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LG Watch Sport to be available from AT&T for $49.99 with LG smartphone purchase

Alexandra Arici
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LG just unveiled its latest Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches, the flagship LG Watch Sport and the more affordable LG Watch Style.

We told you the LG Watch Sport will become available with Verizon starting February 11, but as it turns out interested customers will be able to grab it from AT&T as well.

The LG Watch Sport is the larger, bulkier variant of the two new Android Wear 2.0 wearables. It features 1.38-inch display with 480 x 480 resolution and 492 ppi. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 2100 processor working in concert with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.

But these are just the bare specs. Now let us tell you more about the functions the watch brings to the tablet. Unlike the LG Watch Style, the Watch Sport features an embedded GPS and heart-rate monitor, which are meant to sustain workouts or other sporting activities.

It also has NFC onboard, so customers will be able to make use of Android Pay. Speaking of which, there are two extra buttons on the Watch Sport – one to swiftly launch Google Fit health and fitness travel app and another to summon Android Pay.

It’s also important to remind you that the LG Watch Sport comes with cellular connectivity which means users can receive phone calls even if they don’t have the paired phone in close proximity. This is a great feature to have when you go for a run and you don’t want to take the phone with you (who needs more bulk, right?).

Last but not least, the LG Watch Sport comes with the Google Assistant, which was so far exclusive to the Pixel and Pixel XL.

Starting on February 10, AT&T will offer the LG Watch Sport for $17.50/month for 20 months on an AT&T Installment Plan. Or you can grab it for $49.99 with a 2-year agreement when you purchase the LG G5 or LG V20 on AT&T Next.

LG formally reveals Watch Style, Watch Sport wearables

AndroidGuys
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LG today officially launched its two latest smartwatches, the LG Watch Style and LG Watch Sport. Both ship with Android Wear 2.0 on board and feature circular displays, however each speaks to a different demographic.

LG Watch Style

The smaller of the two models, this one comes with exchangeable leather wrist straps and silver, titanium, or rose gold enclosures. Key hardware details break down as follows:

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 1.1GHz processor
  • 1.2-inch P-OLED display at 360×360 pixels
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4GB internal storage
  • 240mAh battery
  • WiFi and Bluetooth connections
  • $249

The LG Watch Style will be available at Best Buy and the Google Store starting on Feb. 10. It will be sold in Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, and the U.K. in the coming weeks.

LG Watch Sport

Geared toward the active user, this fitness-based wearable has plastic materials and a number of sensors. It’s robust all the way around, inside and out.

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 1.1GHz processor
  • 1.2-inch P-OLED display at 480×480 pixels
  • 768MB RAM
  • 4GB internal storage
  • 430mAh battery
  • GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth connections
  • NFC
  • $380

The LG Watch Sport will be available at Best Buy and the Google Store, as well as from AT&T and Verizon Wireless starting on Feb. 10. It will be sold in Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, and the U.K. in the coming weeks.

 

Verizon to start selling new LG Watch Sport and exclusive Wear24 smartwatch soon

Alexandra Arici
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Verizon just announced it will be offering two brand new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches soon. Following Android Wear 2.0’s official announcement today, Verizon said the all-new LG Watch Sport and exclusive Wear24 smartwatch are the latest products added to its portfolio.

Both wearable come equipped with cellular connectivity, so users will be able to receive calls/texts on their wrists even if their smartphone is not in vicinity. Here’s what you can expect from the two smartwatches:

LG Watch Sport:

• 1.38-inch display with 480 x 480 pixel resolution
• 768MB of RAM
• 4GB of internal storage
• 430 mAh battery
• GPS
• Heart-rate monitor
• Android Pay support
• Google Fit 2.0 offers coaching via activity tracking goals
• Google Assistant
• Water resistant (can be submerged in up to 5ft of water for up to 30 min)

The LG Watch Sport will be available for pre-order starting February 10 for $329.99 a pop with a new two-year contract.

Wear24

• 1.39-inch AMOLED display
• Android Pay support
• 450 mAh battery
• Water resistant (can be submerged in up to 3.3ft of water for up to 30 min)
• Verizon exclusive
• Comes with pre-installed watch faces

Verizon’s own Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch will become available in March for $299.99 a piece with a new two-year contract.

Note that you can add any of the two watches to an existing plan for $5 per month.

