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PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator (review)

AndroidGuys
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Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a ‘YouTuber’? The famous ‘tuber, PewDiePie has created a simulation game in association with Outerminds Inc., that allows you to live the life of a YouTube content creator. Start at the bottom while honing your video creation skills to see if you have what it takes to make it to the top.

Developer: Outerminds, Inc.
Price: Free (with premium content)

Along the way you’ll discover a multitude of additions that may make it easier for you to draw in new subscribers and viewers that may become addicted to your content. Can you continue to grow your audience, or will you lose out to more popular ‘tubers?

Keeping it simple

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is presented in a retro, isometric view that allows you to watch your avatar as he or she creates videos and increases viewership. The premise is fairly simple–start small and gain viewers by watching for trends and adding new items to your prop arsenal. As you gain viewers and subscribers you can visit the shop to add new pieces to your setup.

The overall user interface is clean and simple to understand. Moving between your main room and other areas like the shop is easy. Just click the corresponding icon at the bottom to switch from quests, user info (where you can name and link your accounts), shop, upgrades, and the standard room where you make your videos.

The simplistic graphics leave a little to be desired, but considering the audience, the overall feel and look of the game is quite fitting. This game will not tax your smartphone or tablet with flashy graphics, conversely it relies on simplicity and a classic feel that many long-time gamers will appreciate.

Taking it to the next level

Eventually you will discover that your ‘Tuber will level up and learn new tricks of the YouTube world. This progression system works quite well, although you’ll quickly discover that customization costs in-game “bux” that are difficult to acquire unless you’re willing to spend real money.

pewdiepie tuber game
Save up to make your ‘Tuber room the best it can be

After purchasing an item you must wait for it to ship, just like in the real world. This shipping time can be sped up by playing mini games that cost viewership. This system works, but is often times plagued by the over-abundance of advertising. Considering the game comes from PewDiePie, the amount of advertising is no surprise.

Want to speed up a process or circumvent the overall time required to make progress? Simple solution; watch an advertisement to skip ahead. This is the major drawback with PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator. Everything feels as if it’s a cash-grab for the developer, which draws away from the fun of the game.

Sounding off

The bells and whistles within PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator range from basic, but effective to overall fulfilling. Having Felix Kjellberg’s voice within the game is both a blessing and disadvantage. PewDiePie has an abundance of spoken word littered throughout the game that provides for decent feedback and substantial commentary. Whether or not it’s something that the player will enjoy, is completely subjective.

Nonetheless, the games chip-tune music feels fitting and complements the visual style quite well. The little blips and beeps are familiar and fit within the game world while providing decent feedback to the player’s interaction.

pewdiepie
PewDiePie in all his pixelated glory

The flair (and annoyance) of PewDiePie

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a great job of guiding the player through each section of the game spaces. It’s nice to see clear direction in a simulation game such as this, especially for gamers that may be new to the genre. Unfortunately, PewDiePie can be annoying to those that are not used to his over-the-top delivery style. PewDiePie’s loud and ridiculous comments are coupled with some fairly poor-to-average writing that leaves a lot to be desired. Be prepared to cringe at some of the audio comments that are littered throughout the game. In fact, you may be better off playing with the audio turned way down or skipping the comments altogether.

tuber simulator pewdiepie
PewDiePie will talk to you–and he might just annoy you too

PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator does a nice job of recreating the life of a YouTuber in the virtual world. Where the game falls short is in the delivery and presentation of the overall experience. Limiting a player’s ability to progress through the game by charging for the experience is a quick way to turn off almost any casual player. Instead, it would have been wise to allow the player to play through the majority of the game without hidden costs while promoting PewDiePie’s brand. This shortcoming has severely hindered the overall enjoyment of the game and will most likely turn away gamers that just want to have fun experimenting in the world of a YouTuber.

