Home Blog Page 859

Want to save $200 on a Google Pixel and get a free Daydream View VR headset? Here’s how

Matt Adams
-
0

The “Pixel, phone by Google” has undeniably been one of the best phones of the last 12 months. The unbelievably smooth user experience is backed up by super fast software updates, the best camera on the market, and amazing battery life. With rumors surfacing about the next generation of Pixel devices, it’s getting harder and harder to recommend picking up a Pixel or Pixel XL for full price.

Apparently, Google is listening because the Pixel and Pixel XL just went on sale and you can get a free Daydream VR headset too.

Here’s the deal. The Pixel is getting a discount of $125 while the Pixel XL is getting a discount of $200. In addition to that, when you add a Pixel device and a Daydream View VR headset to your cart, you get an additional $79 discount to cover the price of the headset too. All told, you can save up to $279.

If you’re looking to pick up a couple of phones, Google is extending the offer. Each phone will get the discount, although I have run into some weirdness when it comes to adding certain models into my card. No matter what I tried, I could not add a Very Silver 32GB Pixel into a cart with a Quite Black 32GB Pixel XL. Other combinations worked, but not that one.

If you need a phone today, the LG G6 and the Pixel (or XL) with this discount are about the best you can find for the money. Both have Snapdragon 821 processors, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of base storage, great battery life and top-tier cameras.

Are you planning to move on this deal? Let us know down in the comments why or why not.

Google Pixel XL review

Gear up: These are my new favorite pieces of gaming gear

Matt Adams
-
0

While my true passion is Android, I do enjoy taking some time off to play some games. My chances have dwindled as I’ve gotten older and my life has filled up and that makes me appreciate the opportunities I have more than ever. More than just playing games, it’s a chance to hang out with friends from across the country and accomplish something challenging.

So, even though I don’t get many hours in, it’s important to me to have good and fun gear that I can count on when I get to sit down and play. Additionally, I want my gear to be reliable and hold up for the long term. No one wants to have to deal with controller pairing issues or audio cut-outs, especially when you only have a few hours a week in the first place.

Some of the items on the list I’ve owned forever on my own dime and some were sent over for review from the companies. All the descriptions and opinions are my own and in no way influenced by how I came by them.

SCUF Infinity1 Xbox One controller

While I play games on multiple platforms, most of my time is spent using my Xbox One. Most of my friends are on the platform and the games that I love are here too so it’s a good match. I’ll be moving more toward PC gaming in the next year or so (Destiny 2 on PC!) but for now, the console it is.

I’ve had an Xbox Elite controller (yep, the one that’s about $150) since right after they were released. Unfortunately for me, it has fallen apart on me. I love the thing but the build quality just isn’t there. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one. In my small group of gaming friends, three of us have had the same issue.

That’s why I got a SCUF controller. SCUF controllers are like Elite controllers but much, much more customizable and higher quality. on SCUF’s site, you have endless color options including player and e-sport team-endorsed designs for such big names as OpTic, Faze, EnVy, Luminosity, Evil Geniuses, Clayster, Nadeshot, and a ton more. One of the harder decisions I had when ordering mine was picking the design I wanted because there are so many fun ones on there.

You can also customize the hell out of it. You have your choice of thumbsticks, D-Pad, triggers, paddles, and grips and normally you have multiple options in each category. One of the bigger advantages of a SCUF controller over one the basic Xbox controller are the customizable paddles on the back. By default, the paddles are programmed to the face buttons (A, B, X, and Y on Xbox) so your hands remain in a more comfortable position and your thumbs never have to leave the thumbsticks. The paddles are fully remappable and I prefer the vertical layout of the SCUF controller over the horizontal layout on the Xbox Elite controller. It took a while for me to get used to them, but now I can’t imagine playing without them.

The biggest advantage, in my opinion, that SCUF has over Microsoft’s Elite controller is in the grips. The Elite controller has soft plastic that is seemingly glued down to the base of the controller where as the SCUF Infinity1 has a hard plastic grip that snaps into place. The glue has failed on my Elite controller and that soft plastic is now coming off the controller to the point where it’s uncomfortable to hold long term. It bunches up and just overall is a shitty experience.

The SCUF solution is much, much better. The hard plastic will last an indefinite amount of time if treated correctly and since they’re user replaceable, you can just swap them out for another pair in a few seconds. Literally, the only issue I’ve ever had with the SCUF controller in the few months of owning one was that the hair trigger control built into one of my grips was causing me to not be able to fire my gun in Destiny. I’m fairly sure this was just me not being able to adjust the sensitivity of the hair trigger limiter with the included key and not a design flaw with the controller, but regardless, I was able to just swap out grips to a different pair that didn’t have the issue and was on my way.

