Left your phone in the cold? Here’s how to fix it

It’s happened to all of us: you accidentally left your smartphone in the car. Sometimes you might rush back to get it, and other times you might think, “Hey, I don’t need it right now, I’ll get it when I head back.”

Normally, a smartphone sitting in a vehicle for a few hours is not too big of a deal, but when the temperature outside is below freezing, it could cause some unexpected problems for your phone’s battery. The biggest problem is a quick drain — depending on how cold it is, a smartphone battery could go from fully charged to completely dead in a matter of minutes.

What’s worse is that right after that quick drain it will be impossible to recharge the device.

But don’t worry! Your battery is OK and your smartphone is going to be fine. Read on for tips on what to do if you face these issues, and then continue reading further to learn about why this happens.  Also keep in mind the same principles apply to pretty much any device with a lithium-ion battery including laptops, tablets, portable game systems, and the list goes on.

What to do if your cold phone won’t charge

If you have a cold phone that’s dead and refuses to charge, all you need to do is wait for it to get back to a normal temperature. This could be as simple as bringing the phone inside and just letting it sit for a few hours while it naturally gets back to a regular state.

If you can’t wait that long, you can very carefully heat up the device by placing it near a warm surface. This could be putting it into your pocket, laying it near (but not on) a radiator, or leaving it on the dash of your car while the heater pushes hot air.

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Some people might think that the most important feature in a smartphone is its display size. Others believe it comes down to a phone’s processor performance, or the amount of RAM, or even how much …

Be careful, though: you should never put the phone into an oven or a microwave and you should never place it on or near something that is incredibly hot such as an electric hot plate or stove. You want the device to get a little warm, not cooked.

During this warming process, do not charge your phone. Just let it warm up on its own with no charging cable attached.

Once the phone warms up, turn it on. The battery might be at the same level it would have been before it got so cold. If it’s not, feel free to plug it in and charge it up as usual.

Why does the cold drain the battery?

Interestingly, scientists don’t quite understand why this happens. The science is clear that incredibly cold temperatures drain lithium-ion batteries very quickly, but the reasons why are still fairly mysterious.

What we do know is that lithium-ion batteries rely on chemical reactions to charge, hold that charge, and then release that charge, and the cold slows these reactions.

Each smartphone battery has two sections: the anode and the cathode. When the battery is fully charged, lithium ions are embedded in porous graphite located in the anode, and when it’s drained, the ions are on the opposite end in the cathode. Electricity is produced when individual lithium-ions flow from the anode to the cathode.

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For some reason, when lithium-ion batteries are placed in cold temperatures, the chemical reaction produced by the movement of the lithium ions slows to a crawl — or even stops completely. The smartphone senses that the battery is no longer producing a charge and drops the charge meter to one percent or even zero percent. If enough time passes, the phone will shut off.

If you try to charge the phone while it’s in this state, the reactions still won’t happen because the battery is still too cold. In fact, this new introduction of electric current could cause problems for the battery.

Only when the battery is brought to a warmer temperature will the lithium ions move as normal and everything will once again work as expected. This is why a cold battery can go from empty to full again just by warming up: the lithium ions (i.e. the amount of battery charge) didn’t fully move from one end of the battery to the other, they just stopped moving.

Keep this in mind next time you are in a cold place! Try to keep your smartphone warm.

NEXT: 15 best weather apps and weather widgets for Android

Source: Android Zone

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OnePlus is discounting bundles for Valentine’s, including the OnePlus 6T

Valentine’s Day is not far off now (make your dinner reservations today if you haven’t already!). To celebrate, OnePlus.com is offering a select few of its bundles at discounted rates, one of which includes the 2018 favorite smartphone, the OnePlus 6T.

The two featured bundles are themed around pairing together and partnering together, to keep with the Valentine’s Day tone.

The first bundle features the OnePlus 6T smartphone, a pair of OnePlus Bullets Wireless headphones, and a bumper case. You’ll save $20 on this “You Complete Me” bundle which could cost you anywhere from $628 to $708, depending on which model of OnePlus 6T you settle on.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr6baqZG3aY

Update – December 31 – The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition has launched, which has a black carbon fiber design with McLaren’s signature “Papaya Orange” color around the rim, along with 256GB of storage and 10GB of …

The second bundle is two sets of OnePlus Bullets Wireless — one for you and one for your crush. You’ll save 10 percent off this “Perfect Pair” bundle bringing the total price down to $124.

There are also some accessory bundles on offer, but they are not themed to Valentine’s Day and only net you a five percent discount. Those bundles include cases, headphones, screen protectors, chargers, etc.

Click the buttons below to grab one of these deals now!

Get the OnePlus 6T bundle

Get the Bullets Wireless Bundle

See all OnePlus Deals

Source: Android Zone

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First Facebook, now Google’s internal iOS apps are blocked by Apple

• Apple has apparently revoked certificates for Google’s internal iOS apps (not its consumer apps).
• The revocation likely stems from the revelation that Google’s Screenwise Meter app used Apple’s enterprise program, violating Apple’s rules.
• Facebook had a similar revocation earlier this week surrounding an app of its own.

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Google just issued a statement to The Verge regarding the rumor that Apple disabled Google’s enterprise developer certificate. In Google’s statement, the company admits that there has been “a temporary disruption,” seemingly confirming the rumor is true.

“We’re working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon,” Google said in the statement.

According to sources familiar with the matter, all of Google’s internal iOS apps are now disabled. These include early beta versions of popular Google apps like Gmail, Google Maps, etc., as well as apps designed specifically for Googlers such as the Gbus app and an app for the various cafés on Google campuses.