PewDiePie himself can be quite divisive in nature as evident by his recent trouble, but in the end, PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator is the best game for experiencing what it takes to make it in the life of a ‘Tuber. It’s fun at times and frustrating in others, but if you can get by the obnoxious commenting and general pay-to-progress limitations you may find that this game offers a nice insight into the simulated world of a successful YouTube personality.

pewdiepie tuber simulator
Check out PewDiePie’s Tuber Simulator on Google Play

 

 

This smartwatch wants you to spend more time with people who matter

Alexandra Arici
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Technology affects our social life and social skills. Armed with a smartphone and apps like Tinder, WhatsApp and Facebook, people don’t even need to go out into the real world to have a conversation anymore.

But what if we told you not all forms of technology promote social segregation? Some actually want to combat it. Like this smartwatch released by Japanese company, Veldt.

Hailing from the Land of the Rising Sun, where more and more people are opting for a life of solitude and scarce social interactions (the term hikikomori defines reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life) Veldt’s new product aims to remind us of good old family values.

The smartwatch called the Tattori West Family Time Watch is even part of a government program meant to encourage people to relocate from the busy, urban area of Tokyo to the rural Tottori prefecture.

Modern life is increasingly putting a toll on our well being and life satisfaction, so in Japan people are encouraged to give up the stress of the overcrowded metropolis and embrace the peace and quiet of country life instead.

Japanese countryside

As for the Tattori West Family Time Watch – the wearable has an interesting feature – it’s able to measure how much time you spend with your loved ones. Like most smartwatches out there, this one pairs with a smartphone. But to start tracking the time you spend with family members, you’ll need to give your kids, parents, pets a beacon which in turns communicates with the watch when you’re 30 meters of each other.

Time spent together is then shown on the watch’s display and once you hit on of Veldt’s pre-set targets you’ll receive an alert.

The creators of the watch believe that seeing you are able to spend more time with those that matters to you, will make you feel better about your decision of moving into the country side.

But apart from offering this unique feature, the smartwatch is also bundled with more “mainstream” features like being able to deliver email and social media notifications (there’s Facebook in the countryside too, right?) and count steps and track your sleep cycle.

Aesthetically the watch doesn’t look like much, but given that it was created with a higher purpose in mind, we’ll let that slide.

Get legal help through your smartphone: 3 apps to install on your Android (PROMOTED)

AndroidGuys
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There is reason it takes many long years of extensive test and schooling to become a lawyer; law is incredibly complex and every state has different intricacies. It takes a long time to learn the ins and outs of the law. Even though you may not be an actual lawyer, you should be informed about the law of your state, or have instant access to someone who has enough legal knowledge. This way, you won’t find yourself in a mess when you get involved in some legal issue.

Technology makes things easier for us and we’re no longer constrained by having to visit websites for getting PI attorneys. We now have the option to download and install the best legal apps to our Android smartphones and stay in close proximity with legal assistance. It never hurts to be prepared. Let’s check out the names of few of such legal apps.

Fastcase

Would you want to have a library of law at your palm top? If yes, then Fastcase is an app you may want to install in your smartphone. With this app, you are allowed to look up for cases from any state and federal government by keyword, citation or browse through the different statute collections. Simply insert a keyword, select the state which you want to check out, or the dates on which the case fell and any other related information. The app will soon bring cases which are complete with citations. Although it is entirely free, you would yet need an account. Download it on Android for free.

Ask a Lawyer

It is always recommended that you consult licensed lawyers from trusted or eminent legal companies in person. But, when you’re going through a potentially serious issue, you can at least use an app such as Ask a Lawyer to get help. You only need create a profile and you can start online chatting with a lawyer. You may even use the Find a Lawyer feature if you’re looking for someone locally to help. If there are some favorite lawyers that you discover, save them to your ‘Favorites’ or call them directly through the app. Download this app on Android for free.

Law Dictionary

Sometimes when reading a law document, you might feel as if you’re reading some foreign language; some of that jargon can be overwhelming. For comprehending the legal terms or phrases you might wish to download the Law Dictionary app. Before long you’ll be able to make sense of what you read on websites or in legal books. The app is extremely simple to use as you just have to look for the term you don’t fully know to get an instant definition in simpler terms. You can thereafter bookmark it and save it for later use. With this app, you will get everything that you may need to help get through a legal document or letter. Download this app on Android at no cost.

