Monday 31 October 2016

Cell Phone Deals November 2016 Digest

cell-phone-deals-digest-nov-2016

The year has gone by so quickly. And as 2016 comes to a close, it's almost time for Black Friday sale. But before that, let's take a look at the latest cell phone deals happening this month of November:

Smartphones

Net10

Sprint

Straight Talk

TracFone

U.S. Cellular

Verizon Wireless

Tablets

Accessories

Out of all the carriers, Straight Talk appears to be offering a number of devices on sale. If you are interested in picking up a new phone today, you can check out their options available to help you find your next smartphone.

 



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Stan

UPDATE: We've updated the interface section of the review, with more thorough detail about how everything works – read below to find out more!

Now that Australians have spent some time with Stan, it's time to reflect on how well the final product has delivered in terms of its primary goal – to give Aussies the streaming video-on-demand experience that they've been clamouring for.

Since Stan's Australia Day launch, Aussies (who haven't resorted to proxies and VPNs) have finally had a Netflix-like taste of what instant streaming content is all about, but is the content up to snuff? And how does Stan perform now that it's out in the open and away from its preview phase?

Then comes the big question: does Stan have what it takes to keep Australians coming back for more now that Netflix is here?

Setting up Stan

Getting Stan up and running is a fairly straightforward process, though you will require a few things in order to view the service on your television at home.

At launch, a compatible iOS or Android smartphone or tablet was needed in order to browse Stan's content library, in addition to an Apple TV or Chromecast media streaming device so that you could AirPlay or Cast the content over to your television.

Thankfully, a Stan app has made its way to the Apple TV, PS3 and PS4, allowing users to browse the streaming service's content library on their TV screens.

And, though Stan was previously absent from Xbox consoles, the app is now available on Xbox One with platform-exclusive features, such as the ability to browse and control the service with Kinect's voice recognition functionality. It should be noted that while Stan is available on the Microsoft's current console, the app is still unavailable for last generation's Xbox 360.

On top of the platforms listed above, Stan's list of supported devices continues to grow, as it's now also available on a number of 2012-2016 model Samsung smart TVs, 2014-2016 model LG smart TVs and now 2014, 2015 and selected 2016 model Sony smart TVs that are running the Android TV platform.

Alternatively, you can use your PC or Mac to view Stan's content on most browsers and stream it to your Chromecast from there.

Stan has also released a native version of its app for PCs, tablets or smartphones running the Windows 10 platform. This version lets you use to Cortana voice-assistant to select the shows and movies you want to watch, and even lets you pin shows to your Start Menu.

Stan is compatible with iPads running iOS7 and above from the second generation onwards, as well as all iPad minis and iPhones from the fourth generation onwards.

Stan Content

Most Android phones from 4.2 onwards are supported, including recently added support for Sony's Xperia Z1, Z2, Z3 phones and tablets, HTC One M7, M8, M9 and Desire and LG's G2, LG Optimus L7II smartphones.

In terms of tablets, most Android units running 4.2 and above will work, aside from the HP 8 G2.

Once you've selected something to watch, you can start playing it on your phone or tablet, or tap the AirPlay/Cast icon to throw it to your Apple TV or Chromecast, at which point you can put your smart device to sleep.

Though the Stan app for Apple TV initially lacked the Siri voice search functionality that Netflix has been enjoying for a while, a new updated has added Siri universal search support.

But that's not all – Stan is now available to stream on the Roku 2-powered Telstra TV streaming box.

Get that interface up in yo' face

Anyone who's seen Netflix's interface should know what to expect with Stan in terms of functionality. Stan is definitely on the same playing field when it comes to the service's interface.

Admittedly, it's kind of awkward that your highlighted content box sits at the right side of the screen. On Netflix, the box sits on the left, giving you a good idea of the next batch of titles come in from the right to make their way into your highlighted section. With Stan, having this box on the right means you have no idea of what's coming up – you only see a trail of titles that you've already passed over on the left of the screen. More importantly, browsing titles like this feels unpleasant, like walking backwards into a crowd.

That said, everything else about Stan's UI is impressive. Movie and TV show publicity art is all over Stan, and it looks incredibly slick – its carousel in particular is clean and image-driven, with over half of our iPad's screen displaying some of Stan's most exciting content, like its exclusive shows Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle, as well as other premium dramas like Hannibal and Fargo.

Stan TV Season Display

Flicking up on the screen will show you a range of genres and collections below, such as Comedy Classics, Best of Australia and World Movies, with titles and poster art laid out horizontally for you to swipe across and browse.

