‘Painless’ dental cavity procedure regrows tooth enamel
When a dentist says the word “cavity” a lot of people sweat thinking about painful injections and relentless drilling. But scientists in Britain have developed a new procedure dubbed EAER, or “Electrically Assisted Enhanced Remineralisation,” that can repair a slightly decayed tooth before a deep cavity forms. The supposedly painless procedure involves cleaning (not drilling) the tooth of any signs of mild decay, then flushing it with minerals and stimulating it with an electric pulse. This pushes the minerals into the deepest part of the lesion and speeds up a naturally occurring process called “remineralization”. This is where minerals in your saliva and some foods enter the tooth enamel and make it stronger.
Source: Reuters
Lara Croft GO gets discounted to celebrate release of new Tomb Raider game
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Rise of the Tomb Raider is releasing on consoles and PC tomorrow, and to celebrate this release Square Enix has discounted Lara Croft GO by 60% – note that the discount may vary depending on your region. If you’ve never heard of Lara Croft GO, it’s a unique puzzler that adopts a turn-based gameplay not unlike checkers or chess. In this way, as our protagonist Lara Croft, you’ll need to make your way through perilous environments and avoid enemies along the way.
While I can’t vouch for Lara Croft GO, if it’s anything like its spiritual predecessor Hitman GO – and I think it is – then the game should be one of the best puzzle games available on mobile right now. The ratings on the Play Store also seem to suggest this with Lara Croft GO commanding an average score of 4.7 out of 5. Note that this deal only lasts for today, so if you want to make the most of it, the link to the Play Store page is down below:
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.js
What do you think of Lara Croft GO? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Lara Croft GO gets discounted to celebrate release of new Tomb Raider game appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
DROOOOIIIIID – Podcast #039
Josh is joined this week by Jonathan Feist, Andrew Grush, and Joe Hindy as the slow news week winds down. Though it was definitely a slower week than most, that didn’t keep the guys from finding things to talk about – exploding spare batteries, wireless chargers, and new VR applications. But the main topics focus upon the DROID line in Verizon and how they believe these phones should be available outside of just that one carrier. To round things out, they speak about the OnePlus X ahead of what will be Josh’s full review later this week.
Even in a slow news week, the guys find a way to bring a full session of the Android Authority Podcast – discussing topics in Android every single week.
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Relevant Links
Motorola Droid Maxx 2 review
Motorola Droid Turbo 2
OnePlus X the first 48 hours
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Joshua Vergara
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Joseph Hindy
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Andrew Grush
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Jonathan Feist
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Nirave Gondhia
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Recorded on November 6th, 2015 – Hosted and Produced by Joshua Vergara.
BlackBerry Priv: Wireless charging or not?
If you were paying close attention back in October when BlackBerry released the device’s specs, you might recall reading that it featured “Dual mode Wireless Charging capable for Powermat (PMA) and Qi.” However, when eager BlackBerry fans north of the US border finally got their hands on the Priv this last week, they discovered a curious thing. It did not, in fact, have wireless charging. What’s the deal here? You don’t have to look hard to find people merrily charging their new Privs on Qi chargers, so why does charging for Canadians seems suspiciously… wireful?
The Canadian mobile enthusiasts over at Mobilesyrup had the same question, so they got on the phone and pressed BlackBerry until they got a straight answer. It turns out that whether or not your BlackBerry Priv has wireless charging capabilities depends entirely on where you bought the device. There are effectively two models of the Priv currently on the market: the STV100-1 and the STV100-3. They’re functionally identical except that the STV100-1 has wireless charging but the STV100-3 does not.
If you’re shopping in the US, things are pretty simple. Phones are typically sold through two avenues: either through mobile carriers or through BlackBerry themselves. If you get your BlackBerry Priv from a carrier like AT&T, they’re all selling the STV100-1. If you buy your Priv through ShopBlackBerry.com, no problem there either, because they’re selling the STV100-1 too.
See also: BlackBerry Priv to receive monthly Android security patches
However, things are a little weirder in Canada right now. It’s the same basic setup in that you can either buy your phone through your carrier or through ShopBlackBerry.com, but Canadian carriers are only selling the non-wireless-charging STV100-3. You can try to get around this by ordering what is described as a model STV100-1 from BlackBerry, but whereas that model’s US description explicitly mentions wireless charging, Canadian visitors to the site will find this feature conspicuously absent. It’s still called an STV100-1, but the device you receive in the mail won’t have wireless charging either.
