You can now pre-register for Shadowgun Legends on Play Store, March release date teased

When it comes to shooters on Android, there are very few that can hold a candle those developed by Madfinger Games. That’s why expectations are through the roof for the Netherlands studios’ latest entry in its Shadowgun series, Shadowgun Legends.

Thankfully, the wait is almost over, as the highly-anticipated title is now finally up for pre-registration on the Google Play Store.

Editor’s Pick

Touted as mobile gaming’s answer to Destiny, Shadowgun Legends fuses the series’ sci-fi setting with FPS gameplay and MMO elements.

The game will feature a full campaign with co-op, frantic online deathmatches, a social hub, and reams of loot to collect to kit out your avatar.

Announced back in 2016, Madfinger’s self-proclaimed “largest project to date” soft-launched last November in the Netherlands, but it seems like a worldwide release is now imminent. In a reply on Twitter (spotted by Pocket Gamer), the developer teased that it is targeting a March launch, so keep your fingers crossed.

You can pre-register for Shadowgun Legends via the button below. Are you excited to play the latest installment in the Shadowgun franchise? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Samsung slashes Samsung Rewards points in half

  • Samsung Rewards is a points program for Samsung Pay users. The points can be converted to various prizes.
  • Samsung slashed the number of points a user can earn per Samsung Pay transaction by half.
  • Going forward, even the Samsung Rewards members in the highest tier will have to spend twice as much to earn the same amount of points.

Two years ago, Samsung introduced Samsung Rewards as a perk for users who can access the company’s mobile wallet app Samsung Pay. The program operates like many similar rewards programs, wherein users earn points based on the purchases they make using the Samsung Pay app. Users can then convert those points into gift cards at popular retailers and even enter into drawings for Samsung hardware.

However, Samsung today slashed the number of points users earn for transactions in half. That means that even if you use Samsung Pay just as much as you had been using it before yesterday, you’re only going to earn half as many points.

Samsung Rewards is a tiered system where users who utilize the app a lot earn more points than casual users. Yesterday, a Platinum user, the highest tier, earned 40 points per Samsung Pay transaction. Today, they’ll earn 20 points. Standard members used to earn 10 points and now earn five.

Editor’s Pick

Samsung hasn’t made any formal announcement of the alteration to the rewards program, so not much is known about how this will affect longtime users of the app. It appears that all users, regardless of seniority, are affected by this change, which surely will make early adopters and members of the Platinum tier quite angry.

The prizes Samsung offers in the rewards program require quite a bit of points to get. Even simply entering a drawing to win a Sandals Resort getaway costs 50 points, which for standard members would require 10 Samsung Pay transactions.

Samsung Pay is only available on specific Samsung devices, most notably the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S line. If this Samsung Rewards program was a significant reason device owners chose to buy a Samsung phone, they are probably pretty upset about this change.

Do you use the Samsung Rewards program? Will this turn you off from using Samsung Pay?

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Instantly improve your writing with WhiteSmoke: over 80% off today only

Everyone can stand to improve their writing skills, even if you write for a living. Today, we have a special offer for a service that will help you write better online, on your PC, or even on your smartphone. You can snag a WhiteSmoke subscription for over 80% off its normal price, but you only have until the end of the day today to get this deal.

If you want to go all in, you can get a lifetime subscription to WhiteSmoke Premium for $69.99, which is 82 percent off its normal $399.95 price tag.

If you don’t have that much cashflow, you can also get a one year subscription to WhiteSmoke Premium for $19.99, or 83 percent off its normal $119.95 cost.

Get a lifetime subscription to WhiteSmoke Premium for $69.99, which is 82 percent off

If you do most of your writing on web browsers, you can get a lifetime subscription to the web-only version of WhiteSmoke for $39.99, or 80 percent off its $199.99 price. Alternatively, you can snap up a one year subscription to WhiteSmoke on the web for just $9.99, well below its normal $79.99 price.

Whether you get the web browser-only version, or the full premium subscription to WhiteSmoke, you will get a service that not only finds spelling errors in your articles, but also issues with grammar, punctuation, and style in your prose. It will also check to see if your article might have plagiarism problems, and there’s a translator included that supports over 50 languages. The lifetime subscriptions will give you access to all future updates and versions of WhiteSmoke for free.