These watches will receive Android Wear 2.0 updates

AndroidGuys
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Are you an owner of an Android Wear-powered smartwatch? Chances are good that you’ll see a software update that brings about a host of new features.

With the new Android Wear 2.0 release being made available today, the updated platform is launching with a handful of wearables. However, just like we find with phones, the software and new tricks will come to existing products, too.

According to Google, there are nearly two dozen models expected to see the Android Wear 2.0 update. As you might suspect, it’s comprised of pretty much everything in the second generation of smartwatches and newer.

  • ASUS ZenWatch 2
  • ASUS ZenWatch 3
  • Casio Smart Outdoor Watch
  • Casio PRO TREK Smart
  • Fossil Q Founder
  • Fossil Q Marshal
  • Fossil Q Wander
  • Huawei Watch
  • LG Watch R
  • LG Watch Urbane
  • LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE
  • Michael Kors Access Smartwatches
  • Moto 360 2nd Gen
  • Moto 360 for Women
  • Moto 360 Sport
  • New Balance RunIQ
  • Nixon Mission
  • Polar M600
  • TAG Heuer Connected

Google launches Android Wear 2.0 with a handful of new watches

AndroidGuys
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Google today formally announced that Android Wear 2.0 is now available to device makers and consumers. First teased at Google I/0 2016, the wearable platform had been subject to multiple preview releases since last May.

Android Wear improves upon its earlier release in a variety of ways. Most notably, the platform lets apps run directly on a wearable without need to stay connected to a nearby phone. Moreover, the platform now supports LTE connections, opening the door to more watches with standalone service.

Android Wear 2.0 also supports an on-watch Google Play Store. Indeed, it is possible in some models to install apps and use them totally independent of a phone.

Additional features in Android Wear 2.0 include a circular interface, swipe-to-dismiss, one-click Google sign-in, and enhanced complications. Watches faces can now show data and details from other apps, including fitness information.

Messaging is also improved in Android Wear 2.0 thanks to better handwriting recognition, an on-device keyboard, and voice controls.

Last, but certainly not least, the updated version of Android Wear brings about Google Assistant. Previously available on the Pixel phones and Google Home, it lets wears say, “Okay, Google” to perform voice-based searches and queries.

Make a restaurant reservation or navigate to work. You can even update your shopping list right from your wrist.

Android Wear 2.0 ships with a handful of new watches, including the LG Watch Sport and Watch Style. Further, Verizon is the exclusive provider of the Wear24, another model powered by the new release. Looking ahead, Google plans to push software updates to a number of current watches powered by Android Wear.

Ulefone Gemini sales commence February 14

AndroidGuys
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With the Spring Festival holiday out of the way, it’s a new year for Chinese handset makers. As such, Ulefone is ready to hit the ground running. Next week sees the company launching its Gemini smartphone.

Initially announced a few weeks ago, the Ulefone Gemini offers up a dual-camera experience on the back of the phone. Housed in a unibody metal case, the device runs Android 6.0 and features a 5.5-inch FHD display with 2.5D glass with Gorilla Glass coating.

As for the dual-setup, the 13-megapixel rear camera is paired with a 5-megapixel unit. The former is designed for general imaging while the latter picks of depth of focus for blurred backgrounds and more professional pictures.

Under the hood is a 1.5GHz, 3GB RAM, and 32GB of storage. Users who need extra space can take advantage of the microSD card slot for up to 256GB of additional room. Other noteworthy specifications include an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, a fingerprint reader and 3250mAh battery.

Color options for the Gemini include black, silver, and gold. Pricing has not been disclosed just yet, but Ulefone is offering a $70 discount coupon toward the phone ahead of its launch. Limited to 6,000 buyers, it’s a combination of $40 instant rebate and $30 gift. There’s also a chance for you to enter for a free Gemini, too!

Your next smartphone will be able to shoot super slow 1080p video at 1,000 fps

Alexandra Arici
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Sony might not be your favorite smartphone maker, but the company surely rules supreme when it comes to image sensors. Actually in all possibility, your current smartphone takes advantage of a Sony camera sensor.

Well this week the Japanese giant has announced its latest development in sensor technology for mobile phones – a 3-layer BSI CMOS sensor that packs its own DRAM inside which is capable of shooing stunning slow motion videos in full HD 1080p resolution at a whopping 1,000 fps.

