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 make paid apps 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

DataFlow

DataFlow helps you keep track of network data usage in real time. Never worry about exceeding your data cap.

Available on:

iOS

Smart Weather

This application promises to use the most sophisticated algorithms to provide users with the most direct and clear weather information.

Available on:

iOS

hueTube

See what chemical reactions will happen when Philips hue meets YouTube. Ornament your home with light effects created by Philips hue.

Available on:

iOS

CodeCracker

You have a 0.001 percent chance of cracking this five-digit code. But there are a few hints embedded somewhere in the app. You just have to find them.

Available on:

iOS

Emoji Camera

Emoji camera makes it easy and fun to turn your favorite moments into cool-looking memories. Emoji camera provide unique emojis and filters to inspire your imagination.

Available on:

iOS

VoiceAdvisor

This app gives you insight into all the various commands you could ask of Siri. With 35 categories, there are more than 500 commands here.

Available on:

iOS

Unboxing the gorgeous Midnight Black OnePlus 3T!

The OnePlus 3T is one of the most exciting smartphones of the past six months, and it’s squaring up against the coming 2017 flagships with a fresh coat of paint. The exclusive, limited edition “midnight black” 3T comes with 128GB of storage, packaged in a luxurious matte black box, with all the essentials you’d expect from OnePlus — a Dash Charger, SIM tool, case, screen protector and even a welcome message from the company’s co-founder.

Check out our unboxing video for a quick first look at the hottest color for one of our favorite affordable flagships.

• Android Central on YouTube
• OnePlus 3T: What’s new in Nougat
• OnePlus 3T vs Google Pixel camera showdown

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

Galaxy S8 Active is (unsurprisingly) heading to AT&T later this year

Samsung is working on a ruggedized version of the Galaxy S8.

Samsung has released rugged variants of its flagships exclusively on AT&T for a few years, and it looks like the company will continue that trend with the Galaxy S8. According to the folks over at SamMobile, Samsung is working on the Galaxy S8 Active with a model number SM-G892A codenamed Cruiser that’s destined for AT&T.

Like its predecessors, the Galaxy S8 Active will likely be based on the standard Galaxy S8, albeit with a ruggedized exterior. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are IP68 certified dust and water resistant, but Samsung in previous years has rolled out devices compliant with the U.S. military’s MIL-STD-810G rating for withstanding temperature extremes, altitude, shock, and other environmental variables. The S8 Active will likely retain the rating, but with the certification relying on simulated testing in lab conditions and not real-world usage scenarios, you shouldn’t rely on it too much.

That said, you can look forward to a device that is much more rugged than the standard GS8 or S8+. Unlike previous generations, the Galaxy S8 doesn’t have a home button at front nor any capacitive navigation buttons, so it’ll be interesting to see how Samsung refines its design aesthetic for the S8 Active considering it is marketing the Infinity Display as a core feature.

The manufacturer’s previous launch cycles suggest we’ll see the Galaxy S8 Active make its debut sometime in the month of June, and we’ll let you know once we hear more about the phone.

Prime members can grab third-gen Philips Hue bulbs for just $40 each

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time saving you on some new Philips Hue bulbs!

Update: It appears as though Amazon has removed the listing. We’ve reached out for clarification on this and will update when we have an answer!

If you aren’t already a member of Amazon’s Prime service, here is yet another great reason to sign up. Prime members can currently save 20% (automatically taken at checkout) on the purchase of the third-gen Philips Hue bulbs, dropping the price down to just $39.99 each. With these bulbs, you can choose from 50,000 different shades of white (from warm to cool) and over 16 million different colors. The lights can sync to your music, movies, video games and more for an immersive effect, which is pretty dang cool.

You can control the bulbs right from your phone (iOS and Android only), but if you are just looking to start your Philips Hue collection you’ll need a hub, and this starter kit is the way to go. Amazon offers a free 30-day trial of Prime so you can try it out before committing to the annual fee. Be sure to give it a shot so you can take advantage of these savings, free shipping, and so much more!

See at Amazon

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

This is how our Google Pixels are holding up [Roundtable]

A six-month check-in to see how well the Pixel has fared from people who use it every day.

Most of your Android Central staff uses a Google Pixel or Pixel XL on a daily basis. We need to be able to see what Google has going on with Android so it’s something we use for our jobs, and we all agree it’s a great phone in either size. In either case, it’s a phone we carry around and do all the things you can do with an Android phone and we’ve been doing it for six months.

We already know Russell Holly’s Pixel XL is trashed on the outside but still going strong despite the scratches and scars. How it got there is something that Google needs to think about: we want our phones to work well and not look like they just came back from a war zone. Or maybe Russell just needs to try something different.

Anyhoo, since we wanted to know how your Pixel was faring, we need to tell you how ours are doing. Let’s go around the table and see!

