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Live by EarlySense will tell you how good (or bad) your sleep is (Review)

AndroidGuys
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A few years ago fitness trackers were all the rage. Not only were there companies like Fitbit focusing directly on health monitoring but the smart watch manufacturers jumped on the band wagon including step counters and heart rate monitors into their devices. There are still many people who swear by their trackers and love to use them to complete “goals” to help keep themselves motivated. Attempting to capitalize on what remains of the EarlySense (traditionally a patient monitoring company) brings us Live by EarlySense.

Live by EarlySense aims to bring health monitoring into the bedroom and complete the picture of what other health monitoring device cannot capture. A prime example is my wife, often times the rubber wristband that comes with the Fitbit often gives her a rash if she wears it all day. Wrist worn items also require charging every so often which is generally most convenient during sleep. Live by EarlySense solves these issues by always being available under your bed.

Setup

The box comes with three items in it: the instruction manual, the power chord, and the unit itself. The first step in the process would be to download the Live by EarlySense app to your mobile device. Like most things we review here, this is the control center/data hub for all the device features.

Once you launch the app we are asked for some permissions. It asks for Bluetooth (to connect to the sensor itself), Storage (to be able to store your data), and Location Services (they say this is to aid in connection of your device, hmmm?).

After we get past the permissions prompt we are forced to create an account. There is no way around creating this account so if you want to use this device just give it whatever email address we all have that we don’t ever check and move through it.

Next up is connecting the device for the first time. Pretty simple, you are landed on the Vitals Tracking page. Tap on the Sensor Detected button towards the middle of the screen. Provided your sensor is plugged in it will find it with your BT connection and simply tap on it to connect.

Lastly, follow the instruction booklet about how to place your device under the mattress. Yes, you read that correctly, under your mattress.

Setup is all done. Now, let’s get some sleep. No WAIT!! I forgot about the rest of the review.

The Good

Honestly, this device is a pretty cool concept, especially for people that find themselves being restless at night or those getting at least 8 hours of sleep but still not feeling rested when they wake up.

In the app, there are neat little explanations about the difference between REM sleep and Deep Sleep and what part they play in your rest cycle (you kinda have to dig for these though). It also monitors your heart rate and respiration rate to let you know how you are sleeping (or let your doctor know since I have no idea what is good and what is bad). Every morning you are given a “score” by the app based on how well you slept. This is a pretty neat idea but I think its execution leaves a little to be desired.

For the health nuts out there that like to track everything in one place, Live by EarlySense does also make it possible to import all of the captured data into Google Fit so that you can track all of your health activities (yes including sleep) in a single app.

The Bad

While I really enjoy the concept of what they are trying to get at, and the data that is collected could be shared with medical professionals as cursory diagnostic information to people who are genuinely having trouble sleeping, I did run into a few issues with the device provided that made my experience less than enjoyable.

First is the worst. I had major issues with the Bluetooth connectivity. I tried it with two separate phones and the results were the same. Almost every single night, I had to unplug and replug the device so that my phone could see and connect to it. How is that user-friendly? Who wants to do that? Seriously, if a device is going to connect via Bluetooth just make it work, every time, without question.

My second issue is not so much with the device itself but with the arbitrary scoring system. As I mentioned above, the app gives you a score every morning based on how you slept the night before. Ok, I get it, people like to see how “good” they are at something. IF YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE A SCORE, PROVIDE A DAMN SCALE. Seriously, if there is going to be a score or any other type of grading system let the people know what the friggin number means. Is it 70 out of 100? Is a higher number better? What are the baselines to get that score? All of these are questions that I have about this scoring system that is used here.

Conclusion

Live by EarlySense brings something that I have not seen yet to the table. They brought something out of medical facilities and into the home for personal use; for this I applaud them. I do, however, take issue with the two major complaints I listed above. Resolve those issues and I think we might have something here.

You can pick up Live by EarlySense from its website or Amazon (it’s prime) for $169.

Reddit users were asked what their favorite apps are. Here are some of the best

Matt Adams
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With so many new apps popping up in the Play Store every day, it’s hard to keep on top of whats out there. So, when Reddit user Fallout541 posed the question “What is your favorite app” to the AskReddit community, our ears perked up. We cover a lot of apps here at AndroidGuys with our App Reviews, but we also love hearing about what you guys are using.

Here are some of the best apps that Reddit loves.

Flush – Crowdsourced Toilets

Flush is your best friend if you have a condition like Irritable Bowel Syndrom (IBS) or you just need to go! When you open up the app, it’ll display all of the closest public restrooms. When you find the one you want, just give it a tap and you can have directions from Google Maps take you right there. Pretty ingenious. And, with over 200,000 toilets in the database, there’s bound to be one close to you.

Download Flush!

OverDrive

If you love books, you’ll love OverDrive. With the app, you can borrow eBooks, AudioBooks, and Streaming Video from more than 30,000 libraries worldwide.

Download OverDrive!

