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OnePlus 5 might take on the Galaxy S8 with a dual-edge display

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This year we expect both Samsung flagships, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to come boasting a dual curved screen display. When the original Galaxy Note Edge was released in 2014, most people assumed the curved displays will turn out to be a fad. But as it turns out it’s 2017 and Samsung has not one but two dual curved screen phones coming up.

But apart from the mighty Korean conglomerate, there aren’t many companies offering dual curved phones. LG and Xiaomi were rumored to be working on similar models, but nothing came of it in the end.

OnePlus concept with dual curved display

Well this week, we’re getting word that the upcoming OnePlus 5 might come a dual-curved edge display just like the current Galaxy S7. It’s not the first time we’re hearing that after the OnePlus 3T, the company will jump straight to OnePlus 5 and not OnePlus 4 due to “tetraphobia”. In Asian countries, the number 4 is considered unlucky, so that’s why we’re probably not going to see an OnePlus 4.

The current rumor also claims the OnePlus 5 will come boasting a ceramic body a la Xiaomi Mi MIX – which is something we heard before. On top of that, the device should feature a 23MP main camera (although a dual camera setup might also be an option) and a 16MP selfie snapper in front. A 4,000 mAh battery will power the device, which will feature either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and a new 256GB storage option.

OnePlus might opt for a dual camera setup for its next flagships

Given that the OnePlus 3T already has 6GB of RAM, we can expect the OnePlus 5 to come boasting 8GB instead. As for processor, it can be speculated OnePlus will push the launch of the upcoming flagship for some time later this year in order to be able to get the Snapdragon 835.

For the time being, Samsung has reserved all existing Snapdragon 835 units for the Galaxy S8, thus leaving other Android OEMs with the option of using last year’s Snapdragon 821 (at least for the time being).

Anyway, take this info with a grain of salt for the time being, as nothing has been officially confirmed.

OpenSignal launches its own speed test app, it’s called Meteor

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You might be familiar with OpenSignal – an application that offers information on where to get better phone signal and also measures signal strength, data speeds and reliability and displays near-by Wi-Fi networks.

This week OpenSignal launched a new app called Meteor which lets users know which apps will work well on the speed available on their network.

Yes, there are quite a few solutions available for network speed testing including Netflix’s own Fast.com, but OpenSignal believes it can deliver something extra.

While most apps will simply display the amount MB/s or KB/s flowing through the connection, they don’t translate what that means for user experience. Here’s where OpenSignal hopes to fill in the gap with its new Meteor app.

The app will present the users with a list of apps arranged depending on their performance based on the current internet connection available. The ratings range from Poor to OK to Very Good to Awesome. Furthermore users can take a deeper look and see which of the apps’ features are being affected.

However we should note that the app doesn’t rate every app out there. Still it features an extensive list which includes some of the most popular Android apps out there including Chrome, Dropbox, Amazon, Facebook, Flipboard, Gmail, Google Maps, Instagram, Skype, Spotify Music, Street View, Twitter, Uber, Waze, WhatsApp and YouTube.

OpenSignal is open to feedback from users, so if an app will be requested enough it will probably make it into Meteor’s list.

It will soon be able easier to discover new games in the Google Play Store

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If you like playing games on your mobile phone, but you also like to go beyond super mainstream titles like Pokemon Go, then we have some good news for you.

Present the Game Developer Conference 2017 in San Francisco, Google announced a change to its algorithms which will result in games being displayed based on user engagement rather  than the number of installs. This will enable more obscure, indie games with strong community backing to get some well-deserved prime-time.

On top of that, the company said it will soon launch game-related pages in the Play Store. The pages will be organized based on specific game genres (like epic RPGs and top racing games) and will feature titles picked by the Google editorial team, as well as reviews. So whenever you’ll feel like trying a new game out, you will be able to access one of these pages in the Google Play Store and get some fresh ideas of what you could start playing next.

