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Best Live Wallpapers: An ambitious claim that comes up short (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Overview:

Best Live Wallpapers is a wallpaper library app that advertises futuristic live wallpapers that can make your phone come to life. In practice, it isn’t anything too special.

Developer: Yogesh Dama

Cost: Free (with ads)

Impressions:

Best Live Wallpapers is definitely nice looking, it has some nice Material Design looks and a simple interface for finding wallpapers. The app itself works and does essentially as advertised, providing live wallpapers for your phone.

The wallpapers on offer, on the other hand, are not too special or even that good. Most of the “live wallpapers” are simply short looping .gifs that are too brief to be satisfying and are also not the highest quality or resolution for my phone. They remind me of those old-fashioned feature phone wallpapers from the early 2000’s that were all the rage in my grade school days.

The wallpapers are sorted into a few select categories, generally pertaining to nature or the elements. There is no search function, and not really a great variety of images to choose from. There are not really any images from pop culture or sports or anything that most people would be interested in using for their phone wallpapers, at least in my experience.

Applying the wallpaper of your choice is a fairly easy affair, thankfully. You simply select the image you’d like, and it saves to your device and prompts you to set it as your wallpaper from there. No messy menus to navigate or anything like that. It’s nice to see it be so easy, even if you can’t find a photo you can use in the small library available.

Best Wallpapers also contains ads, but they’re generally unintrusive and small. They pop up alongside the wallpaper results as small images, but a clearly marked as ads. There is an option to remove them with a paid donation to the developer, but unless they offer more varied wallpapers with that donation I’d avoid it.

Conclusion:

Overall, there isn’t too much to Best Live Wallpapers. It’s relatively harmless and does at least what it advertises on the tin, but it is definitely not the best live wallpaper app around. I would look elsewhere if you want to find the best live wallpapers to make your phone stand out.

Download Best Live Wallpapers from the Google Play Store

Andy Rubin teases upcoming Essential bezeless smartphone

Alexandra Arici
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Not so long ago we told you Andy Rubin’s upcoming high-end smartphone loses the support of SoftBank which cited a conflict of interest.

However, as we explained to you previously this setback doesn’t necessarily spell doom and gloom for Rubin’s project dubbed Essential. Actually the project is apparently very close to being funded. And this week we get even more reason to believe as, as Andy Rubin has posted a teaser image which gives us a glimpse of the upcoming handset.

Like previous rumors have indicated, it’s pretty obvious from the image that Rubin’s upcoming Essential smartphone will be a bezeless affair a la Xiaomi Mi MIX. And given the icons visible on the screen, it’s quite possible the handset will be launched into the wild with Android onboard – although we can’t be 100% of this aspect just yet.

This theory is corroborated by the fact that not so long ago, a device named Essential FIH-PMI showed up in Geekbench revealing a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Apart from that, we’ve been hearing that the high-end smartphone meant to take on the Google Pixel and Apple iPhone, will feature modular add-ons similar to Moto Z’s Moto Mods line, which will add extra functionality to the phone.

It seems to us as this point that Andy Rubin’s smartphone is indeed happening, although we don’t know when we might finally get to see it on the market. It’s probably going to launch by the end of this year. Hopefully.

See exactly where your friend is at with Facebook Messenger’s Live Location

Alexandra Arici
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Are you starving and waiting for your friend to come over with food is proving to be too difficult to bear? You can try opening your Facebook app. This week the social media company has announced it was adding a Live Location feature in the Messenger app which basically lets you track friends.

So far, Messenger users have been allowed to send their current location to a friend, but now you’ll be able to watch your friend move around the map in real-time. But don’t worry – your buddy won’t be able to track your whereabouts if you don’t want them.

To access this feat, just tap on Location icon in the Android app or select Location under the More icon. Once you do that, you’ll be able to see a map of your current location and by tapping the blue bar you’ll share it with your friend(s) for up to 60 minutes. You can tap on Stop Sharing at any given time.

With Live Location, users will also be able to see an estimate of how long it takes to get to your friend’s house or to the restaurant you’re having a rendezvous with your work mates.

But even if Messenger offer this live tracking option now, it doesn’t mean you can’t share a static point on the map as well. For example, if you want to let your friend know you are waiting for them at a particular location, you can tap the location pin or More icon then tap the red pin in the upper right hand corner. Next, you can either drag and drop the pin onto the map or just search for the place to share.

Facebook is rolling out the new feature globally for iOS and Android users alike, who will be able to share their location details with one or a group of friends at a time.

Google Duo gets updated with audio calls for everyone

Alexandra Arici
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Back in August, Google says that its standalone video-chat app Duo will be getting audio calls soon. However, the search giant didn’t provide an exact date. Now, after 7 months of waiting Google is finally rolling out for Audio calls for its Duo app for users worldwide.

