Samsung brings Gear S3 features to last year’s Gear S2

The Gear S2 becomes a much better watch with the latest software update.

Samsung has rolled out an update to the Gear S2, bringing the smartwatch to parity on the software front with the newer Gear S3. Gear S2 owners will now be able to download Gear S3 watch faces via the Galaxy Apps store, as well as the new Reminders app and Alti-Barometer.

The rotating bezel on the Gear S2 has picked up more functionality, and can now be used to accept or reject calls, dismiss alarms, timers and alerts. Turn the bezel clockwise to accept a call or acknowledge an alert, and a counterclockwise alert dismisses the notification.

The Gear S2 now comes with a handwriting mode that lets transcribes characters drawn on the device in Korean, English or Chinese. There’s the option to choose from over 180 emoji, or dictate texts using voice input.

The update also adds several fitness-focused features that made their way to the Gear Fit 2 last month. S Health on the Gear S2 will be able to recognize more activities — running, walking, cycling, elliptical, and rowing-machine — automatically, and it will also start counting reps for repetitive exercies like squats, lunges, crunches and star jumps. The Auto Pause feature is also now available on the smartwatch, which pauses activity tracking when you take a break in the middle of your run or cycling session.

Other workout features include Pace Coaching, which lets you set an optimal pace for your jog or run. Samsung is introducing a Stretching Guide function into the Inactive Time Alert, with which the watch will suggest stretching exercises when it detects you’ve been inactive for an extended duration of time.

That’s not all in the update: you also get third-party widgets for apps like Uber, Yelp and USA Today, location-tracking support via Glympse, and access to more games. The comprehensive update definitely makes last year’s Gear S2 an enticing option if you’re in the market for a smartwatch. Available from Amazon for $299, it costs $50 less than the Gear S3 Classic, and at 42mm, it isn’t as unweildy.

Moto Z on Nougat: Life by a thousand improvements

Subtly better in so many different ways.

Depending on who you ask, modular phones are either the future or a hilariously failed experiment that encapsulates how many people feel about 2016 in general. Few people disagree, however, that of the modular phones we saw this year the Moto Z and Z Force were the best. Snapping on a bigger battery or a projector may not have been worth losing the headphone jack for some, and the Moto camera still lags a little behind the top phones of this year, but there’s still a lot to like here.

Despite some early concerns about security and software updates, the Droid Editions of Moto Z and Z Force have received the updated to Android 7.0 with the November 1 security update before most of the competition. As we’ve learned before, especially with Moto phones, being the first to an update does not always mean a great experience. Here’s what we’ve found after nearly two weeks with this big update.

Striking similarity

As is almost always the case with Moto phones, there’s no big visual changes in Android 7.0 on the Z. Moto software remains very Google-esque, and so what you get with Android 7.0 is quite similar to what you get with Google’s Pixel. Since Google is keeping some of Pixel’s features to itself right now, there’s no Assistant in the home button. Instead you get Screen Search, the new name for Google Now and Now on Tap. Which is cool, Assistant isn’t fully baked yet, anyway.

Nougat introduces a lot of small changes that you’re unlikely to notice right away unless you’ve already used a Google Pixel. Multi-window apps, double-tapping the app switch button to jump to the previous app, and in-line notification replies make a huge difference once you integrate them into your day-to-day usage. Nothing about these features stands out, and there’s no tutorial to introduce them, but figuring out how to use them based on your needs is a great experience.

Dropping the information density slider from Default to Small is a revelation on this phone, allowing for more content across the entire OS.

Where you will see the most visual changes is in the settings. Here you get Google’s new Suggestions system, which is unfortunately entirely focused on Google’s services. You’re prompted to enable “OK Google” for system-wide actions but no such suggestion exists for Moto Voice. Notification settings will appear in your suggestions, but so far none of those suggestions have been for tweaks to Moto Display. These aren’t huge deals, especially with Moto so prominently displayed both in the app drawer and the Settings page itself, but it’s clear Motorola either wasn’t able to or chose not to highlight Moto-specific features in settings suggestions.

