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Are you planning to run VPN on Android? Here are few facts to know (Promoted)

AndroidGuys
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It is a well known fact that online data theft is something that every online entrepreneur dreads. And this is one of the reasons why you must not use a public network especially when you are making use of your hand held device. Even a young child knows that public network is not something that you can trust as it is not secure and is one of the avenues that hackers make use of by stealing data.

Most importantly, your personal information like bank account numbers and credentials can fall into wrong hands. And to overcome such incidents or mishaps, the use of VPN or Virtual Private Network makes sense. This allows your information to be encrypted which keeps your data safe and secured.

In this write-up, let us find out what you should know about the nuances of using VPN on your Android device. So, read on for a better insight. The article will deal with the following topics:

  • VPN – What is it
  • Why use VPN
  • Should you use it on your phone

VPN – What is it

In simpler terms, it is basically a “middleman” or a “bridge” between the internet and you. It is basically a service that enables you to receive as well as send data across virtually. So, if you choose to set up and activate Virtual Private Network, it means that all the web traffic is being directed to you and from you through this network, which is undoubtedly secure as the data is transmitted in encrypted form.

However, only 2 people are involved in the transmission of data, the one that sends and the one that receives provided both have the permission to communicate across the network. You will be provided with an IP address which is user specific. There are 2 ways in which you can avail the service, paid and non-paid or free. The former offers more incentives.

Why use VPN – Benefits of using VPN

Using a private network has several benefits. Some of them are as follows-

Privacy and security – Using a virtual private network may not protect your data fully unless you use an encrypted connection and most importantly from a reliable service provider. In this way, a channel is created between you and the party on the other side. No third party can intercept the communication that is taking place between 2 parties. And if at all there is security breach and data is grabbed, no one will be able to decode the data.

Access to restricted areas – If you are not able to access services of areas that are restricted, with the help of VPN on Android device you are using, you can access the service. There are times when services or access is denied due to “regional lock”.

Should you use it on your phone

By all means, you can use virtual private network on Android device. This is because you may not always need encrypted data or you may not be exchanging sensitive data always. If you are planning to use it on your phone, you can install one of the apps that let you set up the feature and activate it.

Several features like bandwidth monitoring are also offered by certain service providers and you can keep a tab on the amount of bandwidth you are using. However, make sure you opt for the paid service or the subscription based service, which offers much more than the free ones.

Most importantly, virtual private network is compatible with majority of the web browsers and also with apps that you install on your phone.

Unleash your creativity to enter Niantic’s Pokémon Go AR photo contest

Alexandra Arici
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Do you love playing Pokémon everywhere you go? Then you’ll be thrilled to know that Niantic just launched a fun Pokémon Go AR Contest which challenges trainers to snap epic AR phones while trying to catch Pokémons in stunning locations.

Use the AR camera feature in the Pokémon GO application to snap a photo of a Pokémon while you’re using the app. But take note that photos, where an individual appears, will be disqualified. You can enter up to three images using one Instagram account throughout the whole contest period.

One of the prizes

It’s a global competition, so it’s not limited only to those living in the US. To join simply post your entries on Instagram and tag #PokemonGocontest. The contest begins at 12:00 A.M. Pacific Time on October 11, 2017, and ends at 11:59:59 P.M. PT on October 27, so you have plenty of time to get creative.

A panel of experts (judges) will pick the best 10 entries. Each winner will be awarded a Pokémon Go Prize Pack which contains a Pokémon Go Plus, a poster bearing the autographs of the whole Niantic team and one pair of wireless earbuds. The approximate retail value of the bundle is $240, if that matters.

If you’re looking to apply, we wish you good luck!

Alexa can now tell the difference between your voice and your roommate’s

Alexandra Arici
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Amazon Echo owners, if you ever found yourself jealous of Google Home’s ability to recognize different voices, then you will be happy to know that Alexa just gained this exact skill this week.

The new feature is currently rolling out for the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show devices, but eventually, all users of Alexa-enabled devices (including those made by third-parties) should be able to take advantage of this new ability.

An extremely useful addition for people who are sharing an Amazon Echo, voice recognition enables your speaker to tell who is talking to it and provide personally-tailored responses. So if you instruct it to call John, it will call your friend, not your roommates.

