50 floating screens will clean the Pacific garbage patch next year

The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation that aims to deal with plastics polluting our seas, says it’s finally ready to put its technology to work. In a statement released today, the organization has revealed that it plans to start cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in early 2018 using its newly redesigned cleaning system. That garbage patch is the biggest collection of debris in the ocean, a massive soup of visible and microscopic plastic particles poisoning marine life. The ship captain who discovered it in 2003 said he “never found a clear spot” in the week it took to cross the region.

While Boyan Slat (the organization’s founder) originally envisioned trapping plastic trash with one large screen tethered to the ocean floor, the new design is smaller, sturdier and can save the group a ton of money. Instead of deploying a 60-mile stationary screen, they plan on releasing 50 smaller ones that measure 0.6 miles in length. They’ll weigh the floating screens down with anchor, so they can move with the currents like plastics do, albeit a bit slower in order to trap debris.

Slat told FastCompany that he expected the original design to clean up half of the massive garbage patch in 10 years for $320 million. Now, he expects the new design to cut that timespan in half and to cost the group significantly less than that amount. Since he and his team still need to fund the project, though, they plan to use the plastic they collect to make items they can sell, such as sunglasses, chairs and car bumpers.

Source: The Ocean Cleanup

Microsoft’s dream of owning the living room hinges on Cortana

When Microsoft unveiled Cortana three years ago, it was positioned as the company’s response to Siri and Google Now. But as Windows Phone faltered, Microsoft wisely shifted Cortana over to other mobile platforms and Windows PCs, where it could hook into your calendar and email to offer even more personalized assistance. Now, it appears that Microsoft wants Cortana to take over yet another space — the living room.

At Build, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, the company revealed that it was working on several Cortana-powered smart speakers that would take on Amazon’s Echo. Aside from the Harmon Kardon Invoke that was leaked earlier this week, both HP and Intel are working on their own Cortana-powered speakers. What’s more, Microsoft also launched a Cortana Skills Kit so developers can teach the personal assistant new skills or at least convert them from Alexa.

The company gave hints that this play for the living room was coming a few months ago, when a leak showed that Windows 10 was getting a Home Hub feature that would turn any PC into an Echo rival. Home Hub promised that the entire family could share calendars and shopping lists, and a smart-home app would control all your connected devices — with Cortana stepping into a role similar to Alexa. Microsoft also recently revealed that the Windows Creator 10 Update would bring Cortana to Windows 10 IoT Core devices with screens, which could include everything from a thermostat to a smart refrigerator. Of course, Microsoft’s Xbox One finally added Cortana not long ago as well.

Still, not everyone is going to buy an Xbox One, especially non-gamers. Also, the aforementioned smart appliances are months, if not years, away from being on the market. Not everyone has the funds to buy a whole new IoT appliance or a brand-new PC, both of which can cost thousands of dollars. Integrating Cortana into $200 speakers, however, is a much more affordable way to sneak Microsoft’s personal assistant into people’s homes.

It’s a tactic that Amazon has already proved with the Echo. Though the company wouldn’t reveal sales information, an independent consumer report estimates that 8.2 million customers own one of Amazon’s smart speakers. A company spokesperson wouldn’t confirm the number, but did say that “there are millions of Alexa-enabled devices out there.”

On top of that, the Alexa-powered ecosystem has grown to include all kinds of services and applications. It’s even integrated in a variety of third-party hardware like smartwatches and phones — even cars. Amazon shows no sign of slowing down, either, as evidenced by the introduction of the touchscreen-enabled Echo Show earlier this week, along with increased investment in developing Alexa’s AI smarts. With such a growing market, it’s no wonder that others want a piece of it, too. Google, for example, released its own Google Home speaker last year, which CEO Sundar Pichai said had a “very strong” first quarter.

With Amazon and Google duking it out for a space in the living room, it’s certainly prudent for Microsoft to get in as well. After all, this is the same company that’s harbored smart-home dreams since the ’90s. In this 1999 Microsoft Smart Home video, for example (credit goes to Gizmodo for finding it), it predicted a whole slew of smart-home tech that proved to be remarkably prescient, like a personal voice assistant, connected thermostats and internet-enabled TV (remember WebTV, anyone?). Alas, Microsoft never really brought its dream to fruition. It did come really close with Windows Media Center back in the early aughts, but it’s unfortunately since been discontinued.