Tapping on a show will let you choose the season and episode you want, while tapping on a movie will give you some information screen where you can press play and jump straight in.

Options can be revealed on the left side of the screen by tapping the icon in the upper left hand corner, allowing you to switch profiles, browse TV and movie genres, kids content, your watch history or your list of saved shows (just like on Netflix), and the upper right hand contains a search bar and access to your profile (again, just like on Netflix).

Stan's Apple TV app is slightly different to the tablet and smartphone version, in that it lists its sections along the top of the screen, with genres and content laid out in a style that's more consistent with Apple TV's other apps.

That Stan sure has some nice features

Unlike its competitors, Stan gives you the option to choose the image quality of your stream on smartphones and tablets via a cog icon at the bottom of your player window.

On a tablet or smartphone, you can opt to use Stan's automatic setting for an adaptive bit rate that's tailored to the quality of your connection, or choose the SD or HD constant bit rate encode, depending on whether or not you have bandwidth to spare.

When viewed on a television screen through one of Stan's Apple TV, Fetch TV, console or smart TV apps, the service works just like Netflix in that you are provided with an adaptive bit rate version only.

Stan Image Quality Options

Though curiously missing at launch, Stan now offers closed captions on a selection of its shows, meaning that hearing impaired people can enjoy at least some of its content – we hope that Stan eventually applies closed captions to its entire catalogue, just like Netflix has been doing for years.

Stan doesn't have the ability to recommend movies and shows to you based on your movie habits, which is one of Netflix's best features. And, because there's no rating system implemented, there's no feeling that any of its 'trending' shows are actually driven by viewership.

Hopefully, a personalised 'recommended shows' feature is somewhere in Stan's future.

That Stan sure is a content fellow

Recently, we posted a comprehensive rundown of all of Stan's confirmed content library, and now that we've used the service, we can confirm that there's plenty more content available that has yet to be announced.

When it came to the service's content ratio for television and movies, Stan leaned more on the television side at launch, however there have been some movie content announcements since then that have levelled the playing field somewhat.

In terms of television exclusives, Stan continues to deliver major announcements, including a multi-year content deal with Warner Bros. International which sees the service gain the local streaming rights to a range of big shows, including all ten seasons of Friends, the DC comic book shows The Flash and Constantine, iZombie, The Following, The Last Ship, Hart of Dixie, A to Z, Forever, and much more.

Add all of that to its already-impressive list of exclusives, including Better Call Saul, Power, Dig, Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent and much more, and you have a streaming service that gives Netflix a run for its money in the content department.

One area where Stan is sure to shine above it's competitors, is in its Australian content, with a wide variety of quality Aussie television shows and movies on offer.

Stan Aussie TV lineup

The service has quite a bit to choose from in terms of classic movies and back catalogue titles, like the entire James Bond collection, the entire Middle Earth saga (aside from the latest Hobbit film), a large range of foreign films and much more.

However, we do hope that more studios sign on, as the service could do with some more recent blockbusters like superhero movies and animated films – both of which Stan is almost entirely lacking in.

Netflix recently announced a content deal with Disney in Australia and New Zealand that gives the upcoming service access to a wide range of Marvel, Pixar and Disney Animation Studios content, which somewhat highlights Stan's shortcomings in this area.

With that said, if your interests are more in-tune with art house fare, then Stan is absolutely for you – the service's range of foreign films, indies and classics is unrivalled.

How does Stan perform?

Stan's buffering times will vary depending on your internet connection, however in our home and office tests, we were mostly able to start streaming HD content within 30-45 seconds of starting it.

Stan requires a minimum 1.5 mbps connection speed for the ability to stream, 2.5 mbps for standard definition, 3.5 mbps for 720p HD resolution content and a 6.5 mbps connection speed for full 1080p HD resolution.

The real test, however, came with Stan's much-anticipated, fast-tracked streaming of Breaking Bad spin-off, Better Call Saul.

Obviously, Stan has a lot banking on the successful delivery of this hugely publicised new series, as much of its marketing has centred around its exclusivity to the service.

Tested via a tablet and Chromecast setup only an hour or so after being put up on the service, the first episode of Better Call Saul started immediately in HD, playing almost flawlessly with the exception of a single moment of buffering around two-thirds of the way into the episode.

One thing worth noting – while this is just speculation, we did encounter some fluctuating bit rate quality on an episode of Community that we were watching just before we moved on to Better Call Saul.

Better Call Saul on Stan

Since launch, we have encountered bugs from time to time – one occasion saw Stan continue to try and buffer The Wolf of Wall Street in the Safari browser for several minutes until we gave up and refreshed the window, at which point it worked fine on its second attempt.

