Secret Life of Pets Unleashed is a chaotic reprisal of the classic match-3 (review)
Website screenshot
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of match-3 style games available in the Play Store. The themes to these games are easily malleable by developers, based on an icon style (fruit, candy, etc), a general theme (island, WWII, etc), or as a extension of the latest popular movie or TV show branding & marketing.
The newer of these offerings falls into the latter category,
Yep, 41 and playing this game. It’s what I do.
Secret Life of Pets Unleashed, offers up classic match-3 gameplay with the thematic branding of the recent hit kids’ movie. The game is plenty safe for young children, but can be played by all ages.
Setup
If you’re even remotely familiar with the match-3 style of game, this game won’t take any time at all to pick up and figure out. 
First step is to pick up this free game from the Play Store (link here). After download and opening, you have the customary linking to Google Play Games. There are the usual (if limited) ‘settings’ available, such as music and sound effects on/off.
Gameplay
From here you’re directed right to clicking on the first level (there is no avatar, background, or other setup choices to make prior to beginning). As I stated earlier, in this game’s case the theme is to that of the movie “The Secret Life of Pets” (movie available for pre-order via this link), where the pieces are dog & cat toys, and the thinly-applied plot is for you to help the pet character of the given level to successfully wait at home for its owner, doing what it does best per the movie.
Again, it’s thinly applied at best, as most of this game style’s variants are. The core gameplay doesn’t change from most others you’ve played: you have to line up at least 3 of the same icon in a row (or sometimes in other shapes) to make them disappear. This drops all icons above down Tetris-style to fill the void. If you do well (or are lucky), these fall-in icons will align with others of the same look and you get a cascading, or domino effect of icon matches.
You can also gain ‘special’ icons through various efforts of a given level, such as lining up 4 or more (this gives you a special icon that will wipe out an entire row or column once adjoined with two other like icons).
I’ve played over a half-dozen levels, and while I can tell you there are more special icons and cascade effect out there, I honestly can’t tell you definitively what they are.
This is because the action in this game is so frenetic, so chaotic, that it is very difficult to track exactly what great thing has been bestowed upon you by the particular aligning of certain icons.
At some points you can only sit back and watch the chaos unfold as icons fly in from off-screen, while others up and fly away, while at some points almost the entire screen of icons is wiped, replace, and almost wiped again. At most times I didn’t feel that I had a very manual hand in clearing a given level; as stated, most times I have no idea how it got cleared to begin with!
What I Liked
- Good colors, not too garish.
- Easy to pick up and play on a whim.
- Good for young children.
What Could Use Improvement
- Gameplay input is “locked out” during lengthly animation sequences; interrupts flow of play.
- Almost too-simple gameplay, seems hard to fail.
- Cascade/domino effects are too frenetic, almost impossible to follow what is happening on-screen.
Download Secret Life of Pets Unleashed here.
Best Cases For Honor 8
What are the best cases you can buy today for the Honor 8?
The Honor 8, as made by Huawei, is one of the most attractive budget smartphones available right now. Take care of it by housing it in one of these recommended cases.
We’ll keep updating this page as more cases become available. In the meantime, we’ve got some great suggestions to outfit your unlocked Honor 8.
- Huawei Honor 8 Case
- Terrapin Floral Card Case
- Vinve Ultra Slim Hard Cover
- DWaybox Heavy Duty Case
- MoKo Universal Waterproof Case
Huawei Honor 8 Case
Sometimes, the best case for your new smartphone is the official one. Huawei’s clear Honor 8 case is the easiest choice if all you’re looking for is simple protection.
This official Honor 8 case is made out of see-through TPU plastic so that the color and design of your smartphone shines through. Best of all, this case is only ten bucks and it’s available on Amazon Prime.
See at Amazon
Terrapin Floral Card Case
Ladies, if you’re into floral patterns, you might find the Terrapin case wallet to be a particularly attractive choice for your Honor 8. It’s made of faux red leather and it has a frilly flower pattern made of cotton on the inside.
There are also three slots for your credit cards, as well as a larger pocket for your cash. And if you like to carry the wallet case solo, there’s an optional wrist strap that comes with the case.