If you aren’t a fan of the massive icons Moto uses in its app drawer, you’re going to love the 7.0 Display Size feature. Dropping that slider from Default to Small is a revelation on this phone, allowing for better information density and smaller everything across the entire OS. It’s a small feature, but so much more convenient than installing a third-party app to only tweak part of your interface to your needs.

Everything Moto on this phone still works the same as it did before, which is to be expected. Moto apps are updated through the Play Store, so when new features are available or settings are tweaked there doesn’t need to be a whole system update. We’ve already seen several small tweaks to Moto Camera and individual Moto Mods over the last couple of months, so the system update focuses on improving the system itself.

Unfortunately, what didn’t get fixed was the lower-than-usual notification tone bug that was introduced in a fairly recent security update. Notifications a still a little quieter than they should be as a result, and it’s unclear if or when this will be addressed.

None of this sounds particularly interesting, and that’s by design. The Moto UI was built to remain familiar to users through updates, and now shock anyone with new interfaces or multiple large changes to features. The really exciting stuff for Moto Z and Z Force users getting their update to Nougat is underneath, more so than just about any other phone.

Performance and Polish

The Moto Z never felt stuttery or sluggish to me, even after months of use, but on Nougat the phone absolutely screams. It’s as though every ounce of performance has been squeezed out of the Snapdragon 820 underneath this glass. Some of that is Nougat optimizations and what happens when you fully wipe a phone before installing a major system update, but everything from checking notifications to launching apps is not only faster but noticeably smoother. Nougat’s number one feature is polish, and that is plainly evident on the Moto Z. Folders don’t open with the same smooth instant snap you see on the Pixel, and the background is black instead of white, but it’s still a slick sensation to see your phone perform better and not just differently.

In many ways, Moto Z is the cure for folks who are frequently anxious about installing updates.

The solid integration is to be expected, and the performance boost is nice, but the added battery life is a real treat. A typical day with the Moto Z would leave me at 15% remaining at around the 14-hour mark, which meant it struggled to get me through a whole day. I regularly found myself either charging for a few minutes somewhere or leaving the house with one of those great battery Mods to make sure I wasn’t running out of power. Nougat’s Doze on the Go adds a little more than an hour to that battery life with my usage, which meant the phone would regularly get me through a day with 5-6% remaining. That’s cutting it a little close, but also means with a battery Mod attached I can just about get through a weekend without needing to charge.

Lenovo made the Moto Z and Z Force the first non-Pixel phones that are Daydream-certified, which means you can now use a Daydream View headset and enjoy higher quality VR than you’d normally get with Google Cardboard. Daydream View was built to handle a Z Force with a battery Mod onboard, which means the Moto Z phones can get you through a full binge-watch session in VR. This is great news for people who travel, or for folks who want to Daydream for a while without needing to recharge shortly after. Moto Z handles Daydream exactly the same as the Pixel in most situations, save for needing to slide the phone down a little so the NFC reader in the camera bump can grab the launch tag for VR.

Still Moto at heart

Nougat makes the Moto Z feel like a new phone without radically changing anything. What you get after this update is the best experience this hardware has to offer thanks to optimization, and not a new coat of paint. That doesn’t happen too often, especially with Android phones. In many ways, the Moto Z is the cure for folks who are frequently anxious about installing updates that change things for the sake of change. That may seem boring to folks who love the newest, shiniest thing, but for a lot of users stability is a feature and that’s what you get with this phone.

At the same time, this is still very much the Moto Z that slid out of the box five months ago. The camera is still not the best, the fingerprint sensor is middle-of-the-road, and these phones are still kind fairly pricey. The update to Nougat, the ability to use Daydream, and news that new Mods are on the way with new features are all fantastic, but Lenovo still has to convince people that modular phones are the future and continue to deliver on that vision.

