Explore the mysterious depths with ABZU, out now on select Android devices

Throughout the centuries, humans have explored what NOAA estimates to be just five percent of earth's oceans. However, the indie adventure game ABZU and its alluring seascapes are inviting to you to the daydream of knowing more. It's out now on PS4, PC, and NVIDIA Shield.

If ABZU gives you just the slightest bit of deja vu, that might because its art director, Matt Nava, also oversaw the presentation of Flower and Journey before it. It might even be fair to call it a spiritual successor to the aforementioned games, but developer Giant Squid is separating itself from those experiences by setting this game in a world that's as alien to us as the universe around us.

Taking its name from Ancient Sumerian and the mythologies of the remote past, "ABZU" roughly translates into "wisdom of the oceans." According to the developers, the game is inspired by the "deep innate narrative that we all carry within our subconscious," the cross-cultural myth of ABZU.

See also: Best sandbox games for Android34

ABZU sets out to draw you into a world that goes on with of without you. The animals and plant life in the game are based on real creatures and the ecosystems from the world's oceans. There's zero combat in the game, but the sea creatures will respond to you and the other things in their environment. It's an app more about exploring than winning.

The game is free of a heads up display. There are no oxygen tank timers, health bars, directional indicators or anything else to cover up the colors of the seascapes it draws.

The environment carries the narrative.

And as far as story, the environment carries the narrative. Quite literally, the deeper you immerse yourself into the game, the more the mystery that surrounds you. Your only objective is to dive deeper into ABZU and its water world to uncover the forgotten knowledge preserved deep in its heart. If that sounds like something that would appeal to you, then give ABZU a whirl!

ABZU launched this month PC, PS4 and NVIDIA's Shield family of device. For now, Giant Squid hasn't announced any plans to port the game to iOS or broader Android platforms.

Have you had a chance to play ABZU yet, or are you putting it on your wishlist? What have you found intriguing about the game so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Next: 10 best education apps for Android6

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Mars: Mars is a platforming adventure that’s out of this world

Have any curiosity about what's going on over on our next door neighbor in the solar system? Sate that inquiry with Mars: Mars, a game that puts you in the shoes of an astronaut exploring the red planet.

It's a game that's golden in its simplicity. A stylish platformer with cell-shaded aesthetics that doesn't try to be more than what it is. Gameplay is simple and addicting. You tap either side of the screen to fire your suit's jets, and you attempt to hop from platform to platform with finesse and alacrity. Honestly, surviving on Mars was a lot more complicated (and less fun) when Matt Damon did it. No potato harvesting here!

See also: Best platform games for Android

In addition to the stylish graphics, engaging soundtrack, and crisp controls, Mars: Mars features a cast of unlockable characters that make struggling through the game's harsh terrain a rewarding delight. Even if your outing ends in your untimely demise, you'll collect credits that you can then use to buy new upgrades and unlockables.

As is often the case, this game is free but has some in-app purchases. Click the button below to grab it from the Google Play Store and give it a spin! Let us know what your experience is like in the comments below. Worth a try, or is this game a pass? Sound off!

Get it in the Play Store Next: Best action games for Android!18

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Leaked images show the ZenWatch 3 looks a lot like the Moto 360

While it's true that there are only so many ways you can design a round watch, leaked images of what appear to be the ZenWatch 3 show that it seems to have taken quite a few design cues from the Moto 360.

The black and gold device we're looking at from Asus is currently making its way through certification. It will have Bluetooth 4.2 as well as WiFi capabilities, naturally, but the smartwatch sadly lacks mobile data connectivity.

We're seeing three side buttons and a magnetic ring charger that attaches to the back of the device. The band pictured is leather, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Asus offer a variety of options in this regard.

See also: The Asus Zenwatch 3 will be round, according to FCC filing8

It's worth bearing in mind that Asus has yet to reveal anything official about the ZenWatch 3, so it's possible for any of these details to be inaccurate. However, our immediate concern is that the device appears to be fairly bulky.

As smartwatches are getting sleeker and sleeker, there isn't as much room in the market for such large and thick devices except perhaps in the fitness-focused submarket. Since the Asus ZenWatch 3 doesn't appear to be particularly sporty, we're not quite sure what to make of its design just yet. Indeed, we'll have to wait to get our hands on it for a full first impression.

What are your thoughts regarding this leaked glimpse at the ZenWatch 3? Of course most leaked images don't put a device's best foot forward, so it's worth taking these impressions with a grain of salt. Still, give us your take in the comments below!

See also: Moto 360 review: probably the best Android Wear smartwatch yet78

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Gear S3 gets teased in Samsung IFA 2016 invite

While maybe not quite as key as it was in past years, IFA is still an exciting time of the year for tech enthusiasts. At the show we get bombarded with all sorts of new devices and developments. Manufacturers also like to get in on the fun and build up anticipation for their part of the Berlin-based trade show. IFA 2016 will officially begin on Sept. 4th, but like usual, we can expect the big names to kick it off a couple days prior. And like clockwork, Samsung has just dropped a teaser with its event schedule – Sept. 1st from 11-12pm.

That's not all though. The image shows clock hands, which totally hints at the launch of a new smartwatch. It's not directly stated, but based on the fact that the current Gear S2 dropped at IFA last year and an earlier report affirmed its IFA 2016 debut (with the possibility of a "super-luxury variant"), we feel that it is pretty safe to say that the Gear S3 will be announced at this year's IFA.

See also: Samsung Gear S2 review66

Despite running Samsung's own Tizen OS, the Gear S2 went on to being a highly regarded smartwatch. Its ergonomic design, superb display, smooth performance, and neat rotating bezel make for a great experience. However, the software is a little hit or miss, and application support needs some catching up to Android Wear. We'll have to wait and see if Samsung has made the right refinements.

