Life is Strange for Android: Everything you need to know!

Unravel the mysteries of Arcadia Bay in Life is Strange!

Life is Strange is an episodic narrative-based adventure game that arrived on Android this summer. It was first released on PC and consoles back in 2015 where it earned cult-hit status for it’s beautiful hand drawn art style and an engaging storyline that branches off based on the decisions you make in the game. Broken in to five episodes, the game focuses on Max Caulfield as she discovers she has the mysterious power to rewind time and relive moments.

What’s the story about?

Without diving straight into too much of the main plot spoilers, Life is Strange follows Max shortly after her 18th birthday as she discovers a supernatural ability to rewind time and replay moments in her life. The story takes place over the course of a week in the seaside town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, as Max attends Blackwell Academy for photography.

The main story has Max reconnecting with her childhood best friend, Chloe Price, as the two explore the limits of Max’s superpowers. During the first episode, Max discovers her powers and experiences weird visions from the future while simultaneously navigating the social world at a private school. The school is littered with missing posters for a girl names Rachel Amber, who just so happens to be Chloe’s best friend to replace Max when she moved away.

This game is all about exploring the environment, interacting with other characters, and discovering new information to push the story forward. Each episode features a series of major choices for Max to decide which will affect the story later on in a ‘butterfly effect’ manner, but with Max’s rewind abilities you’re able to peek forward and gain valuable information and then replay interactions to undo mistakes, answer questions correctly, and ultimately pick the decision (and associated consequences) that you’re most comfortable making.

The game is anchored around Max’s journal and photo collection, where you’ll always find your next objective and Max’s internal dialogue on the latest happenings in the game. This is a really great feature that manages to flesh out the story while also providing you with important context if you’re jumping back into the game.

You can play through each episode more than once

Each episode is about two hours to play through once, but you may find yourself going back and replaying key moments to see what happened in the alternate timelines. Most sections also have some optional photo opportunities that are shown as sketches in your journal. Match up the sketch with the right viewing angle and you should see a new “photo” action pop up.

When you go back to replay a section of an episode, you have the option of “collectible mode” which lets you go back with the intention of just collecting the optional photos for your journal, or you can re-write over your existing progress and replay a chapter to change the narrative’s course. Each episode has four or five major choices that have major consequences for the story, while there are dozens of smaller decisions you make that will subtly influence your options later on in the story. By going back and replaying an older section, you’ll be able to change the past and create a better (or worse) future world for the characters.

Controls optimized for mobile

Life is Strange follows in the Telltale-style adventure game tradition, which means it aims to plays like an extended cinematic scene, with you in control of what Max unfolding in front of you. For the times when you are in control of Max, Life is Strange gives you a but it’s worth noting that the controls here seem offers both a If you’ve previously played games by Telltale Games, you’ll feel very comfortable with the story-based gameplay but what’s best are the controls. There are three styles of on-screen controls available along with support for Bluetooth controllers. This is important as you’re often required to explore your surroundings and interact with other characters in a timely fashion so if you have a Bluetooth controller for your phone or tablet you’ll probably want to take it out for this one.

Can my phone play this game?

To play the game, you’ll need a device running Android 6.0 or later that supports OpenGL 3.1. Your phone will also need a 64-bit ARM processor and a minimum of 2GB of RAM. Square Enix recommends the game be played on a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Note 5 and up, Google Pixel or Pixel XL and up — basically any phone released in the past two years should be able to play the game just fine. Older devices might be able to run the game, but you may experience laggy frame rates or other bugs.

Verdict: You gotta play this game

Life is Strange is the type of game that’s designed to elicit a strong emotional response from the player. The game delivers a clever branching story backed by a catchy soundtrack and great sound design overall, with cinematography that does a great job of blending cut scenes with gameplay for a memorable gaming experience.

You can download and play the first episode for free with the remaining four episodes available via in-app purchases. You can check out the second episode for just $0.99 with the remaining episodes available for $4.99 or opt and get the season pass for $8.99 — the better deal if you fall in love with the game.

