Price drop! Become a robotics expert for just $19

Whether you want to build a Terminator or a new girlfriend, robotics has long fascinated us mere mortals. After all the great movies, in 2018 robots are much more of a reality. Now you can learn how to build and program them.

There’s an operating system designed purely for robotics called, unsurprisingly, Robot Operating System (ROS). To build a robot you’re going to want to get to grips with it. 

The Complete Robotics eBook Bundle is a set of five eBooks that give you all the training you need in ROS. We’re spotlighting it today because the eBooks together are worth in the region of $200, but right now you can get the whole bundle for just $19.

These eBooks are aimed at all experience levels, so even if your only robotics experience is watching Wall-E, you can start learning now. The books keep you engaged by walking you through projects to show you how ROS works.

In the first book alone you’ll learn how to build a self-driving car, create an autonomous mobile robot, and even play around with image recognition and deep learning.

The Complete Robotics eBook Bundle:

• ROS Robotics Projects — $39.99 value
• Effective Robotics Programming With ROS — $39.99 value
• ROS Robotics By Example: Second Edition — $39.99 value
• Mastering ROS For Robotics Programming — $39.99 value
• ESP8266 Robotics Projects — $39.99 value

The deal is this week only, but once you sign up you have the eBooks for life, so you can make 2019 the year you became a robot specialist. 

Hit the button below to sign up or to find out more about the eBooks.

TO THE ROBOTICS DEAL!

The AAPicks team writes about things we think you’ll like, and we may see a share of revenue from any purchases made through affiliate links. To see all our hottest deals, head over to the AAPICKS HUB.

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Looking for a new phone or plan? Start here with the Android Authority Plan Tool:

This smart tool lets you filter plans by phone, price, data tiers, and regional availability. Stop overpaying for cell service you hate and a phone that you’re tired of. Use our Compare Phones & Plans tool to fully customize your mobile experience and painlessly transition from one carrier to another!

Source: Android Zone

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Google will soon give you greater control of your call logs and SMS data

• An upcoming policy change will make it much more difficult for Android apps to access your call logs and SMS data.
• In the future, only apps which you set as your default dialer or SMS client will be able to access your logs.
• This will prevent apps from having more access than necessary to your potentially sensitive information.

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Google’s overall policy when it comes to Android apps is simple: applications shouldn’t ask for permissions which are unnecessary for the function of the app. If apps are found to violate this basic policy, it could result in restrictions or possibly even removal from the Google Play Store.

However, what if an app wants to do things related to making phone calls and sending text messages? Should that app have the ability to access your potentially sensitive call logs and SMS data simply through a normal permissions request notification?

Google thinks that is too open-ended, which is why it is specifying a new policy which will prevent applications from even asking for access to your call logs and/or SMS data unless you choose to make that app the default service for making phone calls or sending texts.

This will hopefully prevent apps you’ve downloaded but don’t use often from continuing to monitor your call logs and SMS data after you’ve installed them and given them permission to do so.

Editor’s Pick

10 best texting apps and SMS apps for Android

Text messaging is among the most popular ways to communicate in the whole world. It’s quick, easy to do, and it doesn’t require you pausing what you’re doing like phone calls do. We do understand …

Granted, there are still ways rogue developers could abuse this policy, but it will at least make things a little more difficult.

As an example, a developer could create an SMS app. A user downloads the SMS app and a notification pops up which asks the user if they would like to set this new app as the default SMS service. The user says yes, the user grants permission for the app to view SMS data, and the deed is done.

However, right now a developer could create an app which uses SMS in some way but doesn’t need to be set as the default service. The app can ask for access to SMS data, the user can agree, and even though the user may never use that app again, it will continuously have access to their data.

In other words, this new policy isn’t 100 percent secure, but it’s certainly better than the current policy. And, either way, it’s the user’s responsibility to only grant permissions to trustworthy apps.

Google is giving developers a grace period of 90 days from today to fix their apps which might violate this new policy. After the 90 days are up, there could be disciplinary action for violations.

You can read more about the policy update here.

NEXT: Get used to gesture navigation because it’s coming to more Android phones

Source: Android Zone

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Apple’s new pricing strategy: Is it good news or bad news for Android?

Earlier this week, Apple launched three new iPhones: the iPhone XS, the direct follow-up to last year’s iPhone X; the iPhone XS Max, a larger version of the iPhone XS; and the iPhone XR, a cheaper model that is larger than the iPhone XS but with lower-end hardware.

Apple revealed that the pricing for the iPhone XR will start at $749 while the most expensive variant of the iPhone XS Max with 512GB of storage will cost $1,449. In other words, unless you want to buy an iPhone that is a year old or older, the least amount of money you can spend is $749.

Editor’s Pick

Everything Apple announced today: iPhone, iOS, Apple Watch, and more

Apple’s iPhone launch event takes place each year in September, and the 2018 iteration happened today, September 12, at the Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s Cupertino headquarters. As expected, Apple unveiled three new iPhone …

Believe it or not, what Apple does with its pricing has a large effect on the smartphone industry as a whole. Sometimes, its pricing strategy is a boon for Android, like in India where Apple phones are far too expensive for the majority of citizens, leaving the market wide open for Android to sell millions of phones in the sub-$500 price range.

Other times, however, Apple’s pricing pushes the upper limits of what Android OEMs will charge for their phones, which results in more expensive flagships each year.

The big question is, what will Apple’s new pricing strategy for 2018 mean for Android for the immediate future?

It could be good news

The example above about smartphone pricing in India applies to other countries as well. In China, for example, Android phones dominate the market, and most of them are mid-rangers with good specs, interesting designs, and relatively low prices. The iPhone makes it into the top ten, but Apple’s wares are more of an anomaly than in countries like the United States and Japan, where Apple phones dominate the entire list.

Take a look at this chart related to China to see what I mean:

Counterpoint

Then take a look at these figures for Japan and the United States in 2018:

The general takeaway from charts like these is that Apple has a firm grip on wealthy countries where the majority of citizens can afford to spend over $750 on a smartphone each year. But in countries where that’s not the case, Apple barely has legs to stand on.

What this does is create a huge hole in the smartphone market that other OEMs are eager to fill. That’s why companies like Huawei, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, etc., are all releasing innovative and interesting Android smartphones with prices in the average range of $500 or less.

This year, Apple is doubling-down on the fact that its customer base is wealthy. Four years ago, Apple released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which went on to be one of the best-selling iPhone lines yet for the company. The starting price for those two phones — its highest-end available models — was $649 and $749 respectively.