Remember, this special discount will only last until the end of the day today, so you don’t have much time to save a lot of money with this offer!

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.


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

Anik

Archos just announced an Android-powered electric scooter

Archos citee connect

  • French company Archos will release an electric scooter with an Android phone built into the handlebars.
  • Connected to the motor, the phone will feature software that allows the user to see and control the scooter’s functions.
  • The phone is no powerhouse, but is 3G-connected and enables data while on the move.

There’s a certain demographic of city-dwellers who love electric scooters. Smaller and lighter than a bicycle and requiring only a small amount of physical exertion to operate, an electric scooter is a fun and easy way to get quickly from one area of a large city to another.

With that in mind, Archos, a French company focused on urban mobility, will be showcasing their latest product at Mobile World Congress 2018: the Archos Citee Connect, an electric scooter with an Android phone built right into the handlebars.

Archos citee connect

The phone’s specs are nothing incredibly special, with a 5-inch display, 1 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of storage running on a quad-core processor. But it does run Oreo right out of the box and is directly connected to the motor of the scooter, giving users a unique controller for their new method of transport.

With custom software that comes preinstalled on the phone, users can track their progress, see the battery level of the motor/phone, and check how fast they are going. Since its an Android device, it will also come with access to the Google Play Store allowing users access to all the traveling apps they would ever need.

Editor’s Pick

And the phone itself does have a 3G connection, giving users the ability to get directions via Google Maps in real time, without having to download via Wi-Fi before they leave the house. You could, theoretically anyway, also browse Facebook while motoring around (not recommended). The press release supplied by Archos does not explain whether or not the 3G connection requires some sort of monthly fee.

The Citee Connect itself looks like any other motorized scooter, although it does look like an exceptionally lovely motorized scooter. It’s an all-black design with a few streaks of green here and there to accent the 8.5-inch puncture-proof wheels. Its aluminum frame makes the unit light enough to have a range of 25 km (about 15.5 miles) on a single charge, but strong enough to withstand 100 kgs (about 220 lbs) of weight. According to Archos, the Citee Connect can reach speeds of 25 km/h (15.5 mph).

Archos will be showing the device off at MWC 2018 and promises that units will go on sale direct from the company in April for €399 (about $494). The price will rise by €100 when the product hits traditional store shelves in the summer.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Android P will prevent apps that use the camera without telling you about it

  • A recently spotted commit revealed that Android P will deny camera access to background apps.
  • When an app’s UID is idle, an error will be generated to prevent access to the camera.
  • The feature is a boon for the privacy minded, though it could prevent anti-theft apps from working as advertised.

According to a source code commit spotted by XDA Developers, Android P will detect and prevent background applications from accessing the camera. As much as the feature is a boon for privacy-oriented users, it could be a double-edged sword.

The restriction is based on an app’s User ID (UID), which Android assigns to each app that gets installed on your device. UIDs are unique to each app and do not change, so long as the apps remain on your device.

The commit states that Android P will detect when a UID is “idle,” or when an app sits in the background after a certain amount of time. Android P will then generate an error to prevent access to the camera. If an inactive UID requests camera access, the software will immediately generate an error so long as the UID remains in the background.

Android’s Doze feature restricts background apps’ access to CPU and network-intensive services. Also, Android Oreo require apps to display a notification when they actively use the camera. As such, Android P’s camera restriction is more of an extension to existing measures.

The feature is a nice deterrent against malicious apps that silently record videos or take pictures without your knowledge. This is also nice for those who feel a bit iffy about the front camera.

Editor’s Pick

Even so, there are anti-theft apps that, upon request, covertly use the front camera to take pictures of a thief or the surrounding area. The feature would render those apps useless, unless Google somehow makes an exception for them.

This is not the first Android P feature we have heard about. Anonymous sources leaked that designers behind Android P are designing Android to work with a notch similar to the one on the iPhone X. They also leaked that Google Assistant will be a more integral part of the user interface.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Samsung Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus now (unofficially) available in the US

Samsung hasn’t officially released the Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus (2018) in the US, but you can now pick up either of the mid-range devices complete with a one-year warranty from B&H. The Galaxy A8 is available for $479, while the larger model is priced at $529.

