Androidifying

While the tech world seem to be fixated on the hot mess that is the LG G5, it’s important to remember the Korean conglomerate has other offerings that are not made to be modular. Offerings of a lower price-point that cater to the needs of a more specific set of customers. One such product is the newly announced LG Stylus 2 Plus, a follow-up to the original LG Stylus 2 launched back in February, but with some key components changed.Specs include a 5.7-inch Full HD (1920 X 1280) display, a 1.4GHz Octa-Core SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage, an embedded rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a 3,000mAh battery.Regarding the camera, in some markets the Stylus 2 Plus will come with a 16-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera. For all other markets however, the phone will ship with the same pair as the original Stylus 2 featured: a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera.Regarding the RAM, in some regions it appears there will be 3GB instead of the standard…

The Weekend may be the period everyone is waiting for, but Samsung clearly prefers Diplo. Korea’s numero uno electronics OEM has sent out invitations for an event to be held in New York City on Thursday June 2nd. While no exact details are provided as to what will be announced, there is somewhat less mystery surrounding who will be present, namely the aforementioned 37-year old DJ. Take a look:Given that there have been no large leaks leading to leads about this event in and of itself, chances are high that it’s not a super-early release for say, the Galaxy Note 6 7. What is likely to make a formal debut is Samsung’s Gear Fit 2 wearable fitness band/bracelet which has been leaked even by the company itself. Along with the Fit 2, the Gear IconX earbuds is presumably going to surface for sound bytes as well.The “Create” idea though, suggests there may be something else in store for stores. Could a new Galaxy Note tablet make a debut? An S-Pen that works with all Samsung devices? New sof…

OnePlus has made quite a name for itself over the years, not just for creating reasonably high-end devices at relatively low prices, but also for some controversial marketing decisions and its uniquely frustrating invite system. In recent times, OnePlus has been able to move away from their “invite system” for all of its currently sold devices, but OnePlus’ own online store remains the only place to pick up the company’s handsets. This is changing soon, however, as the OnePlus 2 and OnePlus X are now on their way to Amazon UK, with Amazon US to follow in the near future.The official listing in the UK is already posted for the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus X is expected to go live soon as well. While it’s pretty easy to get these phones directly from OnePlus, it’s good that customers now have another option, particularly a source as reputed as Amazon.OnePlus X reviewOnePlus 2 reviewOnePlus made a splash with the original OnePlus One back in 2014. Offering what OnePlus called a “flagship ki…

Android gaming is getting bigger and better every month it seems and there is always a slew of new titles coming to Google Play. Whether you’re a casual gamer or you want something with a beat more meat on its bones, there’s usually a game coming out to suit everyone’s taste. Let’s take a look at the best new Android games from the last month!Best New Android apps from the last monthBest Android games of 2016Assassin’s Creed Identity[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Assassin’s Creed Identity is an action-RPG that’s set in the universe of the acclaimed franchise. You’ll be able to create your own character, customize them, and level them up as you see fit. It has excellent graphics and decent game play complete with various missions and quests, loot, gear, and various locations to explore. The game is pretty good, but it is new and has seen a few release day bugs that have kept people from enjoying it as much as they could be so beware of that.
Get it now on Google Play! Bejeweled Star…

App developers are pushing the envelope on a daily basis trying to improve and enhance our smartphone and tablet experiences. In fact, so many Android apps come out every day that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. It’s difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you’re getting bored with what you’ve got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month!Best New Android games from the last month!Best Android apps, ever!5217[Price: $0.99]
5217 is an app that aims to increase your productivity. The central premise is that you can use it to time intervals where you work for 52 minutes followed by a 17 minute break. This routine is supposed to help you work better and the app will log how many cycles you went through during your work day. It’s a simple app with a clean, colorful design and recent updates have added Android Wear support. It’s inexpensive, which is nice, and has no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Beme[Price: Free]
Be…

Amid myriad complaints that millennials possess shorter attention spans and experience greater difficulty focusing than previous generations unexposed to the internet and modern technology, anew study from the University of British Columbiahas emerged that is almost certain to be mis-cited and misused to support this sentiment. Research has demonstrated that smartphone notifications can create symptoms in adults similar to ADHD.What the researchers arenotsaying, and what many people will probably take away from this anyway, is that smartphonescauseADHD. The study doesn’t show this at all. But before we get to that, let’s break down the elements of the experiment.See also: After 19 related deaths in India, Mumbai bans selfies in key areas22 Researchers studied a group of 221 young people in an “experimental distraction setting” over the course of a week. During this week, their phones were set to vibrate and were within easy reach. For the next week, their phones were placed on silent a…

