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Subway Surfers: Surfing it’s way into my heart (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Overview:

Subway Surfers is a Temple Run-styled infinite runner game that has a lot of charm and adds some neat elements to the familiar gameplay mechanics.

Developer: Kiloo

Cost: Free (With ads and microtransactions)

Impressions:

Temple Run was once king of the infinite runner genre, with its tight gameplay and simple controls that had you pushing for just one more high score every time. It’s been a long time since those days, and Temple Run is still around, and still fun to play, but there are so many new infinite runner games that some truly good ones get lost in the shuffle. Subway Surfers is one of those games.

Subway Surfers’ gameplay is nothing new, you simply steer your character with swipes to avoid obstacles and collect coins and powerups. The developers added some extra tricks as well, like a “no crash” hoverboard powerup and moving platforms that add some challenge and strategy to your runs. For the most part, it’s a standard infinite runner with a good balance of fun and challenge that I could recommend it to anyone.

The graphics are bright and colorful and have a cute cartoon art style that is kid friendly. There is a surprising number of customization options that are unlockable with both in-game currency and in-game collectibles as well, which is a welcome sight. You have a number of characters, costumes, and cosmetic changes to choose from to add some flair to your game and give you a goal to shoot for while playing. The music is nothing too inspired, but it doesn’t get in the way so that’s nice.

Microtransactions and ads are present as well, as expected from a free-to-play mobile game, but thankfully they are unintrusive for the most part. I’d put Subway Surfers on the tolerable side of the spectrum here. Thankfully they reward you for viewing ads with keys and other collectibles so it’s not just ads in your face for nothing. The social aspects of the game are fairly light. You can link your Facebook account for rewards and leaderboards against your friends, but not much else. There is no multiplayer to speak of, which is understandable but would have been an interesting addition.

Conclusion

I don’t have too much negative to say about Subway Surfers. It’s an all-around polished and solid game that offers a lot of content for a simple infinite runner game. If I had to pick something negative it would be that the game is a tad too easy, and also that the microtransactions seem fairly pointless since they really only unlock cosmetics faster. On the whole, Subway Surfers is a good game, and if you’re looking for a fun infinite runner to play or something for the kids’ tablet, then I’d definitely recommend this one.

Download Subway Surfers from the Google Play Store

Dancing Line Review

AndroidGuys
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If you’ve ever played a music/rhythm game before, you know the premise is usually simple; listen to the music to react appropriately and progress through the game. In Dancing Line, from Cheetah Mobile, you guide a line through a constantly changing world by tapping to the beat of the music. The game starts out easy, but by the time you progress to the second level, you’ll find the challenge ramps up dramatically.

Tap on the screen anywhere to change the trajectory of the forever-moving line
Tap on the screen anywhere to change the trajectory of the forever-moving line

The overall look of Dancing Line is simplistic and clean. The world animates before you as you guide your line through the level. Your path becomes more clear as the world changes before you. Blocks will build up or slam down, paths will narrow or be revealed in a smooth animated way and weather effects will obstruct your view dynamically as you tap to the music. Cheetah Games has done a great job in building a clean and sharp, polygonal world for you to explore.

Being that Dancing Line is a musical game it’s important that the tunes are well composed and fitting. Thankfully both of these requirements are met in a satisfying fashion. The music is catchy with orchestral instruments layered in harmony to convey a feeling that pairs well with the visuals. It’s not music you’ll be humming years down the road, but it’s done well and fits perfectly within the aesthetic.

dancing line green
Dancing Line’s overall look is simplistic and beautiful at the same time

Dancing Line is a game focused on skill–and you’ll need plenty of skill to complete later levels. Fortunately, if you get stuck on one level, you can skip around to test your tapping skills on any one of the four main levels. From the level selection screen you can see how your furthest progression, but there are no checkpoints, so you always start from the very beginning. There are five levels to play through in total, although the final one is pay-to-play, and there’s also a promise of more levels to come soon. This is a fair amount as the difficulty and length of each level provides for a healthy amount of challenge.

If you fail a level (by running off of the course or into a barrier), you will have to use one of your cubes to try again. Your cubes are limited but there is an option to attain more cubes for more playtime. You can purchase 50 cubes for $.99 or get an infinite amount for 24 hours for $1.99; or just wait for your energy to recharge over time to play more in the future. Dancing Line is also ad-supported but offers the option to remove ads for a one-time payment of $4.99.

