How to play Google Cardboard games in Daydream

How do I enjoy Cardboard apps on Daydream?

When it comes to phone based VR, Google has now delivered two awesome ways to experience things with Google Cardboard, and the new Google Daydream. If you’ve been enjoying Daydream, you might be wondering if there is a way to enjoy your favorite Cardboard experiences with the new Daydream View. Have no fear, it’s quite easy to play your old favorites, and we’ve got all the details for you here!

Read more at VR Heads!

Best Android racing games

Speed your way past the competition in these outstanding racers for Android!

We’ve rounded up the best racing games to be found in the Google Play Store. With so many options to choose from, we’ve compiled a list that covers a whole slew of sub-genres — from stylized arcade racing to highly realistic racing sims — so no matter your preference, you should find an outstanding game that’s right for you. Let’s hit the road!

• Riptide GP: Renegade
• Asphalt 8: Airborne
• Beach Buggy Blitz
• Horizon Chase: World Tour
• Red Bull Air Race The Game
• Repulze
• Thumb Drift
• Real Racing 3
• Fast & Furious Legacy
• Death Rally
• CSR Racing

Riptide GP: Renegade

Riptide GP: Renegade is the latest and greatest in futuristic jet ski racing franchise on Android. Harkening back to memories of games like Jet Moto or Wave Race 64, Riptide GP: Renegade features a story-driven career mode alongside options to run a quick race or battle against online opponents. The graphics are top notch, with water and motion blur effects really giving the game a good sense of speed. It uses tilt-steering to control your hydrojet, which is less than ideal, but Bluetooth gamepads are also supported and make things smoother. Speaking of controls, one key aspect of the game is pulling off insane stunts, which are easy to do with quick swipes. There’s plenty to unlock and upgrade as you play through the career mode, and the AI is top notch, providing a real challenge compared to other racing games for Android. You’ll need a pretty good phone to handle the graphics and gameplay, and also plays great on the NVIDIA Shield tablet and Android TV box.

If you’re looking for some tips before diving in, check our our Beginner’s Guide for Riptide GP: Renegade.

DOWNLOAD: Riptide GP: Renegade ($2.99)

Asphalt 8: Airborne



Asphalt 8: Airborne is our favorite racing game on mobile right now. It skips all pretensions of realism and provides an over-the-top, high-octane game with all the fixings. Players can work (or pay) their way through the career mode, unlock new rides, upgrade the ones they have, or take the competition online in staggered or live multiplayer. The usual race modes are there, plus a new ‘Infected’ one where players have to tag other racers before succumbing to an explosive virus.

The incredibly polished graphics and outstanding soundtrack make Asphalt 8 an adrenaline trip you won’t soon forget.

DOWNLOAD: Asphalt 8: Airborne (Free)

Beach Buggy Blitz



Beach Buggy Blitz is a fun, easy-going racing game where players cruise along the coast of a tropical beach, trying to hit progressive checkpoints before the timer runs out. Gathering coins along the way helps fund your buggy upgrades, but make sure to avoid the various huts, animals, and fellow racers strewn about the course — impacts will slow you down. The graphics are colorful and smooth, including some nice water, dust, and lighting effects.

Hop into Beach Buggy Blitz if you’re looking for something light and kid-friendly.

DOWNLOAD: Beach Buggy Blitz (Free)

Horizon Chase – World Tour

Horizon Chase is a fun retro-style racer with gameplay reminiscent of the of the classic 80s arcade racer Pole Position. Featuring bright and colorful retro graphics over 70 tracks spanning 32 cities, there’s plenty of fun to be had here. You start each race from the back of a 20 car pack, and must weave your way past your opponents to take the crown. Keep winning to upgrade and unlock up 16 available cars.

You get to play the San Francisco tracks but then must pay to unlock the full game. Given how beautiful and fun this game is, we bet you will.

DOWNLOAD: Horizon Chase: World Tour (Free, $0.99 to unlock full game)

Red Bull Air Race The Game

Red Bull Air Race is a faithful mobile version of the real-life air races that Red Bull holds around the world. Jump behind the controls of your very own plane as you start down your career path to becoming a Master Class pilot. Courses are based on their real-life counterparts, and span the globe.

