You’ve probably heard of Evernote – the popular cross-platform app which allows users to create quick notes in several formats.
This week we bring good news for Android fans of the app, as the much request fingerprint security feature has become available to some.
The feat would allow users to easily secure their notes in order to keeping prying eyes at bay. Now the functionality is available in the beta version of the Android app.
So if you’re part of the Evernote Android beta testing community you’ll be able to try out the new feat. However, if you’re using the regular non-beta Android version, you won’t be able to secure your notes. Not for the time being, anyway.
In order to enable fingerprint unlocking, users will first need to enable a passcode lock. The option can be found in the app by going to Settings>Account Info>Set up passcode lock. Once you enable it, the fingerprint unlocking feat will appear under the new Manage passcode lock menu.
Once enabled, users will be able to unlock Evernote with their fingerprint, instead of entering a four-digit PIN. For some users unlocking Evernote via their fingerprint probably seems more intuitive, so it’s a welcome addition.
No word on when the stable release is set to arrive, but given that the feature has made it into beta, we assume it won’t be long now.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms out there which lets you share a wide variety of files – from images, videos to PDFs and Word documents. But that’s not to say you can share anything you want via WhatsApp – some things like APK files aren’t allowed to go through.
But that’s about to change in the near future. As revealed by WABetaInfo, soon you’ll be able to share anything you want via WhatsApp. Provided the file is under 100MB on Android or 128MB on iOS.
Basically, users will be allowed to share images and video without the usual WhatsApp compression, but given the pretty limited 100MB cap you won’t be able to send things like 4K videos.
Anyway, the feature will come in handy for folks who have long wanted to share different types of files like APKs. Some users have taken to Twitter to show that the feature actually works.
For the time being, only a few select users are seeing the new feature, but we expect it to roll out to everyone – on both Android and iOS – soon enough. However, we urge you to have a bit of patience.
In case you are seeing the new feature in WhatsApp, do let us know in the comment section below.
Motorola introduced the Moto E4 earlier this month and now the phone is available for purchase from Verizon.
Big Red is the first to offer the phone. As part of its prepaid portfolio, customers can pick up The Moto E4 for only $69.99 (apparently discounted from a previous $199).
In case you don’t remember, we’re taking the opportunity to remind you the Moto E4 arrives with a 5-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution and a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor under the hood. The product also includes 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel/5-megapixel combo with LED flashes.
The Moto E4 is powered by a 2,800 mAh battery and offers LTE, as well as a splash-resistant coating. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, thus being one of the most affordable Nougat phones offered by Verizon at the moment.
A gold version might be soon available too
Customers will only be able to buy the Black Moto E4 for the time being, although an older leaked revealed a Gold model also exists. The phone will be offered later this summer by Motorola in its unlocked form and will also land at Sprint, Boost Mobile and others soon.
As for the Moto E4 Plus with its hefty 5,000 mAh battery, we have info regarding when and where it will start selling.
Bluboo, having just launched pre-orders of its S1 smartphone, is already looking ahead to its next big, flagship experience. Indeed, the next model in its portfolio could be the S8 and it may boast the 18:9 aspect ratio for its display.
Bluboo is a brand that often releases handsets with hardware that contend with other, more recognizable companies. But, rather than just putting out “me too” models, it delivers them at a much more attractive price point. Moreover, it’s among the first companies to embrace newer technologies in phones, such as dual-cameras on the back of devices.
The Bluboo S8 will allegedly be the first smartphone to employ the 18:9 aspect ratio for the screen. What exactly is that? Oh, that’s just the design used by LG and Samsung for their flagships which give the appearance of “all screen” bodies.
Reportedly, the Bluboo S8 will have a 5.7-inch HD+ display at 1440×720 pixel resolution. Set to be powered by a MediaTek Helio X30 processor, the phone should come in two iterations: 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/128GB storage. Rounding out the specs are a dual-camera (Sony) setup on the back with dual rear LED flash.
