Capture your next adventure in 4K with the $48 Yi Discovery Action Camera

An action camera worth buying.

Yi’s 4K Discovery Action Camera is now down to $47.99 when you enter promo code FBYFC3CQ at checkout. This deal will save you $5 on its current price, which is already a pretty decent deal for a 4K cam.

It features a 2-inch touchscreen and only one physical button. It can take 8MP photos and features eight shooting moods including Loop and Time Lapse, Countdown Mode, Burst Mode among others. It also incorporates Wi-Fi allowing you to download videos straight to your smartphone after connecting the Yi Action App; the app has easy share options for social media sites like Facebook too. This camera is waterproof as well.

Make sure to pick up a micro SD card for this camera as well to save your footage. It can use a card of up to 128GB.

See at Amazon

Vivo Apex confirmed for public release, production to begin mid-2018

The phone of tomorrow will be here a lot sooner than we thought.

During MWC 2018, one of the gadgets that caught our attention the most was Vivo’s Apex concept phone. If you don’t recall the device by name, you probably remember it for its 91% screen-to-body ratio and front-facing camera that pops out of the top frame. Vivo was originally marketing the Apex as just a concept device, but now it’s been confirmed that the phone will actually be sold to the general public.

At an event in China, Vivo announced that the Apex will go into mass-production at some point during mid-2018. Sales will probably begin a few months later, meaning we’re looking at a final launch in either late 2018 or early 2019.

The Apex’s screen has just 1.8mm of bezel on its left and right side, with a bottom chin that measures in at a mere 4.3mm. Vivo is using a 5.99-inch OLED panel, and the bottom half of it is home to a large in-display fingerprint sensor area. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 is powering the phone, and you’ll also find a USB-C and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom.

Other specs for the Vivo Apex are still unknown, and there’s no word in regards to how much the thing will cost. I don’t imagine it’ll be cheap, but for a phone of this caliber, that’s perfectly alright. Also, like other Vivo phones, don’t expect the Apex to be sold anywhere outside of China.

Vivo’s Apex concept phone has tiny bezels, pop-up camera and in-display fingerprint sensor

Android One: Everything You Need to Know

Google has changed it strategy for bringing Android to ‘the next billion’ users, and it’s gotten better.

Depending on where you live, “Android One” means something different. It will also have varying levels of importance — if you’ve heard about it at all, that is. Android One is a Google initiative that’s been around since 2014, and though the goal of the program has changed since it launched it still remains an important part of Google’s strategy of bringing a cleaner, more consistent Android experience to more people around the world.

Here’s everything you need to know about Android One — past, present and future.

Where Android One began

When it was first introduced back in 2014, Android One was a distinct version of Android designed for low-end phones in developing countries. But the program went beyond just software — it was truly a software and hardware partnership with Google helping a variety of manufacturers like Micromax, Spice, Karbonn, Mito, Nexian, Cherry Mobile and others make inexpensive phones ($100 and under) that still hit a minimum standard of quality and performance.

Android One was ambitious, and in its initial design it just didn’t turn into sales for manufacturers.

Android One was a program designed to bring Android to the “next billion” users who couldn’t afford typical Android phones. The phones ran what we’d consider “clean” Android with very few customizations, and focused on speed and fluidity despite their low-end specs. It was an ambitious idea with lots of moving parts, and people who bought a cheap Android One phone undoubtedly got a better experience than they would with any other random phone of the same price.

For a variety of reasons, Android One never really seemed to take off as designed. The phones weren’t very good looking, weren’t clearly differentiated to consumers and definitely weren’t marketed strongly. Some companies found success working with Google to release these inexpensive phones that performed better than the similarly priced competition, but others went back to doing things the way they did originally. “Android One” as a brand didn’t really matter at these low-end price points so much as the price and some niche features did.

And so, Google repositioned the brand.

What Android One means today

Fast forward to 2018, and Android One means something entirely different. Android One phones are no longer exclusively low-end or entry-level, and aren’t exclusive to emerging markets anymore. Instead, Google is partnering with bigger brands for more expensive phones and selling them in new markets like Western Europe and North America. This new breed of Android One phones are made by companies like Xiaomi, Motorola and HTC, and are priced in the $250 to $400 range — hardly budget devices when compared to where Android One started.

