Indie tear jerker ‘To the Moon’ to get HD treatment for Android, iOS

Story-driven adventure game To the Moon is having its pixels retouched and repackaged for mobile devices. The HD mobile port of the critically acclaimed  PC title is slated to arrive on Android and iOS later this year.

To the Moon, a non-violent mix of adventure and RPG elements, follows a pair of doctors who specialize in fulfilling the dying wishes of their patients. They do this by traveling into a patients' mind and manipulating memories so the patient remembers living that special dream life they had hoped for. The doctors' wish fulfillment service is actually a form of euthanasia, which is why this story may irritate your tear ducts. Anyone who signs up to have their memories rewritten will die shortly after the procedure has been done, so the service is only offered to individuals who are on their deathbeds.

See also: 15 best RPGs for Android138

Taking a hint from the game's title, you might have guessed that the doctors' mission, this time around, will be to send a patient to the moon. So the doctors meticulously reconstruct memories of the patient traveling there.

This touching tale first launched on PC back in 2011, and then later on OS X and Linux. The HD mobile port is being handed off from developer Freebird Games to X.D. network, which is smoothing over the game's pixels to give it a painterly presentation. There have been two "minisodes," released in 2013 and 2014, and a prequel, A Bird Story, that launched in 2014. So there's plenty more content awaiting you, should you hunger for more after spending roughly six hours playing through the game.

And if you wanting more after all of that, Freebird Games is hoping to wrap up a sequel, Finding Paradise, for next year.

To the Moon holds an aggregate score on Metacritic of 81/100, and has been lauded with praise and award nominations. In 2011, it won game of the year honors from IndieDB and RPG Fan. And it won honors from GameSpot and was a finalist at the Independent Games Festival.

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This company you aren’t paying attention to is kind of trying to take over the world

They were once known as the "Netflix of China," but today that moniker is seeming increasingly inaccurate. LeEco dominated the video streaming industry in its country of origin, but unlike Netflix, which seems pretty chill remaining in the business of content catering, LeEco has decided they have things to do and places to go.

"What things and which places?" you might ask. Put simply: everywhere and everything.

LeEco was originally called Letv, which is an apt enough name for a streaming company. However, once they started branching out into the fields of TVs, smartphones, Android powered bikes, smart homes, and autonomous vehicles, they adopted a name more representative of the kind of technological ecosystems they were building.

See also: Chinese tech company LeEco snags Vizio for $2 billion13

To give you an idea of the kind of long-term planning these folks are laying down, LeEco has ambitions to produce an Uber competitor that uses fully driverless cars that users can summon from an app. While en route to their destination, users will have the company's streaming service at their fingertips for entertainment.

You might remember hearing about these guys when they bought all of flippin' Vizio last week to the tune of $2 billion. The idea is that owning Vizio's US distribution infrastructure and marketing acumen will give them a foothold in the states while simultaneously giving the Vizio brand an inroad to the Chinese market.

You might remember hearing about these guys when they bought all of flippin' Vizio to the tune of $2 billion.

But this is not their first major move in the US. Earlier this year they opened an 80,000 square foot facility in San Jose to serve as their North American HQ. After that, they bought 48.6 acres from Yahoo in Santa Clara for further US development. They've announced that they're bringing smartphones and video streaming state-side by the end of the year.

Complicating things is LeEco's CEO Jia Yueting. Those who are familiar with the antics of T-Mobile's John Legere will recognize the combative and polarizing style of this company leader. Clearly a strong personality, Jia Yueting is a controversial figure who has compared Apple to Nazis and called the iPhone maker "outdated."

See also: LeEco CEO Jia Yueting: "Apple is outdated"95

LeEco says they are currently in talks with Netflix regarding future cooperation. We're not certain what form that would take, considering LeEco is posed to act as a major competitor for the streaming giant on the global playing field. LeEco's clear interest in the western market would seem to pit the two streamers against each other, but Ken Warner of Display Daily observes, it might be the case that Netflix would want to partner with LeEco to distribute dubbed versions of their content in China.