Download: Life is Strange (Free w/IAPs)

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New partnership lets you use Samsung Pay’s MST chip with Chase Pay

You can now earn double the rewards with each purchase.

Samsung Pay is one of the best mobile payment solutions to-date, with its two most standout features being Samsung Rewards and its combo of NFC and MST technology that allows you to use it at virtually any sore. On July 27, Samsung announced a new partnership with Chase that brings these goodies over to Chase Pay.

Starting today, you can jump into the Samsung Pay app and link your Chase Pay account. Once this is done, you can use Chase Pay as your primary mobile payment app and make payments with either NFC or Samsung’s MST chip.

This is the first time we’ve seen Samsung open its MST technology to other apps outside of Samsung Pay, and although Chase is the only one that can use it right now, this has us hoping for similar partnerships with other brands down the road.

In addition to being able to use MST with Chase Pay, any payments you make after both accounts are linked will allow you to earn Samsung Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points in one transaction.

If you’re a Chase customer, have you linked your account yet?

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch could be the smartwatch we’ve been waiting for

Shareholders Approve Disney’s $71.3B Acquisition of Fox as Deal Enters Final Stages

One week after Comcast officially bowed out of the bidding war for 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets by ceding to Disney, shareholders of both Fox and Disney have today approved Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition offer for Fox (via The Wall Street Journal).

At two separate gatherings this morning in Manhattan, both company’s shareholders were said to have “voiced their support” for the acquisition in brief meetings that lasted less than 15 minutes.

There are still a few hurdles before Disney officially acquires 21st Century Fox’s entertainment assets, mostly related to approval from overseas entities. Specifically, Disney is waiting for the European Union and China to grant approval for the acquisition, as well as “more than a dozen” other international territories.

Still, with the United States Justice Department approving the acquisition last month (with one condition for Disney) and now the shareholders voting to approve, it’s believed Disney’s acquisition of Fox will be done by early 2019.

News of Disney’s interest in Fox dates back to last December when Disney initially announced its bid to acquire Fox for $52.4 billion in stock. Comcast entered with its own $65 million cash offer for Fox’s assets, leading to Disney’s increased $71.3 billion cash and stock bid in June. At the time that it bowed out of the running for Fox, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts congratulated Disney and its CEO Bob Iger and commended the Murdoch family and Fox “for creating such a desirable and respected company.”

Disney’s plans for Fox line up with its intent to launch a streaming service in late 2019, showcasing a lineup of content from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and likely a back catalog of films and TV shows owned by Fox, further enticing customers to sign up. Under the agreement Disney will acquire Fox assets including Twentieth Century Fox Film and Television Studios, Fox-related cable and international TV businesses, Fox’s 30 percent stake in Hulu, the film rights to the X-Men and Avatar franchises, and more.

Disney has already launched its first streaming service in the form of ESPN+ this past spring, granting subscribers access to live sports, original shows and films, studio programs, and an on-demand library of content. Ahead of the debut of its main streaming service a little of a year from now, Disney has warned Netflix users that it will begin removing its TV shows and films from Netflix before its own platform launches.

New Disney-owned movies have still appeared on Netflix at a decent rate this year — including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Coco, and Thor: Ragnarok — but a few have begun to disappear, including the impending removal of Pixar’s Finding Dory in August.

A Disney streaming service filled with Fox content will be a direct competitor to Apple’s upcoming streaming service, also believed to see a launch at some point in 2019. Apple’s partners in the original TV content space include Oprah Winfrey, M. Night Shyamalan, J.J. Abrams, Kumail Nanjiani, and more.

Tags: Disney, Fox
Discuss this article in our forums

Honor’s new Note phone is so big and powerful, even Rolls-Royce may be on board

The Galaxy Note 9 isn’t the only new Note phone we should expect in 2018, as Honor is going one better and apparently releasing the Honor Note 10. While it’s so far only rumored for China, Honor often releases versions of these devices internationally at a later date, and with the IFA tech show in Berlin around a month away, it’s possible the Chinese Honor Note 10 is the shape of international things to come.