Dancing Line supports achievements and Google Play Game services to retain your completion level as your move between devices. Within the settings menu, you can toggle graphical quality in order to play on less powerful hardware, or turn off sound completely for a real challenge.

Cheetah Games has put together a respectable, albeit short, piece of gaming software that fans of the music genre can instantly enjoy. The challenge level is high and sometimes frustrating, but the overall experience is fun and engaging.

Dancing Line Informational

ExpressVPN Router Review: Fixing the root of the problem

Jason Botha
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As someone who occasionally uses a VPN to change my location, I do find it a bit annoying when I have several devices that need to be connected. I have to set it up on each individual device, and that’s not to mention the fact that the VPN connection sometimes drops and I’m unaware of it.

This is why I was intrigued when I heard about a router that connected itself to the VPN service. Because the router directs traffic to my devices, it’s basically a “blanket” solution that results in just the router being connected, while all your connected devices are automatically routed through the VPN.

It’s actually quite a simple yet clever way to ensure that all of your devices remain connected to a VPN without worrying about connecting them individually. It’s also a very convenient solution considering the fact that some devices, like Apple TV, cannot connect to a VPN independently.

If you’re unsure about how a VPN works or what exactly it does, you can read our comprehensive guide on it here.

But before we go further into the VPN, let’s start by peeking at the hardware a little bit first.

Hardware

The router that ExpressVPN uses is a mid-range Linksys WRT1200AC. One of the more popular models, the device is flexible to the user’s needs and offers a wide range of features for any person.

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The general design of the Linksys is nothing radical, and is pretty much what one might think of when they think of a router. The main shell comprises of aluminium and immediately gives you a sense of a premium product.

It has two antennas on the back, one for 2.4gHz and another for 5gHz. The 5gHz frequency allows for faster broadcast times over shorter distances, as compared to the 2.4gHz which goes farther out but at a slower speed.

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I found the broadcast range acceptable and average – the 2.4gHz will go a lot farther than the 5gHz however, and I didn’t see too much difference in terms of speed. Although, you probably will if you have a fast enough internet line.

Inside the router, you’ll find a typical ARM-based dual-core processor that has 256MB DDR3 RAM, along with 128MB of flash storage. While the specs may sound dismal when compared to cellphones, it’s important to remember that routers need much less resources as compared to other devices.

In fact, the specs listed above are rather good for a router, and at no time whatsoever did I feel like the router couldn’t keep up while I was streaming or I had lots of devices connected at once.

In terms of connections and ports, the router has four Gigabit Ethernet LAN output ports and one Gigabit WAN (Internet) input port. It also features a USB 3.0 port and another port that can work as either a USB 2.0 or an eSATA, meaning that the router can host media and act as a server.

expressvpn routerThe LED lights that grace the front of the router that show Internet connections and WiFi status are also very comprehensive, to the point that you can customize them to go totally off regardless of activity or even change their colour depending of what’s happening. This is a very handy feature that I liked about the router as the LED’s are the main source of communication that you have with it.

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ExpressVPN uses this router to install their own software on it, allowing you to connect to their VPN through it.

ExpressVPN

This is where the router gets quite interesting. ExpressVPN has their own operating system for routers that can be flashed over the original software, sort of in the way that phone owners install CyanogenMod on their devices to extend its capabilities.

This software allows you to have the original features of the router – on top of a VPN.

After plugging the router in and logging into the router settings, I was immediately blown away at the presentation of ExpressVPN’s software – it was somewhat professional and gave a positive impression that ExpressVPN did the router properly.

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You might be wondering now about subscriptions and accounts and stuff – but don’t be frightened. Setup is straight forward.

Firstly, you need to sign up for ExpressVPN and choose from one of the packages- dependant on your needs, of course. Once that is done, you get a universal key that can be used on any device. Of course, because you have the ExpressVPN router, you only need to put it in once instead of entering into all your devices.

Once the key is entered, you can then choose your country and adjust a few other minor settings. Speaking from experience, ExpressVPN is one the VPN’s that offer the most amount of countries. Locations range from Kazakhstan to New York. This is definitely a strong point as a location closer to you results in faster speeds.

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You may see that there’s actually an update available – a good sign already that ExpressVPN continuously supports and updates it.

