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Looking for a rugged phone? Here are five models you can buy right now

Alexandra Arici
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These days almost everyone uses a smartphone – either for leisure or for work – but there are some people who need their phone to work even in extreme environments. These folks might have a demanding job or lifestyle with constant exposure to environmental hazards. So for them – a rugged smartphone might be the best choice.

If you too are looking to purchase one, below you’ll find a selection of some of the best rugged phones currently available on the market:

Samsung Galaxy S8 Active

The Galaxy S8 Active is the fifth Samsung S phone to bear the Active name, and it’s probably the company’s most refined take on rugged handsets yet. The phone is currently available for purchase exclusively from AT&T, but an unlocked model might be offered at a later date too.

The phone includes a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD+ resolution that’s albeit being similar in size to the Galaxy S8’s, it lacks the signature curved edges. The Galaxy S8 Active also borrows the software nav keys from the standard Galaxy S8, as well as a Snapdragon 835 chipset, USB Type-C port, headphone jack, an iris scanner, cameras and the dedicated Bixby button.

But being rugged, the Galaxy S8 Active can come out unharmed if dropped on a flat surface from heights up to 5ft. The handset also includes a larger 4,000 mAh juice box which ensures owners won’t have to worry about running out of battery during critical moments.

On a negative side of things, the Galaxy S8 Active is quite expensive as it comes with a hefty $850 price tag attached. Or you can get it for $28/per month for the next 30 months.

LG X Venture

What if you don’t have $850 to spend on the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active? Maybe you’re looking for something in the middle-range category? Then the LG X Venture might be for you.

The LG X Venture is built for the unexpected, coming in with IP68 water & dust resistance and a full rubber back. As for specs, the phone carries a 5.2-inch display with FullHD resolution and a Snapdragon 430 processor under the hood, aided by 2GB of RAM, as well as 32GB of expandable storage.

The LG X Venture also includes a 16-megapixel/5-megapixel camera combo and a 4,100 mAh battery. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and also includes NFC, as well as a customizable “QuickButton” which offers quick access to any apps including LG’s own “Outdoor Essentials” suite of apps which includes compass, barometer, weather and a flashlight.

Unfortunately, once again you can only get it from AT&T. It will cost you only $329.99 or $11/month for the next 30 months.

Doogee S60

You might have heard of this relatively obscure smartphone marker from China before. Well, you probably didn’t know that Doogee makes rugged phones too. The latest to make a debut is the S60 – a “manly, strong, and special in the market” device, as the producing company calls it.

The Doogee S60 arrives with a 5.2-inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 5 and relies on a MediaTek Helio P25 processor for power which works in concert with 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of storage. The device is riddled with sensors including compass, gyroscope, baroreceptor and columb meter. It also offers NFC.

The S60 features a pretty larger 5,580 mA battery, which according to Doogee can give users up to three days of moderate use. And thanks to the fast charging technology on board, the phone can regain up to 30% of power in only 10 minutes.

Last but not least, the S60 comes with a full metal body and IP68 certification. Oh, and there’s a Game of Thrones version of the phone too if you’re a fan of George R.R Martin’s fantasy saga.

Pricing for the Doogee S60 starts at $299.

Ulefone Armor 2

The Ulefone Armor 2 is pretty similar to the Doogee S60 when it comes to specs. It relies on the same MediaTek Helio P25 processor and offers 6GB of RAM + 64GB of storage, as well as iP68 certification. However, it includes a smaller 4,700 mAh battery and a 5-inch display with FullHD resolution.

The rugged phone comes packing a barometer, compass, and gyroscope, as well as NFC. And thanks to the raised design on the front and back and protective nubs that cover the corners, the Armor 2 can withstand a variety of drops and falls. It’s also heat- and cold-resistant.

The Ulefone Armor 2 is available for purchase from places like Amazon for $325.

CAT S60

The CAT S60 is unique among the phones in this list because it comes equipped with a built-in FLIR thermal camera which enables users to take thermal photos and videos.

Its specs aren’t all that advanced, but when it comes to ruggedness the CAT S60 ticks all the boxes. The phone is 5m waterproof and drop-proof to 1.8m. It can even be left out in below zero temperatures or 130-degrees Fahrenheit weather and will still continue to function perfectly.

The device comes with a 4.7-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 617, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and also includes an SOS button, as well as dual SIM card slots.

Unfortunately, the CAT S60 comes with a pretty high price tag of $629, so many customers might be put off by it and choose to go with a more affordable LG X Venture or Ulefone Armor 2.

