Remember when every major flagship device came with an accompanying Mini version? The idea being that it was aimed at those that wanted a flagship design with lower specs and therefore a lower price.
The trend for Mini devices slowly died down thanks to manufacturers like OnePlus who broke the mould for the usual expectation of high specs mean high prices.
LG seem to be looking to bring the whole Mini device era back with talk of a LG G6 Mini. While there aren’t any specific details about the device around what spec compromises the Mini will entail, it will reportedly have a 5.4-inch screen as opposed to the 5.7-inch on the LG G6.
It’ll most likely be coupled with a mid range Snapdragon processor a few GB of RAM and more than likely a 1080p display.
With devices such as the OnePlus 3T on the market, is there really room for a LG G6 Mini? I’d lean on the side of not really. If you want a flagship you buy a flagship, and devices like OnePlus and Xaomi tend to do a good job of filling the gaps.
Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
Motorola have already revealed some of its devices this year, while others have leaked. We can now add to this list the upcoming low-end Moto E4 and E4 Plus devices that the company are said to be launching in the next few weeks.
New images have surfaced online that claim to be genuine shots of the new devices. The design of the Moto E4 is very similar to the various leaks that have been circulating previously and show the device to pack a massive 5000mAh battery and removal back cover.
The Moto E4 and E4 Plus aren’t far from the design we are used to seeing with Motorola and that’s not a bad thing. Under the hood is said to be a MediaTek MT6737M SoC with 2GB/3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage running Android 7.1 Nougat. Motorola tend to stick quite close to stock Android as well, only usually applying minimal skins or add ons.
While not the most powerful of devices, this will surely suit a user who is looking for battery life that will extend more than 24 hours. With SD card support, a removal back, and huge 5000mAh battery, this is certainly going to be a great device for those not interesting in the top flagship specs.
To improve your location accuracy and the services based on Google using this data, Google uses publicly broadcast Wi-Fi data from wireless access points and GPS, cell tower, and sensor data.
While this is useful for improving the accuracy of your location, you might just simply not want Google using your access point to offer tracking all the time. This is especially a problem if you use your device as a hotspot regularly and find your location is often affected by this.
To opt out, change the SSID (name) of your Wi-Fi access point (your wireless network name) so that it ends with “_nomap“. For example, if your SSID is “12345,” you would change it to “12345_nomap.”
To help ensure your changed SSID is submitted to Google quickly, open Google Maps on an Android device with Wi-Fi turned on. To establish a location fix near your Wi-Fi access point, tap My location.
While tracking should really be opt-in and this isn’t really a great solution as it relies on having to remap every WiFi device you own, it does provide a fix for removing Google from tracking your router. Alternatively, you can turn off broadcasting of your SSID to prevent Google from being able to pick it up from nearby Android users.
As part of the ongoing effort to improve the security of Android, monthly security updates are provided for each device to include the latest security patches so you don’t have to wait for a major release.
These updates are only provided for a certain amount of time before it is considered you should really be upgrading to a new device given the age.
Google has updated its support page that lists when it will stop providing updates for the Nexus and Pixel devices. Google specifies that it won’t guarentee regular updates will be provided for current Pixel devices after October 2019.
The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will cease to get updates as of October 2017, while the 5X and 6P will see updates until September 2018.
This does just cover security updates that are provided monthly so Google may still provide adhoc patches that it sees fit for these devices past this date.
There’s no firm launch date on when you can exactly expect to see the update arrive on your T-Mobile S6 Edge but usually these rollouts are staggered so it depends on where you’re placed on the schedule. No doubt Android 7.0 Nougat will be a welcome addition to the Galaxy S6 Edge to benefit from new features such as doze mode and split screen apps.
While the Galaxy S6 Edge is getting adequate Nougat treatment, that still leaves the regular S6 but expect that to follow suit shortly after.
Kanex bills its latest portable keyboard, the MultiSync Foldable Travel Keyboard, as a “perfect fold-and-go solution” for phone and tablet users. In essence, it’s a thin keyboard that pairs via Bluetooth and which folds in half when toting around. If you’ve already got a tablet but envy the functionality of a Surface Pro or a 2-in-1 convertible device, this is your stop-gap accessory.
Generally speaking, the problem with creating a convenient portable keyboard is finding the balance between footprint and functionality. Go too small and you’ll find it hard to acclimate yourself; hunting and pecking will slow you down, rendering the keyboard useless. Go too big, though, and you run the risk of not being very portable.
The Kanex MultiSync Foldable Travel Keyboard falls nicely in the middle. There’s just enough space between the keys to keep things natural. You won’t spend too much time getting used to the layout, especially if you spend a lot of time on a laptop.