Editor’s Pick

Flagship? Mid-range? Budget? Find the best phone for you

Picking out the best phone to buy is tougher than ever these days. It’s not just because we’re spoiled rotten with decent choices, but also because top tier products now cost upwards of $1000. That’s …

Let that sink in for a minute. Four years ago, the starting price of the biggest, most expensive iPhone of the year was $749 — the same starting price for the iPhone XR this year, which is Apple’s lowest-priced (new) model.

What Apple is clearly trying to do is to push consumers to spend more and more money on the iPhone. Each year, it raises the price a little so that no one gets sticker shock, until — in just four year’s time — the pricing for the low-end and the high-end have completely switched.

This could be great for us Android users as Apple is moving further up in price leaving more of a hole for Android OEMs to fill. In other words, the mid-range market is going to get bigger, which means more innovative phones with great specs and relatively low prices.

Or, it could be bad news

Although Apple’s new pricing strategy essentially makes the mid-range larger, it can’t be denied that it also moves the high-end further up. This could result in premium Android flagships like the Samsung Galaxy Note line moving up into the same pricing tier.

This year, we already saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 start at a whopping $999, with its highest-end offering coming in at an insane $1,249. Sure, the highest-spec’d iPhone XS Max is still $200 more expensive at $1,449, but it’s clear that Apple is going to make Android OEMs feel like they can charge that kind of money for their ultra-premium flagships.

Editor’s Pick

Pocophone F1 specs: It has flagship power, but is that it?

Xiaomi’s Pocophone F1 is finally official, offering a ton of power in a more affordable package. Today’s flagships push the limit in other ways too, so how does the new device stack up?

The Chinese brand …

Now, the Galaxy Note line is the most expensive general Android smartphone on the market (if you ignore ultra-niche phones). It makes sense that its pricing would be close to Apple’s. But we’re also seeing other Android OEMs release devices at ever-higher prices, like the Huawei P20 Pro ($1,100), the Sony Xperia XZ3 ($899), and the LG V35 ThinQ ($899). Even OnePlus — one of the kings of the Android mid-range market — is pushing its pricing ever-closer to the pricing of something like the Samsung Galaxy S9.

It very well could be that Android OEMs will see Apple’s pricing for the new iPhones and think to themselves, “Great, now we have permission to keep pushing the limit.”

It will likely be a little bit of both

In my opinion, both things are going to happen simultaneously. Android OEMs will continue to release flagship devices poised as iPhone competitors with sky-high pricing to match, while also releasing very capable mid-range devices that come in under the iPhone XR’s price of $749. Certain features will move out of the mid-range and into the premium market, like glass-and-metal builds, premium cameras, and device-specific novelties like Samsung’s S Pen and Apple’s latest Face ID technology. Meanwhile, other features will stay in the mid-range like the fastest chipsets, high-resolution displays, large batteries, etc.

The result might even be similar to what we have now with laptops, where a budget- to mid-range model (anything less than $500) will essentially be a bare-bones affair, a mid- to high-end model (anything between $500 and $1,000) will probably do everything you need, and a premium model ($1,000+) will be the best-of-the-best with a few extra bells and whistles (or an ultra-expensive gaming machine).

We might want to brace ourselves for the smartphone industry to look a lot like the laptop industry.

While people’s feelings towards laptops are much different than their feelings towards smartphones, it’s entirely possible that people could start to approach buying a smartphone in the same way they approach buying a laptop:

• Buy something super cheap that barely gets the job done and replace it after a year or two of use with a similarly-priced budget model. Repeat.
• Buy something in the mid-range that puts some stress on your bank account but is ultimately affordable, but feel no passion towards it because it’s not the latest-and-greatest and carries no status symbol value. Keep it for as long as possible because it’s a tool and you need it.
• Buy something incredibly expensive that you can’t really afford but is your pride and joy. Hold onto it for as long as possible because you paid through-the-nose for it and it’s gotta last.

This hypothetical endgame doesn’t affect Apple at all, because its customers are always going to buy the premium products. But for Android OEMs, it could be disastrous. If we’re only buying mid-range devices that we have no passion towards every few years, that could decimate the market and — eventually — leave only a few prominent OEMs standing.

I’m extrapolating here but you see the issue: smartphones can only be so expensive before the entire perceived value of smartphones starts to disappear. Luckily, OEMs (including Apple) still have carrier subsidies on their side. It’s easy to hide the “sticker shock” when consumers only see a monthly payment rather than the full, unlocked price. But that can only go so long as well before even the monthly payment is out of reach.

Hopefully, I’m wrong. Hopefully, what will actually happen is that Android OEMs will see Apple’s price increase and say, “Let them have it,” and instead focus on delivering awesome phones that always stay below $1,000. Then Apple can dominate the very small, ultra-super-duper-premium market, and Android can dominate everything else.

Android OEMs should be thinking long and hard about what Apple’s event this week means for them.

NEXT: Apple won’t include a headphone jack dongle with its $1,000 iPhone XS

Source: Android Zone

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Fortnite update hub: V5.40 patch adds High Stakes event, Gateway LTM, Grappler

Welcome to our Fortnite update tracker! We’ll be collating all of the official Fortnite Battle Royale update/patch notes and breaking down all the new features added to Epic Games’ phenomenon for Android and iOS phones and tablets, as well as PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platforms.

If you want to stay up-to-date with all the new skins, map updates, weapon changes and additions, new modes, and much more then be sure to bookmark this page for future reference!

Download Fortnite

Victory Royale! Check out the rest of our Fortnite content:

• Fortnite on Android first look
• Fortnite on Android: All the info on its unconventional release
• Fortnite for Android interview – Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on breaking away from Google Play
• Fortnite Mobile tips and tricks: How to build, shoot and win
• Fortnite cross platform guide: Play with nearly everyone
• Fortnite Mobile on Android: Here are the compatible phones
• Fortnite vs PUBG: Ten mobile differences between the two biggest battle royales

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Fortnite update: The latest

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.40 update overview

Release date: September 6, 2018

Fortnite version 5.40 brings with it the brand new High Stakes event. Included in the heist-themed event is a new Limited Time Mode called Getaway where players have to race to find a Jewel and reach a Getaway Van first to win. Epic Games has also added a new item called the Grappler which shoots out a plunger strapped to a rope which sticks onto surfaces and can be used to pull yourself through the air. On the Android front, Epic has expanded the compatibility list for HTC, Motorola, and Sony Xperia devices and has introduced VOIP support.

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.40 update patch notes

Limited Time Mode: The Getaway

Summary

Welcome to The Getaway! In this mode, players will race to find a Jewel and take it to a Getaway Van before everyone else to win the match!

