Disintegrate into thin air (in an artsy way) with PicsArt’s newest photo-editing tool

Why it matters to you

PicsArt’s latest update allows users to create a sweet disintegrating pixel effect in just a few taps.

Photographers can now turn their photos into a disintegrating pattern of shapes — all in the name of art, of course. On Wednesday, April 26, PicsArt launched a new dispersion tool that allows users to generate an effect that scatters pixels in a customizable pattern.

The update comes after PicsArt developers started seeing users creating neat dispersion effects that made subjects appear to disintegrate into thin air — and started asking, “Can we make that simpler?” With the new dispersion tool, the effect is applied in just a few taps, including customization options.

The dispersion effect is located inside the app’s toolbox. After selecting the dispersion tool, users highlight the portion of the image to apply the effect to, drawing over the touchscreen with a finger. Then, a series of sliders adjusts the effect’s size, direction, and spread.

PicsArt says the functionality is a first for mobile editors as a simple tool that makes a previously complex edit accessible from a mobile device. “We started seeing a lot of really amazing dispersion edits being created with PicsArt,” the company said in a blog post. “We thought they were awesome. We wanted to see more. And we wanted to make it easier for you to make them. So we sat down and thought — what if we made it possible to do this in just one tap?”

According to the company, PicsArt is the number one free photo editor on the App Store, now with over 400 million downloads. The app has grown in popularity as a platform with more than just photo filters. Crop, cutout, brush, clone, and other tools give users the ability to turn photos into artistic remixes, while the PicsArt community also serves as a way to share those images or to find free-to-edit photos.

PicsArt is free to download from the App Store, Google Play, or Microsoft.

Otterbox teams up with Mophie to launch charging accessories

Why it matters to you

Otterbox’s wireless charging system is getting a big new client: Mophie.

It’s a match made in smartphone heaven. Mophie, one of the best-selling popular smartphone battery brands, is partnering with Otterbox, one of the world’s largest smartphone case makers, to bring beefy batteries and wireless charging adapters to Otterbox’s Universe Case System for the iPhone.

Otterbox’s Universe Case System, which the company showed off at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January, is a modular protector that fits camera lenses, expandable memory, battery packs, speakers, and more on a rail hidden beneath a removable cover. It’s really durable, too — the Universe Case is certified with Otterbox’s Drop+ Protection, and cushions against bumps and drops with an anti-shock layer and raised bevel lip. And thanks to Mophie, it can extend your phone’s battery life.

On Thursday, Mophie introduced a bevy of chargers compatible with Otterbox’s Universe Case System.

• The $70 charge force packs a low-profile battery with a 2,500mAh capacity.
• The $50 charge force adds wireless Qi charging to the attached iPhone, and works with Mophie’s $50 weighted charge force wireless charging bass.
• The $60 charge force vent mount secures to a car’s air vent levers. The $60 charge force desk mount sticks to a desk or tabletop.

“Otterbox built Universe to bring together industry leaders and cutting-edge innovators, building a diverse mobile ecosystem,” OtterBox CEO Jim Park said in a statement. “The Mophie partnership brings together best-in-class products for the benefit of iPhone users. With dozens of other accessory partners, the Universe Case System proves how customized mobile devices can truly be.”

The Mophie charge force battery and adapter for the Universe Case System are available at Otterbox.com. For a limited time, Otterbox is offering a discount on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Universe Cases with the purchase of a Mophie accessory.

The Universe Case System is available in black or white, and counts Square, Polar Pro, Seek Thermal, Goal Zero, and Olloclip among its growing list of accessory suppliers. Prices for modules range from $20 for Polar Pro’s Slim Wallet to $300 for Seek’s thermal imaging camera.

Otterbox teams up with Mophie to launch charging accessories

Why it matters to you

Otterbox’s wireless charging system is getting a big new client: Mophie.

It’s a match made in smartphone heaven. Mophie, one of the best-selling popular smartphone battery brands, is partnering with Otterbox, one of the world’s largest smartphone case makers, to bring beefy batteries and wireless charging adapters to Otterbox’s Universe Case System for the iPhone.