To set this feature up, you will need to navigate to Alexa’s app settings, find Your Voice and then teach Alexa what your voice sounds like by reading out 10 full phrases. Once you’ve trained the virtual assistant, she will store the information in the cloud and make use of it again if you purchase another Alexa-enabled device.

For the time being, Alexa will take advantage of its new skill to personally tailor calls/messages, flash briefings, shopping activities and music playback via the Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan. However, Amazon promises voice recognition will be made available to other additional Alexa features sometime in the near future.

Mujjo’s leather case for the Samsung Galaxy S8 is as premium as it gets (Review)

Gerson Noboa
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Because of the relentless competition in the smartphone market, we are in the middle of a race to come up with the device that feels the most “premium.” One could argue that functionality has been left aside in favor of fragile but better-looking materials. Glass and metal backs are now almost the standard on new, high-end devices (and even some mid-range ones), but they can break, dent, or scratch very easily.

However, who can deny the beauty of devices like the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the HTC U11? These materials are here to stay, so we have to embrace them. It is our job to protect our devices, either by nursing them or by slapping a case on them.

Thankfully, we’ve left behind those early days in the options we had were basically reduced to generic TPU silicone cases that looked horrible (although they did a good job in protecting the device).

Nowadays, several companies are doing cases that combine materials (such as silicone with plastic), have fancy (or personalized) designs, or provide protection against even the biggest of phone abusers (like Otterbox products).

Others have gone a little bit further and have been experimenting with materials such as wood and leather. One of these is the Dutch designer label Mujjo, which specializes in premium leather cases. If you have a Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+, then this might be one of the most stylish choices your hard-earned money can buy right now.

Packaging

Even though most people just throw away the packaging and concentrate on the case (which is a perfectly valid way of approaching life), I love to examine cases a bit further because they tend to show how much weight the company puts into attention to detail. Sure, you can have a plastic case wrapping up your product and call it a day, but why should you do that when there are so many better ways?

Being a brand that focuses heavily on looks, Mujjo opted for the better way. The whole case is completely black, but it has a “door” on the front that you can open in order to see the case itself. This door is even held by a (hidden) magnet so that it doesn’t move around.

The inner compartment has a small opening on the side so that you can feel the full-grained leather. If you slide the whole thing downwards, then you can access the case. It might not be that important to a lot of you, but first impressions count, and Mujjo did a great job in getting it right from the start.

Appearance

From the moment you get your hands on the case, you can feel that this is no ordinary case. First of all, like other leather cases, the Mujjo leather case is extremely light. Samsung has done an awesome job this year to make their devices as light as they can, and it is a shame when a case makes a phone feel like a Nexus 6. I mention this because I normally use a wooden case on my S8, and I can definitely notice the added weight that it provides.

Another fact that is immediately apparent is how slim the case is. It is slimmer than a plastic case I have for the S8! This is no accident: this is exactly what Mujjo aims for with all of their cases. The case covers the top part completely, providing a couple of millimeters to protect the phone from drops and scratches on the screen when laid face down.

Speaking about the leather itself, Mujjo claims that all of their cases are of “premium quality full-grain leather” that goes through a tanning process and is treated with aniline oil. I made some research about it so that you don’t have to. These seemingly complex terms mean that the leather is dyed so that it retains the texture that characterizes leather. If it was painted in a normal way, then the leather would lose some of its details and the result would just not look as good.

This is why, with a Mujjo case, the leather has a very detailed and fine-grain surface when you look closely to it, and feels incredibly smooth and soft to the touch when you hold the phone in your hand. Even the cutouts along the bottom, the camera, and the buttons feel extremely polished.

Having a leather case in a phone means that, unlike plastic or glass, the case will show signs of age after a few months. In fact, the peculiar way I hold my phone means that the leather is already a little bit darker on the top left corner. The signs of age are definitely something I’m looking forward to and is something that leather lovers will surely appreciate.

Finally, I just want to mention that the inside of the case is not made of plastic (like I thought it would be), but rather of a very soft-feeling microfiber material. This is good news for the fragile glass back of my S8 and adds to the overall quality and attention to detail that the case tries to project.

Functionality

Instead of opting to cover the buttons and the bottom region, Mujjo decided that it would be better to cut out that part and leave the buttons and ports unobstructed. This means that, except for the corners, the whole bottom part of the phone is easily accessible (good news for people with weird headphone plugs).