Whether you’re a fan of the race series, or just want to live the dream of being a pilot, this game is legit.

DOWNLOAD: Red Bull Air Race The Game (Free)

Repulze

Repulze is proof that not all great racing games require wheels. If you’re a fan of the F-Zero or Wipeout franchises, you’ll love Repulze. Race through 24 winding, gravity-defying tracks in experimental hovercrafts. Another thing that sets Repulze apart from other games is the way you collect turbo boosts. Based on your craft’s polarity, you either aim to go through green or red gates, which unlock boosts. And the whole game is wrapped up in an overarching storyline about the evil corporation controlling everything from the shadows.

Repulze is a fantastic, futuristic racer that’s definitely worth the $0.99 price tag.

DOWNLOAD: Repulze ($0.99)

Thumb Drift – Furious Racing

Want to race, but only have one hand free? Thumb Drift is the perfect game for you! Featuring charming graphics and a simple premise, your goal is to drift sideways through four increasingly challenging courses. With over 70 cars to buy via in-app purchases, or unlock randomly using coins collected on the track, there’s hours of mindless fun to be had here.

Thumb Drift is the casual, endless racer you’ve been waiting for.

DOWNLOAD: Thumb Drift (free)

Real Racing 3




Real Racing 3 is bound to keep gearheads entertained. It puts real brand-name cars on real-world tracks – hence the name. It features an interesting asynchronous multiplayer system whereby lap times are recorded from your friends, and you race against a bot that’s driving at that time. Of course you can bump them out and affect their track time, and there’s a single-player career worth playing through too. Over time, players earn new cars and can upgrade various mechanical bits with their winnings, but make sure you take it easy on your car — you’ll have to keep your ride in good condition to avoid repair costs.

Real Racing 3 is absolutely gorgeous, and the white-knuckled racing action will keep you coming back for more.

DOWNLOAD: Real Racing 3 (Free)

Fast & Furious Legacy

Fast & Furious Legacy is a racing game based on the popular action movies. The game features a good mix of different races and missions. Hit the nitro and blast past your opponents in street races, drag races, drift races. Winnings are spent on upgrading rides to take on bigger and badder challenges as you progress through the story mode, featuring all your favorite characters from the film franchise.

Fast & Furious Legacy offers bite-sized racing with varied gameplay and beautiful graphics.

DOWNLOAD: Fast & Furious Legacy (Free)

Death Rally

Death Rally is a gritty, combat-heavy top-down racing title. Players deck out their ride with all manner of Mad Max-style weaponry and eliminate competitors in races and straight-up death matches. Weapon parts litter every battlefield, as well as cash bonuses and nitro speed boosts. The nice thing about Death Rally is that even if you don’t place first in a race, you can still walk away with a fair bit of cash just from blowing up opponents.

Death Rally is a great title for those looking to unload a bit of road rage.



DOWNLOAD: Death Rally (Free)

CSR Racing



CSR Racing is a clean-cut drag racing game. Players needn’t worry about steering — all you have to do is perfectly time your gear changes. Indicators tell when to make your next shift, and assuming your timing is up to snuff and your ride is amply upgraded, you should pull across the finish line before your opponent, and earn some winnings. Premium currency can be used to buy high-end cars, while the standard currency can be used to buy the others, as well as upgrade specific parts such as the gear box, engine, intake, and body.



CSR Racing boils down the racing experience to pure twitch reflexes.

DOWNLOAD: CSR Racing (Free)

This article was originally published in June 2016. It was updated in November 2016 with Riptide GP: Renegade added.

You can grab a $94 discount on the ASUS OnHub router today!

Grab one before the great rebranding!

Google’s efforts in connecting your home have been going a little slower than many had hoped. Announcements for Weave, Brillo, and OnHub made it seem like Google was ready to tie your home together in short order and have you ready to connect your home to your phone, but reality hasn’t quite caught up yet. We’re now seeing Google transition from OnHub to Google WiFi, with some new hardware to allow for mesh networking if you need it.

That doesn’t mean your existing OnHub router isn’t any good, in fact they will work great with the new Google WiFi expanders. Which also means you can get started connecting your home Google WiFi style right now with some seriously discounted OnHub equipment and be happier in the long run.