Mode details

Jewels

• Jewels can be found in special supply drop safes, located along the edge of the first storm circle. The safes take a long time to open, so make sure the area is clear before attempting to claim a Jewel!
• Four Jewels will be in play on the map AT ALL TIMES. If a player escapes with a Jewel or one is lost in the storm, a new supply drop will bring a replacement.
• When a Jewel is picked up, it will be visible on the map to everyone for 30 seconds.
• Carrying a Jewel will give players health & shields over time, but also slow them down by 10%.

Getaway Vans

• Four TOTAL Getaway Vans will be in the map, three that arrive early in the match and one more that shows up near the end.
• Getaway Vans float in mid-air, Jewel carriers must build up and then interact with them in order to complete a Getaway.
• The goal is to find or steal a Jewel and take it to one of the vans in order to secure a Victory Royale.
• Once they arrive, safe drops and Getaway Vans will be visible on the map at all times.

• 12 red “Pursuit” Supply Drops land at the very beginning of the match. These carry a variety of longer-range weapons and other items, and are the only way to obtain the new Grappler in this mode.
• Resource harvesting amounts increased by 50%.
• Only Rare weapons or higher will be found in this mode.
• Rifts, Rift-To-Go and Launchpads have been removed to reduce mobility for Getaway Van engagements.
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode, but Umbrellas are not awarded for wins.

Weapons and Items

Grappler added

• Fire at a nearby object to pull yourself towards it.
• Can be found in Vending Machines, floor loot, Treasure Chests, Supply Drops, and Supply Llamas.
• Chain multiple shots together to travel great distances.
• Has 15 charges. Discarded when charges are depleted.
• Epic rarity.

Vaulted Revolvers

Rarity color adjustments

• Some items have been removed or modified to better reflect their effectiveness. This only affects their colors and other characteristics are unchanged.
• Removed Common Suppressed Submachine Gun
• Removed Rare Rocket Launcher
  • Availability of Epic and Legendary Rocket Launchers increased slightly to compensate.
    • Increased Epic Rocket Launchers drop rate by 18.57%
    • Increased Legendary rocket launcher drop rate by 2.05%
• Removed Legendary Bolt-action Sniper Rifle
• Removed Rare Pistol
• Remote Explosives increased from Rare to Epic.
• Port-a-Fort decreased from Epic to Rare.
• Semi-Auto Sniper rifle decreased from Epic and Legendary to Uncommon and Rare.
  • Increased the frequency that the Semi-Auto sniper rifles drop to align more with their rarity class.
    • Increased Uncommon Semi-Auto sniper drop rate by 9.29%
    • Increased Rare Semi-Auto sniper drop rate by 9.29%
• Dual pistols decreased in rarity from Epic and Legendary to Rare and Epic.
• Suppressed pistol decreased in rarity from Epic and Legendary to Rare and Epic.

Burst Assault Rifle accuracy adjustments

• When holding down the trigger, the first 2 bursts are more accurate.
• Spread down sights benefit increased from 35% to 40%.
• Crouch spread benefit reduced from 25% to 20%.
• Jumping/Falling spread penalty reduced from 25% to 10%.
• Sprinting spread penalty reduced from 50% to 30%.

Misc

• Increased drop stack count for Boogie Bomb from 1 to 2.
• Increased maximum stack size for Stink Bomb from 5 to 6.
• Increased maximum stack size for Shield Potions from 2 to 3.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that prevented audio and effects from playing on other players who are consuming a shield potion.

Gameplay

• In the moving storm phases, when the storm reaches its destination, it will cause a surge of energy that destroys player-built structures located on the storm wall.
• Motion controls now function uniformly across input types on Nintendo Switch and mobile. Options have been added to the settings to allow you to switch your motion turn axis.
  • Motion deadzone has been removed.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing supply drop landing effects to play twice in some circumstances.
• Fixed inconsistencies with auto-pickup when landing on pickups, and when pickups are first thrown from containers.

Performance

• Improved loading performance on Nintendo Switch to reduce issues with buildings loading late (i.e. low-res buildings during skydiving).
• Fixed a large performance regression related to effects. This was causing poor framerate in the 5.30 release (especially on Nintendo Switch).

Audio

• Boosted volume of the Remote Explosives placement sound.
• Improve the quality of the sound played when dropping from the Bus on Mobile/Nintendo Switch platforms.
• Improve spatialization of the chest open sound for other players nearby.

Bug Fixes

• Reduced the spam of item pickup “bounce” sounds when pickups are sliding down hills.
• Fixed several UI sound issues.

UI

• Emote picker is now available in the lobby, no longer limited to just playing the first emote selected in your locker.
• Fullscreen map now supports touch on Nintendo Switch.

Bug Fixes

• Item shop now shows the item description when inspecting.
• Road Trip week 8 and 9 display the correct completion value now.
• Fixed issue where challenge bundles did not display the correct number of stars from the challenge tab.
• Fixed issue where style preview would sometimes not be centered in the view correctly.
• Banner rewards from the Battle Pass no longer show an empty description box.
• Fixed an issue wherein rerolling a daily quest in Battle Royale would not select the new quest.
• Style gift boxes will now show the 3D preview of the character with the style applied.
• Fixed an issue where navigating in the locker would cause some drop in performance.
• Fixed an issue where changing away from the Challenges Tab would cause some information to get stuck on the screen.
• Fix an issue where continuously clicking on the “Select Game Mode” page would prevent it from closing.
• Fixed an issue where using touch to open/close the map would cause d-pad controls to become unresponsive.
• Fixed an issue with the loading screen showing incorrect information for non-leader party members.

Art and Animation

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that could cause player models to not appear while in game.
• Fixed an issue with spray quality temporarily appearing pixelated for some sprays.
• Fixed the Downshift Glider rear light trails from clipping with geometry.

Replay system

Bug Fixes

• Fixed duplicate elimination effects on the recording player.

Mobile

• Added VOIP to Android.
• Expanded device support to the Essential-PH, Motorola, HTC, Sony Xperia devices.
• Major memory optimization on Android devices with Adreno GPUs. This addresses the performance degradation seen due to memory pressure.
• Implemented a new Audio Mixer, which addresses issues with sound quality and consistency.
• Items on the ground now have tooltips.
• Custom HUD Layout Tool now has a more consistent apply/cancel flow.
• The player healthbar and squad healthbars are now moveable in the Custom HUD Layout tool.
• Dragging-and-dropping an item from the quickbar now drops the whole stack. To split a stack, drag-and-drop with the inventory window open.
• Dragging-and-dropping an item from the quickbar no longer stops consumable use.
• UI prompts now appear on vehicles for entering and switching seats.

