Home Blog Page 868

Essential Phone should be available within a few weeks

Dan Bartram
-
0

The Essential Phone is backed by Android founder Andy Ruben so we all expect something special. Sure enough, it looked fantastic and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on one. Unfortunately the shipping window that was communicated when the device launched was missed.

The Essential Phone was meant to ship in June but now we find ourselves at the tail end of July without sign of any news of the device shipping.

That is until now! Rubin has sent a message to those who preordered the device informing them that it’ll be a few more weeks until they see their device.

It seems that the delay has been down not to Essential itself but through the necessary certification process to get it sold by Sprint who have the exclusive rights to the device. Despite quoting the next few weeks, that’s still far from a firm deadline as to when we can expect to see the device shipped.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled on this one.

What you may have missed this week: July 17 – 21 – 911 issues, ads in keyboards, and a new Nexus?

Matt Adams
-
0

Welcome to “What you may have missed this week” where we give you a glimpse at the news from the week that was. We saw a lot of new and interesting developments this week from the apparently 911 bug in OnePlus and other Android devices to the disappointing leaks about Motorola’s next flagship. But, those aren’t the only headlines from the week so let’s dive in!

911 woes

The biggest news came from a post on Reddit about the issues when dialing out to 911. It seems some users were experiencing a reboot of their OnePlus 5 when they tried to dial the emergency service. It was later pointed out that this may be in fact be a bug in AOSP (the underlying Android code that all Android OEMs build off of) and not just OnePlus’ Oxygen OS. Another user on Reddit stated that while trying to reach 911 to help the unfortunate victims of a crash his Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge rebooted twice when trying to call emergency services. Even more frustrating, when 911 called user Gamerhead back after his phone rebooted, the phone would not let him answer the call.

This, very obviously, is a gigantic deal. The ability to reach emergency services in a critical situation, and doing it quickly, can often times be the difference between life and death. It has been speculated that the problem stems from the enhanced 911 features on modern day cell phones that transmit location data to 911 operators when you make the call. Reddit users aghatak put together a compilation of various reports on this issue and it seems to reach across multiple makes and models of Android devices.

To OnePlus’ credit, it has already begun to roll out a software patch that fixes these issues. Hopefully, we’ll see more OEMs roll out critical patches very soon because this is a life and death situation.

HTC keyboard ads

We’re living in a world where advertisements are everywhere. It seems to be the price we’re paying for high quality, yet cheap, software and services. However, one application you might have an issue with showing you an ad is your keyboard on your phone. I mean, who wants to look at an ad when you’re trying to reply to an important text message or type in a web address, right?

People all over the internet were in a tizzy this week when a screenshot of the stock keyboard on an HTC 10 started showed an advertisement. What’s worse is that there was no way to dismiss the ad!

Well, there’s always more to the story than just big companies being bad. The stock keyboard for HTC devices is actually made by TouchPal who happens to have an ad supported version of its keyboard. It seems that due to a coding error, the ads were showing up in some HTC devices as well. HTC took to twitter to let its customers know that it was indeed an error and that it was working on a fix as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the damage is probably done at this point.

Google Duo’s milestone

Google Duo is the one-on-one video chatting application crafted by the makers of Android to making video chatting just a little bit easier. The app is designed to be simple and reliable in a world where Facetime dominates video chatting on iOS devices and Snapchat and Instagram control the video world on Android.

Those around Mountain View were celebrating this past week as the video chatting app passed 100 million downloads. That sounds like a ton, right? And it definitely is but it should also be pointed out that Duo comes installed by default on pretty much all new Android devices as part of Android’s default app suite. Also, there are about a billion Android devices in the world so while 100 million is a big number, it’s comparatively small next to what’s already on the market.

Duo has some serious potential, but it needs to take the step from installs to adoption to gain long-term success.

A new Nexus from Nokia?

Nokia 9 concept

The Nexus line was well loved by Android enthusiasts until its untimely demise almost a year ago in favor of the Pixel lineup. While we want premium Android devices with stock Android, there is still a large faction of users who miss the cheaper devices that rock stock Android and enjoy quick updates.