Apple blocking Google’s apps is likely to do with its Screenwise Meter app, which tracks how people use their smartphones. The iOS app for the service — which has since been disabled — relied on the Apple enterprise program which allows companies to create apps for use within that company (i.e., not available to the general public).

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Update, 01/30/2019, 04:09 AM ET: Facebook has said its controversial research app will no longer be available on iOS, according to The Verge. Regarding TechCrunch’s original story, Facebook said:

“Key facts about this market research program are being ignored …

However, Screenwise Meter was available to the public, which would mean that Google was violating Apple’s terms. That is the likely reason why Google’s enterprise certificate was revoked and why the internal Google apps no longer work.

This situation is very similar to recent news about a Facebook app geared towards teens which paid them $20 to track nearly everything they do on their iOS devices. That app also relied on the Apple enterprise program and Facebook subsequently lost its certificate.

It appears Apple is not messing around and will gladly revoke certificates of any company — no matter how large — if it finds that company breaking the service terms of its program.

We’ll have to wait and see if Google (or Facebook, for that matter) will get its certification back.

NEXT: Apple earnings call: Cook admits “price is a factor” in falling iPhone sales

Source: Android Zone

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Energizer’s upcoming phone lineup includes a few with pop-up selfie cameras

With Mobile World Congress set to kick off in a few weeks in Spain, Energizer plans to announce a whopping 26 smartphones at the yearly event. GSMArena reported that among the 26 phones are the Ultimate U620S and U630S, which feature pop-up selfie cameras.

Pop-up selfie cameras aren’t new — the Vivo Nex features a similar selfie camera mechanism, while the Oppo Find X slides an entire section of the phone up. The difference is that the Ultimate U620S and U630S are the first phones to pack two selfie cameras in the pop-up mechanism — one 16MP camera and a second 2MP depth sensor.

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The similarities between the Ultimate U620S and U630S end there. The Ultimate 620S features a 6.2-inch display with Full HD+ (2,280 x 1,080) resolution, triple 12MP, 5MP, and 2MP rear cameras, MediaTek’s octa-core Helio P70, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 3,200mAh battery that supports 18W fast wired charging.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate U630S features a 6.3-inch display with HD+ (1,480 x 720) resolution, dual 16MP and 2MP rear cameras, MediaTek’s octa-core Helio P22, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 3,500mAh battery that supports 10W fast wired charging.

Pricing and availability are unknown at the time of this writing. That said, we’ll likely learn much more about both smartphones during MWC 2019.

Source: Android Zone

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AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note 9 reportedly getting Android 9 Pie update now

With Verizon and Sprint rolling out Android 9 Pie to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, it would have seemed like a good bet that Verizon or Sprint would be the first U.S. carrier to roll out the update to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

However, it looks like AT&T is coming in with the update first. According to users on Reddit, the AT&T-branded Note 9 is receiving the Android 9 Pie update right now.

Unfortunately, it appears many Redditors are experiencing very slow download times for the roughly 1.8GB update. It could be that so many people are trying to download it at once that the servers are buckling under the pressure.

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Android 9 Pie update tracker: When will your phone get it? (Updated January 29)

Google announced Android 9.0 Pie on August 6, 2018, and began rolling it out to Pixel phones the same day. These include the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL.

But what about other …

With that in mind, if the update is coming in at a slow trickle, there’s not much you can do except wait.

As with the Android 9 Pie update for the Galaxy S9, this Samsung Galaxy Note 9 upgrade will feature a new version of Samsung’s Android skin known as One UI. The new skin is an update to Samsung Experience which itself was an update to Samsung TouchWiz.

For a more thorough review of One UI, click the link below.

NEXT: Hands-on with Samsung One UI and Android Pie on the Galaxy S9

Source: Android Zone

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An official-looking render seemingly confirms the Galaxy S10 Plus’ design (Update: More images)

91mobiles

Update, Jan. 31, 2019 ( 3:55pm ET): On the heels of this morning’s leaked render, WinFuture has released similar photos of the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10 Plus in multiple colorways and angles. You can view a handful of the new images below.

Additionally, WinFuture put the renders of the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10 Plus side by side so you can see the size comparison. If rumors are to be believed, the smaller of the two will come in with a 5.8-inch display while the Plus model will have a 6.2-inch screen.

Original post, Jan. 31, 2019 (12:00pm ET): With MWC just a couple of weeks away, 2019’s smartphone announcement season is just about to start. As is tradition, Samsung’s latest flagship has been leaking all over the internet. This time, 91mobiles claims to have been given official renders of the Galaxy S10 Plus.

As you can see, the handset in the leaked image pretty closely matches leaked CAD models and real-life photos that we’ve seen up until this point. To no one’s surprise, the larger of the two Galaxy S10 models looks to have a dual-sensor hole punch in the top right corner of the display and three cameras around back.

91mobiles

This render also seemingly confirms the fact that Samsung is ditching the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. Instead, the South Korean manufacturer is rumored to be including an in-display sensor that will pair with the company’s usual facial-recognition tech.

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Update, January 10, 2019 (10:38 EST): The article has been updated to indicate that Samsung has confirmed it will announce the Galaxy S10 on February 20 at a press event in San Francisco.

In 2019, Samsung will …

Other than that, there’s isn’t anything new to learn from this render. The button layout appears to match what we’ve seen in previous years with the power button positioned on the right side of the phone and the volume rocker and Bixby button on the left. And because of the Infinity-O display, the Galaxy S10 Plus features smaller bezels compared to Samsung’s older handsets.

As a refresher, the Galaxy S10 Plus is rumored to have a 6.4-inch display which would match the Note 9’s. Additionally, the handset should come with the Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 SoC depending on the region, 6GB to 12GB of RAM, and up to a terabyte of built-in storage.

