Great gear for parties
This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.
Here’s our guide to the most essential gear you’ll need to throw the best party. At The Sweethome, we spend dozens of hours on each of our reviews to find the best gear for all parts of your life. The following items are eight of our favorite party-oriented recommendations to help you host like a pro.Slideshow-347358
This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Curiosity rover snaps a detailed look at sand dunes on Mars
In its trek around the surface of the Red Planet, the Curiosity rover reached the sand dunes it already ogled from afar. While that may not sound all that exciting, these images the vehicle captured along its journey provide the first detailed look at the Martian dunes for further study. The image above is a wheel track on the “High Dune,” part of the larger “Bagnold Dunes” that lie on the northwest side of Mars’ Mount Sharp. The rover will scoop up and sieve sand samples to be analyzed with Curiosity’s own onboard lab equipment.
This composite image was created from a collection of snapshots taken by the rover’s Mast Camera (Mastcam) on November 27th. The instrument also captured images of the petrified sand dunes on Mars from a distance back in August. During its visit, Curiosity will look to determine how much this area has changed over time in addition to gathering data on the sand’s composition. NASA already observed from orbit that edges of the dunes move as much at three feet (one meter) per Earth year.
Source: NASA
Apple Watch Sport and Accessories Now Available at Walmart
Walmart has begun selling the Apple Watch Sport and accessories through its online store for U.S. customers. The discount retailer is currently only carrying 38mm and 42mm Sport models in Silver or Space Gray for $349 to $399 alongside the Apple Watch Sport Band and Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable.
Walmart joins a growing number of Apple Watch resellers carrying the wrist-worn device in the U.S. since its April launch, including Best Buy, B&H Photo, Maxfield, Sprint, Target, T-Mobile and dozens of other retailers nationwide. The device is not yet available in Walmart stores, but in-store pickup is available for online orders.
Unlike Best Buy, which is offering $100 off the Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch, Walmart is not offering any discounts on the Apple Watch or accessories at this time. Best Buy, Colette and Target also offered Black Friday deals on the Apple Watch, leading to some discussion about how well the Apple Watch is selling.
Walmart offers free shipping on orders over $50 in the U.S., and in-store pickup is currently estimated to take about one week.
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Best of Android 2015: Battery
What is Best of Android?
In Best of Android, we take the hottest devices of the moment and compare them in-depth. For this first edition, we picked up the following Android flagships:
- Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
- Nexus 6P
- Motorola Moto X Force
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5
- LG V10
- BlackBerry Priv
What about the Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9 or the OnePlus 2, you ask. Those are all great phones. But, to keep this comparison manageable, we selected only the phones we feel are the most representative for the ecosystem right now.
Read more about Best of Android. Thanks for being a part of Android Authority!
Everyone always asks what’s the best phone to buy and we’re taking the guesswork out of that question. For this installment in Best of Android 2015, we’re taking a look at battery: which phone will power you the longest through your daily tasks? Let’s take a look.
As a reminder, the devices we are testing (in no particular order) are the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, the LG V10, the Nexus 6P, the Moto X Force, the BlackBerry Priv, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
We performed two groups of battery tests on each device. First we tested the battery using battery testing apps, specifically AnTuTu Battery Tester and GeekBench 3 Battery. Then we performed a series of manual tests on each device to see how the battery performs for tasks like video playback or web browsing.
Charging Time
The charge time is the total time needed to charge the handset from less than 5 percent to full. Looking at the numbers you will be able to see which handsets actually charge the fastest and if the advertised quick charging actually makes any difference. All tests were conducted using the charger in the box or an equivalent voltage charger.
As you can see the quickest phone to charge is the Moto X Force with a blazing 69 minutes. What makes this even more interesting is that the Moto X Force has the biggest battery in our lineup at 3760 mAh. Next is the LG V10 with its 3000 mAh battery, which took 82 minutes to charge. This is followed closely by the Note 5 which took 89 minutes to charge its 3000 mAh battery. The worst phone in the line up was the BlackBerry Priv which took 159 minutes (2 hours and 39 minutes) to charge up its 3450 mAh unit.
Benchmark Scores
So what do the battery testing apps think of these phones?
AnTuTu gives the highest marks to the Moto X Force and the Nexus 6P, while GeekBench favors the Note 5 and the Nexus 6P. The biggest battery hog according to AnTuTu is the LG V10, while GeekBench reckons it is the Moto X Force. So, in a nutshell AnTuTu says the Moto X Force has the best battery but GeekBench says it has the worst! I think it is time for some real world tests!
Standby Time
To test the potential standby time of these devices, each handset was reset to factory settings and the following was added to each one:
- Gmail accounts: 1 very active (300 emails/day) and 1 less active (50 emails/day).
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Snapchat & FB Messenger.
- Other apps: BBC News (with notifications).
Each handset was charged to full and then left to discharge for 24 hours with Wi-Fi on but no SIM card in the phone. After 24 hours, the battery percentage remaining figure was taken and then extrapolated into the total standby time of the handset.
