Get The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle for just $34!

The Raspberry Pi is one of the most versatile and customizable micro computers you can buy. They’re affordable and perfect for using in all sorts of projects, from designing your own robot to automating things around the house. The only problem is tracking down the learning resources required to get the most out of it.

Right now, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal on The Raspberry Pi Mastery Bundle. It includes eight valuable courses that will walk you through a number of great projects to use your Raspberry Pi.

This bundle only includes the courses, but you’ll pay about the same amount as it costs to buy a Raspberry Pi 3. So whether you’ve got a Raspberry Pi sitting around getting dusty, or you’ve been thinking of getting one, now is the perfect time to do so.

Here’s the course topics included:

• Automation with Rapsberry Pi Zero
• Introduction To Raspberry Pi
• Hardware Projects Using Raspberry Pi
• Bitcoin Mining Using Raspberry Pi
• Raspberry Pi Robotics
• Internet of Things Automation using Raspberry Pi 2
• Home Automation in 48 Hours Without Coding
• Build Your Own ArmBot Step By Step Using Raspberry Pi Zero

Eager for some new projects to work on? Get this great bundle today!!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Of course Amazon Fire TV and Roku are the top streaming players

It comes down to two things: Price, and simplicity. And if you don’t lead the way in both, you’ll give way to those who do.

A report out this week from analysts Parks Associates says that more than a third of streaming devices in use today don’t come one of the major companies you’d expect. Not Apple. Not Google.

Nope, it’s Roku, which had some 37 percent of the streaming market as of the first quarter of 2017. And Amazon saw a decent bump from 16 percent to 24 percent.

That’s more than half the market owned by Roku and Amazon. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone. What it comes down to are simplicity and price.

See Roku Stick at Amazon   See Fire TV Stick at Amazon

Let’s start with simplicity. Parks Associates notes that Chromecast — which definitely has the price thing nailed at $35 — is at 18 percent. But while I’d reckon most of us reading anything at Android Central have little problem with that little Cast button, the little HDMI dongle still requires some explanation. “Wait — I have to use my phone, but my phone isn’t actually streaming anything?” I get it. But I also say it’s easier to just live entirely within a streaming box.

(That Parks Associates doesn’t spell out in the summary whether we’re actually talking about the Chromecast device itself, or all the streamers that can use the Cast protocol — including every Android TV box, and Roku, and Amazon’s Fire TV — is a fairly gaping hole, though. Same goes for the accompanying graphic, which clearly screws up the proportions.)

Then there’s Apple, which fell to 15 percent for the quarter. Apple TV is really good — even if it’s limited to 1080p (Roku and Amazon both do 4K resolution) and is easy to use. But a current-generation Apple TV starts at $149, whereas Roku and Amazon each have a stick that costs $39. That’s a full box experience for less than it costs to take your family to a half-decent dinner.

And that’s the ballgame.

I’ve said before that Roku is the best streaming device for most folks, especially for the value you get. Amazon’s Fire TV is a really close second. And let’s repeat the price: You can get either for $39. Why would most folks even consider something else? I still prefer Android TV and Apple TV over both of them, though, but those generally come at a much higher price.

My argument would be that more money almost always equals more powerful hardware, and that’s definitely the case here. The NVIDIA Shield TV is ridiculously powerful, and Apple TV is no slouch either. If you’re to want to do some gaming, you’re going to want to look that direction. But if you just want a basic way to watch some shows, the sticks from Roku and Amazon work just fine.

When you’re moving to streaming content, you balance cost versus usability. Cable TV is better and easier. But usually, it’s way more expensive.

And as long as Roku and Amazon keep making “good enough” as affordable as they have been, the likes of Google and Apple are going to have to get used to living outside the top spots.

See at Amazon

Amazon Fire TV

• What’s new on Amazon Prime Video
• Read our full review!
• Get the latest news
• Join the discussion

Buy at Amazon

Huawei has four new inexpensive MediaPad tablets coming to the U.S. next month

Huawei is launching new MediaPads in the U.S. beginning at the end of August.

Besides its Mate flagships and Honor-branded smartphones, Huawei also makes the MediaPad line of tablets. Now, in the days before IFA, Huawei has announced four new tablets coming to the U.S. in September.

The Huawei MediaPad T3 8-inch and 10-inch and M3 Lite 8-inch and 10-inch tablets are now available for purchase from Amazon. The tablets feature entry-level specs, but they’ll pack more than enough power for consuming media.

The T3 tablets include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, 1200×800 displays, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD) and 2GB of RAM, Android 7.0 with EMUI 5.1 on top, and a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The only difference between the two T3 tablets are the screen size and price: the 8-inch and 10-inch T3’s both include a non-removable 4,800 mAh power pack. The T3 8-inch is priced at $139, while the T3 10-inch retails for $159. The T3 tablets are only available in a black/space gray coloring.

