Chrome to start killing Flash next month

The demise of Flash has been a long time coming. The once ubiquitous medium of online entertainment has grown long in the tooth and is expected by many to be completely dead in the next two years. Adding its nail to the Flash coffin, Chrome has announced that they will start blocking Flash content starting in September.

This move will initially just block "behind the scenes" content, which Google estimates is responsible for roughly 90 percent of the Flash content on the web. By December, Chrome will set HTML5 to the default medium for games and videos. Sites that exclusively support Flash will be unaffected.

Previously: Flash pronounced terminal, dead within two years20

Although those of us who were around when AlbinoBlackSheep and eBaum's World were the cornerstones of the content section of the internet will bemoan this death, the axing of Flash is actually a pretty positive thing. The ancient platform is renowned for its security vulnerabilities and resource-heavy methodologies.

This should come as no surprise to anyone. Chrome has been steadily trimming its Flash support for years, with September of last year seeing them automatically freeze non-essential or ad-related Flash content. Updates have gradually provided less and less support for the platform. It may seem a bit heavy handed, but this lack of support is a targeted effort on the part of Google to shove websites toward HTML5, which is a much more secure and efficient medium.

What are your thoughts regarding Chrome's hand in the demise of Flash? Let us know your take in the comments below.

See also: Google is driving another nail into the coffin of Flash23

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Everyone will soon be able to create their own Twitter Moments

In case you have yet to stumble upon that little lightning bolt icon while rummaging through Twitter, this takes you to a subset of curated tweets called Twitter Moments. The goal of "moments" is to collect tweets of a particular topic and pack them together to form encompassing coverage of unfolding news. Really, not too different from the "stories" features in Snapchat and Instagram.

In other words, Moments are a one-stop area for incoming information, pics, and videos pertinent to today's hot topics. That sounds all fine and dandy, but the fact is that the creation of Moments has only been reserved to Twitter's curation team and a select few of publishing partners. Until now.

See also: 10 best Twitter apps for Android92

The social media giant just announced Moments will next be opened to a broader group of creators, "including influencers, partners, and brands", and eventually, everyone "in the coming months." This move should help getting more users thinking about Moments. It will definitely make the feature more personal, as the public will gain the ability of dynamically developing their own compelling stories.

At the end of the day, this move is likely just a way to better compete against Snapchat and Instagram, but we can't say we blame them for trying. Are you glad that Twitter is finally opening Moments up to general users? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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5 best MOBAs for Android

MOBAs are a relatively newer gaming genre on mobile. For those who don't know, MOBA stands for Mobile Online Battle Arena. They came from a huge following on PC which includes the likes of League of Legends and DOTA 2. The genre is so popular that many sites cover it like a sport and teams can compete for actual cash prizes. The MOBA market on Android isn't big, but there are a few decent titles to choose from. Here are the best MOBAs for Android!

• Like playing with others? Here are the best multiplayer games for Android!
• Or check out the best MMORPGs for mobile!

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Ace of Arenas

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Ace of Arenas is a fairly run-of-the-mill MOBA that gets the job done. It boasts a large player base which should make it easy to get into matches. You can also play as many games as you want without having to buy anything which is nice. It features decent graphics as well as a unique control scheme where you employ both tapping and swiping to use abilities and attack. Like most MOBAs, the point is to destroy the other team's Core in order to win the game. It's a solid overall experience that's worth checking out.

Download now on Google Play!

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Call of Champions

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Call of Champions is a slightly more polished MOBA with plenty of things going for it. Its claim to fame are its short play times as most matches are wrapped up and finished inside of five minutes. That gives it that "built for mobile" feeling where you're not committing 30 minutes of your life to each match. It also features a Spectator Mode where you can watch games being played if you want to. Perhaps its best feature is that games don't end if other players quit. They are just replaced by AI and the game keeps going. It's a lot of fun and worth a shot.

Download now on Google Play!

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Heroes of SoulCraft

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Heroes of SoulCraft is another pretty decent MOBA with a feature set that seems made for mobile. The game features two modes that you can play through. There is a five-minute three vs three mode which is better suited for shorter games. There is also a 15-minute five vs five mode if you want to really challenge yourself and you have some time to kill. You can also summon Titans to do some massive damage during the course of the game. The basic mechanics are pretty typical for MOBAs in general which also helps make the game easier to learn.

Download now on Google Play!

