UMi Plus E brings solid specs and design, $199.99 for a limited time

The last few years have seen a major renaissance when it comes to affordable mobile devices. Once upon a time, a quality phone would set you back at least several hundred dollars, if not more. These days, there are a growing number of options for a fraction of that cost. One such option is the new UMi Plus E.

It's true that UMi is far from a household name in most markets, but if you are looking for a phone with beautiful aesthetics, decent specs, and an equally impressive price tag, you'll find that UMi Plus E delivers on all fronts.

Order UMi Plus E now!

UMi Plus E specs: 

• Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 2.5D Arc screen
• 2.3 GHz Mediatek Helio P20 processor
• Mali T-880 GPU
• 6 GB of RAM
• 64 GB of internal storage, with microSD for expansion
• 13 MP rear camera with 4K recording, 5 MP front camera
• 4,000 mAh battery

As you can see, the specs here are pretty impressive, offering a solid step up from its predecessor. This includes an upgrade to the MediaTek Helio P20, paired with a Mali T-880 GPU. While it's true that MediaTek chips don't have the same reputation as chips from Qualcomm and Samsung, the Helio series offers plenty of power and performance that allows it to better compete with the mid-to-high-range chips from the competition.

You also will find a number of extras you don't always see in low-cost handsets such as a fingerprint reader, an aerospace class aluminum body, quick charging, dual SIM slots, USB Type-C, and more. You'll also find Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a largely pure Android experience with just a few extra enhancements thrown in. That means you don't have to worry about all the extra bloat you'd find in many of today's custom skins.

Lastly, you'll have plenty of power to keep on going, as the phone packs a hefty 4000 mAh battery.

The competition

UMi is obviously not alone in the market. There are both big and small manufacturers going against it, so we thought a nice chart would give you a good perspective at what we are looking at.

	UMi Plus	Oppo R9s	Xiaomi Redmi Note 4	Meizu M3E
Display	5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.5 inch; 1080 x 1920 pixels
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	Android 6.0 Marshmallow	MIUI 8 (Android 6.0 based)	YunOS with Flyme UI (Android based)
Main Camera	13-megapixel with 4K recording	16-megapixel	16-megapixel	13-megapixel
Front Camera	5-megapixel	16-megapixel	5-megapixel	5-megapixel
Processor	2.3GHz Mediatek Helio P20	Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625	MediaTek Helio X20	MediaTek Helio P10
RAM	6GB	4GB	2 or 3GB	3GB
Internal Storage	64GB, microSD	64GB	16 or 64GB, microSD	32GB
Battery	4,000mAh battery nonremovable	3,100mAh battery nonremovable	4,100mAh battery nonremovable	3,100 mAh battery nonremovable
Fingerprint Scanner	Home button	Home button	Back cover	Home button
Special Features	Fast charging, Dual-SIM	Fast charging, Dual-SIM	Dual-SIM	Fast charging, Dual-SIM
Price	$199.99	$415	$135 or $180	$195

As you can see, the UMi Plus E can really hold its own, either outspec'ing or outpricing most of the options above.

Wrapping up

Although the UMi Plus E is actually set to be sold for $269.99, for roughly the next 24 hours, the phone can be purchased for just $199.99! Keep in mind only a limited run of 999 units will be offered at this introductory price and that this is a pre-sale offer, with the phone not actually shipping until December 10th. This is a solid deal considering the specs and build quality offered by the Plus E. Sure, it's not a major brand, but if you are simply looking for a great phone without having to worry about all the latest trends, this one could be a budget conscientious buyer's dream.

For more details on the UMi Plus E, as well as other places to potentially buy it, be sure to head to their official site.

Order UMi Plus E now!

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Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes adds ships and space combat with major update

Nearly a year ago, Electronic Arts released Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, the turn-based RPG based on the hugely popular sci-fi franchise. Since then, EA says it has become the most popular Star Wars mobile game ever released. Today, the publisher released a major update for Galaxy of Heroes, adding ships and space battles for the first time.

See also:

Go to Google and type this sentence to see the most awesome Star Wars Easter egg ever

November 25, 2015

Yes, that means you can pilot iconic vessels like the X-Wing, TIE Fighter and the Millennium Falcon in the game and use them in space to attack other players.