I found this entire setup process extremely easy to carry out. Almost everyone would be able to set it up at home.

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The rest of the router interface is easy to use. You’ll find settings where you’d expect them to be in the menu, and changing them is straightforward – no complicated terms or jargon to confuse you.

In terms of the actual VPN connection, I found it incredibly stable, but there is indeed a slight speed drop. This will ultimately depend a lot on your location and server, as previously discussed.

In the event that the VPN connection drops, all internet traffic is blocked until reconnection or manual override.

If there’s anywhere where the router could improve, I’d point out that some advanced software features would be appreciated. For example, QoS (Quality of service) ensures that the bandwidth gets shared equally and prevents users from hogging the network. It’s a setting that I could not find, and if it’s already implemented deep in the router, I could not adjust its settings.

That being said, the router does offer some nifty software features, like a real-time graph of network traffic.

In all, I found the VPN router a worthy device. It’s a simple idea that ExpressVPN turned into a powerful tool to ensure that your security and identity comes first. It’s one a a few in the market and it does the job perfectly.

The cheaper model (the one in this review) will set you back about $150, while the better models will obviously set you back more. There’s a comprehensive guide from ExpressVPN about purchasing a router over here.

The product used in this review was supplied by the manufacturer for purposes of a fair and honest review. We write and score our reviews independently of any kind of monetary or product compensation. If you have questions about our review or feel that we were at all unfair, we encourage you to leave a comment so we may engage you in discussion about it.

Smart Lights on a budget [How-To]

AndroidGuys
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Say you want to get in on the whole “smart home” craze that has begun to pick up steam, but you don’t want to break the bank just to get your lights to come on automatically. Well thankfully, there are a bunch of wallet-friendly solutions for getting your lighting situation into the “smart home” bubble.

Prerequisites:

  1. Strong home Wi-Fi
  2. A budget
  3. Electricity

Setup:

There are only a few steps for getting smart lights on a budget:

  1. Choosing your light source
  2. Choosing your control method
  3. Integration and optional expansion

Step 1: Choosing your light source

The first thing you’ll need is LED light bulbs. They don’t have to be smart bulbs necessarily, but they are also an option. Regular old-fashioned light bulbs of yesterday won’t get the job done anymore for automated lights, unfortunately. They don’t offer the dimmable functions or efficiency of a standard LED bulb, so it’s time to upgrade! Luckily LED bulbs are rather inexpensive now, a 4-pack of standard size bulbs runs you about 20 bucks at your local store. Also, there are some affordable smart bulb solutions that can get you started even faster but are a bit more expensive.

philips smart bulbs

Smart bulbs from brands like Belkin, GE, LIFX, Philips, and Tikteck are offered in more affordable packages that won’t break the bank for a few bulbs and are also expandable within the brand ecosystem so you can add more lights in the future. Choose the one that looks right to you based on features and price, and set them up for the easiest way to get started with smart home light control.

Step 2: Choosing your control method

Once you’ve decided your lighting choice, the next step is to pick your method of control. There are a few options to control non-smart LED bulbs including smart plugs and smart switches.

wemo

WeMo is a Belkin brand of smart home devices that offer a few different solutions for smart light control. The easiest is the smart plug, a $40 smart outlet that attaches to your current lamps and lights, allowing them to be turned on and off remotely or on a schedule. Just plug it in and set it up on your phone using the app, and you’re done. There are a few different models of smart plug from WeMo that offer additional features and cost a bit more, but we’re focusing on the cheapest option here. Alternatively, the WeMo Light Switch replaces your current light switch for $50 and does much the same thing as the plug version, but for any lights controlled by that switch.

D-Link is alternative to WeMo, as they offer a smart outlet of their own for slightly less money and a bit less functionality. However, if you’re just looking for cheap automated lights and nothing too fancy, then the D-Link smart plugs are a strong option. Other brands offer smart plugs and switches as well, like Lutron, Philips, and Logitech. These tend to be a bit more expensive and require a hub or other hardware to function, however, so may not be the best budget option.

So once you’ve picked your smart system of choice; be it bulbs, switches, plugs or a starter kit, the only thing left to do is to set them up in your home and on your wireless network. Each device has it’s own setup process, so once you’ve completed that you are all set up with smart lighting done affordably. Depending on how many lights and your method of control, a couple of room’s worth of smart lights should cost less than $250.

