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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?

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

Matt Adams
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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
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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
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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
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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.

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