Samsung is set to announce the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus at an Unpacked event on February 20 in San Francisco.

Source: Android Zone

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UltraViolet is shutting down: Here’s how to save your media

The UltraViolet movie locker service was one of the film industry’s first attempts to curb piracy and embrace the proliferation of digital media. However, the company just announced the service will end on July 31, 2019.

Until that date, UltraViolet services will continue to operate as normal; you’ll still be able to stream the content in your locker without issue. After July 31, though, your account will automatically close so you’ll no longer be able to access your content through the UltraViolet service.

Instead, you will need to access your content from the retailer sites from which you originally purchased that content or services which support those media titles. For example, this could be Fandango Now, Vudu, or Verizon Fios. Click here for the full list of retailers.

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However, UltraViolet does not currently have a fallback plan for users with untransferable content purchased through now-defunct retailers or from media added to the service through the previous purchase of physical Blu-Ray discs or DVDs. It is quite possible those users will lose access to some or all of that content permanently.

If you live in the United States, you can transfer much of your library to UltraViolet’s main competitor: the Disney-owned Movies Anywhere. However, it’s possible not all of your titles will transfer and those of you who live outside the United States cannot access Disney’s service — so this is not a fool-proof plan.

If you have media in an UltraViolet locker, you will need to find a new home for that content before July 31, 2019.

Also, Movies Anywhere doesn’t support television episodes, so any TV shows in your UltraViolet library will have to be connected to a different service. If you cannot do this, you could lose access to that content.

If you have an UltraViolet library, it would be a good idea to get started on connecting your locker to other retailers as soon as possible. That way, if there does end up being any content you could lose, you will have plenty of time to figure out the best way forward.

Click here to begin the process of connecting your UltraViolet media to other retailers.

NEXT: How sci-fi movies and TV shows have imagined mobile phones, smartphones and tablets

Source: Android Zone

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Lenovo’s huge Yoga Chromebook now comes with a 4K display and backlit keyboard

Announced at IFA 2018, the Lenovo Yoga Chromebook has only been available with a 1080p display. Starting today, you can pick up the Yoga Chromebook with a 4K display and backlit keyboard from Lenovo’s website for $899.99.

That’s a tough price to swallow for those who aren’t sold on Chrome OS yet. That said, the 15.6-inch display with 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, aluminum build, and powerful internals have the makings for a great experience when navigating Google’s desktop OS.

You’ll have to wait a bit to get the 4K version of the Yoga Chromebook, however — the laptop ships in “more than 5 weeks.” If you can’t wait that long, you can go to Best Buy and pick up the 1080p variant.

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Apart from the 4K display and backlit keyboard, everything about this Yoga Chromebook variant is the same as the version available through Best Buy. That means a 360-degree hinge, island-style keyboard, glass-covered trackpad, a quad-core eight-generation Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 56Wh battery.

Keep in mind that the Yoga Chromebook sold through Lenovo and Best Buy might differ when it comes to the keyboard. According to Chrome Unboxed, the Yoga Chromebooks available on Lenovo’s website come with backlit keys — the version available through Best Buy do not feature backlit keys.

You can pick up the 4K Yoga Chromebook at the link below.

4K Lenovo Yoga Chromebook

Source: Android Zone

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Hulu finds a way to show you more ads, starting this Spring

If you pay for the basic subscription tier of streaming service Hulu, you’re going to see some new ad placements soon. Starting this Spring, you will see static advertisements when you pause a stream, via Engadget.

The ads won’t have sound or video, just image overlays which will appear over the video stream. The ads will reportedly be context-relevant; for example, a Charmin ad says, “Need a break? Enjoy the go,” and shows the Charmin bear holding a roll of toilet paper.

I wasn’t kidding when I said “context-relevant.”

See for yourself below:

Engadget

Hulu confirmed that the ads will only appear for those users on the basic subscription tier, so those of you on Hulu (No Ads) or the other, higher-end tiers don’t have to worry (at least for now).

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This reveal comes just after Hulu announced that it will drop the entry-level subscription price for the service by two dollars starting in February. The new price will be $5.99 per month. However, Hulu also raised the price for its highest-end tier — Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV — significantly from $43.99 to $50.99 per month.

The various price changes come on the back of Netflix announcing it will raise prices soon for all its subscription tiers.

What do you think? Will these new ad placements be worth the $2 price drop, or would you rather pay the old price for fewer ads? Let us know in the comments.

NEXT: Let’s take a look at what’s coming to Hulu

Source: Android Zone

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Honor planning a 5G smartphone for the second half of 2019

With parent company Huawei going full-steam ahead with 5G, sub-brand Honor announced its own 5G plans during a group interview with Android Authority in Paris. More specifically, Honor president George Zhao confirmed that the company is working on a 5G smartphone.

In the interview, Zhao suggested Honor’s 5G smartphone would arrive in the “second half of the year.” However, exactly “when and which model depends on the operators’ infrastructure and progress.”

This is the first time since September 2018 that Zhao talked about Honor’s 5G plans. Back then, Zhao claimed that Honor’s 5G smartphone would be the first and that the phone will launch sometime in 2019. Since then, however, Samsung, LG, and OnePlus also announced plans to release 5G smartphones in 2019.

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The “where” part of that equation is an important one for Honor. Parent company Huawei currently has a frosty relationship with the U.S. government and faces a 13-count indictment in the country. The U.S. was already reportedly mulling over whether to ban Huawei telecommunications equipment from the country over security concerns.

Compounding matters was Canada’s arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. The U.S. government confirmed it will pursue Meng’s extradition and had until yesterday to submit an extradition request.

Across the ocean, Australia and New Zealand already banned Huawei’s telecommunications equipment for their 5G networks, with Japan reportedly announcing a similar move soon.