If you'd like more details on the new ships and battle stations, there's a ton of info on EA's forums for you to check out. Here's a quick summary of what players can expect: Players can obtain ships through blueprints that are available from a variety of sources, including from participating in light and dark Force battles, Cantina battles or by buying them from the Galactic War Store. Each player will have five ships in each engagement, but they can also call for up to four more ships for reinforcements during the battle. There are also Fleet Commanders, which can be used alongside big capital ships. The first three such commanders in the game are Admiral Ackbar, Grand Moff Tarkin and Mace Windu and more will be added in the future.

There's actually quite a bit to learn and discover about the new ships that are being added to Galaxy of Heroes, and it will be interesting to see how fans of the game will react to commanding space vessels in addition to their planet-based heroes.

Get it at Google Play

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Samsung France is giving out 128GB microSD cards to Galaxy Note 7 buyers

If you haven't been following the seemingly never-ending drama that is the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco, let me recap.

Samsung's new Galaxy Note 7 smartphone was hailed with much praise and success when it first launched, but unfortunately the flagship device proved to have a nasty habit of exploding. The company issued a swift recall of the devices which were then outfitted with new batteries and freshly colored notification lights, letting people know that their phone was fixed and would not be blowing up in their face. Shortly after, the new "fixed" phones started exploding yet again. Samsung officially issued a recall for the second time, and eventually put an end to the Galaxy Note 7.

See also:

It's official: Samsung has stopped global Galaxy Note 7 sales

October 10, 2016

The company tried pretty darn hard to let its customers know it was sorry about the issue. Many received a full refund and a $100 rebate towards a new Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, but Samsung France has opted to go even further to reclaim the trust of their customers.

A number of users from the region have reported receiving a letter apologizing once again for the entire fiasco, concealing a free 128GB microSD card inside. These don't come cheap, and have a list price of about $103 (although they can drop much lower on sale). For those who opted to switch out their Note 7 for a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, this should be a welcome apology gift.

In addition, the letter details a contest that Samsung is holding for its Note 7 refugees. The contest will be held via SMS, and gives 1,000 customers the opportunity to attend the company's new virtual reality amusement park in Paris. Samsung says all you have to do to enter is respond to the text they send out tomorrow, and the first 1,000 respondents will win a trip to the park, all expenses paid. The experience will be held on the 20th and 27th of December, so for those hoping to snag a spot, you must be available on these days to attend.

It seems the company is trying as hard as it can to maintain customer loyalty, and we have to say they have done a fantastic job so far.

If you purchased a Galaxy Note 7 way back when, how has your return experience been? It's certainly varied for different people, so we would love to hear about it in the comments below.

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Deal: Take 50 percent off any Google Play movie or film bundle until November 28

If you are a movie fan, you know that Black Friday weekend means that you can save big on DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. However, you can also save a lot of cash by going the digital route as well. Not only does the Google Play Store have a bunch of discounted movies this weekend, but from now until November 28, you can use a special code to get 50 percent off any movie in the Play Store.

See also:

Google Play Movies quietly begins adding 4K UHD films

5 days ago

All you have to do is either go click on the link below, or type in the promo code "CYBERDEALMOVIES2016" at checkout to get your 50 percent discount. This code can also be used for Google Play Store movie bundles as well, which typically offer lower prices for a bundle of films compared to paying for each one separately.

In addition, the Google Play Store is already offering movie discounts on their own, even before adding the promo code, which means that you can save even more. These sales will last until November 29.

Which movie or movie bundle do you plan to purchase with the 50 percent discount code?

Get it at Google Play

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New research finds that Google Glass is not safe when driving. Duh

The University of Central Florida's recent study confirms what should be common sense knowledge: head mounted augmented reality devices are not to be worn while driving.

See also:

Patent shows next Google Glass might use AAA batteries

August 16, 2016

I think it's safe to say that devices like the Google Glass – while largely hands-free – don't go well with driving. Although in most states here in the US, distracted driving is banned, and there has been a case where a woman driving with the Google Glass was fined by the police (later to be dismissed), these statutes are not particularly enforceable in real life when it comes to futuristic devices like the Glass. There's simply no way of proving that the device was on. That said, however, it should be common sense that if you drive with an augmented reality headset on, it'll inevitably slow down your response time, and even Google warns of the potential dangers of wearing the augmented reality glasses when driving.

These statutes are not particularly enforceable in real life when it comes to futuristic devices like the Glass. There's simply no way of proving that the device was on.

