How to use Samsung Smart Switch to back up your Galaxy phone

How do I back up my data on my Samsung Galaxy device?

While Google’s services do a great job of keeping your content in the cloud, it gets a bit trickier when trying to back up certain types of local data — things like application data, game saves, and more. It’s not hard to sign back into all of your apps when you get a new phone, but Samsung’s Smart Switch app makes setting up a new phone a breeze.

Simply download the application onto your computer, connect your phone, and before too long you’ll have everything backed up in case you need to transfer your data to a new phone, or restore your phone to an older state.

What is Smart Switch?

Smart Switch is Samsung’s Windows or macOS program that is used for a few things. You can use it to install software updates for your phone, configure email syncing with Microsoft Outlook (handy for corporate users), or the focus of today’s article: back up and restore your content as you move between phones. The Smart Switch mobile application can also be used to move contacts, photos, and messages from an iOS device to your new Galaxy phone.

What can Smart Switch back up?

Smart Switch is used to back up contacts, photos, application data and any other local files on your phone. This makes moving between Galaxy phones a breeze: you can move all of your data to your new phone and pick up right where you left on the old device. The desktop applications take some setting up, but it’s a straightforward process that only takes a few minutes.

• How to install Samsung Smart Switch on your computer
• How to set up Samsung Smart Switch for the first time
• How to back up your phone data with Samsung Smart Switch
• How to restore your phone from a previous backup using Samsung Smart Switch

How to install Samsung Smart Switch on your computer

We’ll show you the process for installation on Windows, but it’s a pretty standard installation process on Mac as well.

Navigate to the Samsung Smart Switch support website.
Click on the download link for Windows or Mac — whichever system you’re using. For this how-to, we’re using Windows
Click to launch the downloaded .exe file (.dmg on Mac).

If you see an error that says The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect…, download and install this Microsoft Visual C++ package.

Click the two check boxes to verify that you accept the terms of the licence agreement.
Click Next.
Click Finish once the installation process is complete. Smart Switch will then launch by default.

Now that we’ve installed Samsung Smart Switch, let’s set it up to connect to your Samsung Galaxy phone.

How to setup Samsung Smart Switch for the first time

Once you’ve installed the Smart Switch application, you’ll need to get it synced up with your phone.

Launch the Samsung Smart Switch application after installation or from the desktop icon on your computer.

Connect your phone to your computer via USB cable to get started. The program should instantly recognize when it’s connected. You may be prompted to allow USB file transfers on your phone.

Switching over to your phone, unlock and swipe down from the top to pull down the notification shade.
Tap the notification for other USB options.

Tap the Transfer files option.

Switching back over to the computer, your phone should now be connected in the Smart Switch application.

How to back up your phone data with Samsung Smart Switch

Once you’ve launched the Smart Switch application and have your phone connected, backing up your data is as easy as pie.

Launch the Smart Switch app on your computer.
Click Backup.
You’ll be required to allow access permissions on your phone.
Pick up your phone.

Tap Allow. If you have a micro SD card in your phone, you will have the option to back that data up as well.

Once the backup is complete, you get a breakdown of all the data that was successfully backed up. Click OK to finish.

How to restore your phone from a previous backup using Samsung Smart Switch

If it’s time to upgrade to a new Samsung phone or something has gone wrong, requiring you to restore your data, it’s super easy if you’ve got an existing Smart Switch backup.

Launch Samsung Smart Switch on your computer and connect your phone via USB.

Click Restore.

Click Select a different backup if you want to restore from an eariler backup, otherwise click Restore now.

You will be prompted to allow access permissions on your phone.

Switching focus to your phone, tap Allow to continue the restore process

Once the restore process is complete, you’ll get a breakdown of the data that’s been restored. Click OK to finish the restore.

Do you use Samsung Smart Switch?

The biggest alternative to Samsung Smart Switch is just using the cloud services that already come on your Galaxy phone. You have Google Contacts for the important people in your life, Google Photos for all your precious memories, and Google Play Games to keep your game progress in sync. Most of Google’s cloud services work on both iOS and every Android phone, so your data won’t be used to lock you to a particular vendor.

But Samsung’s approach with Smart Switch has its benefits. Google’s services don’t backup everything, and you get a nice feeling of control with a local backup. If you’ve been using Samsung phones for years and aren’t looking elsewhere, it’s also a great way to keep your new phone as familiar as your last one.