Moto Z, Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play

• Our Moto Z review!
• Moto Z Play preview
• The Hasselblad True Zoom is a Mod to remember
• Moto Z specs
• Moto Mods custom backs
• The latest Moto Z news
• Discuss in our Moto Z forums

Motorola
Verizon

iMyfone Umate Pro: The secure way to erase phone data and free up space

When it’s time to move onto a new phone and sell your old one, you need to securely erase it.

If you don’t do that, your privacy is at risk of being invaded, as your emails, photos, and personal data can be retrieved by anyone with malicious intent. To stop that from happening, consider using iMyfone Umate Pro. It’s a software designed to erase data and free up space on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It currently has more than 2 million customers across 100 countries.

While Myfone Umate Pro not free to use, it does come with a free trial. Here’s what you need to know. 

iPhone Eraser & Cleaner: How does iMyfone Umate Pro work?

Say you decide you want to erase and clean your phone, iMyfone’s Umate Pro edition will scan your phone and take care of everything for you. Simply visit the software’s website to download it on your Windows or Mac machine. It costs $49.95 ($29.95 on sale), and there’s a free trial.

iMyfone

When you install the software, enter the activation code. You’ll then need to connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer with a cable, and open the program after installing it. You’ll see four options on the left side of the menu that appears: One-Click Free Up Space, Erase All Data, Erase Deleted Files, and Erase Private Data. Select the “Erase Private Data” option. From there, click scan to let the software analyze your iOS device.

When the scan is finished, it’ll list all your private data, which includes photos, messages, notes, etc. You can click any data to preview it, or you can click Erase Now to delete it permanently. You can also selectively delete certain files.

iMyfone

Now, if you’d like to erase deleted files or all data, simply click their respective options in the iMyfone software and follow the on-screen prompts. Erasing deleted files ensures that those select files are gone for good, while erasing all data does exactly what it sounds like.

There’s also the “One-Click Free Up Space” option, which provides you with an easy way to release space. It cleans up junk files, erases temporary files, compresses photos losslessly, deletes and backups large files, removes unusual apps, and can mass delete unwanted photos. Once the software has scanned your phone, it will show you what exactly can be deleted to make space.

No matter the option you choose, keep your iOS device connected with your computer and do not use the device during the whole process to ensure the program works. Also, remember to disable the “Find my iPhone” feature to completely erase your phone. You can do this by going into your iPhone settings (iCloud>Find My iPhone, then toggling it off).

Out of all these options, we found the “Erase Deleted Files” one took the longest – approximately 30 minutes. But, honestly, our privacy is of the most important things to us, so we don’t mind spending extra time to guard it.

How many iMyfone editions are available?

There are two main services that iMyfone offers: iPhone data recovery and iPhone erasing and cleaning. To try any of these services, there are eight different editions of iMyfone available to buy.

iMyfone

When it comes to iPhone erasing and cleaning, use the Umate Pro software, which is considered the complete solution for saving space and erasing data permanently on iOS devices, or you can get the Umate edition, which is offers a one-click approach to releasing storage space and boosting your iOS device. Then there’s the Umate Free, which is the most popular free cleaner software for removing junk from files.

As for iPhone data recovery, iMyfone offers the D-Back edition for retrieving deleted or lost contacts, messages, photos, notes, or more on iOS devices, and it offers the iOS System Recovery edition for fixing any kind of iOS system issues, such as an iOS device being stuck in recovery mode, DFU mode, black screen, Apple logo, white screen or looping start, etc – all without data loss.

iMyfone also offers three editions for recovering lost or deleted WhatsApp messages and attachments from iOS devices, lost or deleted Kik messages from iOS devices, and lost or deleted WeChat messages from iOS devices.

Visit iMyfone’s download center to test the free trials for all these editions.

Want to know more?

Check out iMyfone’s guide for Umate Pro for tech specs required.

Images of mid-range BlackBerry Mercury confirm QWERTY keyboard

BlackBerry’s new mid-range handset, currently called the Mercury, could be with us very soon. The phone passed through GeekBench back in October and now some real life images of the device have appeared on Chinese social site Weibo.

