly and efficiently. The apps can only help you to do what you’ve told them to help you to do. This takes time that you could be spending actually getting jobs done.

If you add to this how many productivity apps there are, and that each has its own eco-system that needs maintaining, things quickly get out of hand. All of a sudden, the apps that are supposed to be helping you save time and focus are taking up a lot of your time and require your constant attention.

Because people aren’t using them properly

Notifications can be distracting rather than empowering. If a notification is going off for every little task, you need to take care of that day; they’ll distract you from taking action, rather than encourage you to take care of business. These days, notifications come in fast and hard and the more we receive the more we’re likely to ignore them.

Imagine an email inbox with 10 unopened emails compared to an inbox with 1,000 unopened emails. People are much more likely to ignore the 1,000 unopened emails than they are the 10. The same is true of notifications. Before long, you start ignoring the pings telling you to do the laundry and even start resenting them.

Because they make you pay a regular subscription

Paying for something can be tough. Especially if that something is an abstract concept like software. You already have the program but you can’t use it because the features are locked away, unless you make a regular payment.  Moreover, the program can just be copied an infinite amount of times and given to whomever wants it. What do you actually pay for?

What you pay for is the value it adds to your life. In the case of a productivity app, what you’re paying for is the increased productivity. As this increased productivity still depends on your own effort, it could be difficult to conceptualize the added value you get from your paid subscription. If you’re not using your productivity app at all, forget about it.

Because it is difficult to know where to start

There are so many productivity apps available now that you’ll need an hour or two just to make sure you’re getting the right one for you. If the simple act of choosing which app will make your life easier is a laborious chore surely the concept is defeating itself. When you have article, after listicle, after infographic, all explaining the finer points of each app that’ll make your life easier, you know you’re driving up a dead end. Which brings us to…

Because they over-complicate things

This might seem counter-intuitive in today’s modern world but the humble pen still holds its own against the mighty smartphone. Using a pen and paper to organize your life frees up your screen for other tasks that you could be taking care of. In addition, that note you’ve written out won’t be pinging you throughout the day to get things done and, as we’ve already mentioned, cutting down distractions is a sure-fire way to get more things done. A simple analog system will help you keep on top of your workload as well as giving you a visible archive of all the work you’ve done, and the satisfaction of scratching tasks off once they’ve been completed.

Google Pixel C gets more features from Pixel phones in latest Android 8.1 preview

Alexandra Arici
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We haven’t seen any exciting new developments in the tablet market for ages, but some companies haven’t completely forgotten about them.

For example, Lenovo recently partnered up with AT&T to sell the Moto Tab tablet. And Google has recently bestowed some neat features borrowed from the Pixel phones to the aging Pixel C tablet.

It wouldn’t be the first time Google does this. The Pixel C got new navigation buttons and launcher in previous updates and now with the advent the latest Android 8.1 Oreo Developer Preview 2, the Pixel C tablet gained even more features ported over from the Pixel phones.

As the Android Police notes, the Pixel C now takes advantage of a re-designed app shortcuts menu, as well as a new option for changing icon shapes and toggle notification dots. Moreover, the app drawer stretches on the whole display and is no longer confined in the middle.

The Pixel C was released in December 2015 and so far it’s the only tablet that runs Android Oreo. Despite it being almost 2-years old, we included the Pixel C in our Holiday Shopping Guide: Tablet Edition, because it remains a worthy tablet. And the latest improvements, give shoppers another reason to consider buying it this Christmas.

AT&T now offering the ZTE Axon M with a $100 Visa gift card

Alexandra Arici
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0

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are officially behind us, but some of the deals launched during the period still remain.

Case in point, AT&T is offering a $100 Visa reward card to customers who purchase the unique ZTE Axon M dual-screen smartphone. The deal debuted on Cyber Monday and it’s still available for your pleasure, although we don’t know when exactly it will expire.

The ZTE Axon M is a pretty expensive smartphone, so be prepared to shed $724.99 if you plant o purchase it outright. Or you can get it for $24.17/month for 30-months with an AT&T installment agreement.