Do you use Samsung Smart Switch? Let us know down below!

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Nokia 1 review: Android Go has a lot of potential

HMD’s most affordable Android phone to date has plenty to offer.

HMD Global set its sights on the budget segment last year, and heading into 2018 the Finnish manufacturer is doubling down with phones targeted at all price points. The Nokia 1 is particularly interesting as it is the first Android Go device from the manufacturer, with the phone featuring Google’s lightweight operating system optimized for low-powered hardware.

The Nokia 1 retails for under $100, and while the hardware on offer isn’t exactly groundbreaking, Android Go promises to offer a lag-free experience that doesn’t make you want to throw the phone out the window. Let’s find out if that is indeed the case.

Nokia 1 What you’ll love

With a screen size of 4.5 inches, the Nokia 1 is tiny by today’s standards. Like budget Nokias of old, the phone is constructed out of plastic, with a removable back that can be customized with Xpress-on shells. The design is vibrant, and the white border along the display contrasts very well with the colorful back covers.

You get two SIM card slots and a dedicated microSD slot once you pop out the battery, and there’s a 3.5mm jack at the top and a microUSB port at the bottom. The power and volume buttons are located on the right, and they have decent tactile feedback. Overall, the Nokia 1 isn’t the most striking phone around, but the playful design and the form factor makes it

The Nokia 1 has a playful design that’s customizable with removable back covers.

The 854 x 480 display is reminiscent of phones from six years ago, as is the design up front. The Nokia 1 has chunky bezels at the top and bottom, and while the screen is decent overall, it is reflective and doesn’t get bright enough under harsh sunlight. What’s of particular interest is that the Nokia 1 comes with an ambient display, allowing you to preview incoming notifications without turning on the screen.

The phone is designed primarily for usability, and in most use cases the display on the Nokia 1 is perfectly serviceable. Under the hood, the Nokia 1 is powered by a MediaTek MT6737M with four Cortex A53 cores at 1.1GHz. There’s also 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, and true to its word Android Go offers more usable storage space out of the box. There’s slightly over 4GB of space available, and you have the option to extend storage via the microSD slot.

On the connectivity front, you get 4G LTE (and VoLTE), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and an FM radio. The Nokia 1’s strong point is Android Go: Google’s lightweight OS does a magnificent job of ensuring that the phone doesn’t feel slow. Granted, there are times when you’re browsing the web or switching between apps that you’ll notice a lag, but it’s thankfully not a major issue.

The lightweight version of Google apps — Gmail Go, Google Go, YouTube Go, and others — also do a great job of retaining most of the features of their full-fledged counterparts while taking up a fraction of the space. The Play Store on Android Go highlights lightweight apps, including the likes of Facebook Lite, LinkedIn Lite, and Messenger Lite.

Android Go does a fantastic job in terms of utilizing the hardware to its maximum potential.

YouTube Go is pretty great, and the fwe videos I watched on the platform played without any hitches. The built-in speaker doesn’t get very loud, but it is detailed and doesn’t get distorted at full volume. The placement at the back is less than stellar though.

If you don’t find a Lite variant of a particular app, you can download the full-sized version and use it as you would on any Android phone. WhatsApp, in particular, works just fine on the Nokia 1. You’ll even be able to install games and move the data files seamlessly to an SD card if you have one installed.

For the most part, the Nokia 1 does a decent job when it comes to performance. You’ll be able to play casual games like Subway Surfers without running into too many issues, but anything more taxing than that and the phone starts to struggle. Again, the main factor here is usability — the Nokia 1 gets the job done for most day-to-day tasks.

Finally, the 2150mAh battery managed to offer over a day’s worth of usage consistently: the low-powered hardware allows you to easily get screen-on-time in excess of six hours.

Nokia 1 What you won’t

The Nokia 1 has a 5MP camera at the back, and a 2MP front shooter. For what it’s worth, the interface itself is identical to what you’d find on the likes of the Nokia 7 Plus, with options for panorama and a beautify mode on offer.

You get an HDR mode as well as 720p video recording, but the shutter lag is immediately noticeable when using HDR and the lack of any stabilization means more often than not, you’ll end up with shaky videos.

You’re not buying the Nokia 1 for its camera.