After some pressing, an unnamed BlackBerry representative eventually acknowledged that cost “was a major factor” in deciding to put a slightly nerfed version of the Priv on the Canadian market.
Why is this an issue? The reigning theory is that it has to do with the current disadvantageous exchange rate between USD and CAD. BlackBerry apparently decided that it was a better move to remove a feature from the Canadian version of the phone to make the device cheaper to produce instead of eating the profit loss or raising the cost of the device in Canada.
So enjoy your sweet, sweet wireless charging, US citizens. Not all BlackBerry owners are so Priv-ileged.
What’s on your HDTV: ‘Fallout 4’, ‘Better Call Saul’ Blu-ray
This week’s big release is Fallout 4, which takes gamers back to its familiar post-apocalyptic setting. There’s also a new StarCraft II entry with Legacy of the Void, and Rise of the Tomb Raider arrives on Xbox platforms. Netflix has a new series from David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, while the latter’s Better Call Saul series arrives on Blu-ray. Also on Blu-ray this week for the first time is Bad Boys II, while Into the Badlands premieres Sunday night on AMC. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
This awesome DIY railgun fires rounds with 27,000 joules of force
Used to be that if you wanted to fire off a few high-velocity rounds with an electromagnetic railgun, you’d have to land a commission aboard the USS Ponce. That is, until YouTuber Ziggy Zee went ahead and built one from scratch — no 3D printing required. The 250 pound device utilizes 56, 480-joule capacitors driven by a 400-volt power source to launch its aluminium projectiles with a staggering 27,000 joules of force.
Via: Popular Science
Source: Imgur
Voxer brings ‘Dick Tracy’ like abilities to the Samsung Gear S2
Voxer is coming to the Samsung Gear S2, and bringing Dick Tracy like abilities. Voxer on the Gear S2 will work similar to how a walkie-talkie would work, only from your wrist.
All you have to do is select a contact, press the button, and start speaking into your Gear S2. Your message then sends to the selected contact, and when they reply, you will receive a notification. You also have the option of listening to their message from the watch or through a Bluetooth connected device.
Voxer also brings Capture Mode to their mobile app. With this new mode, users can send videos and photos within Voxer. Just turn your phone sideways, and the screen will show a camera view with a button that can be pressed to take a picture or held down to record video.
Both Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2, and Capture Mode are currently available now.
Press Release:
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mobile messaging pioneer Voxer today announced that it has enabled its voice messaging capabilities on the Samsung Gear S2 watch, bringing true Dick Tracy® 2-Way Wrist-Radio functionality to a smartwatch for the first time and helping users get more out of every moment. Voxer also announced Capture Mode, a new photo and video feature for smartphone users. The new functionality extends Voxer users’ ability to communicate instantaneously while retaining a level of personality and nuance lost when using text alone.
“Voxer lets users move well beyond text messaging to truly impart clear, direct communication with their personality to friends, family members and work colleagues, conveniently”
Tweet thisDick Tracy® Functionality for Samsung Gear S2
Using Voxer on the Samsung Gear S2 is straightforward and simple, giving users the frictionless communications experience made famous by the iconic 2-Way Wrist-Radio worn by Chester Gould’s comic strip detective Dick Tracy. Users simply select a contact and press a button while speaking into the Gear S2 as they would a walkie-talkie. When the contact replies, the user gets a notification and can then listen to the message either on the watch or through Bluetooth devices.
Capture Mode for Photo and Video
Another new advanced Voxer feature, Capture Mode, gives users the ability to immediately create and send videos and photos from within the Voxer application. With Capture Mode, users rotate their phones to the landscape position to reveal a screen with a camera view and a button they can either click for a photo or hold down for a video. They can then send the image or video clip to anyone else on Voxer, without ever leaving the application.
“Voxer lets users move well beyond text messaging to truly impart clear, direct communication with their personality to friends, family members and work colleagues, conveniently,” said Irv Remedios, president of Voxer. “Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2 watch and our new Capture Mode make Voxer the most frictionless communications application available today. Voxer makes messaging more immediate and more impactful, harnessing the power of the human voice and letting users add exactly the right combination of video, photos and text for any situation.”