Another occasion saw The Terminator randomly start again from the beginning after having already been on for a few minutes.

Also, Stan would sometimes forget where we were up to in an episode or movie when switching between our Mac browser window and iPad.

Switching between episodes on the computer would also cause each episode to go back to the beginning again, and episodes do not have progress bars when viewed in a computer browser window.

Finally, we did experience an instance where a paused episode of a TV show crashed, giving us an A11 error code, which Stan promises will be rectified in its next software update.

A11 error code on Stan

Thankfully, these problems have eased in the months since launch and are practically non-existent on the Apple TV, smart TV and console versions of the app.

Just like the tablet and phone versions of Stan, you can now choose the quality of your stream on your console and smart TV, meaning that if you do run into some annoying buffering, you can always drop the quality to get a smoother stream happening – it's not ideal, but we'd choose lower resolution over constant stopping and starting.

Stan requires a minimum 1.5 mbps connection speed for the ability to stream, 2.5 mbps for standard definition, 3.5 mbps for 720p HD resolution content and a 6.5 mbps connection speed for full 1080p HD resolution.

We even managed to stream HD over our iPad's 4G connection during a train ride, though we wouldn't recommend doing this very often – two 22 minute episodes of Community in HD used up around 935 mb of cellular data.

One thing worth noting, is that Stan would sometimes forget where we were up to in an episode or movie when switching between our Mac browser window and iPad.

Switching between episodes on a computer would also cause each episode to go back to the beginning again.

Verdict

Now that we've spent some real time with Stan, we've come away largely impressed with what the service has to offer, delivering pretty much everything that Australians have been asking for since they first discovered what their friends overseas have had access to for years.

The ultimate test will be whether torrenting Australians will put their money where their mouth is and pay for the content when delivered in an affordable and convenient manner.

Stan's excellent execution of its streaming media service really leaves people with very little reason to take the illegal downloading route.

We liked

Stan's interface is immediately impressive, with an image-driven layout that's easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.

Content-wise, Stan impresses with its large library (even bigger than Netflix Australia), which includes quality television shows, big-time Hollywood productions, foreign cinema and home-grown Aussie content.

Delivering content in full high-definition is also a big plus, and any competitors still sticking to standard definition content are going to find a tough road ahead of them.

Bonus points for allowing smartphone and tablet users the ability to select the quality of their streams based on their available bandwidth.

Streams also start very quickly in full HD with minimal buffering instances experienced.

We disliked

While Stan mostly sails smoothly, certain bugs have marred the experience on a few occasions, either stopping the show dead in its tracks or crashing the app entirely.

There's plenty of content on Stan, as mentioned above, however, it could still do with more animated films and even more recent tentpole films – no Disney or Marvel content makes the service feel somewhat lacking in the blockbuster department.

We're happy to see that Stan has started including closed captions for a selection of its shows, though we hope that those who are hearing impaired and those with language barriers eventually get captions for the service's entire library.

Stan's Apple TV and PlayStation apps are a huge step in the right direction when it comes to browsing the service's content library on our televisions, though we'd still like to see more consoles and other media players added to Stan's list of compatible devices.

Final Verdict

The question of whether Stan will hold up well as a Netflix substitute in an important one, though we can say that Stan is certainly heading in the right direction, especially when it comes to its $10 a month subscription fee.

However, we do feel it needs even more content – Stan's recent content licensing deal with Roadshow is a step in the right direction, though Netflix's recent Disney announcement shows that Stan still has some way to go in terms of providing the kind of popular content that people want to see.

So long as StreamCo keeps working hard to fix its bugs and expand its content library, we can say that Netflix will have itself a worthy local competitor.

Stan may have lost its crown as the Australian king of streaming services since Netflix's arrival, but it's consistently edging its way back to the throne by adding excellent content and expanding its supported platform list.



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MacBook Pro (2016) vs MacBook: Speed Test!



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Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge officially coming to the US

Blue Coral Samsung Galaxy S7 edge official

After debuting last week, the new Blue Coral Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is now confirmed to be US-bound.

Samsung today said that it’ll begin selling the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge in “selected markets around the globe” on November 1. That includes the US, as Samsung has explained that the Blue Coral GS7 edge will be available at major US wireless providers before the end of 2016.

When it comes to specific launch timing, carrier availability, and pricing, Samsung says that “specific availability details will be announced by each market’s wireless providers and regional Samsung offices.”