Well, Nokia is paying attention to that segment of users. Nokia is owned by HMD Global and its Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Per Ekamn stated that “Most of the smartphones in the market do not have the Android OS in the way it should be. Vendors are adding a skin on top of the OS. Consumers have the right to have the latest version of the OS and we will be pushing the latest version and the patches as soon as it’s available from Google.” He went on to say that “We and Google will jointly enhance the Nokia brand to put the right kind of inputs into the phone, including Google Assistant.”

It’s important to note that Nokia’s current phones, the 3, 5, and 6 all run almost-stock Android and we’re expecting its upcoming flagship, the Nokia 9, to have top of the line specs and a clean install of Android as well. Uninspiring names aside, these devices could be the closest thing we ever see to Nexus devices again unless Google decides to revive the Nexus program or work with Nokia to move the project to the new Android OEM.

Those are the biggest stories this week, but they aren’t the only thing going on. Here are some more links that we think you’ll like.

And the funniest posts of the week go to…

The New Moto E4 is a budget-friendly Nougat machine (review)

AndroidGuys
-
0

The Android spectrum seems to be shrinking more and more with each passing year. Gone are the days between true top-tier flagship (us old-timers used to say “hero”) phones and the budget-friendly devices made for the masses.

Motorola– I mean, now Lenovo, is a shining example of this increasing parity in the smartphone market. From the turbocharged Z series (Z2 Play, Moto Z Force Droid, and Moto Z, and moving down to the G line (G5 and G5 Plus), you really don’t lose nearly as much in terms of real-world quality & performance as you would have just a handful of years ago.

Perhaps an even better example and one that exists right in this smartphone family tree is the Moto E series. In only its 4th year of existence, we are at the, appropriately named, Moto E4.  While the “E” was dubbed the budget version of a Motorola smartphone aimed at first-time owners (and rightfully so when this series was launched), this phone as quickly evolved into a true daily workhorse of a phone; especially when you consider the money you’ll part with for the experience. But I’m getting ahead of myself, like usual.

Overall, my opinion is that this phone really makes hay in both the fit/feel/dimensions department, general performance, and camera capabilities. Let’s focus there.

Body & In-Hand

A wee bit of bloatware.

If you’ve handled or read about Moto phones in the past, there are no real surprises here. The Moto E4 sports Android 7.1 Nougat with just a minimal skin on top, typical of most Moto phones. This version of the E also provide the live-view notifications on the screen itself (when prodded with a bump) vs a simple flashing LED light, and some gesture-base app actions (launching the camera and other standard Moto tricks). My review unit came as a Verizon phone, and while there were a few cases of bloatware, they weren’t terrible to live with.

 

Fingerprint sensor, home button, and swipe navigation, all rolled up into one.

 

Some new features coming to this generation of the device includes fingerprint sensor presented low and center. This also acts as the phone’s home button, and also acts as a swipe navigator we’ve seen in other devices (long tap to lock the phone, swipe left to go back, and swipe right to view recent apps in lieu of a dedicated button).
In my time with the phone, the sensor worked pretty darn well. An LG G6 is my personal daily driver, which works flawlessly; the E4 had only a few misreads, nothing to complain about at all if you’re used to fingerprint readers.

The E4 body has really grown up since its inception, and now hold a 5″ diagonal screen (vs. a 4.3″ display on the original), with a resolution of 1280 x 720. The new E4 is also much thinner; the original measured in at almost a full half-inch (0.48″)…the current model comes in at .37″. But the difference is even more noticeable in the hand… the new version feels like a premium smartphone; very svelte and thin, with bezel sizes that belie its pedigree.

Below I photographed the current E4 vs. the original version to show the differences in look & feel; feel free to gander at how this phone has grown up:

Performance & Camera

While you would have been hard-pressed to find an Original Moto E user who’d call their device “fast” (the original sported a Snapdragon 200 chip), today’s E4 is a very capable daily driver for almost everyone. While not the bleeding-edge 835 chip of the top-tier models, the Qualcomm 425/427 (depending on carrier) chipset works for almost all normal usage. Obviously if hard-core gaming is your thing, you may want to look elsewhere; but if that’s you then you’re probably not reading this review to begin with.
Onboard memory is 16 GB standard (expandable to 128 GB), and 2 GB RAM.

On the camera side, the specs have improved, but unfortunately, not to the level one would hope for. This E4 shooter is an 8-megapixel affair, compared to the 5 MP on the original E. While shots taken in good lighting came out pretty nice, lower light photos were smeared and/or grainy, losing their color along the way.