MediaPad T3 8-inch at Amazon   MediaPad T3 10-inch at Amazon

The M3 Lite tablets use an unnamed octa-core processor, 1920×1200 displays 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), 3GB of RAM, Android 7.0 with EMUI 5.1 on top, an 8MP rear and 8MP front camera and a fingerprint sensor for secure unlocking. The 8-inch M3 Lite tablet features a 4,800 mAh battery and two Harmon Kardon speakers, while the 10-inch version sports a 6,660 mAh battery and four Harmon Kardon speakers. The M3 Lite tablets are only available in a white/silver coloring, with the 8-inch version retailing for $199 and the 10-inch version available for $249.

MediaPad M3 Lite 8-inch at Amazon   See the MediaPad M3 Lite 10-inch at Amazon

Are you interested in any of Huawei’s new tablets? Let us know down below!

Bring your own music into these amazing VR games

What VR games let me listen to my own music while playing?

Who doesn’t love listening to their favorite music? Who doesn’t love playing great games in VR? Imagine if you could combine the two in an amazing experience. Here are the best VR games across platforms that let you incorporate your own music for an unforgettable time.

Read more at VRHeads!

Best fantasy football apps for Android

Football season is back, baby!

The kickoff to the 2017 NFL season is rapidly approaching, and from office leagues to public leagues, we’re sure there’s a lot of you looking to get in on the fantasy action. We’ve gathered up our favorite Android apps to help you dominate this year’s fantasy football draft (and hopefully, the season that follows it)! You’ll find plenty of options here, each letting you drill down into player statistics, latest news, and updates to your draft.

Note: these apps are for season-long fantasy football, not daily fantasy sites like FanDuel and Draft Kings.

Yahoo Fantasy

Yahoo Fantasy includes fantasy leagues for more than just the NFL; you can get in on MLB, NBA and NHL at the same time, too. Before the league actually starts towards the end of the month, you can work on mock drafts, check in on player news and score updates, and see what the experts are saying about the latest progress.

Download Yahoo Fantasy Football (Free)

NFL Fantasy Football

The official NFL Fantasy Football app features live and mock drafts, live scoring, in-game video highlights, the ability to join and create leagues, quickly choose your weekly lineup, and tweak your player lineup. There’s lots of timely player news available and expert analysis to help you in your game.

Download NFL Fantasy Football (Free)

ESPN Fantasy Sports

ESPN’s Fantasy Sports app leverages the network’s extensive news teams to provide real-time alerts of trades, injuries, and scores for your favorite teams. You can also check in on live auctions and gut-wrenching snake drafts in addition to participating in mock and live drafts. Of course, you can set your weekly players and follow the latest NFL news from within the app. A new update has also added ESPN’s other fantasy sports to the app like baseball and hockey.

Download ESPN Fantasy Football (Free)

CBS Sports Fantasy

CBS Sports Fantasy is a great football reference that provides projections, 2017 stats, and outlooks by CBS experts. You can play around with mock and live drafts, and dive in with full team management, live scoring and chat with other players in the league. CBS Sports fantasy allows for on-the-go trades for your multiple teams, spanning football, baseball, basketball, and hockey.

Download CBS Sports Fantasy (Free)

Fantasy Draft Dominator

The Fantasy Draft Dominator is a cheat sheet to help you make the best picks for your draft. Players are scored across 20 positions within 19 categories of passing, 12 categories of rushing, 12 categories of receiving, 7 categories of kicking, and 27 categories of defense. You’ll have more data than you’ll know what to do with once this is installed. This is one of the highest-rated fantasy football apps in the Google Play store, and one of the most expensive, too, but really, what’s five bucks if it can help you get an edge in a thousand dollar league?

Download Fantasy Draft Dominator ($4.99)

So what’s your favorite?

There are a lot of ways to get in on fantasy football. What are yours? Who are you eyeballing for your draft? Which leagues do you play in? Hop into the comments and let us know!

Updated August 23, 2017: We’ve updated this post with the best apps for your 2017 Fantasy Football season!

Apple removes apps from Iran following US sanctions

Apple has been cracking down on Iranian apps over the last few weeks, removing those that offer food delivery, shopping and ride-hailing services, among others from its App Stores. Due to US sanctions on Iran, companies like Apple are limited in the sorts of business they can do in the country, which is why the iPhone isn’t legally sold in Iran and why there’s no Iranian App Store.

Earlier this year, when Apple told Iranian developers to take down payment options in their apps in order to make sure no Iranian money fell into Apple’s hands, most Iranian apps switched over to an Iran-based online payment system. But developers of apps like Iran’s Uber-like Snapp, which was taken down this week, were recently sent a message from Apple saying, “Under the U.S. sanctions regulations, the App Store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain U.S. embargoed countries.”

Some developers have taken to Twitter to respond to removals, with one creating the hashtag #StopRemovingIranianApps. Google hasn’t begun to take down Iranian apps from its Play store. In regards to Apple, Iran’s telecommunications minister said on Twitter that the country would “legally pursue the omission of apps.”

Source: New York Times