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League of Masters

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
League of Masters is a MOBA that probably should be a little more popular. It features a lineup of 20 heroes and matches that span one vs one to three vs three. It is one of only a few that allows for one on one play which is kind of unique. Game play generally goes for five to ten minutes and it even has gamepad support if you need that. The game mechanics are a little basic comparatively speaking so this is a good MOBA to get into if you're new to the series and you want to see what it's about.

Download now on Google Play!

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Vainglory

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Vainglory exploded on to the mobile scene in 2015 and it remains one of the must-play MOBAs out there. It boasts a roster of over 25 heroes which is among the largest out there. Matches can be set for seven minutes if you want a quick play or up to 25 minutes if you want an all day slugfest. In terms of mechanics and game play, Vainglory boasts 60fps game play and 30ms control responsiveness which gives it a uniquely "professional" quality. It's the most popular MOBA on Android right now so you'll also have fewer problems finding people to play with.

Download now on Google Play!

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Related best app lists:

• Get into the groove even more with the best arcade games!
• Do you not like Clash of Clans but you do like the idea? Here are the best games like Clash of Clans!

If we missed any of the best MOBAs for Android, tell us about them in the comments!To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.

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How to back up your Android phone

Phones are getting better at automatically backing up data, but unfortunately there's always the possibility that you'll lose your phone or drop it in water and lose everything. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to back up that data, ensuring that even if something does happen to your phone, you won't lose all those embarrassing photos of your kids you were going to show at their 21st birthday.

Whether it be through Google, a third-party app, or your computer, here's how to properly back up all your phone's data.

• The best Android backup apps
• How to back up your SMS, MMS and call logs automatically

With Google

Backing up most of your data is actually pretty easy with Google, and it has gotten far easier over the past few years. Unfortunately there isn't yet a one-stop backup method for Android phones through Google, but there are ways to back up different types of data. Keep in mind, however, that these options don't cover things like SMS, though we do have an entire article to help you out with that. Here's how to back up your data with Google.

Photos and videos

If you're not already using Google Photos, you should be. The service automatically backs up every photo and video you take to the cloud, so you'll never have to manually back up your media ever again. If the Photos app isn't already on your phone, you can download it here. Once it's installed, you'll need to make sure Photos is set to automatically back up your files. Here's how to do that:

• Open the Google Photos app
• In the menu, head to Settings
• Tap 'Back up & sync'
• Make sure the switch is turned on

See also: Google Photos hands-on39

The best part about Google Photos? You can upload as many files as you'd like for free. Photos and videos will have a maximum upload quality of 1080p for the free storage option, which should be good enough for most people. If you'd like to keep the original quality of your photos, you can, but it will count against your Google Drive storage. Here's how to check your Google Photos upload quality:

• Open the Google Photos app
• In the menu, head to Settings
• Tap 'Back up & sync'
• Tap 'Upload size'
• Choose the option you'd like

Of course, you probably have more than just photos and videos on your phone. Here are a few ways you can back up the other files:

Other files

Google Drive lets you store your other files in the cloud, which means they'll be accessible from any connected device. To manually upload folders and files, follow these instructions:

• Download the Google Drive app, if you don't have it already
• In the app, press on the '+' button
• Press 'Upload'
• Select the file(s) you'd like to back up
• That's it!

Settings and apps

To back up your phone's settings and apps, you'll want to use Android Backup Service. This service essentially backs up the apps you use and the settings that you have selected in most Google apps, making it easy to restore those settings on a new phone. For a complete list of what gets backed up with Android Backup Service, head here. Otherwise, follow the instructions below to activate it:

• Open your smartphone's Settings app
• Tap on 'Backup & reset'
• Press 'Backup account,' and add your account, if it's not there already

And that's it! Your device should be pretty much all backed up now. Unless, of course, you want to use a third party service instead of Google's own.

Using other backup options

Google's services are great, but if you're looking for a more comprehensive solution — one that backs up everything at once, that is — you might need to use a third-party app.

Unrooted phone

There are a ton of great apps out there for backing up your data, and one of the easiest to use is CM Backup. CM Backup is free, well-designed, and backs up all the data that isn't so easy to back up. Now, it won't back up things like files or music, but it will take care of things like call logs, text messages, browser bookmarks and more. You'll get 5 free gigabytes of cloud storage space for using CM Backup, and you can pay for more if you need it. Here's how to back up your data with CM Backup:

• Download CM Backup
• Login or create an account
• Add things you want backed up by pressing the 'Add' button
• Press 'Backup'

And that's all there is to it. Easy, right?

