Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday, Domino’s bot now offers full-menu ordering

Why it matters to you

Domino’s has long been a fan of technology, and it’s making it easier than ever for you to order America’s favorite food.

It may just be the easiest food around, and now, it’s also the easiest food to order. Last summer, Domino’s officially launched its Facebook Messenger chatbot that lets you order a pie with just one word: “PIZZA.” Because really, why complicate something so … uncomplicated? And now, just days before the Super Bowl (in which the national meal probably becomes pizza), Domino’s has updated its bot to allow customers to place entire order.

Named “Dom,” the bot is described as “an artificially intelligent customer whiz designed to help superfans get their No. 1 fix of cheesy food heaven.” Previously, in order to use Dom, you had to first create a Domino’s profile and establish pre-order settings on Dominos.com. But now, you can access the entirety of the menu directly from Messenger.

“Domino’s is one of the first brands to use the Messenger platform in this way, allowing pizza lovers to request a freshly handmade delivery,” the company noted last year. It’s true that Domino’s beat Pizza Hut (and other chains) to the punch, launching first in the United Kingdom before making its way across the pond.

Related: It seems like T-Mobile customers can’t get enough of pizza

The only drawback is that you’ll still have to pay for your pizza, wings, or whatever else you order with cash. Dom, unfortunately, doesn’t employ the payments beta Messenger rolled out last fall.

This is just the latest in the pizza chain’s continuing quest to make ordering pizza almost too easy. Earlier in 2016, Domino’s launched its Easy Order feature, which lets hungry customers buy a pizza by doing nothing more than pressing a button — either on their Apple Watch or online. And it looks like the pie purveyor is looking for more ways to integrate technology with their toppings.

“We’re delighted to allow our customers to order direct from Messenger – with 1 billion monthly active people using Messenger each month – it’s the obvious choice for Domino’s,” said Nick Dutch, head of digital at Domino’s. “We want to make ordering our freshly handmade pizza as easy as possible so we’re always on the look-out for new ways in which we can do this. Just message ‘pizza’ — or send an emoji.  It really couldn’t be easier.”

Super Bowl Sunday ranks among the busiest pizza delivery days for Domino’s in the United States, and this year, the chain hopes to sell 12 million pies. That’s five times as much as any other given Sunday. And you can become part of that statistic simply by sending a message on Messenger.

Article originally published in August 2016. Updated on 02-01-2017: Added news that you can now order off Domino’s entire menu from Dom.

Work out and carry your smartphone with the top 5 running armbands

Walking, running, and riding a bike are all wonderful ways to keep healthy. Unfortunately, we often struggle to hold our smartphones and other personal belongings while exercising. Thankfully, smartphone armbands are a great way to carry your phone, keys, and other small accessories while on the move. If you exercise at night, some armbands can even help you stay safe.

More: The best fitness trackers you can buy

Whether you’re looking for a simple solution or something designed to hold a smorgasbord of items, we’ve rounded up a host of great running armbands that are sure to fit your style, budget, and, most importantly, your stuff. After all, a fanny pack just isn’t an option.

Yomole Multifunctional Armband ($10)

If you have a large phone, such as a Galaxy Note or an iPhone 7 Plus, then Yomole’s armband is a pretty simple solution. It’s made from neoprene and a breathable mesh that provides extra comfort. It has a soft, adjustable, elastic Velcro strap, so you can fit it perfectly to your arm. The great thing about this band is that the clear screen protector means you don’t have to handle your phone with dirty or sweaty hands. You can answer calls and use the interface without problems. Inside you’ll find a separate compartment to store other things like charging cables, keys, and other small personal items. The port at the bottom enables you to use your headphones while the phone is inside the pouch. This running armband comes in blue, gray, pink, and green.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Keynice Multifunctional Running ArmBag ($11)

A smartphone armband just isn’t enough for you? How about an Armbag? If you’re out biking, running, or hiking, and you need more space than a regular running armband gives you, then this is what you’re looking for. It will basically fit any phone from 3.5 inches to 5.8 inches in size. It sports double pockets, so not only can you fit small personal items like keys, cards, and cables in there, but you can also stow small snacks inside. It has an 11-inch belt that can be adjusted to any arm size, and the zippers are made to be silent while you’re running. It is waterproof, sweat-proof, and if you’re running at night, it has built-in warning reflectors, so that you’re visible, even in the dark.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Tribe AB37 Armband with Key Holder ($10)