The Axon M is an atypical smartphone for those who want to try something different. It’s actually aimed at users who want to get productive on their handset, hence the “M” moniker. The product boasts two separate 5.2-inch screens that can be put together to create a 6.75-inch display with a line running through it.

It’s worth mentioning, that you’ll be paying $700+ mostly for design, as the Axon M’s specifications are a bit outdated. The two fullHD displays (with Gorilla Glass 5 protection) are powered by last year’s Snapdragon 821, aided by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

A singular 20-megapixel sensor which works for either the front or back is also available. The phone runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box, although ZTE promised it will update the device to Android 8.0 Oreo at some point.

So if you think you’d like to give the dual-screen experience a shot, you can go ahead and visit the AT&T website.

Warning: Blu released an Android update that could brick your phone

Alexandra Arici
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After being accused of selling phones that were secretly sending sensitive user info to China, US budget smartphone maker Blu is in the news yet again.

This time the company has sent out an OTA update for its Blu Life One X2 model which according to owners, effectively bricks the phone. Users complaining on Reddit and other forums explained how they couldn’t even finish installing the update. At one point they were asked for the password, but due to a bug, the phone wouldn’t accept it, and as a result, the device remained stuck on the login screen.

Even worse, disgruntled users who reached out to Blu’s support team, weren’t at all pleased when they were told what the solution was. Apparently, the only way to get their Blu Life One X2 to work again was to perform a factory reset. Which means those who haven’t backed up their data would lose it all. The issues have been reported by users in the US, but in other countries across the world, as well.

Blu has been made aware of the problem and noted on Facebook that it’s “currently investigating and trying to fix the issue”. So for the time being, all that owners of the Blu Life One X2 can do is wait.

Selecting the right web hosting company for Android apps (Promoted)

AndroidGuys
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Getting your website designed by a reputed web designing company is not just enough. In fact, selecting a reliable web hosting company is even more important. Why is it so? This is because the manner in which your website performs and offers accessibility to visitors determines the fate of your website. So, zeroing-in on the right web hosting company is an important part of web designing. Greater the uptime greater are the chances of your website being visible to visitors and prospective clients.

Features of Android apps

Generally speaking, you will not be able to tap into the potentialities of an Android app unless you have an excellent web hosting company that can work in tandem with your services. To name just a few of the features that an app on the Android OS offers include the following:

  • Activity list filter
  • Using Android Device Manager for the purpose of remote security
  • Screen Recording
  • Setting system animation (warp speed)
  • Organizing list of contacts and your associations in the list
  • Calendar view of all your upcoming activities
  • Managing notes, folders, files, and mails
  • Customizing fields
  • Sending text messages
  • Voice call
  • Video call
  • Uploading pictures
  • Uploading files from Dropbox and Google Drive
  • Searching for products, services, people, deals, and packages of different services and products
  • Syncing data manually
  • Feedback form management
  • Activities in offline mode
  • Push notifications
  • Call tracking

The above mentioned features are just few of them. Android apps offer much more than just these features and options. In order that you are able to make the best use of these features, you have to choose an excellent company that offers the best possible hosting services.

How to shop for the best web hosting company for your Android app?

Now that you have decided to host your Android app, the next most important task is to choose the hosting company. How will you go ahead with the same? Let us find out in the paragraphs that follow-

Target audience

Find out the type of customers the company caters to. It is important that a broad customer base is dealt with. In this regard, you can bank upon SiteGround that has a huge client base and looks into services related to web traffic handling, space and storage needs, bandwidth, downtime, uptime, and above all performance record.

Characteristic features

Every hosting service provider has something unique to offer since it has to survive the competition that prevails in the market. Features that are unique to a particular company can be related to aspects like types of hosting solutions and their corresponding costs, nature of control panel, whether it is built-in or not, check for strength of password, multiple email address handling, and so on. For the e-commerce websites in particular, a lot of stress has to be put on shopping carts and setting up online store, and so on.