Nokia has even begun offering more expensive flagship-tier Android One options with the 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco. This comes after the company announced a partnership with Google, and committed to using Android One on almost all of its phones moving forward.

Better in every way than the original Android One phones, but built on the same philosophy.

With these higher prices, Android One could really be set free. These phones have compelling designs, nicer materials, bigger screens, better internal specs and performance, good cameras, and a company name on the back you may have actually heard of before. But all of these improvements simply build on the core of what Android One was originally all about: giving you a clean, Google-sanctioned software experience. Every phone has the same basic software, with just a few extras thrown in. Google lays it out pretty clearly on its Android One website: “Everything you want. Nothing you don’t.”

Nokia 8 Sirocco hands-on

Android One phones don’t have a bunch of manufacturer or carrier software customizations. From one to the next, they work the same. In many ways, they operate just how Nexuses and Pixels do. They have all of Google’s apps built in, and Google makes sure that the software operates to a high standard. Perhaps most importantly for a less-expensive phone, Google also guarantees two years of software updates.

The beauty of these new Android One phones is that they appeal to both novices who want the simplicity of the experience and enthusiasts who understand the value of having Google-backed software. They’re great for someone who just wants a smartphone to do the basics, but also someone who appreciates a Google Pixel 2 and just wants to spend a bit less.

Android Go takes the reins for the ‘next billion’

Google making the decision to move Android One from the super-entry-level devices up to mid-range and even flagship offerings didn’t mean it was going to leave those next billion users out in the cold, though. At Google I/O 2017, a new initiative called “Android Go” was announced. Android Go isn’t a replacement for the Android One program, but it aims to address the super-low-end smartphones originally targeted by One.

Android Go lets manufacturers go their own way, but users still get the benefits of Google software.

Android Go is simply a configuration of the operating system, going forward starting with Android 8.0 Oreo, that tweaks and optimizes the software for phones with very low specs — we’re talking about 8GB of storage and 512MB of RAM here. Android “Go edition” gives manufacturers that target low-end specs a version of the operating system that can make these phones run smoothly and efficiently — and unlike Android One originally, there’s no further partnership there. They can keep making phones how they want, and benefit from the streamlined version of the operating system.

Android Go uses less memory to run the operating system, and takes up less internal storage so there’s more left over for the user. Critically, Google has also designed “Go” versions of its core apps that do the same — there’s Google Search, Assistant, Gboard, Maps, Gmail and more. It’s all designed not only to be lightweight and simple, but also tweaked for the types of situations where these phones will be used. Data-saving settings are turned on by default, things more aggressively pre-cache and download while the phone is on Wi-Fi, the operating system has peer-to-peer sharing without a network, and so on.

But just like Android One, Android Go has the simplicity and security of being offered and sanctioned by Google. You get the same basic security improvements that any phone running any version of Oreo would, even though your phone cost the equivalent of $85.

Android Go in many ways continues the original vision of Android One, and does so in a bit looser way that really targets the next billion users who will be coming online with a smartphone as their first taste of the internet. Not only is it a good solution for this problem, but it also lets Android One itself grow and expand to bring this idea of a clean Google software experience to even more people in more places.

See Nokia 1 at Nokia

Where can I get an Android One phone?

What Android One phones are available really depends on where you live. We have a list of all Android One phones available that you can check on as we update it regularly. Google also maintains its own list of available Android One phones.

These are all of the Android One phones available today

See Xiaomi Mi A1 at Amazon
See Moto X4 at Motorola
See Nokia 8 Sirocco at Nokia
See Nokia 7 Plus at Nokia

Win a Plex cord-cutting bundle in our giveaway on Android Central!

Plex is the leading streaming platform for personal media collections, also offering over-the-air Live TV and DVR capabilities, and curated news from over 200 global media partners. Perfect for cord cutters, with Plex you can watch, time shift, and record FREE high definition over-the-air television broadcasts, including shows from all major US networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and CW, as well as local programming, news and sports (also supporting many other major networks around the world, like CBC, BBC, ITV, Telemundo, and Univision).

Enjoy your live TV and DVRed content anytime, anywhere, across a wide variety of devices (with more mobile and home streaming devices than any other DVR solution). All you need is a premium Plex Pass, a digital tuner, and an antenna and you’re set. At just $5/month for the premium pass and a one-time fee for the antenna and tuner, Plex is one of the most cost-effective cord cutting solutions available.