With Cortana, however, Microsoft has yet another shot at its smart-home dreams. Sure, it has a lot of catching up to do with Amazon, and it doesn’t have nearly the AI smarts that Google does, but Microsoft could bring something else to the table: sheer ubiquity. With Cortana available on iOS, Android, your PC and now in the center of your home, Microsoft’s smart ecosystem could trump everyone else’s simply because it would be the most-integrated across all your devices. Microsoft might have missed the mobile boat, but if it succeeds in the smart home, it would further prove to the world that the company is more than just a boring PC company.

Samsung promises Tizen phones aren’t dead with the budget Z4

Samsung has plenty of reasons to give up on Tizen phones — they’re a security nightmare and there are basically no apps. However, it’s not punting yet on its home-grown OS, as it has just launched its fourth Tizen smartphone, the Z4. The device is aimed clearly at emerging markets, with low-end specs: a quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a lightly-curved 4.5-inch “2.5 D” WVGA screen and 5-megapixel camera. Rather, Samsung is pitching it to “first time smartphone users” who want a simple device and LTE connectivity.

So why doesn’t Samsung stick with Android, since it has endless apps, regular security updates and more overall desirability? It’s surprisingly popular in India, for one thing. Samsung is clearly still dreaming of it being a successful smartphone OS, as it’s used to good effect in its appliances, TVs and Gear smartwatches (Tizen reportedly has a greater share of the smartwatch market than Android Wear). Mainly though, Samsung likely wants to keep it on life support as both fallback and leverage against Google, in case their schizo relationship sours.

Samsung recently said that it will stick with Android for high-end phones, but it does plan to eventually release Tizen devices outside of emerging markets like India. To counter the lack of apps, it recently launched a competition offering developers $10,000 prizes, and promised to work with security researchers to fix the numerous holes. The Z4 will launch in India starting this month and come to a handful of markets later — Samsung didn’t reveal the price, but given the specs, it should run less than $100.

Source: Samsung

Google Allo Gaining Personalized Sticker Packs Generated Through Neural Network-Powered Selfies

Google this week announced an update coming soon to its iOS Google Allo app, which will introduce neural network-generated stickers that are personalized to match your own distinct look. The company said that the new feature will combine neural networks and the work of artists to turn your selfies into unique sticker packs, which can then be used in Allo, the company’s messaging app.

The process to generate the stickers is relatively simple, according to Google, with the sticker packs of your likeness being created “on the fly” after you take a selfie. If you aren’t happy with some aspects of the stickers, a few customization options will appear so you can tweak and personalize even more. You can take a selfie with a few filters for a more comical sticker pack, or opt for results that more closely resemble you.

Google went deeper into the process of developing the neural network for the new sticker pack feature in Allo, as well as how the collaborative artists working with the company affected the end results. The pack that will debut at launch is said to be the first in a line of artistic styles — Google said it “speaks to your sarcastic side” — and future updates will add different emotive artwork that “might be more cute for those sincere moments.”

The first pack was designed by artist Lamar Abrams, who works as a story boarder on Steven Universe, and whose feature designs for Allo help account for more than 563 quadrillion potential combinations of personal stickers.

To create an illustration of you that captures the qualities that would make it recognizable to your friends, we worked alongside an artistic team to create illustrations that represented a wide variety of features. Artists initially designed a set of hairstyles, for example, that they thought would be representative, and with the help of human raters we used these hairstyles to train the network to match the right illustration to the right selfie.

We then asked human raters to judge the sticker output against the input image to see how well it did. In some instances, they determined that some styles were not well represented, so the artists created more that the neural network could learn to identify as well.

Google Allo launched last year and combined standard messaging threads, photo editing, and stickers with the company’s AI helper Google Assistant. The AI could be brought up directly within a chat thread to find somewhere nearby to eat (even by using related emojis, like the taco), search for a YouTube video, and more.

A few of the 563 quadrillion combinations that can come from Abrams’ basic feature illustrations
Google didn’t confirm when the new neural network update would appear on Google Allo for iOS [Direct Link], but Android users can use the selfie feature right now.

Tags: Google, Allo
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Keep dreaming. Microsoft’s ‘mixed reality’ visions remain out of reach

Microsoft may have the best demos of any consumer tech company, ever. Consistently, year after year, it hits press events and conferences with beautiful, well-paced showpieces that demonstrate how new technology can accomplish the impossible.