While the TP-Link OnHub router is a little more difficult to get on a great deal, the ASUS OnHub router is ready to be delivered to your home for $94 off the original price. That means you can get started with Google WiFi for less than the cost of one of the new single white pucks, and expand as necessary. Plus, when Google finally figures out how the rest of their connected home strategy is actually going to work, OnHub will be there to receive an update.

See on Amazon

Amex Pay launches for American Express cardholders in Canada

Amex cardmembers in Canada can try out Amex Pay on their NFC-enabled Android devices.

American Express is giving Canadian cardmembers a new way to pay, launching Amex Pay as a new feature built into the pre-existing Amex CA app for Android. Amex Pay will work for any Amex cardmember with Consumer, Small Business, or Corporate Cards issued by Amex Bank of Canada, and an NFC-enabled Android phone with the Amex app installed.

You’re able to activate up to six cards on one device, but cards can only be activated for Amex Pay on one device at a time. When you add a card to the app, it creates a Device Card Number — a unique code that pairs your card to your device. If at any point you get a new phone, you must deactivate your cards on your old device before adding them to the new phone. If you happen to lose your Amex card, you can continue to use Amex Pay on your phone as you do while waiting for the replacement card to arrive. Your replacement card will automatically remain linked to your device thanks to the Device Card Number.

There are some caveats, however. Prepaid cards and products (such as the American Express Gift Card) as well as Corporate Purchasing Cards, Global Dollar Cards and Corporate Meeting Cards are not eligible for Amex Pay, and if your phone loses it’s connection to the Internet, you are only permitted to make five transactions or authorizations before you are required to reconnect.

If you’re an Amex cardholder in Canada and you haven’t yet checked out the Amex app, now is as good a time as ever. You’ll also get the benefit to manage your accounts with customizable features such as payment due and statement ready alerts, view PDF statements and pending transactions, as well as redeem your rewards points for eligible travel and everyday purchases charged to the card.

Learn more about the American Express mobile app

YouTube enables 4K live video streaming for all

Quadruple the resolution for your streaming needs.

Though you’ve been able to upload (and of course watch) 4K resolution video on YouTube for years now, the world’s most popular video hosting service is now enabling live streaming in the new higher resolution, including 360-degree videos. From the viewer’s perspective nothing will change, aside from the fact that live videos will now have the same option to bump up to 4K resolution as when you’re watching a recorded video. The change here is really for content creators who are ready to make the jump up to 4K.

Just like when YouTube enabled 4K uploads back in 2010, enabling 4K streaming is a bit ahead of its time considering how much extra hardware and bandwidth are required to consistently stream at that rate. YouTube’s help docs lay things out, but it basically comes down to having four to five times the bandwidth available to consistently stream in 4K.

If you’re using the basic “stream now” interface inside YouTube, the bitrate will automatically be selected based on your encoder settings and give you the highest possible resolution. At this time there’s no option to optimize for lower latency, as the site will instead optimize for the least amount of buffering on the viewer’s end. YouTube has still yet to launch its mobile live streaming feature to everyone — despite announcing it back in June — so we’ll have to wait for that to launch and see if it too supports 4K live as well.

To show off the new higher-resolution streaming tech, you’ll be able to watch The Game Awards tomorrow (6 p.m. ET) streaming in 4K directly in YouTube.

Google’s latest Santa Tracker arrives with new game and visual redesign

Get in the spirit of the season.

Google’s yearly refresh of its Santa Tracker always brings some new fun and a fresh take on the Santa story, and the 2016 iteration is now available in Google Play and on the web. As always, the Santa Tracker app and website bring tons of interactive activities and games to help kids pass the time while waiting for Santa to arrive.

Alongside a full slate of simple and fun games in the app, there’s a new game called Present Quest that actually tasks you with walking around in your city to collect virtual presents and drop them off places. Santa’s Village has been redesigned and upgraded in both the app and web as well, and if you head to the website on your computer you’ll have a different set of browser games available.

