Educate your kids and keep them safe with the Verizon Ellipsis Kids tablet
If you are technical and have kids, you probably know how to limit your kids from accidentally clicking the wrong webpage, deleting your files and preventing them from making in-app purchases with your account information. We all know kids are super savvy these days, and in many cases, they are more savvy than us when it comes to gadgets.
Verizon announced the Ellipsis 8″ Kids tablet which is designed just for them. It is a full-featured kids tablet with content and games curated by education professionals. If the parents want to add or remove content, they will have that ability, so the tablet can grow with your child or even support their own video addiction. Most importantly, the tablet is designed to keep kids safe. Every Ellipsis Kids tablet will come preinstalled with Zoodles Kids Mode, a digital playground for kids to play and learn using games, videos and books. Parents will have the ability to set time limits, activate app blockers and a unique child lock. Whether you’re at the store or on the road, you can enable kids mode ensuring your child’s safety while educating and entertaining them. Millions of kids are already using Zoodles.
The Ellipsis Kids tablet will be available on Thursday Nov. 12 for $249.99 on Verizon’s payment plan for $10.41 per month for 24 months with 0% A.P.R. Or if you prefer the 2-year contract, you can pay $79.99 while connecting to your existing data plan for $10 per month.
The tablet is built on Android, and comes with an 8″ IPS display, 5MP camera, 4G LTE, Kid Tough Bumper, 5000mAh battery and a parent dashboard.
Check it out at Verizon.com starting Nov. 12.
The post Educate your kids and keep them safe with the Verizon Ellipsis Kids tablet appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Releases Second OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan Beta to Public Beta Testers
Apple today seeded the second beta of OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan to public beta testers, two days after releasing the second beta to developers and a week after seeding the first OS X 10.11.2 public beta. Today’s update comes two weeks after the public launch of OS X El Capitan 10.11.1.
The second OS X 10.11.2 beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to those who are enrolled in Apple’s beta testing program. Those wishing to join the program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website.
The first OS X 10.11.2 beta did not include any outward-facing changes, but it likely includes bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address issues discovered since the release of OS X 10.11.1. Apple’s release notes for the initial developer beta asked testers to focus on Graphics, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.
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Motorola Droid Maxx 2 review
It has been a long since the Motorola Droid Maxx was launched; mid-2013, to be exact. Fans of the battery beast have been hoping for a successor, and this year Motorola has finally decided to bring the series back to life, again in collaboration with Verizon. The equation has been changed this time around, though. In fact, the Droid Maxx 2 is pretty much a re-branded Moto X Play.
Regardless, it is battery life that characterized the Maxx series, and the second iteration sure takes care of that department. Just how good is this phone, though? Does it deserve that precious spot in your pocket? Let’s find out!
Design
The first thing you’ll notice on the back of the device is that Verizon logo on top of the ‘Droid’ branding. And this is to be expected, as both the Droid Maxx and Maxx 2 are Verizon exclusives, something that plays a huge part in setting this phone apart from the Moto X Play. Also on the back are the camera, flash and that beloved Motorola dimple we have gotten so used to, all housed in a metal frame. This dimple acts as a nice resting point for your finger.
To add even more comfort to the phone, Motorola has included a very nice rubbery material along the back. It has a different pattern than what we have seen in the Moto X Style/Pure Edition, which also feels a bit softer to the touch.
This material choice provides a great grip on the device, but it also comes with a downside – the phone does get dirty quite easily.
There’s another caveat in the design department. Unlike its twin, the Moto X Play, the Droid Maxx 2 has no Moto Maker support. On the bright side, users are still able to remove the back plate, giving them the freedom to exchange textures and colors at will.
Flip the phone around and you will find a classic Motorola look. The speaker grills pop out ever so slightly, and the front-facing camera can be found up top. By the way, don’t mistake these for dual speaker grills; the bottom one is the only one that will output sound while playing media.
This can create a little bit of an awkward, unbalanced listening experience, but at least the speaker is on the front, which is definitely a plus. It’s nowhere near being the best audio around, but it does offer some crisp sounds and ample treble.
Motorola is very good at making bezels small, and the Droid Maxx 2 is no exception. This makes the phone easy to hold, even with that massive 5.5-inch screen. What we do have here is some added volume and mass to the phone, as it measures in at 10.9 mm of thickness and weighs 169 grams. Regardless, it has a great grip to it and is among the most comfortable to hold.
