How to use FolderSync to manage all of your media

Move your files between your phone and the cloud so easily!

The way I consume music and other media is a little unusual. I share a Google Play Music and a Hulu subscription with a friend, as well as my own Netflix account. I have a rule when it comes to music; I will buy an MP3 of a song or album if I listen to it more than three times within a week. I maintain a Plex server on my home desktop to help wit this. There are some shows and movies I enjoy that streaming services don’t carry, but a much bigger part is that I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to the media I consume.

My most used application on any device is the music player. I listen to music at almost every hour, from a few minutes in the shower every morning to a playlist of specific songs I listen to when I sleep. I’m really picky about the way my music player looks and operates, and there are a few things about the Google Play Music app that bug me enough that I don’t want to use it.

I’m not in love with the idea of manually plugging my phone into my computer to transfer music because we’re not in 2009 anymore, so I was happy to find a way where I could easily get my music on any device — while still being able to use any music player I choose. That magical solution is an app called FolderSync.

FolderSync works by connecting to your cloud service of choice — Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and a bunch more — and connecting to a given folder on your phone. You get to choose exactly which folders on your cloud storage sync to your phone, giving you the freedom to use whatever cloud storage and music player you use. CloudPlayer is a music player that also connects to cloud storage, but pulls in every MP3 file in your drive. This is a deal breaker for me, because it means my personal recordings get pulled in with my music library.

Here’s how to set up FolderSync to synchronize your music and other files!

FolderSync at Google Play (Free with ads)
FolderSync Pro at Google Play ($2.99)

Connecting your cloud storage

Launch FolderSync. You will need to allow the app access to your storage so it can properly synchronize your files.
Tap Accounts.
Tap the + button in the lower right corner of the screen, and select your cloud storage provider.
Name the account whatever you’d like — I just name mine Google Drive since that’s the service I use — and tap the Authenticate Account button.
Your default web browser will launch, and you’ll be asked to sign into the cloud service you selected.
After you authenticate the account, tap Save in the lower right corner.

Sync to your phone

The next step is choosing which folders to synchronize, and where you want those files to go on your phone.

Tap Create New Sync on FolderSync’s main page.
Since you can have more than one synchronization set up, you’ll need to enter a unique name for each sync. I have mine labeled “Music.”
Select which cloud service you want to use for this synchronization.
Choose the sync type. The files can sync to the local folder, to the remote (cloud) folder and both ways.
Select the cloud and local folders you would like to synchronize from or to.
Set up a schedule to decide when the files synchronize. The schedule can be as often as every five minutes, or as seldom as every month — if you want a schedule at all. You can always choose to manually synchronize as well. With that done, your files will begin syncing!

I use this to sync my music between a folder on my Google Drive and the “Music” folder on my phone,, but it can be used for literally any type of file: photos, application files, voice memos, and more. If you need to keep your files moving between your phone and the cloud, give FolderSync a shot!

How often do you backup important files? Let us know down below!

Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids Edition bundles make this smart purchase even more affordable

All of these devices are better bundled together.

Amazon just announced an all-new Echo Dot Kids Edition, and the company has already launched some bundles which help make it even more affordable. Simply pairing the new Echo Dot Kids Edition with a Fire Tablet can save you up to $50 versus buying them separately. The Echo Dot Kids Edition is still only available as a pre-order, but it’s scheduled to begin shipping on May 9.

The first bundle is two Echo Dot Kids Edition for $129.98, a savings of $30. Combining the Echo Dot Kids Edition with a 7-inch Fire Tablet Kids Edition saves you $40, and drops the price down to just $140. The bundle with a Fire Tablet HD 8 and Echo Dot Kids Edition is $20 more at $160. That’s a $50 savings. All of the bundles are available in a variety of different color combinations, so be sure to look for the one that your kids will like the most.

See on Amazon

Asus Chromebox 3 pre-orders are now live, pricing starts at $249

The Core i7 model will set you back $733.

This year’s CES saw a surprisingly strong presence for Chromeboxes. Acer’s CXI3 was among them, and it recently went up for pre-order earlier this month. Now, Asus’s Chromebox 3 is following suit.