It’s great to see Samsung giving the Galaxy S7 edge this Blue Coral coat of paint. The color originally debuted on the Galaxy Note 7, but after the Note 7 was discontinued, there were no other Blue Coral devices available from Samsung. That’s changing now, giving the GS7 edge a fresh color option and giving consumers another chance at getting their hands on this Blue Coral hardware, which looks pretty great.

Are you interested in this Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge?



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Cricket Wireless promo bumps $50 plan from 5GB of high-speed data to 8GB

Cricket Wireless logo green

Cricket Wireless recently launched a promotion that gives one of its plans a notable data boost.

For a limited time, Cricket’s $50 rate plan will include 8GB of high-speed data in addition to unlimited talk and text. That rate plan normally includes 5GB of high-speed data.

Also worth noting is that if you enroll in Auto Pay, you’ll get a $5 per month discount on your plan. That would bring the 8GB rate plan down to $45 per month.

This 8GB plan is available to new and existing Cricket customers. If you’re already a Cricket user on the 5GB/$50 plan, you can upgrade to the 8GB plan by going to a Cricket store, calling Cricket’s customer support, visiting the Cricket website, or by using the MyCricket app.

Going from 5GB of high-speed data per month to 8GB is a pretty big jump, and so this promo is worth a look for any Cricket customers on the 5GB or lower plan or consumers that may be on the hunt for a new prepaid provider.



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T-Mobile expands Google Pixel promo to include Simple Choice Unlimited plan

Google Pixel XL hands-on

After announcing its Google Pixel offer last week, T-Mobile has expanded the deal to include another plan.

T-Mobile’s Google Pixel promotion is now available to Simple Choice Unlimited plan customers. This is in addition to customers on the T-Mobile One plan, which was originally the only plan eligible to receive the $325 credit for brining a Pixel onto T-Mobile’s network.

To take advantage of T-Mobile’s Pixel promo, you’ll need to buy a Pixel from Google or anywhere else and then activate it on a Simple Choice Unlimited or T-Mobile One plan. You’ll then head to T-Mobile’s promo page, enter the promo code PIXEL, and then share your proof of purchase. Once you’re done, T-Mobile will give you 24 monthly credits of $13.55 each, which adds up to $325. That’s half the price of a 32GB Pixel.

This T-Mobile promotion is a nice deal for anyone interested in pairing the Pixel with T-Mo’s network, so it’s good to see that the promo has been expanded to include Simple Choice Unlimited customers, too. The T-Mobile One plan isn’t for everyone, and now those folks on the Simple Choice Unlimited plan can keep their plan and still take advantage of T-Mo’s new Pixel deal.

Are you going to take advantage of T-Mobile’s Google Pixel promotion?



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Top 10 iOS Apps of October 2016!

We've compiled a 'Top 10' list of our favorite iOS apps to hit the App Store in October 2016. The apps highlighted in this video include Yelo, Gear.Club, iSummary, Strong, PinOut, Whether, FabFocus, Zombie Anarchy, Haunting Melissa, Dead Yourself. Which app is your favorite? 



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Jumper EZBook 2

In the world of technology lookalikes, the Jumper EZBook 2 is probably the one that comes the closest to the original masterpiece. Let’s not muck about, this is an almost perfect copy of Apple’s ground-breaking MacBook Air, more specifically the 13-inch model, but it’s available for a fraction of the price.

The 13-inch MacBook Air costs £949/$999 while the EZBook 2 retails for £162 ($195, or about AU$260) at the time of writing from online Chinese retailer Geekbuying (who provided us with the sample for this hands-on review).

(These costs are exclusive of any taxes that may be levied by HMRC or the courier companies on behalf of the outlet. Want to buy tech from online Chinese retailers? Read this first.)

Our first encounter with Jumper was the EZpad 5S which is a well-made Microsoft Surface 3 lookalike convertible tablet and, on the whole, it was a positive one. Will the EZBook 2 prove to be another decent product? Let’s see.

Make no mistakes, while the EZBook 2 aspires to look like its illustrious Apple competitor when it comes to appearance, it uses an entirely different material to achieve this.

It’s no surprise, really, that Jumper’s MacBook Air clone is made up of plastic, shaped and finished in a way to mimic the aluminium finish of the product that inspired it. 

There’s even a backlit Jumper logo which, well, is a clear nod to the company whose logo is a half-eaten apple.

The laptop is bigger than we were expecting – this is a 14.1-inch model which is the usual display size slotted between the more popular 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes, and is made even bigger thanks to the massive inch-thick bezel used by Jumper, another nod to Apple.