• BlackBerry Mercury mid-range phone appears on GeekBench

The leaked renders of the Mercury showed a QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry CEO John Chen had previously said the company was working on a new phone with a keyboard, and now we have our first glimpse at what it will actually look like. The Mercury is said to be the last device, or definitely last device with a physical keyboard, to be made by the Canadian company. BlackBerry’s other recent flagships, the DTEK50 and DTEK60 have been made by Alcatel. 

The two photos only show the front of the phone, so we haven’t been able to see what the rear camera looks like just yet, but the front confirms the physical keyboard, a slightly larger front-facing camera than previously shown and proximity sensors.

• BlackBerry DTEK60 review: More than just an Alcatel clone?

Specs still haven’t been officially confirmed, but the general consensus is that it will come with a 4.5-inch full HD touchscreen display – BlackBerry is seemingly combining physical keyboard and touchscreen like with the Priv – a 2Ghz Qualcomm processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Cameras are expected to be 18-megapixels around the back and 8MP on the front and as also confirmed in the pictures, it will run on Android.

Best PS4 game trailers for 2017: The Last of Us 2, new Uncharted, PaRappa The Rapper and more

Sony hosted its annual PlayStation Experience event in the US recently and unveiled a host of new PS4 games that have us salivating more than a ginger tom at a mouse house party.

The Last of Us 2 was undoubtedly the star, but there were plenty of other games announced for 2017 and beyond. Plus updates for a few games that are soon to be available.

So here’s our round-up of the best of the bunch, all in trailer form so you can see the games in action yourself.

• Sony PS4 Pro review: Why wait for Project Scorpio?
• PS4 Slim review: The slim-fit ‘Station

The Last of Us Part II

• Release date: TBC
• Developer: Naughty Dog

This trailer really gave us goosebumps the first time we saw it – partly thanks to the very idea that one of the greatest examples of storytelling in games is continuing, but also because of the return of a certain character. It looks suitably beautiful but is very early in development so we suspect you’ll have to wait until spring 2018 to get your hands on the game yourself.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

• Release date: 2017
• Developer: Naughty Dog

Naughty Dog pulled another surprise out of the bag with the announcement of a new Uncharted game. Starring Chloe Frazer, from Uncharteds 2 and 3, the game is set a year after the events in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and seemingly uses the same game engine as Nathan’s Drake’s last outing. It also provides access to Uncharted 4’s multiplayer modes.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

• Release date: 2017
• Developer: Vicarious Visions

When it was announced Crash Bandicoot was returning in a new version of the original platformer we didn’t realise it would be in a pack of the first three games, all remastered: Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortek Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. However, that’s what Activision will be launching in 2017 and we have to say that Skylanders developer Vicarious Visions is seemingly doing a fantastic job with the updated visuals.

PaRappa The Rapper Remastered

• Release date: 28 March 2017
• Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Another character soon to make a welcome return is PaRappa The Rapper. To be honest, we’ve been asking for the first rhythm game to be made available on PS4 for some considerable time, and were always told his absence came down to rights issues, for the UK at least. A virtual console version of the sequel has been available on the PS Store for a while, but not the original. Now a remastered, 4K version is coming to celebrate its 20th anniversary and we couldn’t be happier.

WipEout Omega Collection

• Release date: 31 July 2017
• Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment

The remasters continue apace with the trailer for the WipEout Omega Collection, the first time the futuristic racing game franchise makes an appearance on PS4. It’s a remake of the PS3 classics WipEout HD and WipEout HD Fury and the PS Vita’s WipEout 2048, all in the one pack. As well as enhanced visuals though, up to 4K, there will be a new soundtrack and more.

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite

• Release date: 2017
• Developer: Capcom

The crossover beat-em-up is back, with Capcom characters – such as the Street Fighter gang and Mega Man – taking on superheroes from the Marvel Universe. Not much else is know for now, but you can expect a mighty of cast of fighters to control.