These moves against Huawei could trickle down to Honor and affect the latter’s ability to deliver a 5G smartphone in certain regions. That said, Huawei’s business seems unaffected in the regions that really matter: Europe, India, and China. As such, Honor’s 5G aspirations would remain similarly unaffected if it sticks to those regions.

Source: Android Zone

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10 best upcoming Android games — action, racing, strategy, and more

PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9: Legends, and Alto’s Odyssey are just a few of the great Android titles released in 2018. We expect to see many more in the near future as 2019 ramps up from well-known developers like Bethesda, Gamevil, and Butterscotch Shenanigans.

Here are the 10 upcoming Android games we’re most excited about, in categories like adventure, action, racing, and more.

Stardew Valley

Popular indie title Stardew Valley debuted on PC in 2016, coming to Xbox One and PS4 later that year. The game’s story goes like this: you have inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley and your job is to transform it into the farm of your dreams.

Read next: 5 best Marvel games for Android

You can raise animals, grow crops, and craft useful machines for your farm, as well as mingle with the locals, and even meet your future wife and start a family. Check out the trailer above to see what the game looks like in action.

Stardew Valley is already available on iOS. It goes for $7.99 with no in-app purchases. The game is coming to Android as well, but the developer has not yet revealed when. It’s also unclear if it will take the same approach as the iOS version or deliver a free-to-play solution.

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The Elder Scrolls: Blades

The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a first-person role-playing game. You play as a member of the Blades who, after being forced into exile, must restore their hometown from the rubble. You can create and customize your city, take on friends and rivals in epic one-on-one battles, discover unique weapons, armor, and abilities, and much more.

Developer Bethesda Softworks released a trailer (above), which looks gorgeous. The light glimmers realistically off swords and shields, and the small details in the dungeons, castles, and mountains of the game’s environment create a great sense of atmosphere. The environments rendered in the game are said to be console quality.

The Elder Scrolls: Blades was initially scheduled to debut this fall, but Bethesda unfortunately pushed back the release to “early 2019.” The title will be free to play and we assume it will offer plenty of in-app purchases, though this has not been confirmed yet. The game is already listed on the Play Store, where you can sign up to get notified once it goes live.

Pre-register

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Hamsterdam

In this game, you step into the shoes of Pimm, a cute hamster on a mission. The evil chinchilla Marlo and his Vermin gang have turned the once peaceful city of Hamsterdam into a dangerous place. They control the population using Marlo Tonic and have abducted Pimm’s grandpa, a former hamster-fu master. Your job is to restore the peace to Hamsterdam and save your grandfather.

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You can personalize the main character with different outfits and accessories, ride across town on a scooter, and more. Check out the short and entertaining trailer above to learn more about the upcoming Android game.

The developer is launching Hamsterdam with the help of crowdfunding. Using Indiegogo and Kickstarter, it raised over $30,000. The game is expected to be released in March, but a demo version is already available — get it via the button below.

Get the demo

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Bad North

Bad North is a real-time strategy game with beautiful, minimalist graphics. You take on the role of a prince, whose island has been invaded by Vikings. Your mission is to fend them off with the help of an army that’s in your total control.

In Bad North, positioning is everything.

The game is all about positioning. You have to place your army at the right spots across the battlefield to come out on top. You also have to react quickly and know when to retreat to avoid defeat. Once you win a battle, you take on a new one on a different island, each of which has a unique layout.

Bad North is already available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The developer says it will come to Android in 2019, but didn’t give a more specific timeframe.

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H1Z1

H1Z1 is a battle royale game, similar to PUBG and Fortnite. You jump out of an airplane with up to 150 other players and start looking for guns, ammo, and other supplies once you land. Then it’s time to go on the hunt and take down as many opponents as possible. The last one standing wins.

The playzone gets smaller and smaller throughout the game, bringing players closer together and making sure you’re always on your toes. Just like in PUBG, there are vehicles available so you can get from place to place faster. You can play solo or team up with one or even four other players.

H1Z1 isn’t as popular as PUBG or Fortnite, but it still has millions of devoted fans. It’s free to play and available on PS4 and PC. The company has confirmed a mobile version is in the works, but there are no details on when it’s coming.

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Project Cars GO

Project Cars, a popular racing game on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, is getting a mobile spin-off. Called Project Cars GO, it will come with loads of exotic cars and tons of customization options, just like the PC and console versions.

Project Cars is known for an authentic racing experience, and the mobile version promises just that. The game has sold over two million copies worldwide so far and is one of the best of its kind in my opinion.

Read next: 15 best racing games for Android

Gamevil and Slightly Mad Studios are developing the game, but there’s no word on the release date. Slightly Mad Studios CEO Ian Bell said racing fans will be “stomping the gas pedal and burning rubber very soon,” which makes us think it won’t be long until Project Cars GO makes its debut. When it does, it will give all the other titles on our list of best upcoming Android games a run for their money.

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Diablo Immortal

Back in November, developer Blizzard Entertainment announced it’s working on Diablo Immortal, its second mobile game. The title is being developed from the ground up, so it’s not a port of a previous Diablo PC or console game.

Read next: The Diablo Immortal outrage from both sides of the fence

The storyline takes place between the events of Diablo II and III. The Archangel Tyrael is believed to be dead, while the Worldstone has been shattered into various fragments. Those Worldstone segments are the source of new and ancient evil creatures who want to use the stone’s power to take over the land.

The game lets you choose from six classes (Barbarian, Monk, Wizard, Crusader, Demon Hunter, and Necromancer), with each one having a set of at least 12 skills. You’ll be able to explore and fight in nine outdoors areas and will come across a lot of creatures never seen before in a Diablo title. The game is already listed on the Play Store, but an official release date has not been announced yet.