Waze

Google’s other maps, Waze has always been a fan favorite. The app gives you driving directions but makes it social. The power of Waze comes from reports from other drivers around you for things like crashes, road obstructions, police officers, and more.

Download Waze!

Reddit is Fun

Even though I’m a Sync for Reddit loyalist, I have to admit, Reddit is Fun is a fantastic app. In fact, I would prefer to use Reddit is Fun over the desktop version of Reddit any day. RiF keeps the familiar Blue and White color scheme of Reddit while giving you large previews and making voting and commenting easy as pie.

Download Reddit is Fun!

Torque Pro

This is a great app if you want to know what’s going on with your car beyond just pressing the gas and going. Torque Pro connects through a Bluetooth Adapter you can plug into your car’s diagnostic port and gives you info on ODB fault codes, your car’s performance, and sensor data.

Download Torque Pro!

Spaceteam

Spaceteam is an amazing game that you’ll love if you enjoyed the technobabble in Star Trek! You and your friends must control different parts of your ship and shout different phrases to your cohorts to keep it from blowing up. It’s cross platform and according to multiple Reddit users, a ton of fun.

Download Spaceteam!

Tinder

Direct quote from user Penolope_12: “Tinder, because I like having my self esteem drop every single fucking day.”

I can’t think of a better description than that.

Download Tinder!

Sky Map

Sky Map is amazing for checking out constellations and learning about the stars. I’ve personally used this app with my daugther to open her mind to whats out there beyond what we can see with our eyes.

Download Sky Map!

Tunity: Hear any muted TV

Tunity is amazing if you go to bars a lot to watch sports, but still want to hear the game. The app scans whats on the TV and tries to find a stream of the audio to play out of your phone’s speakers.

Download Tunity!

CamScanner

CamScanner is perfect if you deal with a lot of documents. The app lets you scan, store, sync and collaborate with others. It’s brilliant for emailing paper documents without having to deal with a scanner and desktop or laptop computer.

Download CamScanner!

These are just some of Reddit’s favorite apps. We’d encourage you to take a look at the AskReddit thread where there are over 7,100 replies! What’s your favorite app? Let us know down in the comments section or tweet to us!

Grab the alleged Samsung Galaxy Note 8 stock wallpapers here!

Matt Adams
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The countdown to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is on! The August 23 unpacked will show us the newest purchasable Note since the Galaxy Note 5! Crazy to think it’s been that long since we’ve had a new Note, isn’t it? How they just skipped over the Note 6 and 7 like that….

Anyway, the Galaxy Note 8 should be an amazing phone. We’re seeing leaks that expose the entire spec sheet. We expect to see a 2960 x 1440p Super AMOLED display with that incredibly thin bezel from the dual curved display. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 found in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will make a return we well as 64GB of base storage that can be expanded through a microSD card. Where the Note and Galaxy S lines differ is in the RAM department, the Note should have 6GB while the Galaxy S line only has 4GB.

What we know so far: Samsung Galaxy Note8 edition

Another massive difference will be in the camera department. While the Galaxy S lineup has a fantastic camera, the Galaxy Note lineup is kicking it up a notch with a second camera. The second 12MP sensor will be a wide-angle lens so the Galaxy Note 8 will have a setup much like the LG G6. The Note 8 will also have a 3300mAh battery, Adaptive Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging, a USB type-C port, and the S-Pen.

Today, we’re getting our first look at the wallpapers that come on the Galaxy Note 8. They are, in my opinion, gorgeous and I might have to throw one on my Galaxy S8 Plus. Check out this Google Photos album for the full resolution wallpapers. Just a reminder that some of these are a square 2560 x 2560 and some are 2960 x 2960 so some cropping will be necessary.

Just a quick note, the original source, SamsungVN.com has since deleted the post these wallpapers are sourced from. We feel it’s a bit odd that the wallpapers aren’t the 2960 x 1440 resolution of the Galaxy Note 8’s display but leave it open to the possibility that Samsung is doing something a little different. We’re going to keep our eyes open and bring you updates if these do indeed turn out to be faked.

Banggood kicks off their 11th anniversary with a ton of savings on tech

Matt Adams
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Banggood, one of the biggest technology marketplaces on the internet, is officially kicking off an event to celebrate its 11th anniversary. While the anniversary doesn’t hit until September 8, Banggood is hosting a month of deals, they’re calling this the “preheating stage” where customers can win discounts while playing funny games. During the September 8 through 10 formal anniversary celebration, items will be discounted even further.

Right now, you can go over to Banggood and grab up to 5 coupons for free. At the time of writing (and for the next six hour) an 11% coupon is being offered for everything besides smartphones, tablets and items with a “promo” tag. Each round you can grab one coupon and up to five coupons total across all rounds.