LG V30 pre-orders in the US will come with Google’s new Daydream VR headset free of charge

Alexandra Arici
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Thinking of buying the new and shiny LG V30? While the phone is yet to go on sale in the United States, it seems it won’t be long before customers in the country we’ll be able to (pre-)order one. And the good news is that the new flagship will be offered with some incentives.

As revealed in a tweet by frequent leakster Evan Blass, the LG V30 will ship out to customers alongside Google’s new and refreshed Daydream View headset (which leaked a few days ago) + a VR Content Package by Google. The poster also reveals the new VR headset is probably going to cost $144.95 if purchased independently of the LG V30.

Google’s upcoming Daydream headset

But wait there’s more good news for those of you who have their hearts set on the V30. According to a promo video released by AT&T (which got removed), the LG V30 will come with a two-year warranty. Most phones sold in the US come with a one-year warranty, but a few months back LG announced it was upgrading the warranty of its G6 flagship from one year to two –  all for free. Now it looks like the “second-year promise” will be applied to the new V30 too.

Right now we don’t know when the LG V30 will launch in the US. The phone is already on sale in South Korea, but it’s expected the new flagship will land in the US this October. Another unknown in this equation is pricing. Although, LG’s own sweepstakes seems to have confirmed the device will be sold for $750.

Android Messages latest update has broken new SMS notifications

Dan Bartram
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Google updated Android Messages to version 2.5.207 but in the process seems to have broken one of the most important functions of the app.

It seems that notifications have stopped working as of the latest update so you’ll no longer be notified of incoming SMS. The only way of identifying if you’ve received an SMS following the app update is if you have something like Pushbullet installed to send a push notification, or if an app launcher like Nova Launcher picks up an unread message and displays a bubble.

You only need to check out the reviews for Android Messages on the Google Play Store to see that the issue is widespread and many users are seeing (or not seeing as it may be) no notifications.

If you are impacted by the bug then I suggest you install an alternative SMS messaging app if getting notifications of new messages is important you. I suspect that Google will be hastily working on a fix and will roll out an update shortly to address the issue.

Drop us a comment below if you’ve been impacted by this bug.

Google Home users will soon be able to get 3 months of Deezer Premium+ for under a buck

Alexandra Arici
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Back in August, Deezer added Google Home support for its music streaming service, giving owners of the Google Assistant-powered speakers the ability to play and listen to music by using voice commands.

Initially, the new feature was made available in France and Germany, but US, UK, Australia and Canada were said to be due to receive the feature by the end of 2017.

Now it seems the launch is imminent, if a new promotion which popped up on Google Home’s promotional support page for the US, UK, Germany, Australia, and Canada, is anything to go by. It looks like Google is gearing up to start offering Google Home users 3-months of Deezer Premium+ for just $0.99.

This means Home owners will be able to take advantage of unlimited, on-demand streaming of high-quality audio with no ads for just $1. After the 3-month offer expires, users will be billed the standard price of $9.99 per month, unless they decide to renounce the subscription.

Google notes that the offer is only available for the first 25,000 subscribers.

Since Deezer support for the Google Home in the US has yet to officially launch, we can take this promo as an indication the feature will become available soon enough.

As for the promotional offer, it will show up on the Google Home offers page when the time comes, so if you crave a cheap Deezer Premium+ subscription don’t forget to check it from time to time.

Daydream View users can now browse the web in VR with Chrome

Alexandra Arici
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Google is looking to make VR more mainstream. To that end, Chrome’s “happiness evangelist” François Beaufort, recently announced on Google+ that VR web browsing capabilities are coming to Chrome in the near future.

Actually, basic support is already available in the newest Chrome 61 stable build. What does this mean exactly? Well that Google Chrome users with a Google Daydream View headset will be able to view and interact with (most) websites in VR mode, as well as follow links between pages, and move between 2D and immersive viewing for sites that support WebVR.

Google added support for WebVR tech in Chrome back in February, but now you’ll be able to experiment surfing any site on the web in VR, regardless of whether it has specific VR extras added or not.

Don’t miss: Want a Daydream-ready phone? Here are the devices that support Google’s VR platform

The list of Daydream-ready smartphones has been growing steadily in recent months and currently contains high-end models that have received a lot of attention from the Android community including the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30, but also the older ZTE Axon 7 and Huawei Mate 9 Pro.

Since some basics capabilities are already available in the latest stable Google Chrome 61 release, those who have a Daydream View headset and compatible phone at their disposal can go ahead and start browsing the web in VR.