Resident Evil 7 biohazard

• Release date: 24 January 2017
• Developer: Capcom

One of the games not long for release, demos of Resident Evil 7 have been scaring us rigid over the last year, not least when played in a PlayStation VR headset. The entire game can be played in VR but also on a conventional TV, so fans without headsets can still get their chilling thrills. The survival horror genre might never be the same again after this.

Gram Turismo Sport

• Release date: 2017
• Developer: Polyphony Digital

Originally planned for the end of 2016, GT Sport was pushed back to 2017 for good reason. We’re still not sure of an exact release date, but we do know that PS4 Pro owners will be treated to 4K (checkerboard) visuals with HDR. Some of the content will also be playable in a PSVR headset. You can watch the trailer in 4K if you have the right kit and it shows just how stunning the game will be.

Knack 2

• Release date: 2017
• Developer: Japan Studio

The original Knack was one of the PS4 launch titles several years ago and wasn’t as well received as Sony would have hoped. However, a sequel is on its way and lessons will likely have been learned. Certainly, the trailer looks to be more involving than the first game with more puzzles, locations and, seemingly, co-op play.

6 reasons to grab the Probox2 Air this Xmas

If you’re looking for inspiration this holiday season, and trying to get as much as you can for your money in a single gadget, the Probox2 Air offers a compelling experience. Despite costing just under £65 in the UK, it has the power to turn your TV in to a smart multimedia station capable of playing games, watching 4K HDR movies or browsing the web. 

Here’s six reasons why you should consider snapping one up in time for Santa’s visit. 

1. Android 6.0 Marshmallow

The Probox2 Air runs a custom skin on top of Android Marshmallow. That means that, while the user interface is much more like Smart TV than regular Android, it can run any app or game you can run on your Android smartphone. All on the big screen. Whether it be Chrome, your favourite strategy game or a simple Twitter client, you can have it fill your TV display. 

2. 4K and HDR support

Despite costing only £65, it is capable of playing content that meets the most modern standards for resolution, frame rates and dynamic range. It can play video up to UHD 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, and with HDR10 support, it can bring a lot more contrast and vivid-ness to videos and services that support it. 

3. Cast anything to your telly

Because it supports DNLA, Airplay and Miracast technology you can beam virtually any content to your TV from any of your devices. Whether you have an Android device, iPhone or iPad, you can mirror or beam your games and videos. That could even mean playing split-screen AirPlay titles4. like Real Racing 2. 

4. Unique PROBOX2 APEX UI

Probox2

Air featured with a new concept (one click swap UI) . It is preloaded with a brand new unique UI (Probox2 APEX UI) so customers can swap between both two nicely designed UI (Probox2 Original UI) and the new APEX UI to enjoy two different user interfaces seamlessly. The new case and UIs are designed in Sweden by our Swedish designer.

5. Micro SD expansion

There’s a microSD slot on the outside of Probox2 Air, so if you have tons of 4K movies and content on a memory card somewhere, you just plug it in and start watching. What’s more, because it runs Android Marshmallow, it also feature the ability to adopt an SD card as internal storage. Plug in your microSD card, format it as internal memory and your Probox2 Air treats it as if it was its own internal storage. 

6. It fits anywhere

Despite packing everything you could want from a multimedia player, the Probox2 Air can fit almost anywhere. You won’t need to clear a special place for it just to hook it up to your system. At 99 x 107.5 x 16.3 mm, it’s comfortably smaller than an Apple TV. It’s so small, it’s almost pocket-able. 

Specs

Moving away slightly from its benefits, and just so that you know what you’re getting, the Probox2 Air has plenty to offer on the specification front. It supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi with support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels as well as Bluetooth 4.0.

Powering the entire system is a quad-core 2GHz processor paired with 2GB RAM, with 16GB built-in storage.