The new app and website are full of good fun time killers for kids and adults alike, even if you don’t want to get up and walk around in the cold for a high score in Present Quest. Download the Santa Tracker today, and maybe you’ll enjoy playing some games whne you’re with the family this holiday season and even throw up the complete Santa Tracker experience on your Chromecast when we hit December 24.

A first look at Nike’s self-lacing HyperAdapt sneakers

More than eight months after introducing the HyperAdapt 1.0, Nike is finally making its highly anticipated self-lacing shoes available to the public. The sneaker costs a whopping $720 and is pitched as the consumer version of Nike’s 2016 Mag, the model inspired by the film Back to the Future Part II. Obviously, what makes them both stand out are their power laces, because who can resist not having to tie their own shoes? I tried on the HyperAdapts at a private event in New York City and, despite wearing the limited edition Mags before, I couldn’t help but feel tickled when I first put on the new pair.

Since self-lacing sneakers are still a rarity, it’s hard not to be instantly impressed. At first I was touching the shoes gently, trying not to break anything as I slid my feet into the shoes, but I was soon told I didn’t have to treat them any different than my traditional kicks. Tiffany Beers, senior innovator and engineer at Nike, says HyperAdapt 1.0 was designed to be a full-on performance shoe and not simply a collector’s item. What makes everything tick here is a system dubbed E.A.R.L, short for Electro Adaptive Reactive Lacing, which activates itself as soon as your heel hits the insole.

If you need to adjust the laces, there are two buttons on the shoe’s upper, one for tightness and the other for looseness. I found the auto levels to be comfortable every time I put the HyperAdapts on, but that may vary depending on the shape of your foot. Either way, Nike says E.A.R.L is smart enough to know the amount of tightness it should provide when you lace up for the first time. The E.A.R.L mechanism makes a loud sound when triggered, but it’s oddly satisfying to hear. It all feels reminiscent of that scene in BTTF Part II when Marty McFly says “power laces, all right.”

As you would hope, the HyperAdapts are comfortable during wear and true to size. So, if like me you wear a 10.5, there’s no need to go up or down from your preferred fit. They’re shaped similar to other performance shoes, meaning they won’t feel much different than what you’re used to walking or running in already. The power laces are what make it a low-top on steroids, though.

You’ll also notice that blue block on the bottom of the HyperAdapt. That’s used to indicate how much power you have on your shoe; a blue light means you’re charged up, yellow is halfway and red signals that you’re running low. To charge it, you use a white magnetic puck that’s included in the box. Nike says the sneaker can last up to two weeks on a full battery, though that could be longer if you don’t activate the power laces too often. Beers, for example, claims she’s worn them for 8 to 10 weeks with a single charge. There are LEDs on the back too, which light up everytime E.A.R.L is doing its job.

Unfortunately, getting the HyperAdapt 1.0 isn’t as easy as walking into a Nike store and purchasing a pair, at least not right now. While they’re definitely not as rare as the 2016 Mag (89 pairs), the sportswear giant is only giving a “small group” of Nike+ app users the chance to buy them. That said, Nike says a wider release is expected later in December, along with a new silver color — there’s also a white one available, but that’s limited to athletes and celebrities who are part of the Nike family.

We’ll have more on the HyperAdapt 1.0 in the coming weeks. For now, you need to ask yourself whether you’re willing to pay $720 to own a piece of the future of footwear.

A video posted by Edgar Alvarez (@edgaralvarezb) on Nov 30, 2016 at 7:55am PST

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: What’s the difference?

Sky Q has been around for just over a year and has been the undisputed king of paid TV in all that time. Now a new kid is on the block, hoping to steal that crown.

Virgin TV is the collective name for a new family of devices and services from Virgin Media, and the Virgin TV V6 box, powered by TiVo, is aimed squarely at the Sky Q 2TB box as a flagship device.

Hopefully, we can help you make a decision between the two by looking at their features and individual benefits.

• What is Virgin TV? Everything you need to know about Virgin Media’s Virgin TV V6 box, TellyTablet and more
• What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Design

There’s no doubt that the Sky Q system is designed superbly, with sleek lines and slim form factors across the 2TB and 1TB main devices, plus the Sky Q Mini boxes. We also love the way the Q on the front of the main box lights up when it’s playing recordings.