Pre-register

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Levelhead

Butterscotch Shenanigans, the developer behind the popular Crashlands game, is developing a new title called Levelhead. This 2D platformer lets you build your own levels and publish them for everyone to play. You can use more than 60 elements to get the job done, including enemies, hazards, paths, switches, secrets, power-ups, and more.

It’s a cross-platform game, so levels created on Android will work on PC and iOS, and vice versa. Up to four people can play a level at once, or even create levels together. If you’re not into that, the single-player campaign lets you take control of GR-18 — a delivery robot in training.

Based on the short trailer (above), Levelhead looks like a lot of fun if you’re into platforming games. It’s coming to PC, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, in addition to Android.

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Impossible Bottles

Impossible Bottles is described as a rhythm game. You take on the role of a genius inventor who wants to provide an endless source of energy to the world with the help of his machines — from tiny robots to enormous golems.

To get the job done, you have to power the robots by firing streams of electricity in sync with the music. You can check out what this looks like by clicking here. But be careful: even a small mistake regarding the musical rhythm could create a global blackout and destroy the robots. The game features 10 hand-drawn robots, easy single-tap gameplay, and original electronic tracks to go along with each machine.

According to the game’s website, Impossible Bottles will be released in the summer of 2019, which means somewhere between the end of June and September. There are no details whether it will be a free-to-play title or not.

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Payday: Crime War

Already a popular first-person shooter on PC and consoles, Payday is coming to Android. Payday Crime War is a multiplayer, team-based PvP title. One team takes on the role of criminals trying to perform a robbery. The other team steps into the shoes of a SWAT team trying to prevent the crime.

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10 best FPS games for Android

FPS games (first person shooters) are among the most exciting game genres out there. It is one of the most popular genres ever. Additionally, a variety of high-value games have come from it, including Halo, …

Up to eight players can play in a match, which can happen in different locations. As you progress through the game, you can get new weapons and additional abilities to step up your game.

Overkill Software set up a website for the upcoming game, claiming it’s coming soon. An exact date has not been shared with the public yet. However, the developer is already testing out the game with a closed beta program, which hopefully means it won’t be long before it’s released.

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These are the some of best upcoming Android games to keep an eye out for, though we’re sure plenty of other interesting titles will debut this year.

Have we missed any major ones? Let us know in the comments!

Source: Android Zone

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Hands-on images leak of Moto G7 Plus in pretty red color

Fone Arena

We’ve already seen quite a few leaks surrounding the upcoming line of Motorola Moto G7 smartphones. Today, we’ve now seen real-life hands-on photos of what looks to be the Motorola Moto G7 Plus (via Fone Arena).

The images depict what we expected to see: a waterdrop notch, the Motorola log on the chin, a logo on the rear fingerprint sensor, and a dual camera setup in the usual circle formation on the back.

Editor’s Pick

Moto G7 series: Everything we know so far

In this post, which will be updated regularly, we take a closer look at the latest rumors surrounding the upcoming Motorola Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and G7 Play.

Motorola is gearing up to announce …

However, there are a few notable bits of previously unknown info we can glean from the photos. The sticker on the front of the device suggests the phone will feature 27W fast-charging, which is pretty cool (other Moto budget devices feature 15W charging). The sticker also suggests the device will have optical image stabilization, a welcome upgrade indeed.

Check out the images here:

Interestingly, we’ve seen an image of a device like this before: back in August 2018, we saw a leak of a red Motorola device which was assumed to be a new variant of the Motorola Moto G6 Plus. However, it appears that that was some sort of prototype for this Moto G7 Plus, as we’ve yet to see anything launch from Motorola with a waterdrop notch.

Check out the picture from last year below for reference:

Giz China

That red color is a distinct match to these new leaks, so it’s a solid bet these two devices are one and the same.

We expect the Motorola Moto G7 Plus to feature a 6.24-inch Full HD+ LCD screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, a 3,000mAh battery, and run Android 9 Pie out of the box. We don’t yet have an idea on pricing, but with specs like these, it’s a sure bet the device won’t break the bank.

What do you think? Is the Motorola Moto G7 Plus on your radar, or are you not interested? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: You’ll flip for the foldable Motorola Razr smartphone reboot

Source: Android Zone

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How to Choose the Best Products to Sell Online (Beginner’s Guide)

You want to make extra money on the side, so you looked into several online business ideas and decided that creating an online store is the way to go.

The next step is where beginners often struggle the most: choosing which products to sell on your online store.

In this ultimate guide, we will explain how to easily choose the best products to sell online by following our step by step process.

1. Basics of Choosing Products to Sell on Your Ecommerce Store

Before you start looking into products that you can sell, there are some basics that you need to keep in mind. Let’s look at some of the most important ones first.

1. Choosing Your Ecommerce Platform

First you need to choose a platform that you want to use to sell your products.

Choosing the right eCommerce platform is important because it would affect your choice of products and how you do business.

WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform in the world. It is easy to use, and you can use it to sell all kind of products while accepting payments using multiple payment gateways. See our guide on how to start an online store to get started with WooCommerce.

However, WooCommerce is not the only platform out there. There are some great WooCommerce alternatives that could be better for you depending on what you are trying to sell.

If you lack technical skills and want a quicker way to build an online store, then you may want to look into Shopify. It is a fully hosted solution that takes care of all the technical stuff. The catch here is that you will be paying a little more, and your costs will grow as you make more sales.

For a side by side comparison, see our article on Shopify vs WooCommerce with the pros and cons of both platforms.