When opened up, the Kanex provide a V-like shape that calls to mind the ergonomic keyboards of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. For those of you who can fly through your typing without looking at the keyboard, you’ll probably get used to this one pretty quickly. But, those who need to cross hands from left to right, avoiding the home row layout, you’ll struggle a bit.
The key buttons you’ll use (shift, enter, space, backspace, etc) are in the right locations. Every so often you’ll run into a keyboard that moves things around in the upper right corner, however that’s not the case with the Kanex.
Another common problem with universal or Bluetooth keyboards is trying to accommodate all of the various platforms. Again, Kanex does well in dancing on the line between Android, iOS, and Windows. We were pleasantly surprised that the keyboard didn’t have Windows-specific buttons; these would be wasted on those of us who pair it to an Android tablet or phone.
The keyboard, when not in use, is folded up and held together by a magnetic enclosure. Super-thin, even when doubled over on itself, the unit goes into a bag as easy as a small notepad or slender book. What’s more, there’s almost no weight to the keyboard, making for a very portable accessory.
One issue we run into with almost every portable keyboard is that you can’t put it on your lap. That’s the case here as well. The two halves are strong and sturdy but the middle spine gives it a natural book closing effect when not place on a table. Don’t bother trying this on your lap.
Once you’ve paired the keyboard to your phone or tablet, connecting is as simple as opening it up. Speaking of which, the Kanex allows for up to four devices to be connected to it; swapping from one to the other is done via a shortcut combination on the keyboard. These are clearly identified on the Z, X, C, and V keys and require a quick press of the function key first.
We were incredibly impressed with the battery of the MultiSync Foldable Travel Keyboard. Having set it aside for a few weeks after our initial tests we found it still had a fair amount of juice left in the standby. Our experience was that the Kanex keyboard would give us more than a typical week of usage (1-2 hours per day over five days). To check how much life is left in the battery, simply press function + R and look for the green lights to blink.
For $50 we consider the Kanex MultiSync Foldable Travel Keyboard a must-have accessory, especially if you’re looking to boost productivity. It’s small and thin enough to be considered very portable yet opens to provide a near full-size experience. The battery is downright amazing so feel free to toss it in your bag and tote it back and forth to school all week.
You can purchase the MultiSync Foldable Travel Keyboard from the Kanex website for $49.95. Additionally, we found it listed on Amazon for $39.95 as of the time of this review’s writing. If you can get this for that price, you’ll be getting a steal.
Samsung have started to push a fix for an issue some users are reporting on their Galaxy S8. While not widely reported, some users have found that their S8 screens have a slight red hue.
Samsung clearly think people have a point and have expanded the rollout of a patch to the UK having begun with South Korea yesterday that will allow users to adjust the color balance in the adaptive display settings.
The update is 426MB in size so is quite sizeable to just allow some color balance settings so no doubt includes some general bug fixes identified since the device launched.
Given the rate at which Samsung are distributing this patch, I would expect the US to be getting it very soon.
That means you’ll get the new LG G6 and an Android Wear smartwatch for just $650. Not a bad deal at all, saving you $330.
There’s no word on when B&H Photo will ship the device as it just lists the model as coming soon, but it’s still worth a shot ordering from the retailer if you’re interested in that LG Watch Style offer.
Trading Game is an educational tool for would-be investors who want to learn how to be savvy traders in the financial world. It covers regular stock trading, as well as other trading markets such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Developer: Finance Illustrated
Cost: Free
Impressions:
Trading Game features several modes that aim to teach you the ins and outs of trading for beginners and also features advanced lessons and tips to expand on what you may already know. The lesson modules feature quizzes that test what you learned and for the correct answer, you get money, not real money of course but in-game money for simulated trading and unlocking more modes.
Other modes include quizzes, which asks you general knowledge based on the learning tab as well as your understanding of financial issues. Also featured is simulated trading, which uses real-time trading data to give you an accurate representation of how your trades will play out. Simulated trading is the most used part of the app, after the learning modules, and does a good job of getting you familiar with trading in real life without having you risk your own money on trial and error.
The app also features a section for helping you find a broker to help you chart your financial path, with ratings and recommendations from top players in the industry.
Conclusion:
I have to say that I was surprised by how useful Trading Game actually turned out to be. The depth of the learning tab and what it had to offer was genuinely useful for helping me understand the basics of trading and how the stock market works. I have a very limited knowledge of the world of finance, and even after a few completed modules, I felt like I could more confidently make a successful and profitable stock trade.
If you’re looking for a foot in the door of the world of finance, but don’t want to take the plunge with your own money and risk losing big on a rookie mistake, tools like Trading Game are great resources to help you gain confidence and get off on the right foot. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about how their money works or looking to get into the business of day trading.
