AmpliFi Instant Mesh Router Launches With Quick 2 Minute Setup, Starting at $100

AmpliFi is one of the many brands in the mesh Wi-Fi router market, first launching its cubed router with a circular display in 2016. As the consumer brand for Ubiquiti Networks, AmpliFi today announced an expansion of its product line with the AmpliFi Instant whole-home Wi-Fi system, which is smaller than its previous router and more streamlined, since it can be set up in under two minutes.

AmpliFi designed the new router to be compact and instantly accessible to customers who want to upgrade and improve the Wi-Fi in their homes. AmpliFi Instant uses 802.11ac Wi-Fi with both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz radios, and comes with a WAN port and a Gigabit Ethernet port on the router, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet port on the MeshPoint extension.

Like other mesh systems, AmpliFi Instant comes with a base router that you can extend the range of using a MeshPoint extension device. This allows Wi-Fi coverage to be evenly and reliably spread across your home, without potential disruption from Wi-Fi extenders.

During the quick setup process, AmpliFi Instant connects to an iOS or Android app, where users can also configure the router, check out their network’s stability, adjust parental controls and remote access features, and provide access to guests. The installation process is sped up thanks to the MeshPoint, which comes pre-paired with the router so customers simply have to plug it in where Wi-Fi is needed most.

AmpliFi Instant launches today for $99.99 for just the router, while the AmpliFi Instant Kit is available for $179.99 for a router and MeshPoint. The device is being sold both on AmpliFi’s website and on Amazon.

Tag: AmpliFi
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How to Approach Website Development

User Experience opens doors to the success of any website. It accumulates the talent of web programmer in developing of website interface and digital analytic precise work in calculating of average website conversion rate. Of course, design is very important but the website has to work properly and fast as well. One of the most affordable technologies for back-end web development is PHP. Thus,  it’s a popular solution to hire a PHP developer for your web development needs. While small businesses tend to save money on the web development process, they usually don’t mind hiring additional specialists for UI/UX (user interface/user experience) improvement.

Website UX takes into consideration a versatile range of important factors. What it the most important, is a human experience, as it is a base for proper website work. It occurs that developers can forget about the target auditory, and focus on technological specific without paying attention to the usability of a website.

With no doubt, if you do the same, it is high time to fix this issue. Hence, if you have done it, we are going to open some tips for you to evaluate the UX of a website. There is a number of mistakes that a developer can make in user experience development.

The Importance of Web Development and Design

It is shocking that sometimes bare form, which we call a website, looks like someone created it within an hour. Poor and not interesting. That is how everything began. It is an unforgivable mistake to let your website look plain when the Age of web development started its movement.

I really like to use as an example the main page of Apple’s official website. What a talented and creative is the development team of this website. Minimal and sophisticated, no excess, just total catching of attention.

How to design a website like this one? Remember the rule – minimal doesn’t mean poor. When a customer enters the website he unconsciously perceives for himself such factors on which is built the completely successful user experience:

1. Branding
2. Usability
3. Functionality
4. Content

Going through each of these elements separately and objectively as a web developer let a customer be stick to a website in a whole.

User Experience and User Interface

Internet users are so much spoiled, as they visit different websites hour by hour, day by day. They are able to compare quality and client orienting of a webpage, according to their user experience. Why do you think that your job is done better than anyone`s website they have seen?

User experience is about usability, a user interface is about pleasant looking. You don’t need to pass psychological training for selection a necessary color for the main page. Though spend several hours on the worldwide net for finding some useful tips, like the page for making responsive website design. It can help you to understand the “magic” of putting a proper color pallet on your website for increased sales, for instance.

How to Write a Call-To-Action?

Call-to-action button not just should, but must exist within your interface. Google reports that 70% of mobile users understand a click-to-call as an important part of your website. The button encourages users to complete the response. What does it give you? It demonstrates the average quantity of showings, increases customer interest and what is more important it helps you to see your target audience.