If you’re going for simplicity, then Tribe brings you an armband that will fit smaller phones like the iPhone 6S or 7, or any other phone that is smaller than 5.2 inches. This running armband boasts a screen protector for easy access and protection from sweat and dirt. It comes with a money back guarantee, so if you don’t like the armband for any reason, you can return it and get a full refund. It also comes with a reflective strip for low light visibility and a built-in, hidden key holder.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Topist Running Armband ($9)

If you own a big phablet, this is the smartphone armband for you. It’s a comfortable neoprene armband that has enough space to fit some personal items, alongside bigger smartphones up to 6.3 inches in size. There’s also a handy Velcro loop for headphones. Unlike other, bigger armbands that offer you pouches to carry items, this one has a plastic front that allows you to control your smartphone. The fabric is resistant to sand, water, and sweat.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Griffin LightRunner Illuminated Universal Armband ($40)

It may be a little pricey, but this unique armband by Griffin features flashing LEDs for superior visibility, which is ideal if you like biking, jogging, or working out at night. The armband is adjustable to fit arms up to 18 inches in size. This one is for people who use phones that are on the smaller side, so anything smaller than 5.2 inches should be fine. If you’re an iPhone user, it even has a cut-out to allow you access to the fingerprint scanner.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Best app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest apps on sale in the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

More: 200 Awesome iPhone Apps | The best Android apps for almost any occasion

iSchool

i-School is a study organizer and Timetable Schedule Planner, both for schools and universities. Convenient class and study-schedule, textbooks, homework, and notes are attached to classes.

Available on:

iOS

Plann

PLANN is a powerful Instagram strategy tool for visually planning, previewing, organizing, and scheduling your Instagram feed in advance — it promises to increase the growth of your followers, raise engagement rates, and generate stronger sales.

Available on:

iOS

Pin Points

Do you want to know the distance to the South Pole? Or are you interested in the distance between two cities? Then you are on the absolute right track with this app.

Available on:

iOS

Find My Car

Have you often forgotten where you left your car? Or received an unnecessary parking fine? Then “Find My Car” is the perfect app for you. Relocate your car without any stress.

Available on:

iOS

LFTuner

LFTuner allows you to tune your favorite instrument. Doesn’t matter if it’s a guitar, piano, violin, or the Turkish Bağlama. This app will handle it.

Available on:

iOS

Easy Spending Expense Tracker

See where your money goes and take control of where to spend your money effectively using the simple and yet powerful money management App on iOS.

Available on:

iOS

Go play John Wick in VR before Chapter 2 hits theaters!

You’re going to want to keep your finger on the trigger for this one.

The original John Wick film surprised a lot of people by how deeply entertaining it turned out to be. It’s the perfect action film for this generation, and if the trailers are any indication the sequel is going to follow in its footsteps. As much fun as it will be to sit in the theater and watch John Wick do his thing, the VR game that will let you move (and kill) like Wick is going to be even more intense.

If you’re in the UK and looking to try the game out for yourself, there’s a whole mess of stores aiming to give demos of the John Wick Chronicles before the next film hits theaters.

Read more at VR Heads!

Android 7.1.2 adds fingerprint ‘swipe for notifications’ to Nexus 5X (and probably Nexus 6P)

A small but useful gesture is coming to older Nexus devices.

The Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P inherited a few of the Pixel’s biggest features when they were upgraded to Android 7.1.1 last year, but one thing the popular devices didn’t receive was the ability to swipe down from their rear fingerprint sensors to open the notification shade — a minor but popular convenience on the Pixel.

Now, despite assertions from Googlers that it may not be possible, it seems that the older devices — at least the Nexus 5X — will get the feature when Android 7.1.2 comes around. The discovery was made by Nexus 5X beta testers of Android 7.1.2, which adds the “Swipe for notifications” option to the Moves menu. It’s unclear whether the Nexus 6P will benefit from the same upgrade, since the Android 7.1.2 beta is not yet available for the device.

How to use moves gestures on the Google Pixel and Nexus devices

Nexus 5X

• Nexus 5X review
• 5 things to know about the Nexus 5X
• Read the latest Nexus 5X news
• Learn about Nexus Protect insurance
• Learn about Project Fi
• Join the Nexus 5X forums
• Nexus 5X specs

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Amazon

Fire Emblem: Heroes for Android is rolling out now!

There will be no work getting done today.

One of the more engaging strategy franchises to ever exist is heading to Android today! Fire Emblem: Heroes is a mobile-first Fire Emblem game, and the second mobile phone game Nintendo has ever made. Not familiar with Fire Emblem? Here, let Nintendo explain it:

The long-running hit Fire Emblem series comprises strategy/role-playing games with deep tactical elements and depth that increases with every move you make. As you progress through the story, you will meet and bid farewell to many allies.