Overall, I highly recommend the SCUF Infinity1 if you have the cash and you’re looking for a nice upgrade over the standard Xbox controller or you’re looking for something a little more solidly built than the Xbox Elite controller.

SteelSeries Arctis 5 Headset

I love a good headset. It started with my minor obsession with finding the best headphones I could (I settled on Sennheiser HD589Cs) and transferred into finding the best gaming headset I could too. For my Xbox, I have both the Turtle Beach Elite Pro and Turtle Beach 800X, but for my computer, I use the SteelSeries Arctis 5. I was originally sent these for a review but they quickly turned into my go-to headset for not only gaming but music too.

The headset band is made out of hard, rigid plastic that has enough flex to fit bigger heads (I’d know, trust me) and provide enough squeeze to keep the headset on your head when whipping around, but not so much to where it’s uncomfortable. The earcups are a soft fabric that feel nice to the touch and breathe more than a higher-end leather earcup might.

SteelSeries Arctis 7 review: Wireless headphones with a heavy focus on gaming

The outside of the earcups is a soft plastic that can pick up some fingerprints when you’re taking them on and off. You may not notice the fingerprints, though, because you’ll be too busy staring at the RGB LEDs that line the outside of the earcups. I was never caught up in the RBG LED craze, but it really does look awesome hanging on my Just Mobile headphone stand. Just above the earcups and just under the headband sits a cloth secondary band (called a Ski Google Headband by SteelSeries) that contours to your head. It took a little getting used to because I don’t entirely love how the fabric feels on my hair, but it does a good job of eliminating neck and head fatigue. You can also purchase different bands with differing designs on them to fit your look.

The drivers under the cloth earcups are angled toward your eardrums for perfection in terms of audio quality. Using these in shooters was pretty fantastic to establish where exactly enemies were coming from while games like Civilization with excellent audio mixing sounded great as well.

Speaking of audio, you can share it with a friend. There’s a 3.5mm jack on the headset that you can plug another pair of headphones into and share your audio. The only time I could ever think that I’d use this is watching a movie on a plane, but even then, Bluetooth headphones would seem like a more obvious choice. Having this feature included doesn’t hurt anything or jack up the price (the Arctis 5 are only $99) but it seems like a bit of a waste.

The microphone sounds really, really good. I normally use a Blue Yeti microphone on an arm while PC gaming, but there wasn’t a ton of drop off in terms audio quality. The Arctis 5 is definitely good enough to use as your main source of audio if you’re playing games or recording podcasts for fun with your friends. I wouldn’t recommend it for high-end tasks, but you’ve probably already invested in high-end audio equipment if that’s your use case.

The only time that I ever got any comments about the microphone quality is when I bumped it. It will pick up those minor bumps and scrapes and transport them directly into your friend’s heads. Also, the microphone stays on when you push the arm back into the headset. You’ll need to use the mute button located next to the volume slider on the left earcup.

The USB cable from the headset runs into its own USB ChatMix dial. This dial, when set up correctly in windows, allows you to control the chat and game mix with the dial that sits on your desk. I like the ability to drown out chat at important times and only hear the game or bump up chat volume a little bit depending on who I’m playing with. The connection uses a USB type-B connection which isn’t that common anymore so to use this with your phone you need to connect it to the included USB type-B to 3.5mm adapter.

The audio that comes out of these headphones feels like it has a nice balance. None of the mids, highs, and lows feel emphasized too much. Loud bassy explosions feel satisfying without vibrating the headset off your head while voices come through clear and crisp. Music is a joy to listen to if you’re looking a headset if you’re looking for something you can use for both gaming and music.

SteelSeries Qck Prism

In the land of tomorrow, everything must be RGB. Jokes aside, no one really thinks an RGB mouse pad is a necessity for gaming, but damn if it isn’t cool. The QCK PRSM is big, heavy mouse pad that stays put no matter how much I bump it. It has soft plastic on the bottom to make sure that it isn’t moving around when you need stability the most.

The top of the mouse pad comes with a swappable secondary pad. The default side is a hard plastic pad that is great for quick movements and adds zero friction to your use. Flip it over and you get a cloth pad that is great for more precision style games. Just outside of the pad is an LED strip that frankly looks awesome. It isn’t in your face or distracting when playing games at night. I love the default flow pattern that looks like a steady stream, but you can customize how it looks through the SteelSeries software.

One of the things that SteelSeries took great care to do is place the USB cable on the left side of the mouse pad. If you use a wireless mouse like me, it doesn’t matter a great deal, but the design keeps the USB cable out of the way of wired mice, which is important when you’re playing twitch shooters like CSGO.