It has two USB ports, an HDMI 2.0b port, ethernet port and an optical port alongside the external Wi-Fi antenna designed to offer improved signal and wireless performance.

If you’re sold, you can grab the PROBOX2 Air (£65) from Amazon, or the PROBOX2 Air (/w Remote+) (£84.99) also from Amazon. 

Win a Probox2 Air TV box with Remote+

The Probox2 Air is one of the best Android 6.0-powered TV boxes it’s designed to let you run Android apps such as Netflix, Google Chrome or XBMC on a TV.

Amazon sells the Probox2 Air for GBP84.99 bundled with a wireless remote control called the Remote+ that also works great as a gamepad/air mouse/microphone.

PROBOX2 AIR comes packing 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and is powered by an Amlogic S905X quad-core processor. This is also an Android TV box which comes with support for 4K playback offering UHD 4K quality at 60fps and support for High Dynamic Range (HDR10) which helps to make colors richer, more vibrant and life-like. As well as support for Amlogic S905X, 2G / 16G, 100M LAN, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI 2.0b, and HLG HDR processing.

There’s an adjustable external antenna, and the box gets pretty good WiFi reception and is very light in weight and size.

The box can handle HD video playback from the internet or from local (or network-attached) storage and thanks to the chipset it support 4K HDR.

Probox2 Air has a custom user interface and a swappable UI (called Apex) that makes it more user-friendly PROBOX2 AIR comes with a 1-click swap UI which literally allows the user to change the user interface by pressing down on the remote control’s home key. Speaking of which, the included remote control is a remote+ controller which in addition to being able to connect to the PROBOX2 AIR, can also connect to other devices. As well as being able to be used as a games controller.

It handled the retro gaming perfectly and you can have a moment to enjoy Mario 3 or Sonic the Hedgehog during Xmas.

OK, enough about the device. Here’s how to win:

Leave a comment on this page by 6pm on Monday, December 15th, 2016 

This contest is open to residents of the United Kingdom. A winner will be randomly selected.

That winner has 48 hours to respond after they’ve been notified. If I don’t hear anything back within that time, We might pick another name.

You might want to see if there is any Probox2 Air firmware update page (for the latest firmware and instructions for updating the software) if you are the winner of the device.

Apple Criticized by Korean Game Developers for its App Store Refund Policy

Apple has been criticized in South Korea for its mobile app refund policy which game developers say removes them from the process and is regularly being abused.

Apple controls the App Store payment refund process for paid-for apps and determines whether to give refunds to consumers. According to The Korea Times, because Apple does not provide information about who has been issued a refund, developers have no other choice but to manually track down users and check if they continue to use the charged content they have already received the refunds for.

Apple says it does not provide information about users who have requested a refund in order to protect consumer rights. But some users have reportedly abused the loophole in Apple’s refund policy to purchase charged content multiple times, request refunds and continue to consume the content without actually paying for it. According to The Korea Times, some of the abusers even run profitable businesses to operate the refund process on others’ behalf.

Mobile game companies in the country are said to be taking their own measures to counteract Apple, which has so far remained silent on the issue. Korean game development studio Flint said it had independently tracked down 300 users who they suspected of abusing the App Store refund policy, and pledged to “root out the abusers” by requesting judicial authorities for an investigation.

Next Floor, distributor of Korean game Destiny Child, also complained about the difficulties in dealing with abusers without Apple’s help.

“We are regulating those who abuse the payment process and damage other users under our management policy,” the company said. “Unlike other application stores, Apple does not provide refund information to the game companies and we are having difficulties in promptly counteracting the problem.”

Mobile game studio Nexon and Longtu Korea said it had asked Apple for the lists of users who requested refunds several times, but the company did not respond. “I cannot understand Apple’s policy in that it does not provide the list of people who abuse the system even when it is already causing problems in the market,” said a source from the studio.

By contrast, Google’s app store refund policy states that users can receive refunds on charged mobile content only once if they request it within two hours after payment.

Tags: App Store, South Korea
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