Value & Conclusion

While the Moto E4 is not meant to be in the ring with the flagship phones in the market, there is something to be said for a device that lets you do all your things, do them pretty well, and leave you some money in your wallet.

Yes, it’s not a Galaxy S8 with the latest 835 chip in it, nor does the camera have neat tricks like optical zoom. But consider this: For everything you get in the E4, you pay only $130. That’s not a typo; that’s the full retail price direct from motorola.com. if you buy from Amazon, you can get a sponsored device (with Amazon “Special Offers” showing on the lock screen a-la Kindle devices) for $99.99.

Overall I really like the new Moto E4. It’s not a specification beast like some phones, but at the end of the day, you generally won’t feel left wanting. And you’ll still have almost enough to pay next month’s rent, to boot!

 

Bixby voice finally lands in the US three months after the Galaxy S8 launch

Matt Adams
-
0

One of the biggest points of emphasis during the Samsung Galaxy S8 launch event was the newest virtual assistant to hit the scene, Bixby. Touting the ability to control your phone with only your voice, Bixby was supposed to be the next big thing according to Samsung. Heck, they even gave it a dedicated button on the phone.

Well, Bixby wasn’t quite ready for primetime when the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus launched in April. We got a gimped version of the assistant that left out the voice features but left in many of the features that other assistants also do like scraping your calendar to let you know what you have to do that day and giving you the latest headlines. Bixby’s reputation has so far been that it’s just a redundant service since we already have Google Assistant which is far better at what Bixby currently does.

But now, Samsung is finally pushing the rest of Bixby’s functionality out to users in the United States. After a beta that was plagued with extremely buggy functionality, Bixby is finally showing its face.

“There are over 10,000 functions on our smartphones, but each day, people may use less than five percent of them. The features on your phone are only useful if you know how to find them. Our goal with Bixby is to make it easier to use our phones, creating the best possible user experience for our customers. That’s why we created Bixby – an intuitive new way to do more things with your phone.”

-Injong Rhee, Executive V.P. of R&D for Software and Services, Samsung mobile

Bixby’s killer feature is the ability to control your phone via voice commands. Other services like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant allow you to search via voice and offer very limited device control functionality but Samsung aims to let you basically replace touching your phone with talking to it.

We’ll see if it can actually pull it off. If they can’t, hopefully, they knock off the software fixes that block remapping the Bixby button.

The voice features are rolling out now the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. Give that Bixby button a press to begin the update process and once it’s finished you’ll be able to access Bixby via pressing the button or saying “Hi, Bixby”.

Or you can just keep using Google Assistant.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 set to arrive in September

Dan Bartram
-
0

All attention is on when the Note 8 will be announced and shipped to customers. The president of the Samsung mobile division told Taiwanese press that the Galaxy Note 8 will be announced at an Unpacked event at the end of August for a release in September.

The Note 8 is highly anticipated following the issues experienced with the previous Note 7. With a September launch, this aligns with when we saw the Note 7 released in 2016.

According to Samsung, a second wave of devices will launch in October so it seems Samsung are anticipating high demand and will ship in two phases to accommodate this.

There’s no official word on pricing yet and specs are very much still up for discussion but check out our roundup here of what we know so far.

Most popular Android apps this week: Game Studio Tycoon 2, Chrooma Live Wallpaper and more!

Dan Bartram
-
0

The Google Play Store is filled with many apps, which is great for consumer selection, but can often make app discovery difficult. Some apps just never make it to our homescreen. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of this weeks hottest Android apps that have most likely gone under the radar or are so new that they haven’t had enough downloads to be featured or make it onto a top list.

 Game Studio Tycoon 2
App Info: Welcome to the next generation of game development! Game Studio Tycoon 2 puts you in the place of an independent game developer during the early days of the gaming industry. Play through 50 years of gaming history and develop on over 40 different platforms! Expand your studio along the way and hire up to 16 employees!

Free

Chrooma Live Wallpaper
App Info: Perfect with the new Android Marshmallow material design style! Gorgeous palettes moving smoothly on your background.Palettes will change every time you come back to your main menu.

Free

Rider
App Info: Get ready for some flippin’ action! Perform insane stunts while you cruise through the never-ending world of Rider! Grab your motorcycle and start flipping like a maniac!