Going around the handset we can also find the volume and power buttons on the right side. I do wish the power button had a Moto X Pure-like texture, though, as operating the Maxx 2 simply by touch makes things a bit confusing.
Display
Speaking of that 5.5-inch screen: we have a beautiful HD LCD display on the front of the Droid Maxx 2. It does not consist of Motorola’s shatter-proof technology (like the Droid Turbo 2), but its Gorilla Glass 3 should hold up as well as most 2015 flagships.
While QHD is quickly becoming the standard in higher-end phones, FHD is a common resolution for mid-tier devices, and so the inclusion of a 1080p display here makes a lot of sense. Not to mention, this is one of the best FHD panels we have seen!
It’s interesting to see Motorola going with LCD technology, though, as one of their biggest features is Moto Display. This capability showcases notifications over a black background, which saves energy in the case of AMOLED screens. But then again, this is a more affordable handset, and some sacrifices had to be made. On the bright side (literally), this screen is quite vibrant and dazzling.
Performance & Hardware
Under the hood, the Droid Maxx 2 houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, backed by an Adreno GPU and 2 GB of RAM. And though it only comes with 16 GB of internal storage, users do have access to a micro SD card slot capable of handling 128 GB cards.
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On paper, the new Droid Maxx 2 doesn’t seem like anything to write home about, but I must say the phone performs exceptionally well. It runs very smoothly while performing most tasks and handles multi-tasking with no hesitation. It may fall short of your needs if you are a heavy gamer, but for the most part it delivers pretty fast performance.
As for battery life, this remains one of the biggest selling points for the Droid Maxx series. The Droid Maxx 2 has a huge 3630 mAh battery (nonremovable). Along with the power-efficient 1080p resolution and lower end specs, you can surely get some great battery life out of this smartphone. It will last you an entire day, even with heavy usage.
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With moderate usage we were able to get over 5 hours of screen-on time. Some days I was at around 40% by the time I went to sleep (light to moderate use). Taking that into account, you could say some users will get up to 2 days of battery life. The Droid Maxx 2 can also be charged with Motorola’s Turbo Charger, which is one of the fastest in the market. The sad part here is that the phone doesn’t come with this charger, but you can buy it separately.
Camera
This camera is light years ahead of what we saw on the 2013 Droid Maxx. Just like other 2015 Moto phones, the Droid Maxx 2 sports a 21 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front shooter. Photos are consistently great, producing substantial amounts of detail, while keeping colors bright and vibrant.
With that said, I do have to mention the camera has a tendency to over-expose images a bit. But that is an area in which Motorola’s camera app really helps, as exposure is easily adjustable. However, the rest of the shooting experience can be a bit weird, at least if you are like me and dislike the whole drag-to-focus and tap-to-shoot mechanics.
As it goes with other phones, shooting in low-light scenarios will result in a significant quality degradation. That’s to be expected, but we did notice it even falls behind other 2015 smartphones. These images aren’t horrible, however. And though there is no OIS to help shots being blurry, the software stabilization found in video works great. By the way, 4K recording also works great.
The 5 MP front-facing camera has a wider angle lens, which does create really nice looking selfies with a good amount of detail.
I would say the cameras on the Droid Maxx 2 are among the best Motorola has ever made, and there’s a lot to love here.
Software
One of Motorola’s main lures is their near vanilla Android experience, which is something the Droid Maxx 2 inherits from previous generations. Our main gripe is that we do find plenty of Verizon bloatware here, however.
Out of the box, the Droid Maxx 2 is running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, which is a little disappointing considering Marshmallow is starting to spread out to some devices. Android 6.0 is starting to become something we expect out of new phones, given that it came out of the box with the HTC One A9. Sure, there is the promise of an update coming, but you know how things go with Verizon. We might have to wait longer than expected.
Besides those couple disappointments, everything else is great about the Droid Maxx 2’s software. You can expect the same Material Design look; from the pull-down menu to the settings and recent apps.
Motorola phones are interesting, because people praise their stock feel, but they also love their customizations. The Droid Maxx 2 may have slightly less features than other Moto handsets, but it’s still worth a look. Moto Display is still there, but since there are no movement sensors in the front, and so you can’t wave your hand over the phone to activate it. Users will have to move their phones a bit, instead.