Current CMOS sensor feature two layers – the image sensor itself and a circuit section designed to process signals that the sensor produces. Well now Sony has added a third a third layer which brings extra memory to the table. The technology allows the new sensor to process a still image at 19.3MP in only 1/120 of a second – which, we’re told is 4 times faster than the older IMX318 sensor.

The sensor itself features 21.2MP pixels and can record 4K video at 60fps or 240fps in Full HD. To compare, the Google Pixel can shoot 1080p video at 120fps or 720p video at 240fps – so as you can see the difference is quite impressive. The slow motion capture can be programed to set itself off whenever a fast-moving object is detected and because its stored in the sensor’s own DRAM it won’t have an impact on camera performance.

Below we have attached for you a super slow motion video so you can see the new sensor at work:

Sony hasn’t shared any details about when we can expect to see a smartphone carrying the new wonder sensor, but it won’t probably be right away. Although it’s definitely something to look forward too.

Roblox is waaayy more than a game (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Normally in this space you can count on me bringing you a review of a new or unique game or app experience. I say ‘normally’ as this experience is regarding a single game or app, capable of a single portal into a world, a sport, and utility. One; single.

roblox-bannerAnd I thought I was going to have this normal assignment when downloading Roblox, a ‘game’ available for download in the Play Store. I use the quotes as Roblox isn’t just a single game; it’s actually an entire gaming universe, consisting of dozens of titles….a lot of them user-generated. It’s intended, built, and maintained for children; though everyone age 8 to 18 is welcome to play, the majority of their user base is age 8-12.

Setup

Roblox is free to download from the Play Store. Upon download, you sign up and create an account. After that you create your avatar, and off you go- you’re provided a small piece of real estate in the Roblox universe and a tool box in which to hold the items you acquire.
And once you’re in, you’re offered all kinds of options. And that’s exactly the point of Roblox. It’s built to be a comprehensive and safe place for children to congregate, play, and communicate with each other.

roblox_robot-danceWhile the app is free, there are subscription offerings (dubbed the “Builders Club”) to upgrade your experience. This includes premium avatar upgrades, managing multiple locations, and removing on-screen ads. There is also an in-app currency called “Robux”, that are mainly acquired through U.S. currency. Robux allow you to further customize avatars, acquire assorted building materials & tools, and attain special abilities throughout the games.

roblox_pizza-deliveryGameplay

The basis of Roblox is focused on creativity and building, while encouraging community among its players. Inside the app are lots (and I mean lots) of game/world/environment options to enter.

Security

A natural worry about an app that openly solicits to children would be security of said children with in the app. Roblox offers a a couple of levels of security: for all players, Roblox actively monitors all chats for inappropriate content or behavior. For players under the age of 13, there are further restrictions on who can communicate with them.

They also offer a web page to parents to help answer any questions that may remain, as well as a fairly open contact policy for parents who still may have concerns
(https://corp.roblox.com/parents/).

Visuals and Audio

For as expansive as the game options are, and for how pretty the screenshots are in the first half of this article, the fact that the individual games are community-generated can be evident a lot of times. Overall, most games come off as looking amateur-ish, with washed-out colors and blocky visuals. It needs to be said that this seems to be by intent, as you can easily tell a Roblox game with just a glance.

The audio on the game is also hit-or-miss, again due to leaving the game development to its users. Similar to the visual quality, while there are some true gems within this universe, for the most part the games can and do sound the same. That’s not to say they sound bad, but for the most part these definitely aren’t big-studio productions your playing here.

Overall

As an adult being asked to review Roblox, and even given expansive game selection within the app, I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. While you can be just about anything you want in the app (and build it yourself if it isn’t available), a lost of the games come of as a bit watered-down versions of similar high-end genres and individual titles.

But, again, I’m an adult. After downloading and playing for a bit, I handed the tablet to my 10-year-old (and an admitted Minecraft addict), and said, “Try this and tell me what you think”.

Three hours later I found him on his bed, eyes welded to the 8″ screen. My natural question was, “Are you back on Minecraft?”. The response I got was “No, still on Roblox. This game is awesome!”. And investigating further, I found that he was still on the first game he jumped into (a Minecraft emulator, but whatever). He was completely locked in, and kept going on about how cool the world was, and what he could do with his avatar, materials, tools, and weapons. I did not know what would ever wean him from the Minecraft choke-hold…..I may have found it.