See at Amazon
Vinve Ultra Slim Hard Cover
Looking for something with a little more grip? How about a physical ring on the back, so that you can literally hold on to the Honor 8? The Vinve Ultra Slim Hard Cover case is both slim, as its name states, and practical. The case helps protect the back and the sides of the chassis, and it features a 360-degree rotating ring that you can hook your finger into as you’re using it. The ring also doubles as a stand, so you can prop up the case to watch videos on the go.
The Vinve Ultra Slim Hard Cover comes in rose gold and black. Be advised that the Amazon listing offers a couple of other cases, too, but they aren’t the ones we’re referencing here.
See at Amazon
DWaybox Heavy Duty Case
Unfortunately, there aren’t any Otterbox cases available for the Honor 8. But if you’re looking for something to protect against hard drops, the affordable Dwaybox Heavy Duty case is substantial enough.
The case is comprised of two pieces: a silicone inner layer and a plastic hard shell covering. There’s also a kickstand can you pop out to use the Honor 8 in landscape mode.
See at Amazon
MoKo Universal Waterproof Case
Just because you didn’t buy the latest water resistant flagship doesn’t mean that you can’t take the smartphone you currently have into the water.
Grab a universal waterproof case from MoKo for your Honor 8 so that you can take it out on a paddleboard with nary a worry. These water resistant pouches let you use your phone regardless of water splashing everywhere. This affordable pouch is a guarantee against the elements of the beach, though you should avoid dunk the Honor 8 in its entirety.
See at Amazon
State your case
Are you using one of our recommended cases for your Honor 8? Tell us how you like it. Or, if you’re aching to tell us about another case you’ve found outstanding, shout it out in the comments below!
Honor 8
- Honor 8 review
- Honor 8 specs
- Pre-order the Honor 8
- 5 things to know about the Honor 8 in Europe
- All the Honor 8 news
- Join the discussion in the forums
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Huawei’s best mid-range phone is coming to Canada in October
The Huawei Nova series is an interesting product line. Half flagship, half midrange, it embodies the shifting nature of the Android market away from expensive, highly-subsidized phones.
After debuting at IFA earlier this month, the Nova and its larger Nova Plus counterpart is coming to Europe in early October, and now we’re learning that the larger model will come to Canada, too.
Huawei Canada has announced that the 5.5-inch Nova Plus will arrive in Canada on October 18, going on sale at Rogers, Fido, and Virgin Mobile for an undisclosed price. The phone, which features a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3GB of RAM, a 16MP rear camera sensor with OIS, and a large 3,340mAh battery, retails for €429 across the pond, so you can expect a similar price in Canadian dollars when it arrives later next month.
More: Huawei Nova & Nova Plus review
I admit to being pretty excited to see more higher-quality Huawei devices in Canada after the awful GR5, which was a rebranded Honor 5X. Based on Alex’s review, it seems that the hardware is pretty solid, and the only imcumbrance is the EMUI 4.1 software, which while based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, purposefully branches away from several elements of Android so compelling.
Are you interested in the Huawei Nova Plus? Let us know in the comments!
Spigen Style Ring Review: The ultimate phone accessory
Spigen’s Style Ring is a multipurpose minimalist phone accessory you may just fall in love with.
So many smartphone accessories claim themselves to be a must-have accessory, but rarely do they actually live up to the advertised hype. More often than not, they end up in some drawer after a month or two for one reason or another — you’ve upgraded to a new phone that’s not compatible with it, or you just got bored with using it.
The Spigen Style Ring may just be able to buck that trend. By incorporating so many handy features into one universal smartphone accessory, it basically become more and more essential the longer you use it.
And if you’re also among the millions of folks swept up in Pokémon Go mania, you’ve spent countless hours running through your city trying to catch ’em all. During our own hunting adventures, we’ve come to realize the Style Ring is also the perfect Pokémon Go accessory.
No more death-gripping your phone
If you’ve own a smartphone for long enough, drop damage is inevitable. If you’re lucky, it falls the “right way” and doesn’t cause any permanent scuffs or cracks. With the Style Ring, you get an added layer of security when your phone is in hand. Slip your finger in the ring and you really don’t have to worry about dropping your phone.