The first thing to note is that these are not true US models as they technically doesn’t exist just yet. Instead, we’re looking at the A530F (A8) and A730F (A8 Plus), dual-SIM versions produced for the European/Global market.

Editor’s Pick

That means neither phone will play ball with CDMA carriers, so Verizon and Sprint customers are fresh out of luck. GSM/LTE networks – like AT&T or T-Mobile – are good to go, however, and B&H is selling each phone unlocked in three colors: Black, Orchid Gray, and Gold.

As a quick specs refresher, the Galaxy A8 features a 5.6-inch Full HD+ display with an 18:5:9 aspect ratio, while the A8 Plus bumps the screen size up to 6 inches. Both phones sport front-facing dual cameras (16 MP and 8 MP), a 16 MP rear shooter, octa-core processors, and 4 GB of RAM.

The models on offer here each come with 64 GB of internal storage (expandable), sizable batteries (3,000 mAh for the A8, 3,500 mAh for the A8 Plus), and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

Unfortunately, there’s still no word on a proper release date for either phone stateside. The mid-rangers are currently available in selected European markets, India, and South Korea, with a vague UK launch pencilled in for April.

Here’s hoping we hear a little more at/after Samsung’s Galaxy S9 reveal event at MWC 2018. For the time being, however, you can grab either the Galaxy A8 or A8 Plus via the buttons below.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

How to Create a Survey in WordPress (with Beautiful Reports)

Do you want to create a survey in WordPress? Surveys help you gather valuable information, so you can use to make data-driven decisions. In this article, we will show you how to easily create a survey in WordPress and generate beautiful reports.

Survey Plugin for WordPress

Choosing The Best Survey Tool for WordPress

There are many online services that allow you to create survey forms and embed them in WordPress. The downside of these forms is that the data is stored on third-party servers, and you have limited customization options.

Some of these forms are also limited to the number of responses you can collect. You have to pay extra to get more responses and usually these services have high monthly costs.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could run surveys on your own website without relying on third-party services?

This is where WPForms comes in. It is the best WordPress form builder plugin in the market.

They recently announced a powerful new WordPress surveys and polls addon that you can use to easily create survey forms on your website.

With WPForms survey feature, you get the following:

  • Powerful drag and drop form builder to create surveys
  • Smart survey fields like Rating, Likert Scale, and more
  • Conditional logic to personalize survey fields based on user input
  • Interactive survey reports with bars, graphs, charts, and tables
  • Ability to export survey graphs as JPEG, PDF, or Print Formats
  • Export survey results as CSV to use elsewhere

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create and add survey in your WordPress website.

Disclosure: WPForms is created by the same team behind WPBeginner. It is one of our premium WordPress plugins.

Creating a Survey in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

WPForms surveys and polls addon is part of their Pro plan. WPBeginner users can use our WPForms coupon to ge 10% OFF on all WPForms licenses.

Once the plugin is activated, you need to head over to WPForms » Settings page to enter your license keys. You can find this information under your account on the WPForms website.

WPForms License

Next, you need to visit the WPForms » Addons page and scroll down to the Surveys and Polls addon. Go ahead and click on the Install addon button to install the survey addon. Once installed, you need to click on the ‘Activate’ button to start using the addon.

Install survey and polls addon

Now you are ready to create a survey form.

You need to visit WPForms » Add New page to create a new form. This will launch the WPForms’ drag and drop form builder interface.

Create survey form

First you need to provide a title for your survey form and then click on the Survey Form template.

This will load a sample customer feedback form template with several fields already added into the form.

Survey form template

You can just point and click to edit any field, rearrange them with drag and drop, or remove them from the form. You can also add new form fields from the left column.

WPForms supports all commonly used form fields including drop down, radio buttons, checkboxes, likert scale, text input, rating scale, and many more. This makes it super easy for you to build highly interactive survey forms.

WPForms also includes conditional logic which means you can personalize your survey questions based on user input in one of the previous fields.

Conditional fields

Once you have created the form, you need to click on the save button to store your form settings. You can now click on the close button to exit the form builder.

Adding The Survey Form in Your WordPress Website

WPForms makes it very simple to add your forms anywhere on your website. You can easily add your survey form in any WordPress post, page, custom post type, or your sidebar.

To add the survey form in a WordPress post, page, or post type, you need to visit the post edit screen and click on the ‘Add Form’ button.