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Moto Voice also makes sure you can access content without having to touch the phone. It’s similar to the “OK, Google” command, but you can program it to listen to any phrase of your choice. This one is actually quite fun! Gestures like twisting your wrist to launch the camera are still there, but we are missing the chopping one, which turns on the flashlight.
The software itself does run perfectly. I found no shutters, hiccups of animation choppiness. Since you can uninstall most Verizon apps, bloatware also won’t be too much of an issue after doing some housekeeping.
Specifications
| Motorola Droid Maxx 2 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.5-inch display 1920 x 1080 resolution, 403ppi Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 1.7GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 |
| GPU | Adreno 405 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| MicroSD | Up to 128GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac Universal LTE bands Bluetooth 4.1 NFC GPS+GLONASS |
| Networks | XT1565: VZW GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) CDMA (850, 1900 MHz) 4G LTE (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 20) |
| SIM card | Nano SIM |
| Water repellent | Yes |
| Camera | 21MP rear camera, f/2.0 aperture 5MP front camera |
| Battery | Non-removable 3630mAh |
| Software | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Upgrade to Android 6.0 Marshmallow coming eventually |
| Colors | Black with Deep Sea Blue Back White with Winter White Back Interchangeable back plates also available |
| Dimensions | 148 x 75 x 8.9-10.9mm 169g |
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Pricing and conclusion
As the Verizon phone that it is, customers can purchase the Maxx 2 for zero dollars down and $16/mo over a 2-year period. It’s full retail price is only $384, though whether that’s a good or bad deal for the specs, depends on you. It is worth mentioning that Verizon is doing something pretty cool here, allowing users to trade in their old phones for up to $300 towards the purchase of the Droid Maxx 2.
You get a lot with the Droid Maxx 2 for a relatively affordable price. With its great camera, fantastic battery life and great software, it’s definitely worthy of your consideration, especially if you were tempted by the Moto X Play and had hoped to see it come stateside. Sure, there are plenty of other phones that are priced and spec’d similarly or better, but this remains one of the best mid-range options out there for Verizon customers.
Vaporcade’s Jupiter is a phone you can smoke
Phones with bendable or flexible displays, curved edges, second screens, shatterproof displays – we’ve seen a lot of devices that attempt to be unique by adding interesting hardware or design features that help them better stand out from the crowd. One thing we haven’t seen is a phone with a built-in vaporizer (nor did we expect to…), until now.
Startup Vaporcade is currently offering up 3G and 4G LTE variants of its “Jupiter” smartphone for pre-order, priced at $299 and $499 respectively. The big feature for both of these devices is the vaporizer, beyond that, Vaporcade tells its would-be consumers next to nothing about this phone – though it’s more than willing to take your money for a pre-order despite not telling you exactly what you’re getting. We know it runs Android 4.4 KitKat, but that’s the only spec detail we could dig up.
In addition to pre-orders for the Jupiter, Vaporcade also sells e-cigs, and apparently coffee. It’s hard not to be a little skeptical of whether this phone actually will ever get off the ground. For what it is worth, the website claims that it is working with Herbert A. Gilbert, the man who is recognized as the inventor of the e-cig. Reportedly Seamus Blackley is the co-founder of Vaporware as well, a man known for work in the video game industry and his role in helping create the team that would go on to build the original Xbox game console.
If we had to take a guess, if this phone actually ends up in the hands of consumers, it’ll be nothing more than an entry-to-mid-range device that is modified to have a vaporizer attached. In other words, most of the price will be paying for the privilege of having a novelty item. Still, we have to admit this is a unique idea and one that we hope actually comes to pass.
What do you think of the Jupiter? Would you consider this if the specs are at least of mid-range quality? For more details (though really not much more to be found) head on over to their website.
Tizen has taken the #4 mobile OS spot from BlackBerry
While the Samsung-centered have already been playing around with Tizen for some time now – arguably since the Gear 2 released – the world at large still has very little knowledge of the fledgling platform, if any at all. Still, great strides have been made in India, for example, where Samsung claims it has the country’s second largest mobile OS as far as budget devices goes. Today however, a milestone has been reported by Strategy Analytics, who has found that, as of Q3 2015, Tizen is now the fourth largest mobile OS, which puts it ahead of BlackBerry.
