Tackle Super Bowl LI with these super apps
It’s the Super Bowl — by no means does the ritualistic event need any introduction. Before you begin to stuff yourself with nachos and guacamole on Sunday, check out these apps to amplify your experience for the big game.
More: Go big and go home with one of these huge 4K TVs for Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI Houston – Fan Mobile Pass
The Fan Mobile Pass is a companion app that provides Super Bowl fans with maps, schedules, and more for Super Bowl events and the game day in Houston. There’s curated content, such as photos and videos, and you can enter giveaways and sweepstakes to win prizes. Register once on your computer or mobile device, and you’ll receive your QR code, enabling you to scan into activities and events. All the up to date photos and videos will show up on your personalized landing page, and you’ll be able to share them on your social media. You can use this app at the NFL Experience Driven by Genesis, Super Bowl Live, Super Bowl Opening Night Fueled by Gatorade, and GameDay Fan Plaza (Super Bowl LI ticketholders only).
Available on:
iOS Android
Clippit
Sporting events are all about the highlights. Those are the moments that people will be talking about and GIFing for months after the fact. Clippit is your tool for taking the most talked about moments and making them shareable. The app captures up to 30 seconds of live footage and turns it into a shareable clip that you send over social media in just a few taps.
Available on:
iOS Android
NFL Mobile
Maybe you’re stuck in a cab or at work, late for a Super Bowl party. If you’re a Verizon customer, don’t fret, as you can always watch the game live through the NFL Mobile app. If you’re not on the Verizon bandwagon, the app still lets you watch highlights, read stories, and up-to-the-minute scoring. You can also track league and team leader statistics from major categories and browse the NFL Shop store, should you want to pick up some memorabilia.
Available on:
iOS Android
Ibotta
When you’re doing your shopping before the Super Bowl, picking all the necessities to entertain fans with a hunger for snacks as strong as their one for football, make sure to take this shopping app with you. Not only will you earn rewards and money back when you make your purchases, but you’ll also see some special offers specifically related to the big game.
Available on:
iOS Android
Gamblino
Place your bets on a variety of topics in Gamblino, and share them with your friends. A recent update to this gambling app allows users to easily set up sports pools, with more than 75 props to choose from, ranging from the coin flip result to whether there will be a safety. Just choose your prop and send it to your friends for them to join, and voila, you have your own private sports pool.
Available on:
iOS Android
Odds
Big game, big bets. There is always money on the line in the Super Bowl, on just about everything from the coin toss to the final score. Even if you don’t have money riding on the game, the insights provided for gamblers can give you an interesting look at the game. Plus you can see win probability, which Packers fans will tell you means nothing—even when it’s at 99 percent with 5 minutes remaining.
Available on:
iOS Android
Thuuz
When there are over 100 million people watching the same thing at the same time, you can feel like you’re being left out if you aren’t up on what’s happening. Thuuz is your loophole to catching the good moments without watching the whole game. It’ll alert you to the big plays and you can spend the rest of the game watching the Puppy Bowl.
Available on:
iOS Android
10 free online storage services to claim your space in the cloud
It’s so easy to generate a mountain of digital files nowadays. We take more photos than ever, shoot hours of video, and love to share. Cloud storage provides convenient access wherever we may be, like a digital filing cabinet, and it’s also great for collaborating on projects and provides a simple way of sharing files with selected family, friends, or business contacts. But it can also cost a pretty penny.
Below are our favorite cloud storage apps for iOS and Android, and some tips on how to avoid paying for cloud storage at all.
Organize your files into groups, and use different services
Most cloud storage services offer you a limited amount of free space, in the hopes that you’ll upgrade when you run out and sign up to a subscription package. If you’re willing to do a little organizing, then there’s really no need to pay anything at all. Start by breaking your files down into groups. Split your photos and videos, organize by date, or pick a single service for your media. Also, keep your documents grouped together, separate all your work-related files, and so on. Once you have your groups, take a look at how much space you need and create separate free cloud storage accounts for each category.