Also, owners of this case will not have to deal with the loss of button sensitivity that comes with a case that fully wraps around the phone. I have a plastic case with weird cutouts that makes it a burden to operate the buttons (especially the power button, you know, the one that you use the most), so I appreciate a lot not having to fight against my device in order to turn it on while I’m using the Mujjo case.

Of course, the downside of this approach is that the phone is less protected than with a case that covers the phone all over the edges. Sure, the Mujjo leather case provides great protection on the corners and along the top part of the device, but if you drop your phone and it lands on the bottom part or in the area close to the buttons, then you can wave your screen goodbye.

On the upside, it provides basically the same protection on the sides of the device (the regions that have no buttons nearby) than other cases I’ve used. There’s not much more that can be done to protect the edges of the S8, so Mujjo’s approach is as good as it gets.

Conclusion

Mujjo is trying to associate its brand with high-quality, luxurious leather cases for mobile devices. From what I’ve seen in this case, it lives up to the high expectations that one might expect from such a company.

Thanks to the beautiful, premium-quality leather they use, combined with superb design and attention to detail, the Mujjo leather case for the Samsung Galaxy S8 is easily one of the best ones you can get for your device at this moment. You may end up giving up a bit of protection in the process, especially in the bottom area, but the trade-off is a stylish case that enhances the looks of your already-beautiful S8.

The case can be bought from Mujjo’s website for approximately $50 in case you own an S8, or approximately $56 if you’re the proud owner of an S8+. The case can be bought in Saddle Tan or Black colors. It doesn’t matter if you are in Netherlands or in Ecuador since Mujjo ships worldwide.

Hopefully, Mujjo considers selling these cases for more devices, since, right now, if you don’t own either a current-gen Samsung flagship phone or a fruit-branded, courageous device, you are out of luck. Now that the new Pixel devices are out, maybe we could see cases for them? A man can dream.

To browse Mujjo’s offerings and buy their cases, check out their website.

All you need to know about smartphone storage (Promoted)

Guest Blogger
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When buying your new phone, the amount of internal space for storage is usually one of these very important aspects which influence the choice to get one phone over another. But wait, how much of the offered 16, 32 or 64GB is actually there for use? This differs a lot between devices. There were countless hot debates about the 16GB version of the Galaxy S7 when it was found that around 8GB was already consumed by the operating system and some other pre-installed apps.

To know more about the phone storage concept, let us find out the things that most of the people don’t know.

Checking Before Buying

If you’re buying a new smartphone online, it’s usually more challenging to check what amount of the internal storage space is actually available as opposed to buying from any store.

Dedicated smartphone stores often have a sample phone available, and it takes just a few seconds to check the settings and the storage section. If you’re buying one, and can’t see any information on any functional storage in the specs, don’t be afraid to contact the store and ask. Trustworthy sellers shouldn’t have any problem letting you know about this information.

Free up the Internal Storage

You can find a couple of possible ways to make some space in the internal storage; it depends on the phone you have.

Disable Bloatware: Only a few mobile phones allow you to do this, however, if you have an Android phone with the latest version, the process is easier than you think. While disabling a 100MB pre-installed application won’t clear up a related amount of storage, it should make some more space. Repeat this enough times and you’ll have a decent amount of storage gained.

Clear the Photos: This is usually a decent practice to do even if storage on the phone isn’t a problem. Make use of the synchronize software with your phone to back up the photos to your PC on a regular basis. You’re then capable of deleting your pictures off of the phone (or at least many of them) to clear up some space. Google Photos is a wonderful app which lets users sync pictures and videos to the cloud.

Use a Cleaner Application: Applications, such as CCleaner or Norton Clean are a good way to clear unwanted or unneeded data files from your mobile, with the touch of a button. Just as before, this measure will not clear up huge space, but it can certainly make some big difference. Moreover, a lot of phones now have optimization tools built in to help free up space.

Get rid of some applications:  If you’re like me, you’ll be guilty of installing the latest fad application, using it frequently for a couple of weeks and then moving onto the next one. In other words, the old trends should not be followed, because tons of apps are being created and available to use whether they are games, educational apps or many others. Try to find the app which occupies less space, or if an alternative is available of the same nature app then download that to avoid getting your device storage eaten. If you are the one game lover who wants to play some of the big sized games, then you must give a try to best external hard drive for Mac to play big sized games that can run smoothly without any problem.