Download Roblox from the Play Store here.

9 apps to help you save money when shopping for clothes

Alexandra Arici
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Clothes can certainly dry up your budget extremely quickly, especially if you have a soft spot for shopping. Luckily our always presents smartphones can be turned into a great tool for keeping our closets always updated without spending outrageous amounts of money.

All you need to do is download a few apps on your phone and you’ll be quickly given access to databases of coupons or get notified about the latest promotions. To make it easier for you, we have complied a list of useful apps which we believe will come in handy when you’re trying to save money on clothes:

Cartwheel by Target

Target is one of the biggest retail chains in the US and naturally they also sell clothing. Target collections may not be the most fashionable around, but they do aim to be comfortable and fun to wear.

The Cartwheel by Target app will display hundreds of discounts ranging from 5% to 50% on items including clothing. The app makes it easy to search for a particular product, by letting you choose from categories like Apparel, Baby or Electronics. Or you can simply use the search bar to look for a specific item (example: Yellow blouse).

Ibotta

Ibotta is a great app for professional discount hunters. The app has partnered up with more than 300 retailers (including Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, Macy’s, The Body Shop, Whole Foods and more) to help you save money and get cash back on things you buy every day including fashion items.

With Ibotta you can unlock the rebates you want and then go and buy the products from the affiliated stores. Verify the purchase and your rebate will be forwarded to your Ibotta account with 24 hours or so. Earnings can be exchanged for gifts cards to be used at Starbucks, iTunes and more.

HauteLook

Maybe you want to go beyond the standard garb offered by retailers like Target or Walmart. If that’s the case, you might want to download HauteLook. The app features flash sales on high-end clothing, accessories and beauty items. It can also send out notifications alerting users of new discounts (up to 50-75% off).

RetailMeNot

The app delivers online codes and printable coupons that will enable you to save big. RetailMeNow displays deals from over 50,000 retailers including fashion. As a bonus, the app will request access to your location, so it can show all the deals nearby.

Poshmark

Have a few clothing items in your closet you wouldn’t mind parting from? Poshmark is the number one online consignment solution for those who want to have more space in their closet and make a buck of it too.

Once you make a little bit of money from selling your old garb, you can immediately spend your cash on new clothes, also via Poshmark. The app allows fashionistas to shop over 5,000 brands in every size at up to 70% off retail prices.

Wish

Wish claims it’s the number one shopping mall in Europe and North America. Don’t believe them? Install the app and start browsing through their wide selection of clothing items, accessories and even electronics.

Wish delivers hourly deals (2 featured products receive extra discounts every hour) and a Deal Dash (once-a-day extra discount on a select number of items). You can have your choice at dresses, tops, pants, shoes, boots for any occasion. Accessories such as watches, wallets, bags and rings are also available for your pleasure.

Romwe

Romwe is certainly one of favorite fashion apps out there. The online retailer countless stylish outfit options, so if you want to keep up with the trends you will certainly check out Romwe. You’ll find there are plenty discounts available and shipping is free wordwide. Users can also easily save products to their wishlist and buy later when funding becomes available.

JackThreads

Guys need affordable elegant clothing items too, right. JackThreads is exactly what they need. The app allows gentlemen to try things at home for free and only pay for what works. The rest gets sent back and shipping costs are covered by JackThreads.

Prices are kept affordable and with the trying out at home option, you will be able to purchase only the clothes you’ll know you will wear.

Vinted

Pretty much like PoshMark, Vinted allows you to make money from your old clothes. The app allows you to easily list and sell clothing items you no longer want. You can also shop. Grab your new or gently used boho clothes, urban outfits and comfy UGG boots at a bargain. With Vinted you can find nearby sellers and view video listings to make sure you’re buying the right thing.

Is AMP a necessary complication for delivering mobile content? (PROMOTED)

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Let’s face it. Mobile devices have long overtaken desktop, in terms of content access. If you’re reading this on a smartphone, you’re one of the hundreds of millions who probably prefer to access mobile web and apps on their devices than their desktops. In emerging markets even, most people’s first computers are smartphones and not desktops nor laptops.

For content producers, it might be overwhelming to keep tabs on all the developments on the technical side of running a website. You can never simply ignore these new trends. Even if your main focus is producing and developing content, you will eventually run into trouble if you don’t adapt well to the needs of your audience and platform.