Voxer for the Samsung Gear S2 and Capture Mode are currently available, and can be downloaded from your device’s app store.
Come comment on this article: Voxer brings ‘Dick Tracy’ like abilities to the Samsung Gear S2
Google’s Expeditions Pioneer Program slated to hit 15 new cities
You may remember when Google announced Expeditions, the company’s virtual reality program that sought to bring the beauty of the natural world right into the classroom. Now the Expeditions Pioneer Program is coming to fifteen additional cities.
Today Google for Education’s official blog announced that the program would be expanding significantly in the US, bringing its services to Alexandria, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. Abroad, Expeditions will be reaching three new countries: Canada, Denmark and Singapore. The not-for profit educational initiative credits Subaru for helping in this expansion.
The Pioneer Program’s expansion comes after an encouraging response in its initial rollout. According to product manager at Google Ben Schrom, over 100,000 students have experienced Expeditions through the program in the the last two months alone. Response from teachers and administrators have been “overwhelmingly positive.” The magic of the developing technology of virtual reality seems to be engaging previously bored and jaded students.
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Expeditions are effectively virtual reality field trips designed specifically for the classroom by a band of technological innovators and professional educators. Up to fifty students at a time are led on guided tours of over 100 immersive locations. These journeys take place in a wide variety of natural environments ranging from the Antarctic to rainforests. A team from the Pioneer Program helps interested teachers understand how the process works and provides them with the materials to make the journey happen.
Currently, Expedition Pioneers provides willing classrooms with ASUS smartphones that fit into either Mattel’s View-Master or Google Cardboard. The teacher is provided with a tablet to guide the experience a router that is configured by the Pioneer Program team. Google does not charge for the program in any way, and interested educators are encouraged to sign up at the Expeditions Pioneer Program website.
If you know a teacher in one of these new locations, be sure to clue them in on this opportunity!
10 best reminder apps for Android
No matter what age you are, there’s a chance you occasionally need to be reminded to do things. We live in a world filled with distraction and various shiny things that often lead us off course of whatever it is we’re trying to do. Thus, setting reminders can not only be productive, but a savior in some situations. On Android, there are a ton of ways to create reminders and we took a look at the best reminder apps for Android.
aCalendar
[Price: Free / $4.49]
One of the most popular ways to set reminders is using your calendar app. If you’re not using Google Calendar, then we’d like to recommend you try out aCalendar. This is a simple calendar app that seems to the basics much better than most. Included is the ability to theme your calendars, various account syncing, QR and NFC support, and more. Of course, you can add an event to the calendar and ask it to remind you of that event. If you fork out for the full version, you’ll also unlock tasks which can give you more powerful reminders.
Get it now on Google Play!
Any.do To-do List
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Any.do To-do List is, as you can imagine, a to-do list app that lets you create tasks and set reminders on when to complete them. To-do list apps are more useful for things like remembering to grab milk from the grocery store than a calendar app would be and they’re also faster to use. Any.do is an exceptionally done to-do list app that comes with various task customizations, cloud syncing between devices, reminders based on both time and location, and it has support for its sister app, Cal Calendar.
Get it now on Google Play!
BZ Reminder
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
BZ Reminder is a very simple to-do list application that focuses on simplicity. You can set a reminder for virtually anything and it’ll go off when it’s supposed to. You can adorn reminders with notes if needed and the app also includes cloud syncing, Android Wear support, recurring tasks, and there is even a simple calendar built-in. It may not have all the power and features of a full-fledged to-do list, but it’s great if you need something quick and simple.
Get it now on Google Play!
Evernote
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Evernote is already a powerful and functional note-taking application. It’s also one of the most popular and highly-rated apps on Google Play. Along with its powerful note taking capabilities, Evernote also allows you to create reminders for notes based on time and location. That means you can make a grocery list, set the reminder for when you’re at the grocery store, and Evernote will remind you that you have a grocery list. It works well and it’s worth a shot.
Get it now on Google Play!
Google App (Google Now)
[Price: Free]
Far and away the best way to do reminders on Android is through Google Now which you can get by installing the Google App. Google Now is a personal assistant-style service that tries to give you information as you need it. Among its many features is the ability to create reminders through voice actions which are then saved and shown to you again later. It’s a powerful service and it’s also easy to use.
Get it now on Google Play!
