LG Escape 2 review
While most of the focus in the Android smartphone world goes to the high-end offerings from the various OEMs, these companies, like LG, continue to bolster and diversify their budget-friendly portfolio as well. With their latest addition in this category, LG brings to a low-cost device some of the unique aesthetic elements of its high-end brethren. Is that enough for this smartphone to stand up strong against the fierce competition? We find out, in this LG Escape 2 review!
Design
The aesthetics of the LG Escape 2 are a big part of its appeal, with the device featuring a subtle curve to the display. LG is rightfully making a big deal of the phone’s curve, which is a very respectable component of the device’s already satisfying visuals. While the Escape 2 is on the thicker side, at 9.9 mm, it is surprisingly light, weighing just 119 grams. The smaller footprint of the device makes for a comfortable one handed handling experience, and LG’s signature rear button layout is ideally placed to be with easy reach of the index finger, and offers solid tactile feedback.
The plastic back cover comes with a brushed metal finish similar to what is seen with the LG G3, but doesn’t entirely match the premium feel that was available with the previous generation LG flagship. The parting lines seen around the headphone jack and microUSB port, found at the top and bottom respectively, are a further reminder of the device’s low price tag. The back cover is removable, allowing for access to the SIM slots, microSD card slot, and replaceable battery. It’s important to note though that the back cover does pick up scratches quite easily, with this particular review unit having several imperfections after just a few days of regular use. All said and done, the LG Escape 2 does not feel too cheap or of a poor construction, but some care is necessary to keep things in a good condition.
Display
The LG Escape 2 comes with a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display, with a 720p resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 312 ppi. While it is the generation of Full HD and Quad HD, a 720p resolution is more than serviceable even today, especially given the relatively smaller display size. Sharpness isn’t much of a concern, viewing angles are fantastic, and the brightness is good enough to allow for comfortable outdoor visibility. Overall, this is a very solid display, which is sometimes difficult to find with devices at this price point. On the downside, the display glass proves to be a fingerprint magnet, it is going to be quite an annoying struggle to keep it clean.
Performance
Under the hood the LG Escape 2 packs the 64-bit quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, backed by the Adreno 306 GPU and 1 GB of RAM. This processing package powers quite a lot of entry-level and mid-range smartphones, and has proven itself to be quite capable, which is also the case here. While there are no obvious signs of stutter or lag, the general performance, understandably, just feels slower. The device handles gaming quite well, but there will be the occasional dropped frame and slow load times when it comes to the more resource-hungry games.
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The bigger problem in terms of performance is with the availability of just 1 GB of RAM, which is barely enough to allow for any type of comfortable multi-tasking nowadays. Just opening a webpage could cause the launcher to be removed from memory, causing a delay when trying to get back to the homescreen. You might even be out of luck if you are someone who likes to listen to music and do other things on the phone at the same time, as the music will stop as soon as the phone runs out of memory. Something like 1.5 GB of RAM isn’t a drastic improvement, but at the least it would have likely prevented the last two situations from occurring very often.
Hardware
The LG Escape 2 comes with 8 GB of on-board storage, which is certainly disappointing when you consider the fact that only 2.8 GB is available to the user. Expandable storage via microSD card is available though, with it possible to expand the memory by up to 32 GB. The device also packs a standard suite of connectivity options, and of note is the fact that NFC support is also available, which is rarely found with other similar low-cost smartphones.
The Escape 2 is available from AT&T in the US, allowing users to enjoy high-speed internet access at 4G LTE speeds on that network. The rear speaker of the device does get plenty loud, but also sounds heavily distorted. The curved design helps make the speaker less prone to further distortion when set on a flat surface, but the audio quality itself isn’t particularly good to begin with.
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Taking off the back cover gives users access to the removable 2,100 mAh battery. The battery capacity is rather small, but even with the low-resolution display and battery friendly processing package, the battery life reflects that. With the screen brightness set to 75% and with Wi-Fi enabled, the device lasted around 12 hours, with just 3 hours of screen-on time. That might not be enough for some users, but luckily, you do always the option of carrying around a spare.