The rear camera is mediocre, and the resulting photos highlight as much. It took far too long to focus, and as you can make out, there’s little to no detail and a ton of noise. I tried taking several shots of the same scene, but all of them ended up being blurry. You’re definitely not buying the Nokia 1 for its camera.

And as good as the battery life is, there’s no fast charging — it takes well over three hours to fully charge the Nokia 1.

Nokia 1 Bottom line

The Nokia 1 shows that Android Go has a lot of potential, but ultimately it comes down to the price. The Nokia 1 retails for the equivalent of $97 in India (₹5,499), and is set to go on sale in the UK for £79 ($115) sometime next month.

The main hurdle to HMD’s ambitions in India’s entry-level segment is the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, which is available in the country for ₹5,999 ($90). That’s just ₹500 ($7) more than that of the Nokia 1, and you get a full-fledged version of Android and much more robust hardware.

The Redmi 5A features a 5.0-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 425 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 13MP camera, and a 3000mAh battery. Sure, MIUI on an entry-level phone has its share of issues, but the overall experience is better than what you get on the Nokia 1 thanks to the Snapdragon chipset.

If you’re in India, the Redmi 5A is a better bet — you get a much better camera, and the hardware is definitely a cut above what’s on offer with the Nokia 1.

See at Flipkart

For around the $100 mark, the Nokia 1 is still a great choice, particularly in Western markets. HMD hasn’t detailed availability plans for the U.S. just yet, but the phone is set to make its way to the UK in just over a month. In the meantime, if you’re looking for an Android Go phone in the U.S., you’ll have to wait until ZTE’s Tempo Go is back in stock.

See at ZTE

How does Instagram’s new Focus mode compare to your phone’s portrait mode?

We pitted Instagram’s Focus mode against the stock portrait mode on a few popular flagships.

A few days ago, Instagram rolled out a new shooting mode in its Stories camera called Focus, which allows you to take artsy photos of yourself and friends with artificial bokeh and separation from your background. That’s right — it’s basically portrait mode, and it’s rolling out to Android users as we speak. But a lot of phones already have portrait mode, so … what’s the difference, and should you ditch your default camera app and start taking photos with Instagram instead?

The answer may depend on what phone you’re carrying. I gathered some of the most popular phones I had sitting around the office and took some sample shots to compare the strengths and weaknesses of Instagram Focus. Here’s a collection of photos of me looking cold and frustrated at gray skies and flurries in the middle of April, all taken with different phones and shooting modes!

Galaxy S9

Right off the bat, we can see in the sample shots from my Galaxy S9 that Instagram Focus is significantly softer than the selective focus mode in the stock camera app. From my glasses to my facial hair, the logo on my hoodie, and the sleep-deprived bags under my eyes, the S9’s own camera software was simply able to pull in more detail. Samsung’s selective focus also did a much better job at separating my hair from the sky behind me, whereas Instagram Focus seems to have started blurring the image just past my hairline. In Focus’s defense, however, the S9’s selective focus seems to have decided the entire lower half of my torso was on a different focal plane, leading to an unnatural bokeh effect.

Samsung Selective Focus (left) / Instagram Focus (right) — click to view full image.

One thing to keep in mind is that Instagram captures photos in the same aspect ratio and resolution as your display, so while the selective focus shot was captured in 4:3, the photo taken with Focus matches the Galaxy S9’s 18.5:9 aspect ratio, and measures in at 2076×1080. While the aspect ratio isn’t necessarily a big deal, the reduced resolution can be, since the 4:3 shot comes in at a much larger 4032×3024.

Selfies

So about how selfies? Like Instagram, the Galaxy S9’s stock camera app allows for portrait photos with artificial depth from the front camera as well as the rear. Comparing the two again, the difference here is a lot less noticeable. Instagram’s photo actually looks sharper than Samsung’s this time, though it still struggles with hair separation, and the difference in resolution is still in play.

Interestingly, Instagram Focus actually takes a reversed photo by default, which you’ll quickly notice if, like me, you’re wearing a shirt with lettering. I uploaded the original photo as well as a flipped version in case you’d want a closer comparison against the shot taken with Samsung’s default camera app. One thing I didn’t care for with the photo taken with Instagram is how heavily saturated it is, but aside from that I’d call these sample shots pretty evenly matched.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

On to the Mate 10 Pro, my go-to phone for dependable battery life, the differences here are a bit more subtle, with a few standouts for each camera. Yet again, the photo taken with Instagram Focus is less sharp, but by a slimmer margin than on the Galaxy S9. While the Mate 10 Pro’s portrait mode has more detail, I’m happy with the clarity in either photo.