Virtual and augmented reality have provided the company with an opportunity to exercise this creativity. At Build 2017 we saw new motion controllers, a Cirque du Soleil set designed and refined with HoloLens, and real-time use of holograms to design chair lifts, among other things.

It all looked great, yet there’s a problem. Microsoft’s real-world rollout of its ideas has fallen behind and so far, appeared for only a limited audience. That makes it hard to take the company’s mind-bending ideas seriously.

Motion controller magic

The biggest VR news from Build 2017 was undoubtedly Microsoft’s new Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers. Based on inside-out tracking technology, the controllers base their position off the headset and their internal sensors, rather than external base stations.

It’s hard to take these mind-bending ideas seriously.

They simplify setup and make multi-room use possible. Better yet, they seem reasonably priced. An Acer Mixed Reality Headset bundle was revealed at $399, just $100 more than the headset on its own.

All that sounds great, but hold on. The controllers weren’t present at Build 2017. They weren’t even shown on stage. While Microsoft answered a few general questions about the controllers in a press session, the specifics weren’t provided.

Fool me once…

Of course, it’s perfectly OK for Microsoft to tease a product. A reveal doesn’t need to have all the details.

The problem is not with the motion controllers’ reveal, but instead in the pattern they’re a part of. Since HoloLens first appeared, Microsoft has continually demonstrated VR, AR, and now Mixed Reality devices without firm release dates, and with only vague technical details.

Repeatedly, these projects have taken much longer to appear than initially hoped. HoloLens appeared in January of 2015, yet it still lacks any tangible plans for broad release. Windows Mixed Reality was shown first in conjunction with the Windows 10 Creators Update, implying they would launch together. Now, it appears we’ll have to wait until holiday 2017 to see a headset that doesn’t have “dev kit” in its title.

Then we have the elephant in the room — Paint 3D. Touted as a content creation tool for Windows Mixed Reality, the version delivered with the Creators Update is little more than a toy. It’s completely unsuited for 3D printing or serious content creation, and its disappointing execution undermined the heart of the Creators Update.

Let’s see the proof

There may be reason for Microsoft’s delays and lack of detail. As our own Mark Coppock argued several months ago, Microsoft’s casual pace may be due to its desire to create platforms rather than individual devices. In other words, the goal may be an ecosystem of devices, rather than a particular device.

Which may be true.

Still, Microsoft should consider holding back the fireworks until the fuse is lit. It’s hard to get pumped about the next big thing when the last few big things still haven’t launch — or exploded on the launch platform.

Video: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s camera

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has taken some heat for not changing much in its cameras compared to last year’s S7. But if you only focus the hardware, you miss the big picture on this phone.

The S8’s camera has a ton of software features, plus new image processing chops thanks to Samsung’s “multi-frame” photography. Bottom line: There’s a lot you can do lot this camera, but it’s easy to miss some of these features if you don’t know where to look.

That’s why we’re here to give you a rundown of everything you can do with the Samsung Galaxy S8’s cameras. Check out our video guide to get the most out of your GS8’s camera arsenal, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the latest Android reviews and opinions as they land!

• Best Galaxy S8 Cases
• Android Central on YouTube
• Why the GS8 is the best Android phone
• First things to do with your new Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy S8 review

Common Galaxy S8 problems and how to fix them

If you’re having trouble with your phone, we’re here to help.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are great phones, but no device is perfect and there’s a chance you may be having some issues with yours. Lower than expected battery life, performance issues, running out of storage, problems with radios and more can all effect the Galaxy S8 just as they do any other phone, but all of these issues have potential fixes.

While it’s difficult to diagnose every problem you could be having with your Galaxy S8 or S8+, we’ve grouped together some of the most common issues and have some tips to help you fix them.

Bad battery life

No matter how good battery life is on a phone, people will always want more. Here are a handful of tips for making the most of the 3000 or 3500mAh battery you have to work with.

• Use Power saving mode. Turning it on from the notification shade quick settings or the Device maintenance settings, the “mid” Power saving mode will reduce your screen resolution, lower brightness and stop apps from waking up in the background. You shouldn’t use this mode all the time, but if you’re low on charge it can be a life saver.
• You can find battery-intensive apps by going to Device maintenance and tapping on Battery usage to see what’s taken up the most power over the course of the day. If something’s out of the ordinary, keep an eye on it and see if it continues to cause problems.
• Uninstall unused apps, as they may be waking up in the background and using battery without your knowledge. If you haven’t used an app in a while, there’s no need to keep it around when it could be using up your battery.
• It may look really cool, but you can save lots of battery by turning off Always On Display. Go to Settings, Lock screen and security and tap the toggle next to Always On Display. A compromise can be to limit the hours it runs (via these settings), rather than having it on the whole day.

