What’s the best Android phone for former iOS users?

Our forum users recommend their top picks for iOS converts.

Whether you’re talking about computers, phones, smartwatches, or anything else, switching from one operating system to another is never an easy task. Having to learn all of the ins, outs, and idiosyncrasies of a foreign platform takes a lot of time and patience, and this is especially true when making the jump from iOS to Android.

One of our forum users recently shared that their wife is ready to leave her iPhone 6S Plus for something in camp Android, and as you’d probably expect, the community was quick to come to the rescue with some of their top recommendations.

Here are just a few of the responses.

Tsepz_GP
01-21-2018 02:55 AM

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Give the LG V30 a good look, it’s a fantastic device, very underrated.

I currently have a Huawei Mate10 Pro on review and it’s fantastic to, incredibly fast and smooth, Battery life is phenomenal.

I’d actually suggest that if she does not mind paying full price, then going for a Mate10 Pro, but if she does mind, look at the LG V30 and HTC U11+

Reply

Morty2264
01-22-2018 01:52 PM

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Since your wife is coming off of iOS, I’d recommend the 5T as its close-to-stock experience will make the transition easier.

However, I’ve also heard that Motorola is somewhat to stock as well; so the Moto Z2 Play or Z2 Force are solid options as well, IMO.

Reply

RothmanJ
01-22-2018 10:21 PM

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Do you like Huawei’s phone? I highly recommend it to your wife as I am using Mate 9 which is really a good phone I’ve used ever. It has an easy to use interface and system. Then most attractive point is its double rear cameras, and if your wife loves taking self-portraits, it’s also a good choice. But the only drawback I think it is too heavy for a girl. Anyway, I got accustomed to it.:-[

Reply

D13H4RD2L1V3
01-25-2018 10:06 AM

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Here’s an odd recommendation.

The Essential Phone.

It has gotten a ton of updates and it’s a better phone than it was at launch, but it’s still not entirely perfect. The software gremlins are more-or-less sorted but some still remain and while the camera app has improved, you will still need the Google Camera HDR+ port in order to get good images out of it.

But if hardware design is your…

Reply

Now, we’d like to hear from you – What Android phone would you recommend to someone coming from iOS?

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I haven’t thought about rooting an Android phone in years — and you shouldn’t either

Times change, and so do our needs and expectations of the software that ships on our phones.

From 2010 through 2012, my HTC Evo 4G, T-Mobile G2 and Galaxy Nexus saw more ROMs flashed on them than I could ever count. I was trying new experimental software on a weekly basis at least, and some weekends when I felt like tinkering I was trying out several ROMs at a time. I used ClockworkMod’d ROM Manager to back up and swap between different customized ROMs based on what I wanted for the day. I thought it was amazing. And I wasn’t alone.

Early on in the popularity of Android, having one — in particular those with great community hacking support — felt like I had license to try something new whenever I wanted. In 2011 and 2012, as enthusiasts we didn’t really put that much stock in what software was on a phone out of the box — it just didn’t matter, because it was a foregone conclusion that we’d unlock the bootloader, root it (at a minimum) and more than likely load a custom ROM. We’d change the interface, choose precisely what apps we wanted and apply speed tweaks that changed the RAM allocation and overclocked the processor.

Stock software didn’t really matter; it was a foregone conclusion you’d root and ROM anyway.

But it was more than than just those tangible benefits of uniquely customized software and increased speed. In those days, it was almost more the experience of rooting a phone that was appealing rather than the end result of getting a customized ROM that was tweaked just right for what I needed. Why else would I flash a ROM only to blow it up and start over four days later? Finding out about new root exploits, seeing what ROMs different development groups were coming up with, and finding new themes or packages that could be easily flashed was simply fun. But that was bound to change eventually.

In the final few days of 2012, I received my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. From that point forward, I didn’t need a ROM on my phone.

It wasn’t that Android 4.2 was perfect, but it was good enough that it simply didn’t warrant going through the hassles of ROMing my phones anymore. The internal specs and software optimization were good enough that you didn’t need to strip things out of the OS or overclock your processor to get good daily performance. Google’s interface was clean, fast and simple. At this point, I dropped down to just rooting my phones for things like full software backups (cloud backups still sucked at this point) and a few apps that functioned better with root access.