For one, digital content consumption has shifted to mobile, and this means catering to some new sets of usability considerations. Among the top user experience (UX) concerns today is mobile speed, for example. Mobile users want their content to load quickly. A study by Google has revealed that users are likely to abandon slow-loading mobile sites if they load for more than 3 seconds.

In order to address this, Google launched the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project. However, this might involve an added complication, which can be cumbersome for most content producers who would rather worry about creative ways to engage followers than worry about the “web stuff”.

Is AMP just a buzzword, or is it going to be one of those things that you just need to deal with inevitably?

What is AMP?

What exactly is AMP anyway? Google intends for AMP to be the new standard for mobile pages. The goal, essentially, is to speed up page load times for mobile. However, instead of focusing on optimizing existing web development approaches, they’re offering their own way of doing things.

AMP works by limiting the elements that sites can use to ensure that pages load properly. AMP is made up of three components – AMP HTML, AMP JS, and Google AMP Cache. These are all tweaked and streamlined versions of the existing HTML standards and JavaScript libraries. It sacrifices visual richness for a minimalist look, but page load times can be blazingly quick.

Many visitors are attracted to plenty of visuals and design eye candy. Thus, many websites today can be filled so much bloat that some mobile devices find it hard to load the content. To speed things up, AMP trims the fat and keeps pages as light as possible. While mobile devices are getting faster, keep in mind that Android is the dominant mobile operating system especially for inexpensive albeit globally popular off-brand phones. That comprises a significant market that Google doesn’t want to lose out on.

Why bother with AMP?

Aside from faster loading times, what actual benefits could AMP bring? Google has been teasing everyone about how page load times will eventually factor in their search algorithms. Their previous changes, like penalizing pages with mobile unfriendly designs have been instrumental to compelling site owners to use responsive design. This means AMP should help sites load faster and become better-optimized for search results.

But this is where the image of Google rubbing their hands with glee comes in. Obviously search visibility is a compelling reason to implement AMP, but as far as integrations are concerned, you may find yourself looking at limited options. AMP works perfectly fine with Google AdSense and Analytics, although it may support other services later on.

This can be a tough choice for those who rely on non-Google integrations. If your best earning ad network isn’t in the list of supported services, then tough luck. And it isn’t as if putting ads on AMP pages is just a matter of pasting snippets like in “regular” HTML pages. Integration with tools such as marketing automation and forms will also be limited. So it appears that using AMP means sticking to Google’s other products, as well.

Are there alternatives?

The problem with AMP is that implementing it may require significant redevelopment of your website, especially if your system is a customized one. Those using popular content management systems like WordPress may find it easier to transition with add-ons like the AMP plugin. However, this only works if you need a straightforward generation of AMP pages without customization. AMP for WP is an alternative plugin with some customization allowed, but some site owners still find it tedious to comply. For now, it appears nothing beats a targeted development for AMP to ensure 100% compliance and validation. But this may mean additional investment on your end.

There are, of course, other options for optimizing content for mobile. For instance, using a content delivery network (CDN) can readily give your pages some increase in performance. CDNs work by caching your site resources on servers in different parts of the globe, in order to reduce latency, effectively distributing your content over the cloud, regardless of where it is hosted. CDN services like Incapsula even provide added security bundled with its CDN service, which protects your site from bot and DDoS attacks. These features are available even with their free tier.

If page load time is all you’re concerned about, there are optimization techniques and performance services that can help speed up your website. Fixing issues and optimizing elements found by a PageSpeed Insights scan can keep your mobile scores up and may very well be enough. In fact, switching to a faster server or webhost can significantly have an impact on your site’s performance. So will simply reducing the images and other media on your mobile and web content.

So should content developers go with AMP?

The jury is still out with AMP. For now, Google isn’t exactly penalizing sites that aren’t built on AMP. For the meantime, here’s a compromise. Optimize your site and put it on a CDN. These should give you enough of a performance boost to keep within the 3 second load time demand. It can also be difficult to lose out on your existing revenue streams just because integration with AMP isn’t supported, so why gamble on that if there’s no immediate harm from not shifting to the platform.

However, keep a watchful eye on Google AMP and search developments. If you can make the investment, you can start working on an AMP solution for your site. Hopefully, there will be better tools and better integration before Google drops the bomb and requires sites to run it.

Featured Image: Pixabay

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