I can’t say that the QCK Prism has upped my game or made me better in any way, but damn if it doesn’t look cool. I love that it doesn’t slide around at all (it’s 2 lbs!) and you can control the LEDs in software. The build quality is really excellent so I think if you’re looking to shell out a little bit of money to complete your LED build, this is definitely something you should look at.

Conclusion

These are just three of my favorite new gaming toys. I’d like to thank SCUF and SteelSeries for passing along some samples for me to try out. I found it pretty quick and easy to integrate the controller, headset, and mouse pad into my routine since they’re all pretty high-quality products and upgrades on what I was already using.

We know that this isn’t our normal type of content but often times the readers that read AndroidGuys are attracted to subjects like this. If you’d like to see more articles like this that aren’t specifically about Android but have some overlapping interest, let us know down in the comments and we’ll be sure to effort some more. Don’t like these articles? Feel free to let us know that too.

Purchase links and Discounts

Gear Up: Consider Kingston memory cards for your phones, tablets, drones, cameras, and more

AndroidGuys
-
0

Despite the fact that phone makers have steadily increased the internal storage capacity of phones, there a many devices on the market which still offer support for external media. And, why not? Just because we can back files up in the cloud doesn’t mean that we actually have to do so. No, sometimes we like to keep a local copy which can be transferred from device to device.

It’s not just phones that utilize memory cards either. Consider that digital cameras, drones, Wi-Fi security cameras, and other digital products, too. In other words, you should have some external storage to rely on.

Kingston, a prominent player in the memory card business for decades, has a number of solutions which you may want to consider if you’re in the market for storage. Whether you need something extra to back up some photos, or a high-capacity card for recording 4K video in a drone, there’s something for everyone.

We’ve been sent a few sample cards from Kingston and have used them in a variety of devices over the last few weeks. Each of what we received were 64GB capacity; however, you can purchase cards from 4GB all the way up to 2TB.

Before picking out a card, though, consider what it is that you might be doing with it. Are you just using it for storing pictures from your phone? Will you be recording HD video or 4K footage? Not all 64GB cards are the same.

Take for instance the two cards we were provided: Gold Series and UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3). Each has their own intended uses, but you can always work downward. In other words, the higher “class” cards can do everything that the lower ones can. Think of this as how a Bluray player can also read DVDs and CDs.

In this case, the Gold Series offers read speeds of 90MB/s, or the same as the UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3). However, the write speed for the former is 45MB/s while the latter is nearly doubled at 80MB/s. What does this mean? It means you can take burst photos and write to the memory card much faster.

Why does speed matter? Let’s just drill this down to pictures on a smartphone. Image sizes have gotten increasingly bigger over the years. Snapping a full-resolution picture today is often around 16-megapixels or 20-megapixels. Take photo that uses 3MB and it’s not that big of a deal. But, when you want to capture a whole string of them in a row, you’ll want to pound out ten pics without thinking.

Now, think of HD security cameras, a GoPro, or drone pulling in gorgeous 4K clips from the sky. And this is just today’s technology and needs. Do yourself a favor and future-proof yourself with the largest and fastest storage cards you can afford.

Why Speed Matters

Here’s what Kingston says about speeds on memory cards.

  • Long buffering – when you press the shutter and the camera takes the shot but then it freezes until the data is fully written to the card.
  • Corrupted video – video cameras might produce corrupted video files if the card speed is too slow or the camera may downgrade the video to match the speed of the card. This could turn full 1080p HD video into a video with much lower resolution.
  • Shortened clips – when a camera has a higher writing speed than the Flash card, the camera will pause and the video clip will abruptly end once the speed limit of the card is reached.
  • Burst shooting – many cameras have a burst mode feature where one press produces a repeated series of photographs; this allows users to capture fast-moving events or subjects like pets and children. If the card writing speed is too slow, burst mode setting will not work.

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the Kingston cards in our devices. Actually, let’s rephrase that; we’ve not even noticed that we’re using external media for capturing content. In fact, we have to remind ourselves that our phone or camera is writing to a microSD card. When you have the right card it’s a simple matter of set it and forget it. Such has been the case with both of these cards.

Where to Buy

If you’re looking to make a microSD card purchase, head to Kingston’s website to learn more and buy. Additionally, you can find its cards at a variety of retailers, including both online and in-store. Here’s a quick link to Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Google’s latest AOSP commit reveals a device called ‘dorado’

Dan Bartram
-
0

Google issued a new commit to AOSP yesterday and with it has brought some interesting tidbits. The first is a reference to an unknown device called dorado and the second is the ability for AOSP to support touch input.