It didn’t take long before the benefits of rooting stopped outweighing the hassles. I was content customizing my phone with typical simple methods: disabling some apps, installing a new launcher and keyboard, and finding utility apps to handle much of what I was previously rooting for. In doing so, I no longer had to chase root access. I didn’t need to think twice about accepting an OTA update for fear of breaking something, or take whether I could unlock a bootloader into consideration when buying a phone. Overall, it was just so much simpler to live with an Android phone without the pretense of rooting and ROMing being part of my experience.

And it wasn’t just Google making better software that didn’t “require” rooting. Motorola, Samsung, HTC, and newcomers like OnePlus started releasing phones with software that was actually good. There was a range of hardware choices with acceptable software that didn’t need tweaking right out of the box. Companies like Samsung and HTC started shipping software with deeply integrated theme engines that let you customize without rooting, and third-party launchers quenched the thirst for icon packs.

The number of ‘good’ reasons to root are quickly dwindling, and most people shouldn’t go near it.

I will admit that there are still some legitimate reasons why people root their Android phones. Sometimes SIM unlocking or removing onerous bloatware requires it. Some phones are stuck on very old versions of software, and by rooting (which of course is inherently opening a security hole) they can patch many security vulnerabilities with newer versions of software. But these are specialized use-cases, not reason for the average Android owner to download a one-click root application and start tinkering. And when there are fantastic phones available that don’t require root to achieve these things, the argument to buy something else and root it is even thinner.

To this day, our guides to help people root their phone are some of the most-viewed on Android Central, despite the fact that we just don’t really talk about rooting or ROMs anymore. Unlocking a bootloader and rooting is somehow held up on a pedestal as a cure-all for inexpensive, slow or old phones — an antiquated view that just doesn’t hold water anymore, particularly for phones (of any price) sold in the last two years. Rooting used to mean taking control of your device and having the power to undeniably improve it — now, it means headaches and annoyances for no real benefit in the end.

I can’t see myself rooting an Android phone ever again, let alone putting a full custom ROM on it. And as the last of these old phones from 2014 and earlier finally die, I don’t see more than the most hardcore of tinkerers staying involved with it either.

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New bundle drops the Sonos One back to its lowest price

Why buy one speaker for $350 when you can get two?

We’ve only seen one discount on the Sonos One, and it didn’t last long. If you are in the market for a pair of them you won’t want to miss this offer. The Sonos One is the latest speaker from the company, and it has Amazon’s Alexa abilities built right in. This discount brings the price of each speaker down to $175, which is a match for its only other discount ever.

You can use these speakers together to achieve a stereo sound or use them independently in two different rooms, depending on your preference. Sonos previously announced that in 2018 the company would bring Google Assistant and Apple AirPlay 2 to its platform, so if you have been on the edge about getting one, now is your chance. This discount is available from a variety of retailers, including B&H Photo, Amazon, Sonos, and Best Buy.

See at B&H Photo

How to Get the best 3D Blu-Ray experience with PlayStation VR

Your PlayStation VR can play 3D Blu-Rays! So, now what?

Sony has added a feature to the PlayStation VR setup that you’re either going to use every chance you get or not even once, depending on how you watch movies. Added in the latest update was the ability to watch 3D Blu-Ray movies through the headset with no additional settings or features. You just put the disc in, put the headset on, and the 3D effects start immediately. As long as you’re down with watching a movie by yourself and having the headset on for 90-120 minutes at a time, this is a great feature to have.

It works reasonably well too, considering you’re using the PlayStation VR Cinematic Mode to watch a movie on a 1080p display and you aren’t actually using all of the pixels to begin with. But a lot of this experience depends on how you have your current PSVR settings applied. If your goal is to really enjoy this experience, you’re probably going to want to tweak a few settings.

Before you get started

The first thing you need in order to watch a 3D Blu-Ray in your PlayStation VR is an actual 3D Blu-Ray. This new feature will not add 3D effects to existing Blu-Rays that do not already offer a 3D mode on the disc. Check the packaging for the 3D Blu-Ray logo before giving this a try.