Add form button

This will bring up a popup where you can select the survey form you created earlier and click on the insert form button to continue.

You will now see the form shortcode added into the post editor.

Once you are done editing the post, go ahead and publish it. You can visit your website to see your survey form live in action.

Survey form preview

WPForms also allows you to easily add your survey form into any sidebar or widget ready area. Simply head over to the Appearance » Widgets page in your WordPress admin area and drag the WPForms widget to any sidebar.

Survey form widget

In the widget settings, select the survey form you created earlier and don’t forget to click on the save button to store your changes.

You can now visit your website to see your survey form displayed in the sidebar.

Sidebar survey widget

Viewing Your Survey Form Results

WPForms shows survey results in beautiful charts and graphs. You can also print survey results and export them to use in your favorite spreadsheet software.

To view your survey results, you need to visit WPForms » All Forms page and click on the ‘Survey Results’ link below your survey form.

View survey results

On the results page, you will see your survey responses displayed in an interactive chart and tables. You can export responses to a single question, as well as the entire survey.

Survey results

On the top, you will see options to switch to different chart types and the export option. You can save individual survey results as JPEG, PDF, and Print formats to easily share them on presentation slides, blog posts, or social media.

Result tables

Convert Any Form into a Survey

WPForms also allows you to make any form into a survey form and display past results as a survey. You can even select specific form fields that you want to be treated as survey fields.

This is particularly useful if you want to gather data through other forms like a contact form, user registration, or newsletter sign up forms.

To convert an existing WPForms form into a survey, simply edit the form in WPForms and go to the Settings » Surveys and Polls section. You need to check the box next to ‘Enable Survey Reporting’ option and save your changes.

Enable survey reporting for any form in WPForms

To enable survey reporting for an individual form field, simply edit the form and then click on the field that you want to enable.

Under the ‘Field Options’ section on your left side, you need to click on the Advanced Options and check ‘Enable Survey Reporting’ option.

Enable survey reporting for any form field

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily create and add beautiful survey forms in WordPress. You may also want to see our beginner’s guide on how to track user engagement in WordPress with Google Analytics.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Create a Survey in WordPress (with Beautiful Reports) appeared first on WPBeginner.

Source: Wordpres

Anik

The Swype keyboard app for Android has been discontinued

The Swype Keyboard app has been discontinued. The news arrived via Reddit (and was confirmed by XDA) after a person reached out to the app’s owner, Nuance Communication, with a support query.

In response to the question about the app crashing on the Google Pixel 2, the Swype Product Team issued the following statement:

Nuance will no longer be updating the Swype+Dragon keyboard for Android. We’re sorry to leave the direct-to-consumer keyboard business, but this change is necessary to allow us to concentrate on developing our AI solutions for sale directly to businesses.

We hope you enjoyed using Swype, we sure enjoyed working with the Swype community.

Editor’s Pick

Swype Inc., founded in 2002, was one of the pioneers of the swipe/glide touchscreen keyboard function—something which helped one of its employees achieve a Guinness World Record in 2010 for the fastest text message written on a touchscreen mobile phone. The company was bought by Seattle-based startup Nuance Communications in 2011, and the Swype keyboard was exclusive to Samsung devices for a while before being launched as a standalone app. The functionality has been adopted by many major keyboard apps.

Swype has been discontinued both on Android and iOS, though Nuance is expected to continue pushing its Dragon Dictation technology in automotive and medical fields.

If you’re a Swype user looking for a new alternative, check out our list of the best Android keyboards at the link (I switched from Swype to SwiftKey some years ago and have never looked back).

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Quoted WhatsApp messages can be seen even after the original has been deleted

  • Messages deleted using WhatApp’s “Delete for Everyone” feature found to still show up if they have been quoted.
  • While the original message gets deleted, it can still be seen in the quote.
  • WhatsApp’s “Delete for Everyone” feature allows users to delete sent messages.

I imagine that we have all had the experience of sending a message to a friend, only to realize once it’s gone that you sent the message to the wrong person (or, even worse, group). That is why it was such a relief when messenger app WhatsApp introduced a “Delete for Everyone” feature last year.

This feature is great because, assuming you realize within seven minutes of your message being sent, it allows you to delete the incorrectly sent message. This includes not only text but also pictures and video. Users simply have to click on the message and select “Delete for Everyone” to remove it from all the people in the chat.