For Pokémon, the idea of not having to death grip your phone as you weave your way down streets and through parks tracking an elusive Pokémon is pretty novel. The Style Ring gives you the confidence and freedom to take off running when you hear someone yell about a wild Vaporeon — without ever having to worry about dropping your phone.
Perfectly car compatible
Another simple accessory included with every Style Ring is the Hook Mount, a little rubberized-plastic nub with mounting tape on the back. Wipe down a spot on your car’s dashboard, adhere the Hook Mount, and you just installed one of the most minimalist car mounts for your phone on the market.
To mount your phone, you simply extend the ring, hook it on the mount, and push until you feel it pop into place. BAM! Your phone is secure and accessible to you as you drive. Perfect for controlling your music on the go, following along with turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps, or a quick swipe if you’re near a PokéStop at a red light.
For Pokémon players who love to play while being driven around, the Style Ring lets you confidently lean out the window like a dog and really stretch your phone to get into range of distant PokéStop. As long as you’ve got the Style Ring on your finger, your phone is secure. We’re definitely not recommending such behavior, we’ve just seen people doing it and it’s only a matter of time before someone’s phone slips and shatters on the pavement below.
Also works great on bike
If you’re more of a Pokémon purist, maybe you prefer to bike around as you hatch and catch. With the Style Ring, you’re able to maintain much better control of your bike while still managing to keep your phone literally on hand. This allows you to conveniently swipe PokéStops as you bike past, or pop off your bike at a moment’s notice when you feel that vibration informing you a Pokémon is around.
This goes without saying, but as the game warns on load up, always be careful and alert when you’re out and about. Heed the words of Professor Oak who frequently scolded you — there are time and places where you simply shouldn’t be on your bike. Be considerate to your fellow trainers!
Better range for one-handed Pokéball throws
So we’ve talked about how the Style Ring can help you keep a better grip on your phone, but let’s talk about how the Style Ring might help with some Pokémon Go fundamentals: catching Pokémon!
Spigen highlights how the Style Ring grants you a wider reach across larger smartphones. This added range will give you more control over your Poké Ball throws.
Once you’re on that XP grind to to level up your trainer, every little addition helps. That means maximizing every Pokémon catch with a throw bonus. One of the coolest (and often frustrating) techniques is the curveball throw. It nets you an extra 10 XP, which should become automatic when you get the curveball down pat.
If you need to work on your curveball throws, we’ve got a guide for that!
And it’s got other uses beyond Pokémon Go, too
On top of everything previously mentioned, the Style Ring also doubles as a kickstand, which is awesome. With the ability to tilt and swivel the ring 180 and 360 degrees respectively, you have the freedom to set up your phone any which way you want. Prop it up in portrait orientation on your work desk, or flip it to landscape for watching YouTube videos or Netflix.
There are many other clever uses for the Style Ring — you just need to use your imagination. Mobile Nation’s own Kevin Michaluk is a huge fan of the Style Ring. On top of all the awesome functionality of the Style Ring mentioned above, he enjoys using it as a spin-the-phone game for determining who’s going to pick up the cheque when out for dinner with friends.
Because of how the Style Ring secures to the back of your phone, removing it does takes some elbow grease. Best practise is to wedge something thin such as a guitar pick under a corner then slowly peel it back. But you can swap the Style Ring to another phone, which is great. Take care of your Style Ring and it may just outlive your device.
Oh, and if you’re wondering, it doesn’t quite work as a beer bottle opener. We tried.
Get it to match your phone
Spigen offers the Style Ring in five familiar colors — Space grey, Champagne Gold, Black, and White — so you should be able to find the right color to match your phone.
If only they came in Valor red, Mystic blue and Instinct yellow. (Psst! Spigen, you listening?)
An essential accessory, for average phone user, or the ultimate Pokémon Go fan!
See at Amazon
Go Time! Episode 10: The big repeat
Episode 10 of Go Time! has arrived!
In Episode ten of Go Time Jen, Russell and Thom are here to rep their respective teams.
