Lara Croft’s awesome mobile adventure adds a free tomb to raid
Lara Croft has a pretty big adventure on Xbox One this fall with Rise of the Tomb Raider, but her grand mobile mission is about grow too. Developer Square Enix Montreal announced it’s dropping “The Shard of Life” expansion for Lara Croft GO tomorrow for free on Android and iOS (sorry, Windows Phone folks) with some 26 fresh puzzles to tackle while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store. More than that, the publisher is knocking 40 percent off the game’s price — it’ll run you $2.99 for a limited time. Oh and its hosting a Twitch event tasking the game’s community to solve the new puzzles.
Source: Square Enix
War Piggy: Jetpack Pig Warrior (game review)
Overview
Jetpack Pig Warrior is simple game that puts the player in the position of a highly skilled pig operative that flies around the screen in the direction of the player’s command. The enemies in the game, General von Rat’s minions, will drop in from the sky above or from the right side of the screen to attack the player. Rack up as much points as you can from defeating these enemies, and try to stay alive as long as possible.
Gameplay
To start off, the game will greet you with the main menu that directs you to the “Play” button. Once tapped, the player can choose a weapon, a head start bonus, a companion, and miscellaneous perks. From the weapon menu, you can choose from the default pistol, or spend in game points for a Shotgun, Bad Boy, Missile Launcher, Flame Thrower, Chainsaw Gun and WWII SMG. I had a good time with the Bad Boy gun, which shot out cannonballs that spewed fire around them, causing a wide area of damage. The companions menu consisted of War Piggy’s four different friends to bring along to back him up.
This game is not very sophisticated, and you’ll find yourself familiar with the game almost immediately. Tap and hold on any part of the screen to move War Piggy to where you want to go, while he is automatically shooting enemies. Keep in mind, ammunition is unlimited, so you never have to worry about how much the pig is firing away. Power-ups will be dropped down from the sky such as health, armor and different guns.
I found the gameplay to be uninspiring, however. Never did I feel like I was playing something different and special. I enjoyed the theme and the ridiculousness of War Piggy wreaking havoc on General von Rat’s minions, but the gameplay didn’t quite match the creativity of the style. Once reaching the end of the first tier, you get into a classic boss fight with von Rat’s ship, but the best way to describe the fight was boring and tedious. Not much skill was required of you, other than dodging the ship’s bullets as War Piggy automatically fires back for you. But taking down this boss took much longer than it should have.
What we liked:
- The game’s silly style and characters
- the pre-game power-ups and different weapon choices
What could be better
- Needs more gameplay diversity
- Less tedious and more enjoyable boss battles
Conclusion
I had some fun with Jetpack Pig Warrior, but it needs more polished gameplay that will keep players hooked. There wasn’t much about this game that wasn’t a skinned over version of Jetpack Joyride or the many other similar flying games on the Google Play Store. I look forward to more updates from developer Yuri Nudelman, and possibly more games in the future.
War Piggy: Jetpack Pig Warrior free download on Google Play Store
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Dear Veronica: Aural assaults
Oh boy, get ready for a rant. I’ve had it up to here (/gestures approximately three inches over my head) with bad listening habits. From middle-aged business men in the United lounge to teenagers at the mall, I’m about done with listening to your music / FaceTime calls / what have you. GET OFF MY SILENT AND PEACEFUL LAWN.
Once I’m done table-flipping, we welcome Engadget editor Andrew Tarantola on to discuss the best Android apps for road tripping, and I throw in a few for you iOS fans. We also go over the best way to break bad news to someone, before social media gets to them first!
Keep sending into those questions to #DearVeronica on Twitter, and I’ll see you next week.
28 Psychedelic QHD wallpapers that will make your background explode with color
“The psychedelic is a concept the name of which is derived from the Ancient Greek words psychē (ψυχή, “soul”) and dēloun (δηλοῦν, “to make visible, to reveal”), translating to “mind-revealing”.” – Wikipedia
We selected 28 QHD(1440p) super colorful and high-resolution wallpapers for you to use as your smartphone or tablet background. Some of the wallpapers will truly push your display to its limits but we dare you to test try them out.
The wallpapers are all in the scrolling images above, and if you want to save them, follow these instructions:
- Click the left/right arrows to scroll through the images
- Maximize the image you like by clicking on it
- Long press or hold down on the image and click “save”
- Go to your gallery or Google Photos and find your image
- Click “use as” and then click wallpaper
If you see a wallpaper that belongs to you and you would like to receive credit, I would love to give it to you! Just drop a comment in the section provided below with some proof (You know, just so we don’t have people claiming things that are not theirs…) So, please choose those that you like and enjoy!