More: 5 handy tips to find the best deals on apps
We’ve rounded up the best free cloud storage apps. All of these options can also be accessed from your desktop or laptop through an app or your web browser.
NOTE: These figures are correct at the time of publishing, but the cloud storage space is competitive and limits and offers frequently change.
Most commonly used: Dropbox
Dropbox is easy to use, very reliable, and one of the oldest players in cloud storage. There are few restrictions on what you can upload, and you can share folders with other Dropbox users or send links to allow people to access your files. You can also create public folders if you wish. You can access previous versions of files for up to 30 days, and there’s a desktop client and the option to log in anywhere through your browser. You can get up to 1TB of storage with Dropbox Pro which costs $9.99 per month.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Best option for photo backup: Google Drive
The 15GB you get from Google spans Gmail, Google + Photos, and Google Drive. However, there are lots of exceptions that don’t count towards your limit, for example, photos smaller than 2,048 x 2,048 pixels and videos shorter than 15 minutes uploaded through your Google Photos app don’t count. You’ll also find that Google documents you create within Drive don’t count. You can access Google Drive through a client or your web browser. Deleted files go into your trash or bin and they stay there until you either permanently delete them or restore them.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Best option for Windows users: OneDrive
Microsoft’s OneDrive used to be called SkyDrive and it comes pre-installed on Windows 10. You can access your files through a client or your web browser. You can also create public folders and deleted files go into the recycle bin for 30 days, so you can restore them during that period. Plans range from 5GB of storage for free to 5TB of storage for $99.99 per year. If you subscribe, you can use all the Microsoft Office apps with real-time notifications on edits for collaborations, and it’s easy to configure the mobile app to automatically backup things like photos.
Download now for:
Android iOS
If you use Amazon, try: Amazon Drive
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, then you get 5GB for free with Amazon Drive and free unlimited storage for photos. You can share files easily via URL. Deleted files go into your deleted items list and can be restored unless they are deleted permanently. Amazon also offers an Unlimited Storage plan with a free three-month trial, after which you’ll be asked to pay $60 per year.
Download now for:
Android iOS
For multi-device file access: Box
You can easily share files with links or create collaborative folders with Box, which also allows for shared workspaces with tasks and comments, and 10GB of free storage. Files have a version history so you can revert easily if required. Deleted files go into the trash and can be restored for up to 30 days.
Download now for:
Android iOS
For small iPhone/iPad backups: Apple iCloud
You may as well use this if you own an eligible Apple device, but it has a lot of limitations. It’s no good for sharing or collaboration, so just use it to back up personal files. If you have an iPhone or iPad then it can automatically back up photos via your Photo Stream for the last 30 days. All iOS users have 5GB of free storage with the option to purchase more from Apple. If you don’t see the iCloud Drive icon on your home screen, open the App Store, and search for iCloud Drive.
Keep private files private: SpiderOak
This is a good option for personal files that you want to keep private. Your data is fully encrypted and can only be unlocked with your password, which SpiderOak doesn’t store. The zero-knowledge privacy policy ensures that even staff physically accessing the storage servers can’t see your files. There are no file size limits and you can recover deleted files. There is a 21-day trial that gives you 250GB of storage. After the trial, you have options from $5 per month for 100GB to $12 per month for 1TB.
Download now for:
Android iOS
A little more free encrypted storage: Tresorit
This service also boasts client-side encryption, secure data transfer, and a zero-knowledge policy on passwords. Sensitive photos or videos and private documents will be safe and sound. It also has secure sharing with folders or encrypted links and 7 days of activity history. There’s a free 14 day trial period, and after that individual users can opt for a Premium package that offers 100GB of encrypted storage, or a Solo package that offers 1TB of encrypted storage.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Lots of free storage, and encryption: Mega
Mega is a secure cloud storage option, with private encryption keys, that gives you a healthy 50GB of free storage. It allows you to share with contacts, and even see their updates in real time. Be careful if you lose your password, though, because not even Mega will be able to reset it, and you will lose access to your files. If you need more storage, plans start with Pro Lite, which gives you 200GB of storage for $5 per month, and go up to Pro III subscription which gives you 4TB of storage, and 8TB of bandwidth for $30 per month.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Auto Uploads, and unlimited devices per account: IDrive
IDrive is certainly a one-stop solution for all your backup needs. It has desktop, web, and mobile apps. It will backup and restore your contacts, photos, calendars, and even your health data. It even supports Facebook and Instagram backup. You can share files and folders, and you can also choose to have automatic backups turned on. Like any good secured service, the encryption key is private, so that only you have access to your data. The free plan gives you 5GB of storage, while the IDrive personal plan gives you 1TB priced at $52.12 for the first year.