And if that’s not enough, Google will start letting developers adjust their own prices and run promotions on their own. The search giant found that during the testing phases, developers noticed an increase of up 20 more downloads during the deal periods. The option will be available starting this week via the Google Play Developer Console.

On top of these changes, Google also announced a slew of high-fidelity games coming to Google Play later this year. Three titles are already available for pre-registration on Google Play: Transformers: Forged for Fight by Kabam (available on April 5, 2017), Battle Breakers from Epic Games and Injustice 2 (will be available in May).

Google also has plans to extend the VR experience with two new titles: Virtual Rabbids and Beartropia.

The new Nokia phones are here – first impressions

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For the last few years, Nokia has remained in the background of the mobile market, but at MWC 2017 in Barcelona over the weekend the iconic Finish company made a spectacular comeback.

In partnership with HMD, Nokia took the stage to announce three budget-minded smartphones with Android and a Nokia 3310 revival feature phone.

Nokia says it has brought Android onboard in order to cater to the needs of consumers, who have been asking for this for a while now. But the Android market is very competitive today, so will Nokia’s slew of Android devices be able to make it?

Nokia believes the attributes the three phones bring to the table namely quality, design and their unique approach to Android are enough to make a statement on the market. Also Nokia relies on the fans nostalgia for a brand that used to dominate the emerging mobile market almost a decade ago.

So how do the new Nokia phones feel? At MWC 2017 we had the chance to play with them a little bit and here’s our first impressions. First off, let’s start with the Nokia 6 which is the top of the line device.

Middle-range phones have started borrowing lot of features that have been limited to flagships so far. And Nokia wants to bring luxury to the masses.

Case in point, the Nokia 6 doesn’t look like your average budget phone. It’s manufactured from a block of aluminum with diamond cut edges. When you hold the phone in your hand it gives you a very industrial, metallic feel. The sharp edges are also a good combination for the matte aluminum body. The phones bet on a Norse design – characterized by almost monastic simplicity, utility and beauty.

The Nokia 6 features a 5.5-inch display which spacious but not too big. Viewing angles, as far as we can see are pretty good. The phone has a physical home button where the fingerprint scanner lives.

Now if you are not a fan of matte, Nokia and HMD have an alternative solution for you. They are offering the Nokia 6 Arte Black Limited Edition which comes with a glossy black back. Sadly we found it to be quite smudgy. But that can be easily fixed with a cleaning cloth.

When it comes to specs, the Nokia 6 isn’t mind-blowing, but it does offer enough. We have a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 3GB of RAM (for the normal variant) or 4GB of RAM (for the limited edition) and 32GB of internal storage (for the normal variant) and 64GB of internal storage (for the limited edition). The device features a microSD card slot.

The device is powered by a Snapdragon 430 processor which is an octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 affair. The chipset is probably the biggest disappointment here, as the phone would have been so much better with a Snapdragon 625 (at least) onboard.

Anyhow, the phone has a main 16MP camera with dual tone flash and an 8MP selfie shooter with wide angle lens and auto-focus.

Now, the Nokia 6 has a very good chance of inciting a lot of Nokia old timers and new smartphone enthusiasts. It has a clean version of Android 7.0 Nougat onboard and will receive timely updates, unlike many flagships up there. On top of that it has the Google Assistant onboard – another premium feat if we consider the Assistant was previously an exclusive of the Google Pixel phone.

The phone also it features an affordable price ($242 for the matte black, silver, blue or copper Nokia 6 and $315 for Nokia 6 Arte Black), but as we mentioned above we would have liked to see a better processor onboard.

Moving on to the Nokia 5 – a phone that comes with a smaller 5.2-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and a few subtle, design changes (compared to the Nokia 6).

The phone is also made of aluminum, but features stylish curved edges which make it appears like the display is in perfect communion with the metal casing. Being of a smaller frame, it fits perfectly in hand.

Like the Nokia 6, the Nokia 5 features a physical home button with an embedded fingerprint sensor and relies on the Snapdragon 430 to keep the lights on. It takes advantage of only 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (microSD card slot available).  Nokia also bundled a 13MP main camera with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash plus an 8MP wide-angle selfie camera.