From what we’ve been told, the Bluboo S8 will launch by the end of July; it’s currently in a testing phase. In the meanwhile, be sure to sign up for your chance to win one of the new Bluboo S1 phones. The handset maker is looking to give away up to 2,000 of them!
For more details on Bluboo, you can check out its official website.
Every now and then, a developer comes out with a game so good that it gains critical acclaim by the industry and shapes it moving forward. Remember Flappy Bird? It wasn’t a complicated game at all (from a technical point of view) but it gained so much traction in the industry that even the developer could not handle it and pulled it from the stores.
The same can be said about Monument Valley, by ustwo games, a puzzle game that combines so many good elements on different levels that you are left wondering why does the developer is asking just $3.99 for it. It is easily the best puzzle game in the Play Store, and probably one of the best mobile games ever created. Seriously, I am not exaggerating.
You can see the philosophy of this game right from the beginning. You don’t get a conventional tutorial or anything. You get thrown right into this world and, after a couple of minutes, you will get the hang of the controls. If you tap somewhere and Ida is able to move there, then she will. There are also several elements that you can interact with, but I will not spoil the fun for you.
After finishing this very easy introductory level, which is actually Stage 1, you will get to the game itself, and then the fun starts for real.
Overview
The game will take you to the stage selection, which features a very nice spinning portal with the ten available levels. Yes, there are only ten levels in the game, but more on that later. Even the stage selection screen is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen, if not precisely functional.
Entering a level is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. Although every level has (obviously) the same art direction and chill vibe attached to it, they’re very different from each other. Each one has its own unique setting and mood. From dark, eerie environments to gleeful, yellow tinted backgrounds, there’s no level that feels the same to another.
This game can turn from colorful to eerie in no time.
These levels are called monuments, and it’s all part of a background story. The fact that the game actually has a story, something that is so rarely seen these days on mobile games (and even on some console games), is worthy to mention (if a bit sad, since it says a lot about the current state of mobile game development).
Don’t expect something ground-breaking, though. There’s only so much you can tell in a couple of hours with very few interaction between characters. However, it is still nice to have a story to follow through, and not just wander aimlessly without any explanation of what is going on and what are we doing here.
The stage selection screen is very innovative.
Along the way, said characters will help you understand what is going on. However, most of the time you’re going to be cracking down these puzzles and just being in awe about even the smallest aspects have been thought of and executed in an admirable way.
Your mission is always to reach a goal at the top of these monuments. When this happens, Ida places a geometric object on top of it and clears the stage. Monument Valley is not like common games in this day and age, in which you earn coins, orbs, gems, or similar, in order to buy in-game stuff and move forward, so you won’t actually win any kind of in-game currency.
Rather, the developer is focused on giving you the best possible experience. If I had to choose my favorite part of this game, then it would be this lack of “pay-to-win” strategies that has plagued the store these days.
General Impressions
As you go through each stage, they get bigger and more complicated, with Ida “learning” new stuff (such as walking sideways) and new ways of interacting with the environment. Elements such as the crow people are introduced in later levels to spice things up.
At first, the puzzles are easy, but, as you progress through the game, you have to think more deeply about your next move. There’s no timer, score, or anything related to competition. This game is meant to be as relaxing as possible while providing a decent challenge, and that goal is fulfilled in a superb manner.
Stages are easy at first but they get very complex later on.
Part of the challenge comes from the fact that you have to play around with the positioning of the world elements and your character in order to progress. Once you figure out things, you will see how clever puzzles are, and it is rewarding to figure out what it is needed to do in order to progress.
The only bad thing that could be said about this game is how short it is. Sure, it is a great experience that feels very polished, and probably generating these ten levels took an insane amount of time, but, when finishing the game, you still have this “I want more” feeling. It’s a shame that the game is not longer but probably the game developer had to choose between shipping it in its current state or spending more money and time developing it, and thus increase the asking price.
Graphics and Sound
This screenshot speaks for itself. Simply awesome.
