Bethesda Software has just released an update to its Android app, Fallout Shelter. If you are unfamiliar with the game, then check out the Fallout Shelter app review. Up to this point, your post-apocalyptic experience has been pretty basic: provide shelter, electricity, water, food, explore the wasteland and grow your population. Now that you have had time to master the basics, it’s time for some challenges.
One of the biggest updates is you can now test your dweller’s skills in the new survival mode, which will allow different enemies into your vault. You will also have the joy of saving in the cloud. This will automatically setup through your google drive, making it easy to access your vault across multiple devices. Just make sure to check the cloud box next to your vault number, for it to upload.
Other updates include Russian language support and sightings of a mystery character from time to time. Whether this is a character that you can unlock, or if he just appears from time to time is unclear. There are also some updates that are exclusive to the Apple app store only. This doesn’t come as a big surprise, considering the game was available from Apple first. Check out the detailed video below.
What’s New
The post New Fallout Shelter update gives you cloud services, mystery sightings, and more appeared first on AndroidGuys.
For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with MEGAMAC to offer a 128GB Angelbird SSD2go Pocket, which is an ultra portable solid state drive that can, as the name suggests, fit right in a pocket. Angelbird is known for making high-quality products, and the SSD2go is no exception.
It has an aluminum casing and it’s highly resistant to physical impact, vibration, force, and temperature. Of interest to Mac users, the SSD2go Pocket is one of the only mobile USB solid state drives to offer TRIM Support.
We’re giving away an SSD2go Pocket in Black, but it also comes in silver, blue, red, gold, and purple, in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB. The 128GB version sees read speeds of up to 450MB/s and write speeds up to 150MB/s, but the higher capacity models are even faster at 450MB/s read and 390MB/s write for the 512GB model.
Pricing for the Angelbird SSD2go starts at $179 for the 128GB version and goes up to $449 for the 512GB version, with the mid-level 256GB model priced at $249.
One lucky MacRumors reader will win a 128GB Angelbird SSD2go from MEGAMAC. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize.
You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveawayhttp://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsThe contest will run from today (October 16) at 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time through 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time on October 23. The winner will be chosen randomly on October 23 and will be contacted by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen. The prize will be shipped to the winner for free.
Everyone has their own reasons to be excited about a new Moto X, be it the customization options available to you via Moto Maker, the near stock-like software experience that keeps things smooth and snappy, or the different features that it offers when compared to the competition. Granted, the last point may not have been true with previous generations of the device, but the new Moto X is certainly trying to provide more than any other flagship smartphone out there.
Lanh already gave us a full comprehensive review of the Moto X Style (Pure Edition), but I’d like to share my own thoughts on the device in this “second opinion” look at the Moto X Pure Edition.
When it comes to the design, the Moto X Pure Edition retains a lot of the design language of its predecessor, with the only big difference here being that the signature Motorola dimple on the back is a lot smaller and more subtle this time around, and is now housed in a metallic bar along with the camera unit. This different look is a pleasant change, but I did like the larger dimple of the Moto X (2014) as well. Everything else remains largely the same, and once again, you find the two motion sensors up front below the display, but these are more noticeable if you decide to go with the white color for the front face.
Moto Maker allows for a lot of customization with the device, and apart from the colors of the body and the accents, you also get to choose between various materials for the back cover, including a soft grip rubberized plastic, real wood, and leather. While opting for a wood backing, bamboo in this case, allows for a great look, it does make for a very slippery touch, with the metal chassis not helping either.
The bump in size puts the new Moto X just outside the realm of comfortable one-handed use, and with the slippery materials not providing in the way of grip, you may find the device falling out of your hand. Unless you go for the soft grip or leather backings, the handling experience with this smartphone isn’t great, even if the curved back and slightly thicker profile do their part in making a slightly positive difference.
When it comes to the display, the Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 5.7-inch display with a Quad HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 515 ppi, but Motorola decided to make the switch from AMOLED to IPS LCD with their latest flagship. While AMOLED would have been the preferred choice here, if only because of its advantages with features like Moto Display, Motorola has done a great job with this IPS LCD panel by putting a good enough level of saturation to continue a solid display experience. Even if the handling experience has been a let down, the additional real estate available with this high resolution display means that everything from reading text, to watching videos, and gaming, has been fantastic on this screen.
