Best media streaming devices for your TV

Don’t have a smart TV? Don’t worry, you don’t have to stream online videos on that tiny smartphone screen. There are plenty of media streaming devices on the market, readily available to smarten up any television.

The DGIT family is all about finding the best products for everyday users, and so we enlisted their help to create a list of the best, and then we threw them into the ring for a free-for-all deathmatch.

Of course, sometimes you just want a quick answer to the question “which is the best?” That’s where DGiT’s TL;DR comes into play.

TL;DR:

  • Apple TV 4K is the best choice for Apple users, iTunes fans, and those who want an easy to use, polished experience. It doesn’t have as much content as some of the other options on this list and has some limits when it comes to music streaming services, but it’s still a great product and one we find easy to recommend.
  • Nvidia Shield is the best choice for those  that want speed, power, and the ability to game at near-console level. It also supports a ton of apps and services, making it a flexible choice that also has Google Cast support and Android TV baked right in.
  • Roku Streaming Stick+ is the best choice for those that want tons of channels, wide support, and a platform that is often the very first to get new services and features. There’s also the Roku Ultra for those that want a bit more omph, or the Roku Streaming Stick for those that don’t need 4K and a few other fancy features.
  • Google Chromecast is the best choice for those that want a cheap no frills solution. The original Chromecast is $35, and the 4K model runs $70.

Obviously this is an oversimplification. There are many streaming devices, and they all have different pros and cons. In the video above we also take a look at Fire TV and dive into a few of the big differences between all these platforms.

But what if you have a Smart TV, or are thinking about buying one — do you even need a media streaming device in the first place?

Is there any reason to get a media streamer if my TV is already smart?

It’s true that most TVs released in the last few years have their own app ecosystem. Still, many times these platforms have a few flaws that make a stand alone device a better fit.

Smart TVs see infrequent updates. If you have a several year old smart TV it’s possible the platform practically has been abandoned. Newer models from Samsung, Apple, and others do a slightly better job but still generally lag behind settop boxes here.

Smart TV platforms sometimes have limited app support. You might get a handful or two of the popular choices but newer or niche services often are ignored.

The interfaces are often clunky. Some newer models support built-in Roku, Android TV, or other improved platforms that negate this issue but it’s still a factor for older televisions and many budget offerings.

Diving down the rabbit hole

Okay, we’ve given you a quick look at our favorite picks and an excellent video from DGIT’s Evan that puts these choices through their paces. Of course there’s plenty more to say. This quick guide was meant to get you started on your media streaming journey. Be sure to check out the full guide at DGIT for a deeper dive down into what makes each of these devices unique.

Disclosure: E-Commerce Content is independent of editorial content and we may receive compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.

Source: Android Zone

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10 best yoga apps for Android

best yoga apps featured image
Everybody knows about Yoga. It’s super popular and it’s a decent workout for those who don’t like weights or running. You can do it at home with proper video (or text) instruction and the equipment isn’t overly expensive for beginners. However, getting into Yoga is quite challenging. There are a lot of ways to do it and tons of instructors out there to choose from. We can help make it a little bit easier. Here are the best yoga apps for Android!


5 Minute Yoga

Price: Free / $1.99 per month / $5.99 per year / $8.49
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5 Minute Yoga is one of the simpler yoga apps. It focuses on short, five minute sessions of yoga. The app also features daily reminders, a timer, and slightly different exercises every day. Video tutorials would’ve been nice. However, the pictures and descriptions are perfectly fine in a pinch. Plus, it doesn’t require tons of your data to stream the video so there is a good thing about not having videos. It requires a subscription for all of the content. The subscription goes for $1.99 per month or $5.99 per year. Alternatively, a lifetime pass is available for $8.49 as a single payment. We liked that a lot.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
5 Minute Yoga

Down Dog

Price: Free / $7.99 per month / $49.99 per year
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Down Dog is a competent yoga experience. It boasts an above average experience for all levels of yoga. Additionally, it has customizable session lengths, various types of workouts, levels, and more. Some additional features include Google Fit support, beginner’s classes, offline support, and voice guidance as well as music during sessions. We liked almost everything about this app. However, it does get rather pricey with its subscriptions. A monthly subscription runs $7.99 per month with yearly subscriptions for $49.99.
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Down Dog

Feedly

Price: Free
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Feedly isn’t one of the typical yoga apps. However, the yoga community is surprisingly active. There are tons of blogs, sites, and other content out there. Feedly is an RSS reader of sorts. It lets you search out the yoga blogs you like. It then provides a single spot for all of that content. This is a recommendation for enthusiasts mostly. People who follow the industry and want the latest info should definitely give Feedly a try. It’s also entirely free with no in-app purchases or advertisements.
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Feedly