Otterbox’s Universe Case System, which the company showed off at the Consumer Electronics Show back in January, is a modular protector that fits camera lenses, expandable memory, battery packs, speakers, and more on a rail hidden beneath a removable cover. It’s really durable, too — the Universe Case is certified with Otterbox’s Drop+ Protection, and cushions against bumps and drops with an anti-shock layer and raised bevel lip. And thanks to Mophie, it can extend your phone’s battery life.

On Thursday, Mophie introduced a bevy of chargers compatible with Otterbox’s Universe Case System.

• The $70 charge force packs a low-profile battery with a 2,500mAh capacity.
• The $50 charge force adds wireless Qi charging to the attached iPhone, and works with Mophie’s $50 weighted charge force wireless charging bass.
• The $60 charge force vent mount secures to a car’s air vent levers. The $60 charge force desk mount sticks to a desk or tabletop.

“Otterbox built Universe to bring together industry leaders and cutting-edge innovators, building a diverse mobile ecosystem,” OtterBox CEO Jim Park said in a statement. “The Mophie partnership brings together best-in-class products for the benefit of iPhone users. With dozens of other accessory partners, the Universe Case System proves how customized mobile devices can truly be.”

The Mophie charge force battery and adapter for the Universe Case System are available at Otterbox.com. For a limited time, Otterbox is offering a discount on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Universe Cases with the purchase of a Mophie accessory.

The Universe Case System is available in black or white, and counts Square, Polar Pro, Seek Thermal, Goal Zero, and Olloclip among its growing list of accessory suppliers. Prices for modules range from $20 for Polar Pro’s Slim Wallet to $300 for Seek’s thermal imaging camera.

Here’s a list of celestial events you won’t want to miss for the rest of 2017

Winter’s chill is gone, and spring has arrived. Nights are warmer, too — great for doing a little stargazing. So what should you look for? We’ve put together this handy list so you don’t miss the best celestial events for the rest of this year. We’ve got meteor showers, total solar eclipses, and close planetary pairings. Let’s get started!

April 29 – International Astronomy Day

Our first celestial event is a little more terrestrial in nature. International Astronomy Day is celebrated twice a year in the spring and fall. The first will be held on April 29, with the fall version on September 30. Sponsored by the Astronomical League, the effort aims to bring a host of astronomy-related events on a single day. Museums, planetariums, and observatories participate, and you can find an event near you by checking the Astronomical League’s website.

August 12/13 – Perseids Meteor Shower

Last year’s Perseids generated quite a bit of hype, and it pretty much lived up to expectations with peak rates of about 150-200 meteors per hour in spots. 2017 is likely to be a little bit more tame, as we once again pass through the dust trail left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Even so, on an average year, 60 meteors per hour is easy to do, so it should still be quite the show. The bad news? It’s coming slightly before the New Moon, so some of the fainter meteors will be blocked out.

August 21 – Total Solar Eclipse

2017’s signature celestial event is the total solar eclipse of August 21, nicknamed the “Great American Solar Eclipse.” It gets its name from the prime track across the country around midday from Oregon to South Carolina. Every location in the lower 48 will see the sun at least 50% covered, with areas of totality seeing complete darkness for nearly 2 1/2 minutes! If you miss this, you’ll have to wait another seven years. Learn more about the event on Digital Trends’ Eclipse roundup here.

December 3 – Supermoon

Nothing got people more excited in 2016 than all those Supermoons, caused by two events happening at the same time: a New Moon and the moon at perigee (closest to earth). This only happens once in 2017, and during the last full moon of the year. It won’t be as large as last year’s super Supermoon, but it will appear much larger and brighter than normal.

December 13/14 – Geminids Meteor Shower

While the Perseids wow us — from time to time — with bigger events, its the Geminids Meteor Shower that’s consistently good. Up to 120 meteors per hour can be seen at its peak, and even in less than prime conditions (like this year’s waning crescent moon) you’ll still see quite a few. We suggest finding a dark spot, and looking toward the constellation Gemini to catch the show.

