Best apps for advanced math

• Best Overall
• Best for Algebra
• Best for Graphing

Best overall

Mathway

See at Play Store

Mathway delivers a great all-around experience for anyone who needs help to pump up their math skills. Whether you need help just finding the solution to homework problems, or you need the step-by-step directions to solve for X, it’s got you covered. At its simplest, you’ll get the solution to any math problem that you enter into the app, but that definitely isn’t everything this app is capable of.

Mathway covers math problems from basic math to linear algebra and graphing. That makes it excellent for students from high school up and through college. It’s especially handy for students who tend to struggle with math in class and need more hands-on help in order to understand advanced mathematical concepts.

When you jump into the app you’ll first need to choose the type of math problem that you are solving. From there all you need to do is take a photo of the problem or type it in manually. Mathway will automatically solve the equation for you right there. If your answer differs from the correct one, then you can view the problem step by step to see where you went wrong. This includes an explanation of how to find the correct answer and in some cases even a graph to give you the full answer.

Bottom line: Mathway is an excellent aid for anyone who wants to check their answers or who need more in-depth help to master advanced math. It covers everything from simple concepts to advanced problems and can even break everything down step by step to make sure you have a solid grasp on what you are doing.

One more thing: In order to access everything Mathway has to offer, specifically step-by-step instructions for solving problems, you’ll need to upgrade to the full version of the app for $19.99 a month or $79.99 for the full year.

Why Mathway is the Best

Mathway works like a tutor helping you to master even complicated concepts without wanting to bang your head against a wall.

Not everyone can look at math and pick it up without a problem. For some people —myself included— math can seem daunting and confusing. Trying to schedule time with a tutor can be difficult when you are working and going to school, and many teachers and professors don’t have the time to devote to helping a student succeed. Mathway is able to fill in those gaps for you.

Whether you’re taking a remedial algebra class or you’re diving into trigonometry, the app can make sure you find the solution to your problems. With PRO, you’re even able to see every step of a problem while working towards a solution. If the free version is more suited to your budget, you still get plenty of help.

Mathway will solve your problem automatically. It will also tell you the rule for solving a specific problem. While it isn’t quite as awesome as getting every step along the way, it does help you to figure your way through complicated problems.

Best for Algebra

College Algebra Prep, Practice

See at Store

Algebra is ostensibly the beginning of college-level math. Whether you’ve matriculated or you’re returning after years of being away, it’s a fair bet that algebra will be on your course list. College Algebra aims to work as your own personal tutor while you are working your way through the semester.

This app is fully stocked with tons of resources to reduce your anxiety while in math class. There are 56 practice tests to help you prep for test day, and you can take extra time by studying specific concepts, with access to concept-specific flashcards. If you need more specific one-on-one help, you can even find a tutor by inputting your zip code and subject of choice.

Bottom line: College Algebra aims to be your very own pocket tutor while you are working your way through Algebra 1 and Algebra 2. It delivers a great way to find a tutor, practice specific concepts, and even prep yourself for test day.

One more thing: College Algebra is just one of many apps that Varsity Tutors Llc offers. If you like the experience, you can find more apps to help you with other math courses in the future.

Best for Graphing

Desmos Graphing Calculator

See at Store

The days of needing a dedicated graphing calculator in order to properly graph out certain math problems are gone. Now instead of having to drop $80 on a calculator, you can download an app to get the job done, and Desmos Graphing Calculator does an excellent job of it. You can plot out equations, and sliders will allow you how to demonstrate function transformations.

Desmos Graphing Calculator is chock full of features to make sure you have the ability to fulfill your every graphing need. You can plot out polar, cartesian, and parametric graphs with an unlimited number of expressions for each graph. You can see statistics, crate tables, zoom to scale axes, plot inequalities, and plenty more to boot. Best of all, you never need access to the internet in order to use all of the features.