Alright, so that didn’t actually tell you much. Basically, Fire Emblem: Heroes is a strategy game where you build a squad of heroes to complete quests and challenges in the story mode, and when you’re convinced your squad is the best you can fight against other squads online. The Fire Emblem series has always had a fantastic focus on artwork surrounding the game, but the gameplay itself usually has a more retro look and feel to it.

Nintendo is rolling out Fire Emblem: Heroes today, but it’s not yet available to everyone. If you head to the Play Store you’ll either see the Pre-Register screen, or you’ll be prompted to download the game and start your adventure. Enjoy!

Android Gaming

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• Best free Android games
• Best games with no in-app purchases
• Best action games for Android
• Best RPGs for Android
• All the Android gaming news!

Best Math Apps for Kids

• Best Overall
• Best for Preschool
• Best for Elementary School
• Best for Fundamentals

Best overall

Math games, Mathematics

See at Play Store

While many of the math apps available are specifically directed towards a certain age group, Math games, Mathematics aims to help you sharpen your mental math skills with timed math games that steadily ups the difficulty as you show improvement. They cover addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, exponentials, and plenty more. Everything is offered up in a way that is fun and easy to learn and use — but it’s definitely an app for kids who have already learned the basics.

Everything offered up in the app is part of a game, which often makes math much more palatable for kids. There are sixteen different levels that can be unlocked and each one covers a different set of math skills. If a younger child is playing you can set them at a lower level to make sure they can understand what is going on.

There is also a study mode, specifically for multiplication. Not only can your child practice their multiplication tables, but there is also an exam mode to simulate a test. Multiplication is often where many kids stumble with math, and extra practice can make sure the facts are cemented into their little brains.

Bottom line: Math games, Mathematics aims to make math fun and help your child to learn and master different concepts of mathematics.

One more thing: This app is available in 7 different languages, which makes it awesome for those who don’t speak or read English.

Why Math games is the Best

Math games combines tricks for mastering math with fun games that help your child master a variety of mathematical concepts

The charm of Math games, Mathematics is that it delivers a solid all-around tool that can be used by children just learning to add all the way up through Elementary school. The app features four ways to learn; Workout, Multiplication Table, Math Tricks and Manual. Each of these sections works together to teach your child the rules of math, easy ways to solve problems, and then delivers the problems themselves.

The Workouts begin with addition and move through different functions all the way up and through finding percentages. Each concept is it’s own mini-game, making it perfect for kids who need practice in order to get the processes down. Parents who are concerned about their children’s progress will also find graphs that chart progression and how well each mathematical concept is being grasped.

In Multiplication tables, your child is able to both practice and test to show their knowledge of multiplication. This goes from 2 up to 12, making sure that this concept is solid. If they are having issues getting their tables down, or even with addition, then you’ll want to check out the Math Tricks section.

Math Tricks shows off clever ways of getting the correct answer without confusing yourself. It shows you exactly how to find the answer, with a diagram of an equation. This is particularly helpful for students who are having issues grasping how to solve certain problems. There are tricks for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Best for Preschool

Preschool Math Games for Kids

See at Play Store

When your child is in Preschool learning their numbers and letters, they are building the foundation for their entire education. The importance of math can’t be overstated, so if you’re looking for a good game for your preschooler to have fun with math, this is definitely the one to check out.

Preschool Math Games for Kids is exactly what it sounds like. It’s games cover reading and recognizing numbers, properly forming numbers by tracing them on the screen, addition and subtraction, plus plenty more to boot. It was made specifically with this age range in mind, and it’s absolutely free to play.

Bottom line: Preschool Math Games for Kids is a great way for your little tyke to continue learning math in a fun way that lets them enjoy what they are learning.

One more thing: The art style here is very bubbly, bright, and kid friendly, making it fun and engaging for children to play with math.

Best for Elementary school

Math Run

See at Play Store

Math Run is perfect for kids who need something bright, fun and engaging to keep them interested in learning math. You play as one of four cute fuzzy animals running down a path and dodging to grab coins. However, every so often you’ll run into math quizzes which must be correctly answered in order to continue on your quest.

When you get started you’ll be playing a baby panda, and learning basic arithmetic. As your child rocks through the first few levels they’ll start to unlock the other four animals they can play as. Each one has it’s own math speciality for them to master by gaming.

Bottom line: With addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, Math Run reinforces the concepts that students are learning by getting them to play a game.