Design

Honor has been talking about the Note 10 for several weeks, and Honor’s George Zhao has said the phone is the result of two years’ work. It has not given any hints about the design, however, but one leaked photo shows the phone will probably not have a screen notch. It is difficult to assess the size of the device from the picture.

What’s more, Honor may have struck a deal with none other than luxury car brand Rolls-Royce to release a specially branded version of the Honor Note 10. A leaked picture shows a silver phone with a mirrored finish, and the Rolls-Royce logo in line with the fingerprint sensor and the dual camera lenses.

Rolls-Royce is very protective of its brand, and we’re quite surprised to see its name on the back of any phone, let alone Honor, which is usually marketed with images of skateboarders, BMX cyclists, and, “the brave.” We look forward to seeing if this is real, and how Rolls-Royce influences the final product.

Specifications

Honor itself has started teasing the phone in China, with a poster stating the phone will have a positively giant 5,000mAh battery. A 4,000mAh battery is considered large by modern smartphone standards, so a 5,000mAh cell will have the battery-obsessed already salivating at the prospect of fewer charging sessions. The poster also talks about cooling technology to keep the device operating normally.

With such a large battery inside, it will come as no surprise to read the phone itself will be similarly massive. The phone has been certified by TENAA in China, where all devices pass through ahead of release, and the specs listed state the screen will measure 6.95-inches, which elevates it to almost tablet-status, and way beyond most other Honor and Huawei phones recently. The Super AMOLED panel has a 2220 x 1080 pixel resolution, suggesting an 18:9 aspect ratio, so depending on the size of the bezels the phone may still be relatively compact. Not small, obviously, but potentially manageable.

A dual-lens camera with 24 megapixels and 16 megapixels is expected on the back, with a 13-megapixel camera on the front, while Huawei’s Kirin 970 chip will provide the power. This will likely add the artificial intelligence features seen on other Kirin 970 phones, such as the Honor 10 and the Huawei P20 Pro. Two versions are rumored: One with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space, and a second with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Honor will reveal the Honor Note 10 on July 31 in China. It will announce a new device at IFA 2018 on August 30. We will keep you updated here.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Unlock Google’s cool new Material Design interface hidden inside Chrome 68

Although Google’s Material Design user interface recently popped in the Chrome Canary channel, you can actually enable part of this interface in Chrome 68 for the desktop and Apple iOS devices. This is done by enabling the setting using the “flags” command in the address bar.

For desktop, do the following:

Type chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md into the address bar.
Next to “UI Layout for the browser’s top chrome,” switch from Default to Refresh.
Restart Chrome.

Although Google lists MacOS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS as supporting platforms for this new interface, this change didn’t work for us in the MacOS version but clearly changed the interface for the Windows 10 build, pictured above. We didn’t test the Linux and Chrome OS versions.

What you’ll see with Google’s new design are straighter tabs with slightly rounded edges. The address bar also took a redesign hit with cleaner, rounded edges. Your icon, if logged into Google, now appears just to the right of the address bar and to the left of the three-dot Settings button.

Next, for iOS devices, do the following:

Type chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md into the address bar.
Under the “UI Refresh Phase 1” section, select Enabled.
Restart Chrome.

Here you’ll see a bigger difference in the visual presentation. Prior to Material Design, the top toolbar consisted of Back and Forward buttons, the address bar, the squared tabs icon, and the three-dot settings icon. As you scrolled down the page this toolbar disappeared. Pull down on the page and you could add, refresh and close the current tab.

With Material Design enabled, a rounded address bar remains at the top of the browser but reduces to small text as you scroll down the page. At the bottom of the browser, you’ll find a toolbar playing host to the Back and Forward buttons, a search icon, the tabs icon, and the three-button settings icon. This toolbar will also disappear when you scroll down the page.

But that layout is for using the iOS device vertically. As shown above, when holding the iPad or iPhone horizontally, the toolbar and address bar merge to create one long strip along the top of the browser that shrinks into small text when you scroll down the page. Hold down on the page to add, refresh, or close a tab as usual.