The term dorado was mentioned in the commit along with the Nexus 6P and anglefish as being tested suggesting it is an actual codename for a device. There’s no way of knowing what it is but assumingly the reference is to an Android Wear device as we believe we already know the codenames for the next Pixel devices. It could also just be an internal word for something like an emulator.

Google adding touch support to AOSP recovery makes sense to align the Android and Android Wear recovery system, with the later already supporting touch input. I doubt Google anticipates Android to be installed on a device without any hardware input buttons and would solely rely on touch, but you never know.

Could we even begin to see more functionality be added to recovery like we see in something like TWRP? A touch interface makes much more sense and is necessary to interact with more advanced features.

While the new details are interesting, they don’t really give any insigh into how they will manifest into actual end user devices or features so I guess we’ll have to watch this space. For more information check out the commit in AOSP here.

OnePlus issues OxygenOS 4.5.8 to OnePlus 5

Dan Bartram
-
0

OnePlus began rolling out OxygenOS 4.5.7 but had to abrudtly halt the rollout due to reports of performance issues during gaming. The company  have already issued OxygenOS 4.5.8 to address the issue.

You should begin to see 4.5.8 as an available update even if you hadn’t updated to 4.5.7. Head into settings on your device and check for updates to make sure you’re not left with stuttering while gaming.

OxygenOS 4.5.7 introduced the following new features.

New additions:

  • Introducing the all new OnePlus Slate font
  • Added EIS for 4K video recording

Updates:

  • Updated Android security patch level to 1st July 2017
  • Updated to latest GMS package

Optimizations:

  • Wi-Fi connectivity improvements
  • Standby battery enhancements

Bug Fixes:

  • Fixed occasional sound leaks in the speakers when using earphones
  • Fixed camera shutter sound bug in silent mode for Indian region
  • Fixed missing sound channels when recording videos

Obviously the latest version 4.5.8 also has these features too but with the added fix for the gaming performance issue.

Essential Phone could finally be close to shipping

Dan Bartram
-
0

Despite the estimated date of shipping having come and gone, the Essential Phone could soon be ready to ship after all.

Andy Ruben publicly informed those who pre-ordered the device that the delay was due to certification of the device with carriers. It seems that this delay may have finally been sorted as a new listing for the device has appeared on the Best Buy website.

Best Buy lists the Sprint and Unlocked version of the Essential Phone with a starting price of $699.99. Both are listed as coming soon as technically they are not available but does indicate that shipping could be imminent if stores are listing them.

The Essential Phone is something a little different than traditional smartphones. The distinct bezel-less display is its most notable feature but there’s also capability to attach expandable modules.

Will the device take the smartphone market by storm? Hopefully it will ship soon and we’ll find out.

myCharge AdventureUltra review: The charging companion for all of your needs

Scott Webster
-
0

After reviewing countless portable power banks and charging solutions over the years, there are a few features I’ve come to appreciate. If anything, there are certain details I look for first when making a purchasing decision or recommendation.

I’ve spent time with a number of products from the myCharge brands over the last couple of years, each of which fills a particular void. Sometimes we need something super portable or minimal as a backup just in case we run low on a long work day. Other times we need a beast of a unit because we fully expect to deplete our batteries over an extended weekend away. Such is the case with the latest myCharge product, the AdventureUltra.

Taking up about as much space as a portable cassette player from the 1980’s, the Ultra is strong enough to power up most phones some eight times over. Thanks to its 13,400mAh internal battery, it’s everything you need to keep phones, tablets, and wearables juiced up for 2-3 days.

With this much power you might expect for it to offer even more functionality. Indeed, it does. Not only do you have the requisite USB ports (two 2.4A), but you also get a USB C port (3.0A), and an AC port (45W), as well. Yes, this means you’ll be able to power up four devices at a time — even a laptop.

Each of the charging ports is protected by a rubber boot to keep from getting dust and debris. This is convenient in cases where you might be at a beach, on a dusty job site, or spending time outside.

Given the capacity of the battery, and our likelihood of charging multiple devices at once, we’ll want to know exactly how much gas is left in the tank. The AdventureUltra offers up a great display which shows what’s remaining in terms of charge. You’ll have no problem identifying whether you need to get the charger back to a wallet out or if you can stay out and about for a few more hours — or days.

The number of use cases for the AdventureUltra is seemingly endless. Going tailgating and want to take a TV with you? This charger is strong enough to power a 32-inch television for up to three hours. So, take that TV with you to beach, Cast to it from your phone, and make sure you’re up to speed with Game of Thrones!