As long as you’ve got that Android smartphone, you can be sure having access to amazing tools and resources. Android developers keep developing all sorts of useful apps in myriad aspects of life. Install the aforementioned legal apps to take one step closer to becoming or consulting a law expert.

ZTE Axon 7, OnePlus 3T get a taste of LineageOS 14.1

Alexandra Arici
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Last month the first official LineageOS builds started rolling out into the wild for devices such as Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X and Motorola Moto G4.

Since then the team behind the initiative has gradually expanded support to include more devices. Well this week, LineageOS 14.1 is finally available for two of the best “affordable” flagships out there, the ZTE Axon 7 and OnePlus 3T (note the build for the 3T has been merged with OnePlus 3, so both phones can take advantage of the same .zip).

Also owners of the HTC One M7 (GSM / Verizon), LG G3 (Sprint), Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 and Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 can also go ahead and install the LineageOS 14.1 which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

CyanogenMod, the popular open source mobile operating system based on Android, is no longer with us, but custom ROM fans can download and install Lineage OS instead – CyanogenMod’s direct successor.

Hopefully the team behind LineageOS will continue its good work and support for more phones and tablets will be added soon.

One of the more notable additions to the LineageOS family, the Axon 7 is among the best budget friendly smartphones out there. You can read all about it in our in-depth review.

The device recently received the Android 7.0 Nougat update which added support for Google’s Daydream View headset and also a fully integrated caller ID, spam detection and call blocking service.

However, if you choose to download and install LineageOS instead, you’ll be rewarded with an extremely flexible operating system for your phone.

Here are the Nokia phones to be unveiled at MWC 2017

Alexandra Arici
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A few days ago we told you that HMD, the global licensee for all upcoming Nokia smartphones and tablets, might be bringing to MWC 2017 a new Nokia N95 smartphone.

We also expect the Finnish duo to unleash a pair of flagship handsets, but according to the latest rumors, it seems like we’re mostly going to see middle-to-lower range Android smartphones from Nokia during the event.

Nokia 6According to a person who was briefed on the company’s plans, Nokia and HMD will reveal the Nokia 6 in Barcelona, alongside the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3. The Nokia 6 launched in January in China as a mid-range handset with decent enough specs.

The phone features a 5.5-inch display with full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and a Snapdragon 430 under the hood. It also packs 4GB of RAM, 64GB of native storage and a 16MP/8MP camera combo.

Back of Nokia 6

As for the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3, the phones will make it out with watered down specs, as to keep the prices low and very low. For instance, the Nokia 5 should arrive with a 5.2-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 2GB of RAM and a 12MP main camera.

We’re told the Nokia 6 will go on sale for approximately $264, while the Nokia 5 will have a $211 price tag. Last but not least, the Nokia 3 will be offered for around $158.

The “ancient” Nokia 3310

But that’s not all, the report at hand also reveals Nokia is planning to unveil a Nokia 3310 homage phone too. Launched back in 2000, the Nokia 3310 quickly gained popularity due to its long battery life and indestructible nature. Now, 17 years later Nokia is planning to bring a new iteration out into the world. According to sources, the feature phone will be priced at approximately €62.

We’ll know more about the new models on February 26, when HDM and Nokia will be hosting their event.

T-Mobile “one-ups” Verizon’s unlimited offer

AndroidGuys
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T-Mobile has announced a new Unlimited plan to combat Verizon’s Unlimited Data Plan for new customers. Starting February 17, T-Mobile users can get two lines with unlimited data for $100 including taxes and fees with the T-Mobile ONE plan. That’s a flat rate for access to the network, data, messaging and calls–all unlimited plus 10GB of hotspot data.

John Legere, president of T-Mobile stated that Verizon has caved knowing that “they just lost their network advantage…” and he predicts that Verizon will be forced to “include monthly taxes and fees” next with the pressure that T-Mobile is providing.

t mobile one
T-Mobile One with taxes and fees included is quite appealing to mobile customers

It’ll be interesting to see if Verizon responds down the line with another plan to combat T-Mobile even further. One thing that’s evident is that all carriers will continue to offer more data at a competitive price to draw in more customers. Currently AT&T only has unlimited data when combined with a qualifying DirecTV plan, but that could be changing as well.

WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM review: The portable, go-anywhere speaker with an FM tuner

Scott Webster
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When it comes to reviewing Bluetooth speakers we find that there are often a few distinguishing characteristics to set them apart from one another. There’s no such thing as the perfect device; however, there may be something that’s perfect for you.

It goes without saying, but we all have different needs. Moreover, we all have different budgets to work with, too. Sometimes we end up at the crossroads of right product and right price. Sometimes we end up with a product that ticks off the right boxes and doesn’t break the bank in the process. The latest speaker we’ve reviewed, the Hercules WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM, hopes to fit that bill.

Overview

Priced roughly $80, the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM is a portable speaker that’s designed to go just about anywhere you would. This means pretty much any weather condition and terrain. It’s IP67-certified meaning it can handle immersion in water for up to 30 minutes and can also withstand dust, sand, and snow. Taking things a little further, it also has reinforced rubber end-pieces so it handles bumps, too.

Design

In terms of size and design, the speaker is almost the exact dimensions of a 16-ounce can of soda or energy drink. It features a triangular profile that delivers sound out of one of the sides. Underneath you’ll find a threaded screw thread (1/4-inch) for bike mounts, tripods, suction cup mounts, and more.

There are only a few visible buttons to mess with on the speaker: volume up, volume down, and power. But, just above the power button on the end is a spot labeled FM. Press here and you’ll find it does have a little tactile feedback. As you might have guessed, this is your button to toggle the FM tuner.

Staying on this end of the speaker we also find a rubber protective housing to hide the charging port (microUSB) and 3.5mm auxiliary input. Flipping the speaker on its head, the other end is void of any functionality or features.

Setup

Pairing the speaker was really easy in that you simply long press the power button. A normal power on plays a chime while the long press adds in a second one to indicate that it’s seeking a connection. There’s also a blue indicator light just above the power button that flashes when looking for a device.

The volume buttons can also double for track advance and previous track. Switched on to FM mode and they can be used to seek the next available station. These options are done via long pressing on the + and – symbols.

Although it’s not very big, the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM delivers a nice, even sound that fills smaller and medium-sized rooms. Put this on a bike mount and face the speaker toward you and there’s way more than enough power to enjoy music on a ride. Or, use the included wrist strap to hang it from a backpack or canopy on your weekend getaway.

The FM tuner is a nice touch and not one we find in many Bluetooth speakers. The first time you turn that on, it will seek out channels on its own. Additionally, the FM tuner can be used all by itself. So, feel free to leave the phone in the house and take the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM outside. Or, keep your handset in the bag while at the beach. The radio will work by itself and the speaker doesn’t mind the sand.

Volume and Sound

I found that I’d get the volume to about halfway up before I would get anxious. Any louder and I feared the other office tenants might complain. If I’m riding a bike, I don’t suspect I would get near that level in a public setting. Doing so would make me feel like an idiot as my music would announce my arrival far ahead of my physical one. It’s much louder than you might expect.

As you know, volume doesn’t necessarily equate to sound quality. I’d like to say that the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM delivers a robust listening experience at all levels, but that’s simply not true. I found that, on average, I could get the volume to around 60-70 percent before it would distort. Given the size, this is better than I anticipated.

Keeping this in mind, you won’t turn to this one to provide a soundtrack to a full-on family reunion at the park. A family picnic, though? Sure! Set it on the hood of your car and it can pump out the tunes while you practice your jump shot in the driveway.

Features

  • Bluetooth 3.0 A2DP wireless technology
  • Total output power: 10 W peak power
  • Single-unit 2.0 speaker + passive decompression driver
  • Frequency response: 130 Hz – 20,000 Hz
  • Built-in rechargeable 3.7 V 1500 mAh Li-ion (lithium-ion) battery
  • Battery life: 10 hours
  • 3.5 mm mini-jack auxiliary line input

Mobile App

Although you don’t need it, I definitely recommend installing the app. Not only does it give you better control over the radio stations, but it also lets users configure various equalizer settings. Switching from EDM to more traditional rock? Dial things up and down to get a better experience.