Here’s how to watch Acer’s 2017 press conference

Why it matters to you

Acer’s about to reveal upcoming products at its biggest press conference of the year.

Acer’s big annual press conference is nearly upon us. The Taiwan-based computer brand’s Next@Acer event kicks off today, April 27, at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT in New York, and we’ll be covering it live as it happens.

If you can’t be there, not to worry. Just like last year, Acer will stream the keynote presentation in its entirety to YouTube. Check out the video embed to start watching, or head on over to Acer’s official events page for more information.

Acer’s growing product portfolio includes laptops, desktops, monitors, tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches, so it’s a little tough to predict just what the company has in store. But if this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mobile World Congress (MWC) was any indication, the announcements will likely have something to do with gaming, affordable laptops, and virtual reality.

At CES back in January, Acer took the wraps off its Predator 21 X, a 21-inch curved-screen gaming laptop that cost a whopping $9,000. And later in the year at MWC, Acer demoed a Windows-based virtual reality headset.

Acer refreshed its affordable Chromebook line at an April event last year, and we expect it to do the same this time around. Chromebooks continue to sell like hotcakes, and Google recently brought Android apps to the ChromeOS platform. Needless to say, there’s plenty of ground to cover.

A new 2-in-1 convertible in the company’s Switch series is pretty much a shoe-in, which is good news — we were big fans of the last year’s Alpha 12, which boasted a $600 price tag and an innovative kick-stand design. Mainstream notebooks like the Aspire S 13 are likely to make an appearance, too.

We wouldn’t put it past Acer to launch a 360-degree camera. A number of its competitors, including Samsung, Huawei, LG, and ZTE, have VR-capable cameras of their own, and Acer might finally be tempted to follow suit — especially considering its VR headset is due out sometime this year.

Here’s how to watch Acer’s 2017 press conference

Why it matters to you

Acer’s about to reveal upcoming products at its biggest press conference of the year.

Acer’s big annual press conference is nearly upon us. The Taiwan-based computer brand’s Next@Acer event kicks off today, April 27, at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT in New York, and we’ll be covering it live as it happens.

If you can’t be there, not to worry. Just like last year, Acer will stream the keynote presentation in its entirety to YouTube. Check out the video embed to start watching, or head on over to Acer’s official events page for more information.

Acer’s growing product portfolio includes laptops, desktops, monitors, tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches, so it’s a little tough to predict just what the company has in store. But if this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Mobile World Congress (MWC) was any indication, the announcements will likely have something to do with gaming, affordable laptops, and virtual reality.

At CES back in January, Acer took the wraps off its Predator 21 X, a 21-inch curved-screen gaming laptop that cost a whopping $9,000. And later in the year at MWC, Acer demoed a Windows-based virtual reality headset.

Acer refreshed its affordable Chromebook line at an April event last year, and we expect it to do the same this time around. Chromebooks continue to sell like hotcakes, and Google recently brought Android apps to the ChromeOS platform. Needless to say, there’s plenty of ground to cover.

A new 2-in-1 convertible in the company’s Switch series is pretty much a shoe-in, which is good news — we were big fans of the last year’s Alpha 12, which boasted a $600 price tag and an innovative kick-stand design. Mainstream notebooks like the Aspire S 13 are likely to make an appearance, too.

We wouldn’t put it past Acer to launch a 360-degree camera. A number of its competitors, including Samsung, Huawei, LG, and ZTE, have VR-capable cameras of their own, and Acer might finally be tempted to follow suit — especially considering its VR headset is due out sometime this year.

Samsung Pay is now available in Sweden, UAE, Hong Kong, and Switzerland

Samsung Pay is now live in 16 markets around the world.

After landing in India last month, Samsung Pay is now heading to four new markets. The digital payments service is now available in Sweden and the United Arab Emirates — its first foray into the Nordics and the Middle East respectively — and has gone up for early access in Hong Kong and Switzerland.