In addition to adding the secret Material Design interface, Chrome 68 marks a change in how Google labels HTTP-based pages. Previously, Chrome merely provided an “I” icon next to the address to indicate a nonsecure connection. Chrome 68 adds “Not secure” next to that icon.

“Chrome’s ‘not secure’ warning helps you understand when the connection to the site you’re on isn’t secure and, at the same time, motivates the site’s owner to improve the security of their site,” Google says.

Websites with “HTTPS” before their address means your connection to that site is encrypted. Sites with a vanilla HTTP address do not provide a secure connection, hence the browser’s warning. According to Google, 83 out of the top 100 sites use HTTPS connectivity by default.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s Chrome desktop browser is about to receive a major facelift
• Chrome’s search bar may soon display pictures for your browsing pleasure
• The best web browsers
• New Chrome OS features make your Chromebook a better Windows replacement
• How to change your language in Google Chrome

Unlock Google’s cool new Material Design interface hidden inside Chrome 68

Although Google’s Material Design user interface recently popped in the Chrome Canary channel, you can actually enable part of this interface in Chrome 68 for the desktop and Apple iOS devices. This is done by enabling the setting using the “flags” command in the address bar.

For desktop, do the following:

Type chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md into the address bar.
Next to “UI Layout for the browser’s top chrome,” switch from Default to Refresh.
Restart Chrome.

Although Google lists MacOS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS as supporting platforms for this new interface, this change didn’t work for us in the MacOS version but clearly changed the interface for the Windows 10 build, pictured above. We didn’t test the Linux and Chrome OS versions.

What you’ll see with Google’s new design are straighter tabs with slightly rounded edges. The address bar also took a redesign hit with cleaner, rounded edges. Your icon, if logged into Google, now appears just to the right of the address bar and to the left of the three-dot Settings button.

Next, for iOS devices, do the following:

Type chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md into the address bar.
Under the “UI Refresh Phase 1” section, select Enabled.
Restart Chrome.

Here you’ll see a bigger difference in the visual presentation. Prior to Material Design, the top toolbar consisted of Back and Forward buttons, the address bar, the squared tabs icon, and the three-dot settings icon. As you scrolled down the page this toolbar disappeared. Pull down on the page and you could add, refresh and close the current tab.

With Material Design enabled, a rounded address bar remains at the top of the browser but reduces to small text as you scroll down the page. At the bottom of the browser, you’ll find a toolbar playing host to the Back and Forward buttons, a search icon, the tabs icon, and the three-button settings icon. This toolbar will also disappear when you scroll down the page.

But that layout is for using the iOS device vertically. As shown above, when holding the iPad or iPhone horizontally, the toolbar and address bar merge to create one long strip along the top of the browser that shrinks into small text when you scroll down the page. Hold down on the page to add, refresh, or close a tab as usual.

In addition to adding the secret Material Design interface, Chrome 68 marks a change in how Google labels HTTP-based pages. Previously, Chrome merely provided an “I” icon next to the address to indicate a nonsecure connection. Chrome 68 adds “Not secure” next to that icon.

“Chrome’s ‘not secure’ warning helps you understand when the connection to the site you’re on isn’t secure and, at the same time, motivates the site’s owner to improve the security of their site,” Google says.

Websites with “HTTPS” before their address means your connection to that site is encrypted. Sites with a vanilla HTTP address do not provide a secure connection, hence the browser’s warning. According to Google, 83 out of the top 100 sites use HTTPS connectivity by default.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s Chrome desktop browser is about to receive a major facelift
• Chrome’s search bar may soon display pictures for your browsing pleasure
• The best web browsers
• New Chrome OS features make your Chromebook a better Windows replacement
• How to change your language in Google Chrome

How to get Android apps on a Chromebook

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

One of the most exciting changes Google made to its Chrome OS platform and Chromebook hardware in recent years, was the addition of Android app support. While Chrome OS could already run Chrome browser extensions, web apps, and Chrome apps, the addition of the millions of Android apps has greatly increased the platform’s value.