Under the hood, the Moto X Pure Edition comes with a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, backed by the Adreno 418 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. The primary use with the Moto X Pure Edition for me has been to do with media consumption and gaming, and the device has managed to handle everything with ease. Typical usage involved watching or listening to some media, occasionally posting on social media, looking things up on Chrome, accessing the gallery, and other everyday tasks, and it was great to see everything remain smooth and snappy throughout. While the processing package is, of course, impressive, some of the credit for this performance has to be given to the near stock software experience that is available with the device.
As far as storage is concerned, the Moto X Pure Edition is available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB iterations, but the good news here is that expandable storage, by up to 128 GB, is available to you. With expandable storage going by the wayside with some other current generation flagships, you have to a pay quite a hefty premium if you’re looking to get any of the higher storage options with them, but in the case of the Moto X, you can always opt for the base model, and then consider expansion depending on your needs, allowing you to save a little bit of money in the process.
The Moto X Pure Edition features a dual front-facing speaker setup that allows for really good sound quality, further enhancing the media-consumption and gaming experience that is available with the large display.
The Moto X Pure Edition comes with a 3,000 mAh non-removable battery, but the battery life it provides is unfortunately not very impressive. Depending on your usage, you may find yourself running out of battery even a couple of hours before your day ends. The device’s fast charging capabilities prove to be the savior here, and if you can manage to plug in the device for even a short time at some point during the day, that extra boost should be enough to then get you over the line. This is of course, not what is expected from our smartphone batteries, but until a better solution is in place, fast charging is a crutch that we can all lean on.
Motorola hasn’t had the best track record as far as the cameras of their flagship smartphones are concerned, but that is luckily no longer the case. The Moto X Pure Edition boasts a vast improvement in the camera department when compared to its predecessors. It may not exactly match the very high standards set by the best smartphone cameras out there, but it does feature high enough quality to make it a good daily companion.
Apart from the fact that having this camera means that you won’t be missing your DSLR too much, the best part about the camera experience has to do with how easy it is to get into the camera, requiring just a couple of twists of your wrist to launch the camera app. That said, the application that Motorola uses for its camera isn’t very good, with it not only lacking in a lot of manual controls, but also the way you’re expected to take a shot by tapping on the viewfinder, instead of there being a dedicated on-screen button on the side, isn’t something I like. Having to drag the focus point around is not necessarily the way I want to cater a shot.
When it comes to the 5 MP front-facing camera, there is now a LED flash accompanying it as well, but unless you are taking a lot of selfies all the time, and while in dark environments, like in a club, there aren’t a lot of situations where you’ll end up using the front-facing flash. When it is used, the subject tends to get washed out, and the selfies don’t end up looking all that great anyway.
Despite not being under the Google umbrella anymore, Motorola is still providing for an almost Nexus-like feel with the Moto X Pure Edition, with any extras that are baked in serving only to further enhance the software experience.
Among the extras in software is Moto Assist, that will know when the device needs to be completely quiet to avoid interruptions, and it can read your messages out to you, or let you know who is calling. Moto Voice is another very useful addition, which lets you use voice commands to get things done, and the best part here is the ability to customize the key phrase that wakes the device up.
| Display | 5.7-inch display Quad HD resolution, 515 ppi |
| Processor | 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor Adreno 418 GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Storage | 16/32/64 GB expandable via microSD up to 128 GB |
| Camera | 21 MP rear camera with dual LED flash 5 MP front-facing camera with wide angle lens and front-facing flash |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Universal LTE bands Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Colors | Moto Maker Coated Silicon Rubber Horween leather and natural wood Metallic accents Engraving |
Motorola has to be given credit for providing a pretty good smartphone at a decent price point. While the latest flagship device is more expensive that previous generations used to be, not only are you getting a more premium product this time around, but the Moto X Pure Edition is still cheaper than most other competing high-end flagship smartphones out there. The best part about this smartphone is that it is all about choice, and that is what makes for a very compelling smartphone.