Rooted phones

While most people won't need to root their phones to backup what they need to, rooting your phone can help you back up a few more things. By rooting your phone, just about everything on your phone can be restored, including things like app settings, system data, and even Wi-Fi passwords. One of the most used apps for backing up a rooted phone is Titanium Backup. While Titanium Backup certainly looks a little outdated, it's a very powerful app indeed. Here's how to back up your files using Titanium Backup:

• Download and open the app
• Tap the menu button in the top-right corner and select 'batch actions'
• Select everything you want to back up
  • If this is the first time you're backing up your device, you'll at least want to select 'backup all user apps' and 'backup all system data'
• You can also choost to back up the files to Dropbox or Google Drive, which you may want to do in case you lose your phone
• You can also opt to create a recovery compatible .zip backup file
  • This ensures that even if your phone's system files become corrupt or something else happens that prevents you from being able to boot up your phone, you'll be able to restore your phone from the backup

For a full explanation of Titanium Backup and how it works, head here.

See also: Rooting your Android – Everything you need to know!22

Backing up to your computer

Instead of backing up your device to the cloud or to the phone itself, you might want to back up all your files to your computer for easy access later on. Luckily, this is pretty easy to do, and the process is pretty much the same whether you're a Mac or PC user. Mac users will need to download and install the Android File Transfer app, though. Here's how to back up your Android device to a computer:

• Plug your phone into your computer with your USB cable
• On Windows, go to 'My Computer' and open the phone's storage
  • On Mac, open Android File Transfer
• Drag the files you want to backup to a folder on your computer

And that's it!

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Whether you need to create a full backup of your device or you just want to make sure you don't lose your photos, backing up your phone shouldn't be hard to do. Thankfully, it's not! If you can think of any better ways to back up your phone, let us know in the comments section.

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Danny Glover spends 12 hours in an air duct with the Samsung Galaxy S7

Apropos nothing, we come across Danny Glover unsurprisingly crawling through a suspiciously clean air duct while wearing a cop uniform. Business as usual. Of course, he locates the bomb, but then the twist: the timer is set to go off in 12 hours. "That's not very suspenseful," Glover notes. Fortunately, he has his Samsung Galaxy S7 with him.

In the interest of keeping tension high, Glover spends the next 12 hours on his smartphone playing games, ordering pizza, and convincing a friend to pursue a different career if they are so stressed out in their current one. Just as the bomb is about to blow, Glover snips the appropriate wires just in the nick of time.

See also: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review95

The ad is obviously showcasing the Galaxy S7's battery life. The device, which boasts a 3,000mAh battery, allegedly has the longest battery life of any Samsung flagship to date.

This is just the latest addition in a chain of spry marketing spots for the Korean tech titan. The company seems to have finally found their stride with the Galaxy S7, which they gleefully doused with champagne earlier this year.

What are your thoughts regarding this 80's-90's action-themed advertisement from Samsung? Are their claims about the S7's battery life true? If you're a Galaxy S7 owner, let us know if you would survive in an air duct with your device for 12 hours on a full charge in the comments below!

Next: OnePlus slams Samsung's Adaptive Charging in comparison video193

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Galaxy Note 7 and two new phones set for India on August 11

The Galaxy Note 7 is all set to hit Indian shores as Samsung has begun sending out invites for the launch of its "The Next Galaxy" smartphone at an event to be held in New Delhi on August 11. New media reports now suggest that alongside the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung is also likely to introduce the Galaxy A9 Pro and its Tizen-based Z2 smartphone for Indian consumers at the same event.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2, and the device is open for pre-orders with global sales set to kick off on August 19. Samsung's latest flagship phone has a water-resistant design, curved 5.7-inch Quad HD AMOLED screen, an iris scanner, an updated S Pen, top-of-the-line specs, and plenty of enhancements.

Alongside the Galaxy Note 7 in India, Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy A9 Pro, featuring a 6-inch display, an octa-core Snpadragon 652 processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage. The Galaxy A9 Pro has a large 5,000 mAh battery, along with a 16 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front facing shooter.

Galaxy Note 7 in video:

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  Samsung Galaxy Note7 vs S7 E...
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  Galaxy Note 7 S Pen: everyth...
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  Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs Gal...
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  Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-...
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  Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris s...
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  Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Color ...

On the other hand, the Tizen-powered Z2, a successor to the Z1, features a 4-inch AMOLED display and is powered by a 32-bit quad-core CPU with 1GB of RAM. The Z2 packs a 2,000mAh battery, though there's no information about its camera setup.