The Virgin TV V6 box actually has a smaller footprint though. It looks chunkier, is taller and, let’s face it, is no looker, but is more the size of a Sky Q Mini box than the main Sky Q devices. Considering there are multiple tuners inside and a hard drive, that’s quite a feat.

So although it’s not as pretty as the Sky Q boxes, it’s arguably easier to tuck away in a cabinet, so it’s really horses for courses and which option you prefer.

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Specifications

We don’t have the full spec for the Virgin TV V6 box yet, but there are several key tech points that have been revealed.

TV tuners

One of Virgin Media’s big selling points for its new TV box is that it has enough TV tuners to record six shows at once, while you either watch a recording or watch something on a streaming service. We’re not sure how many tuners exactly, but that suggests at least six.

The Sky Q devices also have multiple tuners – with the 2TB box having 12 TV tuners and the 1TB model having eight. Not all of the tuners are available for recordings though, with some used for Sky Q Mini viewing and other features. At present, the Sky Q 2TB box is capable of recording four channels while watching a fifth, while the 1TB box can record three while watching a fourth.

Sky has told Pocket-lint that, after a soon-to-be-released update, the 2TB box will be capable of recording up to six shows at once, just like Virgin TV V6.

Storage

In terms of storage, Sky has a clear advantage on a box versus box basis. At 2TB, the top-end Sky Q box has double the storage of the V6 box. However, you can daisy chain V6 boxes to increase the amount of storage for recordings, as you can read in the multiroom section below.

4K HDR output

The Virgin TV V6 box does have an advantage over its rival in video output. Thanks to the benefit of hindsight and by being a year behind its rival, the V6 box has HDR compatibility. The Sky Q 2TB box is 4K ready but does not output high dynamic range images. The Virgin Media device is able to do so, although there’s no broadcast content in that form as yet.

It will, instead, be updating the Netflix and YouTube streaming apps to be compatible with HDR in the future.

This all suggests that while Sky Q 2TB box has a HDMI 1.4b output, the V6 box has a HDMI 2.0 to cope with HDR. That’s unconfirmed but would make sense.

The Sky Q 1TB box is not capable of outputting 4K video.

Of course, Sky wins in terms of 4K television content, with many films and live sporting events being available to view in 4K right now on the 2TB model. At present, the V6 box has to rely on Netflix shows and YouTube for its 4K video.

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Additional features

Both the V6 box and Sky Q come with wireless remote controls that you don’t have to point at the box to change channels. Virgin TV’s uses RF technology, Sky Q uses Bluetooth.

The biggest difference between them is that Sky Q’s is touch-enabled, so you can fast forward, pause, rewind and perform many other other functions just by the swipe of a finger. There is a more traditional style remote for users who don’t like touch, but it’s great to get the option.

The V6 remote does share one neat trick with its Sky equivalent: if you can’t find either, you can tap a button on the respective set-top-box and they’ll beep to help you locate them. For the Sky Q remote, you need to tap the Q button on the front of the box.

Both boxes are fast in operation and offer catch up and on demand services through the user interface, with all the major broadcaster content available. Virgin TV also gives you the option of scrolling backwards through the electronic programme guide and catching up with shows listed there.

The V6 box also has several apps installed, including Netflix, YouTube and Vevo, so you can access content from those. Sky Q doesn’t have Netflix, but it does have a very clever trick of its own: you can stream music from a phone or tablet to any of the boxes, through AirPlay or Bluetooth. That includes Spotify.

Sky

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Multiroom

Sky Q’s multiroom offering has been a massive selling point in the last year. Get a main Sky Q box and you can have other Sky Q Mini boxes dotted around the house. You can then stream live TV, watch recordings or on demand content on any of the boxes. You can even pause live TV in one room and pick it up in another. It’s what Sky calls “Fluid Viewing”.

If you have the Sky Q 2TB box you can stream to two Sky Q Mini boxes at the same time. If you have the 1TB box, you can stream to just one at a time. You can also stream to a tablet or phone, with the 2TB box again capable of streaming to two at a time, the 1TB box just the one. Those are in addition to the Sky Q Mini boxes.