One more thing: Math Run is in line with Common Core standards, making it an excellent way to reinforce what kids are learning in the classroom.

Best for Fundamentals

Math Training for Kids

See at Play Store

Not everyone picks up new concepts at the same speed, and some of us definitely needed some extra help as kids. If your child needs to work on their fundamentals in a way that is still fun, then Math Training for Kids may be a great option to check out. It separates the problems by concept, as well as letting you choose between easy, medium, and difficult questions.

Each set of levels gives you a time limit and a number of lives. Each time a question is correctly answered, it resurrects a flower, and if incorrect you lose a life. It’s got a fun, simple design that focuses more on the math than anything else. It does still deliver a bright format to grab the eyes of the child in your life.

Bottom line: Math Training for Kids focuses on giving kids goals in a game in order to master each basic mathematical concept.

One more thing: Parents, you can check the statistics to see what concepts your child is working on. This also includes how long they played, and their number of correctly answered questions.

Best overall

Math games, Mathematics

See at Play Store

While many of the math apps available are specifically directed towards a certain age group, Math games, Mathematics aims to help you sharpen your mental math skills with timed math games that steadily ups the difficulty as you show improvement. They cover addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, exponentials, and plenty more. Everything is offered up in a way that is fun and easy to learn and use — but it’s definitely an app for kids who have already learned the basics.

Everything offered up in the app is part of a game, which often makes math much more palatable for kids. There are sixteen different levels that can be unlocked and each one covers a different set of math skills. If a younger child is playing you can set them at a lower level to make sure they can understand what is going on.

There is also a study mode, specifically for multiplication. Not only can your child practice their multiplication tables, but there is also an exam mode to simulate a test. Multiplication is often where many kids stumble with math, and extra practice can make sure the facts are cemented into their little brains.

Bottom line: Math games, Mathematics aims to make math fun and help your child to learn and master different concepts of mathematics.

One more thing: This app is available in 7 different languages, which makes it awesome for those who don’t speak or read English.

Amazon Echo 101: The basics of Alexa

Amazon Alexa and Echo are one in the same, right? Sort of. Not really. But yes and no. Let’s break down what’s what in the hottest little AI we’ve seen since HAL.

There really is no escaping Amazon Echo. Or Amazon Alexa. Or both. And that actually highlights the confusion some folks have experienced — especially folks who aren’t totally immersed in this newfangled Internet thing. There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you’re pretty well-versed in Alexa and Echo and know the difference between the two.

But there’s also a pretty good chance that you know someone who isn’t.

So let’s take a few minutes and break it down. Here’s everything you need to know — insofar as the basics are concerned — about Amazon Alexa and Amazon Echo.

And when you’re ready to buy, you can find all three (naturally) at Amazon.

Amazon Echo

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NVIDIA Shield Android TV: Should I buy the new Shield Controller?

Sometimes the answers are easy.

This is one of those times. If you have a previous generation NVIDIA Shield TV you totally should buy the new controller. And the reasons are so compelling, I can’t think of any use case where you might want to stick to the old controller.

NVIDIA did something that’s either crazy or awesome (or a bit of both) with the Shield TV. They offer a new model that’s smaller and better looking than the original, but the software that comes with it is also getting pushed to everyone who ever bought one. All the software, including the upcoming debut of Google Assistant for Android TV. That’s a good reason to get a new controller even if you never plan to play a single game with it.

The new controller is your gateway to Google Assistant.

The way Assistant will work for the Shield TV centers around the new controller. The microphone can be left in an always-listening state so whenever it hears you say OK Google it goes into an active listening mode and tries to figure out what you said and what it needs to do about it. This is the same way Google Home works. Always listening means it’s listening for just the trigger before it does more than monitor the sounds it hears. Once Google Assistant is activated and working the sounds are then processed through the Assistant AI.

The newly revamped controller can stay running and always listening for 14 days between charges. Think of it as a Google Home that’s not plugged in, except for 2 hours every fortnight. And it’s about half the cost of a Google Home, so if you have a Shield TV it’s kind of crazy to not go with it.

What about games‽

If you use your Shield controller to play games, whether you’re playing Android games or playing PC games through your Shield TV, you’ll like the upgrade here.

The layout hasn’t changed. Dual thumbsticks, a D-pad on the left and the four buttons every controller needs on the right are there in just about the same place as you’re used to. The new thumbsticks are grippy instead of smooth, the D-Pad is “clickier” and the A B X Y buttons aren’t as mushy. The R2 L2 triggers are reworked. And the new body design makes them all more responsive because your hand is slightly repositioned.