The announcement was made by Google’s Head for Product for Google Allo and Google Duo, Amit Fulay on Twitter:

Google promises that the new feature won’t consume large chunks of data and will function properly on low connection speeds. Customers in developing markets like India and Brazil (where Google originally introduced the audio call feature) who are very self-conscious about their mobile data, will probably welcome this feature the most.

Google’s Duo video calling application was announced back at Google’s I/O 2016, as an alternative to Apple’s FaceTime, but also WhatsApp.

The new update to Duo further muddies the waters of Google’s messaging app strategy. Why on earth is Google still keeping Duo in Allo separate? This is a question no one can seem to answer at this point. Allo hasn’t been a major hit for Google, but the app did offer some perks like access to the Google Assistant before the AI-driven virtual became available for non-Pixel devices.

On the other hand, Duo seems to be quite popular with users in developing markets and it seems the new audio call has been a highly requested by fans of the application. But instead of merging the two platforms and marketing them with a consistent strategy in mind, Google keeps updating the apps individually. In early March, Allo received an update with added improved GIF and emoji support, but also easier access to Google Assistant – but it’s quite unlikely the new feats will transform the app into a hit overnight.

Moto X (2017) leaks into the wild with Snapdragon 625, dual-camera setup

Alexandra Arici
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Lenovo and Motorola might be focusing their attention on the Moto Z series, but apparently the two companies are also preparing a Moto X revival sometime this year. We’ve already seen a bunch of leaked images showcasing the alleged Moto X (2017) and today we get even more pictures showcasing the handset.

Even better, we get to take a glimpse of some of specs of the upcoming Moto X. One of the images shows the phone in recovery mode, so we can see the phone apparently runs on a Snapdragon 625 processor working in concert with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It also appears the main camera module is of the dual variety.

Other specifications aren’t yet available, like the display size or resolution, but as new information becomes available we’ll make sure to update you. At this point, the Moto X 2017 is shaping up to be a middle range device similar to the Honor 6X and ZTE Blade V8 Pro. The latter also takes advantage of a Snapdragon 625, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and offers a dual-camera at an affordable price.

Motorola already has the Moto G5 Plus which comes with a Snapdragon 625, up to 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, but the phone does not offer a dual camera setup. So maybe with the new Moto X 2017, Motorola wants to enter the affordable dual camera market. It’s just a guess at this point, since nothing has been confirmed yet. So you better make sure you take this info with a healthy grain of salt.

T-Mobile intros three new prepaid plans for $45 and up

Alexandra Arici
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T-Mobile hasn’t been paying too much attention to its prepaid plans as of late, but this week the carrier is finally bringing some novelty into the equation. The company introduced three new plans prepaid customers can now choose from: two “Simply Prepaid” bundles and a “ONE Prepaid”. The plans start a $45 per month.

So let’s take each one and see what they offer. The base “Simply Prepaid” plan will cost users $45/month. For this amount of money, subscribers will be awarded unlimited talk, text and data. However, as it is the case which most of these plans, customers will get only 4GB of 4G LTE high-speed data. After you reach this cap, tethering speed is cut down to 3G.

If you want more, you can go for the second “Simply Prepaid” plan which is a bit more expensive, coming in at $55. Instead of 4GB of LTE data, it offers 6GB. Both bundles offer Wi-Fi Calling, Music Unlimited (streams without affecting your data bucket) and Data Maximizer (stream video at 480p). Subscribers willing to onboard of any of these two plans can keep their current number and device, or just buy a new one from T-Mobile.

For $5 extra users of the “Simply Prepaid” plans can get service to and from Mexico and Canada. An additional $15/month gets you Stateside International Calling which includes unlimited landline calls to wired phones in 70 countries plus texting to mobile devices in over 30 countries. T-Mobile is making available the two plans to its current subscriber-base.

As for the third “ONE Prepaid” plan – this is touted as an unlimited data bundle. It’s priced at $75/month for which you can get unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE plus coverage in Mexico and Canada and 200MB of roaming data. Note that hotspot is limited to 3G and data maximizer can’t be disabled. T-Mobile also allows subscribers of the plan to purchase HD video streaming for $3/day. The Stateside International Calling feature is available for $15/month.

The new plans are now available. T-Mobile says it’s no longer offering its older Simple Choice prepaid plans to new customers, but older subscribers can continue to stay on them if they want to.

Powerstick Hawkeye review: An alarm system for your USB devices

AndroidGuys
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The Hawkeye by PowerStick.com is a personal alarm system and reminder tool that connects to your USB-enabled device, allowing the user to monitor his USB cable, and whichever device is connected to it.