Like the MacBook Air, this device adopts a wedge-like profile with its thinnest edge about 6mm, and the thicker end reaching 18mm. With a footprint of 347 x 230mm, it is far bigger than an A4 sheet, and at just a smidgen under 1.4kg, has a manageable weight for a product of those dimensions.

The notebook being this big gave the design team a bit more leeway, and allowed for dedicated buttons for home, page up, page down and end, as well as a power button on the keyboard itself. 

The latter makes it easier to switch your laptop on and off, and is a definite bonus compared to some notebooks where you have to walk your fingers along one edge to find the power button. However, it’s a mixed blessing because it also increases the chances of accidentally putting the laptop to sleep with a stray tap.

The keys are larger than expected at 15 x 15mm, with a very comfortable travel and a decent 3.3mm gap between them. They were however a tad too sharp for our liking and a little bit wobbly; we didn’t detect any flex under normal use.

The touchpad is surprisingly large and comfortable to use. While not on par with the touchpad on the MacBook Air, the fact that it’s almost twice the size of a credit card (yes, twice) ranks it amongst our favourite efforts at the entry-level end of the market.

As for the display, the 14-inch panel offers good colour reproduction but has some issues with brightness and contrast. It is a matte Full HD model, so while the pixel density is not as high as some of its competitors, it is perfectly adequate for everyday usage.

Connectivity is one area where Jumper flexed its muscles, offering the following: a microSD card slot, a Mini HDMI port, two USB ports (one USB 3.0), a headphone jack, along with Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n on the wireless front.

The Jumper EZBook 2 comes with a massive 10,000mAh battery which is powered using a 12v3A (36W) charger. That translates into a charging time of roughly four hours and a battery life of around 8 hours 30 minutes on default settings, which is one of the best results we’ve seen on an entry-level laptop.

Don’t expect too much from this machine when it comes to performance though. The device is powered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 clocked at 1.44GHz; that is the slowest commercial processor available.

The benchmarks shown above indicate that the EZBook 2 is in line with what can be expected from a laptop equipped with such a processor – the 4GB of memory and 64GB eMMC storage are adequate for lightweight tasks, but this is no powerhouse.

The two speakers provided produce a boxy sound which is characteristic of entry-level devices in this price range. There’s a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and as is sadly the case for almost all Windows-based devices coming from China, the operating system is pre-registered.

Early verdict 

This is the second iteration of the Jumper EZBook 2. The first one, released earlier this year, was panned by some reviewers for some very fundamental mistakes (like the inability to connect an external hard disk drive). Fortunately, this model has better cooling, improved packaging, and solves the USB port power issue.

Competition is ferocious at this end of the market. The EZBook 2 faces some impressive rivals such as the Voyo VBook V3 convertible laptop, a Lenovo Yoga clone with the added benefit of a stylus and a touchscreen.

But this notebook does hold its ground – initial issues have been ironed out and the design of the EZBook 2, while in no way ground-breaking, is familiar and well enough realised. 

Is this laptop a deal at this price? Yes and no. If you’re ready to take a punt, especially when it comes to the warranty, then go for it. Otherwise, you will have to spend north of £300 (about $365, AU$480) to get something with similar features, but at least you will also receive a UK-based warranty to rely on if anything goes wrong with the device.

For businesses, the Jumper EZBook 2 provides an attractive alternative to Chromebooks and other lower-specced models available in that price range. It might even be worth buying a few extra units to eliminate any potential downtime associated with failures.



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Apple releases iOS 10.2 beta 1 update

iPhone 7 Plus rear hands-on

UPDATE: Included with the iOS 10.2 beta 1 update are new Unicode 9 emoji like a fox, avocado, pancakes, butterfly, shark, and more. There's also new wallpapers, an option for saving last known camera settings, a widget for the Videos app, and a feature that'll automatically notify your emergency contacts when you use the Emergency SOS feature on the iPhone or Apple Watch.

 

After releasing iOS 10.1.1 to the public earlier today, Apple is now pushing a new beta update to registered developers.

iOS 10.2 beta 1 is now rolling out to members of Apple’s developer program. If that’s you, you can get this update by going to Apple’s Developer Center or by grabbing it over the air if you’ve got the right configuration profile installed on your device.

As for what’s included, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for developers to dig into this update and find out what’s new. Because this is a 10.x update and not a 10.x.x update, though, there could be a new feature or two included. For example, Apple added the iPhone 7 Plus’s Portrait Mode into the iOS 10.1 update that was released earlier this month.

iOS 10.2 beta 1 isn’t yet available to public testers in Apple’s Beta Software Program, but if this is anything like other recent beta releases, that could change in the coming days.