This week, the awesome Thom Obarski joins to represent Team Mystic. The group chats about Pokémon buddies, Pikachu’s easter eggs, and the Pokémon that Thom is used to seeing. But what they really wanted to talk about is how they would play the game differently if they were to start over today. Plus, the best strategies, and how newer players might have a leg up as they make the climb to level 20.
Join us weekly for the awesomeness of Pokémon Go!
- Google Play
- Soundcloud
- iTunes
- Or add us to your podcatcher of choice!
You can also join our Facebook page to keep up on all things Pokémon Go. See you in the world!
Pokémon Go
- Join our Pokémon Go forums!
- How to deal with GPS errors in-game
- Which team should you choose?
- How to play without killing your battery
- The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
- Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!
ABC signs Facebook deal to livestream 2016 presidential debates
When ABC started experimenting with online streaming of the Democratic and Republican national conventions on Facebook this summer, they got a whopping 28 million video views. Whether that was an influx of cord-cutters or just a hungry public that does more browsing than TV watching, the success was proof enough for the network to go bigger for the next phase in the election. They will broadcast the presidential debates on Facebook Live advertisement-free, beginning with the first one on September 26th.
As we pointed out when ABC partnered with Facebook for the conventions, creating material specifically for an online audience is a huge step up from rehashing TV coverage. On the days of, network anchor commentary will precede and follow the 90-minute main events. ABC will fill up its Facebook page with supplementary coverage, including on-the-ground reporting in the debates’ host cities. Just like they did at the DNC and RNC, they will will incorporate viewer questions and discussions into their commentary.
Source: Variety
Tweetbot for Mac Updated With Support for macOS Sierra and Extended Tweets
Following the release of macOS Sierra moments ago, Tweetbot for Mac has been updated with support for the latest operating system. The update also includes support for extended tweets, uploading videos up to 140 seconds long to Twitter, and better media previews for search results.
In terms of extended tweets, Twitter no longer counts photos, videos, GIFs, polls, and quote tweets towards its 140-character limit. Previously, media content took up approximately 24 of the 140 available characters, and older versions of Tweetbot still enforce the 140 character limit accordingly.
Tweetbot for Mac version 2.4.2 is available now as a free update [Direct Link] for existing users on the Mac App Store. The app initially costs $9.99.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
Tags: Tweetbot, Tweetbot for Mac
Discuss this article in our forums
macOS Sierra: How to Use Apple Pay on the Web
macOS Sierra and iOS 10 both include a new Continuity feature that allows Apple Pay to be used to make purchases on the web using Safari, giving Apple users an alternative to other web-based payment services like PayPal.
On Macs, Apple Pay for the web requires an iPhone with Touch ID and Apple Pay support or an Apple Watch, as payments are authenticated through the phone or watch. Apple Pay on the web requires merchants to adopt Apple Pay, so it isn’t yet available everywhere, but support has started rolling out.
Sites like Time Inc., Wayfair, and Apple’s own online Apple Store have started accepting Apple Pay, and payment processors like Stripe, Big Commerce, Shopify, and Squarespace all offer support, so it may be almost everywhere in just a couple of months.
Here’s how it works:
Visit a website that supports Apple Pay on the web, like Apple.com. I’ll be using Apple’s online store as an example.
Choose a product you want to purchase and click “Add to Bag.”
On Apple’s site, you’re automatically taken to the cart, where “Check out with Apple Pay” is an option. Choose it.
At the next checkout screen, choose delivery options and then click on the Apple Pay button.
If you’re wearing an authenticated Apple Watch, you’ll be asked to verify the payment with the watch. Double tap on the side button (watchOS 3) to confirm and make the purchase.
With no Apple Watch, a confirmation screen will pop up on a connected iPhone, locked or unlocked. It requires a fingerprint to be placed on the Touch ID home button to confirm the payment.
Once the payment is confirmed on the Apple Watch or the iPhone, that’s it. The purchase is made and on its way.When checking out on the web, all payment and shipping information is entered automatically, so you don’t need to do anything but tap the confirm button to pay. It’s quick, simple, fast, and safe. There is, however, a popup that will let you select the card you want to use, choose the shipping address, and more, if you need to make alterations.