Bug Fixes

• Corrected some issues with screen resolution in certain locales on Android.
• The screen will no longer timeout without user input on iOS.
• Adjusted steering sensitivity on vehicles.
• Players are now able to thank the bus driver.
• Gyro controls are now usable regardless of orientation on iOS.
• Resolved an issue with turbo-building sometimes being stuck “on” when using the quickbar to turbo-build.
• Fixed the challenges button to use large buttons on mobile.
• Fixed an issue where toggling between pickaxe/weapons wouldn’t properly change weapons.
• Exhaust problems with the Street Racer Bike Gliders for mobile have been repaired. The Bikes should run clean now.
• No longer able to interact with UI behind the challenges screen.
• Players who are experiencing issues with abruptly going to the Home Screen when pressing jump on certain Samsung Galaxy devices can do the following to fix the issue.
  • Go to Settings > Display > Navigation > Hard Press Home Button > Turn the feature off

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Fortnite update history

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Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.30 content update overview

Release date: August 28, 2018

Fortnite V5.30 content update introduces the new Shockwave Grenade item. The purple grenade is great for blowing your enemies away with a shock pulse, but can also be used to launch yourself through the air and through structures without any fall damage. The content update also adds the 50v50 Solid Gold Limited Time Mode where all weapons and items are legendary rarity.

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.30 content update patch notes

Limited Time Mode: 50v50 Solid Gold

Summary

The 50v50 LTM will consist of only legendary weapons and items for a limited time. Drop in and loot up!

Weapons and Items

Shockwave Grenade added

• Shockwave Grenade will knock players back and destroy objects in their path after being knocked back.
• Allies, enemies, and vehicles hit with Shockwave Grenade will not take fall damage.
• Drops in stacks of 2, maximum stack size of 6.
• Epic Rarity.
• Can be found in Supply Drops, Vending Machines, Llamas, and chests.

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Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.30 update overview

Release date: August 24, 2018

Fortnite V5.30 adds a new item called the Rift-to-Go. This Epic rarity item lets you teleport into the sky and away from danger at any time. Rift-a-Gos will remain in place for use by other Fortniters for 10 seconds and can be found in chests, Vending Machines, Supply Drops, and Loot Llamas.

Other additions include a new Limited Time Mode, Score Royale, where you’ll need to earn points by grabbing coins, eliminating other players, and more, to win. Playground mode also makes a return with more ATKs and rifts, and the winning Fortnite Blockbuster Contest movie, Prepare for Collision, is now playing at Risky Reels.

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.30 update patch notes

Limited Time Mode: Score Royale

Summary

Earn points by collecting coins, opening loot containers and eliminating other players. The first to cross the High Score threshold wins the Victory Royale!    

Mode Details

• Early game Storm circles are larger and the Storms move in more slowly, giving players more time to spread out and search for loot.    
• Late game Storms move in fast! Earn enough points for the Victory Royale before they close in.

Scoring Chart

Winning Score (Solo)	2000
Winning Score (Duos)	3000
Winning Score (Squads)	4500
Use an Apple or Mushroom	10
Open an Ammo Box	25
Open a Llama	50
Open a Supply Drop	100
Eliminate an Enemy	100
Open a Treasure Chest	50
Find a Bronze Coin	30
Find a Silver Coin	50
Find a Gold Coin	100

Limited Time Mode: Playground

What’s New?
Playground has been updated with a couple dozen new ATK’s available, some more ramps to jump them off of, and a handful of new Rifts scattered throughout the map. Head to the hilltops and see if you can find them all.

Weapons and Items

Rift-To-Go added

• Rift-To-Go is a portable Rift that can be carried in inventory and deployed immediately.
• When activated, you are teleported into the sky and placed in skydiving mode.
• The Rift will remain at the location it was deployed for 10 seconds, allowing other players to use it.
• Epic rarity. Drops in stacks of 1 with a max stack size of 2.
• Can be found in chests, Vending Machines, Supply Drops and Loot Llamas.

Misc.

• Pump Shotgun equip time has been shortened from 0.96 seconds to 0.88 seconds.
• Double Barrel shotgun now has a spread reduction of 15% while crouched.
• Clingers will now only explode when their fuse has expired. 
  • Clingers will no longer explode if the object they are attached to is destroyed. They will be affected by gravity and fall until they stick to another object or their fuse expires.
• Impulse Grenade max stack size increased from 8 to 9.
• Bouncers now need line of sight of a player to activate.

Bug Fixes

• Damage Traps will now properly affect enemy players who are within their range.
• Remote Explosives now damage everything in their radius that can be destroyed.

Gameplay

• Added the ability to use Emoticons and Squad Comms while knocked down.
• Combat and Builder Pro Configs: Added functionality to the right stick click action that will cycle available traps if the player isn’t repairing or rotating a build piece.
• Added an option to auto-sort consumable items to the rightmost empty quick bar slot when picked up.
• Added smoothing to motion controls on platforms that support it.
• Lowered the dead-zone used for aiming on Xbox One controllers.
• Tuned controller input and accelerations to allow for more fine tuning when aiming.

Bug Fixes

• Vehicles will now fall properly if the structure beneath them is destroyed.
• Characters who crouch and uncrouch will no longer cause visual or hitbox inconsistencies.
• Fixed an issue causing 0 damage number to be displayed.
• Players affected by network issues such as packet loss are now limited in how far they will move until the connection is stable again. 
  • Additionally, fixed some inconsistencies with how far and fast players could move under these conditions.
• The Save the World reward flow will no longer occasionally appear in Battle Royale.
• When health and shield damage occur at the same time, they will now be combined and displayed as a single shield damage number.
• Fixed an issue with controller aiming where the input was not properly scaled when aiming down sights or aiming with a scoped weapon. 
  • This will slightly increase sensitivity when aiming down sights or with a scoped weapon.
• Players will no longer emote with their pickaxe in hand.
• Fixed issue where damage would always show blue numbers when a player’s shield amount would get stuck at a value between 0 and 1.
• Fixed some shrubs and bushes that took more swings to harvest then intended. They will now be destroyed after the intended number of swings.
• Weapons will now auto reload if they are equipped and their ammo type is looted.
• Vending Machines now display the proper costs in the Playground LTM.

