How to control what ads Google shows you

Interest-based ads are best when they are things you’re actually interested in.

We know Google as the company who gives us great services like Gmail and Google Photos (literally the best Google product ever), and of course, Android — the software that powers the phones we all love. But Google is a search and advertising company at its heart. It has combined the two things into a giant internet machine that basically prints money for the company, and it does so by trying to figure you out in a way that lets you see ads for the stuff you might want to buy. Things like electronics, and headphones, and anything else you’ve ever looked at on the internet.

Ads are what make free products “free” and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.

Anything means anything. I don’t have much interest in women’s shoes other than buying a pair for my wife when she tells me what brand and style she would like to have. But since I will happily hit Google to search for that particular pair of shoes Google thinks I’m super interested in them and at the bottom of any website there’s a good chance I’ll see ads for wedges, espadrilles (my wife is going to love these), and flats that I can buy. Those ads would be a better fit for my wife, but because of the way Google collects all my data, it thinks I should see them.

More: Does Google sell your personal data?

I’m not adverse to seeing ads for women’s shoes, but I’d rather see ads for fishing poles or Corvette parts. I knew why I was seeing them, so I started digging around to see how I could change it. I found it, and I’m about to tell you how you can do the same and take control of what sort of ads Google shows you.

How to block a specific ad

We’ll start here because it’s slightly more complicated. Don’t worry, though. It’s still really easy.

Imagine that you’re doing a bit of web browsing and come across an ad you never ever want to see again. Maybe it’s a product you hate or an ad for a politician from the “other side” or anything else that you don’t want to have to tolerate. All you need to do is see it once and know how to get rid of it.

Ads inside Google services

• When you’re using Google Search on your phone or tablet and see an ad you want to block forever tap the symbol. Then tap Why this ad and Turn off ads from this advertiser.
• When you’re using YouTube, tap the symbol. Then tap *Stop seeing this ad**.
• When you’re using Gmail tap the symbol. Then tap Control ads like this and Block this advertiser.

Google ads on other websites

• At the top right corner of a Google ad, tap or click on the symbol and choose Stop seeing this ad.
• If you think an ad violates Google’s policies, tap or click on the symbol and choose Report this ad.

Now say goodbye to ads you never want to see again. The final step is to tell one other person how to do it so eventually, we all can stop seeing one thing we hate on the internet. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to tell you how to get rid of everything else you hate on the internet.

Control interest-based ads

Google gives you a place to choose what interest it thinks you have when it comes to showing you ads. Visit your personalized Ad Settings page and prepare to be surprised at how well or how wrong Google got it when it comes to the things you like. It did pretty good with mine, once I removed shoes, that is.

The bigger the icon and higher the placement, the more weight a category has when it comes to you. I watch a lot of YouTube and play a lot of Action and Platform games and am also a male between 45 and 54. Nailed it. To get rid of a category so google doesn’t think you have an interest:

• Click or tap on the category icon in the list.
• Click the Turn Off button.
• Fin.

Google makes money by showing us ads for products it thinks we will like. It’s almost impossible to remove every ad on the internet and once someone figures that out advertising companies will do something new. That’s how things can be “free” and it’s not likely to change.

Since we have to see them, at least we can set things up so we see the right ones.

Philips Hue Reveals New ‘Signe’ and ‘Play’ Collections to Light Up Your Entertainment Area

Coming off the recent reveal of Philips Hue’s latest fixtures, the lighting company today announced two new collections that will be available to purchase in October: “Hue Signe” and “Hue Play.” While still providing all of the expected features of Hue lights — including HomeKit support — the new products have unique hardware builds and are aimed to enhance entertainment areas.

Starting off, the Hue White and Color Ambiance Signe Collection is a slim fixture with a solid base that comes in a Floor Light (standing at about 59 inches tall) and Table Light (just over 24 inches tall). The Signe is designed to be placed around an entertainment area and facing a wall, with indirect lighting reflection that reaches “up to the ceiling,” according to the company.

This means that two Signe lights bordering a television can also provide bias lighting while you watch a movie or play a video game. Because the collection supports Hue White and Color Ambiance, you’ll be able to choose from 16 million colors and 50,000 shades of white light to light up your room.