Camera
The LG Escape 2 comes with an 8 MP rear camera with a LED flash, and a 1 MP front-facing unit. Overall, the rear shooter allowed for some decent looking shots, and while the color reproduction was fairly accurate, the images did seem to lack in detail and sharpness. It does sometimes also take a few attempts to get an object in focus, which can become quite frustrating. The camera application is minimalistic, and doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of manual control, but is very easy to use. There is also a quick launch feature, with a press and hold of the volume down key when in the landscape orientation required to launch the camera app.
Software
On the software side of things , the LG Escape 2 runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop out of the box, an OTA update is immediately available when you first start up the device, taking it to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. In either case, LG’s custom user interface is to be found on top.
As is the case with any LG smartphone, the software experience isn’t lacking in features, and making their way over to the Escape 2 are a number of useful ones, such as Knock Code, the pull down to view time gesture, flip to silence gesture, holding the volume buttons to quickly launch the customizable quick toggles, a clear all apps button, navigation bar settings, and more. The default LG keyboard and lock screen are also pretty good, so you might not end up needing to replace them.
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There were a few annoying aspects of the software experience as well, including the inability to customize the lock screen apps, or make any changes to the timing of the “night brightness” feature. The big negative here though is the amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed with the device, with around 25 additional applications available, with many of them coming from AT&T. The worst part is that these can only be disabled and not uninstalled, which is one of the reasons not a lot of user available on-board storage is present.
Specifications
| Display | 4.7-inch IPS LCD 720p resolution, 312 ppi |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor Adreno 306 GPU |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Storage | 8 GB, expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB |
| Camera | 8 MP rear camera with LED flash 1 MP front-facing camera |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.0 GPS + A-GPS microUSB 2.0 |
| Battery | 2,100 mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Dimensions | 133.4 x 66 x 9.9 mm 119 grams |
| Colors | Silver |
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Pricing and final thoughts
The LG Escape 2 is available from AT&T for $179 off-contract, or for $0.99 with a 2-year contractual commitment. A few installment plans are also available, starting at $6 per month, for a duration of 30 months. Only the silver iteration of the device is currently available.
So there you have it for this closer look at the LG Escape 2! While at first glance, the Escape 2 might look like a really good deal, and that price point is certainly impressive, there are a few let downs. Performance, audio quality of the rear speaker, and battery life could have all been better, and for a lot of users, these negatives will far outweigh the positives with regards to design, the solid display, and good software experience. Having a curved design at this price point is great though, as long as you are okay with the sacrifices that have to be made.
YouTube fame to game developer: A chat with CaptainSparklez
It’s a strange day when a YouTube star named CaptainSparklez gets bigger billing in a headline than the co-founder of Activision, but here we are.
YouTube phenom CaptainSparklez, whose real name is Jordan Maron, has partnered with Activision co-founder Howard Marks to develop Fortress Fury, a competitive mobile game. Maron and Marks operate at seemingly opposite ends of the video game industry, but working together, they’ve found common ground and cultivated more than 1 million downloads of Fortress Fury in its first few weeks on iOS and Android. In a video interview, the unlikely duo tell us how they first met (Grandmother Sparklez makes an appearance), and how the industry is evolving with crowdfunding, YouTube and eSports.
First, some background: Activision’s parent corporation, Activision Blizzard, is the company behind Call of Duty, Skylanders, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft and other major mainstream franchises. Marks left Activision — a company with roughly $14 billion in assets — in 1998, after seven years in charge of game development. He’s since founded his own crowdfunding platform, StartEngine, which allows people to invest in private companies (something that Kickstarter doesn’t do).
Maron has dominated his corner of the video game industry, too. As CaptainSparklez, he plays video games — mostly Minecraft — and provides amusing commentary for all 8.7 million of his YouTube subscribers. He got into the Minecraft YouTube game in 2010 and the rest, as they say, is (relatively recent) history.
