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lundi 19 décembre 2016

GTA-inspired Retro City Rampage DX now available on Android

If you're looking for an interesting retro game to play on your Android device, you have quite a few options to choose from. All you sports fans out there might want to give the Retro Winter Sports 1986 game a try. But if you're looking for something a bit more action-packed, Retro City Rampage DX might be more up your alley.

The game, which was recently released on Android, features an 8-bit open world format. It takes you back to the 80's to the city of Theftopolis, where you take on the role of a criminal in search of work. There are over 60 story missions available as well as 40 arcade challenges. To get the job done, you'll rampage the city with the help of more than 25 weapons and power-ups. You can also steal and pimp out cars around the city and customize the main character – more than 200 customizations available.

See also:

15 best Android games of 2016

2 weeks ago

The Retro City Rampage DX game, which draws inspiration from the popular Grand Theft Auto, is already available for Android devices. The game will set you back $4.99, is ad-free, and doesn't offer any in-app purchases. If you want to try it out, click the button below to download it to your device.

Get the Game

In case you're looking for a cheaper action game to play, check out the sale Square Enix has on a few of its titles.



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Video: This film student secretly tracked the thief who stole his smartphone

Getting your smartphone stolen isn't the best experience you could have. The idea of a total stranger having access to your photos, videos, text messages, and other personal data is quite disturbing to most people. Anthony van der Meer, a Dutch film student, has experienced this first-hand when his phone was stolen in a restaurant in Amsterdam. He reported the theft to the police but, unfortunately, never saw his device again.

The experience got Anthony thinking. He started wondering what kind of a person would actually steal someone's phone and where do the stolen devices end up. With that in mind, he decided to get another phone stolen from him — on purpose — just so he was able to get answers to his questions. Anthony downloaded security app Cerberus on an HTC One (M7) which allowed him to track the phone's location and control the device remotely when it was online. His mission was simple: get the phone stolen, spy on the thief to learn more about him, and make a video about it.

After a few days of trying, someone on the metro in Amsterdam took the bait and stole the One M7 from Anthony. The thief turned off the device shortly after he had stolen it, and turned it back on four days later when he inserted a new SIM card.

During the next 14 days, Anthony tracked the location of the phone, listened to a few conversations, and took a couple of photos, one of which revealed the thief's face. He quickly figured out quite a few things about the man who has stolen his phone. He was Egyptian, had a lot of financial problems, and was homeless. After a couple of days, Anthony, who is a victim in this case, actually started feeling bad for the thief because of his situation.

But that all changed once he decided to see him in person. He tracked his location to a property in north Amsterdam, and just as he started filming, the man stepped out of a house and made eye contact with him. In the video, Anthony says that the man was completely different than what he had imagined and looked quite aggressive. Not wanting to get in any trouble with the thief, he turned off the camera and left.

See also:

10 best security apps for Android

April 19, 2016

The video, which is called "Find my Phone" and is around 21 minutes long, is very popular on YouTube as it has amassed over 2.5 million views in only one week. If you want to see the whole story for yourself — which you should — feel free to check out the video. And as always, tell us what you think of it in the comment section below.



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Google Pixel phones may have an audio problem

According to a considerable amount of Pixel and Pixel XL users, their phones suffer from a static distortion when the volume is at the three highest levels. Read on to find out how to tell if your Pixel phone is affected and what might be causing it.

See also:

Some Google Pixel phones are having issues with LTE Band 4 connections

November 9, 2016

An internet user by the name of "badmark" took to Reddit to show that there may be a wide-spread audio issue with Google's Pixel phones. According to the user, his phone would produce a distorted static noise when it's at the highest three levels of volume. He says he has had to replace his Pixel XL three times, but his forth unit as well as his wife's regular Pixel phone all suffer from the problem. You can check out the video above which demonstrates the said audio problem.

He has included a link to a trailer for Pixel users to play, and if your device is affected, you should hear that the audio distorts at full volume. You can click here for the video, but just FYI, the video's audio is extremely loud at maximum volume. Along with that, there is a poll to see how many people are affected, and unfortunately, it seems he's not the only one suffering from the issue.

So far 305 votes have been counted, and 66 percent of them – both Pixel XL and Pixel users – are affected by the audio issue. Of course, this means there are people with Pixel devices who are perfectly unaffected by the problem, but given the fact that Google wanted to enter the premium smartphone arena with these devices, users shouldn't have to experience such problems in the first place.

So far 305 votes have been counted, and 66 percent of them – both Pixel XL and Pixel users – are affected by the audio issue.

Before you contact Google, however, be sure to remove any skins, screen protectors, cases, stickers, etc., and try again. Also, it helps to boot your device in safe mode (accessed by pressing the power button and selecting "Reboot to safe mode") in order to make sure third party apps are not causing it. My guess is that Google will introduce a software update to address the issue sooner than later. However, it is not impossible that it may be a hardware issue: my brand new laptop suffers from a similar audio problem, and it's diagnosed as a hardware-related problem.

Google says its affordable Nexus days are over, but with premium price tags must come premium devices. With more than half of the poll participants saying their Pixel devices have an audio problem, Google's very first smartphone pair certainly isn't heading in the right direction.

Is your Pixel phone affected? Let us know by leaving a comment below!