Well, now there is even more of a reason to avoid wearing head mounted augmented reality devices while driving. According to Mark Neider, Associate Professor at University of Central Florida, technologies like the Google Glass induce a delay in people's ability to complete a task, which could mean a serious accident on the road.

What our data suggests is secondary information presented on a heads-up display is likely to interfere, and if that happens while driving, it may be distracting and dangerous.

Neider had 363 students complete a task on a computer, some wearing the Google Glass and others not. Of the control group wearing the device, some were told to ignore the information that pops up on the Google Glass screen, and some were told to try to retain that information. Based on the time it took for these three groups of students to complete the given task, Neider concluded that wearing devices like the Google Glass delays the visual-processing capabilities in people's brains.

Indeed, both groups that wore the Glass took longer to complete their task than the students in the group sans an augmented reality device in front of their eyes. Although the delay isn't detrimental under the circumstances of the study, even few seconds could mean the difference between life and death when driving.

Of course, augmented reality devices aren't exactly widespread yet, but with automotive makers exploring options to display more and more information on a wide screen or even on the windscreen of the vehicle, the question of safety on the road must also be addressed.

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DeepMind’s new app will help alert UK doctors if a patient has a kidney injury

DeepMind, the AI firm owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, has announced a new five-year partnership with the UK's Royal Free London NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust. Part of the agreement will include the launch of a smartphone app that's designed to alert doctors if a patient has a kidney injury.

See also:

Four ways smartphones are changing the world for the better

July 24, 2016

The app itself is called Streams, and has been in development for the past year. It uses data collected from the NHS. Using DeepMind's AI system, the app will offer alerts to doctors if any test results show that a patient is at risk of developing acute kidney injury. The system will make its official debut in UK Royal Free hospitals in early 2017.

DeepMind believes that its AI system, combined with the Streams app, can be expanded in the future to offer alerts to doctors for other medical emergencies, such as if a patient is suffering from sepsis or other organ failure issues. DeepMind says it hopes it can cut the time to alert doctors to a patient's needs from hours down to just a few seconds.

DeepMind adds that it is also making sure the medical data it collects and uses is secure. It states that all access is logged and is reviewed by both the Royal Free group as well as the company's own independent reviewers. Both the DeepMind software and its data centers will be the subject of regular and deep technical audits as well.

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Deal: Learn to Code 2017 Bundle, pay what you want

From now through the weekend, Tech Deals is offering a Humble Bundle-styled deal that puts a package of 10 impressive coding kits on sale for… well, whatever you feel like paying.

That's right. Even if you just want to pay a single buck, you can still cash in on this offer.

There is of course a small catch. It's one those familiar with Humble Bundles will recognize: Paying less than the average purchase price will only get you a stripped down version of the bundle. Still, right now the average price is still pretty low (only $15 at the time of writing).

The baseline offering is essentially just the Complete JavaScript Programming Course. That all by itself normally goes for $99, but forking over the average price will net you 9 additional courses that have a usual combined value of $1,500.

This includes such popular favorites as The Complete Python Course (normally $195) as well as The Complete Web Developer Masterclass (normally $195).

The one that really breaks the bank, however, is the course focused on learning Google's Go Programming Language, which was designed with absolute beginners in mind. It's  an ideal learning environment for those who have never played around with even the basics of programming, but usually you would have to fork over $249 for that baby alone.

Here's the full listing:

• Learn How To Code: Google's Go Programming Language ($249)
• The Complete Python Course: Beginner to Advanced! ($195)
• Learn By Example: Scala ($50)
• Projects in Programming Languages: Ruby, Python, Java ($150)
• Learn Angular 2 from Beginner to Advanced ($195)
• How to Make a Freaking iPhone App: iOS 10 and Swift 3 ($200)
• The Complete Web Developer Masterclass: Beginner To Advanced ($195)
• Git Complete Mastery & GitHub: 100% Hands-on Git Guide ($200)
• Professional Rails Code Along ($40)
• JavaScript Programming Complete ($99)

Stop letting your interest in technology be a passive hobby. Get cracking and start creating instead of just consuming! You'll gain lifetime access to all course materials, and it could even be the beginning of a lucrative career.

After all, the future will be programmed.

Although this deal lasts through Sunday, it might be a good idea to jump on it sooner rather than later. The nature of the 'pay-above-average' method means that the cost of the bundle will steadily rise over the course of the next five days.

Click the button below to start programming for as little as $15!

Start Programming!

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