Bottom line: Desmos Graphing Calculator gives you access to everything that you need in order to successfully graph out any problem you need to solve. It’s got tons of features to make sure that you don’t need to purchase a dedicated graphing calculator, because it has everything you need to be successful in math class.

One more thing: By creating an account, you can save your graphs, making them easy to pull up later if necessary.

Conclusion

There are plenty of excellent advanced math apps that are floating around the internet. What we’ve collected are the best apps to make sure that you are successful at what you do in math class. From graphing calculators to practising advanced concepts to having the ability to practise varying math concepts, these apps will help to make sure you grasp even the advanced stuff.

While there are other apps that can get the job done, none of them do it quite as well as the apps we’ve listed here. Out of all of them, Mathway does the best job of delivering everything that you need in order to become a serious math whiz and ace your next test.

Best overall

Mathway

See at Play Store

Mathway delivers a great all-around experience for anyone who needs help to pump up their math skills. Whether you need help just finding the solution to homework problems, or you need the step-by-step directions to solve for X, it’s got you covered. At its simplest, you’ll get the solution to any math problem that you enter into the app, but that definitely isn’t everything this app is capable of.

Mathway covers math problems from basic math to linear algebra and graphing. That makes it excellent for students from high school up and through college. It’s especially handy for students who tend to struggle with math in class and need more hands-on help in order to understand advanced mathematical concepts.

When you jump into the app you’ll first need to choose the type of math problem that you are solving. From there all you need to do is take a photo of the problem or type it in manually. Mathway will automatically solve the equation for you right there. If your answer differs from the correct one, then you can view the problem step by step to see where you went wrong. This includes an explanation of how to find the correct answer and in some cases even a graph to give you the full answer.

Bottom line: Mathway is an excellent aid for anyone who wants to check their answers or who need more in-depth help to master advanced math. It covers everything from simple concepts to advanced problems and can even break everything down step by step to make sure you have a solid grasp on what you are doing.

One more thing: In order to access everything Mathway has to offer, specifically step-by-step instructions for solving problems, you’ll need to upgrade to the full version of the app for $19.99 a month or $79.99 for the full year.

Nest Cam update literally shows you the door

An update to the Nest app for Android makes some big improvements to notifications using machine learning.

It sounds like a bad joke, but thanks to advancements in machine learning, Nest is now able to automatically add “activity zones” for doors, something that had to be done manually before now.

The company announced the software update for its Nest Cam line, which includes the excellent Nest Outdoor Cam, along with a number of notification improvements to its Android app.

When you get an alert from Nest Cam, there’s a thumbnail image that shows you what’s going on at a glance. Nest Aware subscribers using Android 7 or iOS 10 can even see an animated preview of the Nest Cam video clip – without having to open the app.

We’re also improving the alerts that Nest Cam owners get from Nest Protect. Now, if Nest Protect warns you of smoke or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, you’ll automatically see live video from all your Nest Cams. It’s just another way Nest products work better together.

The company also revealed that Nest’s app now supports App Shortcuts on devices running Android 7.1 Nougat — a small number for now, but it’s great that the Google-owned company is paying attention to the market.

Do you own a Nest Cam? Do you use activity zones?

See at Amazon

LG G6 hint suggests Pixels will be the only premium phones without waterproofing

You probably shouldn’t use water for that burn, Google.

The folks at LG are really going crazy with the daily hints leading up to the official announcement of the G6. In the past we’ve seen shadowed devices with blurbs, but this year we get brightly colored cards sent to each major tech blog willing to play this silly game with them.

The folks at PocketNow are the latest to get a card from LG, and while it may not seem super obvious at first this card is probably a direct shot at Google’s Pixel phones.

Resistance under pressure, when talking about phones, means water resistance. It’s something the LG G5 didn’t have because the whole bottom of the phone could be removed, and it looks like LG is making sure everyone knows this is going to be a feature moving forward.