These specs are sufficient for average use and Nokia 5 seemed extremely responsive while we played with it for a bit. However, it remains to be seen how the Nokia 5 would behave after a month or two of active use. The Nokia 5 should retail around $199 and will become available in blue, silver, matte black and copper.

Last but not least, comes the Nokia 3. It’s the most affordable one in the bunch and should start selling for around $147. The Nokia 3 isn’t made of metal like its brothers, instead it offers a polycarbonate body and an aluminum frame. It looks sleek nevertheless.

It doesn’t have a physical home button like the rest and boasts the smaller screen of the bunch, a 5-inch panel with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.

The Nokia 3 has a MediaTek MT6737 chipset under the hood (quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A53) which is paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (microSD cardslot available). In the photography department, the Nokia 3 has an 8MP main camera with autofocus/LED flash and an 8MP selfie shooter.

Nokia says that 45% of people tend to shop in the budget segment and that’s why they have chosen to cater to this sector first. But while the new Nokia phones look and feel great, they are still far from being a flagship. While the company hasn’t confirmed it has plans to launch such a device, we’re hoping Nokia will unveil a worthy Galaxy S8 competitor sometimes later this year. A successful premium Nokia will be the real proof that the company has comeback to stay.

Nokia not only returned with 3 Android handsets, but it also revived a classic at MWC 2017. The Nokia 3310 launched in 2000 and quickly became one of the most popular phones in the period thanks to its long battery life and fun feats like the Snake game.

Now the candy bar feature phone is coming back with a modern take. The new Nokia 3310 is small, colorful and looks like a lot of fun. It’s slimmer than its predecessor and you can barely feel its weight in your hand. And like its predecessor it offers long standing battery life – 25.3 days in standby mode and up to 22.1 hours of talk time..

The phone is built on the S30+ operating platform (developed by MediaTek for Nokia) and offers all the basic features you’d expect including voice and text messaging, Internet browsing (via the Opera Mini browsers), music listening, a camera, two SIM slots and of course Snake.

Sure, you won’t be able to run any fancy apps and there’s no touchscreen onboard. But that’s not really the point with the modern Nokia 3310 is it? Actually the feature phone constitutes a welcome relief from all smartphone galore we’ve seen for the past few days.

The cute, little phone with a color display will be made available for purchase for approximately $51. You’ll be able to grab it in red and yellow with gloss finish and polycarbonate exterior or dark blue and grey with matte finish. Are you getting one? We know we are!

YouTube set to revolutionize Live TV

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YouTube has announced YouTube TV to directly compete with your local cable and satellite content providers. Many of us have been waiting a long time for this service, but today via the YouTube Official Blog, the announcement is official. YouTube TV is designed for the YouTube generation that also wants live TV from major networks along side their usual YouTube content.

Finally TV from YouTube and all the major networks

Here’s what YouTube TV will offer when it officially launches in your area:

  • Live TV streaming of major network programming including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX
  • Live TV streaming of major and regional sports networks
  • Additional cable networks such as USA, TBS, Disney and FX
  • Cloud DVR storage with no storage limits
  • Multiple screen support for TVs, set top boxes, tablets, computers and smartphones
  • YouTube Red Originals
  • Six accounts, one price

YouTube TV will allow multiple users on one account to stream at the same time (up to three streams at a time) and each user will have his or her own recommendations. Price starts at $35 a month but isn’t available at all markets as of now. Visit tv.youtube.com to sign up and find out when YouTube TV will launch in your area.

