lundi 29 août 2016

Fitbit gets you out of your Hobbit hole with ‘Adventures’

fitbit adventues

So two brand new Fitbit devices are on the way, but the fitness tracking company isn't settled with just making hardware advances. Fitbit wants to get you engaged in your workout, and they're doing it through the oldest known method: the Call to Adventure.

Taking a page out of the books of mythologies and storytellers of old, Fitbit has created a new set of elements inside the Challenges tab that will let you take on personal goals. The setup combines, to a soft degree, augmented reality elements with personal fitness. With Adventures, you'll seek out well known landmarks, hunt down 360-degree viewpoints, go on treasure hunts, and go on strings of challenges that can last for days on end.

Fitbit Charge 2_Business Street_Lifestyle

All from the comfort of your office.

No, seriously. The point of Adventure is to slide your daily steps into synchronicity with hiking trails and marathon routes. With this feature, you'll feel less like you're shuffling from cubicle to cubicle all day long and more like you're on the road to, well, adventure.

The Adventures functionality is already live on the latest version of the Fitbit app. Click the button below to snag it from the Google Play Store. Give it a whirl for a couple of days, then let us know what you think of it in the comments. Is it a helpful movement motivator or a gimmick not worthy of your time?

Get it in the Play Store

Fitbit Charge HR vs Garmin vivosmart HR 5

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Anker issues recall and refund for perilous USB-C cable

USB Type-C cable

USB Type-C hasn't had the smoothest start. But then again, it's an overhauled standard from the many proven years with microUSB. The woes begun as OnePlus jumped in head first last year with the OnePlus 2, to find that its own bundled USB-C cable wasn't up to snuff with the official specifications. The concern graduated as the standard was more and more adopted by flagship devices. The HTC 10 and LG G5 stuffing it with Qualcomm's newest Quick Charge 3.0 was another incompatibility rough patch. Eventually, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) brought forward a certification program for USB-C cable.

Unfortunately, we're not out of the woods yet. Another mishap was just brought to light by the well-known budget accessory manufacturer, Anker. It was shown by a researcher, Nathan K., that Anker's USB-C cable model A8185011 can "remember" the voltage of the device it was just plugged into. This is dangerous because if you unplug it from a laptop's USB-C port and then plug it into your phone, it could push a 15V-20V power draw into a port that shouldn't see more than 5V. In short, that could fry your phone and/or cause an explosion or fire.

The matter was then reinforced by the Google Engineer who initially brought on the warning about unfit USB-C cables, Benson Leung. On his Google+ page, he reiterated Nathan K's findings (testing the cable himself) and got Anker to issue a recall:

We are offering all of our PowerLine USB-C A8185011 users a full refund. In addition, we would like to offer a free Anker PowerLine USB-C cable to affected customers once we have improved Anker PowerLine USB-C A8185011.

It's unfortunate that unsuspecting consumers can still fall victim to inadequate USB-C cables today. We would've at least thought that established accessory manufacturers would know how to deal with the standard by now after all of the discrepancy early on. But at least Anker was quick to respond with a full-fledged recall. We're thankful over the priority that Nathan K. and Benson Leung put on the serious issue. You can check out Nathan's reveal of the cable's fault in the video below.

Next: Best USB Type-C cables

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Would you buy a $70 smartphone if it ran Marshmallow?

Alcatel-Fierce-4

Alcatel isn't exactly the most premium brand on the smartphone market, but as of late they've begun gaining some traction among budget users. Their latest offering, which will soon be available through T-Mobile, comes rocking Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box and only costs $69. Would you buy the Alcatel Fierce 4?

The Alcatel Fierce 4 is a 5.5-inch offering that actually has HD screen resolution and a display that's probably substantially more vibrant than what you would be expecting for the price point. It sports 2 gigs of RAM and 16GB of internal storage that is expandable via an SD card. The rear-mounted camera is 8MP, but don't expect to become the next Ansel Adams with this software.

In Google’s opinion, these are the best indie games of 2016

indie game festival san francisco

You may remember Google announcing that they were planning on holding a big indie game festival this fall in San Francisco. The event is still on its way, but the judges over at Google have narrowed down all the submissions to the top 30 that they believe are worthy of showcasing.

Right now, you can't even get a look at the vast majority of the games that they've picked. Fully two thirds of them haven't been released on the Play Store yet. However, you can give a few of them a whirl, such as Roofboot, A Matter of Murder, and Orbit.