The biggest difference I noticed was color; while the Focus photos were more saturated on the Galaxy S9, I found the opposite to be true with the Mate 10 Pro. The image taken in Huawei’s camera app is much more saturated, particularly in the shadows, and there’s a warmer overall tone than in Instagram’s Focus mode.

Selfies

Just like the Galaxy S9, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro allows you to take portrait mode shots with either camera, as well as within Instagram’s Focus mode. The Mate 10 Pro’s front-facing camera is far from my top pick for taking selfies, but my findings with the rear camera seem to remain true up front, as well. My hoodie is much darker in the shot taken within Huawei’s own camera app, and the grass shows a much warmer characteristic.

I actually prefer the background blur from Instagram’s camera here, though; particularly with the tree behind me, the blur looks considerably spottier in Huawei’s shot.

OnePlus 5T

Finally, we get to the OnePlus 5T, one of my favorite phones of 2017. This one exhibits the most drastic differences between stock and Instagram cameras, mostly because OnePlus’s built-in portrait mode is such a subtle effect. While this sounds like a criticism at first, I actually really appreciate this — it’s a much more natural look, in my opinion, and more closely matches the results you’d see from a dedicated DSLR at f/3.5 or so. There’s no overly heavyhanded background blur in the shot from the 5T’s default camera software, though my right arm (pictured left) falls out of focus around my elbow.

On the other hand, background blur is much stronger with Instagram Focus. I’m completely separated from the brick wall — even the spot I’m leaning against. Separation is noticeably weaker here compared to the Focus shots taken on other phones, with spotty stitching all around me from my hood to my shoulders. My face is also a bit blown out in the Focus shot, and colors are dramatically cooler toned than the photo taken with the OnePlus camera software.

While Instagram Focus still works with the front-facing camera, the OnePlus 5T doesn’t offer portrait mode for the front camera in its own software, so these rear shots wrap up the comparison!

What’s your take?

With a limited selection of phones at my disposal to test and compare, I can’t definitively say that Instagram Focus will be better or worse than your phone’s stock camera software overall. That’ll largely depend on factors like which phone you’re using, how important resolution and aspect ratio are to you, and whether you prefer a more natural look or full-stop artificial bokeh.

Whatever your preference, let us know in the comments below!

What’s the best way to clean your smartphone?

A clean phone is a happy phone.

Thanks to ultra-slim bezels, aluminum frames, and shiny glass backs, our smartphones are now more luxurious than they’ve ever been before. However, as great as they may look when they’re fresh out of the box, just about everyone knows that those good looks can quickly start to fade after a few days of normal use.

Since we take our smartphones just about everywhere, they have a tendency to get really dirty in a short amount of time. It’s important to keep a clean phone, both for its appearance and your own health, but knowing where to start can sometimes be a challenge.

We recently outlined some of our favorite tips for cleaning and disinfecting an Android phone, and we’ve now decided to check in with our forum users to see what their favorite methods are.

Without further ado –

Macklesdaddy
04-15-2018 08:28 PM

“

I use eyeglass cleaner and the cloth I use to wipe my glasses

Reply

rjack22
04-16-2018 06:01 AM

“

Ultraviolet method here to sanitize. I wipe the screen with a lens cloth to remove fingerprints.

Reply

bIOforger
04-15-2018 08:00 PM

“

Just a decent microfibre cloth to polish up the glass.

Reply

tube517
04-16-2018 11:00 PM

“

Damp Microfiber cloth does the trick.

Reply

Now, we want to hear from you – What’s your favorite way to clean your phone?

Join the conversation in the forums!

What to play after you beat Far Cry 5

Feed your wild side with more action-packed open world games

Far Cry 5 is an exciting game, with it being the first in the series’ history to take place in America and giving you so much more to do. Being given free reign to stomp over digital Montana as you control the protagonist of yet another wacky plot is just plain awesome.

So, we wouldn’t blame you for wanting more of it after the experience is over. You could play it again, and you could even play some of the other Far Cry games if you haven’t already. (Far Cry 3 was amazing!)