Download now for:
Android iOS
10 free online storage services to claim your space in the cloud
It’s so easy to generate a mountain of digital files nowadays. We take more photos than ever, shoot hours of video, and love to share. Cloud storage provides convenient access wherever we may be, like a digital filing cabinet, and it’s also great for collaborating on projects and provides a simple way of sharing files with selected family, friends, or business contacts. But it can also cost a pretty penny.
Below are our favorite cloud storage apps for iOS and Android, and some tips on how to avoid paying for cloud storage at all.
Organize your files into groups, and use different services
Most cloud storage services offer you a limited amount of free space, in the hopes that you’ll upgrade when you run out and sign up to a subscription package. If you’re willing to do a little organizing, then there’s really no need to pay anything at all. Start by breaking your files down into groups. Split your photos and videos, organize by date, or pick a single service for your media. Also, keep your documents grouped together, separate all your work-related files, and so on. Once you have your groups, take a look at how much space you need and create separate free cloud storage accounts for each category.
More: 5 handy tips to find the best deals on apps
We’ve rounded up the best free cloud storage apps. All of these options can also be accessed from your desktop or laptop through an app or your web browser.
NOTE: These figures are correct at the time of publishing, but the cloud storage space is competitive and limits and offers frequently change.
Most commonly used: Dropbox
Dropbox is easy to use, very reliable, and one of the oldest players in cloud storage. There are few restrictions on what you can upload, and you can share folders with other Dropbox users or send links to allow people to access your files. You can also create public folders if you wish. You can access previous versions of files for up to 30 days, and there’s a desktop client and the option to log in anywhere through your browser. You can get up to 1TB of storage with Dropbox Pro which costs $9.99 per month.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Best option for photo backup: Google Drive
The 15GB you get from Google spans Gmail, Google + Photos, and Google Drive. However, there are lots of exceptions that don’t count towards your limit, for example, photos smaller than 2,048 x 2,048 pixels and videos shorter than 15 minutes uploaded through your Google Photos app don’t count. You’ll also find that Google documents you create within Drive don’t count. You can access Google Drive through a client or your web browser. Deleted files go into your trash or bin and they stay there until you either permanently delete them or restore them.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Best option for Windows users: OneDrive
Microsoft’s OneDrive used to be called SkyDrive and it comes pre-installed on Windows 10. You can access your files through a client or your web browser. You can also create public folders and deleted files go into the recycle bin for 30 days, so you can restore them during that period. Plans range from 5GB of storage for free to 5TB of storage for $99.99 per year. If you subscribe, you can use all the Microsoft Office apps with real-time notifications on edits for collaborations, and it’s easy to configure the mobile app to automatically backup things like photos.
Download now for:
Android iOS
If you use Amazon, try: Amazon Drive
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, then you get 5GB for free with Amazon Drive and free unlimited storage for photos. You can share files easily via URL. Deleted files go into your deleted items list and can be restored unless they are deleted permanently. Amazon also offers an Unlimited Storage plan with a free three-month trial, after which you’ll be asked to pay $60 per year.
Download now for:
Android iOS
For multi-device file access: Box
You can easily share files with links or create collaborative folders with Box, which also allows for shared workspaces with tasks and comments, and 10GB of free storage. Files have a version history so you can revert easily if required. Deleted files go into the trash and can be restored for up to 30 days.