Most new Chromebooks come with the Google Play Store out of the box, which allows you to quickly install your favorite Android apps. If your Chromebook was introduced in or after 2017, then it’s guaranteed to run Android apps. Either way, Google has put together an extensive list of Chromebooks that have access to Android apps that you can check. If you’re not on that list, there’s still a way to do it, just skip down to the second section.

If your Chromebook already supports Android apps, start here

Step 1: First, make sure that your Chromebook is running the latest Chrome OS version. You’ll need Chrome OS version 53 or later.

Step 2: To check, tap or click on the status area or the “Settings” cog. Then select “About Chrome OS” at the top of the screen.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Step 3: In the “About” window, tap or click the “Check for and apply updates” button. If there’s an available update, it will download and install. Once it’s finished, tap or click the “Restart to update” button.

Step 4: Once your Chromebook is updated, then go to the status area and tap or click the “Settings” cog. Go to the “Google Play Store” section, and check “Enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook.” You will be prompted to agree to Google’s terms of service — tap or click “Agree” to continue.

The Google Play Store app will open, and you’ll be asked to accept some additional terms and conditions. Once you’ve done this, you can proceed to the “How to download…” step below to install your chosen apps.

If your Chromebook doesn’t yet support Android apps, start here

Switching to the developer channel puts your Chromebook at the usual risks associated with running beta or preview software. You might experience bugs, things might break, and generally speaking you’ll be largely on your own in terms of support. And here’s a huge caveat: to return to the normal stable channel, you’ll have to Powerwash your Chromebook, which is how Chrome OS says “factory reset.”

In other words, make sure that all of your data is backed up before starting this process. If you’re not comfortable with running unproven software, then remember that the Chrome OS developer channel will maintain your Chromebook on the least proven version available.

Change to the Chrome OS developer channel

Once you’ve decided to take the risk, switching your Chromebook to the Chrome OS developer channel is a relatively simple process.

Step 1: Just tap or click on the status area in the lower-right corner and select the “Settings” cog. This will open the Chrome OS settings page.

Step 2: Tap or click “About Chrome OS” at the top of the page to check your version number and current channel.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Step 3: Tap or click “More info…” to expand the page and dig down into the details of your Chrome OS installation. Click on the “Change channel…” button to open a dialog where you can select a new channel for your Chromebook.

Step 4: You have two options, “Beta” and “Developer – unstable.” Select “Developer – unstable” and read the warning notice carefully. If you’re sure you want to proceed, tap or click the “Change Channel” button.

Step 5: Chrome OS will proceed to update your device and put it into the developer channel. Wait for it to finish, and then tap or click the “Restart” button.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Step 6: Once your Chromebook reboots after applying the update to move you to the developer channel, log in as usual. You’ll now have the Google Play Store (beta) app in your apps tray.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Step 7: Open the Play Store app, and move through the terms of service, the backup options, and the request to allow Google to gather anonymous location data.

Step 8: If you’re okay with everything, tap or click the “Agree” button. The Play Store will be set up and you will be asked to accept the Google Play terms of service. Tap or click “Accept” to continue.

The Play Store will open, and you may be already logged in if your Android account is the same one used to log into your Chromebook. If you’re asked to set up your Play Store account, then follow the instructions.

Download and install your Android apps

The process of installing Android apps from the Play Store on a Chromebook is similar to doing so on an Android device. You’ll find that the Play Store will be formatted as on an Android tablet. Other Android apps will work the same way — an app will take on the tablet user interface if the developer enabled it. Otherwise, they’ll scale to the Chromebook’s larger screen.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Step 1: To install an app, just locate it in the Play Store, tap or click on its entry, and the tap or click the “Install” button.

Step 2: The app will start installing and will pause to ask about any required authorizations. Accept them if requested. One the app is installed, it will show up in your Chrome OS apps tray. Tap or click on its icon to run it.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

You can manage Android apps like other Chrome OS apps, with the same window controls in the upper right-hand corner and the arrow key in the upper left-hand corner to allow you to navigate through the app.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Android app drawbacks

The quality of your Android app experience will vary based on your Chromebook. For example, Chromebooks with touchscreens, and particularly 2-in-1s, will provide the best Android app experience. System components like accelerometers will make playing games and other tasks more enjoyable as well.