In case you haven’t noticed yet, graphics are by far the most impressive aspect of this game.They are not flashy or cutting-edge, but they way they have been done is what makes this game special and unique. As previously said, each level has its own unique character and setting.
Animations are extremely fluid and meticulous, while Ida’s movements are limited but fluid. Notable is the attention to detail by the developer, which can be easily seen thanks to the intricacies of each stage. This game is proof that you don’t need Need for Speed or Modern Combat graphics to create a visually appealing game.
Sure, those games look outstanding and it is sometimes even hard to believe that they’re being rendered by a mobile phone, but Monument Valley manages to look absolutely superb with its charming approach to graphic design.
Regarding sound, it tries to maintain the same tone set by the graphics and gameplay. Soothing music and simple sound effects are all you will hear in Monument Valley, and they do a superb job in not disrupting what is achieved by the other elements of the game.
Conclusion
Sometimes, a game comes that completely changes the gaming landscape. Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red & Blue, Metal Gear Solid, GTA: San Andreas, and Minecraft come to my mind as revolutionary games on consoles, while Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans, Pokémon Go, and Temple Run could be equivalent in terms of impact on the industry. I can confidently say that Monument Valley can be added to this list, thanks to its relaxing vibe, massive attention to detail and satisfying puzzles. While short, this game is easily one of the best games ever released for a mobile device, and one that every person even remotely interested in gaming should experience.
The OnePlus 5 made a debut into the world this week and got lots of people excited. Priced a little bit higher than the previous OnePlus 3T at $479 and up, the OnePlus 5 lands in the same price category as the new Moto Z2 Play which is valued at $499.
In this article, we compare the capabilities of the OnePlus 5 to those of the Moto Z2 Play in an attempt to see which one should be more worthy of your attention.
Design and Display
The OnePlus 5 offers an aluminum unibody and an overall design reminiscent of the iPhone 7 Plus, although it has more rounded corners and edges. It’s also a bit slimmer than its predecessor, featuring a frame of 7.25mm instead of the 7.3mm of the OnePlus 3T.
As for the Moto Z2 Play, the handset is made of metal, but it’s a lot skinnier at only 5.99mm. In contrast, its predecessor – the popular Moto Z Play – was 7mm thick. The Moto Z2 Play’s design is more striking, although in league with previous models released by Motorola this year.
The phone includes the redesigned home button which the Moto G5 Plus initially brought along which does not only house the fingerprint scanner but also supports gestures for back and opening up the multitasking window.
As for the OnePlus 5, the phone also features a physical home button on front (coated in ceramic) which doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The company notes the technology can unlock the phone in just 0.2 seconds.
The two phones take advantage of a single loudspeaker, but in the case of the Moto Z2 Play users can pump the volume up with the JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker Mod.
When it comes to the display, both phones have the same 5.5-inch footprint with fullHD resolution (1920 x 1080) with 401ppi.
The Moto Z2 Play is water-resistant and although Motorola doesn’t produce IP-ratings, we’re told the phone comes equipped with a resistant coating from inside out, in a vacuum, in order to deliver component-level resistance to water. In contrast, the OnePlus 5 is not water-resistant.
Performance
The OnePlus 5 takes advantage of the latest chip technology from Qualcomm, meaning it’s powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor clocked at 2.45GHz just like the Samsung Galaxy S8 or HTC U11.
The phone comes with 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X configurations with either 64GB or 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage onboard. Sadly, the OnePlus 5 does not include a microSD card slot onboard.
As for the Moto Z2 Play, the phone takes advantage of a less impressive Snapdragon 626 chipset which includes eight 2.2GHz Cortex-A53 cores. The product will be offered with 3GB/4GB LPDDR3 variants in combination with 32GB/64GB built-in storage. The good news is that Motorola is offering a microSD card slot to help users expand memory up to 256GB.
Cameras
The OnePlus 5 biggest upgrade this year is the dual-camera assembly which includes a primary 16-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 and a secondary 20-megapixel telephoto lens with 2x zoom and f/2.6 aperture.