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Alex Dobie

My Pixel XL has aged about as badly as any smartphone I’ve ever wielded. Granted, it’s seen a fair amount of use in the four months that it was my daily driver. (I got it in mid-October, and switched to an LG G6 in mid-February.)

It’s worn poorly.

But still, it seems like this phone has picked up an unusual amount of wear and tear compared to other Samsung, LG and even other HTC-built phones I’ve used in years past. The oleophobic coating on the screen is just about gone. The back glass is scratched to hell. Even the display glass has managed to pick up a few gnarly scratches. And the anodized paint job seems to attract scuffs more than most competitors. That’s not usual for me after just four months.

Maybe it’s just unlucky, but I’ve spoken to many other journalists who’ve used Pixels since the beginning — sometimes in a case with minimal use — and theirs have worn equally poorly.

Jen Karner

It went right into a case.

My Pixel XL is still in pretty decent shape after months of use. It’s got a few small scratches, but they’re mostly near the fingerprint scanner, and the camera. Even those are small and not really visible unless I’m looking for them.

This is probably because as soon as I got it, I threw on a sturdy Incipio case to keep it safe. Especially because I have a tendency to kill phones by dropping them. The scratches that are on the back of the phone all tend to be where the case cut-out is, and I’m comfortable with trading a bulkier case for as few scratches as possible.

Daniel Bader

I have both a white Pixel review unit and personal Pixel XL unit and both look immaculate. I was worried, after reading about my coworkers’ brushes with scratches and coatings, that the same would befall my XL, but so far, so good.

What can I say? It’s a well-made phone, Brent.

Marc Lagace

It has a few scuffs.

I’ve been using the Pixel as my daily driver since day one, and I still regret not slapping a case on it right out of the box. I’m a huge klutz when it comes to phones, so my phone has a few scuffs around the corners from accidentally falling off a table or out of my pocket

I’ve been rolled with a slim clear case on my Pixel ever since, which lets me show off the unique look of the phone while drawing attention away from the scuffed corners. This phone has held up wonderfully to the daily wear and tear I can put phones through — including the glass panel on the back which appears to have only picked up a few microabrasions in the top-right corner.

Jerry Hildenbrand

Looks good to these eyes.

My Pixel and Pixel XL both look pretty good. I’m not saying there are zero scratches on the glass but there aren’t any to be seen at a glance and even holding them at funky angles under the light doesn’t show anything. Maybe it’s my eyes.

I think I know why. I always have my phone in my pocket by itself or on the desk/table face down. Being in a pocket without keys or garden tools or anything else that goes in pockets keeps it from getting scratched. My reasoning for always putting it face down when it’s not in my pocket? You can still use a screen with a few scratches, but if you gouge that camera lens you’re going to have a bad time.

Florence Ion

These are all the cases I own for the Pixel XL.

I swap them out depending on how I’m feeling at the beginning of each day. And if I’m traveling with the Pixel XL, I wrap it up in an Otterbox Defender case. This is to ensure the device stays pristine and still retains some resale value. You never know when you’re going to need to offload a smartphone.

So cases, being careful and lucky magic keeps our Pixel’s mostly in good shape. Take a minute and use the comments to tell us about yours, and anything special you might do to keep your Pixel looking good!

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

Did you know YouTube had a dark mode?

Not everything needs a “Dark Mode” but YouTube looks real nice in black.

Google has been flirting with a “Dark Mode” in Android for a little while now, but it looks like YouTube is taking that experience to the web. Reddit discovered a console edit in Chrome 57 for Windows and macOS that enables a toggle switch in settings to flip everything from the red and white you’re used to into shades of black and grey.

The text in the setting suggests you might use this feature when enjoying YouTube at night, but there’s more than a few people out there interested in using it like this all the time. While you can’t get this on mobile yet, here’s how you activate Dark Mode fin Chrome.

Go to Youtube in Chrome
Press Ctrl + Shift + I on Windows, or Option + Command + I on macOS to open the developer window
Click the “console” tab at the top of the window
Type document.cookie=”VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=fPQ4jCL6EiE” into the console and hit enter
Close the developer window
Click refresh on the Chrome window
Click the Settings menu in YouTube and find the Dark Mode toggle

If that all sounds like too much work for you, there are already Chrome extensions like ImprovedTube that will add something similar to this mode. Really, this is just a cool way to see what YouTube may be including in future releases.

Are you a fan of this new color scheme? Would you like to have it on mobile as well? Get down there in the comments and let everyone know what you think!

The new CIA head hates WikiLeaks (when convenient)

The new director of the CIA has come out swinging against WikiLeaks, calling the organization a “hostile intelligence service.” In his first public speech, Mike Pompeo called Julian Assange a “narcissist who has created nothing of value,” adding that he “relied upon the dirty work of others to make himself famous.”

Pompeo went on to slam the site, saying that it was “often abetted by state actors, like Russia,” with the end goal of destroying “Western values.” At the same speech, the official repeated the accusation that Russian military intelligence, the GRU, helped tilt the result of the 2016 presidential election.