Performance

• Fixed some very long hitches seen during long game sessions caused by the Replay System.
• Optimized loading of Outfits to reduce disk load during the early game (particularly skydiving). This should mean buildings and Outfits load faster.
• Improved building streaming performance on Xbox One and Switch. This will help buildings load in more quickly during skydiving, reducing the chances of landing on a low-detail model.
• Improved load times on Xbox One and Switch.

Audio

• Additional stereo content has been added to your own gunfire sounds.
• Laser Chomp tail swing audio adjusted to more closely match the animation.

Bug Fixes

• Emote music no longer breaks when playing back to back emotes.
• Music now plays properly when using the Hang Time glider.
• Added a max time for the clock ticking sound that plays prior to the Storm shrinking. 
  • Prevents 3 minutes of this sound from playing at the end of a Playgrounds match.
• Pick Squeak pickaxe now properly squeaks on every hit.

UI

• Added a display timer and new animation for Item Shop carousel tiles.

Bug Fixes

• Health bars for objects with more than 1000 health now display properly.
• Fixed an issue where you couldn’t use LT/L2 to zoom on the fullscreen map while spectating because it would open the report player window.
• The ATK now displays the proper controls for players on a gamepad.
• Fixed an issue where all buses would display as enemy buses on the starter island.

Art and Animation

Bug Fixes

• Purple trails on Split Wing Glider will now appear properly.
• Whiteout Outfit now has 100% more neck. 

Replay System

Bug Fixes

• The camera will no longer get stuck following the Battle Bus in replays.
• Shield bar will now properly update after a player is revived.
• Weapon icons on nameplates will now display properly.

Mobile

• Players must now select a preferred fire mode before proceeding to matchmaking.
• A dedicated button to powerslide while driving has been added to the UI.
• The button for exiting a vehicle will now always remain consistent.
• Turbo building will no longer be interrupted by switching structure types.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed camera jitter while moving and looking simultaneously.
• Fixed an issue where settings would appear in-game lower than intended resulting in missing shadows and lower image quality.

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Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.21 update overview

Epic Games

Release date: August 15, 2018

Fortnite V5.21 brings a new two limited time modes to Fortnite Battle Royale. The first, “Soaring 50’s”, is a brand new mode focused on jumping, bouncing, and flying around the map with Gliders, Impulse Grenades, Bounce and Launch Pads, and more, all while fighting as a 50-strong team. The other limited time mode is the returning “Sniper Shootout” where the only weapons available are sniper rifles, including the newly added Heavy Sniper. In a welcome move, Scoped Assault Rifles will no longer drop in this mode.

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.21 update patch notes

Limited Time Mode: Soaring 50’s

Summary

This mode is a twist on the traditional 50 vs 50 mode, featuring an extra emphasis on mobility. Gliders can be re-deployed when falling from large heights. Additional Impulse Grenades, Bounce Pads, and Launch Pads will be spawned throughout the map. Jump in and soar to new heights!

Mode Details

• 50v50 loot, ammo and resource levels
• When in mid-air and greater than 10m up, press Jump to deploy your glider
• Added Impulse Grenades to chests at double the standard spawn rate
• Added Impulse Grenades to floor loot
• Decreased Spike Trap spawn chances
• Increased Launch Pad & Bounce Pad spawn chances
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are not tracked in this mode.

Limited Time Mode: Sniper Shootout

Summary

In this limited time mode, players will do battle using sniper rifles. May the best aim win!

What’s New?

• Scoped Assault Rifles have been removed.
• The Heavy Sniper Rifle has been added.

Mode Details

• Only weapon drops are Sniper Rifles.
• Floor Loot spawns reduced by 50%.
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode.

Weapons and Items

Heavy Sniper added

• Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
• Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
• Each shot delivers devastating damage at the cost of a long reload.
  • Deals 150/157 damage to players.
  • These large rounds deal increased damage (1050/1100) to buildings.
  • Projectiles fired from the Heavy Sniper have less bullet drop in comparison to other Snipers.

Minigun

• Minigun headshot multiplier has been reduced from 2.5 to 1.5.

Bug Fixes

• Grenades now properly grant progress for the Week 5 Challenge: “Deal damage to players with a Clinger, Stink Bomb, or Grenade.”

Art and Animation

• Cloth physics have been fixed and will now appear properly.

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Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.20 update overview

Epic Games

Release date: August 7, 2018

Fortnite v5.20 includes plenty of weapon additions and tweaks, the return of Playground mode, the new Steady Storm game mode, and much more.

Fortnite Battle Royale version 5.20 update patch notes

Limited Time Mode: Steady Storm

Summary

Steady Storm has one constantly moving storm closing in on the island. Stay ahead of it and take down the other players to earn a Victory Royale!

Mode Details

• One Storm that closes in over the course of 15 minutes.
• There are no safe zone circles. Keep an eye on the map to predict where the Storm will close in.
• The Storm does 10 damage per second.
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) and Challenges are tracked in this mode.

Limited Time Mode: Playground

Summary

Playground is a low-pressure environment where friends can let their creativity run wild, build massive structures, practice with weapons and items, and fight against your friends. Have fun!

What’s New?

• Fill/No Fill option added to game mode selector.
• Chest & floor loot changed back to one weapon spawn each in order to cut down on clutter.

Mode Details

• Drop into the Battle Royale map with a squad of friends for an hour.
• Play on the same team to build together or switch to different teams to fight.
• Players respawn unless eliminated by the Storm.
• The Storm doesn’t start for 55 minutes and takes 5 minutes to close in.
• 10 times the amount of resources are gained from harvesting.
• 100 Llamas will be spawned on the map.
• Chests & ammo boxes spawn 100% of the time and contain extra ammo.

Weapons and Items

Double Barrel Shotgun added

• Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
• Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
• Delivers high burst damage at very close range but damage falls off heavily at distance. 
• Fires 10 pellets like other Shotguns, has a larger spread, lower critical damage multiplier (1.25x), and a 2 second cooldown time when swapping weapons. 
• Epic Variant 
  • Up to 143 base damage per shot at extreme close range.    
• Legendary Variant
  • Up to 150 base damage per shot at extreme close range.

Vending Machine rebalance

• Vending Machines spawn more often, cost less, and have an increased chance to spawn at a higher rarity.
  • Common Vending Machine 
    • Spawn chance reduced from 7.27% to 6.67%.
    • Material cost reduced from 100 to 75.
  • Uncommon Vending Machine
    • Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
    • Material cost reduced from 200 to 150.
  • Rare Vending Machine
    • Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
    • Material cost reduced from 300 to 225.
  • Epic Vending Machine 
    • Spawn chance increased from  5.45% to 18.67%.
    • Material cost reduced from 400 to 300.
  • Legendary Vending Machine
    • Spawn chance increased from 3.64% to 8%.
    • Material cost reduced from 500 to 375.
  • Chance for no Vending Machine to spawn at a location reduced from 54.67% to 26.66%

Reduced Remote Explosives drop count and max stack size

• Drop count reduced from 4 to 3.
• Max stack size reduced from 10 to 6.