Action camera shootout: Which GoPro is best for you?
Last week, GoPro announced the Hero4 Session, a small, square camera that doesn’t need a waterproof housing. The diminutive size and simple controls (one press turns it on and starts it recording) gave the Hero4 Session unique character, but its price — $400 — caused a few double-takes. Why? Because that makes this 1080p camera (with 8-megapixel stills) just as expensive as the Hero4 Silver, a camera that shoots in higher resolution (2.7K and low frame rate 4K) has an LCD touchscreen, among other flagship features. Then there’s the Hero+ LCD, which costs $100 less than the Session, but has similar shooting modes (1080p at 60fps video, and 8MP stills). You may be wondering exactly where the Hero4 Session fits in, and which one might suit you best. I did a little image comparison to help you with that.
Test setup
I kept things pretty simple. All three GoPros are mounted on a K-Tek Norbert Sport Junior (as seen above, and recommended in our accessory guide), and controlled via WiFi remote to trigger them all at the same time. For video, I set all three to 1080p/30fps (wide), with Protune turned off — a standard configuration for multiple use cases. For images, the Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session were set to their default/highest setting, which is eight megapixels (wide). The Hero4 Silver was set to the nearest equivalent, which is seven megapixels (wide); it’s possible to shoot at 12MP, but I wanted to keep things as close to like-for-like as I could.
Image quality
It doesn’t matter what the spec sheet says; it’s real-world results that count. When it comes to image quality, there are a number of factors to consider, but two of the biggest concerns are color reproduction (how authentic they are) and image sharpness/detail. All the images in this article have been resized in Photoshop to fit the post width. Larger images are available in the gallery above.
The image above is a composite of the same shot from all three cameras. At the size here (630 pixels wide) it’s not easy to see the different levels of detail captured. The Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session have a very similar color tone; the Hero4 Silver is a little more washed out. The biggest difference is in the sharpness/detail. When I view the images at 100 percent, the difference is quite dramatic. The Hero+ LCD does an OK job at making out the individual palm leaves; the Hero4 Silver is the clearest by far, with visible definition on each leaf. The Hero4 Session, however, is a smudgy mess. Edges are blurred, and there’s much more noise. It looks pretty terrible compared to the other two, as you’ll see in the GIF below. Converting it to a GIF loses a good amount of detail, but all three went through the same treatment, and the difference is still striking.
The difference between the Hero4 Session and the Hero+ LCD isn’t always as pronounced as this. Sometimes the image clarity is very similar, but in my testing, if one of the two cameras comes out looking worse, it’s usually the Hero4 Session. The Hero4 Silver on the other hand is, one might expect/hope, consistently sharper, with images looking finer and clearer across the board.
Color
One thing I noticed while doing this test is that the Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session appear to have a very similar color profile. Reds are slightly hot, and blues are cool. The screen grabs/video stills above are a good example. Both the red tiles in the mosaic and the terracotta tiles surrounding the column are considerably warmer than the more natural tones as captured by the Hero4 Silver. Conversely, the blue of the sky is paler in the Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session, and more vibrant in the Silver. At 3PM on a hot day in Valencia, Spain, the sky is much closer to that as captured by the Hero4 Silver.
When viewed side by side, the Hero4 Silver can appear a bit weak. But, like watching a TV with the colors juiced right up, or with added saturation, natural tones can feel a bit pale by comparison, even though they are actually more authentic. The trees are a good example. The Hero4 Silver shows a punchy green, whereas the Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session look too strong — and unnatural because of as a result.
Dynamic range
Many people probably never even think about dynamic range when buying an action camera; I know I don’t. That’s because it’s not something that causes a problem, until you find yourself in a situation with funky lighting, such as the one above. The subject (me) is at the front of the scene, but the light above the trees (the cameras are facing straight up) is causing me to come out darker. All the cameras have spot metering — a setting that adjusts light around the subject — but it’s not always convenient to switch this on.