Watching 3D Blu-Rays with the PlayStation VR only works if you have the latest updates to both the system and the headset. You want the PlayStation 4 to be updated to System Version 4.5, and the PlayStation VR to be updated to System Version 2.5.

Read more: How to update your PlayStation VR

Next up is headset positioning. It’s usually pretty important to make sure your PSVR is correctly positioned on your head, but when watching a 3D Blu-Ray this is critical. If the image is shifted too far in any direction because the lenses are not correctly positioned in front of your eyes, the 3D effect can quickly become disorienting. Make sure you’re seated, and your headset is correctly aligned.

Read more: How to adjust your PlayStation VR Headset

It’s also important to make sure the lenses in your headset are as clean as they can possibly be. Make sure you have a microfiber cloth nearby, and remove any smudges from the lenses before you try to watch a 3D Blu-Ray.

Watching a 3D Blu-Ray through PlayStation VR

As soon as you put the Blu-Ray in your PlayStation 4, Cinematic mode will adjust to show you the movie in 3D. You won’t see any 3D features until the movie starts, unless your movie included 3D visuals in the menu system for the disc.

Everything else about Cinematic Mode will remain the same, which means the display size will remain whatever your default setting is. If you’ve set your Cinematic Mode to Medium, you’ll probably want to increase the size to Large when watching 3D Blu-Rays. This will use more of the display, and offer you more of the 3D experience.

Read more: How to adjust the display size in Cinematic Mode

Once you have the display size set to your liking, it’s important to position the display just slightly higher than you’d normally set it when playing a game. This makes it easier for you to shift a little during the movie, so you aren’t trying to reset the view while watching. To make this adjustment, pick your chin up a little higher than usual and hold the Option button until the display recenters.

In order to enjoy your 3D movie, you will have to have headphones connected to your VR headset. When you’re watching the video in the PSVR headset, you won’t have anything displayed on your TV and no audio will come out.

Once the movie has started, you’ll be able to control the movie just like you would any other movie viewed through your PlayStation 4. If you prefer the separate media remote, DualShock 4 controller, or voice commands, you’ll find each of these features still exist in the headset. However, since you’re going to be sitting stationary for a while, you’ll want to ensure you choose a control method before you hit play.

And that’s it! With this guide you should be able to enjoy your entire 3D Blu-Ray collection with no problem. Is this something you’re going to use often? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Updated January 2018: Updated with information about audio and video through your TV.

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This is what the first Chrome OS tablet looks like

We don’t know specs, release date, or price, but this is definitely a tablet running Chrome OS.

When Google released the Pixelbook last fall, the company proved that Chrome OS can be an excellent operating system whether you want to use it in the fashion of a laptop or tablet. There have been plenty of 2-in-1 Chromebooks that allow you to use Chrome OS in both fashions, but it looks like Acer is working on the world’s first standalone Chrome OS tablet.

During the BETT convention in London this week, one user on Twitter snapped and shared a picture of a tablet from Acer. That might not sound exciting at first, but that quickly changes when you take a look at what’s on the screen – Chrome OS.

This marks the first time we’ve ever seen a tablet in the real-world that’s natively running Chrome OS instead of Android, and while Acer wasn’t publically showing the tablet at BETT, it’s apparent that this is something the company is working on.

The ability to run Android apps makes Chrome OS a much more viable tablet option than it was just a few years ago, and features like being able to run multiple apps side-by-side even make it possible to get some real productivity work done.

We aren’t sure when this tablet will be released or how much it’ll cost, but even so, I’d bet that 2018 is the year a Chrome OS tablet finally comes to market.

Dell’s new 2-in-1 Chromebook has USB-C and stylus support

Best watch faces for Fitbit Ionic

Whether you want a classy analog display or prefer something a bit more functional, these are the best watch faces for the Fitbit Ionic.

The Fitbit Ionic is one of the more sports-centric wearables on the market right now, and while it’s great for tracking your runs, stairclimber sessions, etc., it’s also just a darn good smartwatch. The Fitbit app is where you’ll go to download new apps and watch faces for your Ionic, and today, we’re talking about the latter of those two things.