Catch tips! See, it is our call-to-action (with no button, sure). Have a look at the most useful ones:

1. Address to your customer. After identifying his problem put clear call-to-action
2. Leave more space around your call-to-action
3. Size matters, try to choose the most appropriate for your design
4. Have this button on every page

How to Evaluate a Website User Experience

User experience testing is usually launched to undercover the best way for a website to interact with its audience. It is another layer of the whole pyramid for improving design and development working.

You can embody website user experience testing of your users with the help of resources for measuring their trust, running A/B tests and recording visitors activity,

Some resources can help you make better your website conversion optimization. It can edit colors and schedule your test with an immediate proposal of winning solution for more advanced marketers. Technics reached such a height that some tools with a video recording of your product can perform eye tracking of those who tested and what they look at firstly.

With all the bells and whistles, remember about time loading of your website. According to Neilpatel, 47%  of users expect not more than 2 seconds of loading a webpage. Also, it is mentioned that people abandon the page after 3 seconds of waiting.

Bottom line

Regardless of your experience in web development and stable opinion on user experience have in your mind that a good user experience is a crucial point of the website success. So apply all the proposed tools for measuring it, and take into account where your opinion is and where the customers’ needs are. They can be different, but a good developer never forgets about proper analytics and testing before launching its product.

Minecraft for Apple TV Discontinued Due to Lack of Players

Minecraft has reached its end of life on Apple TV. The game has been removed from the tvOS App Store through lack of sales, while existing owners of the near two-year-old title for Apple’s set-top box are met with the following announcement upon launch:

Effective from Monday, 24 September, the Apple TV version of Minecraft will no longer be updated or supported. We’re grateful to the Apple TV community for their support but we need to reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most. Don’t worry though, you can continue to play Minecraft on Apple TV, keep building in your world and your Marketplace purchases (including Minecoins) will continue to be available.

The Apple TV Edition of the wildly popular multi-platform construction game was announced at Apple’s October 2016 keynote, where its potential for cross-platform play was enthusiastically promoted. “You can build new worlds on your Apple TV, and play with your friends using iPhones and iPads,” said CEO Tim Cook.

The game was officially launched two months later for $19.99, but despite the Minecraft franchise continuing to thrive on other platforms, it looks like the Apple TV version just didn’t take off as Apple and developer Mojang had hoped.

The removal of the title appears to be the latest example of the video game industry’s continuing lack of interest in the Apple TV, which ships with a touch-based remote rather than a dedicated game controller like typical game consoles do.

RIP Minecraft on Apple TV. That didn’t last long https://t.co/E67YOcYr8G

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) October 9, 2018

Initially, this meant developers were forced to build in support for Apple’s remote as the primary controller, despite the fact that the Apple TV also works with third-party Bluetooth controllers. Apple eventually lifted the restriction following strong criticism, but other lingering issues like poor title discoverability on the App Store and a lack of game-oriented marketing or promotion for the Apple TV have hit the platform’s gaming prospects hard.

Mojave’s Minecraft: Story Mode, an adventure game based in the Minecraft universe, will continue to be available on Apple TV, while the Microsoft subsidiary said that it would issue full refunds on all purchases of Minecraft: Apple TV Edition made in the last 90 days of the game’s availability. Players seeking more information or wanting to check on the status of a refund are advised to contact Apple Customer Service online or call 1-800-692-7753.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12Tag: MinecraftBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Caution)
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Apogee Launches $160 Jam+ for Studio-Grade Audio Recording on macOS and iOS

Apogee today announced the Jam+, an updated version of its portable USB instrument input and output device that connects an electric guitar, bass, keyboard, or any acoustic instrument with pick-up directly to an iOS device, Mac, or PC for recording audio. The launch of the Jam+ comes eight years after the original Jam debuted in Apple stores worldwide.

The new Jam+ has a rugged metal chassis and soft touch base with enhanced PureDIGITAL circuitry for better true-tone audio resolution, stereo output to connect headphones or powered speakers, low latency monitoring with a Blend feature, and an “Overdrive” mode that makes virtual amplifiers and effects pedals sound more realistic.