Xiaomi announces Mi 5c

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Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi has announced the Mi 5c to launch in March of 2017. The new Mi 5c, which houses a new internally developed system on chip (SOC), is a GSM supported phone that is set to be sold in the Chinese market only, as of now. The new chipset is dubbed the Xiaomi Surge S1 and houses 8 Cortex A53 cores at differing frequencies. Xiaomi states that the new GPU is up to 40% more efficient and that the clock speed intelligently adjusts depending on the user’s needs.

surge s1 soc
Get hyper with the all-new Surge S1 SOC, from Xiaomi, that has a boost frequency up to 2.2GHz

The Mi 5c is the follow up to Xiaomi’s Mi 5 which launched almost a year ago now. While the screen size and pixel density remain the same, Xiaomi has stepped up to Android 7.1 to support the additional software benefits that Nougat provides. Surprisingly outside of the CPU and GPU, Xiaomi has decided to keep many of the other specs similar to last year’s Mi 5, including the main memory and base storage.

mi 5c rose gold
The Xiaomi Mi 5c looks A LOT like the iPhone 6/7 at first glance–but don’t be fooled

Here’s an overview of the specs for the Xiaomi Mi 5c:

  • Surge S1 octa-core 64-bit processor (4 x 2.2GHz A53 & 4 x 1.4GHz A53)
  • 5.15-inch 1080p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  • 3GB RAM + 64GB storage
  • 135 g (4.76 oz)
  • Android 7.1 Nougat
  • 2860mAh battery with 9V/2A fast USB C charging
  • 12MP f/2.2 rear camera camera with 1.25 micron pixel size
  • 8MP f/2.0 front facing camera
  • Front fingerprint sensor

These base specs will allow Xiaomi to price the new Mi 5c very aggressively. Early reports indicate the Mi 5c will be priced at 1,500 yuan, which converts to about $220 USD. We will have to wait for further information to see whether or not Xiaomi will release the Mi 5c outside of China, but if the new Surge S1 SOC allows for a some snappy performance, we’ll be sure to keep our eyes on the Mi 5c.

Cues is a simple but clever puzzle game (review)

Some mobile games try to create multiple levels of depth in the player’s experience, requiring long tutorials, along with a big investment in experience in order to gain true ability.
Others go the other direction, giving you an extremely simple premise while keeping you on your toes throughout the experience. Such is the case with Cues, from the developer Third State Studios. Cues is a very family-friendly game (my kiddos & I have both spent hours playing this title), and is extremely easy to pick up and learn, but doesn’t get boring after a while, either.

Setup & Gameplay

Setup for this game is super-simple; just download from the Play Store and open. Upon opening you are greeted with a single-screen tutorial on how to play. Think of this game a geometric billiards.
You are presented with a 5×5 grid of tiles, with three items located on three separate tiles: a cue, a ball, and a pocket. The objective is simple enough: you tap the cue to hit the ball into the pocket. If you’ve played pool/billiards before you already know what to do.

You’re probably wondering…what’s the twist? The twist is in the math of this game. You see, the ball will travel the same number of tiles that the cue’s distance is to the ball. If the cue is 2 tiles away, then upon being struck the ball will travel 2 tiles itself. Again, the first couple of levels bear this out and make the objective very clear.

But they also introduce another wrinkle: in subsequent levels the number of cues on the grid vary; and they require you to figure the correct combination of cue strikes in order to get the ball in the pocket. This includes using the same cue more than once, and sometimes using the same more than once in a row. With these multiple cues also comes a shot limit per level, so you are confined to a finite number of shots to succeed.

If you do fail (either by maxing out on your shot count, or by shooting the ball clear off the grid), you simply start over on that level. You get unlimited retries, and boy sometimes you feel like you may need them. Again, the thinking required here isn’t extremely strenuous, but you also aren’t going to breeze through these, either.

As you move along, you are introduced to other added ‘features’, including what I’m calling “bot tiles”, that have a number and direction imprinted on them. Upon striking the ball to these tiles, the ball is redirected in the direction and distance as shown.