Pocket Yoga

Price: $2.99 with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Pocket Yoga is one of the better yoga apps. It uses a word and image format for position guidance. The app also includes over 200 poses with full descriptions and images, practice sessions, a logbook of your yoga activity, and it even plays music. Pocket Yoga also utilizes a karma system. The more you practice, the more karma you get. That karma unlocks additional things within the app. You can also buy karma instead via the in-app purchases. Otherwise, all you really have to pay for this app is $2.99. It’s definitely worth that.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Pocket Yoga

Track Yoga

Price: Free with in-app purchases / $2.99 per month / $19.99 per year
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Track Yoga is another really decent yoga app. It offers courses and sessions for beginner, intermediate, and advanced yoga fans. Additionally, the app includes HD video content, a pose library, and the opportunity to preview sessions before actually starting them. It even has a bunch of freestyle workouts. The app also utlizies a Kriya system similar to Pocket Yoga’s karma system. The points unlock various exercises. You can buy Kriya points or earn them by using the app. There is also an optional subscription that unlocks everything.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY



Udemy

Price: Free / Varies
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Udemy was not our first guess when it came to yoga apps. However, there is actually quite a bit of yoga content here. Even a cursory search gave us dozens of results. There are courses for things like seven day yoga challenges, managing back pain, and even some hybrid yoga courses that mix yoga with more traditional exercise. The courses can get expensive. However, there is a lot of unique content here as well. Whether or not it’s right for depends on what you’re looking for and what you’re willing to spend. If it helps, buying a course once gives you basically unlimited access to it forever.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Udemy

Yoga Poses and Classes

Price: Free
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Yoga Poses and Classes is a fairly basic yoga experience. That doesn’t make it bad, though. It features HD videos, over 100 poses, a pose search, various classes, and more. The app also boasts classes for beginners, intermediates, and experts. Classes range from ten minutes to 30 minutes each. There are even some scheduling and logging features. Some users complain about videos not always working properly. This app appears to be entirely free, though. Thus, we didn’t expect total perfection. We searched high and low for a subscription or in-app purchase and couldn’t find any. This app does have ads, but that seems to be it.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Yoga Poses and Classes

Yoga Studio

Price: Free / $1.99 per month / $19.99 per year
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Yoga Studio is a popular option for yoga apps. It features a large library of poses, over 70 yoga and meditation classes, HD video, and a lot more. The app supports sessions between ten and 60 minutes long. You can also customize them. Some other features include scheduling and tracking support, a pose search, pose blocks, Chromecast support, and more. This app was a single purchase. However, they recently transitioned to a subscription model. We’re not a fan of that. However, the subscription is cheaper than many competitors. That’s a small concession, but at least there is one.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Yoga Studio

YouTube

Price: Free / $9.99 per month
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
YouTube is good for basically everything. That includes yoga. There are hundreds of yoga-centric channels out there. For instance, Yoga With Adrene is a fairly popular and active channel with some great yoga videos. You can find full classes that range from a few minutes to well over an hour. YouTube is also completely free and that makes it one of the better yoga apps for those on a budget. YouTube Red is available for $9.99 per month. That lets you download videos for offline use and it also removes ads. Both are excellent features for practicing yoga offline or avoiding ad breaks.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
YouTube

Whatever gear store you like

Price: Free (usually)
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Eventually, yoga enthusiasts may need gear. There are plenty of options for this. Brick-and-mortar stores like Walmart, Target, etc should have the basics and they also have mobile apps. Some enthusiasts seem to like Lululemon quite a bit. Sporting goods stores often have yoga gear as well. Let’s not forget the heavy-hitting online retailers like Amazon as well. There are tons of places to get good yoga gear and most of them have mobile apps. Those apps are usually free.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Whatever gear store you like

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If we missed any great yoga apps, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!

Source: Android Zone

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Huawei P20 leaked in renders and 360-degree video

OnLeaks has just revealed new CAD renders and a 360-degree video of the upcoming Huawei P20 via Tiger Mobiles (following leaks of the P20 Plus and P20 Lite in recent days). As always, the renders and video show off the unannounced device from all sides. The Huawei P20 is expected to be announced in Paris on March 27.

The renders reconfirm the presence of three cameras in a vertical array on the back, along with a front-facing fingerprint scanner and what looks to be a 3.5 mm headphone jack, although, as the site notes, it could also be an IR blaster. Previous renders shared by OnLeaks and Tiger Mobiles had no front-facing fingerprint scanner, with one showing a rear-facing scanner and the other no scanner at all. This may indicate an under-glass scanner could be a possibility in the P20 Plus variant.

While it’s a little hard to make out, the notch is visible at the top of the screen surrounding the earpiece speaker and what looks to be dual front-facing cameras. One of those is rumored to be Huawei’s answer to Apple’s FaceID, something it discussed during the View 10 launch. At the event, Huawei claimed its solution is secure enough for mobile payments and that it can read your face in 0.4 seconds.