Download now for:
Android iOS
For small iPhone/iPad backups: Apple iCloud
You may as well use this if you own an eligible Apple device, but it has a lot of limitations. It’s no good for sharing or collaboration, so just use it to back up personal files. If you have an iPhone or iPad then it can automatically back up photos via your Photo Stream for the last 30 days. All iOS users have 5GB of free storage with the option to purchase more from Apple. If you don’t see the iCloud Drive icon on your home screen, open the App Store, and search for iCloud Drive.
Keep private files private: SpiderOak
This is a good option for personal files that you want to keep private. Your data is fully encrypted and can only be unlocked with your password, which SpiderOak doesn’t store. The zero-knowledge privacy policy ensures that even staff physically accessing the storage servers can’t see your files. There are no file size limits and you can recover deleted files. There is a 21-day trial that gives you 250GB of storage. After the trial, you have options from $5 per month for 100GB to $12 per month for 1TB.
Download now for:
Android iOS
A little more free encrypted storage: Tresorit
This service also boasts client-side encryption, secure data transfer, and a zero-knowledge policy on passwords. Sensitive photos or videos and private documents will be safe and sound. It also has secure sharing with folders or encrypted links and 7 days of activity history. There’s a free 14 day trial period, and after that individual users can opt for a Premium package that offers 100GB of encrypted storage, or a Solo package that offers 1TB of encrypted storage.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Lots of free storage, and encryption: Mega
Mega is a secure cloud storage option, with private encryption keys, that gives you a healthy 50GB of free storage. It allows you to share with contacts, and even see their updates in real time. Be careful if you lose your password, though, because not even Mega will be able to reset it, and you will lose access to your files. If you need more storage, plans start with Pro Lite, which gives you 200GB of storage for $5 per month, and go up to Pro III subscription which gives you 4TB of storage, and 8TB of bandwidth for $30 per month.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Auto Uploads, and unlimited devices per account: IDrive
IDrive is certainly a one-stop solution for all your backup needs. It has desktop, web, and mobile apps. It will backup and restore your contacts, photos, calendars, and even your health data. It even supports Facebook and Instagram backup. You can share files and folders, and you can also choose to have automatic backups turned on. Like any good secured service, the encryption key is private, so that only you have access to your data. The free plan gives you 5GB of storage, while the IDrive personal plan gives you 1TB priced at $52.12 for the first year.
Download now for:
Android iOS
Robotic skin: Researchers created a material twice as sensitive as human skin
Why it matters to you
Artificial skins like this one can help robots, and people with prosthetic limbs, better sense their surroundings.
Pit vipers have an organ between their nose and eyes that allows can detect prey in pitch dark at a distance of a few feet. This “pit organ” is the most sensitive in the animal kingdom, twice as sensitive as human skin and many time more precise than artificial thermometers.
But a team of researchers from ETH Zurich and the California Institute of Technology have now designed a material that exceeds the sensitivity of human skin and even matches the sensitivity of the pit organ. Used as an artificial skin, the material may provide hypersensitive feedback for prosthetic and robotic limbs.
More: This artificial skin can detect touch — and it’s made from tinfoil and sticky notes
After studies showed that pectin (a substance found in plant cell walls and in kitchens as a gelling agent for jams) could be used as an artificial sensor, project lead Raffaele Di Giacomo from ETH Zurich began to test the substance further. Pectin proved to be a remarkable material for high-sensitivity sensors, but it was too rigid until Di Giacomo and doctoral student Luca Bonanomi developed a thin film of pectin only 100 micrometers thick.
The researchers have since demonstrated that this film can detect detect slight changes in temperature and is responsive in a broad range of temperatures, including the operational range of human skin.
To test the artificial skin, Di Giacomo and his team used a stuffed animal heated to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the average body temperature of a mouse, and held it in front of the film. The material could detect the stuffed animal even at a few week away. “This demonstrated we have the same performance when you compare the snake membrane with our membrane,” Di Giacomo told Digital Trends. “If you measure the membrane of the snake and ours you have the same variation of electrical response and distance.”
“This is the first time that we’ve even exceeded the sensitivity of the human skin,” Di Giacomo added.