Google Keep
[Price: Free]
Let’s face facts folks, Google Keep is another three or four feature additions away from being a full-fledged to-do list application. For now, it’s a simple, but powerful note taking application with quite a few features. You can share notes with others and take all kinds of notes that sync to your Google Drive. One of the features is the ability to add reminders (location and/or time based) to your notes so you can get a notification about them when the time comes. It’s a great app to use, especially if you already use a lot of Google’s other services.
Get it now on Google Play!
Inbox by Gmail
[Price: Free]
Inbox by Gmail is a unique spin on Gmail by Google. The idea is to view your email inbox as though it were a news feed like you’d see on a social media app. One of its other features is the ability to add reminders. We’re not talking reminders just for email, but reminders in general. In fact, these are the same reminders that you can set with Google Now which makes using both apps extremely efficient if you’re a reminders type of person.
Get it now on Google Play!
Just Reminder
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
So far, we’ve only talked about apps that do reminders along with other things and it came to a point where we thought that maybe were thinking about it too hard. Just Reminder is an application that just does reminders and nothing else. That means you’ll likely find a more feature-filled reminder here than just about anywhere else. You can configure reminders to be recurring if needed and you can create them for pretty much whatever you want. About the only negative is the design of the app is a bit rough on the eyes, but otherwise it’s worth a shot.
Get it now on Google Play!
Life Reminders
[Price: Free]
Life Reminders is another application that really focuses on the simple act of reminding you of stuff when you tell it to. This one is kind of nifty because it can actually perform certain tasks for you. For instance, if you have to call someone at 11:00AM, the app will remind you and you can tap on the notification to place the call right then. It has a good set of features and recent updates have only appeared to make the app better.
Get it now on Google Play!
Today Calendar
[Price: Free / $2.59]
Today Calendar is another great calendar option for those who need to do reminders. Thanks to its simple and quick interface, you can make events and add reminders to do them without wasting a whole lot of your time. Like aCalendar, this probably isn’t so great for small things like remembering to grab milk at the store but stuff like mowing the lawn, various work and life events, and others still fit very well in a calendar.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great reminder apps for Android or we didn’t mention your favorite one, tell us about them in the comments! If you want to stay up to date on the latest Android apps and games news, you can subscribe to our newsletter using the form below!
To see our complete list of Android apps and games lists, click here!
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Ascape hits Play Google Play, thrilling VR creators and consumers alike
The virtual reality marketplace on Google Play is getting pretty competitive. The availability of Google Cardboard and other smartphone kits is making development and consumption of the cutting-edge medium increasingly easy. Hundreds of tourism and relaxation themed VR apps have inundated the market, so what makes Ascape – 360° Virtual Tours stand out? Ascape offers the best of both worlds for both VR content creators and VR consumers.
For those who want to use their smartphone for a temporary reprieve from their everyday life, Ascape provides an increasingly diverse library of daily virtual tours that seeks to inspire, relax, and awe. The app is completely free, so suddenly a trip to a tropical island or sunny California just got a lot cheaper. Unlike a lot of VR apps, Ascape is putting some pretty high standards on their audio and visual quality, so you’re guaranteed an unbroken, professionally formatted experience. It’s also, naturally, compatible with any smartphone kit including Google Cardboard, Zeiss VR ONE, DoDo Case VR, Homido, Durovis Dive, and Fibrum.
Furthermore, Ascape has established the first pay-per-download model for VR creators, which is guaranteed to attract a wide variety of VR content. Because of their high standards of quality, Ascape offers an initial $100 upon the acceptance of cinematic, travel-related VR videos. After that, creators earn an additional $0.10 each time their experience is downloaded by a unique visitor. For creators who are willing to make their content Ascape-exclusive, Ascape is offering even higher returns per download.
This combination works well for both parties. High pay potential attracts a variety of content creators, and an ever-increasing library of high-quality, curated content is sure to draw a large userbase. Especially since the app is available for free. The larger the userbase, the higher the pay potential for the creators, the more content Ascape attracts, etc… I assume you see where I’m going here.
There have been some complaints that Ascape overwhelms some lower-end devices, but with their high bar for quality, it’s inevitable that some devices get left behind. Ready to get your hands on some new VR content? Are you a VR creator looking to publish? Check out Ascape in the Google Play Store and see what the world has in store.
AIVAnet 