LeEco's plans in the west aren't particularly clear right now. The intent is obvious – I mean hell, they're buying up land and companies and building offices – but we're still waiting to see exactly what kind of presence the company is hoping to establish on US soil. More information should be forthcoming this fall when LeEco plans on officially announcing their US presence, but in the meantime, all we can do is speculate.

What are your thoughts regarding LeEco's take on manifest destiny? Have they cast their chips too widely to be a truly major player in all of the markets they're attempting to engage, or are they scheming up something truly big? Let us know your projections in the comments below.

Next: 5 companies you can't afford to ignore in 20165

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Android sensors, what are they and are they working? – Android customization

Before we dive into the action packed, fun filled adventures of this week's Android customization post on Android sensors, did you get the chance yet to have your phone automatically adjust the volume for your favorite apps? If not, just head back to last week's project, one that I've used more than I thought I would myself.

Android customization to optimize for Pokemon:
Custom five minute timer
Auto adjust phone volume when you start an app

Now that you're back, let's continue with a fun project, this is a learning exercise or troubleshooting task more than anything, but I hope it serves you well. Let's explore what some of the sensors are in your Android device, and see if they are working proper.

Note: we will be covering a lot of beginner level information to begin with, but do please scroll through to explore the potential for advanced troubleshooting, if you are having any issues with your Android device.

Before we begin

Sensors MultitoolYou'll want a fairly new Android device before we continue, there is no rule or limitation on the type of device or the amount of sensors it is equipped with, but the more the better, I suppose. From there, we are using an app called Sensors Multitool today, we like it, but we truly chose it at random, feel free to try out other options. Sensors Multitool is free in the Google Play Store.

Android sensors, an overview

As I am sure you are aware, the modern Android device comes packed with a ton of internal sensors to enhance and improve your experience, or otherwise just to operate. A couple of the more common sensors will be the ambient light sensor that allows for the auto-brightness setting on your display and the accelerometer (combined with a gyroscope and more) that tracks device movement, orientation and more.

You may be surprised by the amount of tiny sensors your Android device is equipped with, in-fact, we will not even get around to talking about them all today.

While we hope that you learn a thing or two as we go, todays project using Sensors Multitool is more of a geeky way to explore your device than anything. If you've ever run benchmarking software to see how fast your Android phone or tablet is, this will be fun for you. Of course, if you are having issues, Sensors Multitool can help you identify if and what sensors are acting up.

Let's run through a few of the more popular sensors and see what you think.

GPS

Look at that, starting this list off with a feature that the app is capable of, but, you might say that GPS is not a sensor, it's more of a radio. Nonetheless, this is a good tool, so let's use it.

Allow me to try to relate a good reason to come in here – perhaps you are trying to go for a drive using Maps on your phone, or maybe you are trying to play Pokemon, but your device can't get a GPS lock. Is your phone broken or are you just living in a tunnel? One way to find out is with the GPS tool in Sensors Multitool.

Tap the Menu button in the top right and select GPS from the list.

As you can see from mine, my GPS is enabled, but I do not have a lock on any satellites. I suppose that is fortuitous, else you would be seeing the exact GPS coordinates of my house. However, the metal roof on this building means I don't get to use Maps to navigate to my bedroom when I'm done for the night.

Pressure

Wait a minute, there's a barometer in my phone? Yes, there sure is. As you can see, this air pressure sensor isn't really here to turn your phone or tablet into a weather station, it's primary function is to clock your altitude. Considering my family home growing up was about 3400 feet, this house at 1200 feet is a big difference for me, but I like it.

Light

Repeating myself, I know you know that your auto-brightness setting changes the display to match the light around you, but how does that work? Simple, the Ambient Light sensor on your device is able to measure the available light around you. In the dark of night you can see that I have 0 lx (lux) measured by the sensor, but if I put the phone up to this bright white display, boom, 100 lx. My studio lights jump up over 5000 lx. and I'll have to wait to try out direct sunlight. Or you can.

If ever your auto-brightness is acting up, or you're wondering why Google Maps keeps bouncing between day and night mode, you can hop in here to see what your sensor is measuring.

Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Gravity, Linear acceleration, Rotation Vector and Orientation

Hold on, what?!?! How many sensors are doing what? You know how your favorite racing game manages to let you tilt your device to steer, how about how Google Cardboard is completely aware of what direction you are looking when you're inside your VR headset, that's right a handful of sensors make this possible.

If you are experiencing issues with a game, pop in here quick to see if things are working. You may find that you don't even have a Gyroscope, but don't panic the remainder of the sensors can help fill the void. Let's do a super quick rundown what these sensors are for:

The accelerometer and linear acceleration are measures of movement, the former focuses on the gravitational forces affecting your device while the latter is more to track your travels around the globe. You can see the Accelerometer jumping around if you shake your phone, but you'll have to go for a run to see the linear acceleration at play.

Gravity is a measure of how terrible something is… Oh, sorry, wrong use of the word. You do recall from your high school science class that standard gravity is 9.81 meters per second squared? That is, if your table wasn't there, you'd be able to calculate very reliably how long it will take to order a new display. Go ahead and jump around with your device, you'll find points at the top of your jump where the phone thinks it's weightless for a split second. Now, I urge you to use the phone for calculations and throw a ball, please don't throw your phone around to test this sensor.

The last one we'll explore today is Orientation, this is a dual purpose keeping tabs on the magnetic compass direction that your phone is facing, as well as the three-axis measure of what angle your phone is at, this is the major sensor that allows those racing games to work, also your favorite bubble level tool, and, of course, this orientation keeps your mapping under control, figuring out what direction you are headed.

What's next?

I hope you see how all of these sensors, including the ones not discussed, all work together to form the experience you have on your Android device. What may sound like an easy task, for example, figuring out your location, requires that the GPS get a lock, Google works some tricks with your network connection as well, but the particulars are narrowed down by the barometer, Orientation sensors, the pressure sensor and more.

Aside from the fun you're having learning about your location and how sensitive your device accepts your movements and input, I do hope that you can sort through this app for some serious troubleshooting of any issues.

Last thing, while I don't consider WiFi to be a sensor either, this is still a great tool to see the quality of your connection to your router. As you can see, WiFi ac at less than 8 feet from my router in clear line of sight makes for a great connection. Just too bad my internet on the other side of that router is not as fast.

Next week

I hesitate to do this to you, my faithful Android customization followers, but we may begin skipping a week or two here and there. As you may know, I am one of the primary members of our team focusing on our partner site TabTimes. We are hard at work with a shift in our coverage and expansion in our output. Plainly put, this responsibility is very demanding right now, it is currently 4:30am and I am just finishing this piece, and we'll be recording the Android Authority Podcast pretty soon, let's see if you can tell that I didn't get any sleep.

I promise we'll be back soon, I'll be sure to come up with better projects for you than these rushed articles we've done lately. Please be sure to hit the comments here with any suggestions or requests for cool things you'd like to make Android do.

Take care folks, see you soon

More Android customization projects:

• Build app specific sound profiles, to silence Pokémon Go on startup - Android customization
• Build a custom PokéStop timer with Tasker - Android customization
• Create Bluetooth profiles for your speakers and headphones - Android customization
• How to use Maps and Play Music without killing your watch battery - Android customization
• Using Tasker with root to reboot your phone - Android customization
• Use your smartwatch as a camera remote for your phone - Android customization
• Xposed module and installer basics - Android customization
• Nexus 7 not charging? How to replace the USB port and headphone jack - Android customization
• How to create an advanced battery log using Tasker - Android customization

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Android Wear gets new update, includes July security patch

Proud owners of Android Wear devices will be pleased to learn that their smartwatches just got a bit more secure. Update M1D63G is now rolling out to a variety of devices, bringing with it all the comfort of July's security patch.

See also: Best Android Wear apps46

So far we're seeing it on at least the Sony Smartwatch 3, the second generation Moto 360, LG G Watch R and LG Watch Urbane, but it's sure to be arriving on more. To see if your Android Wear device has this update available, just stroll on over to Settings > About > System updates. Let us know what wearable you own and whether or not this update is available on it in the comments below.