In Sweden, Samsung Pay works with most credit and debit cards issued by Mastercard and Visa, along with Eurocard, SEB (Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken), Nordea, and Mastercard’s SAS-affiliated cards, with more banks set to be added to the list shortly. Customers using the Galaxy S8 and S8+, A5 2016, A5 2017, Galaxy S7, S7 edge, and the Gear S3 will be able to use Samsung Pay in the country.

As for the UAE, Samsung is tying up with ADCB (Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank), Emirates NBD, HSBC, Mashreq, NBAD, RAKBANK, and Standard Chartered. Compatible devices include the Galaxy A5 2016, A7 2017, the Galaxy A 2017 series (A3, A5, and A7), Galaxy Note 5, S6 edge+, S7, S7 edge, S8, and the Gear S3.

The expansion means that Samsung Pay is now available in 16 markets around the world. The advantage with Samsung’s digital payments service is that it works over NFC as well as MST, making it compatible with older card readers. Even if a retailer doesn’t have an NFC-enabled POS machine, you’ll be able to use Samsung Pay, giving the service a leg up over Android Pay.

Best apps and games for getting out and enjoying the outdoors

Just because you like being on your phone doesn’t mean you have to stay inside all the time.

Ahh, summer. For those of us who live in the North, it’s that brief couple of months where we can go outside and comfortably enjoy the outdoors. And yet, it’s still all too easy to stay inside, watch Netflix, and just lay about. Sometimes you need something to prod you up on your feet and set you off on a quick and fun adventure.

Whether you’re looking to set up your fitness game, or simply spend a bit more time outside enjoying that fresh air, these apps and games are worth checking out — and stackable! I don’t know about you, but the idea of playing Pokemon Go while outrunning zombies is pretty compelling…

c:geo

If you’ve never tried geocaching before, you’re sure to be surprised with just how many little treasure hunts are hidden in plain sight all around you! It’s a fun hobby that’s really taken off due to cellphone GPS making it easier than ever for the average person to check it out.

Once you’ve registered and configured the app, geocaching is a fun activity you can do at any time, wherever you are. Simply load up an app, use the map to target a nearby geocache, then head to that location and start searching! The geocache will be cleverly hidden in the area. Once you’ve found it you sign and date the included, re-hide the cache exactly how you found it, then share your experiences online.

There are several geocaching apps available for Android, but c:geo is your best bet. It’s an open source app that’s super easy to use for beginners and includes all the features you need to start hunting. It’s an unofficial client for Geocaching.com, one of the internet’s biggest communities for geocachers.

So what are you waiting for? Grab some friends and head out on your own geocaching adventure!

Download: c:geo (Free)

Zombies, Run!

Part fitness tracker, part audio drama, Zombies, Run! is the perfect app for those of us who really need to be motivated to keep running. Developed by Six to Start, this app has been around for quite some time, but it’s always a fun recommendation to throw out there for anyone looking to jumpstart (and maybe jump scare) a running routine. Simply load up the game on your phone, pop in your favorite workout headphones and head out on your adventure.

You fill the role of Runner 5, a survivor in an ongoing zombie apocalypse that must head out into the infected lands on missions to collect supplies and find new survivors. You’re able to listen to your own music for the stretches, with the story cutting in between songs. If you start slowing down, you may hear the living undead creeping closer — and it proves to be pretty motivating if you’re buying into the narrative. Of course, you don’t have to run. If you’d rather not have your evening jog or walk spoiled by a pack of audio zombies chasing you, you can turn the feature off.

The base app is free, but you can pay a monthly or yearly subscription to unlock all the missions and content at once. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Download: Zombies, Run! (Free w/ optional subscription available)

The Walk: Fitness Tracker

If running from zombies is a bit too intense for you, Six to Start also has a step counter app that uses the same storytelling mechanic to tell a different story. Developed and based in the UK, you are the star of an audio drama that spans 500 miles of walking.