More: How to fix Galaxy S8 battery life problems

Running out of storage

Samsung made a great move in putting 64GB of internal storage in the Galaxy S8 and S8+, meaning you have even more runway for using the phone without worrying about storage. Still, some people are going to hit that limit sooner or later. Here are some tips for cleaning up your internal storage:

• Get an SD card, and start to store non-critical data like music, movies, photos and videos on the card. You can move some apps, but the best way to save on storage space is to move big media files first.
• Offload photos to a cloud management service like Google Photos. The service offers unlimited backup of slightly compressed high-quality uploads, plus 15GB of free full-quality backups. After the photos are uploaded, you can save space by removing them from your phone.
• Use the Galaxy S8’s built-in Device maintenance feature, found in the settings. Tap on Storage and see what it can offer to clean out — just be aware that it may clear some cached images and temporary files that will just have to be downloaded again when you use some apps.
• Delete unused apps! You may have gone on a download spree when you first bought your phone, only to end up using 20 of the 200 apps you installed. Scroll through your apps and find a few that you don’t use — long press the app icon and tap Uninstall to remove it from your phone. You can always download it again later.

Problems unlocking the phone

One of the most contested changes about the Galaxy S8 and S8+ was moving the fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone next to the camera, and the cascading effect it created in making the phones difficult to reliably unlock. Here are a few tips for keeping your Galaxy S8 secure while also letting you quickly access it.

• Re-train the fingerprint model. Chances are you hastily set up your Galaxy S8 at first, and maybe didn’t spend enough time setting your finger on the sensor to get a proper read. Go into the fingerprint sensor settings and tap Edit to remove them, then tap Add fingerprint to start over.
• Put a case on your phone. As weird as it sounds, putting a case on your Galaxy S8 gives definition and physical separation to the fingerprint sensor, making it easier to locate and more accurately place your finger on the sensor.
• Turn on Iris scanning in the Lock screen and security settings. After registering your irises, be sure to turn on the “Iris unlock when screen turns on” setting to make sure the phone starts looking for your irises as soon as your screen is active. This can dramatically speed up the unlocking process.
• Use Smart Lock, also found in the Lock screen and security settings. Smart Lock can keep your phone unlocked through a variety of methods, including when it detects you’re at a trusted place or connected to a certain Bluetooth device (like a smartwatch). With these methods, so long as you unlock your phone every four hours it can stay unlocked via these methods.

**Smart Lock on the S8: Everything you need to know](http://www.androidcentral.com/smart-lock-galaxy-s8)

Home screen launcher isn’t right for you

Samsung’s launcher has really improved in the past few generations, but still may not be right for you. But fear not — you can change it, and there are many great launchers out there that are simpler, more feature packed, or just offer some customization options you can’t get in the default launcher.

We have a list of the best Android launchers, but there are dozens out there that fill all sorts of needs. Start with our list, then head to the Play Store to search for “launcher” and find one you like. You can always switch launchers or go back to Samsung’s at any time.

Read: The best Android launchers

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS problems

Dealing with wireless problems can be extremely frustrating, whether you’re talking about Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS. There are so many variables involved that it can be tough to tell whether the issue is on the phone’s end or somewhere else. The basics of troubleshooting these issues are as follows:

Make sure you turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, wait a few seconds and turn it back on. If that doesn’t fix the problem, head to the next step.
Restart your phone. Sometimes all that’s needed a quick kick to the reset button and you’re good to go.
If Wi-Fi problems persist, try forgetting the network by long pressing on the network name and tapping Forget network. Then tap the network again to re-enter the password and re-connect.
If Bluetooth problems persist, try unpairing the device from your phone and re-pairing. To do that, tap on the cog icon next to the product’s name and hit Unpair. Put the device you’re connecting to in pairing mode and connect again.
If you’re worried you may have tweaked settings inadvertently and want to start over, go to General management, Reset and then tap Reset network settings.

If the problems persist at this point, chances are they are related to something else in the chain, like the wireless router or Bluetooth accessory you’re trying to use. Follow troubleshooting steps for those devices and start fresh.