Free

Pixelation Icon Pack
App Info: The best Pixel inspired style featuring exclusive all-new designs from forthcoming Android releases.

$0.99

Loner
App Info: ‘Loneliness is a kind of beauty, a quiet experience.’
LONER is a very simple game, no attributes, no upgrade, or even no score, what it wants to bring you, is only purely tranquillity and loneliness.
LONER tells the story of a lonely journey of a pilot, in the journey, you would understand his past and his pursuit.

Free

 

If you like these apps then drop us a comment below with your thoughts. Also if you have spotted a new app that you think is worth a mention, leave a comment below with your suggestion and we’ll be sure to check it out.

The best Android phones at T-Mobile (July 2017)

AndroidGuys
-
0

We’re asked on a regular basis to help determine which phone is the best one available. We get it as a team here at AndroidGuys, but we also field it on an individual level, too. To help address that, we’ve put together a list of top models to choose from at various carriers.

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone from T-Mobile, this is where you’ll want to start. Note that while this is called the “best Android phones” you can purchase this month, it’s worth noting there are plenty of other models to choose from.

See Also

Best is not a universal term to apply to all consumers. Some of you might have a limited budget; some of you may only have very modest needs. To that end, we suggest digging around a little bit and checking with the service provider.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the best phones you can purchase this month from T-Mobile.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Now in its eighth iteration, the Samsung Galaxy S series is better than ever. It’s not only more powerful and sleek, but it’s bigger, too. Indeed, the Galaxy S8 comes with a 5.8-inch screen while the S8 Plus packs a massive 6.2-inch display. Not that you’d notice, though, as they 18.5:9 aspect ratio makes it much more comfortable in hand than predecessors.

Samsung has opted for the curved screen on both versions of the phone which signals the company may have done away with the “Edge” variants of devices. Time will tell, however, but we suspect this could be the norm for its flagship phones going forward.

Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus feature Samsung’s custom UI. Making its debut in the new generation is Bixby, Samsung’s new virtual assistant. As you might expect, it allows for voice commands and marries itself nicely with other Samsung apps and features. It’s not fully available for the US market just yet (Spring 2017), but, once it rolls out, it will give Samsung users one more reason to stay inside of its ecosystem. Apple has Siri, Google has Assistant, and Samsung has Bixby.

Key hardware in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. Camera, which are better than ever, are 12-megapixels around back with an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter. Battery capacity for the S8 is 3,000mAh while the S8 Plus gets a 3,500mAh power supply.

The S8 line is IP68 rated against water and dust and is available in a variety of colors. New for this generation of Galaxy S phones is the Samsung DeX dock which essentially lets use use your phone to power a desktop computer. As you might expect, the S8 is compatible with the new Gear VR headset, too.

LG G6

Whereas last year saw LG diverge from its flagship experience with its modular approach to the G5, this year sees them returning to form. Quite literally, really, as the G6 goes back to what made the LG line what it is. For 2017, LG has put together one of the best phones on the market, internally, and externally.

The LG G6 offers up a 5.7-inch Quad HD LCD display with a unique 18:9 aspect ratio; this lends itself to a thin, yet spacious screen that’s a pleasure to behold. Under the hood we find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor bolstered by 4GB RAM and plenty of storage space. In fact, the microSD card slot allows for up to 2TB of media, apps, and files.

In terms of cameras, the G6 has a dual 13-megapixel setup around back and a 5-megapixel shooter around front. Other specifications include an IP68 rating against water and dust, a capacious 3,300mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging capability.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Although it is a year old now, it’s certainly worth considering this one in 2017. The price has dropped on them over time, but the specs are still more than enough to get the job done for most users. The hardware and software industry moves quicker than the needs of the average consumer. There’s nothing wrong with saving a few bucks on last year’s flagship.

Now powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, the Galaxy S7 draws strength from Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors with 4GB of memory. With a 5.1-inch display at 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, the handset employs a 3,000mAh battery with support for fast wireless charging. Offered in multiple colors, the phone is also IP68 rated for protection against water and dust.

LG V20

The LG V20 might be nearing its anniversary, but it’s still everything you need to blast through a work day with plenty left over for down time. The hardware is right in line with the needs of most and the price is equally attractive.