The tone of the speech is far removed from how Donald Trump himself refers to Wikileaks, which he often praised while on the campaign trail. The leaking organization is less popular these days after publishing a huge treasure trove of material on the CIA and openly considering a doxxing database for Twitter users.

Mike Pompeo was sharing Wikileaks documents on his Congressional Twitter account less than a year ago pic.twitter.com/cl5P6vnXSE

— Jessica Schulberg (@jessicaschulb) April 13, 2017

Pompeo’s tone, however, has changed significantly compared to July 24th, 2016, when he tweeted a report of WikiLeaks’ hack of the DNC, claiming it as proof of a “fix.” At his confirmation hearing in January, he then claimed that he never believed WikiLeaks was a “credible source of information.”

Source: Reuters, NYT

The Engadget Podcast Ep 36: Bad and Boujee

On this episode of the Engadget Podcast senior editor Cherlynn Low and executive editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O’Brien to talk about some recent examples of bad corporate behavior. First the trio look the most recent developments at Uber, where days without controversy are increasingly rare. After that, they turn their attention to another perennial punching bag (and soon to be newest member of the Verizon family) Yahoo. The company’s troubles aren’t new. In fact the panel will be discussing just the latest fallout from a scandal surrounding political prisoners in China that dates back to 2007.

Finally, on the Wind Down, Cherlynn reveals that gratuitous nudity isn’t what makes an HBO show and Terrence wholeheartedly endorses the chaotic and experimental “pop.” Then Dana offers her review of 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors.

Relevant links:

• Uber’s ‘Hell’ program tracked and targeted Lyft drivers
• Yahoo misused millions meant for humanitarian aid, lawsuit claims

The Wind Down:

• Arca – Arca
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Big Little Lies
• Criminal

You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.

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Subscribe on Pocket Casts

Facebook is now better at detecting fake accounts

Facebook has incorporated some technical changes to its website that make it easier to address one of its biggest problems: spam accounts. According to a blog post by Protect and Care Team manager Shabnam Shaik, the social network can now detect fake accounts more effectively, even ones that may look authentic. The company’s upgraded systems identify inauthentic profiles by looking for patterns, such as repeatedly posting the same thing over and over or a sudden spike in messaging activity. Shaik says their systems can do those without looking at the actual contents of users’ posts.

Facebook believes that killing off spam profiles will limit the distribution of fake news on its platform, since they’re typically used to share stories from disreputable websites. It’s the latest in a string of new features designed to fight hoaxes — just last month, Facebook promised to start flagging websites it finds untrustworthy after a thorough vetting process. Posts from those sites will now come with a warning banner.

In addition to limiting fake news, the upgrades could also make it harder for unscrupulous businesses to pay for likes. They typically do so by hiring account farms from developing nations, including India and the Philippines, to boost their pages’ number of followers. The more likes they have, the more visible they become since Facebook’s algorithm will recognize them as popular pages.

If you’re wondering how effective those upgrades are exactly, Shaik says they allowed the company to kill 30,000 fake accounts in France. That’s a drop in the ocean for a website that has 1.89 billion monthly active users, though, so we’ll have to wait and see if they lead to any considerable change.

Via: USA Today

Source: Facebook

Classic puzzle-platformer ‘Fez’ is coming to iOS

It might be five years old, but Fez remains a masterclass in indie puzzle-platforming. The bright pixel art, the mesmerizing Disasterpiece soundtrack and perspective-shifting gameplay comes together in a wonderfully mysterious and serene collectathon. Following its release on Xbox 360, PC, Mac and various PlayStation hardware, Polytron is bringing the game to iOS. In a short teaser trailer, the eyepatch-wielding Geezer tells Gomez, the main character, how the “adventure is ready.” A flashy cube appears in the sky, before the entire scene pans out to reveal the game running on an iPad. So yeah, you can expect a tablet-optimized version.

Fez was an important title for the indie game community, promoting the sort of wonder and puzzle design that demands paper, pen and endless pages of forum discussion. At first blush, the game’s allure is in its 2D-but-3D game design. A platform might look out of reach, but flipping the world by 90, 180 or 270 degrees would suddenly reveal a new route. It was smart and imaginative, rewarding players who could visualize and plan ahead. Underneath, however, was a greater set of mysteries involving cyphers and codes. Some of which people are still discussing and theorizing over.

To go any further would spoil the game’s numerous surprises. Fez will also be remembered equally for its controversial designer Phil Fish, who starred in the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie. His portrayal and subsequent comments, which included a takedown of Japanese developers, triggered an internet firestorm, the cancellation of Fez II and Fish’s exit from the video game industry. Despite this drama, Fez is a wonderful title that deserves your attention. How the controls will work on iOS remains a mystery — swiping to change the camera angle seems logical, but how that will play with tap-based platforming remains a concern.

Via: Game Informer

Source: Polytron (Twitter)