Step 3: Integration and optional expansion

echo dot and tap

Now, the final step for true smart home light control would be integration into other smart home systems. Products like Google Home and Amazon’s Echo Dot, a $50 smart home hub and speaker, will allow you to voice-control most popular brands of smart products. There are few options this robust in the sub $100 price range, but if eventually down the line you want to add more smart home devices and lighting options there are a few to consider. Products from Samsung, Logitech, and apps like IFTTT all allow additional control over your smart home.

See Also: Making your house WiFi enabled with Alexa and WeMo

Use Google Home to control your lights with Hue

Samsung’s SmartThings, a whole-home smart system that controls most popular brands through a hub and app. The Smart Things ecosystem includes door sensors, light control, and motion sensing along with other smart home devices like garage door openers, cameras, and even sprinklers and door locks. The price for entry into Samsung’s system is reasonable and comes with a few sensors to get you started, but is totally optional as well. Also, the Logitech Harmony remote system is a good option, which offers control of lights and plugs connected to your smart home as well as your entire home theater setup as well, all on the app or one of their excellent remotes.

Smart home technology doesn’t have to break your bank account these days, and even the most simple smart lighting solution can save you money and give you peace of mind. So go ahead and embrace the Internet of Things into your home, and get your own smart home lighting system set up today!

BoomBuoy Floating Waterproof Speaker review

Scott Webster
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When you think of all of the places you take your phone and listen to music, one place we rarely picture is the bathroom. Typically we conjure up images of school, office, backyards, and general outdoors. But, the truth is, we bathe daily (or should, at least) and a lot of us like to sing in the shower. Why don’t you have a speaker to accompany you or provide background music?

We’ve been playing with the BoomBuoy portable waterproof speaker from Scosche for the last few weeks. Designed to float in water and withstand rain and basic outdoor elements, it’s a small (roughly 4-inch diameter) unit that can clip to a backpack. The clip can also be used, of course, to hang it in the shower.

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Given its size we didn’t expect a ton of power out of the BoomBuoy. Indeed, it doesn’t get all that loud when used outdoors. If you’re clipping it on your backpack (carabiner included) or waist, you’ll have enough volume to hear things clearly, just don’t expect to really rock it out. On the other hand, should you hang it in the shower, you’ll have plenty to wake yourself up in the morning.

Staying with the topic, we did find the sound to be tinny and grainy but that varied based on music genre. If you’re the kind of person who likes to listen to news and podcasts as you go about your morning rituals, you’ll enjoy the sound; spoken word was a pleasure. On the other hand, you’ll not want to crank this too loudly in places where you plan to have conversation. It’s a good background music source and works better when it’s not the center of attention.

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There are a handful of buttons on the speaker that let you control playback. Present are volume up and down, pause/play, and the ability to jump forward and back on tracks. This was a little tricky for us to figure out at first as we learned that volume was maxed out on the speaker. When trying to press the ‘+’ symbol a few times we realized it was skipping songs. Hold the button down, though, and you can adjust volume.

Battery life is rated around seven hours which is accurate in our testing. With roughly an hour a day used in the shower between a family, this should get you through a week on a single charge. Charging is done via the included USB cable.

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Interestingly enough, the speaker can float in water. The speaker grill points upward and provides the sound for those having in a dip in the pool, river, or bathtub. When done, the BoomBuoy is small enough to throw in a purse, backpack, or pocket.

We found the build quality to be in line with our expectation. At $40 it should be solid enough to take a drop or two in stride and not get scuffed up. This was the case for ours. An accidental fall to the ground (cement driveway) saw the speaker come away without so much as a scuff. The buttons respond nicely to touch and the grille is strong enough to withstand moderate abuse.

The BoomBuoy comes in two color options: black/grey and grey/lime. We tested the latter and found it to be a fun combination that works well in the various environments.

You can purchase the BoomBuoy directly from Scocshe for $39.99. We checked around the various online retailers and did not see it offered elsewhere.

Disclaimer: Our review unit was provided to us at no cost from Scosche.

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Commute: Heavy Traffic – When games simulate life, are they still fun? (App Review)

AndroidGuys
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Sometimes fun can find you in the weirdest of places. A boring commute is rarely one of them, but making fun out of the monotony of sitting in traffic is exactly what Commute: Heavy Traffic aims to do. However, can anything really make a constant stop-and-go of city traffic any fun? Let’s take a look.