Apple Pay on the web is a Continuity feature so it requires a Mac with Bluetooth 4.0 support. It is compatible with the following machines running macOS Sierra:
– MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)
– MacBook Pro (2012 or newer)
– MacBook Air (2012 or newer)
– Mac mini (2012 or newer)
– iMac (2012 or newer)
– Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Apple Pay also requires an iPhone 6 or later running iOS 10 or an Apple Watch with watchOS 3, and it only works with the Safari browser. Apple Pay on the web is also available on iOS devices and will be available as long as one card has been added to the Wallet app on the iPhone.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
Discuss this article in our forums
iWork Apps for macOS Sierra Updated With Real-Time Collaboration
With the release of macOS Sierra today, Apple also updated its line of iWork apps, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. The new update for each app introduces the same real-time collaboration feature, in beta form, brought to the iOS versions of each app last week.
Using real-time collaboration, users are able to edit one document in any iWork app simultaneously, no matter if they’re using a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com. Within Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, live updates of each user’s cursor and a list of document editors keep everyone up-to-date on the progress of any document, spreadsheet, or presentation.
What’s New in Version 6.0
– Real-time collaboration (feature in beta)
– Edit a document with others at the same time in Pages on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iCloud.com
– Share your document publicly or with specific people
– See who else is in a document
– See participants’ cursors as they’re editing– Open and edit Pages ’05 documents
– Use tabs to work with multiple documents in one window
– Wide color gamut image support
In Keynote, there’s a new “Keynote Live” feature that lets users present a slideshow that anyone can follow from a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iCloud.com. Pages and Keynote also both feature support for opening and editing Pages and Keynote ’05 documents.
Apple’s line of iWork apps are free to users who have recently purchased a new Mac or iOS device. Otherwise, each iWork app for Mac is available for $19.99 while each iWork app for iOS is available for $9.99.
Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
Tag: iWork
Discuss this article in our forums
MacOS Sierra is finally out: Here’s how to download it now
Apple on Tuesday released MacOS Sierra to the public.
The latest, major version of Apple’s desktop operating system follows eight public betas and the golden master version that launched earlier this month for testers. It includes not only new features but also a new name that brings it in line with Apple’s other operating systems: iOS, WatchOS, and tvOS. Here’s everything you need to know about the update, including how to get it now.
- Apple will release MacOS Sierra update for Macs on 20 September
MacOS Sierra: How do you download it?
You can download MacOS Sierra directly from the Mac App Store by following this link. Alternatively, Apple should begin offering it through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store starting 20 September.
MacOS Sierra: Which Macs are compatible?
You can download MacOS Sierra on any of the following machines:
- MacBook from 2009 or later
- iMac from 2009 or later
- MacBook Air from 2010 or later
- MacBook Pro from 2010 or later
- Mac Mini from 2010 or later
- Mac Pro from 2010 or later
Note: You need to be running at least OS X 10.7.5 (Lion) on your Mac. You must also have at least 8.8GB of free drive space.
MacOS Sierra: How much does it cost?
Like OS X Yosemite (10.10), OS X El Capitan (10.11), and other major releases before it, MacOS Sierra is being offered as a free update.
MacOS Sierra: Should you upgrade?
MacOS Sierra has technically been available since the public beta opened in early July, so there is a wealth of information available about the features it brings, including better integration with the iPhone and Apple Watch, an improved user experience, Siri to the Mac, new Continuity features, a “Universal Clipboard” option, more iCloud integration, deep learning algorithms in Photos, and more.
You can learn all about MacOS Sierra from here:
- Apple MacOS Sierra: New features and everything else you need to know
MacOS Sierra: Do you need to backup your Mac?
Yes. Operating system upgrades aren’t trivial, and sometimes things can go wrong, meaning you could lose all your precious data, photos, and files. On a Mac, you can back up to Time Machine, a cloud backup service like Carbonite or Crashplan, or an external drive. Apple has a help center with more details including step-by-step guides on how to backup your Mac using either option.
Want to know more?
More information on MacOS Sierra can be found in our MacOS Sierra hub.
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