To many, this accomplishment might seem like a non sequitur given the appeal of Android, however at the very least it gives further insight into why BlackBerry is releasing an Android handset. Likewise, other challengers such as Firefox OS have been around for years yet have ultimately failed – so far – to make major movements.
On Tizen & BlackBerry
While the above chart reflects data accurate as of Q2 2015, the changes in market composition regarding BlackBerry OS and the “Others” category is unlikely to have altered significantly within the past few months. Most likely, there has been a 0.3%-0.5% shift, still less than a single percentage point. To this end, the “success” of Tizen is a relative one to say the least.
It is possible that Q4 data will indicate a slightly larger shift however, givent hat Samsung is preparing a major European roll-out for its Tizen-based Z3 with 11 different countries involved. Given that trends in Europe are changing these days, there is definitely potential for the new mid-range device to see some adoption. At the very least, it may appeal to those consumers who have grown tired of premium pricing for the Korean conglomerate’s more readily available flagships.
The news is also relevant given the other Samsung-related stories that have graced headlines this past week. One such story was no less than the OEM’s Vice Chairman and co-CEO proclaiming that the company has to make major changes to survive: the eventual, larger success of Tizen could ultimately stem into a much larger money making enterprise, especially given that the ultimate goal is to use it on a host of different lifestyle products and appliances.
Samsung Z3
Likewise, another big story this week was a bold claim that Samsung will be exiting the smartphone market within the next five years. While it’s a possibility to be sure, the rising success of Tizen would also serve as an indication as to why the Korean OEM would want to stay.
Still, perhaps the most significant aspect of this report is that BlackBerry has continued to slip in market share, something that not only makes the new Priv essential to the company’s business, but also underscores the nature of Waterloo’s recent and serious statement. Somewhat ironically however, even if new-found success is found via Android, it is clearly not going to help re-establish the OEM’s BB OS market share, rather it may ultimately see it decrease even more significantly.
Chronos turns any watch into a smartwatch
As smartwatches become more commonplace, we are starting to see more companies get involved in the wearables game, including traditional timepiece makers such as Fossil. Of course none of these smart devices have yet to master the iconic looks, design, or even feel of many of the high-end analog watches that attract watch enthusiasts.
Looking for ‘smart’ functionality, but not willing to give up on your traditional watch just yet? Chronos could be the perfect solution.
While much more limited than Tizen, Android Wear, or even Apple’s Watch OS, Chronos is a thin disc fits beneath a regular watch and brings vibration and light alerts for notifications. Beyond this, there’s also basic fitness tracking, the ability to skip tracks played on your phone, and a few other tricks that integrate with your existing Android (or even iOS) device.
The Chronos does add a bit more thickness to your current watch, at 2 ½ mm thin and 33mm in diameter, but it’s actually not that noticeable, especially when paired with a larger watch.
While you would think the Chronos’ basic design should allow for extremely lengthy battery life, the add-on only lasts about 36-hours on a single charge – likely because it’s small size makes it hard to fit a very big battery. Still, 36-hours is better than most smartwatches on the market, though it pales compared to many fitness trackers and watches like the Pebble series.
The Chronos goes up for pre-order today for $99, or just $79 for the first 250 orders, and is expected to start shipping during the spring of 2016. What do you think of the idea, could you see yourself buying one of these?
Deal: UE BOOM Bluetooth speaker for $50 off!
Logitech’s Ultimate Ears brand has done a great job at targeting the hip, young, audio-loving audience, and many younger users want good quality sound and an aesthetically pleasing design. The UE BOOM speaker is a symbol of pure fun, but even more exciting is the fact that now you can have one of these Bluetooth audio accessories for $50 off the standard retail price, and even $30 cheaper than what you’ll find on Amazon.
This awesome deal comes from the AA Deals Store, which we are always searching through to find the hottest offers our fellow Android fans will enjoy. Even with the discount, the UE BOOM may not be the cheapest option around, but we can assure you it’s worth every penny (and more, in this case).
This bad boy offers a 360-degree sound that is sure to blow your friends away. And just in case one isn’t enough, you can connect these to each other and make for a surround-like sound coming from multiple UE speakers.