Samsung Galaxy X foldable smartphone launch could be imminent

Dan Bartram
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A new Samsung device has just received certification from the National Radio Agency based in Samsung’s hometown of South Korea.

The device has the model number SM-G888N0 and is said to be known as the Galaxy X, which is set to be the company’s first foldable phone that has been heavily rumored Samsung has been working on. Now the device has received formal certification, it would suggest that the Samsung Galaxy X could be launching very soon, albeit in South Korea to begin with.

The Wi-Fi alliance lists the device as Bluetooth 4.2 and running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow which would be slightly disappointing. I suspect this may be outdated given the profile of the Galaxy X in the lineup for Samsung and would expect similar specs to that of the rest of the Galaxy line.

The foldable smartphone is said to be being developed under codename Project Valley and points to a late 2017 or early 2018 release.

A device that folds up is an interesting concept and one that if executed correctly, would open the door for Samsung to further increase the display size on a smartphone without increasing its physical footprint.

Foldable phones were all the rage pre-smartphone but could Samsung be using the Galaxy X to reignite that trend or has it finally figured out foldable displays?

If the rumors are true we won’t have long to find out as we could see something launched in South Korea at the tail end of the year.

Tip: How to speed up your Moto G5

Dan Bartram
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The Moto G5 was a great device for those looking for something on a budget but didn’t compromise on specs. However, the device isn’t as young as it once was and with apps getting more resource demanding, you could find the Moto G5 to be slowing down. Luckily there is a hidden feature that you can change that will instantly speed up your device.

This tip will help speed up your Moto G5 by reducing the impact of the aging processor and resource-hungry apps, as well as the lower processing power in the device, by reducing unnecessary animations that will make it feel the device is quicker. The best bit is there’s nothing extra to install or tons of settings to change, just a simple case of changing a setting with developer options enabled.

The little hack revolves around the animations applied to transitioning between windows and turning the device on or off. By simply turning this off, it contributes to making the device seem extremely snappy and fast by reducing the delay applied to the animation.

First, you’ll need to enable the Developer Options hidden menu. To do this, go into Settings -> About Device and scroll down to “Build Number”. Now, tap on “Build Number” five times and you’ll see a notification saying that “Developer mode has been enabled”.

With that hidden menu now enabled, we can head on into it to begin fastening up our Moto G5.

  1. Head on in to Developer Options in Settings.
  2. Scroll down to the Drawing section.
  3. Of interest here is the Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animator Duration Scale.
  4. Click on them individually to change the scale.

You are able to turn the animations off completely, or set them to 0.5x (default is 1x) so the animations will be double speed for those who would like to retain them.

You’ll notice your Moto G5 feels substantially quicker without any hacks that affect your software, warranty, or device battery life. Let us know your comments in the section below.

Moto G5S Plus available for pre-order, sales go official September 29th

AndroidGuys
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The Moto G5S Plus was just unveiled last month, but pre-orders had yet to commence.

That all changed yesterday, as Motorola announced pre-orders for the Moto G5S Plus. The device is a larger version of the Moto G5, but the sheer size of the Moto G5S Plus doesn’t do justice to the new features and hardware this new device packs that separates it from the Moto G5.

The Moto G5S Plus surpasses the Moto G5 Plus in design, as the G5S Plus features an anodized aluminum and water-repellent nano-coating to replace the aluminum metal backplate and plastic frame of the Moto G5 Plus.

A 4GB of RAM/64GB storage option is available for the G5S Plus (there’s a 3GB RAM, 32GB storage option available, too), slightly improved front camera (from 5MP with f/2.2 to 8MP with f/2.0) with LED flash, and a dual rear camera setup (13MP primary + 8MP secondary) round out the differences between the Moto G5S Plus and the Moto G5 Plus.

The display size for the Moto G5S Plus is 5.5 inches, compared to the 5.2-inch screen for the Moto G5 Plus. The screen resolution (Full HD, 1080p), processor (Snapdragon 625), and battery size (3,000mAh) remain the same for the Moto G5S Plus as they are on the Moto G5 Plus. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

Pre-orders have started already, but official sales of the Moto G5S Plus will commence on next Friday, September 29th, from Motorola.com, B&H, Newegg, Fry’s, Sprint MVNO Ting, Walmart.com, and Best Buy. You can choose between Lunar Gray and Blush Gold colors. Expect to pay $229.99 instead of $279.99 for the handset (the $50 discount is for a limited time, Motorola says).