It looks funky, but the jagged geodesic pattern isn’t jagged at all and feels great when you’re holding it.

The Shield controller is built like a bit of a hybrid between the Xbox controller and PlayStation 4 controller. It takes the Xbox controller shape and has the PS4’s slimmer but deeper “grips.” You get a controller that’s easy to hold with three fingers on each side (fingers on bumpers at all times is the only way to play!) without the weird batwing feel because it’s shaped like that sweet Xbox controller.

I liked the design of the original so much I use it on my PC for gaming, too. The new model may look like they ruined everything and made a jagged uncomfortable mess with the new geodesic texture but you’ll change your mind as soon as you start using it.

I plan on picking up another controller so I can use one with my PC as soon as the GeForce PC suite is updated with full support, which should be very soon.

See at Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: What’s the story so far?

Samsung isn’t expected to use Mobile World Congress to launch its latest flagship smartphones, but that doesn’t mean the South Korean tech giant will be keeping quiet at the show.

In fact, it appears it will be doing quite the opposite with rumours speculating the company will unveil its latest iPad rival – the Galaxy Tab S3. Here is everything we know and have heard so far.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 rumours

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Release date

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 was originally rumoured to launch at IFA 2016 but since nothing appeared, all eyes are now on Mobile World Congress, taking place in Barcelona at the end of February.

Samsung has scheduled a press conference for Sunday 26 February and many reports suggest this is where the new iPad rival will debut. The show has been the platform for the company’s new flagship smartphones in recent years, but reports claim the S8 and S8 Plus will be unveiled at their own event in April instead this year leaving the stage clear for the Tab S3.

• How to watch the Samsung press conference at MWC 2017

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Design

There haven’t been any leaks surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s design as yet, but we’d expect it to follow in a similar path to its predecessor.

No doubt there will be some changes here and there, but expect a premium design with an all-metal body like the Apple iPad. The Galaxy Tab S2 featured lovely rounded corners, a slim build, rear camera lens in the centre at the top and a fingerprint sensor within the home button on the front of the device.

The invite for the Samsung’s MWC press conference seems to place an emphasis on the home button of a device, though it is not clear why at the moment. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to lose the home button altogether, as well as slim down on the bezels surrounding the screen so hopefully the Tab S3 will take on board the latter even if it retains the home button.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Display

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is reported to be coming with a 9.7-inch display with a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Sam Mobile has also claimed there will two versions of the device in terms of screen size, though it has not been detailed what size this will be.

The Galaxy Tab S2 offered a 9.7-inch display and an 8-inch display so the same is expected for the new device and we would also expect to see the Super AMOLED technology on board again.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Hardware

According to a GFXBench report, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. A Weibo report contradicts this however, suggesting the Tab S3 will feature Samsung’s own Exynos 7420 chipset, again with 4GB of RAM. Samsung used Exynos for the Tab S2 but it is not clear whether it will do the same for the new device.

The Weibo report also claims there will be Universal Flash Storage 2.0 on board the Galaxy Tab S3 for quicker file and app access, as well as a fingerprint scanner and USB Type-C. No rumours have indicated whether the 3.5mm headphone jack will remain but as the Galaxy S8 smartphone is expected to retain it, it is likely the tablet will do.

In terms of storage, rumours claim there will be 32GB internal memory on board the Tab S3 and there are also expected to be Wi-Fi and LTE versions of the device too.

The Tab S3 is also reported to be coming with a 12-megapixel rear camera, which will hopefully be the same as the camera offered on the S7 and S7 edge smartphones. This would provide great results for those wanting to take images with their tablet. Another report from Japanese news site Naver has also claimed the rear camera will be 12-megaixels, while the front camera is reported to be 5-megapixels.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Software

According to the GFXBench report, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will launch with Android 7.0 Nougat straight out of the box. The software will no doubt feature Samsung’s TouchWiz interface on top, and it will likely sport several new features compared to the Galaxy Tab S2.

What these features will be remains to be seen for now, but we’d expect the software to be more refined and some useful functions added.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3: Conclusion

Rumours are still a little thin on the ground in relation to what the Galaxy Tab S3 might look like, though we are starting to get a strong indication as to what hardware it might offer.

As with all succeeding devices, improvements in processing speed, battery life, design and performance are all expected so many of the rumoured specs don’t come as too much of a surprise.

Of course nothing is official as yet, but we expect to hear more rumours and see more leaks over the coming weeks. As always, we will update this feature as we do so keep checking back for the latest.