And because this speaker is meant for young, active users, you can bet it handles pretty much whatever you throw at it. It has an IPX7 rating. It is waterproof, dirt-proof and even shock-proof, yet it manages to look very good. Other specs include a 2.5-hour battery life, NFC pairing, Bluetooth connectivity, a specialized app and more.
The UE BOOM is currently going for $149.99 from the AA Deals Store, so go ahead and sign up for it! It’s a pretty good deal if you want a good-quality Bluetooth speaker.
Throwback Thursday: a very special hands-on
There’s no doubt that the mobile phone industry has changed considerably since the turn of the century and in 2002, the concept of a smartphone was considerably different to the powerful beasts we know and love today.
Back then, three companies ruled the industry – BlackBerry, Motorola and Nokia – and for the latter of these, one handset would introduce a feature that would be iconic even to this day. Today, we’ve got something ultra special for you – hands on with the grandaddy of the smartphone: Introducing, the Nokia 3410!
The other day, I was searching through an archive of mine and I found this phone in PRISTINE condition, having been used for just a few days before I put it away 13 years ago. The handset itself is one of the most iconic ever made by Nokia for a plethora of reasons but 13 years later, how does Nokia’s flagship of 2002 stack up in today’s rather-more-demanding environment?
Let’s kick things off with the display and this display is SO impressive, there’s no official classification for how big it is. The monochrome display supports 6 lines of text and has a resolution of 96 x 65 pixels which was considered impressive for a phone from this era.
Beneath the display we have this iconic T9 keyboard that lights up in yellow like the display and the keys themselves are quite easy to press, although they do take a lot of getting used to compared to today’s touch screens.
Thinking back to mobile phones of this era, there’s a common misconception that they were heavy and thick bricks. I’m also guilty of this but what is quite surprising is that while the Nokia 3410 is thick, it’s quite light compared to today’s flagships.
At a weight of 114 grams, it’s lighter than almost all smartphones of today’s era, except for something like the Vivo Air LTE, which weighs under 100 grams. The word brick is definitely apt though as at 22.5mm thick, it’s almost the same thickness as the Galaxy Note 5, Xperia Z5 and the Nexus 6P combined!!
Moving to the back and phones of this era had no cameras or speakers on the back. Instead, we had removable XpressOn covers that allowed you to customise the design of your phone. Under the back, we’ve got a removable 825 mAh battery that lasts for a lot less time than current handsets and a SIM card slot. Look at the SIM cards from that era compared to SIM cards used in current handsets and you can see how much technology has changed in the past decade.
The Nokia 3410 was definitely a firm favourite of mine in the past but looking back on it now compared to modern smartphones, there’s only one feature I think that I’d like to have in all its glory. I am, of course, talking about Snake II!
Be sure to check out the video above for a hands on demo of Snake and if you’d like to see how the game has been reinvented for the modern world, check out Snake Rewind for Android!
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So there you have it, a very special hands on in honor of one of the most iconic mobile phones ever made. Did you have the 3410 in the past? What other old phones did you have and do you have any that still work? Let us know your views in the comments below guys!
Facebook Debuts ‘Music Stories’ on iOS for Better Album & Song Discovery
Facebook today announced a new feature for its iOS app called “Music Stories” that will allow users to sample 30-second clips of songs that their friends and family post to the social network from services like Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify. Users will be able to stream the clip directly from their feed and even follow a link to purchase or add the music directly into their Apple Music or Spotify playlists.
There are few things people love more than music. People find out about it from artists and friends alike, and they love to share their discoveries. Today we are enabling better music discovery and sharing on Facebook.
We hope by making this experience better, artists will share more, friends will share and engage more, and music will become a better part of the Facebook experience overall.
The company promises that support for other streaming music services will be coming soon, and that it sees Music Stories as a way to further mold Facebook into a one-stop experience where users can get updates on friends, family, entertainment and political news, and now new song and album recommendations. Facebook didn’t give any word on when the new music-centric feature would be making its way to other platforms like Android or the web.
Recently, the social network company faced a widespread issue of users reporting dramatic battery drain while the Facebook iOS ran in the background, even with background app refresh switched off. It has since repaired the issue, but left some Facebook users unsure of the company’s intentions, like MacStories‘ Federico Vittici, who said the company had “a deep lack of respect for iOS users” when his hypothesis of silent background audio running to produce a snappier experience was proved to be correct.
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AIVAnet 