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Bring your music with you with the LuguLake Blade Bluetooth speaker (Review)
LuguLake is a name brand that you probably haven’t heard of. I certainly had not until I got the change to offer the LuguLake Swan and Blade Bluetooth wireless speakers. I definitely had no expectations going into both reviews, but I learned that you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get high quality sound.
LuguLake Blade Design
I love brilliance in simplicity. The LuguLake Blade is a portable speaker that is about the size of a five inch smartphone, just twice as thick and similar in weight. It is a rectangular device, covered in a soft rubbery plastic with dual front facing speakers with a red mesh grill. The Blade is unassuming and looks fantastic.
On the side is a power switch, three LED light indicator for power, and a covered port for a micro-SD card, 3.5mm input and charging slot. On the top side of the speaker is where you’ll find the controls: play/pause, Bluetooth connect, rewind, fast forward, volume up/down and answer/hang up for a call.
Included in the box is a 3.5mm male to male cable and a micro-USB charging cable.
LuguLake Blade Usage
For a device this small I definitely not expecting much when it came to sound. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear how much sound and loudness could come from such a small package. The old adage of “don’t judge a book by its cover” definitely came into play here as the Blade pumped out sound as loud as speakers three times its size.
The only downside when it came to sound, keep in mind this isn’t a speaker for an audiophile, was that it lacked depth in the bass category. To produce decent bass a speaker needs size and room to move air, which being so small, is something that is technically very difficult to do for a speaker of this size. So if you’re a huge fan of bass, don’t expect the Blade to knock your shoes off. In terms of mids and highs, the Blade delivered very clear sound reproduction.
Because of its smaller size and portability, I found myself taking it with me to the dog park and playing music for a few of my friends who I meet on a regular basis. They were just as surprised to hear how loud the Blade got, and had asked me where they could buy one once I told them the price was less than $50.
One of my favorite features is the ability to connect to the speaker via a tap using NFC. My Nexus 6P connected within a matter of seconds once I tapped my phone to the backside of the speaker.
I also brought this speaker with me on a recent overnight business trip, because I listen to music every night before bed. And I hate listening to music on my smartphone speakers because it never sounds good. It’s really nice to be able to pack a speaker so light and small that it doesn’t take up much space in my carry-on bag. In fact I thought I forgot it at home because it was hidden at the bottom of the front pocket of my carry-on bag.
On the overnight trip, I took two work calls from the speaker and if you sit within arm’s length, it performs very well. Once I strayed from that distance the person on the other end of the call had a hard time hearing me. This isn’t uncommon with most Bluetooth speakers.
At 75% volume I was frequently achieving four to five hours of use before I had to recharge it.
The LuguLake Blade is definitely one of the more practical wireless speakers you can get today with its affordable price, portability and sound quality.
Product Description
Bluetooth 4.0
Low energy consumption, stable signal, high transmission speed.
Pocket Size
21mm
The Mini Boombox
These pocket sized speakers are perfect companions to stream music on the go. These ultra thin speakers are known for their 1.5 inch full range neodymium driver.
Perfect for Bluetooth Device
A great way to listen to your mobile phone, MP3, iPhone, iPod etc. A perfect product to amplify the sound of your smart phones and enhance your multimedia experience.
Small but Loud
The wireless Bluetooth stereo with 5W output power has Cambridge Silicon Radio chip-set with 5 hrs battery backup.
Easy connectivity
These portable speakers enhances your music experience while traveling since they connect easily with any multimedia device with the help of 3.5 mm Aux input and can also easily access the micro SD card.
NFC, Play Your Tunes Wirelessly
Touch your NFC-enabled phone or tablet to the LuguLake Slim speaker to instantly establish a Bluetooth wireless connection, play the music from now on.
Summary
For less than $50, the LuguLake Blade wireless speaker is a pleasant surprise with excellent sound quality and loudness in a package you can fit in a pant pocket. The brilliance of the Blade is measured in its simplicity and beautiful design. It is the perfect companion for traveling, outdoor activities or even for home use.
If you would like to check out the LuguLake blade, head on over to Amazon.com. From now through Cyber Monday you can save $10 with the discount code listed below.