Google received over 200 submissions for this festival, but most of these simply didn't meet Google's standards. Even though you've never heard of most of these games, the search giant believes that these are the developers that will be worth keeping an eye on in 2016 and beyond.

If you're interested in getting an inside scoop on the latest and greatest in the indie dev world, then you should head out Ol' Californi way come September 24th. The event will be held in San Francisco, and registration is open to developers as well as the public in general. Whether or not you're looking to get your app off the ground or just want to get an early look at what crafty devs have been cooking up, this festival is for you.

Click here to see the full list of games that have made Google's cut, and head on over to the festival's landing page if you're interested in checking it out in person. Let us know what you think of Google's picks in the comments below. Do these titles seem worthy of the spotlight Google is throwing on them?

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Best tablets under $100

Nexus 7 Huawei MediaPad X2 tops

Our friends over at TabTimes know what you're looking for, an inexpensive little tablet that is, for better or worse, disposable. Not that we think you should abuse and neglect a tablet, but if you are going to do so, why not make it something that costs you less than a hundred bucks? Of course, maybe tablet abuse is not your goal, maybe you just have a simple need of a device, either way, we've got you covered.

Join us for our rundown in search of the best tablets under $100, as borrowed from our partner site TabTimes.

We have several lists for best tablets in the various OS offerings, as well as at different price points. Be sure to check out a more specific list if you want to narrow your search to a more specific range.

Editor's note: We'll be updating this list regularly as new devices launch.

Best tablets under $100

Amazon Fire 7

Following in the footsteps of the previous Kindle Fire HDX tablets, Amazon has launched not one, but 5 new tablets in 2015. While this sounds like a lot, rest assured, these are all just updates to previous models. And to be fair, two of them are pretty much the same device. What stands out in this new line are the prices, setting a precedent that we'll talk about later.

The main tablet we'll be focusing on here is the Fire 7, which comes with a 7.0-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 600 x 1024, a quad-core processor, expandable storage and a battery that allows up to 7 hours of use on a single charge. There was originally only 8GB of on-board storage, but you can get 16GB now, and the display might seem a little fuzzy, but the minimal approach to Amazon's Fire OS 5 promises smooth performance out of the device. The best part of this deal is the price, by far. You can pick one of these tablets up for just $50, brand new, straight from Amazon. The company is also selling them in 6-packs for $250.

Related: Best tablet for kids

Specs

7.0-inch IPS LCD display with 1024 x 600 resolution, 171 ppi
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
1 GB of RAM
8 GB or 16GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion
2 MP rear camera, VGA front camera
Up to 7 hours of battery life
191 x 115 x 10.6 mm, 313 g

Read more

Buy now from Amazon

Lenovo Tab3 7

TAB3-7-colorsfull-option-840x472

Available in two versions, the lighter of the two rocks a very affordable price tag. This is the Lenovo Tab3 Essential 7, a 7-inch tablet with 1024 x 600 resolution, a 1.3GHz Quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The 3450mAh battery promises up to 10 hours of battery life, and expandable storage via microSD is a welcome addition.

As we say, this Essential version lives within our $100 price point, but if you have just $14 more to spend, check out the Lenovo Tab3 A7 that bumps up the cameras, runs a MediaTek processor and has specific software enhancements for children.

Specs

7-inch IPS display with 1020 x 600 resolution
1.3 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core processor
1 GB of RAM
8 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion to 64 GB
2 MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front camera
3450mAh battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop
9.7 x 6.7 x 0.35 inches, 1.1 lb

Read more

Lenovo Tab3 line hands-on

Buy the Tab3 Essential from Amazon Buy the Tab3 7 from Amazon

ASUS ZenPad 7

ASUS ZenPad C 7

As huge fans of the original Nexus 7, we have a soft spot for 7-inch Android tablets made by ASUS. While there are newer and better options out there, keeping to this price range brings up the ZenPad Android tablet. Let's be clear, this is a tad of an upgrade from the original Nexus 7, but a bit shy of keeping up with the newer 2013 Nexus 7.

With a simple 1024 x 600 resolution 7-inch display, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, this is a solid little Android tablet to cover your basic needs. Powered by an Intel processor, do not expect the power of a newer high end Snapdragon powered device, but as with most tablet in the list today, listening to music, navigating maps or just surfing the web will perform admirably.

We're just in under the line with this one, snap up the ASUS ZenPad just $99.