There’s not much else to be gleaned from the leak, barring twin speaker grills on the bottom edge, split volume buttons and a “roughly” 5.7-inch display. The CAD measures approximately 149 x 71.3 x 7.5 mm, with a 9.7 mm total thickness including the camera bump. Previously filed FCC documents put the display diagonal at 5.8 to 6.0 inches with a 2,280 x 1,080 resolution, equating to a peculiar 19:9 aspect ratio. With six weeks to go we’re sure to see plenty more of the Huawei P20.

Here’s the previous Huawei P20 Plus video in case you missed it:

Share your thoughts on the headphone jack and fingerprint scanner situation in the comments below.

Source: Android Zone

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VLC 3.0 brings Chromecast support and many others new features

  • VLC Media Player has been updated to version 3.0, ‘Vetinari’.
  • The new version brings Chromecast and hardware accelerated video decoding support.
  • VLC 3.0 also brings support for platforms such as Samsung DeX, Android Auto, and Chromebooks.

Popular jack-of-all-codecs app VLC Media Player has received a big update to version 3.0 and it packs lots of new features.

Codenamed ‘Vetinari’, major additions in this version include support for Chromecast, 10-bit HDR video, hardware decoding for 4K and 8K video, and support for Blu-Ray Java. Version 3.0 is also the first VLC version to sync development between its desktop and mobile ports.

VLC 3.0 brings Chromecast support and can stream audio and video formats to Chromecast devices. VLC can also transcode and stream media if the Chromecast receiver lacks any third-party media codec support. The feature is still in beta and is expected to improve over time. Another major addition is hardware acceleration support on all platforms.

Editor’s Pick

VLC 3.0 enables hardware decoding using APIs native to the platform. On Windows, this means HEVC decoding using DXVA2 and D3D11, while on Android, HEVC decoding is done using OMX and MediaCodec. On OS X and iOS devices, the program uses a new hardware decoded based on Video Toolbox. This also brings HDR10 support, deinterlacing, and chroma upscaling using Direct3D 11 in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. Direct3D 11 output also works on Windows RT, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 Mobile. Android video outputs have also been significantly worked upon and the app now supports Oreo’s Picture-in-Picture mode.

VLC for Android now supports Android platforms such as Samsung DeX, Chromebooks, and Android Auto. Media files can be dropped on to the VLC icon from other applications and right-clicking the program will open the context menu. On Android Auto, VLC can be controlled by a simple UI or even by voice. By just saying ‘play [artist/album/song] with VLC’ Google Assistant can recognize the album, artist, or song name and play it using VLC. Also, on Android, VLC now features improved permission access management and allows media deletion on internal storage in Oreo builds as well as external devices such as SD cards.

There are many other new features as well, such as network browsing for remote file systems, HDMI passthrough for HD audio codes like E-AC3, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD, 360 video and 3D Ambisonic audio support, and a lot more than you can chew on. This is apart from the usual bug-fixes and performance improvements.

Source: Android Zone

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Facebook testing a “downvote” button for flagging content

best android apps to sell stuff

  • Facebook is testing a new feature, a “downvote” button that will help users flag content.
  • 5% of English-speaking Android users will see the feature as it is tested.
  • The feature is not at all the “Dislike” button many people have wanted Facebook to implement.

If you read this headline and thought that Facebook is going to start looking more like Reddit with upvotes and downvotes, unfortunately that is not the case. However, the “downvote” button Facebook is testing should help clean up some of the hateful comments and fake news posts that are currently wreaking havoc on the social media platform.

The downvote button will eventually appear in the area where you would normally “Like” a post or reply to a comment. By hitting the downvote button, you will be given a choice to flag the comment or post as “Offensive,” “Misleading,” or “Off-Topic.” If enough people downvote a particular comment, Facebook can then flag that post and its poster, and keep some sort of data running about who is consistently creating offensive material.

facebook downvote MSN News

So, in a way, this is remarkably similar to the upvote/downvote structure of Reddit, except downvoting is not equivalent to the “Dislike” feature many people wish Facebook would introduce.

Editor’s Pick

“We are not testing a dislike button. We are exploring a feature for people to give us feedback about comments on public page posts. This is running for a small set of people in the U.S. only,” a Facebook spokesperson told MSN News.

According to Facebook, the feature test will affect about 5% of Android users who have “English” set as the default language in the app. The downvote button, for right now, only appears on public Page posts, not on Groups posts or those from individual users.

Two years ago this month, Facebook first expanded the Like button to include other emotions it referred to as Reactions: “Wow,” “Love,” “Haha,” “Sad,” and “Angry.” Perhaps the downvote button will eventually evolve to include more emotions as well? One thing is pretty much certain: we’re not going to see that “Dislike” button anytime soon.

Source: Android Zone

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