The app also lets you remotely power on and set the speaker to standby, create alarms, and set up sleep timers. You’ll also find at-a-glance indication of battery life so you know ahead of time if you should charge up before leaving the house.

Battery

Battery life is rated at 10 hours for normal music listening; we found that to be rather accurate, if not low. Volume levels always play a factor, of course, but can’t imagine having to charge this one up all that often. If you’re listening to the FM tuner on its own, the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM promises up to 18 hours. Charging takes anywhere from a few minutes up to about four hours.

Conclusion

I am always reluctant to name something the best you can buy, particularly because of price. A soft rule in life tells us that if you throw more money at something, you can get more out of the end result. Speakers are entirely different topics, though — especially portable, Bluetooth device.

With that in mind, I feel very confident in recommending the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM at its price. You can very easily spend more money and still come away with fewer features.

The sound is not as robust at high levels as I might like, but it’s not all that often that I need it that loud. I’ve already got speakers for those scenarios and I don’t need to replace them yet. But, I am always on the lookout for something portable that offers a nice range of features. This is one that can go into a backpack or carry-on without eating up precious space. The next time I pack for a long weekend or trip to the beach, the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM is probably the first one I will grab.

Where to Buy

You learn more about the WAE Outdoor 04Plus FM at the Hercules website. From there you can also find various retailers based on your country and whether you’re looking for retail or online outlets. The US site doesn’t list a price, but the UK variant does: £69.99. Head to Amazon and you’ll see it selling for $79.99 as of today.

 

Backing up your text messages is easy [How-To]

AndroidGuys
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What is the worst part of switching phones, factory resets, or installing a new ROM on your rooted device? Losing all of your text messages (at least for me it is). There are a few things we can do here to backup these messages and save the for after you figure out whatever is it that will release them.

There are two popular methods of performing this backup, the first uses XML files. it backs up all pertinent information from your SMS and MMS messages into an XML file (some even manage to backup your images). These can be restored through the corresponding app on the next phone. If you choose to use this method please remember to save the file off of your device (microSD card or Dropbox will work swimmingly) before you wipe it or get a new one or all your hard work will be for not.

The method we are going to use today is to backup all of your messages to your Gmail/Google Calendar by using tags and categories (don’t worry, there are apps out there that make it automated).

Prerequisites:

We do need to do a little prep here

  1. You must have a Gmail account.
  2. You must be logged into your google account on your device
  3. You must install SMS Backup + (we are going to use this app to perform the backup, and restore)

Save those messages:

This app is very straight forward. Let’s jump into how it works and we can talk about the rest later.

  1. Launch the app from the app drawer
  2. Tap the Connect box
    1. if you have multiple accounts, select which one you would like to backup to
  3. Tap allow to approve the connection
  4. Tap Backup to begin the backup of all of your current messages.

These are the basic steps to simply backup your message straight away. There are a ton of features that can be used in this app also. You can setup recurring backups, customize the tags and categories you would like to use in Gmail, restore messages from your Gmail, and customize any notifications.

Keep in mind this will backup all of your MMS messages but does not have a good feature to restore them at this time (bye bye group messages).

How do you backup your SMS/MMS messages? Does this sound useful? Would you like to see anything else specific? Drop us a comment below and let us know.

Google Maps picks up update that lets you make/share lists of cool locations

Alexandra Arici
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Just last week Google Maps received an update which allowed it to deliver real-time traffic info. Well today the app is getting a new one which adds a nifty option – making lists of cool places you can and then share them with the people you care about.

Did you read about a new club that’s playing the kind of you music you adore? Make sure you don’t forget about it! Search for it in maps and save it in one of the pre-set lists like “Want to Go” by tapping on the “Save icon”. Alternatively you can make your own lists like “Best sushi places”. To access your Saved lists, check the side menu under the Your Places section.