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Google improving Play Store fraud detection and filtering

Google Play Store app Nexus 6P

Google today announced changes that’ll make it easier for you to discover new Android apps that you’ll love.

Starting today, Google is rolling out “improved detection and filtering systems” aimed at fighting developers that try to boost their app’s install numbers, reviews, and ratings. “If an install is conducted with the intention to manipulate an app's placement on Google Play, our systems will detect and filter it,” Google explained.

Google also notes that if it discovers that a developer continues to use fraudulent app installs and reviews to boost their app’s presence, that dev could have their app removed from the Play Store.

Google already uses content discovery systems to weed out these fraudulent app installs and reviews, but today the company is stepping its efforts up. This is welcome news because when you’re searching for a new app, you want the system to show you apps that are quality and are well-reviewed, not apps that are appearing just because their developers used fake installs and reviews to boost their presence.



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Samsung can still make the best of the Galaxy S7

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge

Samsung took a pretty hard hit with the Note 7 fiasco that unfolded over the past couple of months. Undoubtedly, this event will go down as one of the most bizarre and unfortunate oversights in mobile tech history. Financially, Samsung took a multi-billion dollar hit. Reputation-wise, people will be skeptical of Samsung devices in the near future without question. Future prediction? Samsung has a good chance of eventual recovery, and they can start by pampering their present and potential Galaxy S7 owners.

Before the Note 7 issues surfaced, Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners would have reasonably expected to be put on the back-burner in regards to major updates. The Note 7 was Samsung's new priority, and just looking at the history of how updates in Samsung's flagships played out, the S7 and S7 Edge might have received a Nougat update by the end of June. It's not the end of the world as TouchWiz, damned as it may be, already has a few of Nougat's defining features anyway. What Galaxy S7 users are more excited about is the prospect of gaining Samsung-specific goodies seen in the Note 7, like Grace UX and a more informative Always on Display.

Aside from needing to win over current Samsung consumers, who have also had to deal with the aftermath of the Note 7 by simply carrying a Samsung Galaxy-branded phone (and truly, with the way smartphones are, it's not exactly obvious which phones are which at a glance), Samsung has to win over the influx of upcoming holiday shoppers as well, and their best bet is by presenting the S7 and S7 Edge in the best light possible.

I think that Samsung could still rally in buyers from both the general public and tech enthusiasts. They certainly have the means to if they wanted to. If they can get a Nougat update out before Thanksgiving, that entices tech enthusiasts; if they can put on a good sale of the S7, which has already seen a price reduction or two due to the device's half-year age, they can draw in general consumers. Additionally, Samsung has another well-known trick up its sleeve: promotions. Samsung has become well-known for offering some decent promotions alongside the purchase of one of their flagships, as well as additional promotions through the use of Samsung Pay. Their flagships are expensive, but they are also quite generous after the fact if you catch them at a good time, which is sure to happen over the holiday season.

I think the Galaxy S7 will still struggle to be as popular as it could have been due to the closeness in name with the Galaxy Note 7, but the S7 duo continues to be two of the most highly-rated smartphones on the market. Given that Samsung is no stranger to offering financial incentives to keep consumers on board, I have little doubt that Samsung wouldn't offer something substantial to get its remaining 2016 flagships into the hands of consumers. I am skeptical (but somewhat hopeful) that Nougat will appear before the year's end, but even without Nougat, the S7 has done just fine performance and feature-wise for me over the past 5 months. Still, despite the resources that Samsung has to appeal to people with the S7, it may end up not being enough to combat the avalanche of negative PR that came with the Note 7.

Readers, what are your thoughts? Do you think Samsung can salvage some of the damage with the S7, or has the Note 7 fallout caused too much damage? Let us know in the comments below!



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Top 10 Android Apps of October 2016!

We've compiled a 'Top 10' list of our favorite Android apps to hit the Google Play Store in October 2016. The apps highlighted in this video include Wallpapers, Circuroid, Inkwire, PinOut, Mira, VUE, Swappa, CSBW, Encode and Energy Bar. Which app is your favorite? 



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How would you change Google's Pixel phones?

Google Pixel

Earlier this month, Google officially launched the Pixel and Pixel XL. While the company has launched, technically speaking, phones in the past, this year is certainly quite a bit different. Gone is the Nexus brand, and instead the Mountain View company has replaced it with the Pixel brand, pushing into a world where it designs its own phones, and those devices are more of a true combination of hardware and software.

The Pixel and Pixel XL are, quite frankly, true competitors from Google. Up to this point the company has simply let other companies use its mobile operating system, Android, as they see fit, with the Nexus devices really standing out for the vanilla experience they offered. The software available on the Pixel is still vanilla Android, but Google has optimized it to work with the hardware, which should hopefully make for a smooth experience not only right out of the box, but for as long as the owner is using the phone. 