The composite image above follows the same trend as with sharpness and color — the Hero+ LCD and Hero4 Session underexpose the subject a little, while the Hero4 Silver does a better job at balancing the background and foreground. The stripes on my shirt are barely visible via the other two cameras, with the Hero4 Silver being the only one to really pick them out.
Low light
When there’s not much light, any camera is going to have to work harder to deliver a good image; that’s true across the board. What’s interesting with this photo is how different all three cameras performed. In a flip of the script, the Hero+ LCD delivered the best image. The colors are natural and despite the contrast between the dim street and the sky, you can still make out details on the buildings. The Hero4 Session doesn’t do a terrible job, but for some reason introduces an orange hue, particularly noticeable on the hood of the car. Even more surprising, is how the Hero4 Silver struggled. The slow shutter speed caused the image to come out blurry. This wasn’t consistently the case, but I picked this image out, as it shows how, on occasion, the other two cameras can best the Hero4 Silver.
Audio
One of the key features in the Hero4 Session was a new dual-microphone configuration. The idea is that, when one camera gets bombarded with wind or background noise, the camera switches to the other one for clearer audio. The challenge is providing good audio in a camera that’s waterproof without a housing. The naked Hero4 Black or Silver record much better audio when not in the enclosure, but with the Hero4 Session, this simply isn’t an option. The Hero+ LCD is also waterproof, but while it doesn’t have a separate housing either, that’s because it’s effectively glued into one permanently; as such, its audio is always of the “housed GoPro” variety.
Below are three audio clips lifted from their respective videos (it wasn’t that interesting, sorry). I chose a location where there were high levels of background noise (thanks to the crickets), and a bit of wind. The unpredictable nature of the wind, however, makes it hard to test this dual-mic feature with any level of confidence — it’s not always coming from the same direction, after all.
As you’ll hear in the clip, in terms of volume, the Hero4 Session wins out. Both the Hero+ LCD and the (housed) Hero4 Silver sound much quieter, and muffled. The flipside of that is that neither of those two picked up the wind at all. You can hear it on the Hero4 Session, but it still does a pretty good job with it. Wind noise can easily make a microphone “clip” (when the volume goes above the max it can handle), but the Hero4 Session pushes it down to a manageable level.
So, I’d really like to spend some more time testing out different audio situations, but the Hero4 Session does an admirable job. If you listen carefully, you can even hear the low tones of cars pulling away in the distance. Like for like (i.e., a waterproof setup), this is a definite win for the Hero4 Session.
Battery life
Anyone who’s been using GoPro cameras for any amount of time will likely have a good stash of batteries. Typically, you can expect about two hours of video per battery (depending on your settings, etc.). This is a problem for the Hero+ LCD and the Session, however, as neither of them has a removable battery. That means once it’s gone, you need to stop and charge it. The Hero4 Session has one thing in its favor here: It switches off when you stop recording, so there’s less waste while the camera idles. The other two cameras in this test will remain on, until you manually switch them off. They both have battery-guzzling LCD screens to support, too.
My test was simple, set the cameras to record video (at 1080p/30fps) and see how long the resulting video was. The Hero4 Silver managed 119 minutes on average. I tested a few different batteries (official GoPro 1,160mAh cells) in case any had lost some of their capacity, but two hours on the nose was fairly consistent. The Hero4 Session turned in a respectable 141 minutes — which means it’s eking out another 20 minutes on a smaller battery (1,030mAh). The winner, surprisingly given it has the same 1,160mAh battery as the Silver, was the Hero+ LCD that managed an average of 160 minutes. The real test is how long the Session lasts over a day of turning it off and on in practical use (while you leave the other cameras on between shots). It’s virtually impossible to replicate under test conditions, though.
Wrap-up
This test is far from exhaustive, but some things seem clear. Namely, that without doubt (and unsurprisingly), the Hero4 Silver is the best of the three. It wins by a country mile when it comes to image quality, and that really is the most important thing. Colors are more natural, and it’s better at handling difficult lighting. It’s not all win; we saw that low light can trip it up, and audio suffers when it’s in a case. Battery life isn’t ideal, but at least you have the option to swap in a new one and keep going.