Users won’t be limited by the places that show up on the map and they will be able to add their own interest points via a pin.

Lists can easily be shared with friends and family via pretty much any apps you can think of plus email. The lists also saved offline, so when you’re not in vicinity of Wi-Fi or signal is bad you can easily access your pre-existing lists.

You can make your lists public, so other users will be able to follow these lists and have access to them on their respective devices, too.

With this update Google is picking up some cues from social networks like Facebook, which makes us wonder – how will Google Maps evolve? Recently the app has been updated with another useful function – the ability to call for an Uber, so it’s definitely progressing towards become more social.

Big Hunter lets you step back in time to fend for yourself (review)

AndroidGuys
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There are all kinds of weapons-based games in the Play Store: gun games, vehicle combat (airplane, tank, etc), archery, and the like. The South Korean developer Karakod Interactive wants to take us back even a few more millennia, back to the days of our cave-dwelling ancestors, with a game called Big Hunter. It puts us in the position of a caveman (caveperson?) whose job it is to harvest dinner. Big dinner. Like, really big dinner. With nothing but a set of spears to chuck at said big dinner. Let’s see how this goes.

Setup

Setup is easy, just download from the Play Store and open it up.

Gameplay

Gameplay is simple; almost too simple. You are set on the screen with a rather large game 15385410_1610582839251210_2404514555199592637_oanimal on the other side of the screen as you; could be an elk mammoth, or other, sillier creations. Right before starting, you’re shown the ‘soft spot’ of the animal in question; the area to aim for with your spear to make a fatal strike.
When I say “almost too simple” above, it’s because that’s all you do: you aim and throw your spears Angry-Birds-style at the animal…after taking a couple of shots, or after a short period of idleness by you, the animal will begin to charge you and take you out first. You can also backpedal by tapping on a corner of your screen. But it quickly boils down to you wildly flinging spears trying to kill before the wicked tusks/antlers/beak/other hit you and take you out in the process.

Screenshot_20170123-211452There is a “training camp” section, where you can practice or spar with fake game animals, scoring as many points as you can before missing a total of 5 times. Once you feel confident enough, you’re free to go out into the wild to harvest your dinner. As you progress you are afforded the opportunity to upgrade your weaponry, from premium spears, to axes, and so forth.

But the game can go from too-simple to almost too-difficult, as well. The aforementioned 13086773_1534265126882982_2579979495855140378_osoft spot can be quite discrete….that is to say, small. It can quite difficult to hit this spot, and this can get quite aggravating. Both my son & I tried repeatedly to get through the middle stages of the game, without any success; we kept getting run over repeatedly without progress.
As a hunter, you start out on ‘Day 1’ and have to complete one kill per day. Maybe we are just pretty terrible with this game, but it sure seemed like the way to win a level was always elusive…we couldn’t get past ‘Day 8′ for the longest time, and every level after that was a struggle.

The days’ challenges can vary; from being given only a limited amount of spears to throw, to having only a limited amount of time to down your quarry.

Visuals & Sound

This is one of my favorite parts of this game. The graphics and animations are really good, with a clean 3D look. Some animals are dark and monochromatic, while some of the practice animals are more silly, appearing wooden in a realistic way, within hinged necks and such, carried by your fellow tribesman,and don’t come across as threatening at all. Your hunter avatar is more or less a featureless silhouette, with a bright white eyes.
The background is generally a solid color; a rather soothing sunset-yellow, with a large yellow setting sun in the background.

13086966_1534265136882981_6114718142189072383_oSound is pretty good, though it can get tiresome. The background music is as-expected African percussion, though it can swing to the Disney-side of things. Sound effects in general are very muted, as the music takes and holds prominence.

Conclusion

Overall I like Big Hunter. As a former hunter and avid outdoorsman myself, I actually found it kind of fun using a spear to harvest large prey in a gaming format. It’s likely not the most politically-correct game available, and I can see many gamers and parents declining to even download this title. But those who do may find some quality game time in the unique context of hunting for your own dinner.

Download Big Hunter from the Play Store here.

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