There is a lot to like with the Pixel phones when looking at the specs. There's the AMOLED displays, one measuring in at 5 inches with an FHD resolution, and the other measuring in at 5.5 inches, and packing a QHD panel. They both have a 12.3-megapixel camera on the back, which, even after real world testing, stands out as one of the best, if not the best, cameras available in a smartphone. It offers a powerful processor under the hood, and so on and so forth.

The Pixel phones were a long time coming, but now that they're here it was worth the wait.

For those who have been able to get their hands on the phone, anyway. I've been wanting to write up this question for awhile now, ever since the phones launched, but with inventory being what it is, I ended up waiting a bit longer. The more people that have the phone by Google, the better the feedback can be, after all.

I'm still waiting to get mine (hopefully next week), but there are a few things that I would change already. That includes the exclusive launch with Verizon. Don't get me wrong here, the commercials that I've seen from the Big Red carrier promoting the handsets have been pretty great, and even the ads from Google itself, which ultimately end up showing the Verizon logo at the end, are stellar. But I do wish more people had the opportunity to get the Pixel -- from their carrier of choice. Google obviously felt compelled to ink up a deal with Verizon at launch, but availability and options are always great for consumers.

The other thing I'd change? That bottom bezel on the phone's front. It's as big as the iPhone's, but at least Apple's devices have that physical Home button (now a "button") to warrant the necessary space. The Pixel phones just have a big bezel below the display. It's not awful or anything, but, while I’m fine with the bezels on the sides, that one on the bottom is certainly prominent for no discernible reason. 

But, what about you? Is there anything about the Pixel and/or Pixel XL that you'd change, after you've spent some time with the handsets? Or are the phones by Google just about as close to perfect as you'd like? Let me know!



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iOS 10.1.1 update rolling out with bug fixes, including fix for Health data issue

iPhone 7 hands-on

iOS users, Apple is giving you a treat today in the form of a new software update.

iOS 10.1.1 is now rolling out to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. According to Apple, the iOS 10.1.1 update “fixes bugs including an issue where Health data could not be viewed for some users.”

This update is available over the air, so you can install it on your iOS device by going into Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS 10.1.1 may not be the most exciting update ever, but bug fixes are always good to see because they help to make the user experience better. And in this instance, the update is meant to make sure that all users can view Health data, which is important info to have access to.

iOS 10.1.1 update



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Google Apps for Work (G Suite) 2016 review

Sunday 30 October 2016

iPhone 7 Review: One Month Later!



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Saturday 29 October 2016

Apple's iPhone SE: Still a perfectly good option

Apple iPhone SE

It is very easy to hop on hate trains when they come by, and boy have they been coming this last half of the year. I expected – and boarded – the hate train for the rumors regarding Apple’s once alleged removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7. Once the rumors were confirmed to be true, I was already quite comfortable in my hate train seat when another, more deserving hate train came on the scene. You’re probably familiar with it. It was for the Galaxy Note 7.

Recently, another hate train made a stop at the station for the new MacBook Pro. I considered getting on but decided that I just don’t feel like hating right now. Instead, wanted to focus on something more positive. An arguably harder task, I sat down and thought about positive things to write about today. Given that Apple has been under so much scrutiny for both the iPhone 7 and the MacBook Pro, I decided to shine some focus on at least one product that I felt Apple aced this year: the iPhone SE.

Admittedly, I had kind of forgotten about the SE until I sat down and reflected on devices we’ve seen over the year. I wasn’t exactly sure why I’d forgotten about it because I think Apple knocked it out of the park with the revival of its once beloved 4-inch device. Perhaps that’s my answer: the 4-inch design of the SE was once a favorite in the smartphone industry, but the competition has gotten bigger. Much bigger. Phablet-sized bigger. Compact smartphones are definitely not as popular as they once were, so it makes sense that its debatably less attractive – yet defining - feature is also the thing that makes it so easy to forget, particularly among giants.

Despite its somewhat forgettable nature, I think the iPhone SE is one of my favorite smartphones from 2016. Not only does it bring back that smaller form factor in smartphones, but Apple also made it surprisingly affordable at $399 for the 16GB version. What I find to be more impressive is that the iPhone SE shares most of the same specs as the iPhone 6S, which is a striking feat for compact phones in general.