Just under the widget to collect sweet coupons is a game. Your objective is to get the spaceman to the end of the path but doing certain actions. For each action you do, you get a new coupon. Yesterday’s action was simply signing up for a Banggood account. This netted you an $11 off $100 or more coupon. Future actions include visiting the Fashion Trending page, playing “Banggood Jump one time”, downloading the Banggood app, and more. This game has a new action each day and wraps up on September 7.

Banggood is also running “Snap Up” sales which are just a flash sale. These sales can have anything from smartwatches, to fans to thong underwear (yes, seriously). Banggood really does have everything. You can also get exclusive deals by downloading the mobile app.

If you’re looking for a good deal, head on over to Banggood now. They’re handing out coupons like candy but there are also a ton of phones, tablets, and more that are just on sale without a coupon that could still save you a ton.

AT&T and Samsung finally announce the Galaxy S8 Active

AG Deals Team
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For the last few years, Samsung has released a few different variants of its flagship, with the standard version and the “Active” variant. The Active variant is always the most rugged of the bunch, being able to withstand just about everything you and throw at it, and then some.

We’ve heard some rumblings and seen some leaks of the Galaxy S8 Active, but nothing has been made official, until today. AT&T and Samsung have announced that the Galaxy S8 Active is coming on August 8th, and will be available in stores starting on August 11th.

The device will feature a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, along with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. This means that you’ll get Samsung’s new Infinity Display, however, there won’t be any “edge” features, instead offering just a flat experience. This is likely to be similar to the flat display found on the LG G6.

Other specs for the device include the Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, an 8MP front-facing camera, 12MP rear camera, and a 4,000mAh battery. Other than the ruggedness of the S8 Active (via its MIL-STD-810G rating), the real story here comes from the large battery.

The Galaxy S8 Plus features a 3,500mAh battery, but the S8 Active will feature a 4,000mAh battery, and won’t feature all of the extra frills. Now, it’s unknown what the measurements of the S8 Active are, but if it’s as thin as the S8 Plus, then it will definitely raise some questions as to why Samsung opted for a smaller battery in its true flagship lineup.

Regardless, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active will be coming later this week through AT&T, but will also be including some discounts and goodies. Here’s a roundup of those deals:

  • Get a Galaxy S8 FREE when you add a new line on AT&T Next and add DIRECTV,
  • Get $500 towards a Samsung TV purchased online when you buy an eligible smartphone on AT&T Next and add DIRECTV,
  • Get a Samsung Gear S2 for 99-cents or the Gear S3 for $49.99 on a 2-year agreement when you purchase the smartphone on AT&T Next,
  • Get up to $200 in credits when you buy the eligible smartphone on AT&T Next and trade in an eligible smartphone.

Samsung’s Active series of smartphones is always underrated and doesn’t get as much of the spotlight as other Galaxy handsets, but this may be one of the best options yet. Especially if you are clumsy or have little ones who like to drop your smartphones. Let us know what you think about the Galaxy S8 Active and if you’ll be looking to pick one up for yourself!

Moto Z2 Play – the most affordable way to get into Moto Mods, but is it worth it?

Donovan Jeska
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Hey there Android Guys. Today I’ll be taking a look at the Moto Z² Play, which I’ve had the pleasure of toying around with for the past few weeks. What follows is not an in-depth analysis of the inner workings of a phone by any definition, but it is my honest opinions, thoughts, concerns, and tangents of a very solid, if not, perhaps mind-blowing, addition to Moto’s Z line.

Build

While not particularly flashy or world-changing in its build, the Z² Play is a solid, well-made device – very thin and light, with a splash/dust resistant metal chassis, but with an absolutely enormous camera bulge on the back. Moto Mods can be attached via magnets on the back of the unit, holding them securely (relatively – more on that later) in place. With or without Mods connected, the Z² Play never feels fragile in the hand, despite being one of the lighter, slimmer phones I’ve worked with.

The biggest draw for the Z² Play, obviously, is its Moto Mod support. As mentioned previously, magnets help to secure the mods in place – but there’s just enough wiggle in the connection to leave a bit of doubt in its hold. Furthermore, the fact that the Mods – regardless of the one you use – dominate the phone’s read real estate means that having a traditional case is impossible – so you’re braving the elements when it comes to using the main feature of Moto’s Z line. In addition, the rear speaker – generally used for sound cancellation and things of that nature – is covered when using a mod, which will likely degrade the call quality a bit. As such, I wouldn’t recommend taking calls when using a Mod unless it’s necessary. Despite that design flaw, the Z² Play remains a well-made phone, as should be expected from Motorola.

Screen

The Z² Play runs on a 5.5″, 1080p Super AMOLED panel, which means I instantly fell in love. It’s not anything eye-popping or jaw-dropping – 1080p is more-or-less the standard these days, and 5.5″ seems to be the sweet spot, size-wise, and though AMOLED screens are delightful, the display simply doesn’t bring anything ground-breaking to the table – which is fine! Like so much else with the Z² Play, Moto has built a solid (if unspectacular) screen into a solid (if unspectacular) handset built around a single, unique feature in Moto Mods.