Trying out new watch faces has always been something I’ve enjoyed with smartwatches, and despite its young age, there are already quite a lot to choose from for the Ionic.

Without further ado, these are my personal favorites.

Arc

The Fitbit Ionic is a device that’s motivated me to keep moving throughout the day, and one of the watch faces that’s helped me do this is Arc. Arc is a watch face that was first introduced on the Fitbit Blaze, and it’s the one that’s typically loaded up on my Ionic whenever I’m headed to the gym.

Arc displays the time at the very top in a large format that’s very easy to read, and below this are icons for your steps, heart rate, calories burned, stairs climbed, and active minutes. Circles will close around these icons as you move throughout the day so you can easily keep an eye on the progress you’ve made, and tapping anywhere on the Ionic’s screen will replace the time with a more specific readout of the various icons. Even better, you can choose between a few different colors to customize Arc’s appearance to your exact liking.

Retro-Sunset

For fans of the 1980s, Retro-Sunset is a watch face you’ll want to rock on your wrist 24/7. The time is large with a stylized sun behind it, and below this is a group of mountains. The bottom is a black background with pink and turquoise neon lights that are constantly moving as if you were running straight through Tron, and the whole aesthetic is plain awesome.

In addition to the sweet looks, Retro-Sunset also has some added functionality. If you tap anywhere on the screen, you can replace the time to view your steps, distance, and calories burned.

Fitbit Labs Pets

There are a few different watch faces and apps available as part of Fitbit Labs, and my favorite to come out of this so far are the pets watch faces.

You can choose between four pets in total (two dogs and two cats), and after selecting one, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting your daily steps in order to keep your pet happy. Each pet needs at least eight treats per day, and one treat is equal to 10% of your daily step goal. Walking more and more will keep your pet happy and content, but slacking off will make it sad and leave your Ionic.

There are indicators for your pet’s happiness and a treat counter in the bottom left and right corners, and you can even interact with your virtual pet my tapping on the Ionic’s screen.

Arcs

During my time with the Apple Watch about a year ago, one of my favorite features was the activity rings. I found these to be extremely encouraging to keep moving in order to close them, and this is somewhat mimicked with the Arcs watch face.

Time is presented in a digital fashion in the center, and surrounding this are rings that represent the current time. If you tap on the screen of the Ionic, the rings will change to represent your steps, calories, and heart-rate. It’s not a perfect copy, but it’s a clean-looking watch face that works incredibly well.

Moment

If you just want a watch face that’s simple, elegant, and still provides a decent amount of info on the Ionic’s screen, Moment is a really solid choice. The time is shown at the top, the date resides below it, and at the very bottom is a live readout of your current heart-rate. Next to this is an indicator to show you how many steps you’ve taken, but you can tap on the screen to change this to calories burned, distance walked, stairs climbed, and active minutes.

There are also six different colors to choose from, including black, white, navy, purple, green, and red that change both the text and background of the watch face.

Your choices

Did I miss any watch faces you’ve been rocking on your Ionic? Let me know what your top picks are in the comments below!

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Google launches Bulletin app for sharing hyperlocal news

Launching first as a limited pilot in Nashville, TN and Oakland, CA.

There’s no shortage of sources to turn to if you want to get your fix of national news, and depending on the size of the town/city you live in, chances are there are a few stations at your disposal for local news. However, if your town is like mine, local news channels often talk about things going on quite a few miles from where you actually live.

Bulletin is a new app that Google just launched, and its main focus is on making it easy to read and share hyperlocal news stories that are happening right where you live.

Google says that Bulletin is a lightweight app, and unlike traditional news outlets, all of the stories that you read are created and shared by people like you living in your neighborhood. As long as you can type a bit of text and snap some photos/videos, you can create a story on Bulletin.

Nashville, TN and Oakland, CA are the two markets where Bulletin is launching first as a limited pilot, and you’ll need to fill out a form if you’d like to be considered as one of the app’s first users.

It’s unclear if/when Bulletin will make its way to other markets, but for someone that lives in a relatively small town, having an app where I can find stories I otherwise wouldn’t hear about sounds like something I’d absolutely use. What about you?