At the August 11 event in India though, all eyes will be on the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung hasn't provided any pricing details for the Indian market, but you can expect the new phablet to cost around Rs 63,000 (~US$943). There's also no information about the pricing for the Galaxy A9 Pro, while the Z2 is expected to carry a price tag of Rs 4,499 (~US$67).

The Galaxy Note 7 is expected to open for pre-orders in India as soon as it is unveiled on August 11, with shipments to commence on August 19 when it also becomes available globally. Back in South Korea, the Note 7 has already become the most pre-ordered Galaxy phone with more than 200,000 handsets being pre-ordered in Samsung's home market in just two days. Given that its pricing is a bit on the higher side, it remains to be seen how budget-conscious Indian consumers warm up to Samsung's latest offering in the Galaxy Note series.

Recommended: Has Samsung perfected design with the Galaxy Note 7?182

As of now, we can't tell you anything about the availability of the Galaxy A9 Pro and the Z2, but we'll update you as soon as the details start coming in from the Galaxy Note 7's India launch event. Do you plan to go for the Galaxy Note 7 when it becomes available in India? Hit the comments below to let us know!

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Android alternatives to some of the best iOS only apps

There are millions of useful Android apps on the market these days, but our iOS using friends still have a few unique first party applications that are occasionally lorded over us.

Yesterday we brought you a list of these favorites. Found yourself wishing you could download them for your Android device? While some of these may never officially make their way to Android, fortunately, there are plenty of perfectly suitable Android alternatives to many of the best iOS only apps out there. Here are my picks.

FL Studio Mobile (GarageBand)

[Price: $15.99]

Professional grade music production apps, or DAWs if you prefer, are much more commonly associated with Apple products than Android, and GarageBand has been a long running popular tool for those looking to jot down ideas or mix bigger projects.

With audio recording, MIDI tracks, and a huge selection of pre-made loops, synthetic instrument sounds and effects, GarageBand has pretty much everything that producers need. Fortunately, alternatives have come along in the Android space in the last couple of years. FL Studio's Mobile Edition has been available since 2013 and is certainly one of the best Android apps for music creation.

Fl Studio matches GarageBand's audio recording and import abilities, MIDI sequencing, drum machine, and multi-track support and editing tools. The app contains 133 instrument sounds, can work with up to 99 tracks compared with GarageBand's 32, and contains essential limiting and EQ tools. FL Studio can also export sessions to the more powerful desktop application if you're looking to polish up a track with some extra tools. However, the Mobile version costs $15.99, which makes it notably more expensive than GarageBand's $4.99 price tag.

Get it Now on Google Play!

PowerDirector (iMovie)

[Price: free]

If video's are more your thing than audio, then you might have heard about Apple's iMovie software, which is available for both the company's laptops and mobile devices. The iOS version is a little cut down, but has everything needed to cut up and edit footage captured on an iPhone. The software includes 10 video filters, 8 title themes, support for 4K video, and some basic audio tools for creating a soundtrack.

One of the best alternatives for Android is Cyberlink's PowerDirector. The app features similar tools to arrange scenes and trim video using a simple drag and drop interface. The app also features 50 animated title themes, 10 video filters, and soundtrack importing and editing. Video's can be exported at up to 1080p.

Both pieces of software also support quick sharing. iMovie links up with Facebook, Vimeo, and Messages, while PowerDirector plays nicely with Facebook and YouTube uploads. iMovie's price is set at $4.99, while PowerDirector is free, although it does come with in-app purchases in order to unlock all of the features.

Get it Now on Google Play!

Infinite Painter (Adobe Photoshop Sketch)

[Price: free]

Continuing with the theme of media creation, Adobe's Photoshop Sketch is a pretty cool tool for the artists out there. Adobe continues to focus its software development efforts on Apple hardware, although the company has recently also taken an interest in some Android development. Luckily, third party developers offers similar sketching apps for Android, of which Infinite Painter is most certainly one of the best.

Both apps offer up a selection of drawing and editing tools. Infinite Painter offers more than 80 brush presents, the ability to create new brushes, layer and blending modes, line and shape tools, and a selection of image filters. Images can be exported to JPEG, PNG, PSD, or ZIP, and can be uploaded straight to Instagram too. Infinite Painter is free to download, but there are in-app purchases to unlock all of the drawing features.

Get it Now on Google Play!

Camera FV-5 (Camera+)

[Price: $3.95]

iPhone owners also love to boast about the look of their pictures, and Camera+ is one of the most popular third-party apps on iOS. Camera+ is beloved for its additional shooting modes; which includes a timer, burst mode, and software based image stabilization; as well as its manual exposure and focusing options. Camera FV-5 offers up these same features, along with a couple of its own unique options.