The Signe does not support multi-zone lighting, so you can only emit one color from one lamp at a time, but the company notes that with multiple Signe lights set up in a room you will be able to mix and match colors from multiple sources.

The Signe Table Light will cost $159.99 and the Signe Floor Light will cost $249.99. Both fixtures will be available for pre-order in early September and then launch in early October.

Secondly, Philips Hue has revealed the Hue Play Collection, which is also aimed at family rooms and entertainment areas. The company describes Hue Play as a “light bar” that can be placed on an entertainment center, mounted behind a TV, or simply laid on the floor to add lighting to any space.

Three light bars can be plugged into the power source that comes in the fixture’s base kit, which Philips Hue says was an effort to reduce the amount of electrical sockets needed for the lights behind your entertainment center.

In these setups, Hue Play can be placed both vertically and horizontally, providing even more opportunities for bias lighting behind a TV and pathway lighting in a hallway. The Hue Play measures 9 inches in length.

There are two kits that will be available for Hue Play: a Single Base Kit with one fixture for $69.99, and a Double Base Kit with two fixtures for $129.99. Pre-orders for Hue Play will go up in mid-September and then the collection will launch in mid-October.

If you purchase either one of these kits, Philips Hue will also sell a $59.99 Hue Play extension, which is simply another light bar at a slightly reduced price that you can add onto your existing setup by plugging it into the base kit’s power source.

Like previous Philips Hue products, Hue Signe and Hue Play can be added into your existing HomeKit ecosystem, allowing you to control the fixtures with Siri, automate them to turn on and off at specific times of the day, and add them into your favorite HomeKit scenes. Philips’ recently redesigned iOS app will also provide full control over the light color, scenes, rooms, automation, and more for Signe and Play.

Additionally, today is also the day that a variety of new Philips Hue lights and fixtures launch on the company’s website. These include the Adore Vanity Mirror, Adore Ceiling Light, Being Pendant, and Enchant Pendant Light. Anyone looking to expand their outdoor space with smart lighting can also pre-order the Hue Outdoor Lightstrip beginning today, ahead of an early October retail launch.

Tag: Philips Hue
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Apple Watch Series 4 Models Filed With Eurasian Database Ahead of September Launch

Apple today filed six new Apple Watch model numbers with the Eurasian Economic Commission, including A1977, A1978, A1975, A1976, A2007, and A2008, according to French blog Consomac. All of the models run watchOS 5.

Apple Watch Series 4 mockup via Ben Geskin
The filings are legally required for any encrypted devices sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

These model numbers likely correspond with the widely rumored Apple Watch Series 4 lineup, expected to be unveiled at an Apple Event in September alongside a trio of new iPhone models, new AirPods, and more.

In the past, similar filings with the Eurasian Economic Commission have been submitted for the lower-cost 9.7-inch iPad, 10.5-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Apple Watch Series 2, AirPods, and 2018 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, usually within one to two weeks before each product was released.

At this point, it was already pretty obvious that Series 4 models are coming next month, but the filings eliminate any remaining doubt.

The only unique aspect of this year’s filings are that there are currently only six unreleased Apple Watch Series 4 model numbers, whereas the Series 3 lineup has eight model numbers: two aluminum GPS-only models, and six LTE models, including aluminum, stainless steel, and ceramic variants in two sizes.

Naturally, this has led to some speculation that there might not be ceramic Series 4 models, but there are many possibilities.

Earlier this year, well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple Watch Series 4 models will feature 15 percent larger displays, longer battery life, and improved health monitoring capabilities.

If past is predicate for the future, Apple will likely hold its next event on Wednesday, September 12, with invites to the media going out in the last few days of August. MacRumors will provide live coverage as usual.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, watchOS 5Tag: Eurasian Economic CommissionBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Logitech’s distinctive new ergonomic mouse looks as good as it feels

The idea of the ergonomic mouse has always been a smart one. However, because they’re often ugly and take a lot of adjustment before the ergonomic benefits kick in, they never went mainstream.

Now, Logitech has announced its first true foray into upright mice with the MX Vertical, a stylish PC peripheral made specifically for comfort and reduced muscle fatigue. Logitech has previously implemented these type of features in mice like the MX Master 2 or M570, but the MX Vertical takes ergonomics to another level.