Wrong screen temperature/color

Initial reports of Galaxy S8s having very warm or red-tinted displays were wildly overblown, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the display exactly as it came out of the box. To tweak how the display looks so it’s closer to what you want, follow these steps:

Open the Settings.
Tap on Display.
Tap on Screen mode.
First, consider the four presets — adaptive, AMOLED cinema, AMOLED photo or basic — to see if one pleases your eyes.
If none of the presets work for you, tap on Color balance to adjust the screen manually.

• Move the red, green and blue sliders until you see the right coloration of your display, and tap the back button to return.
• You can also tap Restore in the top-right corner to go back to the defaults.

How to factory reset the Galaxy S8

Sometimes after lots of troubleshooting and work, you just can’t find out what’s causing your phone problems. When all else fails, it may be a good idea to just factory reset your phone and start fresh. Back up your important data, and perform these quick steps to reset your phone to the way it came out of the box:

Open the Settings.
Scroll down and tap General management.
Tap on Reset.
Tap on Factory data reset.

• You’ll also notice there are a few other options for just resetting settings or networking settings, which could be worth trying first.

Scroll down and tap the Reset button, then wait for the process to complete.

Other issues

What are your main issues with the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+? We’ll keep this article updated as new information becomes available!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Sprint

Best Unlimited Data Plan

Unlimited plans are back, but which one is the best?

All four major U.S. carriers offer an unlimited data plan again. After years of hearing how they were unable to provide unlimited data to every customer and maintain the quality of service they wanted, new technology and a more competitive market means an 180-degree turnaround was in order and here we are.

We’ve previously written about how most people just don’t need unlimited data, and you should have a look if you have any questions about how much you should spend or how much data you need. But if you’re sure you need all the data you can get each and every month, let’s look at which company you should give your business to. We’ll start with a quick look at what each company has to offer and what it will cost you.

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AT&T

AT&T’s more expensive Unlimited Plus plan comes with some extra features that are definitely worth mentioning:

• Unlimited talk and text to Canada and Mexico
• Advanced messaging between compatible phones on the AT&T network
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico with the free “Roam North America” feature
• $25 monthly credit for DirecTV services
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)

Like most carriers, the monthly fees don’t include tax or regulatory fees and you may have other costs if you get your phone from AT&T.

• Everything you need to know about AT&T’s unlimited plans
• See plans at AT&T

Sprint

Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan also comes with these extras included in the monthly bill:

• Unlimited data for streaming video up to 1080p
• Unlimited data for gaming up to 8Mbps
• Unlimited data for streaming music up to 1.5Mbps
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)

Again, you’ll need to pay taxes and fees on top of these prices and equipment fees aren’t included.

• Everything you neeed to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom Plan
• See plans at Sprint

T-Mobile

T-Mobile has a lot of feature fine print that goes with their T-Mobile ONE plan, and it might make a difference:

• 200MB of roaming data per month
• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico
• One hour of free Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi and unlimited texting on enabled flights
• Unlimited data and texting in over 140 locations at 2x speed (264kbps) (limited time offer)
• Unlimited music and HD video streaming (limited time offer, applies only in the U.S.)
• 10 GB mobile hotspot (limited time offer)

As of May 2017, T-Mobile has a deal where you can add a third line for free if you have two or more lines on an account. There is no word when this promo or any other features listed as limited time offers will end. One big thing with T-Mobile is that you pay the price listed above each month — the taxes and fees are built into the plan price.

• Everything you need to know about T-Mobile’s unlimited plans
• See plans at T-Mobile

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Verizon

Here’s what else you get for your money each month on Verizon plans:

• 10 GB mobile hotspot (tethering)
• Unlimited “HD” (optimized for lower data usage) streaming video (see Verizon’s Video Optimization Deployment page)
• Unlimited calling and texting to and from Canada and Mexico

As with most other carriers, you’re paying taxes and fees each month on top of the list price and equipment fees aren’t built into these prices.

• Everything you need to know about Verizon’s unlimited plan
• See plans at Verizon

The best unlimited wireless plan

There are a few things in common with all four carriers: The listed prices in all advertisements are for customers who use autopay for their monthly bill. Each carrier slows down your data to 3G speeds once you hit a cap on data, which is right around 20GB per line. And no carrier guarantees great coverage, no matter what their coverage maps might say.

T-Mobile offers the best unlimited plan in the U.S.