The Virgin TV V6 box also supports multiroom playback. However, it works with other V6 boxes or the existing Virgin Media TiVo boxes. You will be able to access recordings on the V6 box on another V6 box or TiVo box around the house. You can also pause, rewind and pick up live TV or on demand content on any of them. The Virgin TV Anywhere app acts similarly to the Sky Q app in that you can also watch your recordings, live TV or on demand content on smartphone or mobile.

Where the V6 box also differs is that you can have more than one V6 box in a household and utilise each box’s TV tuners and storage capacity. Two of them, for example, will together offer the ability to record up to 12 shows simultaneously on 2TB worth of storage. The way the system works is that both boxes show the same recorded content, no matter which it is stored on, so it seems as if it’s coming from one central place. Add another and, well, you get the idea.

The Sky Q Mini boxes do have an extra talent up their sleeve though. They can also act as Wi-Fi hotspots, and come with built-in powerline connectivity. The latter feature is important to maintain a stable internet connection – if the Wi-Fi signal drops for whatever reason, the Mini boxes will switch to powerline. Basically, they opt for the strongest signal at any given time.

This works no matter your broadband provider. But if you have Sky broadband and the Sky Q router, the Sky Q Mini boxes can also be used to improve the Wi-Fi throughout your home as each works as a Wi-Fi extender.

Virgin Media

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Accessories

As part of the Sky Q family, Sky has a Sky Q router as mentioned above. It also has the two remotes, one without touch which uses infra-red tech, one that’s Bluetooth. It also has the Sky Q Mini boxes, of course.

Virgin Media has headed in a surprising direction with its extra Virgin TV device though. With V6 and TiVo boxes acting as the receivers for multiroom, it doesn’t need an additional set-top-box. However, it has added a tablet device to its offering: the Virgin TV HD TellyTablet.

It’s a 14-inch Android tablet with a built-in kickstand that comes with the Virgin TV Anywhere app pre-loaded. That means you can take it from room to room, watching live shows, recordings, catch up and on demand programming wherever you like on Wi-Fi. It also works like a normal Android tablet, so you can install and play games and other streaming apps too.

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Apps

Sky Q customers gain access to the Sky Q app for iOS or Android. It apes the full Sky Q experience, with a similar menu design to the main box, and you can even download your recordings or other on demand content to take with you when you’re offline.

Virgin Media’s Virgin TV Anywhere app is a similar affair. It also gives access to live TV and on demand content, and will get the ability to download and watch recordings offline in the near future.

Both companies also have dedicated apps for children. Sky Kids is already available and offers specific channels and programming for younger viewers. Virgin TV Kids is coming in February 2017.

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Price and availability

With a year’s head start, Sky Q is already available and is very competitively priced. Regardless of which TV bundle you take – which starts at £20 per month – you can get a non-4K Sky Q 1TB box for a £15 installation fee. Alternatively, you can opt for the 2TB box, with the extra TV tuners and 4K Ultra HD output, for a £199 installation fee without Sky Multiscreen, £60 with.

Sky Q Multiscreen, which includes one Sky Q Mini box, costs an extra £12 per month. Additional Sky Q Mini boxes are £99 each.

For example, if you take the original bundle, which gives you access to around 270 channels, and Sky Multiscreen, you can get a 2TB box and Sky Q Mini for a £60 one-off installation fee and £32 per month thereafter.

A Virgin TV V6 box is available on a Virgin Media Mix TV bundle or above, which starts at £20 per month and carries a £14.99 activation fee. It includes access to more than 150 channels. The V6 box will cost a one-off £99.95 fee and new customers can get it from January 2017.

Existing customers can pre-register now and get their boxes in December. Those on Full House or VIP bundles can get it for a promotional fee of £49.95.

Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: Conclusion

To be honest, we couldn’t even really choose between them. They both have great merits and one or two unique features so it boils down to personal preference.

In addition, we haven’t yet tried the V6 box ourselves – we’ll be doing that very soon – so might have a different perspective after we have. On the face of it, Sky Q seems like a more elegant solution, with the Sky Q Mini boxes working seamlessly with the main unit. But we also like the idea of daisy chaining V6 boxes together to create more storage and recording capabilities.