If you’ve never checked out an ergonomic mouse before, you’ll do a double take when you first see the MX Vertical. Rather than sit flat like a standard mouse, the center of the mouse contorts and rises up like the curl of a wave to fit right between your thumb and index finger. Logitech says the design of the mouse is meant to simulate a “natural handshake position,” which can help with reducing forearm tension during long sessions of computing.

Logitech claims a 10 percent reduction in muscular strain. We’re not quite how something like that can be measured, but we noticed the comfort right away. It took some getting used to, but within 10 or 15 minutes, we snuggled nicely into the more natural angle the MX Vertical provides.

Some ergonomic mice that stand completely vertical aren’t quite as functional in daily usage. The 57 degree tilt isn’t as extreme an angle as some ergonomic mice, but it nails the balance between performance and comfort. Logitech says the mouse is meant to work with a wide range of sizes and hand shapes, though due to the nature of the design, your mileage may vary. The size of my hands allowed my wrist to rest naturally on the desk, though a small hand might fit the actual curve of the tilt even better.

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The mouse is also wrapped in a textured, rubber grip that adds an additional aspect of comfort and visual flair. The combination of rubber and aluminum gives the mouse a durable, premium feel that helps it stand out from the heaps of cheap plastic peripherals that typically fill our desks. It also keeps the mouse from looking like a disgusting fingerprint magnet.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but tracking feels precise and accurate, thanks to Logitech’s high-quality sensors. There are a variety of ways to connect the MX Vertical to your computer, whether it’s Mac or Windows — and all worked quite seamlessly. It can handle wireless either through Bluetooth or with the USB receiver, and it can also be plugged in with the USB-C cord included in the box. Logitech claims the mouse can last for four months on one charge of battery, so you shouldn’t have to worry about charging it all the time.

The MX Vertical is priced at $100. It’s available for presale today and goes on sale in September.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best gaming mouse of 2018
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• Microsoft relaunches the classic mouse that changed gaming forever
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• Razer heads to Kickstarter to create its Naga Trinity gaming mouse for lefties

Logitech Debuts New MX Vertical Ergonomic Mouse

Logitech today announced the launch of the MX Vertical, the company’s most advanced ergonomic mouse to date.

The MX Vertical, which was designed in collaboration with ergonomic experts, combines ergonomic design elements with MX mouse performance for a mouse that cuts down on forearm strain and wrist pressure without impacting productivity.

Up to 12 percent of computer users feel discomfort or pain on a daily basis according to a recent survey, and that’s the consumer base Logitech is targeting with this product. Logitech tested dozens of prototypes and designs to come up with the ideal shape, weight, and glide that eases pain but doesn’t impede mouse usage.

Logitech’s MX Vertical Mouse features a 57 degree vertical angle, reducing muscular activity by up to 10 percent compared to a standard mouse. It puts the mouse into the same position you might use when shaking someone’s hand, offering a thumb rest and a comfortable grip.

Logitech designed the mouse to fit a range of hand shapes and sizes, and there’s a texturized rubber surface that provides an ideal amount of grip. A built-in 240mAh rechargeable battery provides up to four months of usage, and an included quick charge feature provides three hours of power with one minute of charging.

The mouse is highly customizable with an adjustable 4,000 DPI high-precision sensor, which allows for four times less hand movement compared to a standard mouse to reduce usage fatigue. A switch at the top of the mouse allows the cursor speed and accuracy to be easily adjusted from 400 DPI to 4,000 DPI, while Logitech software allows for further customization.

Easy-Switch functionality lets the mouse switch between two computers with no need to re-pair, and Logitech Flow software lets text, images, and files be copied and pasted between multiple machines with the MX Vertical.

Logitech’s new MX Vertical Mouse is priced at $99.99 and will be available in retail stores starting in September. The mouse can be pre-ordered from the Logitech website starting today.
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Apple Confirms Removing as Many as 25,000 Illegal Gambling-Related Apps From App Store in China

Apple today confirmed it has removed “many” illegal gambling apps, and developers distributing them, from its App Store in China.

The Wall Street Journal:

“Gambling apps are illegal and not allowed on the App Store in China,” Apple said in a statement Monday. “We have already removed many apps and developers for trying to distribute illegal gambling apps on our App Store, and we are vigilant in our efforts to find these and stop them from being on the App Store.”