The Chromebox 3 has been seen on TigerDirect and NextWarehouse, and while it’s currently cited as “temporarily out of stock” with no release date in sight, you can still get your pre-orders in to ensure you’re among the first to own the machine.

Asus outfitted the Chromebox 3 with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, and support for Gigabit LAN. Intel’s 8th generation Kaby Lake processors are present on all models, and you’ll also find DDR4 RAM as well as flash storage (the specifics on these are still unknown).

You’ve got four models to choose from, with pricing over at TigerDirect going as follows:

• Asus Chromebox 3 w/ Celeron processor – $249.99
• Asus Chromebox 3 w/ Core i3 processor – $449.99
• Asus Chromebox 3 w/ Core i5 processor – $501.99
• Asus Chromebox 3 w/ Core i7 processor – $733.99

See at TigerDirect

Chromebooks

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• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
• Join our Chromebook forums

How to enable the new Gmail web interface

A fresh look for your inbox is just a few clicks away.

The new Gmail web interface that was announced just a couple weeks ago has launched, bringing both a refreshed design and also a handful of new features. The overall look is a bit cleaner, like what we saw in the Google Calendar refresh earlier this year, with lots of Material Design influences. There are new features like a “confidential mode,” email snoozing, better integration with other Google apps, Smart Replies like in Inbox, an improved offline mode and more.

That’s all great, but it’s actually not enabled by default yet. Here’s how you can skip the line and check out the new Gmail interface right away:

Load Gmail on the web and sign in.
In the top-right corner of the inbox, find the cog/gear icon and click it.
If it’s made available for your account, you’ll see an option for “Try the new Gmail” at the very top — click it.
After a page reload, you’ll have to click Next on the pop-up and then choose a view for your inbox.

• Most people will like “Default” because it shows the most information per message, but “Comfortable” is a good choice as well.
• You can always change this view later at any time from the cog/gear icon.

Click OK and you’re using the new interface!

• If you want to go back to the “old” interface, repeat the steps from the cog/gear icon to return to it.

The option isn’t available for everyone right away, and Google says it will be rolling it out to all users over the course of several weeks before finally enabling it by default. Most of the team here at Android Central has the option to enable the interface now, so there’s a good chance you will too. One of the caveats here is that the “confidential mode” isn’t available for a few more weeks — so don’t be surprised when it isn’t available after you make the switch. Google will likely be refining and improving small parts of the interface as it rolls out to everyone as well.

After enabling the new interface and giving it a try, what are your thoughts on the changes? Let us know in the comments!

Spotify Free app update: Everything you need to know

Spotify’s app has needed on overhaul for a while, and it came to its non-paying users first.

Spotify’s Free service is — at its heart — meant to lure you in and then convince you to pay for Premium, To this end, Spotify has rolled out a shiny new update to its Android app that’s meant to help draw in more new users and convince them to pay for Premium.

And it is every bit as annoying to use as it is beautiful, so congratulations, Spotify, you succeeded.

PYT (Pretty Young Theme)

The new look for Spotify Free is quite enticing, from simplifying the tabs and the layout to giving the playback screen an intimate and dare I say sexy new look. We now have four tabs instead of five, but since one tab is a giant ad pushing you to Premium, we’re going to ignore it and focus on the other three:

• The Home tab has been simplified tenfold. Where there was carousel after carousel of genre playlists and promoted playlists, there are now only three things: a single carousel of Recently played, a small section of Made for You mixes filled with the artists you confessed to liking when picking bands during setup, and Play on demand, the playlists that Spotify still lets you use like traditional playlists. We’ll get back to that in a bit. The new, scaled back Home tab is a breath of fresh air, and helps avoid overloading users who don’t know what they want to listen to.
• The Search tab has absorbed the Browse tab, so now we have a search bar and a genre list below it. Tapping a genre will show you the usual featured playlists, podcasts, artists, and albums for that genre for you to peruse. If you want to see what you’ve recently searched, tap the search bar and your recent searches will appear.
• The Your Library tab features four mini tabs of its own: Playlists, Artists, Albums, and Podcasts. If you want to replay what you’ve listened to recently, you’ll need to use the Recently played carousel on the Home tab. Noticeably missing from this tab: a list of your favorited Songs.