Overall, T-Mobile has the best unlimited plan you can buy. We considered price, coverage, and features equally and while we can’t say T-Mobile will work for everyone, it’s where you should look first. Here’s how we reached the decision.

• Which companies offer the coverage you need? Having a cheap cell phone bill isn’t so great if your phone doesn’t work where you need it to work. There are large areas of the U.S. where T-Mobile has no coverage at all but for the most part these are rural areas. While we think rural areas are awesome, we can’t ignore that T-Mobile does offer coverage where most people live. If total coverage is your main criteria when buying an unlimited plan, you should have a look at Verizon.

• How much are your monthly taxes and fees going to be? In some places, these extra fees will add up. When you add upwards of $30 (or more) to each month’s bill, T-Mobile bundling them into the plan price might make a difference. Once you add in all the fees that find their way into your monthly bill, there probably won’t be much difference between Sprint and T-Mobile unless you have three or more lines. Sprint is cheaper, but T-Mobile picking up the tab for those fees makes a big difference.

• Do you need any of the other services that come with a particular plan? If you have to pay extra for things like texting or calling people in other countries be sure to add those costs into the price unless it’s included in the plan. T-Mobile offers roaming data, calls, texts and data in all of North America as well as texting and data in 140 other places around the world. They even offer free in-flight Wi-Fi with Gogo. This is a great set of useful extras.

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The best news is that everything here is subject to change at any time! Because the market has become so competitive for unlimited data, companies will constantly be adjusting prices and features. When one company makes a move the rest will soon follow with their own new pricing or other offers.

We’ll keep things updated here as changes happen and maybe next month we’ll be recommending a different company.

See at T-Mobile

Five reasons to download PlayMobo on Android

PlayMobo is one of your best ways to discover new games to play on Google Play. It allows you get recommendations on what to play next, earn daily points for playing games, and even gives you the chance to win numerous giveaways on a regular basis.

Here are five reasons you should download it today.

1. Discover cool games

The PlayMobo app, available from the Google Play store, lets you discover cool new games every day.

The games, which are 100 per cent hand-picked by the apps dedicated editorial team, are reviewed by a human to ensure only the best five games are suggested to you every day.

If you don’t like the daily suggestions, don’t worry. You can search the thousands of great games knowing you are always going to find a winner.

2. Free gift cards and rewards 

The more game you play, the more points you earn, and playing games from PlayMobo lets you earn points to redeem what are called featurepoints for awesome rewards and Amazon free gift cards.

Besides Amazon free gift cards, more redeem options such as PayPal cash, steam points, and mgift are all due to be added in the future. Yes, you can actually earn money for playing great games. Cool huh?

3. Gift cards, giveaways and gems 

Besides earning points to play games, PlayMobo users also get the chance to win some great prizes with monthly game giveaways and bounty events for the apps users every month.

There is also the chance to win in-game items such as heroes, gems, and diamonds to enhance your gameplay even further.

4. Latest gaming news

The PlayMobo app features the latest gaming news and full coverage on the trending new games hitting the app all the time so you can stay up to date with all the latest news ensuring you don’t miss any hot new titles being released.

5. Game lists

The app also lets you customise your own “game list” just by tapping the follow button for a specific game.

It means you get all the latest gaming news, how-to, gameplay, walkthrough, mgift giveaways, offers, and all the essential information for those games that you mark to follow. Yep, you’ll never miss out again. 

How to shoot great video and photos on iPhone, Apple reveals all

Apple has released a series of videos showing how iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users can take better photos and films on their smartphones. And because many of the tips feature the software, they can help owners of older iPhones too – as long as they have iOS 10.

The company has created its own website with how to guides, all in video form. You can also see a few of them below as they are also on YouTube.

There are guides on how to shoot portraits, close-ups, timed selfies and even without a flash.

Some of the features detailed are only available on the iPhone 7 Plus as that has a second lens for better bokeh – the blurred background while the foreground remains sharp. However, all the videos contain interesting tips and tricks.

How to shoot a great portrait on iPhone 7 Plus

How to shoot a close-up on iPhone 7

How to shoot without flash on iPhone 7

How to shoot action on iPhone 7

One thing we would say though is that many of them show how to take videos and photos in portrait, vertical mode. We strongly advise that, if you ever plan to show a home video on a TV that you shoot it horizontally. Otherwise it’ll look poor with massive black bars either side.

It’s something to keep in mind for later down the line. How many times have you seen a vertical video on the news? Too many, we suspect.