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Diesel’s first Android Wear smartwatch now available for $325

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Clothing brand, Diesel announced its first Android Wear smartwatch back at Beselworld in March. Now, the product called the Diesel On Full Guard is available for purchase in Macy’s department stores for the price of $325. Customers can also pre-order it online.

Diesel also has other Android Wear models in the pipeline from the same On family which are expected to land on September 25.

Like a lot of smartwatches out there, the Diesel On Full Guard comes packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor and a circular AMOLED display. It also includes IP67 certification, so it will continue to work just fine if you get caught in the rain, but you won’t be able to take it for a swim.

Diesel’s new wearable can be used to track steps, sleep cycles or calories burned and has custom wireless charging (estimated battery life up to 24h).

The watch is available with a 48mm case and is currently available with a black case and black/brown leather strap or steel bracelet.

But does the watch have any standout features that might make it worth paying $325 for? Yes, the software enhancements offered through the Diesel T-ON-I smartwatch app will most likely makes you look at this watch twice.

T-ON-I stands for Time, Organizing, Notification and Intelligence and can add things like watch face overlays that add extra functionality to Android Wear. For example, one can darken the display once you set the device to Do Not Disturb, but will show you notifications through cracks. Another one fogs the display once the smartwatch detects you went from active to inactive.

Naturally, the hardware sitting inside the Diesel On Full Guard has been produced by Fossil, which also provides its services to other fashion houses including Michael Kors, Emporio Armani, and Marc Jacobs.

Gear Up: Cut the cord with these Anker wireless charging pads

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Wireless charging has been around for quite a few years, but has come and gone depending on how the smartphone market is shaped each year. It seems that we’re in a current state of flux as many devices are launching with the ability to wirelessly charge (even the iPhone 8 could have it).

However, part of the problem with wireless charging is that OEM’s hope that you buy the one they released, which is usually priced at more than $50. Thankfully, there are a plethora of different options on the market that will save you a few bucks while making sure you can cut the cables.

If you’ve been following AndroidGuys for awhile, then you’ve likely heard of Anker and its array of reliable accessories for all of your devices. The company was gracious enough to send out not one, but two wireless charging pads so that everyone can get a better idea of what to expect.

Anker Wireless Charger with micro USB

Starting us off today is the standard micro USB wireless charging pad from Anker. The pad features a non-slip grip on the bottom, making it easy for you to stick it on your desk, and use it without worrying about the pad moving all over the place.

Around the edges, you’ll notice a plastic edge, which holds a pretty awesome feature – LED indicators. These LED indicators allow you to know when your device is charging, and they pulsate every 10 seconds just to keep you up-to-date on what’s going on with your phone.

Other than the LED indicators, the best feature of this charging pad may just be how slim and sleek it is. I’ve already packed this in my bag with my on the go so that I can charge my phone at the coffee shop by simply plugging in the charging pad to my laptop.

Now, there is a 10W fast charge mode, but you must be using a Quick Charge wall adapter, which is not included in the box. If you aren’t using Quick Charge, you’ll charge at the standard rate, which is to be expected.

As for pricing, the standard Anker Wireless Charging Pad, you won’t be charged an arm and a leg. Instead, you can hit the button below to snag this for just $19.99 with One-Day Prime shipping!

Buy the Anker Wireless Charging Pad!

Anker Wireless Charger with USB-C

The next wireless charging option we’re going to look at is the Anker Fast Wireless Charger with USB-C. This wireless charging pad includes many of the features of the aforementioned wireless charger, with some slight improvements. First and foremost, this version comes equipped with USB Type-C, which may make some of you out there pretty happy.

Additionally, this wireless charger also includes a LED indicator ring, but thanks to the button located on the bottom, you can easily turn it on or off. Plus, you don’t have to flip it over every time, as you can just push on the edge of the charging pad to activate/deactivate the LEDs.

This option would be better suited for your desk at home or the office, versus being taken on the go. This is due to the fact that it’s a tad bit thicker than the standard wireless charger, measuring in at 0.5 inches, versus the 0.3 inches of its brethren.

By no means is that a knock on this product, it’s just something to make note of if you’re comparing the two head-to-head. But if you do end up using this at your home or office, there is a non-slip ring on the bottom which makes sure that it doesn’t move around while you’re putting your phone on the charger or taking it off.

Now, considering that this charger comes with USB Type-C, the price is a little bit higher than the other option. This wireless charger comes in at $25.99, but also is available with Amazon’s One-Day Prime shipping. So if you’re interested, hit the button below to check it out!

Buy the Anker Wireless Charger with USB Type-C!

Conclusion

Both of these wireless chargers are great options if you happened to be in the market for one, and neither will break the bank. If you are looking to travel, I would recommend the standard Anker wireless charger, but if you’re looking for an option for your home or office, the USB Type-C option would probably be the better choice.

Let us know what you think about these and if you’ll be looking to pick one up for yourself!