2. Shipping

Shipping has a huge impact on the success of an eCommerce store. A study conducted by Business Insider discovered that higher shipping costs are the #1 cause of all abandoned shopping carts online.

You would obviously want to select products that you can ship at lower costs or for free. If you only plan to sell digital products (music, video, software, ebook, etc), then you don’t have to worry about shipping because the products will be downloaded by customers online.

3. Inventory

Do you want to manage inventory and keep products stocked? For that, you will need storage space and inventory management through your eCommerce software. Keeping products in stock will increase your cost of business.

On the other hand, drop-shipping solves this problem. You can select products that are shipped directly by the manufacturer or supplier.

4. Price

You’ll need to find products where you can offer a competitive price to your customers. If the product you are selling is more expensive than your competitors, then obviously that would discourage many first time buyers.

2. Types of Products That You Can Sell Easily

There are many different kinds of products that you can sell in your online store. Let’s narrow them down into two major sections.

1. Commoditized Products

These are products that everyone needs and are sold by many small and large stores without any difference in quality. For example, everyday products like soap, detergent, cereal, and more.

These products are made by some of the largest brands in the retail industry and are available widely with little to no difference in price.

This makes it harder for you to compete with giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc. They can offer those products at lower costs, free shipping, and other perks.

This rules out a large number of products for you.

2. Niche Products

These are products that are unique or hand-made, available in limited stocks, and from specific suppliers. Think of home-made soaps, novelty t-shirts, ceramics, gift items, software, and countless other products.

Since these products are not widely available, they give you a competitive advantage.

There are even unique platforms like Etsy stores where you can find small vendors who make beautiful products and would love to partner up with other stores.

You can also find suppliers abroad using websites like AliExpress or Alibaba.com. These suppliers can make those niche products to your specifications and deliver them to you.

Niche products are available in almost any product category imaginable. You’ll find tons of unique ideas as you do your product research.

This brings us to our next tip.

3. Doing Product Research On Your Own

Don’t use your best guess to select products you sell online. Back it up with data so that you know there is a demand for these products and customers are looking for them.

The first tool you are going to use for your research is Amazon.

It is the world’s largest eCommerce store with thousands of products. Luckily, it is also a treasure trove of free data that you can scrap and make your decisions.

Go through different product categories to find out top performing products in each category. Keep narrowing down your search to sub-categories to find targeted sub-niches of products.

Let’s suppose you wanted to sell kid’s toys, narrow down your search to very specific toy categories. This excludes popular products, and you get a very focused set of products as you filter through.

Switch to the ‘Bestsellers’ view to find the top performing products on Amazon under each category.

SEMRush is another great tool that you can use to gather data from competitors or any eCommerce store you want.

It shows you where those eCommerce stores are getting most of their traffic, which products they are promoting through paid advertisements, what are their most viewed products, and more.

It also shows your competitor’s product listing ads from Google. You can see their best performing product listing ads, keywords, and other data.

Here are some other tools you can use to gather product data from other websites.

• Ahrefs – A powerful competitor research tool that will show what’s popular on the websites of your competitors.
• AdPlexity – A popular eCommerce research tool that helps you collect eCommerce data from across the web, from competitors, or any other website.
• AmazeOwl – It is an Amazon product reseach tool available as a free desktop application.

4. Use Customer Personas to Find Product Ideas

A customer persona is a fictional profile of an ideal customer that you want to target. You create this profile by answering simple questions about an ideal buyer.

This is your target audience and personifying them helps you understand them better when you are doing product research.

If you have an existing store, then you can use eCommerce tracking in Google Analytics to build an ideal buyer persona.

If you are just starting out, then use your best guess to build a customer persona. This exercise helps you understand your customer’s needs, questions they may have, and what kind of products they would like to buy.

To learn more about buyer persona, see this guide on creating a concrete buyer persona with ready-made templates and examples.

5. Find Products You are Passionate About

As career advisors say, ‘Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’.

Similarly, choosing products that you are passionate about helps you sell them more effectively.

These could be products that you personally love and passionately recommend to your family and friends. These could be products related to a hobby or activity that you are passionate about.

Nothing drives more passion when you build something useful and want others to use it.

Following your passion allows you to look deeply into products and find ideas that offer real value to your customers.

We hope this article helped you learn how to choose the best products to sell online. You may also want to see our article on tips to grow your business online without spending a lot of money.

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.

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Source: Wordpres

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Best LG V40 Cases: 10 worth checking out

Mobile phone cases aren’t just about protection — they’re also about keeping style and aesthetic intact. A case is pretty much a must-have accessory for most phones. For the LG V40, it is even more crucial due to its three cameras and the extra-large 6.4-inch screen. To help our readers, we have rounded up five LG V40 cases that not only keep your phone safe, but add a little extra personality to your device.

With hundreds of options out there, it can be difficult to find the best LG V40 cases for your needs. Don’t worry, we kept the list short, grabbing the cream of the crop.

TUDIA Merge Series Slim Case

This slim case offers heavy-duty protection. The Merge LG V40 case comes from TUDIA, a Minnesota-based company known for its high-quality electronic accessories and mobile cases.

The Merge has two layers, an inner layer of shock-proof Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) rubberized gel, and an outer layer made of impact-resistant polycarbonate (PC). Available in four different colors (matte black, metallic slate, rose gold, and mint), it fits on easily and comes with precise cutouts for phone ports and buttons.  

With raised edges, it protects phone screen from touching surfaces. Overall, it adds an attractive slim look to your phone with 360-degree protection. This affordable and durable case makes sure you won’t have to spend on a new case for a long time.

Buy at Amazon

Dretal Brushed Armor Case

Dretal knows how to do phone cases just right. The Brushed Armor is just another example of the company’s mix of style and protection. The case features eye-catching faux brushed aluminum design. The carbon fiber accents and sleek tactile buttons also add to its aesthetic.