LuguLake Slim Extremely Portable Pocket Size Wireless Bluetooth Speaker – LINK
Save $10 using code XEJHZQTL at checkout
Lugu Lake
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Pre-order the all powerful all metal XIAOMI REDMI Note 3 at Gearbest
Just a few months ago Xiaomi released the Redmi Note 2 and now they’ve upped their game with the all metal and super powerful Redmi Note 3. For less than $300 you’re getting a full metal body and a 5.5-inch, 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of memory and the Helio X10 processor.
There is also a circular fingerprint reader on the back which unlocks the phone in 0.3 seconds.. The phone also packs a huge 4000mAh battery and comes with fast-charging support that recharges up to 50 percent in a single hour.
The Redmi Note 3 also comes unlocked so you’re free to use it on a multitude of carriers. You can pre-order the Xiaomi device at Gearbest.com now for $264 with free shipping. All products sold by Gearbest.com come with a 45-day 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Main Features:
XIAOMI REDMI Note 3 5.5 inch 4G Phablet Android 5.0 MTK6795 64bit Octa Core 2.0GHz 32GB ROM Fingerprint ID 13.0MP + 5.0MP Cameras GPS
Display: 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 Pixel Screen with 403 PPI
CPU: MTK6795 64-bit Octa-core 2.0GHz
GPU: PowerVR G6200
System: Android 5.0
Battery: 4000mAh
RAM + ROM: 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM
Camera: 5.0MP with f/2.0 aperture front camera + 13.0MP with 78 degree wide-angle, f/2.2 aperture back camera
Sensor: Light sensor, G-sensor, Proximity sensor, Hall Sensor
Feature: GPS/ A-GPS / Glonass / Beidou
Bluetooth: 4.1
SIM Card: Dual SIM dual standby, dual Micro SIM cards
Network:
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz
Product Link
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Twitter videos now run full screen on other apps
Twitter announced the rollout of full-screen video playback for its Twitter Kit on Tuesday. That means users will be able to view videos and animated gifs within Twitter without having to pop open a new window or launch the Twitter app — everything is handled within the running app itself. The feature is currently only available for apps running Twitter Kit for iOS8+ but the company is also reportedly releasing an Android version “shortly.”
[Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Source: Twitter
Google will give $1 for special ed every time you use Android Pay
After Android Pay’s slow rollout throughout the US, it’s finally available to everyone — well, those with a compatible device anyway. In the spirit of giving (or trying to get more people using the service), Google has teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to support special needs children in US schools. Through December 31st, Google will donate $1 for every purchase made through Android Pay, with a total of up to $1 million. The idea is to create an interactive classroom environment so kids who struggle to engage aren’t left out. What’s more, Android Pay will double its donations for every purchase made on Black Friday. As if you needed another reason to spend big on the most insane shopping day of the year.
[Image credit: AOL]
Source: Google
Unlock your door with your phone: The Quicklock Doorlock review
We live in the mobile age. Our phones are now like swiss army knives. They can do just about anything. You can watch TV, monitor your home, change your thermostat, call people, etc… So why not lock and unlock your doors? The Quicklock Doorlock allows you to do just that.
The Quicklock Doorlock overview
The Quicklock Doorlock is a replacement door handle and lock. It forgoes the traditional key and keyhole approach and brings the lock setup into the modern age. It uses RFID and Bluetooth technologies to unlock your door from the outside.
In order to use The Quicklock Doorlock with Bluetooth, you’ll need an Android or iOS device that has Bluetooth 4.0. Simply push the open the app and press the button on the front and your in. It uses a security code that allows you to connect via Bluetooth. You’ll need to input the security code the first time you connect.
Once connected you can change the security code and look at the access log of all the times the device has been accessed and by who. The downside is that anyone who has the code can change the settings of the device. So anyone could potentially lock others out of Bluetooth access. I’d love to see a guest mode that would allow for a guest code to be created.
The RFID is much simpler. Press the button on the front and wave the RFID tag in front of the reader and the door will unlock. The downside here is that any RFID tag can be programmed to the lock using the correct procedure. Of course, you need an RFID tag that’s already been programmed in order to make it work. The key here is to make sure that only people you trust implicitly have access to the RFID tag.
What I’d love to see here is to initiate the programming via Bluetooth. I think this will solve the problem.
The Quicklock Doorlock setup
The Quicklock Doorlock is fairly easy to set up. According to their website you can do it in less than 10 minutes. I would say that is pretty close to accurate. It may take a little longer for someone who is not used to installing door knobs.