Misc

• Added a higher accuracy penalty to jumping and sprinting for Dual Pistols, Submachine Guns, and Hunting Rifles.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the storm in phase 6 to do 1 less damage than intended.
• Fixed replication issues caused by interacting with a Guided Missile.

Gameplay

• The weapon fire position now more closely follows the actual player position when crouching and un-crouching. 
  • Shooting while leaving the crouched stance will no longer fire bullets from full standing height until the animation is complete.
• Crouch does not interrupt emotes anymore and is disabled when emoting.

Bug Fixes

• Certain player models will no longer obstruct camera angles or block crosshairs on slopes.
• Fixed an issue where a wall would become invisible when destroyed on a client, but would still have some health on the server.
• The camera will no longer instantly transition when attempting to aim certain weapons while in midair.
• Trap selection will no longer unintentionally cycle when switching to available traps.
• Fixed an unintentional camera adjustment when entering and exiting targeting while transitioning in and out of crouch.
• Visual effects will now properly play when a vehicle impacts an environment prop.
• Fixed reliability issues when using a rocket launcher to boost shopping carts or the ATK.
• Fixed an occasional failure of glider deploying after exiting a Rift.
• Switching weapons after an emote will now play the correct weapon switch animation.
• Slurp Juice will no longer continue to heal or provide shields after being knocked down.
• Player placed map markers will no longer appear to jitter on the minimap or in the world.

Performance

• Significant GPU optimization on Switch. Moved to the high-end forward renderer. This increases dynamic resolution by 10% in expensive scenes. 
• Optimized the way explosives modify buildings to lighten the load on dedicated servers.
• Building props have more efficient network usage when taking damage.
• Melee animation trails now use significantly less network traffic.
• Optimized C4 network usage, the impact sound no longer broadcasts to players outside a certain range. It now only plays for players that are close enough to the impact.

Audio

• Added new equip sounds to grenades.
• Add the ability to honk while driving the ATK.
• Lowered the volume of impact sounds when harvesting vehicles.
• Added audio effects for when spectating squadmates leave the match.
• In the Locker menu, glider audio will fade out when it’s unselected.

Bug Fixes

• Thermal Scoped Assault Rifle scope-in sounds are no longer hard-panned to the left on Switch.
• Audio for the rocket incoming sound will now properly play during close range fights.
• Ambient audio loops will no longer stack on each other and play at once. This was creating a sound phasing issue that sounded similar to a “fighter jet”.
• Footsteps will no longer sound uneven for players outside your field of view.
• Players will no longer hear ‘ghost footsteps’ after eliminating an enemy.

UI

• Bust a move with an ATK or Shopping Cart. New functionality has been added to the UI that shows what type of stunt you pulled and the points you earned for landing them. Which tricks will you pull off?
• The Challenges menu can now be opened in-game.
  • Additionally, Daily and Suggested Challenges have been added to the in-game map screen.
• Modified the Battle Royale Challenges screen to display the remaining challenge bundle unlock time as a countdown once it is less than 13 hours away.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the buttons at the top of the Outfit style selection screen overlapping with the draggable window title bar area.
• Eliminations at Haunted Hills Challenge will now display as hard.
• Players who have unlocked the ability to select color styles for the Carbide and Omega Outfits will no longer randomly become locked out of that option.
• The ‘Toggle Favorite’ option no longer shows when selecting styles.
• The Build Bar no longer stays active if it was active on the warmup island.
• Quest updates and vehicle key hints no longer overlap on the HUD.
• Punctuation in the Challenge descriptions has been corrected.
• Fixed clipping on the Item Return screen for systems with aggressive Safe Zone settings.
• Changing setting while inside the Battle Bus will no longer bring up the full HUD earlier than intended.
• The HUD will now show the vehicle currently being driven rather than the one that was driven last.

Art and Animation

• Updated the effect of lighting on character models.
• Added equip and holding animations for all grenades.

Bug Fixes

• The size of the Soccer ball in the juggling emote has been fixed.
• Leaning while on All Terrain Karts no longer cancels emotes.
• Player models will no longer appear twisted while controlling the Guided Missile.

Replay System

Bug Fixes

• Cameras no longer get stuck in a bad state while following the Battle Bus.
• Rapidly skipping through a replay on non-desktop platforms no longer causes a crash.
• The players remaining counter for the 50v50 LTM now appears properly when viewing replays.
• The damage numbers toggle in replays now works properly.
• Damage numbers now properly appear on the final elimination during replays.
• Player list on the Map screen now works correctly using a gamepad.
• Health and shield bars on map screen player list now display correctly.

Mobile

• Customizable fire mode selection screen added to mix and match fire modes.
• Added FPS (frames per second) mode setting for mobile devices.
• Added another individual quickbar button to the HUD layout tool.
• Added mobile Elimination Feed.
• Separated Quickbar buttons are more visible in the HUD Layout tool.
• Harvest tool will now alternate between itself and the previously selected item when tapped.

Bug Fixes

• Completed or expired Challenges are now cleared while navigating between Challenges.
• Ramps will no longer be built through other ramps.
• Shooting when interacting with objects no longer occurs.
• Fixed inconsistency with mobile low power mode support.

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What would you like to see in future updates to Fortnite? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Android Zone

The post Fortnite update hub: V5.40 patch adds High Stakes event, Gateway LTM, Grappler appeared first on TuneMaster.ml.

T-Mobile experiences large breach, customer data compromised

• T-Mobile is alerting customers of a hack that compromised some customer information.
• The T-Mobile data breach luckily did not involve highly-sensitive materials like credit cards and social security numbers.
• Some business customers with more than 100 lines might receive a letter pertaining to this T-Mobile data breach.

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Customer data hacks at large companies are becoming so common now that it’s hard to even get upset sometimes. But it’s still serious business and how a company handles the situation tells you a lot about how much they value you and your business (*cough* Equifax *cough*).

A recent T-Mobile data breach compromised personal data of some of its customers, both pre- and postpaid. If you are an affected T-Mobile customer you will receive a notification as such from the company which will link you to this page.

The page describes the breach as “unauthorized access to certain information” which may have included “personal information” such as a customer’s “name, billing zip code, phone number, email address, account number and account type (prepaid or postpaid).”