While they’ve come a long way since they were first introduced, that doesn’t mean every Android app will run well on your old, outdated Chromebook. You’ll need to experiment. While they should work well on newer devices, your experience will likely vary.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Taotronics TT-BH040 headphones second opinion review: The best sound $70 can buy

Active Noise Cancelling headphones that don’t suck for under $80. Dreams do come true!

Very rarely do I go through a day without having some sort of headphones in, on, or around my ears. Whether I’m rocking out to The Police, listening to true crime podcasts, or taking calls on my iPhone and Mac, I am constantly plugged in to some form of audio.

While I don’t consider myself a hardcore audiophile, I do know what I like in a set of headphones. So when I got a chance to review the Taotronics TT-BH040, I was really excited to see what the budget active noise canceling headphones would bring to the table.

Read our other review of these excellent headphones, by Joe Maring

Taotronics TT-BH040 Active Noise Cancelling headphones

Price: $70

Bottom line: Taotronics are the best low-budget active noise canceling headphones I have ever used. With a sound profile that will please most people, and a long-lasting battery, the BH040’s give you great value for its price tag.

The Good

• 30-hour battery life
• Low cost
• Extremely comfortable
• Noise canceling works very well

The bad

• Big plastic awkward button
• Can’t fold down to a smaller profile

See at Amazon

Solid preformance

Taotronics TT-BH040 What I like

I like so many things about the Taotronics TT-BH040’s that’s its hard to pick which aspect I should talk about first, so I’ll start with the most obvious one; these headphones sound great! They definitely bump up the bass a little more than some other manufacturers out there, but boy, do they sound clear and consistent through all types of audio. The lows are deep, warm, and powerful, but they never overshadow the high-end tones, whether you’re listening to spoken word or the heaviest of metal.

I have the freedom to leave my charging cable at home.

Let’s skip to my favorite part of using the TT-BH040’s, the battery life. When you’re as cheap as I am, and have used as many budget headphones as I have, you learn to carry the necessary charging cables everywhere you go. I have plenty of headphones that only last 6-8 hours on a full charge, which can’t even get me through a full workday. When Taotronics said the TT-BH040’s have a 30-hour battery life, I was convinced there was no way that number could be right. Not only was the number accurate in my testing, but I got over 30 hours of use using the ANC, which, to put it super casually, is bonkers! Finally, I have the freedom to leave the charging cable at home.

Let’s take a second to talk about the ANC. It’s the best I’ve heard on a pair of headphone this cheap…but it still isn’t as good as the Bose QC 35’s. So, if you’re used to the noise reduction that a high-end pair of cans gives you, the TT-BH040’s are likely to disappoint.

That being said, I enjoyed slipping on these headphones and tuning out the world as much as possible. Flip that switch, and boom, the loud roar of traffic on the street, becomes but a whisper. The mechanical drone of the AC in your home? Eliminated to nothing more than a gentle hum. It’s fantastic to have quality ANC in a pair of headphones that only cost $70 because typically it takes a lot more money to feel like you are in your own little world.

A couple minor issues

Taotronics TT-BH040 What I don’t like

I can’t say the Taotronics TT-BH040’s are perfect, they are a few minor annoyances that come with the cheaper price, and while I don’t think any of these flaws are dealbreakers, it’s important to know them before you purchase.

Let’s start with the buttons located on the rim of the cans. While they certainly have their uses — like changing volume or playing and pausing music — they are a tad bulky and feel kind of cheap. They jet out from the bottom of the cans, making the headphones have a less slim and uniform look.

It takes up a pretty big space in a bag, which makes travel a little tricky.

While I appreciate that Taotronics included a carry case with the TT-BH040’s, the headphones don’t fold up into a smaller profile like you see with other pairs of a similar size, causing the carry case to actually be rather large. Fitting this into your carry on luggage on a flight may prove to be slightly difficult, especially since the soft carry case also does add much protection.

Think about the money

Taotronics TT-BH040 Should you buy them?