The phone which offers the best standby time is the Nexus 6P, followed by the Note 5. The former offers over 200 hours of standby while the latter dips just under 200 hours at 194 hours. Next comes the BlackBerry Priv with 171 hours and then the Z5 Premium with 160 hours. The worse standby time was recorded by the Moto X Force with 133 hours or 5 days and 13 hours.
Use Time (WiFi only)
To test how long you can surf the web over Wi-Fi we used a custom app I wrote which opens six pre-set pages on a loop, with 20 seconds between each load to simulate actual usage. The test is run with the battery at 100% and continued until the battery drops below 5%.
The surprising winner of this test is the LG V10. It seems that its hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor may not be the world’s fastest but it sure has a lot to offer when it comes to power efficiency. We were able to get 9 hours and 49 minutes out of this device, a truly great score. Second and third place are taken by the Note 5 and the Moto X Force, both of which managed around 9.5 hours. The worse performance came from the Nexus 6P which only managed 6 hours and 37 minutes.
Use Time (GeekBench)
One of the outputs from the GeekBench battery tests is a total potential battery runtime expressed in minutes. Here are the results:
According to GeekBench, the Note 5 has the best potential battery life at 516 minutes, followed by the Nexus 6P and the Z5 Premium, which both scored around 370 minutes. The lowest score was for the Moto X Force.
Use Time (Video)
To test how well each handset copes with video playback, we tested each device by looping the same 1080p Full HD 30fps video with brightness set to approximately 50%. Wi-Fi was also turned off and there was no SIM card in the phone. The final reading is the screen on time of the handset after it ran from 100% to less than 5%.
The Note 5 is the clear winner with a time of 652 minutes. Second place is claimed jointly by the Moto X Force and the BlackBerry Priv. The worse score comes from the Z5 Premium with its 4K screen!
Wrap-up
So what does this all mean? We have a wide range of screen resolutions on test here, along with a wide range of battery capacities, but at the end of the day it is how long you can use your phone for that really matters. The charging time of the Moto X Force is fantastic and it performs well in several of our tests including the browsing test and the video playback test. However it has the worst overall standby time.
The phone with the best standby time was the Nexus 6P but it didn’t do so well in the browsing and playback tests. The device that seems to offer the best all round battery performance is the Note 5. The charging time is just 89 minutes, its standby time was only bested by the Nexus 6P, plus it came second in the browsing tests and first in the video playback tests.
Best of Android 2015
Don’t miss:
Tomorrow we will be taking a look at the cameras of our six contenders in real world tests. Come back on December 10 at 11AM EST for Best of Android 2015: Camera!
Credits
Post and Video by: Gary Sims
Series Contributors: Rob Triggs, Gary Sims, Lanh Nguyen, Joe Hindy, Krystal Lora
Series Editors: Nirave Gondhia, Bogdan Petrovan, Andrew Grush
Comedic video highlights the woes of being an ‘Instagram Husband’
We live in an age where a growing number of people spend more time texting, taking pics, and sharing on social media than they do actually talking to real life human beings. I’m sure we all know at least a few people like that in our lives (or perhaps you happen to be one?). We all know the type: always checking in on social networks, sharing pics of their food, sharing pics of random signs of places they are going to, and just doing their damned best to clog up our social feeds with useless junk.
A new comedic video by The Mystery Hour comedy group highlights this type of behavior by talking about the struggles of “Instagram husbands”, the men behind the women who are addicted to Instagram. The video is obviously a parody, though they do a great job of making it seem like a legitimate call for support, complete with its own website.
At the very start of the video you are greeted with: “My name’s Jeff, and I’m an Instagram husband,” it begins. “Behind every cute girl on Instagram is a guy like me. And a brick wall.” From there the video discusses the problem and how difficult it is to be an Instagram Husband.
We certainly recommend checking out the website, in addition to watching the video. We imagine just about all of us can relate to this on some level, perhaps you have (or had) a girlfriend, spouse, or even just friend or family member that was addicted to a level that seemed almost comedic.
What do you think of the video? Know someone addicted to social media, Instagram or otherwise? Share your thoughts down in the comments.
Google publishes Android 6.0.1 factory images for the Pixel C
Google has today published the factory images for the long-awaited Android 6.0.1 update for the Pixel C. In terms of added functionality, this upgrade transports a new Emoji collection to the device, together with the latest security patch for the open-source operating system, which is aimed at resolving any critical security issues the handset might have.
Hit the source link below to download the factory images from the official Google Developer Blog for manual flashing. Alternatively, you can wait for the OTA to start rolling out, which should start soon.
Source: Google
Come comment on this article: Google publishes Android 6.0.1 factory images for the Pixel C
The tech industry teams up to take on Donald Trump
Inexplicable presidential candidate Donald Trump has spoken loudly about his distaste for immigration, as well as the mass-deportation he would institute if elected. That puts him squarely at odds with much of the tech industry, which is pushing for immigration reform and a pathway for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship. Now, lobby group FWD.us has released an emotive video speaking out against Trump’s dystopian vision by showing the human cost of such a policy.