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 25,000 apps have been removed as of Sunday—which would be less than two percent of the estimated 1.8 million apps on the App Store in the country—but Apple hasn’t confirmed any numbers.

Apple began cracking down on gambling-related apps earlier this month, providing affected developers with the following explanation:

In order to reduce fraudulent activity on the App Store and comply with government requests to address illegal online gambling activity, we are no longer allowing gambling apps submitted by individual developers. The includes both real money gambling apps as well as apps that simulate a gambling experience.

As a result, this app has been removed from the App Store. While you can no longer distribute gambling apps from this account, you may continue to submit and distribute other types of apps to the App Store.

Apple notes that verified accounts from incorporated business entities may still submit gambling apps for distribution on the App Store.

MacRumors reported on Apple’s crackdown on gambling-related apps in the App Store earlier this month, noting that some apps that have been banned as a result appear to have very little to do with gambling at all. Most of the apps have been removed from the App Store not only in China, but around the world.

Apple’s move follows the Chinese state media scrutinizing the company earlier this month for allowing illegal content like gambling apps and spam messages to be distributed freely through the App Store and iMessage. As for the latter, Apple is reportedly working with Chinese carriers to reduce iMessage spam.

This isn’t the first time Apple has catered to Chinese government demands. Last July, for example, the company removed VPN apps from the App Store in China. Six months prior, Apple pulled the The New York Times app in China.

“We would rather not remove apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law where we do business,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook last year.

All of this comes amid growing tensions between the United States and China over trade.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: App Store, China
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6 flying cars that you might actually be able to own (and fly) in your lifetime

Today, commuting to work in a personal helicopter or private jet is something that’s only really available to billionaire CEOs, hedge fund managers, and “one hit wonder” rappers who are six months away from bankruptcy.

That’s all going to change in the near future, however. Just like the way that cellphones used to be exclusively for the 1 percent, soon the idea of taking a personal flying machine to work is going to be a part of everyday life.

Don’t believe us? Check out some of the companies who are building personal drones, flying “cars,” and even an Iron Man-style jetsuit that will soon be available to the masses. That means you and I!

Opener BlackFly

Californian startup Opener’s entrant into the flying car market is BlackFly, which the company hails as, “the world’s first ultralight all-electric fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.” It’s a single-seat aircraft/vehicle capable of travelling up to 25 miles on a charge, with a top speed of 62 miles per hour.

You won’t need a pilot’s license to fly it, although you will have to complete vehicle training and an FAA Private Pilot written exam.

As with a lot of the other vehicles on this list, no official price has been announced yet, although Opener has stressed the importance of “competitive pricing.” In interviews, designer Marcus Leng has said that Opener should cost no more than an SUV. Provided he’s talking about an average midsize SUV, that would suggest we’ll be able to take to the skies for around $33,000.

Passenger Drone

Sometimes you don’t need to give your product a flashy millennial marketing team name — unnecessarily frivolous and featuring lower case letters where upper case ones should be — to sell your product. That’s the case with the simply named Passenger Drone: an upcoming self-driving, 16-rotor, human-sized drone.

The machine will be controlled by a touchscreen, and promises to take off with just one button. Users can then draw their route on a map, and have the drone fly them there, using a range of smart autonomous technologies to do so without accidentally running into anything on the way.

The company has yet to reveal how much this will all cost. While we’re expecting it to be pretty pricey, the theoretical ease-of-use of such a device could certainly help make this a mainstream entity, provided it’s within reach of your average consumer. And that it works, obviously.

Aston Martin’s Volante Vision

We’re including this one despite the fact that, yes, we realize that most people don’t currently drive an Aston Martin to work. The idea that somehow one of the world’s most luxurious car brands will become cheaper when it adds a new flying feature to the mix is pretty darn unlikely. But the dream of arriving at the office in a flying version of James Bond’s car is too intoxicating to ignore.

Aston Martin’s Volante Vision flying car is a hybrid-electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. Although no official release date has been announced, it promises to offer sufficient space for three adults in a triangular configuration.

Given that the company is sticking to its luxury market ethos, this one’s probably more of a weekend hire if we’re honest. But what a birthday gift that hire will be!

Uber flying taxis

Who said that you need to actually own a flying vehicle in order to enjoy all the good things it can deliver? That’s what Uber has figured out, and is working toward with its flying taxi program.