The 32GB version will be $279.99 (it has a current promotional price of $229.99) and the 64GB version will be $349.99 (current promotional price of $299.99). The promotion offers $50 off for a limited time.

For more information, head on over to Motorola’s product page below to find out more or place your pre-order.

Are you interested in picking up the Moto G5S Plus? What one feature of the G5S Plus stands out for you? Are you torn between this and the new Project Fi-compatible Android One Moto X4?

Piggy Wiggy is just another physics puzzler (review)

AndroidGuys
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There have been a lot of physics-type mobile games that have gone on to huge success in the market. From Angry Birds, to Cut The Rope, to Chalk Ball…these are houlehold names these days. The best-known ones provide a unique twist, mechanic, or other feature that the masses gravitated to, and millions of downloads later these titles have become household names.

Following on these success stories, there are plenty of titles now in the Play Store. One such title is Piggy Wiggy, a family-friendly physics-type puzzle game from the developer Qaibo Games that follows the Cut The Rope style of game mechanic. Let’s take a look at how this game tries to pull you in.

Premise

How to describe the idea of Piggy Wiggy? Each level gives you a combination of pigs & acorns. The goal for each level is to move the pigs around the screen to gobble up all shown acorns….doing so in either the fewest moves and/or the most creative way maximizes your points for that level.

To help with your goal, each level is also loaded with a combination of pulleys, hinges, platforms, plates, and explosive balloons. Each combination of these items can provide you with a multitude of ways to solve the acorn-eating puzzle (particularly so in the later levels)

Setup & Gameplay

To get started with Piggy Wiggy, download the game from Google Play. Once installed, simply open and off you go. There aren’t any settings to fiddle with, save for toggling the sound effects and background music on & off.

From there it’s pretty standard puzzler fare. At first you’re presented a few ‘tutorial’-style levels where the developer provides direction on how to play with simple animations, in lieu of on-screen text.

You play by using your finger to identify a connecting “pulley”. From here you swipe to the piggy of your choice, stretching a band that connects the piggy to said pulley. This launches the piggy towards the pulley in a physics-based arc. In the beginning this in enough to collect (eat) the acorns in between; but as the levels get harder you start using these bands to swing piggies into other objects/tools to set up, and then engage the movements that will complete the level.

As you progress in the game, more and more challenging puzzles emerge, including sequential moves that are required to collect all acorns. These can include various tools such as boulders, popping (exploding?) bubbles, and rail cars that can be slid as-needed to place your piggies right where they need to be.
The visuals and sound effects are clean and colorful; though the constant intermittent oinking gets on the nerves after a while.

What We Liked

Piggy Wiggy is a pretty simple game, and one that is safe for all ages. It’s a title you can have on your device, and feel OK with your little ones picking up and playing. Not only is it safe for their age, but it also can be pretty easy for them to figure out and progress through.

What Could Use Improvement

There really isn’t anything to improve, per se. The problem is that this genre of game has been done a whole lot of times before already. And while fairly polished, smooth, and well-thought-out, Piggy Wiggy doesn’t really give you any new, clever, or otherwise unique angle to make you want to play the game….or play it above any of the other established titles in the genre. It’s just, there. It does what it does well, but it’s also pretty forgettable once you put it down.

Download Piggy Wiggy from the Play Store here.

OnePlus will bring you faster updates via the Individual Application Update program

Alexandra Arici
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OnePlus wants to push out updates faster to its users, as well as gather user feedback more quickly, so the Chinese company today announced a new program called Individual Application Update.

The first Individual Application Update package comes with four apps including OnePlus Launcher, OnePlus Community, OnePlus Weather, and OnePlus Gallery which are now available in the Google Play Store for users of OnePlus 3/3T and OnePlus 5.

By releasing these apps into the Play Store, OnePlus wants to make sure that owners of the smartphone models mentioned above will be able to update the apps largely independent of system updates. What’s more, with this program in place OnePlus should also be able to push out more updates.

This is the first batch of apps available through the program, but more will be added soon enough.

On top of announcing the Individual Application Update program, OnePlus also took the opportunity to reveal that the next app to be updated will be Launcher. Users should expect to see new feature sometime this week (two days left).

The new version will arrive with an optimized home screen folder icon re-designed to display a preview of the first four icons of the folder. Folders that have been opened before will be marked after the update and double finger touch support will be added too. This last feature should allow users to hold an item while sliding on the home screen.

Last but not least, OnePlus encourages users to send in feedback should they encounter bugs.

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