Specs

7-inch display with 1024 x 600 resolution
1.2 GHz Intel Atom x3-C3200 processor
1 GB of RAM
16 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion to 64 GB
2 MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front camera
Android Lollipop
7.4 x 4.3 x 0.3 inches, 0.6 lb

Read more

Buy now from Amazon

Toshiba Encore 2

The $100 range seems destined to offer up small Windows tablets, including this Toshiba Encore 2 offering, another in a long string of Intel Atom powered devices with 1GB of RAM and sub-HD graphics. This time out you get a 8-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 32GB of internal storage and Windows 8.1. Basically, if the HP Stream 7 appeals to you, but you'd like a slightly larger display, Toshiba is here to assist.

Check out the Toshiba Encore 2 Windows tablet for $99.99 from Amazon today.

Specs

8-inch display with 1024 x 768 resolution
1.4 GHz Intel Atom Z3735G processor
1 GB of RAM
32 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion to 128 GB
5 MP rear camera
Windows 8.1, upgrade to Windows 10
8.3 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches, 0.84 lb

Read more

Toshiba 8-inch Windows tablet announced

Buy now from Amazon

Chuwi Hi8

Now that I've lulled you into the idea that all sub-$100 Windows tablets are of low-end specifications, let's step it up a notch with the Chuwi Hi8. To be fair, this is not a well known brand, coming out of China with some difficult OS configurations for North American patent law. Why is that, you ask? This tablet is made to run Windows and Android simultaneously. If you need more convincing, this tablet has much newer specs than the Toshiba and HP options here. Look for 2GB of RAM on top of a faster Intel Atom processor and 32GB of internal storage. Not to mention the USB Type-C and micro HDMI ports.

With a $99.99 price tag, the Chuwi Hi8 just squeaks onto our list, but is an intriguing offering with that dual-OS configuration.

Specs

8-inch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution
2.16 GHz Quad-core Intel Atom Z3736F processor
2 GB of RAM
32 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion to 128 GB
2 MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front camera
Android Lollipop and Windows 10
8.3 x 4.84 x 0.4 inches, 0.88 lb

Buy now from Amazon

Amazon Fire HD 6

The second contender of Amazon's latest round of tablets is the Fire HD 6, a 6-inch device with a bit more power than the absolute budget Fire 7. That display packs 1280 x 800 resolution, the processor is bumped up to 1.5GHz. 1GB of RAM is on-board, along with 8GB or 16GB of internal storage. For the home media consumers, keep in mind that this tablet taps into your Amazon Prime streaming and is SlimPort enabled, to easily get that content onto the big screen.

For those that are concerned with such things, this is the tablet that also comes in a child friendly version. Check that out in our Best tablet for kids article.

Specs

6.0-inch IPS LCD display with 1200 x 800 resolution, 252 ppi
1.5 GHz quad-core processor
1 GB of RAM
8 GB or 16GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion
2 MP rear camera, VGA front camera
Up to 7 hours of battery life
169 x 103 x 10.7 mm, 290 g

Read more

Buy now from Amazon

Refurbished alternatives

HP Stream 7

Hang with me here, I know there is little love out there for this little tablet, but as a Windows device from a recognizable name for under $100, it's hard to ignore. It is, of course, difficult to find this tablet in new condition these days, but the refurb options are solid enough. Windows 10 is displayed on a 7-inch screen, backed by an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with support for 32GB more via microSD slot.

No magic here, folks, but if you need Windows in your pocket on a budget, the HP Stream 7 is a decent option. Pick up a refurbished unit for about $80 for the WiFi only unit, or $95 for the LTE version.

Specs

7-inch display with 1200 x 800 resolution
1.3 GHz Intel Atom Z3735 processor
1 GB of RAM
32 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion to 32 GB
2 MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front camera
Windows 8.1, upgrade to Windows 10
7.6 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches, 1 lb

Related reading

Buy now from Amazon

Alternative

Dell has a very similar unit that runs Android, the Dell Venue 7, a 16GB device with basically the same specs. Check it out for roughly the same price.

Dell Venue 7 Refurb on Amazon

There you have it, a selection of decent devices that clock in under $100. I beg you not to think of these devices when you need a powerful computer to handle your productivity of gaming tasks, but you can happily fling some birds or surf the web with these little tablets. On the flip side, at this price point, it is hard to complain over a few delays and a bit of lag in return for this level of computing on the go.