Those who buy the Jam+ will also get the BIAS FX Jam software bundle from Positive Grid, including a premium selection of three amplifiers and six essential pedal effects. Otherwise, Apogee promises pristine sound quality, easy plug in and play set-up with no configuration required, 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio, and included Lightning, USB, and USB-C cables.

Apogee’s Jam+ launches today for $159.00 online and at Apogee dealers worldwide, including Apple stores.

Tag: Apogee
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How to Hide Pictures From the Photos App in iOS 12

Sometimes you might not want certain pictures shot on your iPhone or iPad to take pride of place in your Photo Library, but for whatever reason, you don’t want to just outright delete them. Fortunately, Apple’s Photos app includes an option to hide certain photos from the main library. This article shows you how.

Bear in mind that hiding pictures via the following method ensures they won’t appear in the Photos or For You sections of the Photos app, but they will still be accessible in the Albums section. If you’re looking for a more secure way to squirrel away pictures, consider using a third-party app like Safe Lock instead.

How to Hide Pictures in the Photos App

Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
Tap the pictures you want to hide.

Tap the Share button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. (It looks like a square with an arrow pointing out.)
In the Share Sheet’s bottom row of available actions, tap Hide.
Tap the prompt that appears at the bottom of the screen to confirm.Note that pictures you choose to hide from your photo library are stored in an album called Hidden, which lives in the Albums tab.

How to Unhide Pictures in the Photos App

Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen.
Scroll to the bottom and under Other Albums, tap Hidden.

Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
Tap the pictures you want to unhide.
Tap the Share button at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
In the Share Sheet’s bottom row of available actions, tap Unhide.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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Nokia 6.1 Plus review: HMD’s best budget phone yet

HMD finally made a budget phone that can take on Xiaomi and Honor.

The Nokia 6 series holds special value for HMD Global. The Nokia 6 was the first Android device to feature Nokia branding, and it was one of the manufacturer’s best-selling devices last year. The phone wasn’t without its faults, however, as the Snapdragon 430 was underwhelming in day-to-day usage.

Nokia did a magnificent job optimizing the software to run on underpowered hardware during its Windows Phone days, which is why budget Lumia phones weren’t laggy. That system doesn’t work on Android though, and to its credit, HMD fixed a lot of the performance issues with the 2018 refresh of the Nokia 6, the Nokia 6.1 2018. The Nokia 6.1 2018 retained a similar design aesthetic but offered much more powerful hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 630.

HMD is now rolling out a third model in the Nokia 6 series, the Nokia 6.1 Plus. The phone made its debut a few months ago in China as the Nokia X6, and is the first from HMD to sport a notched display. It isn’t just a larger verison of the Nokia 6.1 with a notch; the Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with an all-new glass design that makes it stand out in this segment, and the internal hardware has also received a boost. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 636, and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage as standard.

In short, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is HMD’s most ambitious effort yet in the budget category.

HMD gets serious

Nokia 6.1 Plus

₹15,999 at Flipkart

A compact phone that punches above its weight.

It took HMD three tries, but it finally created the perfect budget phone in the Nokia 6.1 Plus. The device comes with a gorgeous design that makes it stand out in this category, and the fact that it runs Android One means it’ll get updates on time. HMD hasn’t made any compromises on the hardware side of things either, and the result is that the Nokia 6.1 Plus is one of the best budget phones of 2018.

Pros:

• Android One
• Excellent display
• Premium design
• Great for one-handed use
• Robust hardware

Cons:

• Notch
• Average low-light camera

Nokia 6.1 Plus What I like

The Plus moniker in the Nokia 6.1 Plus’ name is in reference to the larger 5.8-inch display. HMD went with a notched panel to maximize the screen real estate, and the 19:9 FHD+ screen is one of the best in this category. Colors are vibrant, viewing angles are excellent, and the phone doesn’t have any issues with sunlight legibility. There’s also a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 at the front and back to protect from tumbles, and the 2.5D curved front makes it easier to use the phone.