Super Mario’s popularity is undeniable. He has been featured in dozens of video games across multiple platforms, a television show, thousands of different toys and various merchandise, and even in an easily-forgettable Hollywood film. Kids across the globe are quite familiar with Mario’s red hat, blue overalls, and his fist-pumping “Wahoo!” callout.
In the past, Mario and his pals have primarily been found on dedicated Nintendo gaming systems, but with the ever-growing popularity of mobile devices, Nintendo has seen fit to create gaming experiences tailored specifically for the mobile platforms. The first game to feature Mario on the Google Play Store is Super Mario Run.
Gameplay
As mentioned previously, Nintendo made the conscious decision to create a Mario game for the mobile platform that plays to the strengths of the devices. Instead of shoehorning an older, more traditional style Super Mario game, Nintendo and DeNA have created a new game world for Mario to traverse. Players are able to control Mario’s actions with just one hand as he moves forward from the start of each level, hurdling over enemies and blocks that lie before him. To make Mario jump (or wall-jump), just tap the screen–this allows Mario to reach new heights, avoid obstacles and enemies, and collect coins along the way.
Super Mario Run has a handful of different ways to up the ante–time challenge, coin collecting and battling your friends
Mario’s main goal is to reach the flag at the end of each level, but along the way he will be collecting different types of coins, hopping onto or over enemies, traversing platforms, slinking through pipes and eventually saving his friends in the mushroom kingdom.
As you complete each world, you’ll unlock new areas to explore, of which there are six in total. Each world has four levels to complete, culminating in a boss fight on the final section. This is a similar formula that is found in other Mario games where Mario usually needs to fight off some type of boss at the end of each world. Mushrooms will make Mario “Super” just as they do in other games, which allows the player to take an additional hit from an enemy before being defeated. Just as before, if Mario falls into an abyss, he will lose a bubble and be sent back to retry a section of the level.
Super Mario Run allows Mario to grab ledges if he doesn’t quite make it far enough on a jump. This is new to the Mario universe but makes the game a little more accessible to newcomers and casual gamers. Returning from the previous games are mushrooms, stars, a multitude of enemies, the ability to spin jump and wall jump as well as the collectible red-coins that allow for some bonuses.
Super Mario Run allows you to build your kingdom up after completing certain challenges–a nice addition that adds value to the Mario Run package
Where Super Mario Run differentiates itself on the mobile platform, is in allowing players to challenge other players in a specific mode called Toad Rally. Toad Rally allows players to compete by uploading “ghost data” of level play-throughs to see who can complete a level in the best possible fashion. Things such as time, total coins and style points are all considered in Toad Rally. This is a nice bonus mode that offers a slight distraction of the main single player mode.
Presentation
Typical to many Mario games before it, Super Mario Run starts out with Bowser kidnapping the princess and holding her hostage in his castle. Meanwhile the Toad people of the Mushroom Kingdom have fled and left Mario to do all the work on his own. The art style is reminiscent of the ‘New Super Mario Bros.’ games that showed up on Wii and Wii U but are rendered nicely on mobile devices. The game features simplistic 3D modeled characters that move about in a two-dimensional plane. This was most likely a decision to keep gameplay simple and approachable while also not requiring much in the realm of processing power.
What would a Mario game be without his nemesis–the forever evil, Bowser!
Music and sound are your traditional fanfare of upbeat tunes and instantly recognizable effects. The famous ding of the Mushroom Kingdom coin plays out with crystal clarity and Mario’s yelps and hoots sound great as he traverses up and across the diverse landscapes. The game moves along at a solid 60 frames per second for silky smooth gameplay that allows for quick-trigger jumping. The entire game is played in a portrait mode and cannot be switched to a landscape view, which is unique for a Mario game. Nintendo did this to keep the gameplay area consistent and to assure that players always have the option to play with one hand on most mobile phones.
Nintendo has done a great job of representing a familiar version of the Mushroom Kingdom on Android devices. I had no issue with the game loading, rendering game worlds or connecting to the game servers during my multi-hour sessions. Super Mario Run is a decent sized package that will offer many hours of gameplay for even the more experienced gamer and is a great introduction for those that are new to action-platformers.
Final Flag
Mario’s first foray into the mobile market is a solid experience. The simplified controls paired with the ever-recognizable solid gameplay, graphics and sound of the Mario world are a fresh experience on Android devices. Some users have complained about the $9.99 asking price of the complete game, but when you break down what Nintendo is offering here, it’s easy to see that this is a great gaming value.
Nintendo has really delivered a unique and enjoyable experience for mobile gamers with Super Mario Run. Consistent and engaging gameplay within the Mario universe does well for gamers that want a quick challenge in the Mushroom Kingdom. I’d love to see more in the future with additional stage-packs or a full fledged sequel down the line. This is Mario done right on so many levels.