4.5
out of 5

If you’re looking for a pair of over-ear headphones that don’t come with a steep cost and still has plenty of upsides, you need to give the Taotronics TT-BH040’s a chance. They sound great, feel super comfortable, and the battery life is one of the best I have ever seen in ANC headphones ever.

I can’t really think of a better way to spend $70 for most people — the value for the cost is just so slanted in your favor, I’m almost worried the price will go up at some point. The good news is as long as you can grab these for this cheap, it’s you the consumer who really wins!

See at Amazon

What Gear S3/Gear Sport apps do you use the most?

These are the apps our forum users are crazy about.

We’re expecting big things from Samsung next month in the form of the Galaxy Watch, but until then, the Gear S3 and Gear Sport remain as two of the best smartwatches money can buy.

Both wearables run Samsung’s own Tizen OS, and while the developer support for it isn’t quite as strong as what’s available with Wear OS, there are still plenty of apps that make the Gear S3 and Gear Sport much more functional than they are out of the box.

We recently decided to check in with our forum users to see which apps they’re loving right now, and this is what they had to say.

11B1P
07-22-2018 07:30 AM

“

Text messaging, calculator, stopwatch, timer.

If you work out, take a look at Skimble in the Gear store. The app for your phone has a companion app for your S3. Start a workout on your phone and open the app on your watch and you can follow along with your watch. If you have ear buds in, your coach will tell you each step of the way what to do next.

Reply

Harplayr
07-22-2018 10:25 AM

“

I love Taylormade My Round Pro for golf and Radar for seeing the weather radar when I’m cycling

Reply

MarineDawg
07-23-2018 07:26 PM

“

I would have to say aside from notifications; timer, weather, music player, and the workout function in SHealth. All stock apps but these are the ones I use at least once a day.

Reply

NYCMetsPDX
07-24-2018 03:54 PM

“

Definitely enjoy having Pear Sports, Gear Navigator and Radar on the watch, all are great third party apps I use frequently.

Reply

Now we want to hear from you! What are your favorite apps for the Gear S3/Gear Sport?

Join the conversation in the forums!

The Elder Scrolls 6: Everything you need to know

Get ready for another exciting trip to Tamriel.

Ever since Skyrim’s launch in 2011, Elder Scrolls fans have been clamoring for a new game to sink their teeth into. It’s fair for them to do so, with us having yet to receive a mainline Elder Scrolls game on a next-generation console. (It’s especially fair when you consider Fallout is about to get its second!)

And no, The Elder Scrolls online — despite its wholesome charm and awesomeness — simply doesn’t count. But that’s OK, because at E3 Bethesda finally broke radio silence on The Elder Scrolls 6. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is The Elder Scrolls 6?

The Elder Scrolls 6 would be, you guessed it, the sixth mainline game in the Elder Scrolls universe. For the uninitiated, Elder Scrolls games tend to be open-world RPGs that have the classic Bethesda formula: critical decision making, rich and deep lore, massive breathtaking open worlds, memorable characters, and some of the most fun sidequests you’ll find in a video game.

Elder Scrolls followed this formula even in the earliest days when technology wasn’t fully supportive of such ambitions. It wasn’t until the third entry — Morrowind — that the games began to take on the form that we’ve become used to, with each game being progressively more impressive than the ones before it.

Bethesda’s biggest deviation came in 2014 when they released The Elder Scrolls Online, an MMORPG that would feature many of Tamriel’s iconic locales in one massive world.

What’s the story so far?

Despite The Elder Scrolls 6 being a long-running series, the games aren’t necessarily connected. With the exception of the first two titles, each Elder Scrolls game has its own storyline. They’re all set in the world of Tamriel and they all feed off the same lore, but the stories are intentionally self-contained so as to allow new players to jump in wherever they want and not feel lost.

For that reason, we can’t really draw any conclusions about what will happen in The Elder Scrolls 6 based on previous titles. Oblivion was all about fighting demons at the doorsteps of hell. Skyrim was about you finding a dragon within yourself and shouting at people very loudly and violently. The Elder Scrolls 6 could be about, well, anything. Time travel? Aliens? Sweet rolls? We don’t know. But you know we’ll be clawing for any details we can as the months move on.