One challenge that has long-plagued vacationers is the complexity of making cellular arrangements for the trip. T-Mobile is angling to take the hassle out of this process by offering tourists coming to the US a simple plan that lets them stay afloat on 4G LTE without navigating complicated deals or enduring the gouge of roaming. For $30, you get three weeks of T-Mobile service that includes 1000 minutes of calling within the US, unlimited international texting to over 140 countries and territories, 2GB of 4G data, and unlimited lower speed data after you use that up.See also: T-Mobile offering BOGO deal on all Samsung Galaxy smartphones2 You might be concerned about the trouble regarding getting a SIM card and activating it, but don’t worry about it. The carrier is saying they’re going to cover the cost of your SIM card and activation 100%. Just walk into a T-Mobile store with your phone and ask for the Tourist plan. You do have to have an unlocked device, of course.This plan will go l…

Lenovo’s ZUK sub-brand has been quite busy lately. Last month the company announced the Z2 Pro, which offers a Snapdragon 820 processor and 6GB of RAM for only $420. Now they’re back with a new budget-friendly smartphone that drops the price down even further.The ZUK Z2 will definitely provide a lot of bang for your buck. For less than $300, you’ll get a 5.0-inch Full HD display, a Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, a whopping 64GB of internal storage and two SIM card slots. It also comes with a 13MP ISOCELL rear camera with phase detection autofocus, an 8MP wide-angle front-facing camera, a fingerprint scanner, LTE capabilities and a 3,500mAh battery with support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0. It will also run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box with ZUK’s ZUI 2.0 interface.See also: ZUK Z1 review41 The ZUK Z2 will be available in China when it launches on June 7th for ¥1,799 ($273USD). As of now there’s no word on a global release, but we’ll keep you updated as we learn more …

When Amazon released its home assistant productEcho, they anticipated tapping into a small niche market. It was a surprise to everyone when the little living room companion device became a runaway success, and suddenly other companies began scrambling to build competitors to engage this new market. Primary among these was Google, who was rumored to be building anEcho competitorearlier this year and who formally unveiledGoogle Homeat the2016 Google I/Oevent. Now, according to a report byThe Information, we’re learning that the Google Home is essentially the next evolutionary step for the Chromecast.Inside the elegant white casing of Google home resides the exact same ARM-based microprocessor and wifi chip that constitute the Chromecast. As The Information puts it, “Home will essentially be a microphone, speaker, plastic top with LED lights and a fabric or metal bottom—wrapped around a Chromecast.”This is actually a good thing. Historically, Google hasn’t been so great at making success…

LeEco, formally LeTV, might not be a major player in the smartphone world but that hasn’t stopped the company from announcing some pretty cool products, including the very first Snapdragon 820 powered phone, back at CES 2016. LeEco isn’t holding still either. In April, the company revealed its next-gen Le 2 family with pre-orders kicking off in China just last month. The LeMax 2 and Le 2 were expected to arrive to India as well on June 8th, but the latter of these handsets is already unofficially available in the country.Thanks to an unofficial Ebay India listing, the LeEco Le 2 can be picked up in limited quantities for a likely higher than retail price of INR 22,999, or roughly $340. The actual final price will probably be much cheaper, but when you consider the specs, even the Ebay price is not too bad.The LeEco Le 2 has a  5.5-inch 1080p IPS display and is powered by a Mediatek Helio X20 processor with 3GB RAM. On the back is a 16MP rear camera, with an 8MP front cam. There’s also…

Sirin Labs is swinging for the fences with Solarin, a new Android device that boasts “military grade” security and a price tag of $14,000. While we’ve seen luxury smartphones before, these are usually bling-heavy devices like the recently unveiled Caviar Putinphone. What you’re paying for with these devices is status, not functionality. Sirin aims to change this by bringing to market the world’s most secure smartphone. But do the features it offers really justify the cost?Moshe Hogeg, co-founder of Sirin Labs, believes there are essentially two different types of rich people. On the one hand, you have “people who are too excited that they have money.” These are the sorts that Hogeg says are in the market for diamond-encrusted smartphones with golden frames. He doesn’t even want these kinds of people buying the Solarin because he sees them as “bad ambassadors” for the product. On the other hand, you have sophisticated demure types who “respect value.” It is this second group that Hogeg…