While the time limit means it is perhaps still not good enough to delete regrettable messages in the morning after a night out, it was more than good enough to delete the odd message simply sent to the wrong person.

However, an article by The Next Web seems to suggest that if the message you try to delete has already been quoted by someone, then the deleted message can still be seen. Their tests showed that while the original message was gone, the quoted text still showed up.

Editor’s Pick

If a message has already been quoted, then that means it has been seen by at least one recipient anyway, and the feature was never foolproof—checking the Android notification history could in certain cases show the deleted message. There is also the simple fact that whoever you sent the message to could have taken a screenshot. So this news shouldn’t be a deal-breaker for WhatsApp users.

Realistically, the only way to know for sure that no one will have read your embarrassing message is to not send one in the first place. Be careful out there, folks.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact design revealed by leaked photo?

The Sony Xperia XA2.

The design of the rumored Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact may have been revealed in a recently leaked photograph. The image, obtained by Xperia Blog from one of its commenters, shows an alleged XZ2 Compact prototype alongside the Xperia Z5 Compact.

We can’t speak to the accuracy of the leak, though Xperia Blog says that one of its contacts had testified that the picture is representative of the XZ2 Compact. Further, a teaser video for Sony at MWC may have hinted at curved rear design like the one depicted.

Check out the image below (the supposed XZ2 Compact protoype is on the right).

Xperia Blog

The handset would be a departure from the Sony Xperia devices launched in the last five years—the majority of which have had a flat rear. The handset looks like something of a throwback, though this wouldn’t be out of the question for Sony, considering its recent phones haven’t been keeping up with industry trends (like fullscreen displays and dual cameras).

The commenter who supplied the image said the prototype was close to the final version of the phone and that it lacked a headphone jack. The fingerprint scanner would also be on the rear of the device, apparently.

How do you feel about the design? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Android Zone

Anik

Deal: Moto X4 and Google Pixelbook are $100 off at various retailers

  • Various retailers took $100 off the Moto X4 and Google Pixelbook.
  • Motorola’s Moto Mods are also on sale.
  • We do not know how long these discounts will last for.

If you are on the hunt for an Android smartphone and Chromebook to satisfy your Google-centric needs, the Moto X4 and Google Pixelbook are available for $100 off at various retailers.

Starting with the Moto X4, Motorola’s and Best Buy’s discounts lower the phone to $300. For additional savings, you can get the Android One variant of the Moto X4 from Project Fi for $250.

We do not know how long Motorola’s and Best Buy’s discounts will last, though Project Fi’s promotion goes through February 28. That said, you must activate the Moto X4 on Project Fi within 30 days if you want the $150 off. That will not hurt the wallet much, since Project Fi’s plans start at $20 a month, but it is a step to keep in mind.

As a quick recap, the Moto X4 sports a 5.2-inch Full HD display, dual 12 MP and 8 MP cameras, Snapdragon 630, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of expandable storage, and IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The Moto X4 originally ran Android Nougat out of the box, but has since been updated to Android Oreo.

Speaking of Motorola, virtually all of its Moto Mods are on sale at various discounts from Motorola and Best Buy. This means the Moto 360 Camera, Hasselblad True Zoom, and Moto Insta-Share Projector are available for $200—a saving of $100 on their regular price tags.

If you want something a bit more subtle, Style Shells and Moto Folio are available for $15 and $11.24, respectively. Even the Polaroid Insta-Share Printer and Moto Gamepad are on sale, which shows how surprisingly healthy the Moto Mod ecosystem is.

Finally, all three variants of the Pixelbook are $100 off at various retailers. The now-$899 base model sports Intel’s Core i5-7Y57 processor with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The mid-tier variant doubles the storage and bumps the price to $1,099. Finally, the top-tier $1,549 variant sports a Core i7-7Y75, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage.

We doubt the $100 discount is enough to convince folks already on the fence that the Pixelbook is a smart buy. That said, we would not blame you if the Pixelbook’s hardware, simple operating system, and support for apps have won you over.

Besides, if you were already set on buying Google’s overly-capable Chromebook, the savings could be used to pick up the $99 Pixelbook Pen.

Source: Android Zone

Anik