Uber’s concept, as depicted in a promotional video, shows how we might summon UberAir flights using a smartphone app. So far, so identical to catching a regular Uber. After you’ve booked your flight, however, you’ll then have to get to a dedicated “Uber Skyport,” gain access to your vehicle with the QR code from your digital boarding code, and then take off.

The tagline at the end of the video reads, “closer than you think.” To this we can hopefully add, “cheaper than you fear.”

Lilium Aviation

German aviation startup Lilium Aviation has attracted the support of high-profile investors like China’s giant holding company Tencent to bring its flying car dreams to life.

In 2017, Lilium carried out a demo of its two-seater VTOL vehicle at a private airfield in Bavaria. The vehicle was remotely remotely by a pilot on the ground. Lilium is also working on a five-person vehicle, which should be able to fly for up to 60 minutes on a single charge.

The company hasn’t announced pricing information but, like Uber, it is very interested in the concept of flying car taxis. CEO Remo Gerber has said that taking a ride should be no more expensive than taking a road-based taxi or buying a train ticket. That sounds promising.

Gravity Industries’ flying exosuit

Most of the flying machines on this list fall into the same category of vertical take-off and landing vehicle. Not this one. Created by British inventor Richard Browning, it’s a flying jetsuit, capable of transforming you into something approximating Marvel Comics’ Iron Man.

Gravity Industries’ flying exosuit boasts five jet engines and a head-up display which shows your remaining fuel levels.

Despite the fact that you’ll never have used anything like this in your life, Browning previously told Digital Trends that training takes just a few minutes. “We’ve had a pilot with five minutes’ training who managed to hover untethered very happily,” he said. “A lot does depend on fitness level and aptitude, but you don’t have to be a superhero or superhuman to fly it.”

The exosuit is currently available for sale, although the price may make you wince. Right now, a limited number are available for $446,000, but Browning has told us that, “Inevitably, the cost will come down.” A much cheaper electric version is also in the works.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Aston Martin flying concept brings style and luxury to the skies
• The BlackFly by Opener is a flying car that could turn us all into pilots
• Kitty Hawk’s personal flying vehicle takes to the skies
• Rolls-Royce wants to put you in a flying taxi come the early 2020s
• U.K. drone company sets flying record that could be a big boost for autonomy

New patent suggests multiuser support could one day come to Siri

According to a patent first revealed by Apple Insider, Apple may be working on adding multiuser support to Siri, which is something that iOS has lacked for some time. The patent reveals ways in which Siri could identify specific users by matching their speech to a preregistered profile. The details of how this might work aren’t completely clear, but the patent specifically mentions “voice print” and “biometric information.”

Regardless of how Apple implements this feature, there are many potential benefits from multiuser support both in terms of convenience and privacy. Multiuser support would allow Siri to provide custom information and responses to various users based on past actions, sort of like the suggested content you see on iTunes or Netflix.

The patent suggests that the new-and-improved Siri may be able to use past user interactions to create a library of information for each specific user. Obviously, past voice commands would be a major part of this, but it is also possible that Apple could make use of a user’s favorite apps or other information to help improve Siri.

In short, multiuser support could go a long way toward improving Apple’s digital assistant. Unfortunately for Apple fans, Apple’s digital assistant has lagged behind Google and Amazon’s offerings in terms of accuracy. This is a bit disappointing considering that, for a time, Siri was one of the world’s most well-known digital assistants.

The other major benefit that could come from multiuser support is in the arena of privacy. Multiuser support could, for example, bar Siri from reading a user’s text messages without the authorization of the specific users. This isn’t a major issue on smartphones since they tend to be locked and used by a single person. However, shared devices such as Apple’s Home Pod do run into some problems when any authorized user can have the owner’s texts read out loud.

Of course, all we have right now is a patent, which does not mean Apple is actively working on this software. Companies often file patents for various technologies and products even if they have no intention of using them, so it remains to be seen if this one will ever see the light of day.

Editors’ Recommendations

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Life is Strange review: Still a (mostly) hella good time on Android

It’s been almost three years since the episodic adventure series Life is Strange wrapped up on PC and console, and seven months since it debuted on iOS devices. Now Dontnod Entertainment’s acclaimed five-part story has finally arrived on Android on the Play Store

With the original developer working on Life is Strange 2, Black Wing Foundation and Turn Me Up Games once again take the reins following the generally positive reception of the two studios’ iOS port.