Another cool feature of Cues is the Level Maker. Level Maker is exactly what it sounds like; allowing you to create your own playable levels. After playing the game for a while the kiddos would love to take on the grid themselves, and challenge siblings, friends, and parents to solve their diabolical creations. 🙂

Visuals

Cues has a very clean interface, with spotty white background that slowly and continuously moves….this actually helps with eye strain, in my non-professional opinion. It’s strange to say, but this small detail allows for longer playing time I believe. Other than that the screen is pretty nondescript.

Along the bottom you have a settings button (audio, volume, vibration, buy options), and a level menu in which to pick from any level you’ve previously beaten. You can also pick from several themes: light & dark are free, but others such as ‘daisy’ and ‘graphite’ are $1 each.

Sounds & Effects

The game runs a continuous zen-type of musical background, with a metronome ticking sound to help settle you into a focused state. The music doesn’t blow you away, but it’s also neither annoying nor totally flat. It’s just, nice.

When winning a level, you are greeted with a sudden change to a piano-like melody, while the screen animates to feel like you’re flying into the same pocket the ball just entered, going to white and then fading directly into the next level.
If you lose a level (again, by maxing out your move count or shooting the ball off the grid), you just get a simple message with a vibration in your device, and are quickly taken to the beginning of the level once again….no animation or screen change.

Overall

I really enjoy Cues. I say ‘enjoy’ as it is still on my phone for my kiddos & I to play. Even though we’re pretty high on the level list (there are 75 total plus any you make yourself) and each one is fairly taxing to solve, that next level still appears very approachable and therefore solve-able. It keeps us coming back for more.

Download Cues from the Play Store here.

Sony’s XZ Premium is a spec sheet beast, but will you actually be able to buy it?

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You may have noticed that this week has been chalked full of new product announcements. You can thank the industry’s largest trade show, Mobile World Congress happening right now in Barcelona, Spain for that. We’ve seen the return of the G series from LG (LG G6), a new entry into the G series from Motorola (Moto G5), and the return of an industry legend in Nokia.

Sony is throwing its hat into the ring too. It seems like Sony releases more phones than just about anyone outside of LG and Samsung, but you rarely hear about them here in The States due to the complete lack of retail presence. And, that’s really a shame. Sony has made some excellent devices since it debuted the Xperia Z line many moons ago.

The newest addition to the Xperia lineup is the XZ Premium. It was announced alongside the XZs which is Sony’s true flagship of this rotation, but its the Premium thats stealing all the headlines. Why? It’s because of that beautiful 5.5″ 4K display that leads the stacked spec sheet. Here’s what the rest of the specs look like.

  • Display: 5.5″, 3840 x 2160
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
  • Memory: 4GB of RAM
  • Storage: 64 GB, expandable to 256GB
  • Battery: 3230mAh
  • Camera: 19MP main, 13MP front-facing
  • Operating System: Android 7.1 Nougat
  • Dimensions: 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm
  • Weight: 195 g

See? Monster. But what you don’t see in those specs are all the improvements that Sony has made to the software that controls the amazing hardware in the XZ Premium. What is most intriguing to me is what Sony is calling the new Motion Eye system.

The Motion Eye system combines technologies from Sony’s long history of camera brilliance to let you capture video in up to 960fps. That’s actually mind-bogglingly fast. Just for comparison, most television and console video games run at 30fps while most PCs can push the frame rate up to anywhere between 60fps and well over 100fps depending on the title and hardware.

Sony has also added in predictive technology to start capturing whenever it sees movement. This will allow you to capture video right at the start of the action, rather than when your fingers actually hit the record button. This also works for pictures as the phone will take up to four shots from the start of the action until when you snap the shutter.

Still pictures are going to be even more impressive with the XZ’s camera due to the 19MP sensor. Sony has worked to incorporate 19% larger pixels to capture more light in low-light and backlit situations.

You may remember that Sony has previously released a device with a 4K display. While it was cool, you could only use a few Sony apps which supported 4K like the gallery. Well, there is a slight improvement to report here. Sony will now support HDR and allow customers to stream certain 4K titles from Amazon’s Prime service. Still a long ways off what it could be, but an improvement nonetheless.