With the Hero+ LCD and the Hero4 Session, it’s a closer call. The Session has better sound, but seems to fall behind the Hero+ LCD on sharpness at times. The Hero4 Session is, of course, much smaller, which will win it some fans. But, the Hero+ has an LCD for preview and playback, which is likely much more useful to the majority of users. Especially when you factor in that the Hero+ LCD is $100 cheaper, too. The bottom line is that the Hero4 Session has a couple of things going for it: size, ease of use and audio quality. But, for the price, the Hero4 Silver is so much more camera that it’s hard to make a case for buying the Hero4 Session unless size is a dealbreaker.
Engadget giveaway: win a 3DR IRIS+ courtesy of InterDrone!
Drones are here to stay, so if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. InterDrone, the International Drone Conference and Exposition is coming up in September in Las Vegas and it will be the ultimate one stop shop for all things UAV. There will be over 100 panels, classes and keynotes to check out, along with drone building and flying conferences. 3DRobotics’ Chris Anderson will be on hand for the keynote address, so it’s not surprising that InterDrone provided us with a 3DR IRIS+ for one lucky Engadget reader this week. This quadcopter, once fitted with a GoPro and gimbal kit, will give you an eye in the sky, with modes for standard flight, hover and follow-along. The laws regarding flight may still be a grey area for some, but that’s where events like InterDrone come in handy, especially if you’re gearing up for commercial use. For now, you just need to head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this IRIS+ quadcopter. After that, the sky’s the limit.
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) 3DRobotics IRIS+ Personal Drone UAV Quadcopter.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until July 15th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Filed under: Announcements
Republic Wireless now selling the Moto E (2015)
“Beautifully simple, simply priced.” That’s the phrase that Republic Wireless is using to market the Motorola Moto E (2015) to its customers. The carrier started selling the entry-level device today at the very affordable price of $129. And, yes, this is for the 4G LTE model.
Not a bad price on top of Republic Wireless’ new refund plans.
Republic Wireless has the Moto E (2015) in black and white color options, both of which have 8GB of internal storage. Not enough for you? Then the carrier has a 16GB microSD card from Kingston available for $16 at checkout. Republic Wireless also has accessories from OtterBox, CaseMate, and Motorola to take a look at before submitting an order.
Source: Republic Wireless
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Alleged images of Motorola lineup of new devices shows up
A new image has surfaced on the Facebook page for hellomotoHK which purports to show the back side of four forthcoming Motorola devices. The image claims to show a Droid “Mini” device, the third generation Moto G, a new Droid device, and a third generation Moto X. Assuming the information is accurate, the Droid devices should be hitting Verizon sometime this fall adorned with what appears to be a Kevlar inspired design for the back cover.
Considering how some of the lines are not aligned, the image may be a rather poorly done PhotoShop. Let us know what you think in the comments.
source: hellomotoHK (Facebook)
via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: Alleged images of Motorola lineup of new devices shows up
‘Moneypenny’ is Facebook’s new digital assistant
Facebook is looking to get in the digital assistant game. You may have heard of Google Now, Siri and Cortana. Those are all digital assistants developed for their respective operating systems. Facebook, too, is reportedly working on integrating a new voice assistant, “Moneypenny”, into its messenger application.
Moneypenny will help users purchase goods as opposed to revealing the weather and setting calendar appointments. According to The Information, Facebook’s assistant would allow Messenger users to ask real people for aid in the research and purchasing of products and services. Although they left one detail out and that is to who these people would be.
Lots of questions remain about how this will all work, but Facebook’s budding interest in the category will draw attention from some of its rivals. Its still early to know all the details, and no release date has been mentioned.
Source: The Information
Via: Android Central
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Red Bull Alert, an alarm clock for Android, is now available on the Play Store
Red Bull Media House today launched Red Bull Alert, a sports-themed alarm clock app exclusively for Android. If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of hitting the snooze button a couple of times before getting out of bed, Red Bull Alert might be the solution to give you that extra boost.