Read Lanh’s take: Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (Moto X Style) review
It may not be perfect, but the Moto X Pure Edition is definitely one of the better smartphone offerings of 2015.
Android Pay has, thus far, been a successful launch with being available at a myriad of retailers and companies. The latest addition to join in on the Android Pay parade is Jamba Juice, which for a limited time, is giving out Android figurines at select locations for using Android Pay.
There’s no telling if this Android collectible will be awarded at the store or if Google will detect you purchased at a participating Jamba Juice store and send you one themselves. It’s likely the latter, considering that Google is the one promoting this offer.
Android Pay has seen a lot of success, but other mobile payment options are on the rise, such as Samsung Pay. While smartphone vendors may be the primary companies pushing mobile payment systems (as far as marketing goes), even banks are beginning to launch their own. Arguably, smartphone vendors advertise theirs much more, but either way, were quickly moving towards a much easier and more convenient payment method as a society.
If you haven’t setup Android Pay yet, be sure to check out our guide on how to do so!
source: Google (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Get a Android collectible at select Jamba Juice stores by using Android Pay
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.
By Lizz Schumer
After more than 40 hours of researching scanners and testing the four units that made our final cut, we found the $90 Canon CanoScan LiDE 220 is the fastest, most accurate, and most intuitive flatbed scanner for everyday users. Whether you’re saving an old photo, a child’s artwork, or an excerpt from a book, the LiDE 220 produces the clearest scans with the sharpest lines and most vivid colors. In our tests, it also offered the most accurate text recognition across all documents. This light and compact unit can work upright, as well, and because it requires just one USB port, it won’t clutter up your workspace.
Testing scanners with photo prints.
We searched for a scanner that is equally capable of scanning text documents for work, making a shareable version of treasured photos, or preserving a copy of a first-grader’s finger-painted masterpiece. Beyond making an excellent scan of anything we put inside of it, our scanner pick also had to be fast, easy to use, and affordable. That gave us just four models to test, which we put through a battery of comparisons by scanning books, printouts, newspapers, photographs and images in various colors and styles, finger painting, and film negatives (when appropriate).
The CanoScan LiDE 220 is fast, accurate, and affordable.
The $90 Canon CanoScan LiDE 220 captures cleaner images than the competition, offers easy setup and use, accurately scans text documents, and can fit into small spaces when not in use. When you’re done scanning, it’s compact enough to fit on a bookshelf, out of the way. Using the LiDE 220, you can scan written material, photos, artwork, or other hard-copy materials quickly and with a minimal learning curve. Although it does not scan photo negatives and stalls periodically when faced with high-volume scanning, it does what the average user needs it to do, without too many unwanted features, for less than $100.
One caveat: Some users are reporting trouble with Canon’s drivers and Windows 10. This problem doesn’t appear to be universal, though, and Canon is investigating.
If you want to scan your own film and can afford to pay a bit more, the Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II is the way to go.
The runner-up, the $170 Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II, provides almost identical functionality to the LiDE 220 but also gives you the option of scanning film negatives. That’s a hefty premium for a fairly minor feature, but if you’re intent on digitizing old film and slides via an easy-to-use interface, it’s the way to go.
Accurate images—at the cost of usability.
If you want to scan film but need a more accurate image than the Canon 9000F Mark II can produce, consider the $170 Epson Perfection V550. You’ll have to battle a confusing interface, and we encountered some issues with setup and functionality, but once we had the V550 up and running, it scanned with more accuracy than the Canon models did, with less post-processing or sharpening built in. If you value getting the truest possible scan over anything else, this model is a sensible purchase, but otherwise we suggest going with Canon for a product that’s much easier to use.
If you want to digitize a child’s artwork or preserve old photos on the Web, and if you don’t need to scan film, the $90 Canon CanoScan LiDE 220 is the right choice. It’s easy to use, simple to set up, capable of capturing bright and sharp images, and designed to stow away easily when not in use.
This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Ben’s future self delivers an Apple Watch for Ben to unbox and tear down this week in the “Hack to the Future” episode of The Ben Heck Show! Using a spudger and tweezers, Ben dissects the watch’s tiny screws and pieces to learn how they all work together to perform its different capabilities and discovers which parts take up the most real estate in the device. Watch the episode to see if Ben can save the future and visit the element14 community to view all episodes of The Ben Heck Show and interact with fellow viewers and engineers!