Developer: Kiary Games
Price: Free/IAP
Download: Google Play, iOS

Controls

This game has a quick and easy control scheme. It lets you pick from its standard controls or a more advanced set. Basic control has your car move forward when you touch and hold the screen and brake when you let go. Advanced settings will cause your car to accelerate when you touch the screen but will only brake when you touch the brake button at the bottom center of the screen. Both modes have you simply swipe to the left or right to switch lanes. I prefer different controls for the different game modes, using the basic for most modes, but switching to advanced when I play a mode that requires more lane switching. Once you take a minute to learn the ropes, it’s off to the game.

The Commute

Ugh... We're never gonna get there.
Ugh… We’re never gonna get there.

You start off with a full road of traffic in front of you. Once you tap to begin, traffic comes and loads up behind you completely boxing you in. Every few seconds, traffic in front of you will move forward and you need to keep up with it or get rear-ended. There is a sweet spot behind the car in front of you about a car and a half long that you can stop in safely. The cars behind you care little for your safety or their own, so you can’t expect them to stop any further back than your designated safe space.

Similar to driving a real car, the faster you drive the more time to need to stop, so timing is key along with tapping to control your speed. Once you get your rhythm and timing down, you can make it pretty far. There are different mission objectives, but most are nothing more than making it to the next major building. There are also a few different locale to visit, but there isn’t really any change in gameplay. You can unlock multiple cars that have different stats, but for the most part these changes are not very helpful or necessary to your success in the game.

Game modes

Your red car really stands out in the sea of brown and white vehicles, so you can easily keep track of yourself as you smash carelessly into everyone else around you.
Your red car really stands out in the sea of brown and white vehicles, so you can easily keep track of yourself as you smash carelessly into everyone else around you.

Besides the default game mode, there are two other modes included: Two Way Traffic and Wrong Way. Two Way Traffic adds 3 additional lanes next to your regular lanes that are traveling in the opposite directions, but they have so much less traffic. Is it worth the risk to jump to the other side of the road to get a bit more distance? You have to decide if and when it’s worth the risk because merging back into your proper lanes is very difficult and requires good timing, but the lure of picking up a lot of speed from the nearly empty roadway is super tempting. When the traffic does come down the road, you will not always have a safe space, so be careful.

Wrong Way is just like it sounds. You are going the wrong way down the highway. There is more space between the cars in this mode, so it’s easier to dodge them, but again they don’t care about you or your safety very much. The will occasionally brake for you, but you can’t rely on it because just as many will crash into you head on. Both of these modes are an amazing twist on the core gameplay and are incredibly fun.

Conclusion

Commute: Heavy Traffic tries to take the most boring and unfun part of your day and create something fun out of it, and it succeeds quite well. You have your main game mode that brings a lot of challenge, and the other two modes are incredibly fun. With a slew of vehicles to unlock and several locations to visit, you can play this one for a while.

Best smartphones under $100 for buyers on a budget

Alexandra Arici
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Looking for a handset this season but have a limited budget? No problem, more and more Android OEMs are looking to cater to the needs of customers who don’t want to break the piggy bank when acquiring a new phone.

Now if you have 100 bucks at your disposal you can actually get your hands on a pretty decently specced device. Surely it won’t be enough to buy a Pixel, but you’ll be surprised what $100 can get you. So we compiled a list of some of the best affordable phones that are currently available for purchase. Continue reading below:

Moto G4 Play

01 Moto G PlayIf you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can get your hands on the Moto G4 Play for only $99. Otherwise you’ll need to take $149 out of your pocket. The Prime version will come with Amazon apps pre-installed and users will see “personalized deals and recommendations” delivered by Amazon right on their screen. If you’re not a fan of that, we suggest you try and invest an additional $50. In the meanwhile, check out Moto G4 Play’s specs:

  • 5.0-inch with 1280 x 720 resolution, 294ppi
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (4 x 1.2GHz Cortex-A53)
  • 1GB of RAM / 2GB of RAM
  • 8GB / 16GB of on-board storage (microSD card allows expansion up to 256GB)
  • 8MP/5MP camera combo
  • 2,800 mAh battery (removable)
  • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (planned upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat)

Bluboo Picasso

02 Bluboo PicassoBluboo is an obscure Chinese brands that’s has recently caught our attention. This year the company has set some ambitious aims – one of them is be to be first to release a smartphone with dual front and rear cameras.