The researchers think their material will find applications in robotics and prosthetics, where it could be used as an artificial skin.
“It’s important for a person with a robotic arm to have complete sensory feedback from the artificial limb,” Di Giacomo said. “And it has been demonstrated that in order to move an arm correctly, sight is not enough. You need the sensory feedback from the limb.”
A paper detailing their work was published this week in the journal Science Robotics.
The best smartwatch you can buy
The smartwatch phenomenon began in earnest during 2015, but now it’s in full swing. Although we only saw a handful of new smartwatches in 2016, the latest and greatest smartwatches are a big improvement over the unsightly first-generation models. Now we have a number of attractive smartwatches from tech companies and fashion brands alike.
There is a smartwatch on this list for everyone, whether you’re a businessman or a woman. We’ve also included a variety of smartwatch operating systems on this list, so you can find the watch that works best with your phone.
Our pick
Why should you buy this: It’s the best smartwatch
Our Score
The Best
Apple Watch Series 2
It’s simply the best, by far. There’s little comparison at the moment.
$369.00 from Apple
Who’s it for: Anyone with an iPhone who wants a smartwatch
How much will it cost: $370+
Why we picked the Apple Watch Series 2
The Apple Watch Series 2 is beautifully made, comfortable to wear, comes in different materials to suit most pockets, and there’s a choice of straps that should ensure it can fit in with most people’s style. Plus, it comes in two different sizes — 38mm and 42mm — so it’ll look equally at home on male and female wrists.
The key to the Apple Watch’s success is the variety of styles, sizes, and price points. Watches are very personal and people want to customize them and make their watch unique. Apple even partnered up with fashion and sportswear brands like Hermes and Nike to make special versions of its Series 2 Watch. Now, it’s waterproof up to 50 meters, you can swim with it, and it has GPS onboard; it’s the ultimate smartwatch for active people.
Style isn’t the only thing we love about the Apple Watch Series 2. Its WatchOS 3 operating system is much easier to use than the original version of the OS. Also, apps load super fast, thanks to the new processor and dock feature, which stores your most-used apps for quick access. We love the unusual, fun messaging features, such as being able to send haptic taps directly to another Apple Watch. Add in fitness tracking, a heart rate monitor, an array of apps, a solid notification system, plus a growing range of accessories, and the Apple Watch sets the overall standard for current smartwatches.
As far as downsides go, it’s expensive at $370+ — particularly if you choose anything but the Watch Sport. You can get a number of third-party watch bands to help knock down the price though. Here are some of our favorites. It also only works with the iPhone, but it’s an Apple product, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. It’ll only work with iPhones, of course, but you probably already guessed that.
Read our full review
I got a new Places Live Case for my Pixel and it actually works!
Yes, a redemption story.
In case you hadn’t seen, I wasn’t a huge fan of Google’s own Places Live Case I ordered for my Pixel XL. Not only did fulfillment and shipping issues lead to it taking nearly a month to arrive, but when it finally showed up the notoriously poor case didn’t even work properly.
A refresher:
The idea of the “Live Case” series is that you install the My live Case app to pair up with your case. For the Places Live Case, it enables an exclusive wallpaper that changes as you move around, and can be customized to your liking. The case also includes a button on the back that interfaces with NFC on your phone to perform various actions.
My issue is that the case’s button is finicky at best and demonstrably broken at worst. For the first few days of using the Live Case, the button would activate every single time I unlocked the phone — by default launching the “places near me” interface of Google Maps. Being frustrated but hoping to mitigate the problem, I turned the shortcut button off … but unfortunately all that does is stop the app from starting an action; it still triggers a confirmatory beep and vibration that the button had been “pressed” when it hadn’t.
Loving the look of the case and hoping it was just an anomaly, I took a plunge and ordered another Places Live Case, this time for my Pixel. To my enjoyment, the case not only showed up on time but it also worked exactly as intended. This is the proper experience you’d expect to get when buying a case (particularly directly from Google), and let me evaluate it without the extra headaches.