While Zombies, Run! plays like a horror movie, the story here is more like a political thriller movie: A bomb has exploded in Inverness Station and you’ve been given a package that just might save the world. You must keep walking to stay alive and deliver the package to the other side of the UK, dodging agents of evil as the story continues to unfolds as you walk.

There are 51 episodes to listen that total over 800 minutes of audio. The game will track your steps even when your phone is asleep also adapt to your individual fitness level, so that it never feels too easy or too challenging. It’s another interesting app that might give you more reason to get up and take a walk outside, which is always a good thing.

Download: The Walk: Fitness Tracker ($2.99)

Clandestine Anomaly

Clandestine Anomaly is a pretty interesting game that turns your neighbourhood into a battleground between intergalactic rivals, with your smartphone supercharged with everything needed to keep the evil Leecher virus from taking over Earth.

One of the first thing you do in the game is outline the perimeter of the play area — about a square mile or so —and each new level pops up linked to a GPS location on a map. At its core, Clandestine Anomaly is a tower defence game where you use sensors to detect the Leecher
pathways back to their spawning portals. You’re able to play and destroy the oncoming waves from the comfort of your own home — but if you actually head to the area on the map where the battle is going down, you’re able to use augmented reality to launch devastating attacks and gain the upper hand. In later levels, you need to be there to have any chance of being successful.

It’s a really intriguing concept and while you only get four levels before you’re required to pay to unlock the full game, it’s worth giving it a shot if only for a cool look at how augmented reality can be incorporated into games.

Download: Clandestine Anomaly (Free w/ IAP to unlock full game)

Pokémon Go

A fairly obvious inclusion on this list. As we get closer to the one-year anniversary of the release of Pokémon Go, love it or hate it, it’s still going strong with millions of regular players enjoying regular global events as they work to fill their Pokedex with the recently added Gen 2 Pokémon.

As we head towards summer, Pokemon Go may have a resurgence as we all look for more reasons to go outside for a walk somewhere. If you’re thinking of getting back into the game or trying it for the first time, you might want to invest in Pokemon Go Plus, a Bluetooth accessory that lets you play the game throughout the day without using your smartphone. You can pick yours up at online retailers like Amazon or Best Buy.

Download: Pokemon Go (Free w/IAPs)

The ultimate outdoor challenge

If you’re down for a challenge dive into the maps in c:geo, plan a nice long route with several geocaches on the way, then head out while playing Zombies, Run! and Pokemon Go with the Pokémon Go Plus all at the same time. See how many geocaches you can find, Pokémon you can catch, and zombie hordes you can outrun simultaneously in an hour.

Got any recommendations of your own? Drop us a comment!

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Google makes it easier for Indian users to get started with Maps

Google is making it easier for Indian customers to get started with Maps.

Google Maps users in India are getting a new home screen that will make it easier for them to get started with the service. The home screen will include a quick action bar at the bottom of the page that pulls up a direction pane with commonly used modes of transportation — driving, public transit, walking, and ride-sharing services. Users will also be able to switch between satellite imagery and real-time traffic info, and download a particular area for offline navigation.

Google is also optimizing Maps so that the data loads in the background, allowing those on spotty connections (a majority of the populace) to get access to directions faster. With the changes, Google is hoping that Maps is much more intuitive to use for Indian customers. Google Maps offers an incredible amount of features, and it can be daunting at first glance, especially for customers that are using the service for the first time.

India’s smartphone industry is set to grow exponentially in the coming years, with millions of customers set to make their way online. Google has invested significant resources in localizing its services for the 400 million customers that are already online, and the company has rolled out neural machine translation to nine Indian languages. The search giant is also integrating automatic translations into Chrome, and adding 11 new Indic languages to Gboard. Then there’s YouTube Go, a lightweight version of the streaming service that’s designed to work on 2G connections. With its efforts, Google is looking to target the next billion users, which it believes will come from the subcontinent.

Nova Launcher review: King of the mountain after all these years

Nova Launcher is a legacy launcher that runs like a modern marvel.