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T-Mobile CEO and crock pot chef John Legere tweeted a teaser ad last week for today’s Uncarrier event. In the ad, which you can see below, Legere pushes a box marked “Decommissioned” into …

T-Mobile specifically states that the breach did not expose highly-sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, or password data.

The page describes how to get in contact with T-Mobile Customer Care to ask questions about the data breach and find out what information (if any) has been compromised.

Additionally, a T-Mobile employee on Reddit (via Android Police) is reporting that T-Mobile business customers with over 100 lines on their accounts are also receiving physical letters in the mail describing the situation.

No one wants customer data breaches like this to happen, but at least T-Mobile is doing the right thing by letting customers know about it and giving them the tools to find out more information.

NEXT: The OnePlus 6T will launch in October on T-Mobile

Source: Android Zone

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Fortnite on Android: All the info on its unconventional release in one place

Fortnite is a global sensation. In just one year, it’s amassed 125 million players including celebrities like Drake, Joe Jonas, Finn Wolfhard, and even Roseanne Barr. There are already international tournaments happening.

Although Fortnite is out now for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and iOS, it hasn’t yet made it to Android. And while the release of Fortnite for all the other platforms has been pretty run-of-the-mill, the expected Android release is going to be anything but.

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No, these ‘Fortnite beta’ APKs are definitely not the real thing

Epic Games

Fake Fortnite APKs have once again started popping up online as the hype builds for the game’s upcoming release on Android devices.

Epic Games’ battle royale title is the biggest game in the …

We know that Epic Games — the publisher of Fortnite — is adopting an incredibly unconventional strategy for Fortnite on Android, which is likely leading to confusion and misinformation. We thought it would be helpful to bring all the factual information (and credible rumors) we have seen so far into one article.

Hopefully, this will answer any questions you might have!

How to play the beta for Fortnite on Android

Epic

As of right now, no beta for this game exists. If you Google “fortnite android beta” you will come up with some results that make it seem like there is a beta out there. However, anything you download that claims to be a beta version of Fortnite for Android is illegitimate — and probably trying to push malware or some kind of scam.

In no uncertain terms, there is no way to play Fortnite for Android yet, so don’t download anything until you hear otherwise.

Fortnite release date for Android

Epic Games hasn’t released any information about when Fortnite for Android will see the light of day.

There is a very credible rumor that the initial launch of Fortnite for Android will be exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which Samsung will launch on August 9. If that is true, we expect the Note 9 to hit store shelves on August 24, which would thus be the first day anyone could play Fortnite for Android.

Assuming that the Note 9 exclusive is real, the exclusive is expected to last for 30 days, which means from August 24 until the end of September only Note 9 owners will be able to play Fortnite for Android.

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Last week, we heard a rumor that Fortnite for Android might be an exclusive for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, at least at first.

The source of that rumor told Android Headlines that the …

After that 30-day time period, there is another rumor that other Samsung flagships — like the Samsung Galaxy S9 — will then have an exclusive to the game. This separate Samsung exclusive could last anywhere from 30 to 90 days, if it is happening.

If that is also true, it could potentially be December before anyone who uses a non-Samsung Android phone will be able to play Fortnite.

These Samsung exclusives are only rumors at this point, and we will likely know the full details this week when the company launches the Note 9. Stay tuned.

Fortnite for Android supported devices

If you don’t own a recent Samsung flagship, will you even be able to play Fortnite? That’s a good question, and luckily we have some clear answers.

According to the official Fortnite website, these are the devices that will absolutely run Fortnite for Android:

• Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL
• Huawei Mate 10/Huawei Mate 10 Pro
• Huawei Mate 10 Lite
• Huawei Mate 9/Mate 9 Pro
• Huawei P10/P10 Plus
• Huawei P10 Lite
• Huawei P9
• Huawei P9 Lite
• Huawei P8 Lite 2017
• LG G6
• LG V30/V30 Plus
• Motorola Moto E4 Plus
• Motorola Moto G5/G5 Plus
• Motorola Moto G5S
• Motorola Moto Z2 Play

• Nokia 6
• Razer Phone
• Samsung Galaxy A5 2017
• Samsung Galaxy A7 2017
• Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2017/J7 Pro 2017
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy On7 2016
• Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus
• Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge
• Sony Xperia XA1/XA1 Ultra/XA1 Plus
• Sony Xperia XZ
• Sony Xperia XZs
• Sony Xperia XZ1

If you don’t see your phone on the list, don’t freak out: this might not be a full documentation of the phones that can play the game. For example, where is the OnePlus 6? The Sony Xperia XZ2? The LG G7 ThinQ? These are all phones with flagship specs that are either as good or better than a lot of the devices on the “official” list.

However, the release strategy for Fortnite for Android is extremely unconventional (we’ll get to that more in a minute) so it is very well possible that the list above is the definitive list, at least for now. But we think it’s more likely that that is an example list and nothing more.

Where is the Fortnite for Android Play Store listing?

You can search all you like for the Fortnite for Android listing on the Google Play Store — you won’t find it. The reason for that is because, unbelievably, Epic Games will not release Fortnite for Android on the Play Store.

Instead, you’ll install Fortnite for Android via a new Epic Games launcher that you will have to install on your Android device direct from Epic.

This is similar to how one installs Fortnite on a PC: you download an installer from Epic Games and then launch the game via the installer.

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Earlier today, we found evidence suggesting that Epic Games — the creator of the mega-hit battle royale shooter Fortnite — might not release the Android version of the game on the Google Play Store. Instead, it …

But downloading and installing software from the internet is a normal occurrence on Windows and Mac computers, so gamers are used to that. For most gamers though, installing an Android game means going to the Google Play Store; most don’t know of any other way.

Epic Games will list instructions for how to download and install the Fortnite for Android launcher by using a security toggle in Android settings that allows users to install apps from outside the Play Store.

While this setting has been a feature of Android for years, most users likely don’t know it even exists. What Epic Games will do is train users on how to install apps from third parties, which could open the floodgates for users to unknowingly download and install malware from all over the internet. It is a controversial move, for absolute sure.

Why won’t Fortnite for Android be on the Google Play Store?

The CEO of Epic Games told Variety that the primary motivation for the unconventional release strategy of Fortnite for Android is to maintain “a direct relationship with our customers on all platforms where that’s possible.”