On the software end of things, there are a couple neat features that set it apart a bit. Color tuning, active display (which uses only a small amount of screen real estate to display notifications when the device is asleep), and proximity wake (which lets you wake your phone by waving your hand over it while keeping the screen off while it’s in your pocket) all lend little touches of uniquity (probably not a word) to an otherwise solidly performing, but not terribly exotic, display.

Internals

Given its reputation as a mid-range smartphone (at $499 unlocked, it lands squarely between the Z² Force and the Moto G5 in both price and specs), it’s not surprising the specifications for this handset are very middle-of-the-road. The version I tested runs a Snapdragon 626, clocked at 2.2GHz. For comparison, the OnePlus 5 ($479) and the Moto Z² Force ($720 + free projector Moto Mod) both run a Snapdragon 835, clocked at 2.45Ghz. Don’t let the clock speeds fool you, the 835 is much faster than is the 626. That being said, the processor in the Z² Play is perfectly adequate for the user base it’s targeting – which is to say, generally not power users.

As far as RAM and storage goes, the Z² Play comes in two flavors – 3/32GB or 4/64GB, the latter of which is $100 more expensive and carrier unlocked. 3GB of RAM is a little light for a modern smartphone, but 4GB is the sweet-spot for a solidly performing device. Both models come with a MicroSD slot, the absence of which is an absolute deal-breaker for some.

Internal Features

In keeping with a theme, Moto has included middle-of-the-pack technology in its middle-of-the-pack phone. The Z² Play runs on an older standard of WiFi (802.11n, one generation removed from the current ac), and an older standard of Bluetooth (4.2, two generations removed from the current 5), But also offers current-gen technology in Type-C USB charging and a front-mounted fingerprint scanner.

A quick note on said fingerprint scanner; it utilizes fingerprint gestures, designed to mimic the rollerball that used to be a signature on android devices. It can be used to go to your home screen, scroll, navigate left and right, everything the ball used to do. In theory, it sounds like a nice bit of nostalgia at least – in practice, though, it’s become obvious how archaic that method of input is. The gestures are a nice little idea, but they fall flat.

Battery Life

3000mAh battery – all day, ’nuff said. Being a mid-range phone running a 1080p AMOLED screen and a mid-range processor, the Z² Play gets great battery life out of day-to-day use. I went a full day without dipping below 30%, including way too much use at work. Where the Z² Play struggles, however, is when you try to push the processor a little, or when you enter into an area with low signal. The internals work overtime to compensate, and it drains the battery rather quickly. Still, though, a full day’s battery is always a good thing. When you account for the utter ease of use of a Moto Mod Battery Pack, you should never find yourself worrying about a charge.

Camera

The first thing you’ll notice about the primary camera on the Z² Play is the snappiness of it, or lack thereof – focusing is quick and smooth, but actually taking pictures is a little clumsy due to the shutter speed, which is a little slower than I’d have liked. It’s surely slower than my trusty OnePlus 3T – but it’s still not too bad. Android cameras and software have come a long way! I remember when I had to hold still for a good two or three seconds in order to take a steady shot while my MyTouch focused, processed, and finally snapped.

You can see a few samples from both the front and back shooters below, in a variety of lighting and distance examples. Note that even at full zoom on a shot, it’s still a relatively passable picture! Unfortunately, selfie-cameras aren’t much good for anything other than selfies, so you’re stuck with my ugly mug and my Cheese smile.

While there’s nothing amazing about the back camera (12mp, 1.4 µm) or the selfie camera (5 MP, 1.4 µm), the latter does have one relatively unique feature among smart phones (or, at least, smartphones I’ve owned); a front flash! While very useful, this is a feature that has, by and large, escaped the attention of all of the major smartphone manufacturers. LG, Samsung, and HTC – with a few exceptions – have left a front flash off their respective phones. It should be noted that Sony has a number of models with a front flash, but it’s definitely not a common thing. But I love it!

Software

As per usual for Moto, the Z² Play runs a fairly unmodified version of stock Android. There are a couple quality-of-life modifications included (the aforementioned Active Display, for example), but for the most part Android purists will be pleased.

Given that I was testing the Verizon version of the phone, it’s no surprise that it came front-loaded with a bunch of gross Verizon Bloat – Verizon, Yahoo, Slacker, Newsroom, Yahoo Weather, and the NFL app all came pre-loaded and are non-removable. The best you can hope for is to disable them. It’s not a terrible amount of bloat, and I suspect the Unlocked version does not include them, but I will forever vehemently disagree with carriers digging their claws into my phone.

It’s refreshing to see some manufacturers (notably, Moto and OnePlus) deliver devices that remain faithful to the core operating system they run, while still adding features that users both want and will use. Android is great, but it isn’t perfect – why not improve on it? Meanwhile, Samsung continues to think it knows better and slathers its OS with a thick coat of shiny paint that flecks away after only a couple months.