The case also comes with raised edges, an angled fingerprint scanner cutout, and corner drop protection. It is made of shockproof anti-stretch TPU rubber and carbon fiber. The Dretal Brushed Armor case’s slim fit design also makes it lightweight. One of the most affordable options out there, it offers excellent protection against impact and drop.

Buy at Amazon

Vinve Carbon Fiber Case

 

Made of high-quality carbon fiber and TPU with an ability to absorb shock and resist scratches, Vinve carbon fiber case is designed to provide your LG V40 with 360-degree protection. It is a slim design that doesn’t add much weight to your phone while the precise cutouts offer easy access to all phone buttons and ports.

Vinve also comes with an eye-catching and unique design. The back cover has a wire drawing pattern, and the top and bottom parts have a different pattern. It feels soft, but offers good grip. Available in four colors (black, blue, grey, and red), this one surely adds style and elegance to your phone.

Buy at Amazon

Anccer Full Body Case

The Anccer Full Body LG V40 case brings protection to the next level without sacrificing the aesthetics of your phone. Made of a thick high-quality TPU layer, the case protects your phone from scratches, dust, and fingerprints.

Available in black, blue, and gray, the unique design comes with a 1.2mm thick hole design around the camera to protect the camera lens. Its hollow ventilation design also keeps your phone from heating up.

It weighs only 2 ounces, so it won’t make your phone heavy. The square pattern with embossed borders and grainy texture also gives it a unique look. Though slightly higher in price, it comes with a six-month warranty from the manufacturer. 

Buy at Amazon

Ringke Onyx LG V40 Case

If you are looking for a slim and lightweight design that also offers 360-degree protection to your phone, The Ringke Onyx is one of the best LG V40 cases out there. Available in black and lilac purple, the case is made of a tough but flexible TPU layer.

It offers advanced shock absorption protection against drops, nicks, scratches, bumps, and hard impacts. The Ringke Onyx also comes with precise cut-outs providing you easy access to all the ports and buttons.

What makes it unique is its built-in QuikCatch lanyard hole design, which lets you attach wrist straps and other accessories to keep your phone protected from accidental drops.

Buy at Amazon

OtterBox Defender LG V40 case

This LG V40 case comes from OtterBox, best known for their rugged phone case products. This model in their Defender line is no exception, as this dual layer case has a soft outer shell that covers the solid inner layer. The case covers the phone’s ports so no dust or water can get inside, and it includes the extra clip-on belt holster. Not only allows owners to clip the phone and case to their belts for easier access while outside, it can also double as a kickstand for hands-free viewing of videos.

As you can see above, the case has a unique and cool looking cutout that includes both the fingerprint sensor and the three rear cameras in a design that looks a bit like the outline for Superman’s S insignia.

The OtterBox Defender case for the LG V40 is on the expensive side of things, with Amazon normally selling it for $59.99, although currently the price is discounted down to $37.40.

Get it at Amazon

Spigen Tough Armor LG V40 case

Spigen has a few cases for the LG V40, including this entry in its Tough Armor lineup. This is a rugged case, but not as thick as the OtterBox entry. The Spigen model still has dual layers for high protection against spills and falls. There’s also a small built-in kickstand for viewing Netflix movies or video calls with no hands needed to hold the phone. The Spigen Tough Armor LG V40 case comes in black, gray and rose gold colors for the price of $16.99 on Amazon.

Get it at Amazon

SUPCASE LG V40 case

This LG V40 case from Supcase is made for people who want a high degree of protection for their phone, and want to show off the colors of its all-glass back. The transparent case offers solid protection from scratches and anti-shock features for keeping it safe if it falls to the ground. The anti-shock bumper still comes in a few color choices, including black, navy blue and even pink. You can get this Supcase LG V40 case on Amazon for $13.99 in black, and $14.99 in blue or pink.

Get it at Amazon

Arkour LG V40 case

If you want some scratch protection for the LG V40, but don’t want something bulky, this thin case from Arkour might be for you. The case is just 0.4 inches thick, yet is still made of a hard enough material to prevent scratching on the back.

It comes in two different finishes. The smooth finish comes in black, blue, red, rose gold, and silver. The gravel finish version actually helps to improve the grip in the hand, and it comes in black, red, and green. All of them cost $11.99 on Amazon.

Get it at Amazon

Spigen Thin Fit LG V40 case

Spigen not only makes highly rugged phone cases, but also thin models as well. The Thin Fit case for the LG V40 is made to be slim, but still offers a solid amount of scratch defense with its rigid PC material. You can buy this nice thin and light case for the LG V40 on Amazon for just $7.99 and it comes in black or graphite gray.

Get it at Amazon

Affiliate disclosure: We may receive compensation in connection with your purchase of products via links on this page. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. See our disclosure policy for more details.

Source: Android Zone

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LG Watch W7 review: Too hands-on

LG’s Watch W7 enters a crowded field of Wear OS-based smartwatches made by both tech and fashion companies. With so many wearables from which to choose, standing out is harder and harder to do. LG devised a plan for the W7 in order to give it a distinct appeal: The watch features moving hands. You know, like an actual, old-school, analog timepiece.

Is this marriage of analog and digital a match? I’m not so sure.

Design and display

The LG Watch W7 is unremarkable in nearly every way. The watch could easily be mistaken for any department store offering. Your own sense of style will dictate whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

LG developed the W7 in partnership with Soprod SA, an honest-to-goodness Swiss watch company. The W7 features a strong stainless steel chassis. The curves are elegant in their own way and I like the chamfered edges and visible grain in the metal. LG gave the watch a chunky black bezel, also made of steel, that includes the hourly time markings. The numbers are painted on in reflective chrome. A rounded steel plate covers the bottom. There are no sensors embedded into the underbelly, though you will spot the copper charging contacts.