Official LineageOS 14.1 nightlies now available for OnePlus 5, more LG G6 versions

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LineageOS official builds are now available to download and install on more devices. The smartphones that are getting LineageOS 14.1 nightlies treatment are the OnePlus 5 (cheeseburger), Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (mido), European LG G6 (h870), US unlocked LG G6 (us997) and Sony Xperia L (taoshan).

LineageOS 14.1 which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat is already available for an impressive number of devices, but the developer team plans to bring it to even more models.

At the same time, Lineage has already started working on LineageOS 15 which is based on the recently released Android 8.0 Oreo.

Lineage is what rose from the ashes following Cyanogen Inc.’s demise back in December 2016. It’s basically a continuation of CyanogenMod OS and even retains the same build number system.

Earlier this month, LineageOS published a changelog detailing all major changes since July 3rd. It includes improvements such as updated Chromium Webview (to version 60), merged of July patches for both LineageOS 14.1 and 13.0. merged August Security Patches for LineageOS 14.1, as well as a host of Jelly browser upgrades. You can check out the full changelog by clicking here.

Anyway if you’re holding on to a OnePlus 5 you can go ahead and try LineageOS 14.1 right now!

The first water-resistant BlackBerry phone is coming this October, sans keyboard

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Fans of BlackBerry handsets, listen to this! TCL – the company in charge of manufacturing BlackBerry phones now – recently confirmed to Engadget that a new all-touch BlackBerry handset is coming soon (that means no QWERTY keyboard included).

The upcoming phone will mark a first for the company – as it is going to sport IP67 certification for dust- and water-resistance. TCL’s Global General Manager, François Mahieu says the idea behind the new handset, which should land in October is to allow users to use it in all weather conditions.

Furthermore, the handset will include a pretty hefty battery which should be able to last at least 26 hours with “mixed use”. Will be able to compete with Motorola’s battery champs? We’ll just have to wait and see, but it sounds promising.

TCL has high hopes for its upcoming product and Mahieu says he expects some iPhone and Samsung Galaxy users to switch to the new BlackBerry once it becomes available. Does this mean we can expect the phone to have flagship-level specs? It might as well be possible.

Recently an unknown BlackBerry device popped up. Going by model number BBD100-1 it boasts a 1080p display, Snapdragon 626 and 4GB of RAM. But hopefully, BlackBerry’s first water-resistant device will bring better specs to the table, like a Snapdragon 835 processor.

With IFA 2017 coming up this week, we might hear more about BlackBerry’s handset during the event. Who knows we might even get a sneak peek at it.

OnePlus Student Program is now live, shaves 10% off the OnePlus 5

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OnePlus is bringing out the big guns this back to school season. The Chinese company just announced a Student Program which will allow students (obviously) to get 10% off its products including the new and shiny OnePlus 5.

The Student Program is available for all students in a select number of regions including the USA, Canada, and the UK.

In order to be given access to the program, you will need to provide proof that you are a student. Login to Student Beans in order to verify your account and gain access to the Student Program.

Once you become a member, you’ll be able to claim your discount coupon which is valid for a whole month. Use it to grab the OnePlus 5 with 6GB of RAM + 64GB storage with $47.90 off or 8GB of RAM + 128GB storage version with $53.90 off. However, keep in mind that you can purchase only 1 discounted OnePlus 5 per account.

The good news is that there’s no limit when it comes to accessories purchases, so at least you can go wild with cases and dash chargers.

OnePlus also partnered up with iconic drone maker DJI to offer a bunch of exclusive bundles. Read more about it here.

Google rebrands Tango as ARCore

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Back in 2014, Google introduced Project Tango – a mobile AR platform destined to enhance everyday life. Then finally in June 2016, Project Tango dropped the “Project” part of its name as it exited beta in its final form.

But unfortunately, the initiative never took off. After three years since its launch, there are only two Tango-enabled smartphones available on the market – the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and ASUS Zenfone AR, which launched last month.

Google found it harder than anticipated to convince OEMs to build Tango devices, so merely a few weeks after the ASUS Zenfone AR made an official debut, the tech giant made the decision to shutter the Tango brand.

The company launched ARCore – a new SDK which will allow developers to bring augmented reality capabilities to Android devices, no additional sensors needed. Part of the device manufacturers’ unwillingness to jump on board with Tango had to do with building complicated devices riddled with sensors and cameras, something which Google is trying to fix now with ARCore.

At the same time, Google announced it will be retiring the Tango brand and that going forward phones equipped with Tango depth-sensing capabilities will be branded as ARCore devices.

With Apple preparing to roll out its own ARKit to millions of iPhones with iOS 11 in a few weeks, Google definitely had to step its game up if it wants its AR ambitions to evolve into the right direction.

ARCore will certainly help more Android users get a taste of what AR has to offer because up until now not many have ventured to try it out (mainly due to the lack of supported devices). Actually, only a handful of Tango applications have managed to breach 1,000 downloads, while the majority only have a few hundred downloads each.