…Or you could check out a handful of other games which are sure to deliver the same explosive feeling you yearn for. Here are some great games to check out after you beat Far Cry 5.

Just Cause 3

Just Cause 3 is widely regarded as one of the true open world sandbox games on the market. It’s a third-person shooter, so it may be a bit jarring for those coming from the first person perspective offered by Far Cry.

But an insane game awaits you if you can come to grips with that. There are helicopters, jets, jetpacks, guns, destructive buildings, and everything in between. Oh, and there are explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.

Just Cause 3 regularly goes out of its way to keep the action flowing, and there’s a decent story strewn throughout to keep things interesting. Your first assignment upon booting this one up: find a grappling hook, attach yourself to a propane take, and violently take off to wherever it is your heart desires.

See at Amazon

Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 takes us back to a reimagined San Andreas, which itself is a reimagined Los Angeles. While the name of the game is vehicular theft, there’s much more to do in Grand Theft Auto than meets the eye.

You’ll control not one, not two, but three different characters in a story packed with intrigue. You’ll break into government headquarters and military bases, set fire to what we like to call the “alternative agriculture” business, and meet one of the craziest meth heads you’ll ever know. There are also loads of white collar crimes to get into if you’re not one to get your hands dirty.

Bigger than all of that is your ultimate goal: pulling off a million dollar heist that’ll take weeks of careful planning and preparation.

See at Amazon

Ghost Recon Wildlands

Veterans of the Ghost Recon series may be taken aback by its inclusion on this list, but Wildlands is not your typical Ghost Recon game. It’s graduated from tightly-controlled military tactical shooter to a sprawling open world that gives you free reign to approach your missions however you see fit.

While you’re still on the good side of the law, your one and only goal in Ghost Recon is to stop the baddies. How you accomplish that goal is completely up to you. Whether that’s sneaking in and taking them out silently or causing so much of a ruckus that even your most reckless foes will look at you like you’re crazy, the choice is yours. By the way, there’s a lot of Far Cry-like jungle to be had here, so you’ll feel right at home.

See at Amazon

Saints Row 4

You may recall that Saint’s Row is a series that started off with the sole purpose of totally ripping off GTA. THQ was somewhat successful in that endeavor, but somewhere along the way, they decided to stop trying to win that race outright and do their own thing.

And when we tell you that they were going to create the craziest game they could and they couldn’t give a crap who cared, you better believe us. Saint’s Row 4 has killer aliens, purple dildos, human inflation devices, robots, the constant threat of nuclear devastation — are you scared yet? If there’s one sandbox that has a little bit of everything for everyone, it’s Saint’s Row 4.

See at Amazon

Dying Light

A bit of a deviation from the other games on this list, Dying Light takes the over-the-top theme, well, over the top. This one is open world zombie survival at its finest.

While all zombies ultimately fall to the same tactic – remove their heads from their bodies – there are numerous routes to go about doing it. Dying Light has a deep crafting system that lets you make a multitude of cool weapons. A shotgun is always effective, but there’s nothing quite like beheading one of these monsters with an electrocharged katana.

See at Amazon

Mad Max

Who says movie games can’t be fun? Mad Max has always held on strong to its explosive roots, and the 2015 reboot of the gaming franchise is the most compelling entry yet.

The charm of the action-packed Mad Max universe is slotted into a massive open world map. Vehicular mayhem is aplenty here, and once you leave the wheel to approach your enemies head on you’ll find a blissful variety of ways to dispose of them like only Mad Max could.

See at Amazon

What are you playing next?

Here, we tried to give you a stout list of games that have a little bit of what makes Far Cry 5 special, whether that’s vast open worlds, the freedom to do whatever it is you feel like, or just plain wildness. Whether you decide to check any of these games out or go in another (less frightening) direction, let us know what you’ll be getting into next!

Should you buy Far Cry 5?

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

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How to fix Gear VR audio issues on your Chromecast

Sharing VR with friends is fun. Sharing audio issues is not. Here’s how to fix your audio issues when streaming Gear VR to a Chromecast.

A great addition to the Gear VR is the ability to stream your virtual reality session to Chromecast devices. This lets you take your personal VR view and cast it to a TV that your friends and family can watch. Unfortunately, a common issue with this setup is audio not working well or not working at all. There are a few causes for this and some fixes you should try before deciding that VR has to be a solo experience.