Nova Launcher has been around for a long time. How long? Well, Nova Launcher Prime, Nova’s premium upgrade, was one of the first paid apps I ever bought back in 2012 during Google Play’s 25-cent sale. A lot has changed in that time, and while trends in Android have come and gone, Nova Launcher has stayed one of its best launchers.

Here’s how Nova Launcher continues to win its place as the home screen of millions, and it starts with how Nova runs for the first time after installation.

If this isn’t your first device with Nova Launcher, it asks you if you want to restore a previous Nova backup file. Restoring a backup from local storage or the cloud, Nova skips the rest of the setup process by applying the settings you had in your backup. For users who bring launchers from one phone to another — or reinstall all their apps after factory resets — being able to restore your backup without going through the entire setup process first is a blessing, and one not many other launchers replicate right now.

If it’s your first time, Nova Launcher can be a little intimidating off the bat. Rather than being asked about wallpapers and what apps they want on their dock, Nova asks users how they want the very launcher to look: light or dark themes, material cards or Pixel-esque solid backgrounds, app drawer button or swipe to drawer. Nova tries to help ease users into the multitude of settings available to them by showcasing three easy-to-understand setting options and giving them a simple A/B choice.

Once you’ve picked these three settings, you’re taken to your new home screen, which is sparsely populated with Google apps. You can easily import your layout from your previous launcher to save the time and frustration of putting everything back where you want it. From here we have a few additional options, almost all of which live in Nova Settings.

I have spent years poking around Nova Settings while tweaking themes and testing new layouts, but even I have to admit, Nova Settings is a bit of a basket case. Just as Nova Launcher has remained largely the same launcher with a few more new styles and features added in over the years, Nova Settings has kept nearly the same format for the last five years, just expanding with the addition of more and more features.

It’s got everything but the kitchen sink, and it’s easy for settings — and users — to get lost in it. That said, there are quite a few gems hiding in these settings are it’s worth familiarizing yourself with, including Nova Launcher’s biggest ace in the hole: subgrid positioning, which is quite well hidden in the Desktop grid settings.

Not too small, not too big, it’s just right.

Subgrid positioning allows you to place app shortcuts and widgets between the normal grid spaces on your desktop. If a 5×1 widget looks too small and 5×2 is too big, you can use subgrid positioning to resize your widget to 5×1.5, which makes your home screens more flexible and can help you get everything in just the right place.

Gesture shortcuts — assigning tasks to actions like swipes and double-taps — may not seem all that hidden considering they get their own folder in the main Nova Settings screen, but keep in mind those are only half the gesture controls that you can assign in the launcher. Every app shortcut on your home screens can also have a swipe gesture added to them — and every folder can, too!

Speaking of folders, I know that Action Launcher’s Covers are the bee’s knees when it comes to folder features, opening your folder with a swipe and open the first app with a tap. Well, I’m here to tell you that not only can Nova play that tune, it can play it better. If you want to turn a regular folder into a “Covers” folder, you can edit the folder and tap Swipe to open. Nova will automatically change the folder icon and tap action to the first app in the folder.

But what if you want to tap to open the folder and swipe to open the first app inside? Instead of tapping Swipe to open folder, tap the Swipe action and select the first item in folder. What if you want to swipe to open the folder, but don’t want the first app icon as the folder icon? No problem there either. In the folder’s edit window, tap the icon to change it to whatever icon you want. We’ve got all the Covers functionality — and more — just without a cutesy name.

I know Nova Launcher gets pegged as a theming launcher — and we’ve used it for a lot of themes over the last few years, but Nova is for more than themers. It’s for users who know how they want their launcher to look and use the same layout on device after device using Nova backups. It’s for users who want the option to make their phone look like a Pixel or like a Samsung Galaxy S8. It’s for users who want their phone to look how they want, from the most basic layouts to the most minute details.

It’s for users like you. And me.

Have you used Nova Launcher for what feels like forever? What keeps you coming back between your affairs with other launchers? What gems have you discovered and treasured in Nova Settings? Share with us in the comments.

Want to give Nova Launcher a try? Here are the first five settings you’ll want to know