The current Android champion for water resistance is Samsung, with their IP68 rating as a standard across their premium lineup right now. That means a Galaxy S7 can go into 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes and still be functional when you rescue it. We don’t know if LG plans to meet or exceed this rating with the G6, but if the company is willing to hint about it as a feature you can bet it’s going to compare the G6 rating to other premium phones.

Read more: Everything you need to know about IP ratings

That, of course, is where Google is going to be a little embarrassed. The IP53 rating on Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL has been a talking point from day one, but if LG releases a significantly water resistant G6 it’s going to mean these pixels will be the only phones treated as premium experiences that lack the feature. It likely also means Pixels are the most expensive phones on the market to lack water resistance, which is not going to help sales as we move into the next Flagship season.

This hint may not be enough to get everyone drooling over the G6 just yet, but for those that are it’s nice knowing such excitement won’t damage this phone when it’s in your hands.

LG G6

• LG G6 rumor roundup
• LG forums
• All the LG G6 news
• What the LG G6 needs to succeed

Best microSD Cards to Expand Storage on Honor 6X

Get more space in your Honor 6X with a quality microSD. intro

The Huawei Honor 6X is a great budget phone that doesn’t feel like a budget phone. It features a solid aluminum build, two quality cameras, and an impressive 3,340mAh battery that should carry you through most days.

The only spec that’s lacking is the 32GB of internal storage. Huawei has mitigated that by including a microSD slot with compatibility for cards up to 128GB. That’s more than enough room to load all your favorite media onto your phone or snap and store an endless stream of photos.

We’ve curated the best microSD card options, so you can get the most out of your Honor 6X.

• Samsung EVO+ 128GB
• PNY Elite 128GB
• Lexar Professional 1000x 64GB
• SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64GB

Samsung EVO+ 128GB

Samsung makes some of the best microSD cards you can buy. The 128GB EVO+ is water, temperature, X-ray, and magnet-proof — A.K.A. virtually indestructible — and also features speedy read/write speeds of 90MB/s.

See at Amazon

PNY Elite 128GB

If you’re looking to maximize your phone’s storage at a budget price, the PNY Elite is your best bet. It’ll max out your Honor 6X’s storage without maxing out your credit card. It features a read speed of up to 85MB/s, so you’ll have no problem accessing your media files on the card.

Since this product is fulfilled by Amazon, if you have any issue with it or think you might have been sold a counterfeit product (as some Amazon reviewers have alleged) you should be able to return or exchange it with little hassle.

See at Amazon

Lexar Professional 1000X 64GB

If 64GB of extra space seems like more than enough for you, consider getting the Lexar Professional 1000X. It comes with Lexar’s super fast USB card adapter featuring UHS-II technology for read transfer speeds of up to 150MB/s. It also comes with a free downloadable copy of image recovery software in case you erase the wrong file or the card is corrupted.

The 64GB card is currently just over $30. There’s a 128GB option available here, too, if you want to double up.

See at Amazon

SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64GB

SanDisk also makes a quality microSD card, although they’re also the priciest option on this list. The 64GB card is available for just over $50, with the 128GB card checking in at $90 before shipping and handling.

However, if you’ve used and trusted SanDisk for your storage needs in the past, you can buy with confidence knowing you’ll get a durable card with reads speeds of up to 95MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s.

See at Amazon

ICYMI: Transient luminous events and bipedal robots

Today on In Case You Missed It: We get a much closer look at electrical discharge phenomena courtesy of a video filmed from the International Space Station. Called “Transient Luminous Events”, the phenomena are notoriously hard to study as they occur 25-60 miles above thunderstorms. Even satellites have had little luck at capturing images of the upper-atmosphere lighting. However, viewing angles were less of a challenge for ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen who was able to a highly-sensitive camera to snag video footage of 245 flashes of blue lightning while he was stationed on the ISS in 2015.

Meanwhile, Agility Robotics introduced us to Cassie, a bipedal robot that can walk smoothly over pavement, grass and lose soil without issue. The three-month old bot walks much the same way as humans do, which makes it more adept at handling various types of terrain, and has a similar three-planed hip joint movement which makes it more steerable than earlier bipedal models. While Cassie’s ultimate goal will be to aid search-and-rescue operations, it will start out by delivering packages.