It allows users to snap portraits that have a shallow depth of field and blurred backgrounds (the “bokeh” effect). It can also take great low-light pictures due to the f/1.7 aperture which lets in more light and focuses 40% faster than last year’s model.
Nevertheless, there are some notable absentees like optical image stabilization which becomes useful in low-light situations by keeping frame steady and reducing shaking in videos.
Despite not jumping on the dual-camera bandwagon, the Moto Z2 Play has a pretty decent main 12-megapixel camera with dual LED, f/17 aperture and phase detection and laser autofocus. It also boasts a 5-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0.
The OnePlus 5 carries a 16-megapixel with f/2.0 self-portrait shooter on the front side.
Battery
Both models have reduced battery capacity compared to their predecessors, but now accomodate skinnier frames.
However, the OnePlus assures users that due to the efficient processor onboard (and other optimizations) the new phone can offer up to 20% more battery life than its predecessor.
What’s more, an updated version of Dash Charge is available which can get up to 60% juice in your device in only 30 min.
The Moto Z2 Play expected usage dropped from 50 to 30 hours this year. Luckily the phone comes with Quick Charge onboard, which at least on paper will allow users to get 50% juice flowing in their phone in 30 minutes.
Don’t forget Moto Z2 Play users have the option of adding the Turbo Power Pack Mod, which brings an additional 3,490 mAh battery.
Software
Both phones rely on Android 7.1, but the OnePlus 5 has the company’s own Oxygen OS laid on top.
The Moto’s typically clean software is usually considered a positive aspect by those who prefer the stock Android experience. That’s not to say that the Moto Z2 Play doesn’t come with its own unique set of features. One which has a lot of potential is a neat voice-trick which opens apps when you simply say “show me”.
Naturally, Oxygen OS comes equipped with its own set of new features including a new reading mode, off-screen gestures and a do-not-disturb gaming mode.
Value
$479 vs $499
As you can see the difference in pricing between the two is not so big. The OnePlus 5 has the advantage of a Snapdragon 835, dual-camera and more RAM onboard. However, the Moto Z2 Play is water-resistant, features a microSD card slot for memory expansion and boasts a better design. Yet both phones are pretty sleek and should offer pretty great battery life cycles.
The Moto Z2 Play can be paired with old and new Moto Mods including the recently launched Turbo Power Pack, Moto GamePad, JBL SoundBoost 2 for better sound and StyleShells with Wireless Charging. All these Mods will cost you additionally.
The OnePlus 5 is set to officially launch June 27, while the Moto Z2 Play is coming this summer.
Users have been able to use Spotify on their Gear S3 and Gears S2 smartwatch ever since last year. Now Samsung has accidentally revealed a possible update that’s coming to the Gear S3 smartwatch – Spotify offline playback support. Which means you’ll be able to download songs from Spotify for later listening.
The Korea tech giant made the announcement on its Swedish website some hours ago, but for some reason, Samsung took it down shortly after. Given that offline Spotify playback is apparently in the works for the Apple Watch too, it’s possible that Samsung wanted to wait for the feature to be ready, as well.
Going back to the Gear S3, users will need to download a Spotify add-on app for their watch via the Gear Manager app on their paired smartphone in order to be able to play Spotify tunes offline. Once the add-on is installed, users will be able to see a Listen Offline option inside the app.
In case you’re wondering, Android Wear smartwatch users don’t have the same option in Spotify, although playing songs offline is available in the Google Play Music app.
For the time being, we don’t really know when the new Spotify feature will become widely available. For all we know, some select users might already be able to access it.
In case you managed to activate the feature on your Gear S3 Classic or Frontier, do let us know in the comments below.
Unlike its previous OnePlus 3T, this year OnePlus announced the new OnePlus 5 will be released in one version for the entire world. The phone boasts 34 distinct cellular bands thus covering at least one band in every country, but even so, folks on certain networks might not be able to use OnePlus’ latest and greatest.