Read and watch

Samsung Galaxy Watch review: The smartwatch that tries to do it all

The brand new Samsung Galaxy Watch could be considered the Swiss Army knife of smartwatches. It tries to do a little bit of everything, from sleep tracking, to fitness tracking, to mobile payments, to all …

Most of the time the watch face is pitch black. The moving hands are chrome-colored and have glow-in-the-dark paint like my Swatch did in 1989. There’s no question the hands stand out. It’s easy to read the actual time in just about any environment and lighting. This is truly helpful.

LG didn’t bother conjuring up a fancy marketing name for the material used by the strap. It’s rubber. I don’t really care for it, but it fits and is comfortable. Thankfully the straps can be swapped out for any standard 22mm alternative.

Three beefy buttons are on the right side. A thin rubber band gives the main crown some traction, making it easier to turn. Spinning the crown will scroll the face through the quick settings and notifications. Neat. The lower button can be customized to open any app on the watch.

The Watch W7 has a 1.2-inch LCD with 360 by 360 pixels, resulting in 300ppi. It’s respectably sharp and bright. Colors look good and it never got washed out in the sun. An OLED display might have deeper blacks, but the W7’s screen surely suffices.

The watch scored an IP68 rating, meaning it is protected from immersion in three meters of water for up to 30 minutes. However, LG warns that the W7 is not to be used for swimming or diving. No pool workouts or cliff jumping for you.

Software and performance

The watch covers the basics, but is missing some vital features.

The latest rendition of Wear OS is better than its predecessors, of that there’s no question. The W7 runs the very newest build, Wear OS 2.2. I like the general idea of the revised user interface, which has you swiping in all four directions to gain access to Google Assistant, settings, notifications, and Google Fit. This is all great.

A quick press of the crown opens the app drawer and a long press activates voice search. Spinning the crown spins the app drawer in a circular motion, much like Samsung’s Tizen watch platform. This lets you cycle through all the apps quickly. The most recently used apps are always loaded first. The lower hardware button opens a second app drawer of dedicated outdoorsy apps called Master Tools, such as an altimeter, barometer, compass, and such. The process of reprogramming the button to open a single dedicated app isn’t too taxing.

The Watch W7 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset with 768MB of RAM. This is not Qualcomm’s newest or fastest processor, though is enough to provide speedy performance throughout. I didn’t encounter laggy apps. Every facet of the OS loaded quickly and ran smoothly.

The Bluetooth 4.2 radio kept the watch in sync with my phone no problem. In fact, the watch was often buzzing with notifications before the phone did. Wi-Fi is aboard, too, and it is handy for downloading maps or playlists to the watch.

What’s missing? Quite a lot. The most egregious omission is GPS. Without independent GPS, the watch cannot be used to effectively track workout routes on its own — your phone will have to come along for the ride. There’ s no NFC, so no Google Pay. There’s no heart rate monitor, so you won’t be able to keep tabs on your heart health.

Also read: Best GPS running watches | Best watches with a heart rate monitor

These missing features make the battery life all the more frustrating. The battery is relatively small at 240mAh. When used in full smartwatch mode, the W7 makes it to the end of a day just barely. I often hit the 10 percent reserve after a 15- or 16-hour day. Keep in mind, this is without GPS, without heart rate monitoring, and without LTE.

LG did create a fix for the battery: Just Watch Mode. Opting to use the W7 as only a watch ensures it will run for up to 100 days. The mode turns off the LCD screen entirely, as well as all the radios, apps, and smartwatch functions. The Soprod-designed micro gearbox inside is very efficient, according to LG. The watch doesn’t include a second hand, and the minute hand clicks forward only once every 60 seconds rather than spin constantly. This allows the battery to last a long time. You can opt to put the W7 into Just Watch Mode at any time, such as when on an airplane or during a theater show, to conserve power.

In other words, it’s a balancing act.

Biting the hand that feeds you

I’ll give LG credit for coming up with a novel device in the Watch W7, but it’s that very novelty that sinks the watch.

The hands. My god, the hands. They are so aggravating. When I first experienced the W7 I thought to myself, “What a neat idea, real watch hands!” The reality is not as inspiring as the dream. The watch hands are always in the way.

The chrome-colored hands may be slim, but they often obscure content on the LCD beneath. Scrolling through notifications, messages, calendar appointments, settings screens, and more requires you to jog the content down, then up, then down again so you can fully read it.

LG cooked up a trick meant to clear the hands out of the way, but it is basically worthless. A long press of the upper button causes the hands to take one of four positions: both at 12, both at 3, both at 9, or one at 3 and one at 9. The idea is to minimize the area obscured by the hands. It’s something, and yet not enough.

The W7 scores an “E” for effort.

Pricing and final thoughts

At launch LG priced the Watch W7 at $445, a figure strikingly high given the lack of features. Thankfully the price has come back down to earth a bit since. A few retailers are selling the W7 for $230.

Who is this watch for? The W7 is decidedly not for those who want a fitness companion. If you’re in the market for GPS tracking and more, you’ll be better served by a Fitbit Ionic (or Fitbit Versa if you don’t need on-board GPS). It might also be worth considering the TicWatch Pro, which, at $199, offers battery savings tools and doesn’t have cumbersome watch hands.

I think the W7 is meant for those who want a watch — a classic watch with real hands — more than they want a smartwatch. It’s better to think of the W7 as a timepiece that can be smart on occasion.

Next: The best fitness trackers you can buy

Source: Android Zone

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