Mods

This is a review of the Moto Z² Play, not of its Mods. I’ll be detailing the three Mods I tested in upcoming posts, but I have a few thoughts on Moto Mods in general, and how they work with the Z² Play.

While all the Mods I’ve used are well-made and easy to use, they seem a mite inconvenient to carry around. How are we expected to be transporting these mods? I have trouble seeing a world where the Mod contact points can withstand being banged around in my pocket without getting bent, dirty or otherwise damaged. Maybe a Moto-branded carrying case, or a sleeve? Further, with the inability to use a traditional case with the Z brand of Moto devices, how are expected to keep our phones safe, unless we constantly remove it from a flexible case?

That being said, the overall design of the Moto Mod system is pretty clever. Moto has expanded on the utility of smartphones immensely by creating a modular system for adding and removing functionality on a per-case basis. Need more battery? Slap on a battery pack, no cables required. Need extra camera power for a shoot? Connect a Hasselblad camera unit. It’s all very clever, despite its inherent flaws and drawbacks. Personally, I feel like the inevitable second generation of Moto Mods will be what separates Moto from other smartphone brands.

Value

As I mentioned above, there are two variants for the Z² Play. The first version is a 3/32GB model, for $405 – Verizon only. The second model is $499 – its carrier unlocked and comes with a RAM/Storage upgrade of 4/64GB. Being a faithful T-Mobile user, I can’t encourage you enough to go with the latter; though that price bump is a bit prohibitive, taking it from a nice mid-range phone and catapulting it into a pricier tier. Compared to the newly announced Z² Force, though, ($720) it’s the cheapest way to enter into the Moto Mod scene this generation.

The skinny is this – if you want to get in on the Moto Mod hype, but don’t want to invest in a $700 phone, the Z² Play is for you. If you’re looking for a great, badass phone in the $500 range, there are other, better options out there.

Moto’s Z² Play is available now, through Verizon or carrier-unlocked, starting at $405.

Sara Is Missing: Prepare to be entertained in a horrific way (Review)

Gerson Noboa
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If you are a fan of horror games and you own a console, then you have a plethora of choices at your disposition, thanks to years of success of franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. However, if you only game on your Android devices, the choices become more limited. Sure, there are some available, such as Dead Effect, Limbo, and Five NIghts at Freddy’s, but there’s not a lot to choose from nonetheless. Sara Is Missing is here to appease your need for horror games, and it manages to immerse you in its world in such a way that I’ve rarely seen on a mobile game.

Developer: Kaigan Games
Price: Free

Overview

Upon launching the game, you will be greeted with an unlock screen, similar to the lock screen found in the gleeful iOS 6 era of iPhone devices. The history behind it is that you found a device and it is your job to find its owner. The first thing you might think is something like “Sure, I’ll just call the owner’s mother and that should settle it. What a boring game.” Oh, if it was that easy…

You’ll soon find I.R.I.S., which would be the result of a baby between Siri and Jarvis (you know, Tony Stark’s intelligent assistant). She will start talking to you about how Sara, this phone’s owner, has gone missing and you need to help it find her.

However, this is not easy because a lot of the data inside this phone has been “intentionally damaged.” I.R.I.S. recovers some data, and, from there, one hell of a ride starts.

The game is completely done on a phone interface, so you actually feel like your phone is Sara’s phone. You can access her messages, email, gallery, phone history, and contacts, just like a real phone. After going through the game a little bit, you will even start receiving messages and phone calls, which makes it amazingly believable and immersive.

You’ll have to explore through the phone and find clues about Sara’s whereabouts. If you find something, I.R.I.S. can examine it and she will tell you her opinion on it. Through these interactions with her, the story progresses further and you will be presented with choices that really do matter.

Talking about the story, it will get creepy really fast. You have to watch a video at the beginning that sets the tone pretty well for what’s about to come. The game foreshadows the events that will happen later through texts and emails. Some of the multimedia that you have to deal with is seriously macabre, but everything does a good job in setting a very tense and frightening environment.

There are three different endings, all based on the big choices you have to make. When the game ends, it resets itself so that you can go through it again and try different combinations to see where do your choices take you the next time.

General Impressions

I must admit that I’m not the strongest person when dealing with horror stuff, but the game does a terrific job in keeping you tense at all times. There is nothing that could be considered ultra scary, but watching the story unfold in front of you and slowly making you a part of it is one of the most fascinating experiences I’ve ever had on a mobile device.

Unfortunately, I can’t give you full details because anything more and I would start to spoil the story for you, but the developer did an astounding job in making sure that the game closely resembles your normal interaction with a regular device.

Going through a gallery of images and videos, receiving phone calls and voice messages, and sending messages to other people is what makes this experience so enthralling. It feels like you’re part of that world because everything feels so natural.

There’s a part where you are receiving messages from a person. He answers very fast, and the typical “is typing” dot animation accompanies all of his messages. However, there’s a moment in which the animation stays there for a while and you don’t receive an answer. You really start to wonder what happened to the guy and why he doesn’t answer, especially after reading his last replies.