Out of the 34 cellular bands, none of them form exact compatibility with Verizon (or Sprint for that matter) in the US. The good news is that the phone will work smoothly for AT&T and T-Mobile users. Just pop your carrier-specific SIM in and the phone should be good to go.
This isn’t to say that the OnePlus 5 won’t work on the Verizon network AT ALL. But since it’s missing LTE band 13, it will have limited Verizon support. A user on the xda-developers forum already tried out putting his Verizon SIM inside the phone (he/she is from New York, so they probably got the phone at the OnePlus pop-up event in case you were wondering) and here’s the result in his/her own words:
“I put my Verizon Sim in my OP5 and it did get signal, but it showed 1x and right above it 3G. I did a quick speed test and I was at about 1MB/s. I get around 70MB/s with my iPhone. So I guess the answer is that it does work, but it does not work well. I also don’t know about MMS, I tried SMS and phone calls and that worked fine.”
So as we were telling you above – the OnePlus 5 does work on the Verizon network, but it’s quite limited. The conclusion is: it’s not really a good idea to use your OnePlus 5 on Verizon. Sorry, folks!
T-Mobile is back at it again. This weekend the nation’s third largest carrier is pushing a new buy one, get one deal this weekend on some of the hottest phones of 2017, but as always there’s a catch.
Here’s how it breaks down. This offer is open to both new customers and current customers, which is a nice change. New customers will have to purchase both phones on T-Mobile’s Equipment Install Plan and activate T-Mobile One, the carrier’s unlimited plan. Current customers will pick a phone to add to an Equipment Installment Plan and add an unlimited voice and data line to their plan.
After you’ve added you’ve taken those steps, you’ll need to head over to your account page and enter the promo code 17JUNESAMEBOGO. You can’t take advantage of the BOGO deal without that promo code and you only have 30 days to enter it to get your free phone.
So, all a free phone is great, but it doesn’t matter if the selection sucks, right? Well, you’ll be happy to know that you can get some of the best Android flagships available right now. The Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, LG G6, and LG V20 are all available and you can mix and match what phones you get but you’ll get a rebate for the cheaper of the two devices.
In 2014 we were on the verge of a hardware revolution! Wearables were the hot new thing and everyone was convinced that this new technology would completely change how we lived our lives. Then we actually got to play with them and interest fizzled. People are still wearing smartwatches, but all of those sweet headsets and smart contact lenses never really came to fruition.
Google Glass was pretty much the poster boy for the first wave of cool wearable tech. I was personally all in on the product even if I couldn’t afford one myself. A Heads Up Display showing me relevant information and giving me the ability to snap pictures, roll on video, and Google search without touching anything? Man, I still want that!
So, when it became apparent that Google Glass was no longer a priority of the search giant, I was bummed. The updates stopped and it was no longer cool to walk around with this little screen in front of your face. But, that’s how it goes in the tech world I guess.
But my hopes are high once again because Google just released a software update for the first time in THREE years for Google Glass. The new update allows users to natively pair Bluetooth peripherals like keyboards. It’s entirely possible that this is an update created one or a few engineers at Google that wanted the functionality for their personal units and there is nothing big happening behind the scenes but…. I’m going to keep my eye on this, just in case.
I mean, how could you not want to walk around looking like this? I don’t care if it is in the Museum of Failure. It’s awesome.
So if you’re part of the Evernote Android beta testing community you’ll be able to try out the new feat. However, if you’re using the regular non-beta Android version, you won’t be able to secure your notes. Not for the time being, anyway.
Once enabled, users will be able to unlock Evernote with their fingerprint, instead of entering a four-digit PIN. For some users unlocking Evernote via their fingerprint probably seems more intuitive, so it’s a welcome addition.
In case you don’t remember, we’re taking the opportunity to remind you the Moto E4 arrives with a 5-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution and a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor under the hood. The product also includes 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel/5-megapixel combo with LED flashes.