You’ll notice I said favorited instead of saved. The new Spotify Free now uses the Favorite icon on songs, albums, and artists to add them to your library instead of having users Save to library, a name which may have caused some confusion for users who thought Save meant downloading for offline listening, which is unavailable for free users. The Favorite heart that appeared in radio stations on the old Spotify is now pretty much everywhere, and next to every song in a Play on Demand playlist — or the track listing hidden on an album — you’ll now have three icons instead of one: Favorite (heart), Block (No/banned symbol), and Menu (three vertical dots). This can allow users to quickly add slews of songs and block songs they hate, but it also makes the song listing page look a bit more cluttered.

Once you start playing something, you’ll see the most drastic — and most beautiful — overhaul in the Spotify free update: the playback screen. The album art is now stretched to take up the full screen, with the Artist name, playback bar, and play/pause button now steeped in the color of the artwork for most tracks. This reminds of the Google Play Music playback window — except, y’know in a dark theme and done properly. It’s beautiful, and I was quite disappointed when I logged back into my Premium account and had to kiss it goodbye.

You need some TLC

The new Spotify Free is prettier than Premium, but every Free user would probably give up the makeover happily just to be able to get a little more usefulness out of the app. Let’s start with biggest, bluest thorn of all: the Listen in Shuffle icon. This little devil appears on almost every album and playlist on Spotify Free now, except for the highlighted ‘Play on demand’ section in the Home tab.

Shuffle Play was the default on Spotify Free before, but Play on Shuffle goes a small step further, especially when playing albums. On Spotify Free’s new mobile experience, you can’t play an album on shuffle; instead it will play a shuffle “Based on this album”, which will slip in other songs that may or may not fit the album. This wouldn’t be so insidious on its own, except that you only have 6 skips an hour, and these intruder tracks can burn them up quickly.

On this version, you can’t pick which song in an album or playlist you start with. If you tap the tracks contained, go to the track listing and tap a song, it’ll play a snippet of the song, but not the song itself, which is a major fake-out and is likely to make a number of Free users scream the first time it happens to them. I know I did.

The only playlists where tapping a song actually gets you that song are the 15 ‘Play On Demand’ playlists. These are some of the most popular genre playlists on the service, and chances are you’ll find one or three you like. Between this and some expansive playlists, you can probably squeak by on this new Spotify Free without losing your mind.

Probably.

Next stop: Spotify Premium

That said, the goal of this little nip-tuck on Spotify Free is to get more people to sign up for Spotify’s paid service, and this nudge will likely drive more than a few longtime free users to Premium, but it may also drive some free users away for good. Spotify already has ads every few songs and collects its own little nest egg of information on its listeners, and the experience on Spotify Free is far less limited on computers than it is on phones, so this update may simply lead some free users to simply forgo the Spotify mobile app and only stream from their work or home computers.

One other thing is quite clear: the free version of the Spotify app is prettier than the paid right now, and that’s got to change. It’s unclear how long it might take Spotify to shift to this new layout, but at least the playback UI needs to get updated, pronto. Ara wants her colorful, full page playback screen.

So, did the new Spotify update push you off the fence and into a subscription? Did you finally wash your hands of Spotify and move to something else? Is the new UI pretty or just pretty annoying? Whatever your decisions or your thoughts on the update, we want to know them! Share them in the comments, along with whatever you’re listening to right now.

Loot crates are now illegal in Belgium

Officials in Belgium have determined that loot boxes violate the country’s gambling laws and if publishers don’t remove them from their games, they face jail time and fines. Specifically, FIFA 18, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive were found to be in violation. While Star Wars Battlefront II was also part of the Belgian government’s investigation, EA’s removal of the game’s loot boxes kept it from bumping up against the country’s legislation. In a statement, Minister of Justice Koen Geens said that if loot boxes in the aforementioned games aren’t removed, their publishers could be subject to up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €800,000 (approximately $974,926). If children are involved, those punishments could be doubled.