Even though the Nokia 6.1 Plus has a screen that’s 0.3 inches larger than the Nokia 6.1, it is more compact than the standard model. Coming in at 147.2 x 71 x 8mm, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is shorter, narrower, and thinner than the Nokia 6.1 (148.8 x 75.8 x 8.2mm), a fact that’s immediately noticeable once you start using the device. It is almost as compact as the Pixel 2, making it the perfect device for one-handed usage.

The glass back doesn’t have a reflective pattern like the Honor 10 or the Huawei P20 Lite, and what the device is missing in design flourish it makes up in durability. There’s an aluminum frame sandwiching the glass front and back, and although the Nokia 6.1 Plus isn’t as durable as the standard model, it can still weather a few tumbles.

It’s a good thing too, because the Nokia 6.1 Plus is one of the most slippery phones available today, and it managed to slide off flat surfaces no less than five times in just under a week. There wasn’t any damage aside from a minor dent on the frame, but if there’s ever a device that needs to be used with a case, it’s this one.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is perfect for one-handed use.

Rounding out the design, there’s a dual camera system arrayed vertically at the back, and a fingerprint sensor located underneath. The sensor isn’t located quite where your finger rests at the back, but the minor indent makes it easy to locate the module and unlock the phone. The Nokia 6.1 Plus has a single speaker located next to the USB-C port at the bottom, and a 3.5mm jack up top. The volume and power buttons are located on the right.

Like most phones in this segment, the Nokia 6.1 Plus comes with a hybrid SIM card tray that sees the secondary SIM slot doubling up as a MicroSD slot. The Nokia 6.1 Plus has Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and FM radio, but it is missing out on NFC.

Powered by a Snapdragon 636, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the most powerful budget phone HMD has launched to date. I didn’t notice any lag in the three weeks I used the phone, and the robust chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM is the sweet spot in this category.

The 3060mAh battery also managed to deliver a day’s worth of use consistently. The phone offers Quick Charge 3.0, but the charger included in the case goes up to just 5V/2A. I averaged over five hours of screen-on-time over the course of a day, and while the phone doesn’t hold up to the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro in this area, it is more than enough to last an entire day.

It’s business as usual on the software side of things. Like the rest of HMD’s portfolio, the Nokia 6.1 Plus runs Android One out of the box and comes with two years of platform updates and three years’ worth of security updates. The phone is currently on Android 8.1 Oreo, and HMD says it will deliver the Android 9.0 Pie update before the end of the year.

The Finnish brand has done a magnificent job in terms of rolling out timely updates across its entire portfolio, and there isn’t a brand that comes close to HMD in this regard. If you care about updates, picking up a HMD phone is a no-brainer.

The 12MP + 5MP rear cameras on the Nokia 6.1 Plus do a great job in daylight conditions, with images offering plenty of detail and decent dynamic range. HMD is also rolling out its Bothie feature — which lets you take a photo with both the front and back cameras simultaneously — to the device.

Nokia 6.1 Plus What needs work

Honestly, there’s very little wrong with the Nokia 6.1 Plus. The main issue with the device is that it has a notch, which feel unnecessary as there’s a substantial chin. But as we’ve seen in recent weeks, it looks like HMD is standardizing the notch across all of its devices, so it looks like it is a feature that’s here to stay, at least for a generation or two.

The other drawback with the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the fact that it isn’t particularly great at taking photos in low-light conditions. The sensors struggling to capture any meaningful amount of detail, and there’s a lot of noise in the resultant shots. This isn’t an issue that is exclusive to the Nokia 6.1 Plus; most budget phones struggle with low-light images.

Should you buy it? Absolutely

It took HMD three attempts, but it has finally delivered a budget phone that can take on the likes of Xiaomi and Honor. The Nokia 6.1 Plus is one of the best phones at this price point, and the design coupled with HMD’s track record at rolling out updates makes this a great option if you’re in the market for a new device.