Types of hosting services

You will have to opt for a web hosting service provider that is similar to SiteGround that has a unique way of offering the best to the clients. Moreover, owing to its quality service, it has been getting excellent and 5 star ratings throughout from majority of the users in its reviews and feedback. As far as hosting services are concerned, you can select from among VPS, Shared, Cloud, Dedicated, and Reseller hosting aside from offering domain names.

Other features that ought to take into account prior to settling for a service provider include the following:

  • Uptime
  • Customer support
  • Speed
  • Tickets
  • Anti Theft protection

For more reviews related to SiteGround, you can visit many such websites that offer real reviews from users that convey their experience firsthand.

How to use multi-window mode on your Android phone

Alexandra Arici
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Multi-window is a super useful feature which allows you to open and use two Android apps at the same time. It’s great for multi-tasking and if you have a phone with a larger display you should definitely give it a go. However, before anything you should make sure your phone is running Android Nougat.

So how can you make use of this handy multi-window feature on your Android device? Continue reading below to find out:

1) Using multi-window when you have an app open

Ok, so let say you already have Chrome open on your device and you need quick access to your Gmail account. How do you open the second app?

  • Long-press the square button (recent apps) button to bring up the list of apps that are already running in the memory.
  • Long tap Gmail and place in the secondary app space (lower part of the screen).

2) Using multi-window directly from the home screen

In the case you don’t have an app open, here’s how you use the multi-window tool.

  • Tap the square button (recent apps)
  • Tap and drag one of the apps to the top of your screen
  • Choose the second app you want to open
  • Long press on it to fill the second part of the screen

Note: Multi-window works in landscape mode too:

Warning: Some apps display the message “the app does not support split screen” (for example, Instagram) so you won’t be able to use them at the same time with another app.

To return to full screen mode, long tap on the square button (which has been replaced with two small rectangles).

Kids can call Santa this Christmas from their parents’ Google Assistant-powered device

Alexandra Arici
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To make Christmas celebrations even more special this year, Google is offering a nice, little fun feature this holiday season which will make your kids think you have superpowers.

Remember how last year Google kept you up to date on Santa’s whereabouts? All you needed to find out “Where’s Santa right now?” was as a Google Assistant-powered device like a Google Home or a Pixel.

Well building on last year’s tradition, Google now lets you and your kids give Santa a call. Just ask the Google Assistant to do it by uttering the following command: “OK Google, call Santa!”

The virtual helper will proceed to connect you directly to the North Pole. Then it’s time to put the kids on because Santa will ask them to answer some questions or give him a helping hand by singing along music performed by Father Christmas himself.

Note that for the time being, the feature doesn’t appear to be supported on all devices offering the Google Assistant, so you might only get a third party app referral when you attempt to call Santa on your phone. But Google is probably working hard to get the trick up and running on as many devices as possible until Christmas.

Have you started to shop for presents yet? If you haven’t and need ideas, here are some nifty tech gift proposals, all under $25.

OnePlus 5T in Lava Red is announced

Alexandra Arici
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Rumors of a bright red OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition surfaced just a few days before the flagship was official introduced. But during the launch event, OnePlus stayed mum on the matter.

Well, today – several weeks after the OnePlus 5T made a debut – the company announced a Lava Red version of the OnePlus 5T in China. Yeah, it’s not exactly the Star Wars edition we were expecting, but it’s good enough.

A new color variant is an welcome addition, especially since at launch the OnePlus 5T was only made available in Midnight Black. Unfortunately, OnePlus did not provide any details about extending the availability of the Lava Red phone to other markets. However, we dare speculate the sleek color variant will become available outside China at some point.

The Lava Red OnePlus 5T will be offered with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and $559 price tag. Spec-wise, the Lava Red model is the same as the Midnight Black one.

Which means you’ll be getting the same 6-inch bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio and FHD+ resolution. The fingerprint sensor now lives on the back of the phone and so does the dual-camera which shed the secondary telephoto lens in favor of a low-light camera. The phone also includes a new Face Unlock feature and ships out with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

As a fun fact, OnePlus introduced the Lava Red phone on the same day that Samsung officially announced the Burgundy Red version of the Galaxy S8 which for the time being is exclusive to South Korea. So, which one do you prefer?

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