Last week, the Netherlands also decided that loot boxes in some games were essentially gambling and called for publishers to remove them by mid-June, while countries like the UK and New Zealand have declared that loot boxes aren’t gambling. A number of US lawmakers have introduced bills regarding loot boxes, both to study them and restrict access to minors. Meanwhile, in response to the loot box controversy, the ESRB added an “In-Game Purchases” label to boxed games that have some sort of in-game purchase, including those with loot boxes.

Unlike the Netherlands, Belgium hasn’t instituted a deadline for the changes it’s calling for. Instead, Geens says he wants to start a dialogue between developers and the Gaming Commission.

Via: Kotaku

Source: Minister of Justice

Google uses its search skills to help fight opioid addiction

Google is using its influence as a search giant to fight opioid addiction in the US. The company has partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration on a prescription drug take back tool that uses Google Maps helps you find return locations using Google Maps. You only have to fill in your address or ZIP code to get a slew of clearly identified recycling centers and similar drop facilities. It’s meant or National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 28th, but Google is partnering with the DEA and state governments on integrating more permanent options into Maps.

There are additional tools. Google is highlighting help options and information in its search results, including the Drug-Free Kids Parents Helpline (1-855-378-4373) and details of opioid addiction symptoms and treatment. Accordingly, Google is pouring $750,000 in matching donations to expand the Parents Helpline.

It’s easy to be cynical about indirect approaches like this. It’s another instance of a company betting that software can solve health issues. In this case, though, Google is clearly aware that it’s one part of a bigger picture: you need awareness and contact info in addition to treatments that ease withdrawal symptoms. Google’s search dominance frequently makes it the first place people go to look for help, so it’s important that the company point visitors in the right direction.

Source: Google Earth Outreach, Google

Elon Musk: ‘Oh btw I’m building a cyborg dragon’

Oh btw I’m building a cyborg dragon

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 25, 2018

Where my Model 3, tho?

Source: Elon Musk

Facebook will skip House hearing on social media censorship

Mark Zuckerberg won’t be taking another trip to Washington DC anytime soon. There’s a hearing on Capitol Hill this Thursday regarding the way social media firms filter content, according to Reuters, and Facebook has declined the House of Representatives’ invitation. Google and Twitter did the same. Diamond and Silk, whose names came up repeatedly from Republican lawmakers during Zuckerberg’s testimony, however, will be in attendance.

The pair are Trump supporters, and produce videos and blogs espousing their conservative beliefs. During the grilling, members of the GOP alleged that Facebook had discriminated against Diamond and Silk. It was later exposed as a complete hoax. If you’d like to watch along and see how your tax dollars are being spent, there will be a webcast.

Facebook told Reuters that even though it won’t attend, that it looks “forward to a continuing dialogue with members of the committee about Facebook’s strong commitment to being a platform for all voices and ideas.” In the meantime, this will give Zuckerberg extra time to work on all of the lawmakers’ follow-up questions from the other week.

Via: Reuters

Source: House Judiciary Committee

YouTube adds more rigorous parental controls to its Kids app

Google and YouTube have been struggling with how to let kids watch videos without also exposing them to inappropriate content. Even the YouTube Kids app has suggested not-for-kids conspiracy theory videos. In response, the video platform started looking at handpicking content for its app earlier this month. Now the company is making changes to YouTube Kids to help keep the little ones a little safer, including curated collections, parent-approved content and an improved ability to turn off search in the app.

Setting your child’s app up this way will make sure they only see content from places like Sesame Workshop and PBS Kids. YouTube Kids will also make sure that when you turn search off in the app, it will only suggest videos from channels that have been verified by the internal team. Later this year, you’ll be able to specifically handpick every video and channel for their kids to watch. Parents can still turn all these options off if they want their kids to be able to access more videos, though Google promises to “fine-tune, rigorously test and improve our filters for this more open version of our app.”

Via: The Guardian

Source: YouTube