How to Chromecast your Gear VR

Why is this happening?

Since streaming the Gear VR to the Chromecast rolled out, audio syncing has been an issue. The Chromecast seems to struggle with the demand of streaming VR audio and video in sync. Even higher-end Chromecasts still have some audio syncing issues. As a result of this, some developers have opted to not even support audio casting when you’re streaming the Gear VR’s video. This doesn’t fix the problem but also likely prevents people from rating apps lower for an issue that isn’t the developer’s fault.

But just because the problem is common, doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it. There are some general fixes that help your experience improve.

Check your Network

It doesn’t matter which hardware you’re using if you’re on a bad network or have a bad connection between your phone and your Chromecast. Make sure that your network has a strong connection where you’re using your Gear VR and Chromecast. Additionally, if your game relies on the web, make sure that your internet speed is high enough and consistent enough to stream content.

Upgrade your hardware

There are multiple versions of the Chromecast, including two that are relatively new. The latest generation Chromecast costs $35 and the Chromecast Ultra which supports 4K costs $69.99. In our testing to determine the best Chromecast to use with your Gear VR, we found that audio latency issues were cut in half while using the Chromecast Ultra compared the latest generation Chromecast.

Look at alternatives

Sometimes the issues isn’t your fault. Some users have found that no matter what they do, Chromecast still won’t work with audio when you’re streaming your Gear VR. If this is what you’ve run into, you can check out alternatives, some of which you might not realize you already have in your house.

If your TV has built in casting, whether that be Samsung’s support of Miracast, Hisenses’s Anyview cast, or many other casting options, you can cast your Galaxy phone to the TV and then place your phone into your Gear VR. In my tes,ting I found that casting my Galaxy S8+ to our Samsung Series 6 worked well and audio seemed to line up. It’s important to remember that alternatives don’t requirea Samsung TV as many other TVs have casting support. In fact, many of them are using the same technology that’s just labelled differently.

Over to you

How has your experience been when casting your Gear VR to a Chromecast? Have you managed to iron out any bugs or have you had to look at alternatives. Let us know in the comments below.

Eufy EverCam is a truly wire-free security camera with 365-day battery life

Available for backing right now on Kickstarter.

There have been a lot of innovations in the smart security camera market over the last few years, but a couple pain points that still remain are complicated setup processes and short battery life. Eufy, the Anker-owned smart home brand, is now trying to tackle both of those issues with the EverCam.

EverCam was recently launched on Kickstarter by Eufy, and it offers a lot of the features you’d come to expect – including facial recognition, IP66 weatherproofing, night vision, and a wide 140-degree field of view with 1080p Full HD recording. However, EverCam goes a step further by not requiring any wires and promising 365-days of battery life before needing to be charged up.

How is that possible?

In regards to the wire-free design, you’ll start out by connecting EverCam’s base station to your Wi-Fi network and plugging it into a wall outlet inside your home. The camera itself wirelessly communicates to the base station using low-frequency technology, and it can be attached to the included mount or any existing metal surface using built-in magnets.

As for the 365-day battery life, the EverCam is powered by a 13,400 mAh battery from Anker and switches to a low-power mode when it doesn’t detect motion. This means you won’t get 24/7 recording like some other cameras offer, but Eufy says this also allows for 95% fewer false alarms thanks to a three-step motion detection process.

The EverCam comes with an included 16GB microSD card that “records approximately 1 year of video on one camera, with 10 videos per day, 30 seconds each.” You can obviously purchase a larger microSD card if you’d like, and Eufy will also sell an optional cloud storage service for $2.99/month.

Other features of the EverCam include two-way communication using the built-in microphone and speaker, an anti-them alarm that’s triggered when the camera is forcibly removed, and full remote control via the Eufy mobile app.

EverCam’s retail price is currently set at $329, but you can pick it up for just $219 with the limited-time Kickstarter Special. Shipments are expected to go out this September, and at the time of publication, Eufy’s already had over $595,000 in pledges with a goal of just $50,000.

See at Kickstarter

You should never have to reset any software, so why do we need to reset our phones?

A Motorola StarTAC sold new for $900 in 1996 and you never had to factory reset its software. One of these things has changed.