If you routinely spend multiple days on the road, pull marathon sessions of Pokemon Go, or go camping, hiking, then you’ll want to consider this charger. It’s built very well and ticks the marks for the things that matter. I loved that it features multiple ports for both the standard USB outlet but also the emerging USB Type C as well. Plus, who hasn’t wanted a standard wall outlet plug for a laptop, drone, or something else while on the road?

Price shakes out to around $130 for it, but it’s certainly worth it in my opinion. I’ve always had great luck with myCharge products and find them to be solidly built devices. It’s more expensive than what you might find in a larger capacity unit, but it’s the all-in-one functionality that puts it over the edge for me.

Best Buy lists the Essential Phone for $699 and up

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Introduced back in May, Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone has yet to become available. Luckily, it seems that it won’t be long now until Essential units start flying off retailer shelves.

The Essential PH-1 showed up at Best Buy in listings for both unlocked and Sprint-bound models. Unfortunately, you can’t purchase the device just yet, as the items are listed as “Coming Soon”. However, you can register your interest for the unlocked models by clicking on the “Notify Me” button. Strangely enough, you can’t do the same for the Sprint versions.

When it lands at Best Buy, the phone will be available in Black Moon or Pure White coloring options. Now moving on to price. Interestingly the unlocked models are listed with a $699 price tag (the same rate as on the Essential website), while the Sprint models appear to cost $749.99.

A free of charge Best Buy-branded Insignia which acts like a Holder/Stand will also be included with the purchase of an unlocked Essential PH-1.

In case you missed the announcement, let us remind you the Essential Phone comes with a 5.7-inch IPS display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (expandable via microSD card slot).

The phone also includes a dual camera setup which pairs two 13-megapixel sensors, an 8-megapixel secondary camera, a 3,040 mAh battery and Android 7.1 Nougat out the box.

The device can also be paired with modular accessories like a 360-degree camera which can be bought for an additional $50 (from the company’s website, but not Best Buy).

Lenovo’s future smartphones will ship with stock Android instead of Vibe Pure UI

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Lenovo used to be one of those Android OEMs who shipped its smartphones with its own Android-based custom UI onboard. But according to recent information shared by Lenovo’s India head of marketing, Anuj Sharma, the company is looking to phase out its Vibe Pure UI in favor of near-stock Android.

Lenovo has taken a hint from its own subsidiary Motorola who has been selling near-stock Android devices for years.

But why the change, you might be wondering? Apparently, customers have been asking for it. So Lenovo is giving the masses what they want.

Granted, not all Lenovo fans will applaud the company’s change of heart when it comes to software. Sharma explains Chinese users usually prefer custom skins to stock, but Indian ones foster a fondness for stock Android.

Apart from not bringing unnecessary bloatware to the table, having stock Android on your phone also translates into receiving faster updates. And Indian customers will be able to get a taste of the stock experience soon, as Lenovo is gearing up to launch the K8 Note with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out the box soon. The company will also be adding some enhancements in the form of Dolby Atmos and TheatreMax for a superior audio experience.

With Motorola being an active presence on the US market, it remains to be seen whether a Lenovo phone with stock Android on board would spark the interest of consumers in the country. What do you think?

Google Play Store now penalizes poorly performing apps in rankings

Alexandra Arici
-
0

Google wants to make it easier for people to find high-quality apps and games in its Play Store.

The Play Store is home to a huge collection of apps, with thousands of them being added daily, although not all of them abide by Google’s rigorous standards. To keep these bad apps off the grid, the Alphabet-owned company announced it has updated its search and discovery algorithms to take quality into account.

The result is that higher quality apps tend to pop up more frequently when you search for something (ex. food delivery apps) in the Play Store. Google notes the change has had a positive impact on user engagement, with people installing higher quality apps being less prone to uninstalling them afterwards and using them longer.

In the same statement, Google also urges developers to take app performance into account when designing an app. It offers the example of Basuu which managed to increase its rating from 4.1 to 4.5 star solely by focusing on app performance.

Google invites developers to use the Play Console which can help find and fix a number of quality issues like excessive battery usage, slow render times or random crashes.

For example, Android Vitals automatically analyzes app reports to show devs pertinent info about app issues, while pre-launch reports show the results of testing an alpha or beta app on popular consumer devices.

According to the search giant who cites an internal analysis of app reviews, up to 50% percent of 1 star reviews list stability as the main issue with the app. Obviously performance is a very important aspect for users and if developers have any hopes of building a successful app they need to take this aspect into account.

1...858859860...1,315Page 859 of 1,315