Needless to say, we’re big fans of Plex! We want you to experience how awesome it is too, so we’ve partnered with Plex to give one lucky winner everything they need to finally cut that cable cord forever. Keep reading for details and to get entered!

THE PRIZE: One winner will receive a cord-cutting bundle complete with a lifetime Plex Pass, an HDHomeRun Connect Quatro Tuner, and a Mohu Leaf 50 Antenna!

THE GIVEAWAY: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. Please note that due to product restrictions, this giveaway is only open in the US.

The giveaway is open until March 21, 2018, and the winner will be announced right here shortly after the closing date. Good luck!

Ditch cable for good when you win a Plex cord-cutting bundle in our giveaway!

Here’s what you need to know about the PS4’s new 5.50 system update

Custom wallpapers, supersampling for PS4 Pro, new parental controls, and more!

The next time you boot up your PS4, you’ll likely see a new software update waiting for you – more specifically, an update to version 5.50. This 460MB update brings a lot of new goodies to the table, some of which we’ve been clamoring for since the console’s release.

There’s a lot to take in here, so without further ado, here’s everything that’s new with the PS4’s 5.50 update.

Custom wallpapers

We’ve been able to change up the look of the PS4 with custom themes for a while now, but with 5.50, you can change your home screen background to any image you’d like. You’ll need a USB flash drive with photos loaded on it in order for this to work, but assuming you’ve got this, the process is fairly simple.

Hop into Settings and go to Themes -> Select Theme -> Custom -> Select Image. You’ll then have an option to select the flash drive you have plugged into the PS4, and after choosing the photo you’d like, you can crop and move it around to get the perfect look.

PS4 System Software Update 5.50 is here. Custom wallpapers, quick menu changes, improved notification management and new library features!Find out how to put that picture of your friends/family/pet cat on your PS4: https://t.co/LjtFwM7snH pic.twitter.com/x7EVDrBuuH

— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) March 8, 2018

On a similar note, you can also use custom images to change the look of your team logo and cover picture for a message thread.

Sharper graphics for PS4 Pro owners that don’t have a 4K TV

The PS4 Pro is a beast, but if you don’t have a 4K TV, it can be hard to justify its $399 price tag. However, that might start to change after 5.50.

According to Sony, the new software will “improve image quality in some games when your PS4 Pro is connected to a TV with 2K resolution or lower.” The PS4 Pro is still best-paired with a 4K television set, but this improved image quality for older/cheaper TVs is still great to see.

Parental controls

Parental controls on the PS4 have been pretty abysmal to say the least, but that looks to finally be changing. If you’re a parent/guardian, you can now see how much time your kiddo is spending on the PS4 and set restrictions to control their play-time.

To manage all of this, just go to Settings -> Parental Controls/Family Management -> Family Management. You’ll be able to set limits on how long your child can play each day, place restrictions on certain days of the week, extend/shorten play-time, and automatically log the youngsters out once it reaches a certain time of day.

Along with managing these controls directly on the PS4, you can also do so from your phone or computer.

More organization in the Library app

The PS4’s Library app can become easily cluttered once you start adding a lot of games to your collection, but 5.50 aims to make things look a lot tidier.

• There’s a new tab in Library for free PlayStation Plus games
• You can hide games/apps on the Purchased page
• PSVR games have a new logo next to them for better visibility

How to connect apps to your PlayStation 4

Best Buy’s 3-day sale has some of the best tech deals around

If you’re going to spend, you might as well save a little more at the same time.

Best Buy wants you to spend your tax return with them, and for the most part it doesn’t seem like a bad way to save on some good products. This tech sale lasts through the end of the day Saturday and features some really good products going for some of the best prices we can find. There is no killer deal, something that blows the competition out of the water, but most of the items we looked at were going for $10 or more at other retailers.

For example, you can get the HyperX Cloud Revolver gaming headset for $99.99. That’s $11 better than Amazon and $20 better than other retailers.

