Rejuvenate your math skills today with Sum
Every now and then your brain needs sum good challenges. The Alzheimer’s Association says:
Mental decline as you age appears to be largely due to altered connections among brain cells. But research has found that keeping the brain active seems to increase its vitality and may build its reserves of brain cells and connections. You could even generate new brain cells.
Sum isn’t the definitive end all of brain games, but it’s a great game to stretch sum of those cerebral synapses with.
The premise is fairly simple. There are 5 tokens with numbers on them. You must find 3 tokens. The first token is the one that the numbers add up to. The second and third tokens are the numbers that add up to the first token. From there it is pretty simple. You have 3 game modes that each has five levels of difficulty.
Sum Overview:
There are 3 game modes in Sum.
Classic: This mode gives you 90 seconds on the clock to score as high as possible. For each correct answer, you get 3 seconds added to the remaining time and points. The faster you answer the problem correctly, the more points you receive. If you answer a problem incorrectly, five seconds are deducted from the remaining time. You also only get 3 chances to correctly answer a problem.
Rush: This is very similar to the classic mode, except you get a flat 90 seconds on the clock without and deductions or additions to the clock.
Infinity: This mode has no clock period and will allow you to learn the mechanics of the game without the pressure of the time clock.
Sum setup
The game is very to easy to install. Just download it from Google Play and follow the prompts. You can sign in to Play Games as well, but it is not necessary to play the game. The developer Cyber Sky made sure to incorporate all the material design elements found in Lollipop. That ends up translating into a super easy to navigate app. They even added an extensive tutorial to help you understand how to play the game. I personally recommend that you take the time to read the tutorial. The concept of selecting the sum first can take a little getting used to.
Who will enjoy Sum
I’m not sure if I personally would call this game fun, at least not in the traditional sense. It’s more of a challenge than anything. The game features leader-boards, achievements, and Google’s Play Games integration. This is where the fun enters in a non-traditional sense. You can compare your scores against your friends that use the app and sign into Google. Good old competition can make any game fun. So if you enjoy competing with your friends, or just a good old challenge, then this game is for you.
What we liked
- The mental challenge
- Material Design
- Play Games integration
Room for improvement
- A leveling up system would make it more interesting
Overall
This is an enjoyable app and its totally worth the price, but you’ll want to invite your friends to play along with you or you might lose interest.
The post Rejuvenate your math skills today with Sum appeared first on AndroidGuys.
First alleged image of Android-powered BlackBerry Venice surfaces
Could BlackBerry be making the Android device we’ve all been waiting for?
With a 5.4-inch screen, Snapdragon 808 SoC, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 418 GPU, and a slide-out PHYSICAL KEYBOARD, could the BlackBerry Venice finally be the device that sees the company resurrect themselves in the market?
The device will be available by this November and will offer a feature that BlackBerry are renowned for (their keyboard) on an operating system that has the developers, community, and adoption that BlackBerry so longed for with their previous operating system.
The Android-powered BlackBerry Venice slider is AT&T-bound.
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 2, 2015
However, BlackBerry have been dabbling in Android virtualisation for a while. so it could be possible that the message has been lost in translation and it will still run BlackBerry’s own OS, but capable of hooking into Android apps, which would be disappointing. If the BlackBerry Venice truely is the companys’ first true Android device, then we’re looking at a device that, if executed correctly, could help BlackBerry back to the winning ways.
The post First alleged image of Android-powered BlackBerry Venice surfaces appeared first on AndroidGuys.
This might be Blackberry’s first Android phone
Rumors of a fully Android-powered Blackberry device popped up again last month, and today Evan Blass aka evleaks has posted a picture showing a glimpse of the phone. Specs for the alleged “Venice” popped up on N4BB a couple of weeks ago, calling it a slider with a 5.4-inch screen, 18MP rear camera and 1.8GHz Hexa-core CPU. According to Blass, the Venice will run Android, and is coming to AT&T first.
Also, /this/ pic.twitter.com/DL9BzAMEC4
– Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 3, 2015
The Android-powered BlackBerry Venice slider is AT&T-bound.
– Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 2, 2015
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)
Fallout Shelter likely launching for Android in August
Fallout Shelter was announced only a couple weeks ago. It seemed to be a very fun and entertaining game, but us Android fans were a bit upset about the fact that it was an iOS-only release at launch. What about Android? We had nothing but the promise of a release to come “soon”. Today we are finally getting a release window straight from Bethesda.
A fan took it to Twitter to politely ask a Bethesda employee about the release of Follout Shelter on Android. Bethesda’s own Pete Hines then answered that progress was going well, and though there was no release date announced, he expected the game to “be out next month” – so August.
@kolos_kovacs coming along nice. haven’t announced a date, but should be out next month. we’ll let you know when we have specifics
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) July 1, 2015
It’s not really an official statement yet, but it’s as close as we can get to it. The information comes straight from the dog’s mouth, making it nearly as credible as an announcement. We still have some time to wait before Fallout Shelter reaches our favorite mobile OS, so you may want to get yourself another cool game to play in the meantime. Either that or go ahead and download it for iOS if you have access to one of Apple’s devices. It’s pretty much what I’ve been forced to do!
I must admit I’ve been playing this game for quite some time and I am in love with it. I have spent countless hours building my shelter up to many underground levels. I have so many residents I can no longer remember which is which, except for a few very leveled up ones. All I do is look at their stats and put them in a room where they will be most productive for the vault’s well-being!
Who else is playing this game? Do you love it as much as I do? Are you waiting for it to hit Android? Hit the comments to share your thoughts!
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus case leak offers a revealing look
Samsung are getting ready to launch XL versions of their popular Galaxy S6 in the form of the Galaxy Note 5, which will simply be an enlarged version of the device. The Galaxy S6 Edge will reportedly be called the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, but we already knew that.
What’s interesting is the latest leak that shows some CAD images of case renders for the upcoming Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (Samsung never have been good with naming their devices).
There’s not too much revolutionary revealed from these renders, only confirming that the devices will most likely simply be enlarged versions of the current Galaxy S6 devices; and why not, they’ve gone down pretty well in the market.
For perspective, the Galaxy Note 5 will reportedly come with a 5.98-inch 4K Quad HD display, Exynos 7422 processor, USB Type-C, and a 4,100mAh battery. The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus will measure in with a 5.5-inch screen, Snapdragon 808 processor (which is interesting), and a 16-Megapixel camera.
Launch timeframes are still unknown, but IFA in September seems like a good guess as any for the new devices.
Would you buy the Galaxy Note 5 or the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus if what we know so far came to fruition? Drop us a comment below.
The post Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus case leak offers a revealing look appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung Galaxy J2 spotted on Geekbench
Samsung has been grabbing all of the news lately with their flagship devices. Now comes some news on an entry-level device from Samsung which is limited to Asian countries. In a market like India, brand value is what sells a device. People buying either high-end or low-end smartphones always want to go with an established brand. The main reason for brand value is the sales support.
As it is, in Asian markets, due to the hoard of cheap smartphones, it’s essential to have good post sales service. These low-end devices tend to breakdown very easily and are riddled with numerous software issues. Both, the Indian and the Chinese markets have conservative buyers who always look at the price-to-performance factor seriously before buying any smartphone. Due to the lack of carrier offers in India, the cost of these devices is up nevertheless. Big brands like Samsung appeal to the average consumer more because of their reliable customer service. The Galaxy J2 will surely be on the checklist of many Asian consumers when it enters the market later this year.
The Galaxy J2 was spotted earlier in an import listing where it had been shipped to India for testing. There was nothing much that we grabbed from that, only that the Galaxy J2 has a 4.7-inch screen. But, few days back an unconfirmed report from wlivenews listed all the technical specifications for the Galaxy J2. Measuring at 129 x 68.2 x 8.9 mm the Galaxy J2 is said to feature a 4.7-inch TFT capacitive display with a resolution of 540×960 ppi. 1GB RAM is said to be handling the flow with 8GB onboard storage(expandable upto 128GB via MicroSD) and running on Android 5.1 Lollipop. Media-wise it is said to feature an 8MP rear autofocus camera with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels, and a 2MP front-facing camera. All of this packed into a neat 122g package, available in white or black colors.