Pure White Essential Phone finally goes on sale in the US, ships with white accessories

Alexandra Arici
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So far if you wanted to purchase Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone you could only grab the Black Moon version.

At launch, the company teased four different color variants including the Black version mentioned above, but also the Pure White, Stellar Gray and Ocean Depths models.

Well, we’re happy to report the Pure White version is now on sale, available through Essential.com, Amazon, Best Buy, and Sprint. Just like in the case of the Black Moon version, the Pure White edition will set you back with a hefty $699, but it will ship with white accessories instead, including a USB cable, headphone jack adapter and a faster charger.

What about the other two color versions, especially the eye-catching Ocean Depths model? Unfortunately, the models are still in development and we can’t exactly tell you when they are going to be available at this point. It might take a while, due to the complex processes involved in reproducing these colors on the phone’s ceramic body.

In the meanwhile, the company is hard at work preparing the Android 8.0 Oreo beta which according to a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) is only weeks away. We were also told the Oreo update will bring a Night Mode to the handset. A future update is expected to add fingerprint reader gestures to the phone.

Google Duo integration now available in Phone, Contacts and Messages apps (for some phones)

Alexandra Arici
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Google is making it easier for users to make video calls using its own video calling app – Duo. Starting this week, owners of select Android smartphones will be able to make Duo calls right from their device’s Android Phone, Contacts, and Android Messages apps.

From within the phone app, you’ll be able to initiate a video call from the call history or search. In Contacts, you will notice a Duo video call icon has also appeared, while in Android Messages app, you can start a call straight from your chat. But remember, that both you and the person you’re trying to reach need to have the Duo app installed on your handset which should run Android 7.0 Nougat or above.

Google notes that if both you and your partner have ViLTE-capable (Video over LTE) handsets, the video call will be routed through the service rather than Duo.

For the time being, deeper Duo integration is available on the Nexus and Android One family, Pixel or Pixel XL. The feature will also be available on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

For those who don’t own a Google device, don’t be sad. The Mountain View-based company says its working closely with carrier and device partners to bring the experience on more Android models soon.

Optoma’s NuForce BE Free 8 offers a solid truly wireless experience with a really wordy name (Review)

Donovan Jeska
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Build

Build is a funny thing. It’s usually a combination of a few things for me: durability, aesthetic, and feel. Optoma’s NuForce BE Free 8 (what a mouthful) demonstrates rather well how a device can be great in a couple of those subcategories, but receive low marks in others.

With an Ingress rating of IPX5, and a quality hard-plastic shell, the BE Free 8s are very durable, with a secure fit considering the buds only use your ear canal. Aesthetically, though, the glossy black finish that’s supposed to come across as classy just ends up looking like faux luxury. It gathers a small army of fingerprints in a matter of seconds – especially on the smooth, contours of the charging case – and the case itself is just a bit too big to fit comfortably in a front pocket.

That case is built well though, with a lid that snaps open and closed with ease and purpose. The buds fit snugly into the inner frame and while I personally would have preferred a slightly stronger magnetic connection, the connection that is there holds it gently but securely. Two sets of LEDs make it easy to tell the power levels of both the buds and the case with ease, at-a-glance. Unfortunately, the BE Free 8s (and most similar products) use a MicroUSB port for charging, rather than the newer, more versatile Type-C port. The sooner these manufacturers realize that a newer, better standard makes their products more appealing to buyers, the better.

Performance

The primary challenge with this first generation of truly wireless Bluetooth earphones is striking a balance between sound quality and portability. Optoma’s NuForce BE Free 8 is no exception: while the sound clarity is nice and crisp for such a small profile, the drivers contained within just can’t pump enough bass to make a truly robust listening experience. The result is an almost tinny quality to the sound, despite advertising “deep, explosive bass.” That’s not to say that these are poor quality earphones, or that using them is not entertaining – far from it – the technology just hasn’t quite matured yet.

Connection-wise, the BE Free 8 is a mixed bag: pairing is ridiculously easy, and the connection between the two earbuds is painless and stable, but the connection between buds and phone is prone to drop connection just for a split second at any sudden movements – unfortunately, another limitation truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds right now. These earbuds use a technology called NMFI (Near-Field Magnetic Induction) to maintain a connection between the two earpieces, but the positioning of the antennas means you need to have the earpieces in just so to maintain that reliable connection.