There’s a disturbing long-term belief that broken software is somehow our fault for not keeping it clean when it comes to a phone. I’ve seen it rise up again recently now that Oreo has been available for the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 long enough for users to experience problems, but it happens with almost every device, even when an update hasn’t recently arrived. Phone running badly? Factory reset it to fix things.

What?!

via GIPHY

Pardon my interrobang moment, but that’s ridiculous. Not that it’s bad advice because it can often fix things, but it’s a thing we should never have to do. When the “fix” for your software is to delete all its associated data and start fresh, that means your software is bad. Full stop. It (meaning the software) either fills its own data files with garbage that causes it to slow down while trying to sort through it all or it has no checks written to prevent it from reading garbage data that may have been written to storage incorrectly. Or both. Probably both.

I understand why we do it, because its easier to just bite the bullet and reinstall everything than it is to deal with a phone that acts like its broken. I’m not even saying we shouldn’t be doing it or suggesting it because unfortunately, it’s solid advice. Waiting for an update to fix the real problems isn’t a solution because it will never arrive — manufacturers are too busy working on something new they can sell to find time to fix or maintain the things they have already sold. It’s just painful to know that 20 or so years since the invention of the smartphone have passed and we still have to find user-initiated fixes because the software performs so poorly. And it’s only gotten worse over time.

10 years from now will we be paying a mechanic to factory reset our self driving cars?

Sometimes having a user reset software to its factory state is a proper request. For example, if you’re running a beta test of a program or operating system and decide to drop out of the program and go back to the regular release build. It’s reasonable to expect that the data from the two versions won’t be consistent and no easy way to migrate backwards has been developed. The same reasoning applies if you skipped a version — going from ver. 1 to ver. 2 to ver. 3 should always work, but going from ver. 1 straight to ver. 3 may not. I can also accept it when a mea culpa from the developers comes with: “We found some major issues and were able to fix them. Unfortunately these fixes require you to reset the software” is nothing you ever want to see, but the very few times you do are acceptable. Developers are regular folks like me and you and can face problems that kick their butts. Scrap the problems and start new is a reasonable request.

You should never have to take responsibility and fix for software issues on a $900 phone yourself. Ever.

But we’re not talking about regular-folk developers when it comes to resetting a phone operating system. In Samsung’s case, the need to delete everything because it’s broken is not OK because this software comes from a company that made like $75 Billion dollars last year on the backs of these phones and this software. Other companies didn’t make nearly as much but still made a lot more than you or I ever will. Knowing that some users need to reset all their data periodically should be concerning. Seeing the internet-at-large recommend you factory reset your phone because of an update or it’s just been a while since you last did so should be setting off huge alarms with klaxon horns and rotating red lights in an executive office. If your first idea is to reset the software to erase any of the data it created, it shows how little confidence you have in that product.

Properly written software should never need to be reset to its default state. We have to periodically reset our phones, or reset after an update to fix things like battery life. When both of these statements are true, there is a problem that shouldn’t be there when you’re paying $900 for a product.

Sonos One will be available in red, yellow, and green this September

The new colors will come with a $30 price increase over the regular models.

The Sonos One is already a good-looking speaker, but it’ll soon get a welcome jolt of color thanks to a new partnership with Danish design brand HAY.

This coming September, Sonos will launch the HAY Sonos One Limited Edition Collection with new red, yellow, and green models. The colors were taken directly from HAY’s 2018 design palette, and although they won’t be available to purchase, HAY will also be showing off the Sonos One in pink and gray during the Milan for Design Week.

Commenting on the Sonos One’s new looks, HAY’s Co-Founder and Creative Director, Mette Hay, says –

Color is one of the most important tools in the design process, and it was very important we didn’t just create a color scale that looked beautiful. Colors can hide completely and disappear or provide contrast.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to purchase the pink Sonos One in this picture.

If you’re interested in picking up one a HAY Sonos One for yourself, they’ll be available at Sonos’s website, flagship stores in New York City, London, and Berlin, and the HAY House in Copenhagen. Pricing is set at $229, making it $30 more expensive than the regular Sonos One.

Sonos One review: Adding Alexa is just the start

Android P: The best new features so far

Everyone loves new features, and Android gets new ones every year when it’s time for a new version.