Where will it take place?

One of the favorite pastimes of many-a Elder Scrolls fan is trying to figure out where the next game in the series will be. To date, we’ve seen locales such as Morrowind, Skyrim, Cyrodiil, High Rock, and Hammerfell represented in one form or another, not including places like Elsweyr in Elder Scrolls Online.

If we assume Bethesda wants to take us to a new location, we can guess that Elder Scrolls might take place in either Elsweyr (Home of the Khajit race), Black Marsh (home of the Argonians), or Valenwood (home of the wood elves). These locations are heavily referenced throughout Elder Scrolls lore as some of the game’s most prominent races come from these lands.

There are theories which suggest some other lesser known locations could be featured, though. In the very short, uneventful, and seemingly random teaser trailer for the game, you can notice a strange collection of peninsulas on the coast of the ocean area. Interestingly enough, this terrain seems to match up with that of the lost islands of Yokuda, which was once home of the Redguards before a catastrophic event sunk much of the continent.

I know the smart money’s on The Elder Scrolls 6 being in High Rock, but I keep looking at these 3 peninsula in the trailer & thinking about the lost island of Yokuda. That landscape does look a bit like a tidal wave scoured it flat. pic.twitter.com/665lb6W4ij

— Leon Hurley (@LeonHurley) June 11, 2018

Other guesses point to High Rock. High Rock — which is where prominent cities like Daggerfall and Shornhelm exist — was heavily featured in the first two Elder Scrolls games and in Elder Scrolls Online. The theory comes from the presence of mountainous terrain in the trailer, however, it’s entirely possible that it’s coincidental.

The truth is that no one knows where the next Elder Scrolls game will take place yet. It could be somewhere entirely new, or it could be somewhere we’ve already been in one game or another. We also don’t know which time period it will be set in, an important detail for figuring out the geographical and political landscape of the world of Tamriel. You can be sure we’ll be spending the coming months thinking heavily about it.

How far along is development?

It’s safe to say that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still largely in its planning phases. Bethesda’s main studio is still putting much of its weight behind the launches of Fallout 76 and Starfield. The former will be out in a few short months, while Starfield — an entirely new IP — doesn’t even have a release date (and in fact might not even be a current generation title).

Ahead of the company’s E3 announcement, it was said that we might not even see work on The Elder Scrolls 6 begin until Starfield was close to finished, and even if we assume that game will be ready in 2019, that would likely place The Elder Scrolls 6 at some point in 2020. And that’s at the absolute earliest.

It’s likely that Bethesda is still in the planning phases, which typically involves figuring out details through the advent of storyboarding. For all we know, they haven’t even written a single line of code.

Long story short, we still have a long wait ahead. It’s an unusual move for Bethesda, who has historically preferred to announce games when they’re pretty deep into development. Chalk it up to the restlessness of Elder Scrolls fans who were worried that Bethesda might be done with the series thanks to Elder Scrolls Online’s existence, but they announced the game far sooner than we’re used to and we’ll just have to be patient.

Will it launch for PlayStation 4?

Your guess is as good as ours. We’d have a hard time believing Bethesda would skip an entire generation without a single mainline Elder Scrolls game, but considering Starfield is being touted as a next-generation title you have to consider the possibility that Elder Scrolls 6 falls under the same outlook.

Even if that were the case, however, that doesn’t mean the game’s engine couldn’t scale with hardware. Much like Grand Theft Auto 5 felt like a whole new game on the current generation platforms, Elder Scrolls 6 could very well take launch for PlayStation 4 ahead of an upgraded version available when the new consoles roll around.

The only thing we can say for certain right now is that the game is coming and that it’ll likely be on a PlayStation console. Which exact PlayStation console is up in the air.

When will we learn more?

It’s tough to say when we might be treated to the first details about Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda head Todd Howard has acknowledged the importance of keeping fans engaged with new expectations (that was the whole point of this early announcement), but he also knows it’s sensible not to say too much, too fast. Whatever the timeline may be, you know we’ll be keeping you abreast of all the latest details every step of the way.

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