Editor’s Pick

15 best Android games of 2018!

Gaming on mobile has been improving at a far greater rate than any technology that came before it. Android games seems to hit new heights every year. With the release of Android Nougat and Vulkan …

Life is Strange has already garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the best adventure games to adopt the third-person adventure style popularized by Telltale Studios’ work — itself heavily inspired by classic point-and-click titles of the 1990s — and without doubt one of the finest examples of a coming of age story in gaming.

After such a long wait, is the Android version as wonderful as ever, or will you wish you could go back in time and refund that $8.99 all-episodes pass? Find out in our Life is Strange review.

Teens and time-travel

Full disclosure: I adore Life is Strange. Playing through the game on Android marks the third time I’ve experienced its genuinely moving tale of friendship, love, tragedy, destiny, and disaster. I was still an emotional wreck by the end.

However, I want to spend as little time as possible talking about why Life is Strange is so utterly brilliant, instead focusing on whether you should play it on Android over the many other platforms where it’s already available. Let’s touch on the basic premise and gameplay, just in case you’ve yet to be convinced.

In Life is Strange you step into the sneakers of 18-year-old avid photographer Max Caufield, an often irritatingly sincere, but charmingly genteel dork who returns to the fictional coastal town of Arcadia Bay after years away to attend Blackwell Academy boarding school.

On top of the struggles of navigating Blackwell’s social minefield, capturing quirky snaps for a possibly life-changing photography competition, and trying to get her head around some ominous premonitions, Max’s life gets a lot weirder after she suddenly gains the ability to rewind time and effectively reshape the world around her.

In gameplay terms, this lets you rewind key sequences and decisions to see multiple outcomes, which is unique spin on the usual “this person will remember that” style of conversations in so many adventure games.

Life is Strange is a moving tale of friendship, love, tragedy, destiny, and disaster.

As a whole, Life is Strange retains the light puzzle and detective elements of its genre peers, but rises to the top of the pile through its storytelling and character work.

Before long, Max’s powers thrust her into a whirlwind journey complete with a compelling murder mystery and eerie (un)natural phenomenons. However, the story remains grounded thanks to its central relationship between Max and her estranged BFF, Chloe Price.

Brought to life by Ashly Burch’s incredible voice performance, Chloe is the rebellious, hella cool heart of Life is Strange and the game is at its best in the less action-heavy episodes in which the outcast pair rekindle their lost friendship and generally laze around doing quintessentially teenage stuff.

You’ll still get the emotional drama and high stakes you may be looking for, but don’t be surprised if your favorite moments are those spent lying on a bed, staring into space, humming along to a chill Bright Eyes track.

Awkward adaptations

The bulk of Life is Strange is spent walking around, chatting to Max’s school frenemies, interacting with often mundane everyday objects, solving simple logic puzzles, and hitting the rewind button to roll back any social missteps or questionable decisions.

Time shenanigans aside, we’ve already seen these mechanics translate well to touchscreen controls in the numerous excellent point-and-click-style games found on the Play Store, particularly ports of Telltale’s similarly designed adventure games like The Walking Dead, Batman, The Wolf Among Us, and more.

Ignoring optional Bluetooth controller support — undoubtedly the best option if you have a gamepad handy — there are three basic control options in Life is Strange on Android. One is your basic virtual control stick set-up, another ties all movement to screen taps, and the final, least fiddly of the three lets you move Max around by swiping on the left side of the screen and swing the camera by swiping the right side.

All three options come with their own grumbles, but navigating the halls of Blackwell and the sunny climes of Arcadia Bay is mostly intuitive, as long as you don’t mind constantly swiping around with your thumbs.

No matter which you pick, when you want to interact with anything, be it a fellow Blackwell student, a neglected house plant, or a dusty CD player (remember those?), you’ll need to tap on small, contextual icons.

This can be quite fiddly, especially when multiple icons are close together. Sometimes you’ll even need to awkwardly walk Max face first into objects to actually get the touch icons to appear at all.