A few minutes later you start receiving creepy pictures based on your choices. The phone starts to malfunction in some instances. The messages you receive and the choices you have to make get creepier by the minute. This all may sound like small things but every little detail adds up to make such an engaging experience.

Graphics

As previously said, the whole game is just experienced through a phone interface. If you remember how iOS looked before Scott Forstall was fired (that is, before iOS 7), then you already know how Sara Is Missing looks. This makes the game look outdated. Why would the phone interface of my Samsung Galaxy S8 look like an operating system from 2012?

The interface for messages, gallery, and even the keyboard look like Forstall was hired for designing the interface for this game. I can understand that it would be too much to ask for the interface to change according to the phone being used, but if the developer wants to provide an iOS interface, then at least iOS 10 looks more modern.

One thing to note about the graphics is that the game reaches amazing levels of performance with them. Every click triggers an action immediately, fluidly, and without frame drops. It’s even better than the TouchWiz versions from a couple of years ago.

Sound

The game is not that sound-intensive. There are some sound effects here and there, especially those ones made by the messaging app. The audio from the videos you will have to go through is clear and of decent quality. Phone calls and voice messages can sound a bit muddy but I’m pretty sure this is done on purpose.

Since you’re in a phone interface, there’s no background music. The game, however, recommends you to play with headphones so that you get more immersed. This is especially good while watching videos and receiving phone calls. However, I played most of the game without headphones and it was as enjoyable as it was without them.

Conclusion

No one can blame you if you think that a game that simulates a phone interface could be fun. However, Sara Is Missing is able to provide a compelling experience, thanks to a intriguing story that keeps you on the edge at all times. The biggest complain about it is how short it is. We are talking about one hour, maybe one hour and a half of gameplay. There are three different endings, however, but no one can deny how short it is. Anyways, two hours of one of the most enthralling experiences around are awaiting if you download Sara Is Missing, for free and without ads. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Download and install Sara Is Missing from the Google Play Store.

Gear Up: Anker’s SoundBuds lineup provides great value while keeping your music bumping

AG Deals Team
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More and more devices are being launched without our beloved 3.5mm headphone jack, and that is causing some frustration for those who want to consume media on their favorite phones. Thanks to the power of USB Type-C, some OEM’s are still including a 3.5mm to USB Type-C dongle, but those can get lost very quickly which can end up being a big pain.

There is another option, which may not be as popular, and that’s to join the Bluetooth revolution and invest in some Bluetooth headphones. The market has been dominated by the likes of JayBird, Bose, and Beats, but there are more viable (and cheaper) options on the market.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the suite of Anker SoundBuds Bluetooth headphones, which includes an option for just about everyone.

Anker SoundBuds Slim

Starting with the SoundBuds Slim, this set is for those want to keep a low (or dare I say, SLIM) profile with their headphones. The first thing that you’ll notice when you take them out of the box is that the earpieces are magnetic, and is something that I fell in love with when I picked up my BeatsX headphones.

Before diving too far, in the packaging, you get the SoundBuds Slim, microUSB cable for charging, and a few different ear buds and ear hooks to accommodate those with different ear canal sizes. There’s also a little quick start guide, but you can throw that off to the side as getting everything set up is pretty straightforward.

As with the other options listed here, the headphones will already be charged a bit, but you’ll want to plug them in to get them up to 100%. There’s an LED indicator on the controls which lets you know how much juice is in the chamber.

When it comes to battery life, Anker rates the SoundBuds Slim to provide up to 7 hours of playback on a single charge, and I was able to get very close to that. Some days, I listened non-stop and got between 5 and 6 hours, but the battery was a bit better if I stepped away from them and came back to them later for another extended session.

Pairing the SoundBuds Slim is also extremely easy, as you’ll only need to press and hold the “Play/Pause” button on the controls until the Blue LED begins flickering. Once the light starts flickering, you can go to the Bluetooth Settings on your favorite device and get things paired up.

If you’re looking at these to accompany you on a workout, we have good news. Anker claims that they feature an IPX4 water-resistant shell and an “internal nano-coating”. This provides a “double layer of water protection”, which is great if you get caught in the rain, or want to sweat it out in the gym.

Finally, we come to the important part — the sound quality. I wouldn’t say these can replace your cans that you use on a daily basis, but if you travel at all, the SoundBuds Slim are a welcome addition. I’m a fan of a lot of bass (see BeatsX), and while these don’t make my eardrums rattle, they still do an adequate job of giving me the extra oomph that I want.

I’ve mentioned the BeatsX as my go-to set of Bluetooth headphones, but those were priced at over $100, and that doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget. Thankfully, the Anker SoundBuds Slim are priced at just $25 and come in Black, Blue, or Red. If you’re interested, you can hit the button below to learn more!

Buy the Anker SoundsBuds Slim!