Design and Setup

The Hawkeye is incredibly easy to set up. It looks like any other USB dongle, but there is a button on the reverse side. The button activates the alarm. Since the Hawkeye works with any USB device, there is no setup, and it is device-agnostic. Once the device is out of the box, it is working immediately.

Features

We mentioned that the Hawkeye is both an alarm system and a reminder; they function in essentially the same way. Once out of the box, plug your USB cable into the Hawkeye, and then the Hawkeye into either a wall charger or a USB port and press the only button on the dongle. This now activates the alarm. Any time the device is removed from the cable that is connected to the dongle, the alarm sounds.

Designed for travelers, the alarm is ideal when in an airport or a coffee shop to ensure the security of your device if you need to step away. The reminder or notification use-case would be ideal when in a hotel.

Personally, I have walked out of a hotel room on more than one occasion and forgot to grab my charger, and the Hawkeye seeks to stop that from happening again. When you unplug your phone, but not from the wall, the alarm will sound, reminding you to grab your cable as well.

Conclusion

For the price ($14), the Hawkeye does exactly what it says. The alarm is slightly less-quiet than a standard mobile phone on the loudest setting, so don’t expect to hear it from several rooms away or a crowded airport, but inside a hotel room, or a moderately-quiet coffee shop, it can absolutely be heard.

The simple usage of the dongle with only one button is both a blessing and a curse–it turns on and off with just one press of a button, making it incredibly easy to disarm it. Also, if it becomes unplugged from the wall, no alarm will sound. Because of this, I think it is a great tool as a reminder in a hotel to not forget to grab your charger, but not exactly ideal in an airport to prevent someone from running off with your device.

How-To disable annoying Bloatware

AndroidGuys
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“Frustration”, the first word that comes to mind when I think about bloatware. Seriously, why do all these companies decide that they know what we are going to want and not allow us to remove said apps. I’m not dumb, I get “why” they do it but ultimately they are not doing us consumers any favors when they add in apps that always seem to chew up our precious battery resources. Thankfully, there are some companies out there who seem to have the consumer interests in mind (BLU, FiGO, etc.). Unfortunately, none of these come as flagships nor do the major service providers push these brands.

While the only way to remove these apps is to root your phone, there is something we can do to at least remove these apps from sight and recoup some of that battery drain they cause. Android has the ability to disable apps that are part of the base image, but we do not want to use.

Reclaiming your phone:

The only thing you need to accomplish this is an app you don’t want to use and a little know-how.

  1. Open you app drawer and tap the Settings option
  2. Tap on the Applications option
  3. Scroll to the app that you would like to disable and tap on its name
  4. Under the app name you will see a Disable button, tap it
    1. If you see an uninstall option, all updates must be uninstalled before the app can be disabled

You have now disabled that annoying app and, you now have the tools to disable whatever annoying app you find in this device or any other android device you want. Show your friends and be the guys who knows “everything”.

What apps annoy you? Do you have any friends/family you intend to show this? Leave us a comment below.

3 Android apps for international travel

Guest Blogger
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International travel has, for most of history, been something for the most adventurous folk only. You may have counted yourself among them, but perhaps you, like many, forewent traveling abroad simply because there were too many things that could go wrong. This would not have been an incorrect assessment. Until recently, international communication, currency exchange, language tools, and global tracking technology simply were not advanced enough (or did not exist at all) to make international travel something predictable enough for the masses.

But today, this has changed. The smartphone is a computer in the pocket, able to help guide you through any international traveling scenario you can come up with. Here, we’ve listed three of the most helpful apps for people traveling abroad. They can make your excursions more enjoyable, and even get you out of some truly sticky situations.

Tile

The Tile Tracker app for Android is essential, whether you are traveling or not. Most of us are at least a little forgetful, and who among us hasn’t lost something important during a critical time? When you’re traveling abroad, losing something important may be a disaster, especially if that something is your passport or your hotel key. Luckily, the Tile app lets you stick up to 8 little stickers on the things that are most important to you, then allows you to track those things with your Android phone. You can even stick one of these stickers in your kids’ shoe, meaning that the safety and security provided by this simple app simply can’t be measured.

Translator

Automatic translation technology sure has come a long way in recent years. Translator for Android devices is essential for travelers abroad, because it gives real time translations, even for spoken words. Two people can even have an automatically translated conversations, providing that the app is installed on two different devices. Translator is a great way to prepare yourself for future conversations, learn a language, clarify phrases you’ve heard, and help to make new friends. Download it before you travel to learn how it works and to help you get comfortable with the language before you set foot on foreign soil.

NobelCom NobelApp

NobelCom has existed for years as a first choice resource for global communication. Specializing in phone cards that are still incredibly useful, often in nations where phone communication remains very difficult, NobelCom is adapting to the future. Their full service app works with Android phones, and is perfect for getting voice to voice communication, no matter where you are in the world. This is especially essential for people traveling in unusual places, and for those in nations where no one close by speaks the language spoken back home.