Here’s a few of the other deals we found:

• Vizio E70-E3 70-inch 4K HDR Home Theater Display – $999.99 (from $1,100)
• Beats by Dre BeatsX wireless earbuds – $84.99 (from $120) – $5 better than a deal we shared recently
• Apple 13.3-inch MacBook Air newest model – $999.99 (from $1,100) – Save on similar models as well
• August Smart Lock deadbolt 2nd gen – $119.99 (from $160) – Not quite as good as a recent deal but still the best price around

See at Best Buy

Lineage 2: Revolution is all hype with few redeeming qualities

Why play a game when the game can simply play itself?

You’d have to be living under a rock to have not seen any advertisements for Lineage 2: Revolution. It received a huge advertising push when it was launched late last year, including a series of ads featuring late night funny man Conan O’Brien that delivered some good laughs, but offered scant details about the game itself. I’ve previously written about the troubling state of advertising in mobile games and it’s fair to say that big-budget ads like this should be a red flag for any critical gamer:

So what is the deal with Lineage 2: Revolution? If you were as wary as I was of the manufactured hype surrounding this game, I’m happy to report that your instincts are on point. Lineage 2: Revolution is a mobile spin-off of Lineage 2, an MMORPG for Windows. Revolution markets itself as a mobile version of Lineage 2, with a sprawling campaign with a massive world to explore, epic dungeons to battle through with friends, and a PvP arena to show off your skills — an intriguing concept to be sure.

You’d be a sucker to actually control your character through the majority of Lineage 2: Revolution because the game will auto-play itself excellently.

But before you can get to any of that fun stuff, you must endure the worst grinding that I have ever experienced. Period. The first chapter of the game takes place on “East Talking Island” and takes several hours to complete. The first chapter essentially acts as a tutorial, teaching you how to navigate the various menus, how to level up your character and upgrade your equipment, and it drags on for what feels like an eternity.

Every ad mentions how “groundbreaking” and “epic” this game is, with a massive world for you to explore — and that would be great if the core gameplay wasn’t so unbelievably boring. MMORPG quests are notoriously repetitive and boring, but my God does Lineage 2: Revolution ever push things to new levels of monotony.

I don’t mean that in a snarky way — Lineage 2: Revolution literally lets you automate questing, which is the core mechanic in the game and essentially the only thing you’ll actually do in the first 5 hours you play the game as you level up your character. “Auto-questing” is one of the very first features introduced in the game and makes you realize:

• This game is a brutal, never-ending grind.
• You need to continually level up your character to unlock more interesting modes like PvP battles and Dungeon raids.
• The game will essentially play itself with features that include “Auto-Questing” and “Auto-Equiping”.

Essentially, you’d be a sucker to actually control your character, because the game auto-plays itself excellently, automatically using all of your character’s skills and potions as needed to keep your warrior in the fight. Of course, you have the option to take over controls whenever you please, but why would you? The only way you’d lose playing Lineage 2: Revolution is due to human error, so it’s much more efficient to let the game auto-quest while you fix yourself a sandwich, do those chores around the house you’ve been putting off, or file your taxes.

Part of the fun here is supposed to be teaming up with friends in a party or clan and questing together — but that doesn’t negate the fact that the game is still 100% about grinding by completing repetitive quests and slowly upgrading your character. They call it an MMORPG, but it feels more like a clicker game where you occasionally tap the screen to make things happen and then wait for the loot to roll in.

And yet again, the advertising hype would have you believe that this is the most exciting game you’ll ever play! Just check out these glowing sentence fragment reviews in this ad featuring streamers at TwitchCon 2017:

I’d like to think that the quote from the woman who says “I really could see people playing this for a long time” was actually just part of a longer statement. Something like:

“Given the protracted tutorial and limitless grinding that this game starts out with, I really could see people playing this for a long time before they get to anything that would be considered ‘redeeming gameplay’.”

But of course, that’s just my opinion of this game, and to be fair there is a ton of content included in Lineage 2: Revolution. The world does appear to be quite massive, the graphics are really impressive for mobile, and I’m sure there might be a ton of cool stuff to enjoy as you progress through the game and max out your character’s level — all without spending money on the available in-app purchases — but to what end?

Maybe I’m just cynical towards the MMORPG genre in general because a lot of what’s included here with Lineage 2: Revolution will be familiar to fans of other popular titles in the genre. And there’s a story being told here about good vs. evil and with a great variety of cool-looking monsters to kill. But even the boss battles in the single-player campaign can be auto-battled, and all the shitty sides of online gaming are represented here, including a useless chat box that gets filled with garbage from immature trolls.