Are you looking forward to seeing what the Gear S3 has to offer? Are current Gear S2 owners plenty satisfied with your smartwatch experience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Google in hot water over anti-trust laws, this time in South Korea

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Well, it looks like Google is under fire again over whether or not their business practices are inherently anti-competitive. This time the accusations come from the South Korean government, which is beginning to put together a large-scale legal case to determine if the company is violating the nation's antitrust laws.

We don't have many details on the case just yet. The Korea Fair Trade Commission only released a short statement announcing the existence of the case. No express accusations were made, but Reuters-trusted source says that the KFTC executed a thorough inspection of Google's headquarters in Seoul last month.

See also: European Commission targets Google over further antitrust complaints6

So far, Google has declined to comment.

While the search giant has become an integral part of many of our lives and is still making headlines in a variety of fields for innovation and success, the company is finding itself in increasingly dire legal straits the world over. A similar set of investigations into Google's business practices is currently underway in the EU, and the company has had trouble as of late in Russia for anti-competitive behavior.

What do you think of South Korea's investigation into the search giant's potential violation of anti-trust laws? Does Google use unfair business practices to their advantage? Let us know your take in the comments below!

See also: Google fined $6.75 million for pre-installing apps in Russia22

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Google is working on a new OS called Fuchsia, but what is it for?

A few weeks ago some Google engineers started committing code to a new repository called Fuchsia. One of the code submission comments was the cryptic phrase: "Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)". And looking at the different bits of code being added to the repository, it certainly looks like Fuchsia is an operating system. But what is it? Why is Google investing in it? and what are the goals of the project? Those are all good questions and to be honest we don't know the answers. However we can glean some clues from the repository itself.

The most obvious feature of Fuchsia is that it uses the (L)ittle (K)ernel and Magenta. LK is a small OS suited for small embedded devices and bootloaders. In fact it is the core behind various different boot loaders including some Android boot loaders. On an embedded ARM platform the core of LK is typically just 15 to 20 KB. LK is available from http://ift.tt/2aY04gI and is Open Source software, provided under the MIT license.

Magenta is higher up the food chain. It is designed for systems which have more memory (maybe even Gigabytes of memory) and which have peripherals (meaning it understands device drivers). For example, Magenta has the concept of a process whereas LK does not, Magenta has a user mode (where user programs run) whereas LK does not, and so on. Fuchsia seems to be Magenta built on top of LK.

The current source code repository includes lots of interesting stuff like support for Dart, JSON, logging, SSL, Google's Go programming language, clang, LLVM, Rust and a special version of Fortune – a simple program that displays a pseudo-random message that first appeared in Version 7 Unix.  The Fuchsia version of Fortune has its own pearls of wisdom, like "If we have data, let's look at data. If all we have are opinions, let's go with mine – Jim Barksdale,"  something that rings true for me when talking about Google's plans for Fushia. There is no data, just opinions!

If we have data, let's look at data. If all we have are opinions, let's go with mine.

According to code commit comments from the Flutter project, it looks like a lot of work has been done to get Flutter to build on Fuchsia. What is Flutter? It is a new project to help developers build high-performance, high-fidelity, mobile apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase.

As for supported hardware platforms, at the moment there are booting instructions for the Intel NUC and the Acer Switch 12 laptop. According to some comments from IRC there should also be support for the Raspberry Pi 3 soon. For those interested the project also includes some step-by-step build instructions.

Speculation is rife about what Google intends to do with Fuchsia. Is it a replacement for Linux in Android or even a replacement for Android itself, I highly doubt it. Is it a new OS for some new projects/products that Google is working on? Probably. It is anyone's guess what those products are, it could be anything from projects related to the Internet-of-Things to new Virtual Reality developments. Of course, this could just be a private project by some Google engineers which they are working on in their spare time.

Whatever the final goals of Fuchsia, one thing is for sure, the art of writing operating systems hasn't been lost and the potential to change the world remains the same as it did when OS/360 was announced in the 1960s or when Linux was announced int he 1990s.

What do you think Google plans to do with Fuchsia? Please let me know in the comments below.

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Samsung promises Nougat for the Note 7 in 2-3 months

The upcoming and highly anticipated Galaxy Note 7 packs a ton a goodies, but one aspect about it that didn't make headlines was its Android version – 6.0 Marshmallow. We all know that the new hotness this Fall will be Android 7.0 Nougat. Unfortunately, the timing of the Note 7's launch didn't line up with Google's debut of the finalized software.

See also: This is the Samsung Galaxy Note 7165

Folks who've had their minds set on the new beastly Note shouldn't fret though. Samsung has acknowledged its commitment to keeping the OS up to date. And according to a report by The Korea Times, the company has let slip that the Note 7 will receive the Nougat update in two to three months time, 'after gathering feedback from users.'

"It is very important for us to offer up-to-date information with the new OS, but what's more crucial is to build a stable and seamless platform for users," Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile communications, said. "That's why we are planning to do enough beta testing before any OS updates." This report follows news that LG went ahead and announced that its upcoming LG V10 successor, the V20, will drop with Nougat out of the box when it launches in September. Things are lining up for a great phablet battle this Fall, and we love it.

One thing to remember is that getting Android 7.0 to the Note 7 in two to three months isn't the same thing as getting it to all regions, and all carriers. More than likely, the 2-3 month timeframe will only apply to Korea, and perhaps unlocked international models. Still, it's good to see that Samsung is already taking about Nougat its final release looms closer.

Does the Note 7 not launching with Android Nougat deter any fans planning to snag it on day one? We know that Samsung isn't the quickest with updates, so we hope it can fulfill that promise. And maybe some love for Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users too?

Next – Android 7.0 Nougat features overview

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