And one savvy drone owner finally found a clever workaround for rescuing drones that have crashed in unreachable locations: Use a larger drone and a coat hanger for a DIY retrieval operation. (Adding an intense action movie score is optional). As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

The Nokia 3310 will reportedly return this month

The Nokia 3310 needs little introduction. Easy to use. Borderline indestructible. A battery that seemed to last forever. Oh, and it had Snake. It’s been a while since the phone was at the top of the mobile heap, but like Rocky Balboa, it could soon be making a spectacular comeback. Renowned phone leaker Evan “Evleaks” Blass reports that HMD Global, the new owner of the Nokia name, is preparing a handset that shares the 3310 moniker. Like its beloved predecessor, the device is reportedly a feature phone that focuses on the absolute basics. It’ll cost €59 (roughly $63) and compete directly with the growing number of low-end Android smartphones.

Otherwise, details are scarce. The Nokia 3310 is a technology icon, so reviving the brand makes sense. It’s a name people recognise and will draw some attention to the broader Nokia name revival. HMD Global has already released a “dumb phone” called the Nokia 150, so a new-look 3310 wouldn’t be new ground for the company. The back-to-basics handset cost just $26 and ran the Series 30+ software platform, rather than Android. Since then, however, the Finnish phone maker has also unveiled the Nokia 6, a proper smartphone running Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

Blass says the company will unveil two cheaper options, the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month. The Nokia 5 will go for €249 ($265) and reportedly feature a 5.2-inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera. The Nokia 3, meanwhile, will be the company’s new entry-level Android offering, and reportedly retail for €149 (roughly $158). We’ll find out for sure later this month when the Engadget crew descends on the coastal Spanish city.

Source: VentureBeat

Google has been asked to take down over a million websites

After years spent attempting to clean the internet’s murky waters, Google’s latest transparency report reveals it has now received takedown requests for over a million different sites. With its individual URL removal request count now reaching the billions, these new figures suggest that pirates now have more options than ever when it comes to stealing digital cargo. The number of takedown requests are up significantly from last year, thanks in part to copyright-holder’s increasingly widespread use of algorithms that automatically inform Google of copyright-infringing content.

While the numbers are staggering, it’s hardly surprising that the world’s most popular search engine gets inundated with requests to remove illegal content from its search results. What is unexpected, however, is that the report shows sites like The White House and The U.S Department of Justice have had repeated requests to remove their content. The U.S Government isn’t alone though, with legitimate sites like NASA, Netflix, the BBC and The New York Times also regularly making the naughty list.

Some of these baffling requests can of course, be chalked down to copyright software errors, but interestingly, Google’s transparency reports also expose governments that are trying to censor certain content. With political articles and videos regularly coming under fire from governments around the world, transparency reports allow citizens to easily keep tabs on their government.

Other reports, however, are less nefarious. A site that’s no stranger to being unjustly harassed by copyright holders is the movie database site, IMDB. Where most legitimate sites get accidental reports in the dozens, In recent years the popular movie page has had requests to remove over 1000 of its URLs. Unsurprisingly, Google refused to remove the site’s URLs from search results.

Still, the vast majority of these copyright infringements can undoubtedly be linked with a rise in piracy. With US internet service providers recently abandoning their piracy warning system before the UK has even implemented the policy, it seems as though making piracy sites harder to find is currently many rights’ holders best option.

Via: Torrent Freak

Source: Google

Trump or nah? OkCupid now matches partners’ politics

OkCupid has refreshed is mobile app with a new look and revised questions and categories to help you find a potential life partner rather than a one-night stand. The app already probed your interests and leanings, but has added 50 new questions including “Is climate change real?”, “Do you feel there should be a ban on immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries entering the US?” and just “Trump?”