Red Bull Alert aims to provide motivation through a competitive leaderboard and instant daily feedback. The leaderboard allows you to compete with friends, see detailed statistics, and even post your accomplishments to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Additionally, the app has the ability to let the user change its theme with background images of various sports, such as snowboarding, surfing, aerial sports, and much more. Each theme is also equipped with its own orchestrated music, adding another element of motivation to this specialized alarm clock. The only downside to Red Bull Alert is that it probably won’t give you wings.
Click here to view the embedded video.
If you’re interested in taking Red Bull Alert for a spin, it’s available exclusively on Android and Android Wear. Be sure to scan the QR code or hit the download link below.
Come comment on this article: Red Bull Alert, an alarm clock for Android, is now available on the Play Store
Red Bull Alert: a social alarm clock app that motivates you to get up
Alarm clocks are useless for those of us who insist on pressing the snooze button over and over. Sometimes we just don’t know what’s more annoying: the sound of the alarm going off every 5 minutes or realizing our bad habit is making us late to everything. Red Bull Media House today launches Red Bull Alert, an app that aims to get you off bed without pressing that dreaded snooze button (or at least not as much).
Red Bull Alert uses sports themes to wake you up with a much more electrifying mood. The energy drink company accomplishes this by adding a competitive angle to its alarm clock application. The service provides daily feedback on your progress and keeps an updated leader board with your improvement (or its absence). Users can also share their detailed statistics with friends by connecting directly to Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
The app’s themes keep you inspired with active visuals and music for every taste and mood. You can choose from 9 themes based on extreme sports, including aerial sports, BMX, Formula 1, MTB, MX-FMX, rally, skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing.
Red Bull’s plan is to get you moving and solve an issue many of us face every single morning. The company claims the average American spends months of average lifetime sleeping after the alarm has gone off. Furthermore, it seems about 57% of us press the snooze button at least once before getting up (guilty!)
Are you part of these statistics? If so, you can download the Android app (which does support Android Wear) from the Google Play Store. I happen to work afternoons and really don’t have an issue getting up a little late, but if you need something more than that good ol’ alarm clock, this is about the most exciting alternative we can think of! How many of you were looking for something like this?
July 2015 – Over the course of a lifetime, the average American spends months dozing after pressing snooze, 57 percent “snoozers” the button at least once before getting up*. The majority annoyed by their bad habit. They just need some motivation – Red Bull Alert helps them change that.
Great news for the sleepyhead in all of us: Red Bull Media House today launched Red Bull Alert, a highly visual and uniquely competitive sports-themed alarm clock app for Android and Android Wear. The app provides inspiration with customizable sports themes and motivation to get out of bed faster with a competitive leaderboard and instant daily feedback.
Red Bull Alert includes nine different image-rich sports backgrounds to choose from, including surfing, skatingsnowboarding. Each theme is equipped with exclusively orchestrated music that fits the taste of each audience.
The leaderboard lets Red Bull Alert users see how they rank next to their friends, and detailed statistics show their improvement (or lack thereof) over time. It also integrates with Facebook, Twitter and Google+ so users can proudly share their accomplishments.
Red Bull Alert is available today exclusively for Android and Android Wear devices.
Key Features:
Instant Feedback: Innovative Snooze and Dismiss interaction, instant feedback on the lock screen, motivational background images
Detailed Stats: Set goals to motivate yourself, track your progress, detailed history data
Alarm Themes: Choose from different sports themes (Snowboarding, Skateboarding, Surfing, Aerial Sports, FMX, Rally, Formula 1, BMX, and Mountain Biking) with exclusive wake-up sounds and amazing imagery
Social Leaderboards: Compete with your friends, find out who wakes up first and fastest, and share through Facebook, Twitter and Google+
Localized in 6 languages: German, English, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish and Russian
* http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237965
About Red Bull Media House
A global media company, Red Bull Media House produces, publishes, distributes and licenses high-quality sport, entertainment and educational programming from the areas of Sport & Lifestyle, Nature & Science and Tradition & Inspiration. Its product portfolio includes sport and lifestyle programming, documentaries, feature films, music, games and mobile apps, as well as print and online magazines that fascinate and inspire audiences all over the world – through all media channels and on all types of devices. www.redbullmediahouse.com.