Even though unconfirmed, the specs above look nothing promising compared to the Chinese counterparts that Samsung will have to face. A benchmark entry, on Geekbench, gave further insight on the Galaxy J2 today confirming two things; dubbed as SM-J200F, Samsung’s entry-level device features a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs Android 5.1.1.
This also tells us that, the Galaxy J2 will be one of the first non-flagship devices from Samsung which will be running on Android 5.1.1. A new version of TouchWiz UX is also expected to be on this phone as with all latest Samsung devices. How well Samsung can optimize the software on the Galaxy J2 will be the game changer in the market though.
Samsung’s first entrant into the J series was a forgetful one. The Galaxy J1 packed low-end specs and was priced rather steeply. Hopefully the Galaxy J2 will fare much better if priced accordingly. Since, these devices are targeted more at Asian markets, price plays a very important role as well as software optimization. Samsung’s brand value is respected more in Asia compared to Chinese brands and people will buy this device for sure, but only if its priced right. Let’s hope Samsung gets this before delivering another sloppy device.
Source: Geekbench
The post Samsung Galaxy J2 spotted on Geekbench appeared first on AndroidGuys.
CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review
One of the hardest things about switching to an Android phone from an iPhone is that you’ve already invested so much into the apps and accessories, and switching to Android means having to start over. The Coolstream Duo alleviates a little of that pain, by allowing you to connect to iOS centric devices via Bluetooth.
Coolstream Duo overview
The device itself features a 30 pin iPod/iPhone connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an internal battery, and an on/off power switch. The internal battery and 3.5mm jack are nice features because they allow you to remove the Coolstream Duo from it’s appointed dock and take it on the go for wireless Bluetooth audio streaming in your car or to your favorite pair of wired headphones or even your computer speakers at work. Unfortunately, the one thing they don’t allow for is to use the device for hands-free calling. This is strictly designed to stream audio.
Coolstream Duo setup
The device is super easy to get up and running. First and foremost, you need an iPod/iPhone dock. I had to fish mine out of a box in the garage. I hadn’t used it in a couple of years because I have to mount it under a cabinet and I’m pretty sure my landlord doesn’t want me drilling holes in his cabinets. Once you have your dock ready, plug the device into the 30 pin connector and leave it on the dock for at least 3 hours to ensure that the battery gets a proper charge. When the device is fully charged, you can expect 5 continuous hours of battery life. Once the device is plugged in, search for Bluetooth devices from your phone and select the Coolstream Duo. The device will pair automatically without any need to enter a pin number. Now you’re ready to stream your music. Just open up your favorite music app and enjoy.
Coolstream Duo use
The one downside to the Coolstream Duo is that you are unable to control the music through the dock. You’ll have to control the music from your phone. In my case, that’s ok. At home, I always have my phone handy and I have a very short commute to work. I rarely change the song that I’m listening to in the car. You may, however, take issue with it. The best part about the Coolstream Duo is that you can now use your Android device with your old iOS equipment.
What we liked
- Bluetooth on iPod docks
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery life
What could be better
- Ability to change a song through dock
- Needs a microphone for handsfree calling
- A micro USB auxiliary charging port would open this up to more buyers
Coolstream Duo overview
If you have an old iPod 30 pin dock or even a 30 pin charger, then the Coolstream Duo is a great option to bring life to your non-Bluetooth equipped iPod docks and headphones. If not, then it’s probably best to look at your other options. You can purchase the Coolstream Duo for $29.99 from their website or on Amazon, where it has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on over 830 reviews.