The clip is entitled The Truth of Mass Deportation and features figures like Sophie Cruz, the five-year old who asked the Pope to prevent the deportation of her parents. The video shows how families would be torn apart, especially when immigrant parents with citizen children could be forced to leave the country. The group also wants to make the point that the people targeted often have valuable skills, and FWD.us believes that, if given citizenship, they’d contribute $329 billion to the economy.
The move comes a day after Mark Zuckerberg announced that he’d stand up for the rights of communities like the one Trump seems to enjoy monstering in public. FWD.us is often spoken about in the same breath as the Facebook CEO, but it was co-founded by Bill Gates, Sean Parker and LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman. The group can also call upon the founders, CEOs and/or major names from a whole host of brand-name tech firms like Google, Qualcomm, YouTube, Instagram, Netflix, Yahoo, AirBnB, Evernote, Jawbone, Zynga and even Aol.’s own Tim Armstrong. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos isn’t a signed member of team FWD, but we can imagine where his sympathies (and rockets) would lie if this went to a fist-fight.
Via: The Hill
Source: FWD.us (YouTube)
Google Play Movies finally adds AirPlay support
Cupertino recently announced that the Apple TV has some 2,600 applications in its ecosystem and one of them just got a pretty major update. The app in question is none other than Google Play Movies and TV. The update? AirPlay support. No, you aren’t misreading that. It actually happened. If you’re heavily invested in Mountain View’s entertainment ecosystem (but for whatever reason haven’t added a Chromecast to your A/V gear), this should come as pretty welcome news.
Of course, you’ll need at least a third-generation Apple TV to use it and the device itself has to be running system software 7.0 or above according to the app’s iTunes page. Google also added HD and cellular streaming for good measure and redesigned the app itself. Despite all that though, “Google Play Movies and TV and chill” just doesn’t roll off the tongue very naturally.
Source: iTunes
Google is testing Android split-screen multitasking
Google’s Pixel C convertible was a stark reminder that Android still doesn’t have the productivity chops of other platforms like Chrome OS and Windows, despite packing in a decent keyboard and solid hardware. But in a Reddit conversation yesterday, an engineer noted that the company is working on filling Android’s gaps. “We’re working hard on a range of enhancements for Android in this form-factor,” said Glen Murphy, user experience director of Android and Chrome. “There are many things, like multi-window, that we’ve been spending a lot of time on — hopefully we can share more about this soon.” Samsung and Microsoft have been offering true tablet multi-tasking with split screen for years, and it’s something Apple even brought over to iOS 9. So, really, it’s pretty surprising that Google hasn’t brought it to Android yet.
Google’s consumer hardware director, Andrew Bowers, notes that split-screen is in the works for Android N, the operating system’s next major release. But given Google’s release cycle, we probably won’t see that OS on devices until next fall.
As Ars Technica reports, Google seems to have been working on a variety of operating systems for the Pixel C before settling on plain old Android. There’s evidence it was building a version of Chrome OS that worked better with touch screens, as well as the ability to dual boot Android and Chrome OS. We don’t know for sure why Google scrapped those plans, but it might have something to do with reports that Android and Chrome OS will eventually merge into a single platform.
And what of the perennial lack of quality Android tablet apps? “We’re spending a lot of time working with developers to get better and more awesome tablet apps,” Murphy said. “But it is definitely a chicken-egg problem, and we think a key driver is awesome hardware (like the Pixel-C :).” It’s true there haven’t been many truly great Android tablets (though I’m a big fan of Samsung’s Tab S series and the Nexus line), but if Google wants developers to actually pay attention, it needs to step up in a bigger way.
Source: Reddit
Apple Pushing iPhone Upgrades During Holiday Shopping Season
Apple this week has encouraged customers to trade in and upgrade to a new iPhone through its website, email and an App Store banner advertisement.
Apple’s new section on its iPhone website reminds customers about trading in their current smartphone at the Apple Store or online through partner Brightstar for up to $320 instant credit. Apple accepts the iPhone 4 or later for trade in.
Apple’s website, left, and email, right, promoting iPhone upgrades this week
Apple’s mass email to U.S. customers promotes the iPhone Upgrade Program and shares details about how the financing program works. The email also provides similar details about trading in a smartphone for up to $320 instant credit.
Apple has also made the controversial decision to advertise the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to older iPhone users directly in the App Store, with a pop-up banner advertisement that can be dismissed by tapping on “skip” in the top-right corner.
iPhones are unsurprisingly one of the hottest gifts during the holiday shopping season, so it is unsurprising that Apple is pushing its latest smartphones at this time of the year alongside free shipping, extended returns and complimentary gift wrapping. Undoubtedly, though, the move will also stir discussion about iPhone sales.
Apple sold 48 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, up from 39.2 million in the year-ago quarter. iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sales topped a record 13 million during their launch weekend, but KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted the iPhone 6s may not outsell the iPhone 6.
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