Navigating around Blackwell Academy and Arcadia Bay is fairly intuitive as long as you don’t mind constantly swiping around with your thumbs.

Other actions, like flicking through Max’s diary and text messages with a few swipes, feel much more natural. The rewind controls lack the deft trigger controls of a gamepad, but the “quick undo” option alows for instant do-overs.

With no real quick time events to speak of, Life is Strange’s slower pace fits a touchscreen experience more so than some of its genre peers. Just don’t expect to get through the entire game, much less an episode, without a little frustration when lining up Max and the camera to bring up the crucial touch icon you need to progress to the next scene.

The mobile version’s fun Photo Mode, which debuted with the iOS port, fits in perfectly with the game’s snap-happy protagonist and features plenty of sliders and filters to play with if you fancy letting your own artistic side free (as long as you can ignore the huge Life is Strange watermark on all your shots). You can also switch up Max’s stance and wardrobe to take in-game selfies which, as we all know, is a dumb word for a wonderful photographic tradition, right Mr. Jefferson?

Out of focus

On the visual side, Life is Strange’s pastel-esque art style casts the entire game in a hazy, warm glow that fits the tone perfectly. It also gives the game some wiggle room when rendering characters and environments on less powerful mobile hardware compared to other platforms.

However, there’s still a notable downgrade in lighting and shadow effects throughout. This isn’t as noticeable during daytime scenes, but those set at night look a little washed out and flat. Likewise, there doesn’t appear to be any anti-aliasing going on at all, which means you’ll encounter a lot of jagged edges on NPCs and objects as you explore Arcadia Bay.

This would be acceptable to some extent if the iOS version suffered from the same issues, but it doesn’t. Check out this comparison shot on Imgur to see the difference.

The visual problems are made worse by the complete lack of any graphics options. I ran the game on a Google Pixel 2 XL which sits well above the minimum recommended specs listed on the Play Store, but I still ran into low resolution textures throughout and more than a few frame rate drops during action-heavy scenes.

Some legacy issues also carry over from previous versions of the game, such as wayward lip syncing and somewhat lengthy load times.

I should also note that if you’re a Chromebook user with access to Android apps you won’t be able to play the game at all. It’s currently incompatible with Play Store-ready Chrome OS devices like the Google Pixelbook.

Life is Strange review: Wrapping up

Life is Strange on Android keeps the best elements of Square Enix’s superb game intact. The soundtrack is lush, the visual palette is gorgeous, the voice acting ranks among the best in gaming, and the narrative is as heartwarming (and heartbreaking) as ever.

Yet while the episodic structure lends itself to casual play on the go, Life is Strange is an objectively better game on PC or console, due to the platforms’ huge visual and technical advantages.

However, if the Android version is the only one available to you, or if you’re just looking to play through it all over again, you’d have to be hella stupid to skip over this classic adolescent adventure.

Google Play: Download Life is Strange

Dell XPS 15 vs. Razer Blade 15

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

You can pick up a dedicated gaming notebook and put up with a sci-fi aesthetic with jet fighter exhausts, or you can pick up a stodgy business-oriented machine that looks like something out of a cubicle farm. Those are your only choices, right?

Wrong.

Today, you have other options, tweeners that straddle the gamer aesthetic and performance fence. They won’t stand out too much in both a boardroom or a LAN party. Here, we compare two such machines, the Dell XPS 15 and Razer Blade 15, that provide a mix of (relatively) conservative looks and some moderately good gaming chops. But which is better?

Design

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Razer took the previous Blade 14 design and modernized it, expanding the display by framing it in smaller side bezels. This avowed gaming notebook is surprisingly thin at 0.66 inches and it’s contained within a relatively svelte, all-aluminum chassis that weighs a reasonable 4.5 pounds. We call that “reasonable” because that chassis tucks in some seriously powerful components. The Blade also enjoys an excellent keyboard that offers sufficient key travel, beautiful RGB lighting, and even spacing with only a handful of irksome layout issues. The attractive and sleek aesthetic manages to avoid projecting its owner as either an overt gamer or a conservative businessperson.