Anker SoundBuds Tag

Next up we have Anker SoundBuds Tag. These are a bit chunkier than the SoundBuds Slim, but have some hidden secrets to provide you some excellent sound quality while you’re on the go or at home.

As with the SoundBuds Slim, the SoundBuds Tag also includes an array of ear tips and “AirWings” to help make sure that the earpieces stay secure while you’re on the go. There is also an inline controller which allows you to answer calls, and control your media with a press of the button.

What sets the SoundBuds Tag apart from the others is the inclusion of Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth lossless technology. As explained by Qualcomm, aptX Bluetooth reduces the size of audio files “so they can be squeezed through the wireless pipeline without affecting the sound quality”. This is great news for those audiophiles who are concerned about losing sound quality while using Bluetooth headphones.

Speaking of sound quality, I must say that out of the three options listed today, the SoundBuds Tag is my favorite of the bunch. These were either paired to my LG G6 or my MacBook Pro and provided much more clear sounds compared to the SoundBuds Slim, but are a bit awkward to pair, and are a bit heavier.

When it comes to the SoundBuds Tag, these also feature magnets in the earpieces, but the cool thing here is that they automatically pair to the last device connected. This makes it perfect for pulling them out of your bag and getting your music with out messing around with settings.

In addition to automatically pairing with your last-used device, the magnets in the earpieces serve another purpose. When you pull the earbuds apart, your SoundBuds Tag automatically turn on, while attaching them automatically turns them off. This has cause a bit of a problem when I’m fumbling around in my bag and accidentally disconnect them, but is still a great feature.

When it comes to pricing, you may expect these to be priced alongside the BeatsX, but that’s not Anker’s style. Instead, the Anker SoundBuds Tag is priced at just $32.99, and come in either Black or White. If you want to pick these up for yourself, hit the button below, and let us know what you think!

Buy the Anker SoundsBuds Tag!

Anker SoundBuds Sport

The final option for those looking for a set of Bluetooth headphones is geared towards the gym rats out there. The Anker SoundBuds Sport is one of the best options for those who want to a set of headphones that keeps going as long as they do.

Anker rates the battery for the SoundBuds Sport at 8 hours and I was able to reach that mark, if not pass it, a couple of times throughout my testing. While these don’t offer the aptX Bluetooth technology as the SoundBuds Tag, there is still CNC active noise cancellation built-in. This will help you make sure that you stay focused on the task at hand and not be interrupted.

The differences don’t stop there, however, as there are not in-line controls on the SoundBuds Sport. Instead, all of your controls can be found on the side of the earpieces themselves. On the left earbud is your play/pause button, while the right earbud houses the volume control for the SoundBuds Sport.

I must admit, this was a bit frustrating at times, but it wasn’t enough to drive me away from continuing to enjoy these headphones. What did frustrate me was the call-quality of the SoundBuds Sport. The person on the other end of the call always complained that I wasn’t speaking up, leaving me to almost have to yell for them to hear me — a problem not experienced with the other SoundBuds products.

Now, I’m not the most active person in the world, but when I was warming up for some basketball, the SoundBuds Sport stayed in place for me, after I switched up the ear tips. Before then, one earpiece would fall out, only for the other to fall out after being put back in.

Regardless, the SoundBuds Sport is definitely worth a look if you’re looking for some budget-minded work out Bluetooth headphones. Priced at just under $30, you don’t have much to lose when giving the SoundBuds Sport a shot.

If you’re looking to pick these up, they are available in Black, Green, and Blue color options and you can get them as soon as tomorrow thanks to Prime Shipping. Hit the button below to learn more and let us know what you think about the SoundBuds Sport!

Buy the Anker SoundsBuds Sport!<

Conclusion

The great thing about the world we live in is that technology is always evolving, making it possible for smaller accessory-makers to provide budget options. What’s even better is when these accessories hit the mark and save you more than a few bucks in the process.

Anker’s SoundBuds lineup does this and so much more, and I can’t say enough great things about these awesome headphones. Let us know what you think about these Anker headphones and if you’ll be looking to pick up a pair for yourself!

Prevent and protect yourself from ransomware attacks

Guest Blogger
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This world that we’re living in is a technologically thriving one where data flows through every corner. It’s because of this “information age” that almost anything is possible, where we can use it either for good things that’ll make our lives easier, or use it for malicious acts for the sake of our self-gain.

Because of this, we cannot deny the fact that there are people who want to prey on other people’s successes – hackers. Hackers now have become more of a serious threat to society due to cyber attacks, the most common of which are in the form of ransomware. It’s because of these that you can now get the best antivirus for mobile and computers.

What is a Ransomware?

Ransomware is a kind of malware or computer virus that disables users from having access to their system interface or data stored on their computer. Aside from that, there are some cases where it deletes important information and even publishes sensitive ones.

It seemingly stops doing this until you pay the ransomware’s creator a certain sum of money through Bitcoin. However, there is still no guarantee that your system and information will be back to normal if you pay them the amount. This is how threatening-of-a-situation ransomware attacks are.