While we wait on that, check out the Bluboo Picasso – and especially beautifully designed smartphone. It’s available for only $93 at GearBest and comes packing a consistent set of specs, so you might want to take it into consideration:

  • 5.0-inch with 1280 x 720 resolution, 294ppi
  • MediaTek MTK6735 processor (4 x 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 16GB of on-board storage
  • 13MP/8MP camera combo
  • 2,800 mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (little chance of seeing Android 7.0 Nougat update)
  • Dual microSIM
  • NFC

ZTE ZMax Pro

03 ZTE ZMax ProIf you are a fan of larger phones, then you’ll love the ZTE ZMax Pro and its big display. The phone is an MetroPCs exclusive and is currently available for only $99 a pop (from a discounted $179). The phone can be called a premium lower-end device, so go ahead check out what it has to offer:

  • 6.0-inch with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 367ppi
  • Snapdragon 617 processor (4 x 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 + 4 x 1.0 GHz Corex-A53)
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 32GB of on-board storage (microSD card allows expansion up to 128GB)
  • 13MP/5MP camera combo
  • 3,500 mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (could see Android 7.0 Nougat update at some point)

Oukitel U7 Plus

04 Oukitel U7 PlusOukitel is another obscure smartphone that is trying to attract attention upon itself by offering stylish designs, dirt-cheap prices and decent specifications. Take the Oukitel U7 Plus which usually sells for around $107 (ok, a bit over our budget) on GearBest. However, if you hurry up you could get the phone for only $85 (through a flash sale). Here’s what the Oukitel U7 Plus could bring in your life:

  • 5.5-inch with 1280 x 720 resolution, 267ppi
  • MediaTek MTK6737 processor (4 x 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 16GB of on-board storage (microSD card allows expansion up to 32GB)
  • 13MP/5MP camera combo
  • 2,500 mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (little chance of seeing Android 7.0 Nougat update)

NUU Mobile A3L

05 NUU Mobile A3LNUU Mobile is a little known Hong Kong smartphone maker which is trying to penetrate the budget market too. Their A3L model offers the basics, but runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow – a positive attribute considering some better specced handsets like the recently announced Samsung Galaxy A (2017) launched with Android 6.0 in 2017.

  • 5-inch with 480 x 854 resolution, 196ppi
  • MediaTek MTK6580 processor (4 x 1.1 GHz Cortex-A7)
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 8GB of on-board storage (microSD card allows expansion up to 32GB)
  • 5MP/2MP camera combo
  • 2,000 mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (little chance of seeing Android 7.0 Nougat update)

BLU R1 HD

06 BLU R1 HDThe BLU R1 HD is an Amazon Prime exclusive and those who have subscribed for the service can get the device for $59.99. Sure, BLU has been through a scandal recently, as the company was accused of bundling some of its products bundled with a spyware which sent private user knowledge off to China without the owner’s consent. But all that has been resolved now and all-in-all BLU’s R1 HD can make for a decent day-to-day handset.

  • 5-inch with 1280 x 720 resolution, 294ppi
  • MediaTek MTK6735 processor (4 x 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • 1GB/2GB of RAM
  • 8GB/16GB of on-board storage (microSD card allows expansion up to 64GB)
  • 8MP/5MP camera combo
  • 2,500 mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (little chance of seeing Android 7.0 Nougat update)

Samsung’s acquisition of Harman might not happen after all

Alexandra Arici
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Back in November, Samsung made headlines when it announced it was in the process of acquiring car and audio giant Harman. Samsung agreed to pay $8 billion or $112 a share in cash while allowing Harman to become a standalone subsidiary under its wing, a 28% premium over the share price of the day which was set at $87.65.

It was said that the deal between Harman and Samsung should be finalized sometime in mid-2017. Well now it seems the merger might not happen at all.

As ZDNet reports, Harman shareholders are unhappy with the Samsung deal and have started a lawsuit in the hopes of blocking it.

Harman In CarShareholders led by Robert Pine oppose the merger and accuse the Harman board to have agreed to sell the company for too low a price. On top of that Harman’s CEO and board failed to look for competing bids and accepted Samsung’s offer immediately.