However, he also gave a secondary motivation that is much more likely to be the real reason you won’t get Fortnite for Android from the Play Store: Google’s 30 percent cut of all profits from products on the Play Store. Here is what CEO Tim Sweeney had to say on that point:

We’re motivated by economic efficiency. The 30 percent store tax is a high cost in a world where game developers’ 70 percent must cover all the costs of developing, operating, and supporting their games. There’s a rationale for this on console where there’s enormous investment in hardware, often sold below cost, and marketing campaigns in broad partnership with publishers. But on open platforms, 30 percent is disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service. We’re intimately familiar with these costs from our experience operating Fortnite as a direct-to-customer service on PC and Mac.

Will Fortnite for Android come to the Play Store in the future?

According to Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney, the publisher communicated with Google prior to announcing its plans to release Fortnite for Android outside of the Google Play Store. He was not clear on what Google thought of the plan but says that Google was aware before the announcement.

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Sweeney said that he hopes to work with Google to make sure that players stay safe when downloading content that’s not from the Play Store. “Google built Android as an open platform, and we’re eager to work closely with them to further Android as a platform that brings console-quality games to smartphones,” he said.

Google has yet to comment on the Fortnite release strategy.

How much will Fortnite for Android cost to download?

Epic

As with Fortnite on other platforms, downloading Fortnite for Android will be totally free. After downloading and installing, you can play the game as much as you like without having to pay anything.

There will be optional in-app purchases though which players can buy to customize and upgrade their gaming experience. This is how Epic makes its money off Fortnite (rumored to be $300 million per month).

Will Fortnite for Android only pit players against other Android users?

Epic Games says that all versions of Fortnite will feature cross-play and cross-progression capabilities. This means that all players on any system — including Android — can fight together.

However, as with the iOS version of Fortnite, players will have the ability to opt-out of full cross-play and only fight against other mobile users to ensure a more even playing field. This is because a player armed with a keyboard and mouse (or PS4 controller) will likely mop the floor with players on mobile device touchscreens.

Will controllers and keyboards work with Fortnite for Android?

No, at least not at first. Epic says that it intends to prevent Android gamers from using any peripherals to keep things fair amongst other Android users. Eventually, this could change and players could hook up controllers, keyboards, and mice to Android devices. But at first, it will be all-touchscreen all the time.

How many people will be playing Fortnite for Android when it gets released?

Epic Games

Assuming that Samsung will have the exclusive rights mentioned earlier in this article, there likely won’t be too many players at first, at least on Android. But once the exclusives go away, Epic anticipates there will be about 250 million Android players.

This is double the amount of players the game has currently, which is 125 million.

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We asked, you told us: PUBG forever, Fortnite never – but is Fortnite the winner?

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Now, we asked in full recognition that Android has been left behind by Fortnite. We all know Fortnite is coming …

That might seem like a huge jump, but it’s actually not that much when you remember there are over 2 billion Android devices in the world. However, only a fraction of those users care about Fortnite and only a fraction of those users will own a device capable of playing the game.

Therefore, it’s a safe assumption to make that you will be playing against hundreds of millions of people when Fortnite for Android finally lands for the whole world.

Will Fortnite come to VR or AR, either on Android or something else?

Epic says that it currently has no plans to bring Fortnite to VR or AR platforms, but that it is “thinking a lot about AR and VR possibilities.”

Is the “Save the World” functionality coming to Android?

As of now, Epic Games says it has no plans to bring the Save the World functionality of Fortnite to either Android or iOS. Save the World is expected to remain a PC/console perk and not a mobile feature.

NEXT: Fortnite might not come to the Google Play Store, and that’s a horrible idea

Source: Android Zone

The post Fortnite on Android: All the info on its unconventional release in one place appeared first on TuneMaster.ml.

How to choose your new Google Assistant voice

At Google I/O 2018, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai announced on stage that there would be new Google Assistant voices for you to choose from — six to be exact, bringing the total to eight. Before, you’d only be able to choose between a male or female voice, but now you can select a new Google Assistant voice from a whole slew of genders and vocal tones.

The new choices went live a short time after the announcement, so you might be wondering how to choose your new Google Assistant voice. Well, it couldn’t be simpler, so follow along here, and we’ll walk you through the whole process.

Google Assistant or Google Home?

To pick your new Google Assistant voice, you have to navigate to the Assistant voice settings page. There are two ways to do this: the first is if you only use Google Assistant on your phone, and the second is if you own some form of Google Home hardware, like the Google Home Max. You can use either app, but the steps are different. Let’s navigate to Assistant voice settings using the Google Assistant app first.

To begin, open up the Google Assistant app by holding down the home button on your phone’s nav bar. You should see this:

 

Click the blue icon at the top right of the Google Assistant box. That will take you to the explore page (see the left screenshot below). Then, click the three dots icon in the top right-hand corner to bring out the menu choices (middle screenshot). From the menu selections, hit Settings. That will take you to the Assistant settings page (see the right screenshot below).

Once you get here, hit the Preferences option, which will bring you to this page:

As you might expect, you tap “Assistant voice” from here, which finally brings you to the new Google Assistant voice options:

Now, if you’re more used to using the Google Home app because you own Google Home hardware, you can use the Google Home app instead to get to the Assistant settings. To use the Google Home app, open it up:

Click the menu “hamburger” icon in the top left corner to slide out the menu:

Hit the option that says “More settings,” and you’ll be taken to this page, the same page we got to through Google Assistant:

Follow the remaining steps listed above, and you’re all set!

Google doesn’t give you much info here on what each voice sounds like. You can run down the list tapping each one, and you’ll hear the voices give a little speech to give you an idea of the gender and tone of voice. But, to make things simpler, here’s a breakdown of each voice’s gender and tone:

• Voice 1 – (Female) – The traditional Google Assistant female voice we are all used to.
• Voice 2 – (Male) – The traditional Google Assistant male voice we are all used to.
• Voice 3 – (Female) – A mid-range tone.
• Voice 4 – (Male) – A mid-range tone.
• Voice 5 – (Female) – A lower mid-range tone.
• Voice 6 – (Male) – A lower mid-range tone.
• Voice 7 – (Female) – A very low-toned voice.
• Voice 8 – (Male) – A very low-toned voice.

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Keep in mind that whether you got to this page via the Google Home app or the Google Assistant app, this will change the tone of voice for all your devices. That means any device connected to your Google account — whether it’s your phone, tablet, or Google Home hardware — will feature this new tone. Currently, aside from using different Google accounts for each piece of hardware, there is no way to change the voice for specific devices.

Hopefully, this helps you figure out your new Google Assistant voice! Let us know in the comments which one you like the best.

NEXT: Google Assistant guide: Make the most of your Google Assistant

Source: Android Zone

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