The hardware on offer is identical to what you get with the Redmi Note 5 Pro or the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1, and while the Nokia 6.1 Plus costs slightly more than ASUS’ offering, the promise of quick updates and the design flair more than justify the price.

4.5
out of 5

Nokia phones aren’t necessarily known for aggressive pricing, but HMD is changing its strategy with the Nokia 6.1 Plus, particularly in India. The phone is available in the country for just ₹15,999 ($215), making it an enticing alternative to the Xiaomi Mi A2. The Mi A2 has beefier hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 660 — and better cameras — but the Nokia 6.1 Plus is ideal if you’re looking for a compact phone with a gorgeous design.

See at Flipkart

How Many Nest Tags Can the Nest Guard Support?

Best answer: One Nest Guard devices can support up to 10 Nest Tags. Since there is a limit of one Nest Guard per home, you can have up to 10 Tags, period.

Best Buy: Nest Tag ($25)

Each Nest Guard device can support up to 10 Nest Tags

The Nest website says that you can have “up to 10 Tags per person.” I went so far as to chat with a Nest support agent who confirmed that a single Nest Guard device can support up to 10 Tags. That is to say that you can enable up to 10 Tags in your Nest app.

Since there can only be one Guard per home (or “per structure,” as the Nest agent put it), you can have a maximum of 10 Tags, period.

Why the Nest Tag is better than just a passcode

Convenience is the best answer. A passcode is secure, and the ultimate way to secure your home with the Nest Guard, but a Nest Tag lets you simply “tag in and out.” You can pop one on your keychain, give each of the kids their own, and even hand them out to trustworthy friends and family.

They’re easy to manage in the Nest app, and if you happen to lose one or a family member or friend misplaces theirs, you can simply disable it in the Nest app so that your home remains completely secure.

Our pick

Nest Tag

$25 at Best Buy

The Nest Tag lets you easily arm and disarm your home alarm.

Rather than share your secure code with many people, having to potentially change it, just authorize up to 10 Nest Tags. You can disable them remotely if they get lost.

Get lifetime access to Rosetta Stone + $20 Amazon Gift Card for $179 today

Hola, como estas?

As part of its daily deals, Amazon is offering lifetime access to Rosetta Stone (both online and mobile) for just $179. To sweeten the offer a little more, Amazon is including a $20 gift card with the language of your choice, which is double what it offered last time during a similar promotion. There are tons of languages to chose from, including Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, English, and more, and each activation code is sent via email so you’ll be able to get started with your learning nearly instantly.

Through it’s own site, Rosetta Stone only offers a few different price points, but each of them is for a set duration of time. You can sign up for 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or 24 months of access, with prices ranging from $60 to $180. Amazon’s offer gets you lifetime access to the service for the same price as what you’d normally spend for just 24 months, making this a no-brainer.

Rosetta Stone has made a name for itself when it comes to learning new languages, and there’s a good reason for it. It uses “Dynamic Immersion” to help you grasp the new language, which means that you’ll not only hear the words, but see signs and symbols that represent it, and learn to read and write it as well. It helps you not only learn new words, but also phrases based on real-world content, which means you’ll actually be prepared for natural conversations.

Whether you’re looking for a great gift idea for this upcoming holiday season, or have always wanted to learn a new language on your own, you won’t want to miss out on this one-day discount.

See at Amazon

OnePlus bevestigt: OnePlus 6T komt 30 oktober

Hou maar op met speculeren; de OnePlus 6T komt 30 augustus. Dat zegt OnePlus zelf via een persbericht. Het nieuwe model krijgt een druppelvormige notch en een vingerafdrukscanner in het scherm. Er is niet alleen vooruitgang, zo schijnt bij de OnePus 6T een reguliere koptelefooningang te missen.