Do you have a Coolstream Duo? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
The post CoolStream Duo Bluetooth receiver review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
BlueStacks emulator puts Android apps on your OS X Mac
The BlueStacks Android emulator, which already has around 90 million Windows users, has finally arrived on OSX after an extended beta testing phase. The free emulator runs both x86 and ARM-based apps as well as provides full keyboard and mouse support. It even allows for gesture controls like pinch to zoom with a trackpad and takes advantage of your Mac’s Retina display. Users can sync files and data from their mobile devices or pull new apps from Google Play directly to their Mac. You can download the program directly from the BlueStacks website.
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Internet, Software, Apple, Google
Via: SlashGear
Source: BlueStacks
Samsung trademarks the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge has already gained quite the popularity over these past few months since its release. There were rumors earlier stating the existence of a larger version, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. We had some leaks few weeks back depicting the phone in a video as well as a press render leak. But as it is with leaks, there was no solid ground for establishment.
In a new turn of events, today, a USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) filing by Samsung has revealed that the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus ‘may’ indeed be real. I say ‘may’ because, these kind of listings happen almost every other week. It may be nothing more than an attempt towards brand security from Samsung by trademarking the S6 Edge+.
Adding more weight to this ‘stunt’ was the recent filing of the Galaxy S6 Note which was also assumed to be a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge. With the arrival of the Galaxy Note 5 intermittent its highly unlikely we’ll see another ‘Note’ device from Samsung before this year(Apart from possibly a Galaxy Note 5 Edge).
Two days back, we saw Samsung’s Project Zero 2 making the news rounds. It is said to be similar to the Galaxy S6 Edge with a larger display and a different processor. This also indicates that Project Zero 2 might be the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Samsung is just creating confusion with the code-name and USPTO filings.
Coming to rumored specs, the Galaxy S6 Edge may have a 5.4 or 5.7 inch Super AMOLED screen with a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chipset. The rest of it, 16 MP primary camera with Optical Image Stabilization and a 5MP front camera, 32GB on board storage, 3GB RAM, 4G LTE connectivity and a fingerprint scanner remain the same.
Nonetheless, it looks like Samsung is prepping up heavily for the second half of the year. News has also been going around that Samsung will have no loose ends to the arrival of Apple iPhone 6S Plus. The Galaxy Note 5 has already been hyped enough to give tough competition to the new Apple iPhone. With the clash of phablets intermittent in the coming months, Samsung might oust the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus soon, just to rival Apple.
Although, releasing both the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus may seem as a very risky strategy for Samsung since both will be flagship phablets. The only difference would be the lack of Note features in the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. Its a win-win for consumers though, since they will get to choose from more devices this fall.
Will you buy the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus(assuming it releases) over the Galaxy Note 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: USPTO
The post Samsung trademarks the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Xiaomi Mi 4i kernel source code release
The Xiaomi Mi 4i is one of the best smartphones you can get for around $200. Developers and tinkerers look for something more than just the best bang for the buck, though. They want to be able to create, flash and modify their phones’ software in order to truly customize their experience. The sad news is Xiaomi (like most other Chinese manufacturers) tends to be bad at supporting the developer community.
Today Android developers turns their heads toward the East as Xiaomi releases the kernel source code for the Mi 4i. For those who may not know, the kernel is pretty much the messenger between the software and hardware. If the software wants to initiate a call, raise the volume, power off the device or anything else, it sends a request to the kernel, which then communicates to the actual hardware.
Having access to this kernel source code will enable developers to truly play around with a device and speed up ROM development. We know the Xiaomi Mi 4i will be pretty popular, as are all Xiaomi smartphones. It is amazingly affordable and comes with a Snapdragon 615 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1080p display and a 3120 mAh battery. Honestly, that is much better than the Moto G, and it costs about the same. Read our full Xiaomi Mi 4i review to see what it’s all about.
We are sure this phone will be a hit in some markets. And the fact the kernel source code is now available will make it a much more appealing smartphone to some of you. Developers and consumers have had to wait about 2 months to get this kernel source code, but at the very least it came, which is already a victory. A lot of us weren’t expecting to see this release at all.
Want to tinker with this code? All you have to do is grab the files from GitHub. Go get them!
AIVAnet 