I found that it was fairly easy. If you can use a screwdriver and you can follow instructions, then you can install the Quicklock Doorlock. Once you have inserted the batteries and installed the door lock you can connect your device via Bluetooth and change the security code to something more secure than 12345678.
The included RFID fobs and cards will work automatically without the need to program it.
The Quicklock Doorlock usage
One area where the Quicklock absolutely shines is the build quality. Once fitted together everything feels very solid. Opening the door has a satisfying feel to it and the lock and unlocking functions have a satisfying sound.
Using the RDID tags is the easiest way to use the device. Opening the device via Bluetooth is easy as well, but it takes the extra steps of unlocking your phone and launching the app. One nice feature of the app is that you can have the door automatically unlock when you open the app.
One unique feature that takes a little getting used to is the unique design of the door handle. Instead of the traditional knob and lever designs, Quicklock uses two loops that are shaped somewhat like a deadbolt turner. The loops also have to be turned a little more to the right or left to open the door than a traditional door handle would need to be turned. In my case, this was advantageous as I have 2 small children. My 4-year-old figured it out after showing him how to use it, but it is still a little much for my 2-year-old.
The lock runs on 4 double A batteries. According to Quicklock, the batteries will last for about one year. I’m sure that is dependant on how often you use the lock, but still a year is quite a long time. The lock will start to warn you when the batteries get to 30% so you should have ample time to change out the batteries. You can also view the battery levels through the app’s interface.
The app itself is the one area where I would like to see some improvements made. With a few improvements and tweaks, they could make the whole experience much better. I mentioned a few already in the overview section. I’d like to see a home screen widget for locking and unlocking the door.
What we liked
- Bluetooth capability
- RDID reading
- Access logs
- Build quality
What could be better
- Guest access mode
- More features in the app
4.13 out of 5 stars
Overall the Quicklock Doorlock is an interesting piece of technology. I think with a few small software changes and improvements would make this product flawless. I was very impressed with the build quality and feel of the Doorlock. It just makes sense. You can purchase the Quicklock Doorlock on Amazon for $149 with free shipping.
The post Unlock your door with your phone: The Quicklock Doorlock review appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Xiaomi announces the Mi Pad 2 tablet in China with an Intel Atom processor and all-metal body
Besides unveiling the Redmi Note 3 that sports a massive 4,000mAh battery, Xiaomi also took the wraps off its latest tablet, the Mi Pad 2, powered by a quad-core Intel processor and sporting an all-metal body. Much in the same vein as the Redmi Note 3, the Mi Pad 2 offers a high-spec experience for an affordable price, with the 16GB variant running MIUI 7, and a 64GB version that will be available running either MIUI 7 or Windows 10.
While the Mi Pad 2 looks quite similar to its predecessor, Xiaomi says that it is both 18% slimmer (6.95mm) and 36g lighter than the original Mi Pad. Let’s taker a closer look at the specifications:
- MIUI 7 (or Windows 10 for a 64GB variant)
- 7.9-Inch IPS display with 2048 x 1536 resolution and 326ppi (4:3 aspect ratio)
- Intel X5-Z8500 quad-core processor @ 2.24GHz (64-bit)
- Intel HD graphics
- 2GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 16GB/64GB Internal storage
- 8MP Rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and flash
- 5MP Front camera
- Battery: 6,190mAh
- USB Type-C
- Dimensions: 200 x 133 x 6.95mm
- Weight: 322 grams
- Available in Champagne Gold and Dark Gray
With the 16GB Mi Pad 2 going for just 999 Yuan ($156), that’s an awful lot of tablet for a measly price. The 64GB version is possibly more interesting, though, running either MIUI 7 or Windows 10 for just 1,299 Yuan ($203).
While Xiaomi says it’s a case of either or regarding running MIUI 7 and Windows 10 on the 64GB version, it’s always possible that those boffins over at the XDA forums will figure out a way to dual boot both operating systems on the same device.
The Mi Pad will become available in China later this month while the Windows 10 64GB variant should launch sometime in December. As always with Xiaomi devices, availability outside of China is not a given, so it’s quite likely that you will have to resort to importing a unit in order to get your hands on one. What do you make of Xiaomi’s Mi pad 2?
Source: MIUI
Come comment on this article: Xiaomi announces the Mi Pad 2 tablet in China with an Intel Atom processor and all-metal body
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