There was a time when compact smartphones – commonly known as “minis” – were sometimes introduced alongside or shortly after a popular flagship. Some notable examples are the HTC One Mini and Mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5 Minis, and the Sony Xperia Compact series. HTC and Samsung never truly hit the mark with their minis, as they always came up short when it came to specs, performance, and typically in price as well. Sony, on the other hand, has always done a good job with its compact series. When Apple unveiled the SE earlier this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m happy that they took notes from Sony and kept their smaller device in the same league as their larger flagships.

Where the SE truly excels at is actually being compact. I mentioned the Sony Xperia Compact series, but this year it feels like Sony used the term “compact” as loosely as possible, as the Xperia X Compact measures in with a 4.6-inch display. Back in 2013, a 4.7-inch display was just .3-inches away from being categorized as a phablet. A 4.6-inch display might be compact when compared to the competition, but I think Apple wins by leaving well enough alone with its retro 4-inch size (which I will always commend for its one-handed usability).

I do wish that Apple had bumped up the base internal storage from 16GB to 32GB, but I suspected they wouldn't considering they have been so stubborn on the issue until just recently, when the iPhone 7 was announced. However, Apple retroactively changed the iPhone 6S during the iPhone 7 announcement to sport the 32GB base storage option. I had hoped they would do the same for the iPhone SE, but with it being so affordable (for an iPhone) I can’t say I’m surprised. The front-facing camera could have used some improvements as well.

Aside from those issues, I think Apple did a great job with the SE. It may not be the fanciest smartphone on the market, but it does reach out to a demographic that is not often reached out to anymore, and at a reasonably affordable price at that. Heck, the device hasn’t even been out for a year and I’ve already seen $100 discounts on the phone, bringing the SE’s price down to a cool $299. Hopefully, the upcoming holiday deals will bring out similar sales, because the only thing I could justify more than an iPhone for $399 is an iPhone for $299.



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Huawei Mate 9 Teaser Could Possibly Mean Long Battery Life

If you've ever encountered your phone dying on you because it ran out of battery, Huawei's latest teaser for the upcoming Mate 9 will hit you in all the right places. The smartphone manufacturer recently unveiled a video that starts of with an image of a smartphone battery icon with only one red bar. And for everyone who's ever owned a smartphone in this lifetime, this is an all too familiar icon that only means one thing: your phone is running out of battery juice. The video then proceeds to ask the viewers "Do you hate this too?"

The video then takes a turn to feature a few interviews when users were asked the same question. The first to come on screen shares his experience of seeing his phone's battery jump from 40% to 21% in a jiffy before it turns off. Another respondent shares that whenever her phone no longer has any battery left while she's still at work, she feels lost. The next man to come on screen shares his struggle with his phone charging way too long. This is then further explained by another man who says he has to wait 4-5 hours just so his phone could fully charge.

These are all struggles that smartphone manufacturers know all too well. As such, they have come up with various ways to address these issues like producing a larger battery pack and fast-charging technology. But with recent events like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7's battery exploding, many can't help but feel frightened over their next smartphone purchases.

Hopefully, Huawei is able to address such issues with its new Mate 9. Although there isn't much information available online yet, the wait isn't too long before they finally unveil the device. Perhaps we'll learn more about the device's battery in the days leading to its November 3rd launch. At least one thing's clear-- the public is hoping it won't cause the device to explode too.

https://youtu.be/JGhykG0oyRc


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Friday 28 October 2016

MacBook Pro (13-inch 2016) Unboxing!



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Google Sending Out Emails to Those Waiting for Their Pixel and Pixel XL Devices

google-credit-pixel

There is no doubt that the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are among the most popular smartphones in the market. Just this week, T-Mobile announced that they will be giving $325 bill credits to individuals who buy the Pixel and bring it to their network. And even without this announcement, sales of the two devices have been soaring high in the past weeks. This is likely because the two devices have been said to exceed the expectations of Google.

But because of the demand for the two smartphones, there are some customers who are currently waiting for their Pixel device to be delivered. Some of these individuals may even have to wait up to 4 weeks for their new smartphone to be shipped to them.

Thankfully, Google has a way to ease out the wait as they are encouraging themselves to get the orders delivered on time. Customers who are faced with a delayed shipping date are being offered a $50 credit by Google, in the event that delivery of the Pixel devices are missed.

It's important to note, however, that Google has not yet officially announced this news. But a number of users have confirmed receiving the email from Google, which confirms their ordered unit has already been placed under a shipping status. The email also tells them they will be given a $50 Google Play Store credit as compensation for the wait.

If you're among those that have recently ordered a Pixel or Pixel XL but are told to wait for shipping, you may want to check your email for the message from Google.  

 



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