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Samsung might delay the Galaxy S8 unveiling until after MWC 2017

Samsung might delay the launch of the upcoming Galaxy S8 until after Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, according to a new report. The news arrives via Korean web portal Naver, which suggests that Samsung will instead reveal the Galaxy S8 at a New York event in April.

MWC in Barcelona, which takes place next year between February 27 and March 2, has been the stage for the unveiling of the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 phones in the past. Sam Mobile, who also commented on the story, speculates that the move could give Samsung the opportunity to "work with external agencies to execute plans to recover confidence from consumers before releasing a new product on the market."

See also:

Samsung offers exclusive Galaxy Game Pack for S7/S7 Edge owners

2 days ago

Samsung may be taking extra time to prepare its Galaxy S8 after it was forced to cancel its last flagship, the Galaxy Note 7, following reports that it was catching fire: a move which may have cost the company billions of dollars.

Samsung is now said to have discovered the cause of its Galaxy S7 overheating issues, and has submitted its findings to third-party labs for verification. Samsung hasn't yet revealed the cause.



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WhatsApp may soon let you edit and delete sent messages

WhatsApp may be working on a new function that would allow users to edit and delete sent messages. The news arrives via the WABetaInfo Twitter channel, a source of early WhatsApp news and speculation, which claims to have discovered the feature in the WhatsApp 2.17.1.869 beta build for iOS. This would be first time WhatsApp has introduced such features since it launched in 2010.

WABetaInfo tweeted a GIF which shows the message deletion process in action. It appears to work by tapping and holding on a sent message to bring up a list of options, including "revoke", which can be selected to delete the message from the conversation. It also seems that this can be applied to read messages, as WhatsApp's blue check marks can be seen briefly before they are removed.

A subsequent tweet reveals an "edit" option available in the same menu, which would allow users to amend sent messages. WABetaInfo says would be disabled by default.

Though the news pertains to the iOS build, it's highly likely that the feature would also roll out to the Android version – should it roll out at all.

Would you like to see this feature come to WhatsApp? Let us know in the comments.



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dimanche 18 décembre 2016

Crowdfunding project of the week: Muggino smart mug

Zip on your coffee and enjoy this week's 'Crowdfunding project of the week', where we highlight the hottest projects from websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. We know you don't have all the time to be searching around for cool gadgets, so we are doing all the work for you. Shall we get started with today's featured project?

Other featured campaigns:

It is the simple things in life that make it great, right? A good cup of joe can change your mood in an instant, but temperature is definitely an important factor and you need a good container. Today we are taking a look at Muggino, a smart mug that will keep your drink at the right temperature at all times.

At first sight it will look like a traditional mug, and the device does feature the double-wall technology we have been using this whole time, but Muggino takes things much further. It can use its own energy to either cool or heat anything stored inside. Yes, this does mean you can put some beer in there and keep it frosty cold.

The mug works through the company's official app, where you can set your temperature preferences. The app will then remember these and you will be able to operate the mug without pulling out your phone all the time. Simply tap twice on the handle for hot drinks, or tap three times for cold ones.

It's also worth noting a feature you might never think about, but will be both convenient and green. This cup doesn't allow energy to be wasted from the release of heat your liquids generate. Said energy is harvested and used to charge the mug itself. This is accomplished by using thermoelectrics, which converts changes of temperature into electricity.

Change of temperature itself doesn't provide enough energy to keep the mug running all the time, though. You will need to juice up, and this can be easily done with the provided MuggiPad, a wireless charger you can simply set your Muggino upon.

Pretty nuts, right? It is certainly a great investment for those who really care about drink temperature. You can currently get one for as low as $59, but that early bird special is running out soon. The project has reached 50% of its $30,000 funding goal and has a month left to go, so let's see how it all works out.

Are you signing up?

Check out Muggino on Indiegogo


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Android Pay now supported by 31 new banks and credit unions

Jumping on the Android Pay bandwagon can be hard when so many financial institutions lack support. I know my bank still doesn't play well with it, but at least the list continues to expand and things are getting much better. Today we are seeing 31 new banks and credit unions getting support for Google's mobile payments.

Here's the list of new Android Pay-supported banks:

  • Allegacy Federal Credit Union
  • Bank of Walterboro
  • blueharbor bank
  • Canyon State Credit Union
  • City National Bank
  • Commodore Perry FCU
  • Conservation Employee Credit Union
  • Country Club Bank
  • Del-One Federal Credit Union
  • Diversified Members Credit Union
  • Ent FCU
  • Firefly Federal Credit Union
  • First Keystone Community Bank
  • First Piedmont Federal Savings
  • Genisys CU
  • Jackson Community Federal Credit Union
  • Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union
  • Kinetic Credit Union
  • Marine Bank & Trust
  • Mercantile Bank
  • NCMIC Finance Corporation
  • Northeast Georgia Bank
  • Platte Valley Bank of Missouri
  • San Francisco FCU
  • State Bank & Trust Company
  • Summit Community Bank
  • SunWest Educational CU
  • The Fauquier Bank
  • USC Credit Union
  • Verve (a credit union)
  • Washington Trust Bank
See also:

Android Pay – What is it, how does it work and who supports it?

March 9, 2016

Did yours make it to the list? Do you even know if your bank is supported? You should definitely take a look at Google's complete list of supported financial institutions. Android Pay is a fun and convenient way to take care of purchases. Not to mention it's a great conversation starter. And now more of you can enjoy it!

 



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