Listen, if you’re addicted to games that force you to constantly grind towards a never-ending journey to upgrade your character and gear then Lineage 2: Revolution might be well worth wasting your time with. But I would feel like a real jerk recommending any of my friends come join me in playing this game. How would that conversation even go?

“Hey, so you should definitely play this game Lineage 2: Revolution. It only takes about 6 hours to get through the tutorial stuff, but don’t worry — the game will play itself. Then, once you reach a high enough level we can join a party together and auto-grind through this game together!”

No thanks.

Don’t Download: Lineage 2: Revolution (Free w/IAPs)

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Pre-orders for the Galaxy S9 on Sprint are already shipping

Some customers have delivery dates as early as March 9.

On March 2, Samsung officially launched pre-orders for its Galaxy S9 and S9+ flagships. Most major carriers and retailers around the globe are offering some sort of promotion to entice you to spend your dollars with them as opposed to a competitor, and if you happened to pre-order your Galaxy S9 through Sprint, it looks like you may get your new phone before anyone else.

In the Android Central forums, a number of Sprint customers are reporting that their Galaxy S9s have already shipped and have delivery dates as early as March 9.

HOLLYWOODANT215
03-08-2018 08:57 AM

“

It say my order had shipped 😎

Reply

isac c
03-08-2018 08:30 AM

“

I just received an email saying my order has shipped. UPS site says expected delivery is the 9th.

Reply

VW Maverick
03-08-2018 09:01 AM

“

Got the e-mail.
Got the UPS Tracking number.
Got the text alert from UPS.
Arriving tomorrow.

Way to go Sprint!!!!!!

Mav. 😎

Reply

While there’s no denying that this is exciting news, these early delivery dates don’t appear to be the case for everyone who pre-ordered with Sprint. There are still a lot of customers reporting delivery dates of March 12, 13, and 14, but if you placed your order earlier enough and depending on where you live, there’s a chance you’ll be rocking a Galaxy S9 before the week is over.

If you pre-ordered the Galaxy S9 on Sprint, has your phone shipped yet?

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Amazon makes it easier to find previously heard songs with Alexa

“Alexa, play Rihanna songs I haven’t heard in a while.”

Listening to music is easily what I use my smart speakers for the most, and if you’ve got one powered by Alexa and use Amazon Music, it’s about to get a lot easier to find songs you haven’t heard in a while.

Rather than opening up the Alexa app to see your streaming history to find that one Logic song you were listening to a while ago, you can now say something along the lines of “Alexa, play me that Logic song I heard last week”, and Alexa will quickly find and play the tune you’re looking for just like that.

Amazon says that songs users “recently heard” or “haven’t heard in a while” are among the most popular requests it gets with Amazon Music, and these new controls should making finding those tunes much easier.

Along with the above example, Amazon says you can also use commands such as “Alexa, play Rihanna songs I haven’t heard in a while” and “Alexa, play music that I was listening to earlier today.”

This new functionality is rolling out to Alexa now, and in order to use it, you’ll need to be subscribed to Amazon Music in either the U.S. or UK.

Deezer gains support for Amazon Alexa voice controls

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See at Amazon

Square’s Cash app now supports direct deposits for paychecks

Square’s Cash app now supports direct deposits for paychecks, which means it’s one step closer to becoming a fully functional bank account, without actually being a bank account. Users just need to give their employer their account and routing number (found in Cash settings), and the app will notify them when a deposit hits their account. The funds are added to their regular Cash balance and can be spent via debit card, sent to a friend, put into another account or even used to buy bitcoin.

This is a big step forward for Cash app — and the financial services sector in general. As long as you don’t need to deposit a cheque or wire a transfer (and who in this day and age does?) it’s now entirely possible to rely on the app in lieu of a traditional bank account, which is helpful for younger users entering their first job, those in underserved areas, or anyone reluctant to pay fees at more mainstream institutions. It’s not so straightforward for Square itself, though, as it doesn’t yet have its own bank charter, so it’s had to figure out quite a few workarounds to adhere to legislation. But as more and more fintech companies pioneer these kinds of services and see large-scale take-up, it might not be too long before at least some of the rules are reformed.

Source: Twitter