Preventing Ransomware Attacks

As dangerous and fatal as it sounds, you don’t need to panic about it because there are a lot of things you can do to avoid these attacks from happening in the first place.

Here are some of the best ways:

1. Installing a reputable antivirus software.

This is the first and most obvious thing you need to do. These software are specifically designed to combat these computer viruses. But you should bear in mind that not all antivirus software can detect and remove ransomware because only around 20% to 30% of them can.

Ransomware is a kind of malware that is more complex, making them quite tricky and hard to neutralize. Make sure to install a reputable antivirus such as those sold by well-established vendors such as Norton, Kaspersky Lab, and Malwarebytes. It’s also best if you avail the premium plan. It might be a bit pricey, but it’s worth it.

2. Having data backups.

It’s important that you always prepare for the worst case scenario. In simpler words – expect the unexpected. Create backups of your data. You can do this by having duplicates of your sensitive files stored on a separate external hard drive.

You can also make use of your cloud storage. So that if ever a hacker successfully overrides your system, you can simply erase all of the data in your machine and deny the hacker access to your files. Anyways, you can still restore all of the data later on with your backup.

3. Being extra vigilant with suspicious emails.

Another way where a ransomware might access your system is through emails and pop-ups. This has happened some times already, WannaCry being the most popular of these ransomware attacks. It is initiated through email attachments.

It has infected more than 200,000 computers in 150 countries, proving that ransomware is a real threat to everyone. With this, it makes perfect sense for you to be extra careful in reading and opening emails that might seem to be suspicious.

Check for any signs of inconsistencies such as grammatical and typographical errors. You can also hover on the hyperlinks to see if they’re going to redirect you to a suspicious-looking site.

If an email asks you sensitive information such as your bank account number, password, or social security number, and if it comes from a financial institution, they’re most likely hackers. Immediately report them to your email provider, swiftly send it to the trash bin, and delete it for good.

4. Getting a premium business security plan.

If ever you’re running a big company which spans over hundreds of employees, you need to get a top-of-the-line security plan. In knowing that you have hundreds or possibly even thousands of employees and each has their computer system, the infection can easily spread throughout the organization even if only one machine is infected by ransomware.

In having a security plan, you can avoid this from happening because there will be IT professionals and advanced security systems that’ll monitor your system’s overall health and status in real-time.

If Your System is Already Infected…

If ever it seems to be too late for you and your system is already infected, the first thing you need to do is to disconnect your machine from the internet immediately. This is to stop the infection from spreading to other machines.

If you’ve got a data backup, then you’re all good. You simply have to erase all of the infected data and restore it back through your other hard disk which contains all of the backup data.

But if you don’t have any, then you’ve got no other choice but to report it to the police and seek the help of an IT professional who specializes in data recovery. If they can’t help you, then you’ve just got to wait until a new security tool pops up in the future.

Samsung could be sticking with the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy S9

Matt Adams
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Ugh.

I’ve made no secret of my love for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, but the one thing that holds it back from truly being great is the fingerprint scanner. Some, including myself, have been saying for a while now that all phones are great and choosing your next phone comes down to finding the one that annoys you the least. The Galaxy S8 Plus is awesome, but it has the most annoying drawback of any phone on the market.

That damn fingerprint scanner.

Putting it next to the camera sensor and pretty high up on the device isn’t ideal. I get why it was done (the wireless charging sensor is placed where the fingerprint scanner should be) but it still sucks nonetheless. I’ve made far greater usage out of Trusted Places and Trusted Devices on my Galaxy S8 Plus than any other device I’ve ever owned just so I don’t have to use that damn fingerprint scanner. And it looks like it’s going to stick around for awhile longer.

A report from KGI, a rather reliable industry predictor, notes that we’ll see the Galaxy S9 continue on with the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. While that stinks, it also predicts that the Galaxy Note 9 will finally transition from the rear-mounted scanner to an under the display fingerprint scanner in 2018.

Currently, there’s little reason for the S9 to move the fingerprint scanner under the glass. Apple recently scrapped plans for the iPhone to move TouchID under the display due to manufacturing hurdles, so why would Samsung force the issue if it hasn’t perfected it? As of right now, VIVO is the only phone manufacturer to show off a prototype of an under the display fingerprint sensor it and it has some significant drawbacks.

While I’m personally disappointed, I’m also fine with Samsung not releasing something before it’s perfected. Some of you may remember the fingerprint scanner on some of Samsung’s earlier devices where you had to swipe the home button. Boy, did that suck even more than the current solution.

In KGI’s report, it also seems that Samsung is going to ditch Synaptics for Egis. Switching fingerprint scanner suppliers for the Galaxy Note 9 would be news on its own, but what really makes this stand out is that apparently, Egis fingerprint scanners are four to five times the price of those supplied by Synaptics currently. Could we see a base $1000+ Galaxy Note 9?

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