Google has quietly introduced a new feature as part of its Play Music service which lets users offer up gifts. Said gifts come in the form of 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month subscriptions to Google Play Music All Access. Indeed, a few short steps separate you from pre-paying for all the music your friend could ever want. Here’s how to do it!
Inside of the Google Play Music web client, scroll to the bottom left. Just above the Trash and Settings is a new “Send gift” option. Clicking it takes you to a landing page; you can also just click the link directly, too.
Choose which gift subscription you’d like to pay for. The rates shake out to $9.99 per month, regardless of which level you purchase.
Fill in the appropriate information. Where’s it going? Who do you want it to say the gift is from? You also have 200 characters to use for any sort of message, too. When you’re ready, hit “continue”.
Verify the information and enter your payment details. Send it!
Note that the recipient has the opportunity to decline the gift. If that happens, you can send it to someone else.
The post How To: Gift a Google Play Music subscription appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The upcoming OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan release, which is expected to be released in the very near future, will include a compatibility update for Microsoft Office 2016 to fix ongoing crashing issues, MacRumors has learned. Since OS X El Capitan was released in late September, some Office 2016 users have found the software to be nearly unusable due to frequent crashes or an inability to open the Office apps at all.
Microsoft informed customers it was aware of the problem nearly two weeks ago and said it was “actively working with Apple” on a fix, hinting the problem was on Apple’s end and wasn’t something Microsoft could fix alone.
Microsoft did update Office 2016 earlier this week, adding new features and security enhancements, but admitted it did not fix any El Capitan bugs in an accompanying support document. At that time, Microsoft said it was working with Apple to “ensure resolution with the next update of OS X 10.11 El Capitan.”
Apple’s most recent OS X 10.11.1 beta for developers and public beta testers was released Wednesday afternoon, with Apple asking developers to focus on Mail and Office 2016. The upcoming OS X 10.11.1 release will also fix several issues with Mail regarding missing server information and a bug that prevents the display of messages and mailboxes within the app. The update also includes dozens of new emoji from Unicode 7 and 8, including taco, burrito, cheese wedge, unicorn head, middle finger, popcorn, and more.
Office 2011 users were also experiencing issues with crashing and with a non-functional Outlook app, but Microsoft was able to fix those bugs with an Office 2011 update that was released on October 7.
Earlier this week, Google released Chrome 46 with a long list of bug fixes and feature improvements to improve memory and power usage, but unmentioned was the removal of “OK Google” voice-based search activation.
As noted by VentureBeat, it’s no longer possible to use the “OK Google” phrase to trigger a voice search, which has been a feature built into the Chrome browser since May of 2014. “OK Google” was removed from the Chrome browser on Windows, Mac, and Linux, but is still available on Chrome for mobile devices and Chromebooks.
Image via VentureBeat
Google removed the feature because it wasn’t heavily used, and its deletion should help save power and speed up browsing as the Chrome browser will no longer need to continually listen for voice commands.
“OK Google” search activation is just one of the lesser-used features that Google removed this week. Also being nixed is the notification center, which Google says “few users” visited on a regular basis. It will be removed with the next iteration of Chrome.
Any tech geek will know the hassles of having to carry a charger at all times. There’s no day I leave home without a tangled ball of cords, which happens to be quite annoying when the time to charge my device does arrive. Isn’t there a better way to handle these long cables?
There is, and you can enjoy it for very cheap! The AA Deals Store is selling the Cord2Go microUSB cable for only $8.99. But what is it, exactly? In essence, it’s pretty much a small cable in a neat case that keeps everything together. There are slots for the USB and microUSB ports, allowing it to be easily stored and carried around. This thing is so thin (5 mm) and light (1 oz) that you could even fit it in a wallet or use as a key chain.
You really can’t go wrong with this Cord2Go microUSB cable. It is super cheap and will literally change your life. Buy yourself one and just leave those annoying cables at home, where they belong!
Buy the Cord2Go microUSB cable for only $8.99!
AIVAnet 