Dell’s 2018 XPS 15 looks a great deal like the same version a couple of years ago. In fact, it’s pretty near to identical, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s made of machined aluminum and carbon fiber that combine for a sturdy and particularly comfortable notebook to carry around and use. It’s not the thinnest notebook around, coming in at 0.70 inches at its thickest point, and it’s not exactly light at 4.5 pounds when equipped with its massive 97 watt-hour battery (more on that later). But it’s maybe the smallest 15.6-inch notebook around thanks to super-thin bezels that unfortunately relegate the webcam to an unflattering location below the display. The keyboard is top-notch, with decent travel enhanced by a snappy mechanism that invites fast and accurate typing, and the touchpad — Microsoft Precision, of course — is expansive and oh-so-comfortable to swipe.

The Razer Blade is prettier, and the Dell XPS is smaller, but both are solidly built and neither will embarrass you no matter the environment.

Performance

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The Razer Blade is built around Intel’s latest 8th-generation 45-watt CPU, the Intel Core i7-8750H that packs in six cores and twelve threads. It’s a supremely speedy mobile CPU that burns through whatever task it’s assigned whether physics-oriented gaming or video editing and encoding. Storage is also fast thanks to a PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and the CPU is kept well-fed by fast RAM. Finally, given its fundamental nature as a gaming notebook, the Razer Blade offers powerful GPU options including the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q and GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q.

The Dell XPS 15 also equips Intel’s 8th-generation 45 watt parts, including the same Core i7-8570H. It, too, enjoys a speedy PCIe SSD and high-speed RAM. And, all of that computing power is mated with an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti Max Q that’s good enough for light gaming. But one difference from the Razer Blade is the Dell’s more conservative tuning and cooling system, which tries to keep things quiet and cool to the touch rather than enabling full-out — and hot — gaming performance.

Interestingly, the XPS 15 holds its own against the Blade when it comes to CPU-intensive tasks. For example, in our Handbrake test that encodes a 420MB video to H.265, the Dell was faster than the Razer, finishing the job in 150 seconds compared to 203 seconds. But when it comes to gaming, the Razer Blade, of course, takes a massive lead thanks to significantly faster GPUs. If you want to get your work done and then game a little on the side, the XPS 15 is your best choice. If you’re a gamer, though, who squeezes in some work between competitive sessions, then your choice is equally clear.

But don’t forget the displays. Dell offers two options, Full HD and 4K panels aimed at being bright and colorful. The high-res display, in particular, is excellent for professional videographers and photographers with its near-100 percent AdobeRGB gamut support, accurate colors, and superior contrast and brightness. The Razer Blade, on the other hand, focuses on gamers with display options that range up to a 144Hz refresh rate. Color support, contrast, and brightness are closer to average, and so once again the same caveat about gaming versus professional workflows applies.

If your a gamer first and businessperson second, then the Razer Blade is your better choice. But the Dell XPS 15 provides more well-rounded performance and beautiful displays that are more likely to please more of the people, more of the time.

Portability

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

The Razer Blade and Dell XPS 15 are equally dense and very close to equally thin, while the latter is smaller overall thanks to its insanely small bezels. Neither are particularly easy on the back when you toss them into your backpack, but that’s the price you pay for carrying around so much power.

But Dell packed in a massive 97 watt-hours worth of battery capacity into that hefty frame, justifying the weight more than the Razer’s 80 watt-hours’ worth. And in our battery tests, the XPS 15 outlasted the Blade even more than that disparity would indicate — not quite twice as long when playing video or running a web benchmark, but close enough that it puts the Dell in a different category. If you need to work for longer away from a charger, then the XPS 15 is a better choice.

Neither of these meaty machines is exceedingly portable, but considering how powerful they are, they’re more portable than you might expect. Even so, the XPS 15 lets you keep the charger behind and is thus the more mobile option.

Conclusion

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

If you’re looking at notebooks in this class, then you’re likely not quite so sensitive to price. Even so, the Dell XPS is the better value. You can pick one up for $1,000 at the low end — with a Core i5 and 56 watt-hour battery — and spend up to $2,900 with a Core i9 CPU and 2TB SSD. The Razer Blade, on the other hand, starts out at $1,900 and also maxes out at $2,900 if you go whole-hog on the GPU selection.

The Razer Blade obviously has significantly better gaming performance, but we like the Dell XPS 15 for more people. It’s fast, efficient, and elegant, and it lets you take a break from your work and get in some gaming — and in our opinion, that’s a mix with a significantly broader appeal.

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