Anyway, during the SDK preview ARCore will support a handful of devise including the Google Pixel, Pixel XL and Samsung Galaxy S8. Google notes ARCore is designed to work on a variety of qualified Android devices running Android Nougat or later.

Fill out forms automatically with Chrome for Android [How-to]

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Every time you purchase something online you will need to go through a standard set of steps: you’re required to fill in your personal info, address, as well as credit cards details. But this ritual can get annoying fast, especially if you shop online frequently.

Fortunately, if you use Chrome as your mobile Android browser, you can bypass all that by simply turning on the app’s Autofill option. Here’s how to do it:

1.    Open up the Chrome app on your Android device (phone or tablet)
2.    In the top right, tap More (the three dots)
3.    Choose Settings


4.    Tap Autofill and Payments
5.    Enable Autofill forms
6.    Proceed to add Addresses and Credit Cards

You can easily delete or edit address or credit card info.

Add: Tap on Addresses or Credit Cards, then tap on the Add button
Edit: Tap on the entry to change any information. Once you’re done tap Done
Delete: Tap the entry. Tap the Delete button in the right top corner.

Galaxy S8 and S8+ get Verzion update to speed up facial recognition

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Customers on Big Red should be seeing a rather sizeable update hit their Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ devices over the next few days.

Before you get too excited, it’s not Android Oreo. Rather a large update that targets quite a lot of bug fixes. In addition to fixing a huge list of bugs related to VPNs, alarms, and car bluetooth audio, the update also targets a navigation bar tweak and speeding up the facial recognition process.

The changelog is listed below that highlights the key updates:

  • Faster face recognition
  • Navigation bar “Show and hide button” updated to interact with a double tap
  • Alarm notifications on the AOD (Always On Display) fix
  • Briefing card update notification fix
  • Car Bluetooth® music browser issue fix
  • Caller Name ID app update
  • Smart Switch app update
  • For B2B enterprise customers: VPN and Knox improvements

The navigation tweak takes the single tap for unlocking or locking the bar hiding is now a double-tap, while the facial recognition change speeds up the process but naturally, makes it less secure.

The update should be hitting devices via an OTA update but if it’s not rolled out to your device just yet, you can try manually triggering it. You can check manually for the update in Settings -> About phone -> Software updates -> Check for Updates where you’ll be prompted to download one if it’s available.

The bluetooth audio bug was a bit hitter for a lot of Galaxy S8 owners so drop us a comment if all your problems have been fixed with this update.

The Skyroam Solis is a 4G LTE global Wi-Fi hotspot which doubles as a power bank

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Going on a trip and want to stay connected with those back home? We have just the gadget for you. Introducing the Skyroam Solis – a 4G LTE global Wi-Fi hotspot which is also a power bank.

You know how it is when you’re on a holiday – you spend the whole day exploring and taking photos with your smartphones only to realize that you’re soon going to be out of power. What are you to do? Run to the hotel? No way, you take out your Skyroam Solis.

This portable gadget offers unlimited data to up to five gadgets through the Skyroam virtual SIM network at 4G LTE speeds in 100+ countries from across the globe. So when you stop for launch, you can also send the pictures you took throughout the day to your family. You can forget about buying local SIMs, updating plans or roaming charges.

You don’t have to worry about Solis running out of battery, as Skyroam promises the device will last up to 16+ hours thanks to its high-performing Tesla-type batteries.

As mentioned above, the Solis also doubles as a power bank by virtue of the embedded 6,000 mAh additional battery, so you can be sure your mobile devices will never run out of juice.

If you like what we told you so far about the Skyroam Solis, then you should know the device is available for purchase starting today for $149.99 from Skyroam’s official website, but also at Fry’s Electronics, BluWire, and Cavaraty.

With the purchase, you’ll also get a free 24-hour global Wi-Fi daypass, along with a USB-C charging capable and USB-C standard USB adapter. This is a limited time promotion. Normally a global Wi-Fi daypass with unlimited data is available for $9.

Sonos’ upcoming smart speaker will let talk to Siri, Alexa or the Google Assistant

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The race to fill the virtual assistant-powered speaker void in your home is intensifying as audio specialist Sonos is preparing to enter the market with an offering of its own.

Rumors about the said product have been circulating around for a while, but now the company has started sending out invites for an event scheduled to take place in New York on 4 October.

While the invitation does not specify a smart speaker will be unveiled, the rather amateurish looking mouth at the bottom does hint at voice recognition.

Recently, Sonos’ upcoming speaker was spotted passing through the FCC as product model S13. The listing revealed a few details including the fact that this Google Home competitor will come with far field microphones like the Amazon Echo and more interestingly with support for multiple voice platforms and music services.

This could mean that in theory, the Sonos speaker could offer support for Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant or Cortana.

Sonos’ speaker is expected to bring superior audio quality into the smart speaker game, so if priced right the device could have a big chance of overshadowing the Google Home or Amazon Echo, which offer an average audio experience. But will Sonos be able to compete with Apple’s HomePod which is also coming in December? We’ll have to wait and see.