Smart lock screen app Locket acquired by ecommerce expert Wish
Locket, an app that aims to put news stories that are relevant to your interests right on your Android lockscreen, has been acquired by online shopping app Wish.
Locket, which our Joe Hindy reviewed last year as part of his Indie App of the Day series, tries to add smarts to the largely static lock screen of most Android devices. You can select the news categories you’re most interested in and have news pertaining to them displayed every time you pick up your phone. Locket employs simple swipe motions to unlock the device, read a full story, share or save it for later. If you like to keep yourself informed or entertained with minimal effort, Locket seems like a great idea.
Now Locket is being acquired by ecommerce platform Wish. Boasting 100 million users, Wish is one of the leading mobile commerce platforms, offering thousands of products at prices that are 50 to 80 percent cheaper than the equivalent products you would find in a mall. Founded in 2011 by former Google, Facebook, and Yahoo employees, Wish has secured almost $580 million in funding, with lead investors including Jerry Yang, Formation 8, GCV Capital and most recently DST Global. Some of that money will be used on Locket, though the value of the acquisition hasn’t been disclosed. As part of the deal, Locket founder Yunha Kim has joined Wish as Head of Growth.
So, where will Wish take Locket? We can speculate that the goal is to put Wish’s wares in front of even more potential buyers – in the future, Locket could display hot new Wish deals, in addition to the usual news stories.
Leading Mobile Commerce Platform, Wish, Acquires Locket
Locket CEO Yunha Kim Joins Wish as Head of Growth
SAN FRANCISCO, California, July 15, 2015 — Furthering its vision to create an engaging, native mobile experience, Wish, the leading mobile commerce platform, announced that it has acquired Locket, an intelligent personalization platform that brings breaking news and other content to smartphone lock screens.
Founded in 2013, Locket has reached more than one million users and raised $3.2 million from investors including Tyra Banks and Turner Broadcasting. Yunha Kim, Founder and CEO of Locket, will be joining the Wish executive team as Head of Growth to lead growth initiatives and communications for Wish and its family of mobile shopping apps, including Wish, Geek, Cute, and Mama.
“Wish is creating what Amazon could have been on mobile — a personalized shopping mall available in your pocket for anyone around the world,” said Kim. “I’m delighted to be joining the Wish team.”
Wish’s acquisition of Locket reflects the company’s continued investment and focus on content discovery for mobile users. “Our mission and Locket’s missions are highly aligned,” said Peter Szulczewski, CEO of Wish. “We hope to benefit from Locket’s expertise in engaging users with intelligent recommendations and creating a beautiful, native mobile experience.”
Founded in 2011 by Google and Yahoo alums Peter Szulczewski and Danny Zhang, Wish is the #1 mobile shopping platform in Europe and America. Today, more than 100 million users use Wish mobile apps to browse a worldwide selection of trending fashion, accessories and electronics directly at their fingertips.
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About Wish
Wish is a San Francisco-based company that recreates the shopping mall experience on mobile devices. With more than 100 million users worldwide, Wish is the world’s leading mobile commerce platform. Wish was selected as one of the “Best Apps of 2014” by Google.
Wish on Google Play store: http://wish.com/lp/android
Wish on App store: http://wish.com/lp/ios
Wish website: http://wish.com/lp/web
Wish demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BSkaLY762w
About Locket
Locket is a San Francisco-based company that reimagines the smartphone lock screen. Its flagship app, Locket, delivers relevant content to smartphone lock screens and was selected as one of the “Best Apps of 2014” by Google.
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