It looks like there's not much more to this update than the security boost and new Google Play Services. If you're able to suss out any additional perks in the patch, let us know about that as well!

Next: Best Android Wear watches67

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Samsung gifts a Galaxy S7 edge to every Rio Olympian

Samsung wants to give Olympic athletes in Rio an edge, and the IOC is cool with that. The Korean tech firm is handing out 12,500 Samsung Galaxy S7 edge handsets it says will "help Olympians enhance their experiences" by helping them stay in touch with loved ones.

Fitted with a special metal black frame, the commemorative Galaxy S7 edge handsets are preloaded with wallpapers themed after the Rio 2016 Olympic games. The Olympic rings are baked into the phone's home screen, lock screen, notifications bar, contacts menu and phone dialer. The special edition Galaxy S7 edge handsets also come preloaded with the company's Rio 2016 app, which was developed in collaboration with the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee. The app will serve up coverage of the games around the clock through updates on the medal count, event results, schedules, venues and more.

See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review95

Along with giving each Olympian one of the special edition smartphones, Samsung is also giving the athletes its wireless IconX earbuds.The earbuds, reminiscent of hearing aids, feature in-ear heart rate monitoring, a native music player and support for Samsung's S Health app.

If any of this makes you a little jealous, you can still buy the Olympic Edition of the Galaxy S7 edge. Samsung made them available to consumers last month. And if want to bring your own device, you can download Samsung's Rio 2016 app from the Play Store — it's also available on iOS and Windows Phone.

So how will you keep track of the Olympics? Will you do it from a commemorative Galaxy S7 edge, another device, or another app?

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Nexus 6 devices aren’t working on T-Mobile for some reason

In a turn of events that's frustrating Nexus fans across the nation, T-Mobile's LTE network has suddenly stopped working with many Nexus 6 devices. T-Mobile has acknowledged that the problem exists and announced that they're looking for a solution, but so far nobody really knows why this is happening.

This isn't the first time the Nexus 6 has had a dodgy time on the 'Uncarrier's 4G network. Although it was recently proven that T-Mobile has the fastest LTE speeds in the nation, Nexus 6 users have had a consistently spotty experience with the network.

See also: T-Mobile has the fastest LTE in the U.S.23

This latest instance of coverage suddenly cutting out without warning doesn't seem to follow any rhyme or reason. It's not associated with any recent updates, and the best T-Mobile reps can do is encourage those experiencing the problem by manually updating their device via Wi-Fi. However, most who have tried this are reporting that their problems with LTE coverage return after too long.

Whatever that fix entails, it may not arrive until Monday

T-Mobile claims that the issue isn't solely affecting their network, and that they are working with Google to come up with a fix. Whatever that fix entails, it may not arrive until Monday, leaving some Nexus 6 owners stranded without wireless coverage for the weekend.

What are your thoughts regarding this upset in data? Are you a T-Mobile user affected by sudden loss of service on your Nexus 6? If so, let us know in the comments below!

Next: Best T-Mobile Android phones (July 2016)69

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Unique 3D puzzler Perchang arrives to Google Play

We all love a good puzzler. If you haven't caught wind of a new guy in town called Perchang, you may want to listen up, as it just made its way to the Play Store.

This physics-based game is a mind-bending exercise in which you guide several tiny metal balls to their goal. Do expect peril from every corner, as wildly built mechanical contraptions prove to be formidable obstacles. At your disposal are magnets, fans, anti-gravity hoops, and even portals across the 60 total levels. On top of that, you're on a time limit.

See also: 15 best puzzle games for Android64

Being that the game is 3D and delivers sweet-looking graphics, the action gets eye-pleasingly dynamic as you go along (and frustrating too). You get simple one-button controls for each thumb on the bottom corners of the screen to control the specified gizmos in that level. Included are paddles that make the game somewhat look like pinball of the future.

If you're intrigued, the developer offers a free, ad version of Perchang. You'll be able to play through the entire game, but with video ads in between some levels. Or you can just cough up the game's $1.49 cost to play uninterrupted. Hit up the Play Store link below to jump to the install.

Get it on Google Play

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