In 2018, that means Android P and there are a handful of new great things to check out on top of the changes that make Android more efficient and easier for developers to build applications. We’ve picked out the best of these new features that you can look forward to having once your phone gets updated or you buy a new model running Android P.

Notch support

Now that phones have notches at the top, Android has tools developers can use to work around them. Love them or hate them, if a notch has to be there at least software can be developed to mitigate the drawbacks.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the clock is now on the left side so things can be symmetrical around a notch. Developers will also be able to change the status bar height automatically based on how far the notch protrudes into the display area. this should eliminate the letterbox effect. If an app is designed for full-screen display the developers can define an area where a notch would be so that nothing important is placed there.

For developers who don’t have phones with notches for testing purposes, they can simulate one on their display using Android’s developer tools.

HDR and HEIF support

Android P includes native support for the royalty-free HDR VP9 profile. This means that HDR movies using the profile can be watched using any media player. Previously, the media player app needed to support HDR profiles to display content correctly on an HDR display.

Android P also supports the HEIF image compression format. HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image Format and pictures using it can store twice as much data using the same size file as a JPEG image, meaning the pictures displayed have a much higher quality.

These changes are more important than hey sound. HDR VP9 and HEIF are becoming popular and without support your phone wouldn’t be able to display anything using either. More importantly, you wouldn’t know why nothing was being displayed and need to troubleshoot on your own. That’s not a good experience, so we’re really glad to see them supported.

Indoor navigation

Android P introduces support for the IEEE 802.11mc Wi-Fi protocol, also known as WiFi RTT (Round Trip Time).

WiFi RTT support means your phone can use its Wi-Fi signal (when on a network with support) for location services. RTT is precise and can locate your phone within 1-2 meters, which is more precise than the GPS signal you use outdoors.

While your first thought at hearing this might be indoor turn-by-turn navigation, this protocol can also be used for things like helping find a restroom by sending an alert or letting multiple people keep track of where each is while on a Wi-FI network with RTT support.

Multi-camera API

API stands for Application Programming Interface and what this means is that devices with two cameras will now have both be supported by the standard Android camera tools developers use. That means any camera app can support all two-camera setups and you aren’t forced to use the included camera app with your phone.

These APIs include features like zoom, portrait/bokeh, and 3D stereo vision as well as the current Android camera functions. This will help developers get their apps working well on devices with multiple cameras, and allow them to build one version that works with every phone. That means you’ll see your favorite app get updated to support your two-camera phone much, much faster.

Notification improvements

Android P introduces support for “more informative” notifications.

You will be able to see a preview of an attached image, see the last few messages in a conversation, and use Google Assistant-powered smart replies from the notification shade.

We see improvements to notifications with every new Android release. That’s understandable, as Android’s notifications are one of its strong points and we see their influence in other operating systems, both mobile and on the desktop. That happens when you build something great.

With every new set of features also comes the wait for developers to update their apps to include them. Sometimes they “just work” and other times some of them will work, but usually to get the full extent an app will need to be updated. Changes in notifications for Android P are no different.

A rotation button

Android P has a new way to control how the display rotates, and it’s great!

You can lock your rotation settings in place so that things stay vertical no matter how you tilt your phone, and a new button in the system bar will change things with just a tap. Perfect for bedtime readers.

Changes to Google’s Launcher

There are also some changes to Google’s interface on the Pixel line. These changes can be incorporated into the user interface by other companies but aren’t required as they aren’t part of the core Android system. On the Pixel phones we’ll see things like a new volume slider widget that appears on the side instead of the top when you press a volume key, a more colorful settings menu, and a revised layout for Quick settings.

Some of these are already present in other phones from companies like Samsung and LG, while others might make their way there if support was added in Android that makes them easy to include. Just know that you might not see any of these when your phone gets updated.

These need developer support

As we see every year with a new version of Android, most of the new features have one thing in common — they need developers to update their apps to include them. This can be frustrating because it takes so long for most phones to get updated. Developers have to prioritize their time, and when the bulk of phones are running an older version of Android, supporting those phones is the priority. Any changes that introduce new features have to be written with backwards compatibility in mind so the user-base doesn’t have a poor experience.

Because of this, many of your favorite apps will take a while to get updated with the features you want to see. That’s better than breaking an app for billions of other phones, though. Eventually, the most popular apps will receive an update to support what’s new and everyone is happy.