Battery

According to Optoma’s documentation, the BE Free 8 sports a 4 hour battery life – unsurprising, given the small profile of the earbuds. In addition, the charging case offers three more charges for a total of 16 hours of play on a single case charge – not bad at all. One thing I would like to see is the ability to plug in your phone to the case and use the case as an external battery – this kind of goes along with the Type-C connection I mentioned earlier, eliminating the need for a second port.

Value

At $149.99 on Amazon, the BE Free 8 is pretty pricey, on par with Apple’s AirPods. While I personally think that’s overpriced for a pair of earbuds, the impressive amount of technology crammed into these buds may sway others. With NFMI, an included charging case, and near-complete freedom from wires (give us a Qi-chargeable charging case!), Optoma’s NuForce BE Free 8 is a fantastic set of earbuds that nonetheless falls prey to the limitations of other first-generation truly wireless earbuds.

Cloud Eye: Live camera that is big on style, extremely small on size (Promoted)

Guest Blogger
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Are you tired of carrying your office projectors and cameras to every other meeting, sometimes across different cities? What about the trouble of loading multiple cameras, often awfully huge in size, to your every trip for recording your precious moments. Then there’s the hassle of of uploading your captures to the world through social networks and sharing platforms.

We understand these difficulties, which is why we came up with Cloud Eye Live Camera. Cloud Eye Camera is the world’s smallest live camera to date. We aim to give you more style in less size. A camera that is suitable for any multimedia crises you are going through, whether it is at the office or vacations. You name it, and Cloud Eye Live Camera will be there to comfort you.

The uses of Cloud Eye Live Camera are endless. It can be used for personal as well as business or more official means. On the high end of features, it comes with an application through which you can monitor 20 of these beauties so as to support multi-channel live broadcast. The application can also upload the results fast to any social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. All of your pictures and videos are just one click away from publishing.

One of the most amazing features of the Cloud Eye Camera is that it can be turned into a VR system very quickly; you can experience super stylish VR works shot by Cloud Eye on phone and computer.

The nanotechnology means that no sweat or dirt from sports can damage the device or its functions. You can actually dive into the ocean with this camera and come out with your entire experience on tape. How does that sound?

As it comes to specs, Cloud Eye adopts a clever design that combines everything into one device which is only 15 x 15 x 35mm making our device the world smallest camera. Its 2-megapixel optical glass lens lets you record high-definition and high-speed pictures and an experience like never before. The built-in wireless network connection leaves you worry free as it pertains to cables. Just connect straight through the Wi-Fi and all of your data transfer is done.

All in all, the Cloud Eye may be among the coolest things you’ll ever own. The product is just hitting Indiegogo and looking for some backing. Learn more about it at the official website or head to Indiegogo to support it and get in on early bird pricing.

OUKITEL K8000 looms on the horizon with an 8,000mAh battery

Luke Gaul
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If you’ve followed smartphone technology closely over the last decade, you can remember when battery capacities were routinely 1,200mAh. We couldn’t go more than a few hours with our Android before it needed charged.

Jumping into 2,000mAh was an incredible deal; coupling that much juice with a more efficient Android OS made for a much longer life. And, now that phones are regularly in the 3,000s, we’ve come to expect a certain amount of battery from our devices.

How about a phone that could pack some 8,000mAh worth of power? Indeed, that’s not far off, thanks to the upcoming OUKITEL K8000. That’s right, a battery that’s good enough to last some five days.

Other specifications in the forthcoming phone include a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED LCD display and an aluminum unibody. Internally, the hardware puts it firmly in the middle of the pack.

With 4GB RAM and 64GB of space, it’s more than what your average user needs to get through a typical day. Rounding out the main details is a Mediatek octa-core 1.5GHz processor.

As for cameras, the OUKITEL K8000 packs a 16-megapixel/2-megapixel dual setup with a 13-megapixel front-facing shooter. Moreover, the selfie camera offers up an 80-degree wide angle for better group shots.

Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, the massive battery should get most users through a full work week. That is, of course, if you’re not spending the boss’s time playing games. Seriously, though, you may only have to charge this phone like twice a week.

It’s not clear when the K8000 will arrive, but, given how much we know about it, the phone should be here soon. What are your thoughts on the upcoming OUKITEL handset? Interested?

Learn more about Oukitel and its smartphones on its website: oukitel.com.

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