If you have a 4K TV with apps like Netflix on it already, you might not care much about the 4K Netflix streaming on the Virgin TV V6 box and would prefer the 4K Ultra HD movies, shows and sports coverage on Sky Q instead. But then, you might want to future proof yourself for when HDR TV broadcasting is available.

One thing is for sure, whichever service you opt for, you are getting the very best TV tech available. You’ll never leave the house again.

Dr News: The one news app to replace them all?

Want an app that delivers the latest news, but in a way that you can customise?

Look no further than Dr News. After you download and open Dr News, you will be asked to select your edition (US/India/Globe). You will then be able to select categories that interest you, whether that be tech, sport, food, movies, etc. If you’re not sure what to choose, you can check out what’s hot around the web. Here’s everything you need to know about the app, including how much it costs and what it features.

What is Dr News?

Dr News is a news app that surfaces the “hottest stories” and “latest gossip”, and it lets you discover news from across the globe, including what’s going on with your favourite sports team, or anything else you could imagine. It’s packed with popular sources and trending content by the minute that spans international headlines and a range of topics that include gossip/rumors, automotive, sports, tech, food, games, and viral videos.

How much does Dr News cost?

Dr News is free to download. It’s described as a “free prescription for the content you love, delivered direct to you in an ultra-convenient format that you can read anywhere you like”.

What does Dr News feature?

Dr News puts all your news in one place.  It features tonnes of popular sources, such as Rolling Stone, TMZ.com, the Guardian, etc.

You can choose the news you want to see with just a few taps from different categories that include entertainment, sports, auto, games, etc. Feel free to explore new sources, and if you like what you see, you can subscribe with a simple tap! Dr News also supports offline reading. However, if your content is loading slowly on a clogged network, the app can still stay online and show you photos quickly or let you read without photos.

How does Dr News work?

• Menu bar: After you download and open Dr News, you’ll see a menu bar along the bottom of the app. It has tabs for Home, Subscribe, Photos, Videos, and Me. Home is your news feed. Subscribe is a screen for all the sources you’ve subscribed to in the past. Photo and Videos show you photo and video-related news. And Me is your profile screen for account management.
• News feed: After you download and open Dr News, you’ll see the news feed. It’s located under a navigation bar of categories, which can be found near the top of the screen. Tap the + icon in the navigation bar to add more categories to your news feed. Once you’re done customising the types of news you want to see, go back to the news feed and click any article to expand it in full.
• Reading modes You can choose between “smart mode” and “read smart” (yellow button in the bottom corner of articles) to toggle between how you like to read. These options are handy if you’re in an area with sparse coverage and don’t want to wait for pics to load.
• Offline mode: While on the news feed, tap the download button in the top corner to download your news for offline reading. You’ll be asked to choose which categories and articles you want to mark for offline reading.

Want to know more?

Check out the Dr News promo video above. Also, see the gallery for screenshots.

Apple adds (Product)Red Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones and Pill+ speakers to charity line

Apple supports the (Product)Red campaign all year round, but in honour of World AIDS Day will offer special editions of popular iOS apps on the App Store for the coming week. It has also announced four new (Product)Red products, including a couple of iPhone cases and Beats headphones and speakers.

A (Product)Red edition of the Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones are now available on the Apple Store, priced at £249.95. They have the same audio signature as the standard model, as reviewed here, but now come in the charity’s signature red.

Beats

Additionally, you can get a (Product)Red edition of the Beats Pill+ Bluetooth speaker. It too is like the traditionally coloured models and similarly costs £189, but money from each purchase goes to the (Red) charity.

Apple has also announced that until 6 December it will donate $1 for every purchase made using Apple Pay at an Apple Store or through its online retail site, up to $1 million. Bank of America will also make a donation for every Apple Pay transaction using its cards, again up to $1 million.

The 20 apps that will be (Product)Red themed for the period include Angry Birds 2, Best Fiends Forever, Boom Beach, Candy Crush Jelly Saga, Clash of Clans and Plants vs Zombies Heroes. They and others will include paid for exclusive content with proceeds going to (Red).

The Killers have also recorded a holiday album, Don’t Waste Your Wishes, which will be available exclusively through iTunes and 100 per cent of the proceeds will be donated.

There’s never been an easier time to do your bit.