Last month, US hedge fund Atlantic Investment Management which holds a 23% stake in Harman, announced it will vote against the deal for the reasons specified above.

If the deal is to go through after all, at least 50% of Harman’s shareholders need to be onboard. The meeting which will decide the fate of the Harman acquisition is expected to take place in Q1 2017.

Harman Kardon SpeakerHarman shareholders lead by Robert Pine filed the lawsuit against Harman CEO Dinesh Paliwal and his board in a court in Delawear.

Remember the rumors saying that the Samsung Galaxy S8 will launch with Harman-branded dual speakers onboard? Well you’ll probably want to scratch that off the list. With the Samsung-Harman deal in the balance, the chances of seeing that happen slim down considerably.

Keep checking back with us to learn of further developments in the matter.

Nokia 8 could be the flagship we’ve all been waiting for

Alexandra Arici
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Last weekend HMD announced Nokia’s first comeback smartphone, the Nokia 6 – a middle-range device with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, destined for China (at least at first).

But come MWC 2017, we expect HMD and Nokia to reveal something juicer – a flagship Android device. We’ve seen a few images supposedly showcasing Nokia’s upcoming premium handsets in the last few months.

nokia-android-phones-whiteThis week brings us news on the whole Nokia flagship affair. It appears Qualcomm had one of these upcoming phones on display at CES 2017. Why’s that? Because at least one of Nokia’s yet to be released premium handsets will take advantage of a Snapdragon 835 chipset.

We’re also given a name. Apparently the phone will be launched under the Nokia 8, which makes sense given the Nokia 6 which saw the light of day not so long ago.

nokia-android-phones-blackAccording to the information at hand, HMD will unveil two Nokia 8 version. The most high-end one will feature Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipsets plus 6GB of RAM and a 24MP OIS + EIS camera (optical image stabilization + electronic image stabilization) with Carl Zeiss optics (?).

The device will be offered in 64GB/128GB storage variants (with a microSD card slot onboard for further expansion). It seems like microSD slots are making a comeback while flagships are concerned. The newly launched HTC U Ultra also has one and the LG G6 should also boast one. The more advanced Nokia 8 should also feature a 12MP selfie shooter.

nokia-android-phones-profile-whiteAs for the “lower-end” version, it will come with a Snapdragon 821 under the hood plus 4GB of RAM. Just like the HTC U Ultra and Google Pixel.

Qualcomm asked people not to photograph the Nokia 8 put on display at CES 2017, but one eager person did more than that. He shot a video of it. You can check it out below.

It seems the new Motorola Moto G5 Plus will be out soon

Alexandra Arici
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Remember that a few days ago images showcasing the purported Motorola Moto G5 Plus showed up online?

Well it’s now starting to look more and more like Motorola is gearing up to launch the new middle-ranger soon. Less than a week since the leaked pictures showed up, we also get to see a press image exposing the same phone (albeit it’s not the clearest image you will lay your eyes on).

Moto G5 Plus RenderAs you can see, the phone looks quite similar to the previous images, so we guess the Moto G5 Plus will make it out on the market soon enough.

According to what we know so far, the Moto G5 Plus should arrive with a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution and a Snapdragon 625 clocked at 2.0GHz processor nestled under the bonnet. Motorola is expected to also throw in 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a standard 13MP/5MP camera duo.

moto-g5-plus-front-and-backEverything onboard will be kept alive by a 3,080 mAh battery. Last but not least, the Moto G5 Plus will run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

The phone should feature a fingerprint scanner embedded into the home button of the device.

Compared to last year’s model improvements aren’t mind-blowing and in some areas we’re even bound to see a downgrade.

The Moto G4 Plus is a smartphone that takes advantage of a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution and makes use of a Snapdragon 617 clocked at 1.5GHz to keep things running. The phone is available in three versions including 2GB of RAM + 16GB of internal storage, 3GB of RAM + 32GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM + 64GB of internal storage.

Moto G4 Plus feat image (FILEminimizer)In the photography department, the Moto G4 Plus features a 16MP main camera with f/2.0, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash and a 5MP selfie shooter. The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box and lives off a 3,000 mAh battery.

As you can see, the Moto G5 Plus doesn’t seem to present significant upgrades, so a lot of Moto G4 Plus owners might not be compelled to upgrade to the newer version.

The Moto G5 Plus should make a debut in March 2017.

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