This is what the first Chrome OS tablet looks like

Microsoft’s ‘Ink to Code’ builds an app UI from your sketches

Sometimes, inspiration strikes in inconvenient places, and the best you can do to make sure the idea doesn’t escape you is to write it down on scraps of paper or a napkin. The latest experimental project out of Microsoft’s Garage program, which encourages employees to work on their innovative ideas, wants to make it easier to turn those “napkin sketches” into real products… for developers, at least. Called “Ink to Code,” the Windows application takes rough notes and drawings and turns them into real code for Universal Windows and Android apps’ user interfaces.

It can’t magically turn your doodles into full-fledged working apps, but it can turn handwriting into text and transform boxes into buttons, text boxes and even image placeholders without you having to write code at all. According to Microsoft, the application uses Windows 10’s Smart Ink to recognize objects and uses the tech titan’s Visual Studio to digitize your sketches. It probably helps that Windows 10 Fall Creators Update gave Smart Ink’s object recognition capabilities a boost.

Alex Corrado, one of the project’s originators, explained the idea behind it:

“Getting your ideas for a new app or feature onto paper is one of the fastest, most natural parts of the brainstorming. But then, you ultimately need to turn that sketch into code and sooner than you know it, 10, 20, 30 iterations of a sketch really add up.”

Ink to Code is in its very early stages, and the tech titan calls it a “prototype for prototypes.” Microsoft believes, however, that the app can eventually serve as a “more productive canvas in brainstorm meetings” and can even encourage collaboration between people with different levels of design or technical knowledge. You can now access the Ink to Code Windows app if you’re in the US and Canada — unfortunately, it’s unclear if and when it will make its way to other regions anytime soon.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Microsoft

Leaked Galaxy S9 render shows a modest design update

Samsung did a pretty great job with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus smartphones last year — and as expected, the company isn’t radically changing the design language for their successors. That’s if you believe a leak published today by VentureBeat — reliable phone leaker Evan Blass has obtained images of the front of the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, and at first glance they look very similar to last year’s models.

Given that the Galaxy S8 was basically all display, it’s not surprising that the S9 looks similar. But, there are a few small differences we can find here. Perhaps most notable are the many cameras and sensors above the S9’s screen. We’d put our money on Samsung having a more advanced form of face-powered unlock and authentication than they’ve had thus far. It also wouldn’t be surprising if these sensors and camera helped the S9 take front-facing selfies with a portrait effect, like the Pixel 2 and iPhone X can.

The bezels around the screen on both the S9 and S9 Plus strangely look much larger than those found in the S8. It’s hard to tell from this single image, but Samsung made a big deal out of how the S8’s screen curves over the edge of the phone, and it doesn’t quite seem like the same thing is happening here. Again, this is just a single leaked image — we’d be surprised if Samsung changed away from the curved edge screen here, but we’ll need to wait for more pictures to say for sure what’s happening here.

Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out what’s new here. Samsung should be showing the phone off at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which is only a month away. In the meantime, we’re guessing this is just the first of more forthcoming leaks of Samsung’s next flagship phone. Hopefully we’ll find out if Samsung fixed the Galaxy S8’s biggest flaw — that terrible fingerprint sensor placement.

Source: VentureBeat

Ford patent details system for autonomous police cars

This month, Ford was granted a patent for an autonomous police car. The car can work in cooperation with a human officer or by itself, and it can tell when a traffic law has been violated and act accordingly. These may be described as “autonomous police vehicles,” but I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking: This is RoboCop.

The autonomous police officer can use one of the connected sensors to figure out if there’s been a violation. For simple warnings and speeding tickets, the vehicle can just capture an image of the license plate. The figure below, which was taken from the patent, establishes how exactly a police car could communicate with an offending vehicle.

It’s important to note that Ford receiving the patent for this technology doesn’t mean the company will actually pursue it. It just leaves the option open and ensures that no one else can develop it in the mean time. While the idea of a robot police officer (or RoboCop!) might be mildly terrifying, the technology is already being used in countries like Dubai and Singapore. It’s not a stretch to imagine it might come to US streets as well.

Via: CNET

Source: Free Patents Online