OnePlus kondigt de OnePlus 6T op 30 oktober om 16:00 uur tijdens een speciaal event in New York aan. Het toestel volgt de OnePlus 6 aan die op moment van schrijven nog geen half jaar oud is. Erg veel verschil zit er tussen beide dan ook niet los van wat cosmetische wijzigingen. De grootste verschillen zijn het drastisch verkleinen van de notch bovenin het scherm, het integreren van de vingerafdrukscanner achter het scherm en het verdwijnen van de audio-jack. Dat laatste komt OnePlus op veel kritiek te staan. Het gebruikt in uitingen altijd “Never Settle” en de telefoons werden altijd geprezen als compromisloos. Daar lijkt nu verandering in te komen.

De vermeende OnePlus 6T

Overige verwachtingen van de 6T zijn een 6,41 inch groot scherm met Snapdragon 845-processor op maximaal 2,8 GHz en met maximaal 6 GB aan RAM-werkgeheugen. De batterij kent mogelijk een capaciteit van 3700 mAh. Daarmee zijn zowel het schermformaat als de batterijcapaciteit groter dan de OnePlus 6. Het is mogelijk dat OnePlus ook nog een versie klaar heeft staan met 8 GB aan werkgeheugen. Mocht de OnePlus 6T inderdaad een vingerafdrukscanner in het scherm hebben dan lijkt het tijdperk van dergelijke telefoons aanstaande. Tot op heden werden deze namelijk nog maar mondjesmaat uitgebracht. OnePlus lijkt de eerste grote(re) speler te zijn die met deze nieuwe techniek komt.

Afbeelding: WinFuture

“Apple iPad Pro 2018 krijgt USB-C, randloos scherm en Face ID”

Verwacht wordt dat Apple later in oktober een nieuwe iPad Pro zal aankondigen met vernieuwd ontwerp. De schermranden zullen net als bij de iPhone X(S) verdwijnen maar dan zonder intrede van een scherminkeping. Ook een homeknop zal verdwijnen wat betekent dat ook Face ID z’n intrede op de iPad zal doen.

Tot op heden is het ontwerp van de iPad nagenoeg ongewijzigd gebleven; een groot rechthoekig scherm met flinke schermranden en een homeknop onderin. Maar Apple wijzigde vorig jaar voor het eerst grondig haar iPhone-ontwerp en nu lijkt de tijd rijp voor de iPad om te volgen. Dat betekent het einde van Touch ID met z’n fysieke knop en de overstap naar gezichtsherkenning via Face ID. Stopte Apple die in de iPhone X(S) nog bovenin een notch, bij de iPad zal er genoeg schermrand overblijven zodat hij achterwege kan blijven. De werking via z’n TrueDepth-camera blijft dus hetzelfde.

Een mock-up van hoe de iPad Pro 2018 eruit zou kunnen zien

Apple’s aloude filosofie dat de iPad in iedere richting te gebruiken is en daarom geen echte boven- en onderkant kent gaat straks niet meer op. Face ID werkt dan weliswaar ook op z’n zijkant maar niet op z’n kop. Ander groot breekpunt is het verdwijnen van de lightning connector. De dunne poort die in 2012 de 30-pins connector verving wordt opgevolgd door USB-C. Eindelijk, want de universele poort zien we veelvuldig terug op andere producten waaronder Apple’s eigen laptops. De aanwezigheid van USB-C maakt het bovendien mogelijk om een extern beeldscherm aan te sluiten waarover 4K-video in HDR verstuurd kan worden.

Apple Pencil 2

Ook zou Apple de tweede generatie Pencil gelijktijdig met de iPad Pro 2018 willen aankondigen. Het koppelen van een Apple Pencil 2 verloopt straks vergelijkbaar met het koppelen van de AirPod. Het zal niet meer nodig zijn om de Pencil in de iPad te stoppen, het in de buurt houden zal genoeg zijn. Om los van de USB-C poort toch nog een eigen ecosysteem van accessoires te kunnen blijven verkopen wordt de iPad Pro 2018 achterop uitgerust met een nieuwe magnetische connector. Het is nog onduidelijk in hoeverre deze verschilt met de huidige Smart Connector op de huidige iPad Pro.

(via)