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Showing posts from July, 2017

The wait is over: The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus now support Daydream VR

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When Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, one of the more glaring omissions was the lack of Daydream VR support. We assumed it was not for a lack of specs – the Snapdragon 835, 4 GB of RAM, and Quad HD Super AMOLED display ensure compatibility – so it was only a matter of time until that would change. Fortunately for Daydream VR fans, that time is now, since Google confirmed Daydream VR is rolling out to Samsung’s pair of flagship smartphones. See also: Google says 11 Daydream-compatible phones will be on sale by end of 2017 Google says 11 Daydream-compatible phones will be on sale by end of 2017 7 days ago The two phones have had quite the journey to get to where we are today when it comes to Google’s VR solution. When we first learned that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus launched without Daydream VR support , we did not know whether that was because of possible meddling on Samsung’s part. The company, along with Oculus, have their own Gear VR platform f

Google lands itself in hot water over concerns regarding purchase tracking

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Google offers a wealth of devices, applications, and features that have become incredibly useful in this connected world of ours, but you do give up some of your privacy for the privilege. The return makes the trade-off an easy one to make for most folks, but in the eyes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), one such trade-off involving Google’s Store Sales Management program might have stepped over the line. Unveiled back in May , the program uses your credit card transactions to determine how many sales were generated by digital ad campaigns. More specifically, this data is then combined with other financial information in order to create your profile, which tells companies what you search for in terms of goods and services. These searches then theoretically result in real-world purchases, which Google wants to prove are the results of its online ads. googl See also: Former Google executive says Android phone cameras are “years behind” the iPhone Former Goo

Have you ever destroyed a smartphone? [Poll of the Week]

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Last week’s poll summary:  Out of almost 2,300 total votes , 62.7% of our readers say that the Moto Z2 Force isn’t the phone for them, and 15% say that they’re still undecided. 16.6% have already either placed their orders or are planning to do so very soon. Not to brag, but I’m probably the most careful person I know when it comes to phone safety. I don’t leave my phone face-down on the table, I always protect it with a case, and I even worry when my phone gets too close to the sink. I rarely drop my phone, and when I do it’s usually nothing too bad. See also: The best rugged phones you can buy right now The best rugged phones you can buy right now 5 days ago But accidents happen. I know plenty of people who have dropped their phones flat on the ground, and the results weren’t pretty. Even some of the more careful people I know have had bad luck with phone safety. With that said, we’d like to know — have you ever ruined one of your phones? Or are you one of the lucky

Native ad-blocker appears in Chrome Canary on Android

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Those who like to live life on the forefront of technology and run the Chrome Canary build on Android may have noticed an ad-blocking option appear in the settings menu. The Canary channel for Android is an experimental and sometimes unstable version that includes some of the latest features Google are testing that are not yet ready for the prime time. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal suggested that Google may soon include its own native ad-blocker directly inside Chrome for both mobile and desktop and it seems it may be gradually activating for some users. While the feature of an ad-blocker built native into the Chrome browser isn’t official, a few seem to have got it working . As with anything in the Canary builds of Chrome, features can appear and disappear just as quick. Google reinforced the experimental nature and purpose of the Canary channel stating that the ad-blocker specifically was “part of our general approach of running experiments to test possible features

Samsung’s next LTE smartphone modem will support 1.2 Gbps download speeds

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In smartphones, the term “faster is better” could be a tag line for pretty much anything found on such a device. That definitely includes a phone’s download speeds from cellular towers. Today, Samsung revealed that its next-generation mobile processors will include a new LTE modem that could achieve download speeds as fast as 1.2 Gbps. In theory, that would allow future Samsung phones to get download speeds that match or exceed fiber Internet landlines. See also: Samsung Galaxy Note 8: All the rumors in one place Samsung Galaxy Note 8: All the rumors in one place 1 week ago In a press release today, Samsung says its Cat.18 6CA (Carrier aggregation) LTE modem technology will allow it to access up to six LTE bands at once. The current Galaxy S8 models that have Samsung’s Exynos 9 8895 processor have 5CA LTE support, which means they can “only” connect to five LTE bands at once, with theoretical download speed up to “just” 1.0 Gbps. Of course, these are the top speeds that

10 best new Android games from July 2017!

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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! You can watch the videos on YouTube from passed months by clicking here ! Looking for more new stuff? Check out these recommended app lists!   10 best new Android apps from July 2017! 6 hours ago   15 best Android games of 2017 July 1, 2017 All That Remains: Part 1 Price: $1.49 DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY All That Remains: Part 1 is a horror escape game. You and your sibling end up stuck in your dad's bunker. The goal is to escape the bunker with your sister. It plays a lot like game such as The Room. You'll find clues, solve puzzles, and eventually make your escape. It features an in-game camera so you can easil

Asus’ upcoming August 19 event might show off more than one Zenfone 4

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With its flagship and budget smartphone lines, Asus’s presence in the smartphone market has steadily grown over the years. Now that we’re past the halfway point in 2017, the Taiwanese company looks to increase that presence through an upcoming August 19 event. The event, which will be held in the SMX Convention Center in Pasay, the Philippines, is rumored to feature the rest of Asus’ Zenfone 4 lineup. Reports up until now allege that, in addition to the recently-announced Zenfone 4 Max, the lineup will include three other phones: the regular Zenfone 4, Zenfone 4 Selfie, and Zenfone 4 Pro. See also: Asus ZenFone 4 Max officially launched with massive 5,000 mAh battery Asus ZenFone 4 Max officially launched with massive 5,000 mAh battery 4 weeks ago Not much is known about the unannounced Zenfone 4 devices, though reports allege the Zenfone 4 Pro will be the flagship smartphone. It will reportedly feature the Snapdragon 835, 6 GB of RAM, and a 5.7-inch Quad HD resolution d

A future Android update might usher in Bluetooth battery level indicators

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Whenever I hop over the fence to Android’s yard, one of the more frustrating aspects of Google ‘s mobile operating system is the lack of any Bluetooth battery level indicator. Yes, there are third-party solutions like BatON, but they tend to be buggy and work with a limited range of devices. It looks like Google will remedy that problem, however, by baking those indicators into Android itself. As XDA Developers originally reported, the future update will tell you how much battery your connected Bluetooth accessory has. For those with Samsung , LG , and OnePlus phones, this is not a new development – the feature is integrated into their Android skins. However, the update will integrate the feature at the system level, which means folks with stock Android will benefit the most. Keep in mind that the feature is already part of the Bluetooth standard and that Google only needed to integrate it on its end for these battery indicators to pop up. See also: Everything new in Android O

Here are the best high-end smartphones that won’t break the bank

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If you want a flagship device, there are a lot of options out there. You can get your hands on the Samsung Galaxy S8 , LG G6 , Huawei P10 , or HTC U11 , just to name a few. There are also more of them coming soon including the Galaxy Note 8 and Pixel 2 series . Of course, all these handsets come at a premium price. The good news is that there are also a number of high-end phones out there with relatively budget friendly prices. These phones are sometimes playfully called flagship killers, a trend that started with OnePlus and its original OnePlus One.  What makes them stand out? They all offer many of the same bells and whistles as phones that cost hundreds more, while making mostly small sacrifices to reach that point. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at a few budget-friendly high-end smartphones that may not be the best on the market right now, but are still more than suitable for demanding users. Let’s get started. See also: Best Android phones (July 2017): our picks