Is there a clear winner in this list today? I hesitate to answer this. I have had a great experience with my Amazon Fire 7 tablet for $50 – I actually got it for $35 (watch for sales)! As a window into the Amazon ecosystem, both in terms of the shopping and app store, as well as the streaming services included with a Prime membership, it is hard to beat an Amazon tablet. In terms of Windows, the Chuwi tablet appears to have some of the most versatile and high-end specifications in the entire list today. Really, the choice is yours.

iPad Nexus MiPad MediaPad tablets 18

Luckily, there are always great deals to be found out there for under $100. Keep watching your favorite sales sites for more great options. A great example, my Google Nexus 10, while it landed itself in our best tablet under $200 list, I managed to find a used unit with only minor wear and tear for just shy of $100. I would easily recommend the Nexus 10 or the 2013 Nexus 7 to anyone that can find a quality unit under $100.

What do you say, do you have a tablet in your life, that you paid less than $100, that you would highly recommend to others?

What's next?

This post originally appeared on our partner site TabTimes.

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Will the V20’s camera be as good as LG claims?

September 6 is looking pretty sweet. See what the #LGV20 with @Android Nougat can do out of the box.https://t.co/0P9fMtH1W1

— LG USA Mobile (@LGUSAMobile) August 26, 2016

We're just over a week away from the official release of the LG V20, so it's no surprise that the company is ramping up their hype game going into the final countdown. However, what is a bit surprising is just how high quality their most recent teaser is.

LG has launched a brief video on Twitter that they claim was filmed with an LG V20 device. The content of the video focuses on how the device will be released running Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and what this implies for use while viewing video content. However, the subtle secondary ad point is simply the raw quality of the video on display.

joseph gordon-levitt lg v20 everyday spectacular

We're still quite a while away from an impartial camera test, but what LG has managed to produce with the V20's camera seems pretty stunning. The colors are crisp and clear, the contrast nicely balanced, and the overall quality is something like we're used to seeing from professional equipment rather than smartphones. It's strongly believed that LG will be using the increasingly popular dual camera arrangement for this flagship device.

Now it's obvious that LG probably put quite a bit of muscle into the production quality of this shoot, so we'll have to withhold judgement regarding the V20's camera for a little bit. However, if it's possible for end-users to achieve anything like what we're looking at here, then the LG V20 may be a formidable contestant in the smartphone camera arena.

As a device running Nougat out of the box, the V20 is looking to be a solid contender for the fall lineup. You might want to keep a close eye on it as details continue to rollout. We'll be providing the coverage, but let us know what you think of this teaser in the comments below. Think the V20 will be able to live up to its promises?

Next: Picture claims this is the upcoming LG V20 in the wild77

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HTC’s iPhone-y successor reportedly on its way, the One A9s

htc one a9 review aa (4 of 29)

In the Fall last year, HTC dropped what was supposed to be a new Hero phone, meant to subside the failure from the One M9 flagship earlier in the year. We don't know how successful the One A9 ended up being; most remember its exterior design bashed due to being all too like the current iPhone. It was then that HTC had to stand its ground and say that the metal with plastic antenna line design was theirs in the first place. Whether true or not, the controversy didn't make for the smoothest launch and reception.

HTC 10 One M9 One A9 Android 7.0 Nougat update

That said, we didn't know if a successor to the quietly brilliant One A9 would see the light of day. Fortunately for the fans, its existence has been caught, by no other than the renowned leakster Evan Blass (via VentureBeat). We're given a clear promo image of the to-be HTC One A9s, and it looks very familiar.

HTC-One-A9s-leak

The new phone is said to debut at the upcoming IFA 2016 electronics trade show (held every year in Berlin – stay tuned for our coverage starting this week). The promo shot shows a common color distribution – silver, gold, white, and black – and same exterior layout as before. A small change is that the camera module and LED flash have shifted to a more iPhone-like placement. Coupled with the "s" refresh nomenclature, we're not sure if HTC is oblivious to Apple's ways or if the manufacturer is taking a satirical outlook on the matter.

Another subtle change is the removal of branding on the front of the phone; following the footsteps of the HTC 10. We weren't given a run-down of the specs list, only that the primary camera's capture resolution is still pegged at 13 MP. Additionally, on the front, the 4 MP UltraPixel sensor from before is bumped to five megapixels (it's unclear if it's still UltraPixels).

While HTC scaled back the launch of the original One A9 with a web-only announcement last October, the One A9s is now said to be revealed on the first day of IFA 2016, Sept. 1st. So the full scoop is just around the corner. What you think about the refreshed One A9s just by the look of it? Are you glad to see a successor or should have the A9 stayed in HTC's regrettable past?

Next: HTC One A9 15-day update pledge ditched before the first upgrade

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