Naturally, this is just the tip of the iceberg for Android apps which offer huge value to international travelers. Look for your own, and find ones that meet your unique needs. Many of the aspects of international travel have not changed in many years, but these simple consumer technology advances have opened up whole new vistas for the modern adventurer.

Bubble Witch 3 Saga- Does one of King’s latest offerings still bring the magic? (Review)

AndroidGuys
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King made a name for itself in a big way a few years back when it launched it’s first hit game Candy Crush Saga. There have been a plethora of games since then from King involving witches, pets, farms, soda, but all revolve around this idea of having short levels with some sort of match 3 gameplay with tricks and turns, and every time you fail to pass a level you lose a life. Lose 5 and you’ll be sending annoying Facebook requests to all your friends hoping to receive a few to continue your Saga. One of King’s newest games is Bubble Witch 3 Saga (that’s not a typo, and yes it is a little awkward to say) but does the tried and true method of King’s previous hit games still hold up?

Developer: King
Price: Free/IAP
Download: Google Play, iTunes

Levels and levels and levels and levels and…

Welcome to the World of Magic

In Bubble Witch 3 Saga you play as a witch in pursuit of a trouble making magic cat. You launch differently colored bubbles from your magical portal up to the top of the screen. Any match of 3 of the same color will cause the matched bubbles and any adjoining bubbles of the same color to exploded. The goal of each level varies a little, with missions to either clear all the bubbles, release owls that are trapped in bubbled by popping them out, helping a ghost travel up through a maze of bubbles by popping the way, and even boss battles where you need to release fairies (again, by popping bubbles) to attack bosses.

BEHOLD MY POWER!

Controls

Seeing that this is a King game, the controls are not overly complex at all. You hold your finger on the screen to aim your bubble and release to launch it. There is a beam that shows your trajectory, so aiming is dead simple. King keeps controls simple so that their games are easily accessible by all kinds of players. When you make a game that I’ve seen 7-year-olds play, and that their Moms can also pick up and play, you’ve got a recipe for success.

Graphics and Sounds

BW3S is colorful and cartoony. Everything is bright and crisp and the animations flow very smoothly. The sound matches the art style, with cheery pops, fun music, and whimsical sound effects. The various environments look and sound like they are ripped right out of a Disney movie and it makes the game feel fun and inviting.

The ghost levels are the best. Just my opinion, but it’s true.

Gameplay

There are several basic styles of levels as I mentioned earlier. Popping all the bubbles is probably the most straightforward of all the level types. My favorite levels are the levels that involve getting the ghost all the way up the tower of bubbles to be reunited with his friends. These levels are typically filled with bubbles and different routes you can pop, but there are some amazing combos you can pull off and you get a tremendous sense of accomplishment when the entire screen explodes and your ghost zooms up in the air. All these different gameplay styles help to keep the game feeling fresh and new level after level even though at its core it’s still the same one-touch gameplay.

Every start you earn for completing levels lets you upgrade your cottage

Longevity

As with most of the Saga games, there are countless levels. They start incredibly simple and brainless and get more complex as the levels go on. There are a handful of powerups that help you demolish bubbles quickly and easily. Some of these are gifted to you when you beat boss battles or at special checkpoint levels, but to get more otherwise, that would be an in-app purchase. Each of the stars you collect for completing the levels gives you money to improve a little cottage. There’s really not much to this besides bragging rights.

I would like to have seen your abilities maybe tied to which garden you planted or which trees you chose, but really this is nothing more than a cosmetic cottage where your goal is to make it look pretty. If that’s your kind of thing, then maybe that part of the game will keep you interested for longer. I tended to forget about it until I had enough to do about 3 upgrades at once, just because I didn’t remember it since there is no sort of reward tied it with. All in all, there are enough levels, powerups, and cottage building (if that’s what you’re into) to keep you busy for weeks and weeks.

Conclusion

Bubble Witch 3 Saga is a pretty fun game. The simple gameplay makes it easy to pick up and play for just about anyone, but don’t let that fool you. The levels can get pretty complicated and you’ll find yourself burning through lives until you finally pull off that perfect run. There is enough variety in the levels that things do not get stale quickly, and the cottage mode gives you reasons to get 3 stars since they give your currency to unlock more cottage upgrades, even if it is just for purely cosmetic reasons. King doesn’t stray to far from it’s tried-and-true formula, but with a game that is this beautiful, engaging, and fun, maybe they don’t need to just yet. BW3S is a great game to pick up if you’re looking to pass some time, or if you need a new addiction. That said, they can only rehash the same game a few times before people need something new. Bubble Witch is still fun, but this might be the last romp before they need to have a serious shakeup.

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