Since Google has these cases made in China one by one with custom artwork on the back, it’s bound to increase fulfillment time. And indeed, with default shipping Google claimed that my order on January 17 would arrive between January 24 and 26. And unlike my horrible experience last time, the case was sent out the next day and arrived on January 25. Still not super fast, but for a custom-printed case coming from Asia with free shipping, I call that a logistics win.
Even when the case works flawlessly it may be tough to justify its price.
Now, the case itself. My first Places Live Case had major issues with its customizable NFC-based button on the back. At first it automatically triggered each time I unlocked the phone, and then switched to not activating at all. The one truly unique feature of the case didn’t even work. Thankfully, all works as intended this time around on my Pixel. Speaking with a Google representative I’m told there was a manufacturing issue related to the button that was identified and fixed — and at least in this sample size of one, that holds true.
You can still easily say that the selection of Live Cases from the Google Store isn’t worth your hard-earned $40. When the case material itself is on par with one you can find online for around $10, you’re paying a huge premium for that custom design and not-super-valuable customizable key on the back. But if you do spend that kind of cash on a hard plastic case, you want it to show up on time and work right — Google seems to have figured out those basics, and in the end I have a completely unique case that keeps my Pixel safe.
Google Pixel + Pixel XL
- Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
- Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
- Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
- Pixel + Pixel XL specs
- Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
- Join the discussion in the forums!
Google Store
Verizon
Best Android 7.0 Nougat features for the Samsung Galaxy S7!
One of the best Android phones of the past year is getting its biggest software update yet. Android 7.0 Nougat for the Samsung Galaxy S7 overhauls the phone’s UI, and adds new features which offer some hints at the direction in which Samsung is heading for the Galaxy S8. A new, lighter UI is joined by a revamped Settings app, redesigned quick settings and a host of other useful features.
Whether you’re just getting started with Nougat on your GS7, or you’re still waiting on the update, we’ve got a full rundown of what’s new in the latest firmware in our video feature.
- Android Central on YouTube
- Galaxy S7 Nougat Top 10 features!
- What the GS7’s Nougat update tells us about the Galaxy S8
- More on Android 7.0 Nougat
How to fix display issues in your Gear VR
What do you do when the Gear VR display is messed up?
One of the cool things about how Samsung’s Gear VR platform works is the total take over once you connect the phone to the dock. The Oculus software launches, and the dividing line between your Gear VR and your phone is live. The separate set of settings kicks in, so you don’t need to worry about adjusting anything before stepping into VR.
That doesn’t mean the Gear VR is without display problems, but it does mean they’re fairly easy to track down when they happen. Here’s what you need to know about fixing these display issues!
Read more at VR Heads!
Pick up an unlocked HTC One A9 for just $249 today only!
Brought to you by the Thrifter team
Right now you can pick up a 32GB HTC One A9 for just $249 at Newegg, a savings of $250 from its regular price. Featuring a 5-inch 1080p display, the One A9 comes equipped with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a microSD card. This is an unlocked variant of the smartphone in the topaz gold color, so it will work on any U.S. GSM carrier, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Tracfone, and others. HTC has also already pushed the Android Nougat update to the phone which brings a number of great new features to it.
Newegg is offering free 3-day shipping with all purchases right now. This deal is only good for today, February 3, so be sure to act quickly if you are interested!
See at Newegg
For more great deals on tech, home goods, everyday essentials, fashion and everything in-between, head over to Thrifter now!
Honor 6X to receive Nougat update sometime in March
The Honor 6X is soon getting the update it needed from day one.
The Honor 6X will be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat and EMUI 5.0 sometime in March, according to an email sent to Android Police and confirmed by us (not saying they were lying, but we like to get confirmation on these things, you know?)
The device, which we think is objectively one of the best mid-range devices you can buy in the U.S. right now, was hobbled out of the gate with an older version of EMUI based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow — the same build that Honor 8 users have been clambering to update since last summer. And given that, thanks to beta tests for the Honor 8 and shipping software on the Huawei Mate 9, we know how much of an improvement it is, we’re excited for Honor 6X users to play with it.
The best Android phones under $300
AIVAnet 