In addition to the timer and burst modes, Camera FV-5 offers an HDR time lapse shooting mode. Exposure and focus options are supplemented with ISO and white balancing sliders, shutter speed controls, 16-bit RAW format support, and a live RGB histogram for the real pros out there.

See also: 15 best camera apps for Android101

Camera FV-5 is only a fraction more expensive than Camera+, priced at $3.95 rather than $2.99. Both ecosystems also offer up a lot of other really quite good camera apps, and the list above is worth checking out for some excellent free options. Of course, these won't turn a bad camera into a good one, but will allow those willing to put in the effort to extract a little more from their smartphone snappers.

Get it Now on Google Play!

Fenix (Tweetbot 4)

[Price: $4.99]

Moving away from media apps for a moment, Tweetbot 4 is one of iOS' must have apps for social media addicts. There are a number of rather good Twitter clients for Android too, but I've picked out Fenix as one that you should definitely have a look at.

The main appeal of using third-party Twitter clients is the additional control over notifications and feeds that they offer, as well as support for video, and improvements to the user interface. Tweetbot has certainly won much praise for meeting these criteria and Fenix also offers up lots of useful extras for Twitter aficionados.

Fenix includes multi-account support, an internal browser, customizable app navigation, multi-image and video preview support, and three themes to choose from, just to name a few features. Perhaps best of all, Fenix costs $4.99 while Tweetbot commands double the price at $9.99.

Get it Now on Google Play!

More options: 10 best Twitter apps for Android92

Pocket Casts (Overcast)

[Price: $3.99]

Podcast fans, of which I hope there are plenty of you, and serial iOS listeners have a particular liking for Overcast. The app is free to use and supported by donations, but boasts some pretty useful features, including Smart Speed to cut out dead-air, and compression to keep volumes in check.

Pocket Casts, a paid-for Android app, boasts many of the same features plus a few more. As well as silence removal and volume control, Pocket Casts boasts an auto-WiFi download feature, adjustable playback speed, and Chromecast support, on top of the essential subscription management features.

Get it Now on Google Play!

Evernote (Vesper)

[Price: free]

Vesper for iOS is another app that has managed to stand out in a sea of similar note taking applications. The app offers up easy ways to organise texts and pictures to help jog your memory and also offers backups across multiple devices.

Evernote needs no introduction as a veteran of this app niche, and it continues to be one of the most highly rated note and organization apps for Android. Although the iOS version doesn't seem anywhere nearly as well reviewed. With web clippings, image support, and a voice recording option, Evernote contains everything you need to keep on top of your busy day.

Best of all, Evernote is free compared with Vesper's $9.99 price tag. That being said, regular users can choose to upgrade to a 1GB per month upload package for either $3.99 per month or $34.99 annually, or heavy users might prefer the 10GB $7.99 / $69.99 option.

Get it Now on Google Play!

Choices choices: 10 best note taking apps for Android39

Flipboard (Newsify)

[Price: free]

If you still prefer to consume your news in paper form, then Flipboard is a great cross-platform alternative to iOS' Newsify aggregation app. At their most basic, these apps are designed to sort news from numerous sites into a single app, but the best feature additional tools to help keep your feed well organized and relevant.

Newsify separates itself with a selection of themes and a night mode, custom feed URLs, and an in-app Safari web view. Flipboard, on the other hand, throws in a selection of categories, recommendations, localized content, and social media integration. If Flipboard isn't your cup of tea, Feedly is also well worth a look as another free Android alternative.

Get it Now on Google Play!

AirBrush (Adobe Photoshop Fix)

[Price: free]

The last app on our list is one for the selfie lovers. Again Adobe refuses to bring its Photoshop Fix image touch-up software to Android, but AirBrush will help Android users scrub out those pores and cover up those blemishes just as well.

Both applications feature smoothing tools to improve complexion, color adjustments to brighten or darken your pictures, and a software depth of focus effect for some style. While Photoshop Fix focuses its extras on integration with its broader software suite, AirBrush opts for some extra software options, including automatic teeth whitening and a selection of familiar photo filters. AirBrush pictures can also be directly exported to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Get it Now on Google Play!

There you have it, just some of the best Android alternatives to a selection of the most popular iOS only apps. If you have any alternative suggestions or perhaps some other apps that you've found replacements for, sound off in the comments below.

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