So, will you actually be able to buy it in the US? Sony says that the XZ Premium will be released in Spring 2017 in Luminous Chrome and Deepsea Black but will we actually see it at carrier store? Will Sony actually tell people it’s selling a new device? We’ll have to see, but we aren’t hopeful based on recent examples.

T-Mobile offers a free extra line on most current plans starting March 1st

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In the latest of a series of dramatic “Uncarrier” moves, T-Mobile announced today that it would be offering to add a line to new or current plan with at least two lines. This offer technically only applies to Simple Choice and T-Mobile One plans, but let’s be honest – if you have a plan older than those, you’re probably getting a much better price than this already.

“Today, I’m thanking customers by giving them one of the things they want the most – a way to connect more of their family or more of their devices all the time. That’s why we’re giving customers a free line to use any way they choose!”

Interestingly, while T-Mobile is calling this a free line, it can actually be used for a number of things, from data for a new tablet or smartwatch to an automobile hotspot. From what I can tell this really does appear to be as good a deal as it looks on the surface. Here’s the offer details; if you see anything that gives you pause, let us know in the comments.

Otherwise, enjoy adding that free line, starting March 1st.

Sony’s Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra look to make an impact on the mid-range market

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If you’re like us, then you’ve been following along with all the announcements coming out of MWC 2017. Sony was expected to make some type of announcement regarding the next devices to come to the Xperia X lineup, and they have done just that.

Sony Xperia XA1

The Sony Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra have been officially unveiled, which comes after the devices were leaked a bit early by notorious leakster, Evan Blass (@evleaks). The Xperia XA1 is the “base” model for this new lineup, and packs a fairly impressive punch in a smaller package.

The display for the XA1 measures in at 5-inches with a resolution of 720p. Powering the XA1 is the MediaTek Helio P20 processor, along with 3GB of RAM, and up to 32GB of expandable storage.

Keeping this bad boy alive is a 2,300mAh battery, which isn’t too shabby considering the smaller display, with a lower resolution. Sony has also included its Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology, which makes sure that your XA1 charges properly, and doesn’t get damaged by overcharging.

In regards to the camera, Sony packed in an 8MP wide-angle lens on the front of the XA1. The front camera module also features an ISO of up to 3200, making for better low-light selfies when you’re trying to get the perfect picture at the bars.

Not all that surprising is the camera that’s been included for the main shooter. Coming in at 23MP, the rear camera also features a “Hybrid Autofocus”, along with a low light ISO of 6400. Sony’s known for packing a great camera into most of its smartphones, so we shouldn’t be disappointed on this front.

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra

Moving onto the Xperia XA1 Ultra, we’re looking a slightly bigger display, measuring in at 6-inches. However, the resolution has been bumped up, as this one comes in at Full 1080p HD.

The MediaTek Helio P20 processor is also at the helm for the big brother of these two. However, the differences start to roll in from there as the Ultra includes 4GB of RAM, and either 32GB or 64GB of expandable storage.

You also will get a little more juice out of the Ultra, as the battery measures in at 2,700mAh. The same Qnovo Adaptive Charging feature makes its return with the Ultra, so you know that your battery is safe and sound.

Finally, the front camera on the Ultra comes in at 16MP, and features a low-light ISO of up to 6400 for photos and videos. the front camera also includes Optical Image Stabilization so that you can combat those shaky selfies.

The rear camera on the XA1 Ultra comes in at 23MP, and can capture an image in just 0.6 seconds after launching the camera app. Sony also included a 24mm wide-angle lens, so that you can get a wider range of motion in your images.

Wrap-Up

Both the Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra will come with Android Nougat out of the box. This is great for those of us who are still worried that OEMs are falling behind when it comes to providing us the latest version of Android.

Sony has also confirmed that both devices will arrive this Spring, and will be available in Black, Pink, White, and Gold. Unfortunately, Sony decided to keep the pricing for these devices close to the chest, so we’ll have to wait before deciding which range of devices these will stack up against.