Running the latest version of Android (7.0 Nougat), the V20 is a multimedia fan’s dream experience. The main display is 5.7-inches of high-resolution gorgeousness but the secondary display at the top is every bit as useful. Although it’s smaller and only occupies a small section, it’s right where you’ll look for notifications and shortcuts. Music sounds tremendous thanks to the 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC.

Other key hardware includes 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Need more space? Throw in a microSD card up to 2TB and you’ll have all the room you can hope for, plus some.

As for cameras, the LG V20 comes with a 16-megapixel rear unit and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for selfies. Rounding things out, the V20 packs a 3,200mAh battery which is more than enough to get you through a busy day.

Go Unlocked

One of the benefits of T-Mobile being a GSM service provider is that you can bring just about any unlocked smartphone to its network. Moreover, many of the top devices being offered in 2017 are sold in an unlocked capacity. You might have to purchase directly through the handset maker or another retailer, but you are by no means restricted when it comes to choice.

EDITOR NOTE: Where applicable, this article contains content that found on other shopping guides.

Have the display sizes of the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 already leaked?

Dan Bartram
-
0

Despite the Note 8 not even being released yet, attention turns to a new rumor that could suggest the size of the next iteration of devices for the Galaxy S9 and Note 9.

According to the source who cites people familiar with the matter, the Galaxy S9 will ship with a 5.77-inch display while the Galxy S9 Plus will have a 6.22-inch. This means that essentially the devices will have the same screen size as the current Galaxy S8 generation and more than likely will even retain the same display panels being used.

The Galaxy Note 9, the device that tends to be bigger than the other two, is said to sport a 6.32-inch display, which again is the size expected to be on the Note 8. It seems that Samsung, at least for the next generation of devices, is planning on sticking with the same display size.

As with the Galaxy S8, expect the Galaxy S9 to arrive somewhere in between March and April of 2018. It’s still too early to start guessing specs or even for leaks to clarify low-level details such as RAM etc. but it seems Samsung are focusing their evolution efforts on the next generation of devices on areas other than the display.

The Android O Team are hosting an AMA this week

Dan Bartram
-
0

The clever people behind Android O are hosting an AMA on reddit this week for an opportunity for the community to ask pretty much anything they like.

The AMA session is set to start on Wednesday (July 19) at 12PM PST (3PM EST).

This your chance to ask us technical questions related to the latest features specifically in Android O — from the APIs and SDK. Please note that we want to keep the conversation focused strictly on the engineering of the platform.

Android O is set to launch later this summer and is currently in developer preview. The Android O team have already said that a new developer preview is coming very soon giving an indication that the version is coming along nicely.

The team seems to only want to focus on the development and engineering aspect of Android O so while it is an AMA, the focus of the questions is clear.

Check out the AMA here.

Don’t get stuck with an old phone with Sprint

Dan Bartram
-
0

Sprint is today announcing a new scheme called Sprint Flex that aims to make it easier to purchase a new device. How I hear you ask?

Here’s how it works:

  • Choose a phone and start paying monthly with our lowest cost down today.
  • Benefit from annual upgrades with iPhone Forever and Galaxy Forever at no additional monthly charge; or, for $5 per month, choose an annual upgrade option for any other new device.
  • At 18 months:
    • Choose to return your device and upgrade to a new one.
    • Choose to own the device by paying it off in one payment.
    • Choose to own the device by making six more monthly payments. All lease payments already made will count toward the purchase price.

With Sprint Flex, customers can lease any phone and have the option to upgrade annually. Customers choose a phone and start paying monthly with a low down payment. With annual upgrades they can get a new phone after only 12 months. Or at the end of their 18-month lease agreement, they can return their old phone and upgrade to a new one, or decide to own and pay the remaining amount.

Sprint is also launching Sprint Flex Deals and Sprint Forward Deals. For customers trying to build their credit, Sprint Flex Deals is the way to go. For a small down payment – as low as $25 – and a low monthly fee of either $5 or $10 per month, customers can choose from a range of great devices. After 12 consecutive, on-time monthly payments, customers can get a free upgrade to any new smartphone.

So if, like me, you like changing your phone more regularly than every 24 months when your contract renews then Sprint Flex can help you get there. Leasing the device from Sprint means no huge upfront costs and also you’re not having to worry about selling it when you want to upgrade.

If Sprint Flex is something that you think would suit your smartphone addiction, then head over to http://www.sprint.com/sprintflex to check out more information.

1...867868869...1,315Page 868 of 1,315