You can choose from a range of answers, and the data has been given more weight overall to find you a potential match. The aim, the company says, is to “help you find deeper connections,” rather than just a hookup partner for the night à la Tinder and other apps (Tinder and OkCupid are owned by the same parent, but aimed at different users, obviously).

If you are looking for a less profound connection, OkCupid has also introduced a new feature called “DoubleTake.” Unlike QuickMatch, which it replaces, it emphasizes more than just the main photo when you’re swiping through to find potential partners, as shown in the short video, above. Instead, it lets you see up to four images, along with the user’s name, age, height, religious affiliation (or lack thereof) whether they have kids (or dogs) and basic personality traits like “friendly” and “organized.”

“With DoubleTake, we show many more facets of a person — we’re showing what makes people tick so that you’ll have better dates and better relationships,” wrote OkCupid CEO Elie Seidman on the blog. The feature was tested with select users prior to the main launch and tripled matches, the company said.

On top of the new features, OkCupid has a new coat of paint, with new typography and illustrations by Berlin artist Jay Daniel Wright. “OkCupid welcomes a vibrant community of progressive, innovative individuals,” said Siedelman. “We wanted our new design to reflect that, and also represent the individuality of OkCupid.” Now, if it could just fix the fake profiles and spam …

Via: Techcrunch

Source: OK Cupid

‘Forza’ is a billion-dollar success story for Microsoft

Microsoft has revealed that its flagship racing franchise has now made over a billion dollars at retail. With last year’s well received Forza Horizon 3 shifting over 2.5 million copies in a couple of months, the nine- game racing franchise has slowly cemented itself as one of the strongest brands in gaming. Given Xbox’s smaller userbase this generation and the emergence of new rivals like Project Cars, Forza’s dominance is a fairly impressive feat.

Although in truth, Microsoft partly has Sony to thank for Forza’s success. While Gran Turismo once ruled the racing roost, the franchise has since stalled, with the series’ last entry being 2013’s Gran Turismo 6 on PS3. Microsoft executives must have been rubbing their hands in glee, as the lack of Gran Turismo has undoubtedly helped Forza to gain significant mindshare over its absentee competition.

When it comes to retail sales though, Forza still has some way to go in terms of surpassing Sony’s racer. As of 2013, Gran Turismo’s 10 entries had netted Sony over $4 billion in retail sales. With Sony’s Driveclub failing to find the audience it hoped for, the Japanese giant will be hoping that the long-awaited release of Gran Turismo Sport helps it take back the wheel later this year.

Source: Xbox

Nest App Gains Automatic Door Detection and Better Notifications With Animated Previews

An update to the Nest app is rolling out today, bringing with it a new feature that lets Nest Cam Indoor and Nest Cam Outdoor automatically detect doors within their field of view, further allowing users to set these thresholds as “Activity Zones” with warning-based notifications attached to them. The feature will be available only to those who have the company’s $10/month subscription service Nest Aware.
Specified Activity Zones have been part of Nest for years, but required users to manually draw the areas that they wanted a Nest Camera to detect. With the door detection, Nest will intelligently find and mark a new door-based Activity Zone and then notify the owner, who can then choose to keep or get rid of the zone. Nest said that the new door detection abilities have been made possible thanks to the company’s deep learning algorithms that have recognized patterns over time.

Nest Protect owners will also receive improved alerts — with a connected Nest Cam, owners will get live video notifications when smoke or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide are detected. The company said the update is “another way Nest products work better together.”

An example of Nest’s new automatic door detection feature
Another part of the update, also exclusive to Nest Aware subscribers, is the introduction of rich notifications on iOS 10, letting Nest Cam owners glimpse an animated preview of the camera’s video clip whenever action happens in the Activity Zone of a door. Android owners are also getting preview notifications, as well as a way to add shortcuts to favorite Nest products on the Android desktop.

Nest said that it hopes these feature tweaks and updates will “cut down on unwanted alerts and make the ones you do get more helpful.” Nest is available on the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Nest
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