Newsfold: A fantastic news reader (Review)

This world is driven by news.  Everyone reads gets news delivered to them on a daily basis in some form whether it’s through Facebook, news sites themselves, or RSS feeds. Today we will take a look at a news reader called Newsfold.

Developer: mvilla

Cost: Free with in app purchase

Review

Newsfold is a news reader that pulls in your news feeds from your Feedly and Inoreader accounts. It has a very clean Material Design that really catches your eye. You are given four different theme options that include dark, light, black and sepia to get that look of your choice. The latter two are included in the upgrade package.

The home screen is laid out in such a simple way that you don’t have to search to see where things are located. You are simply greeted with Unread, All, and Starred. Below these three categories are all of your collections, news grouped together by categories, and all your individual subscriptions all in alphabetical order.

Gesture controls have been implemented really well. Each article can be marked read or unread by simply swiping that one article from the right. Swiping the screen from anywhere on the left will get you back to your previous screen, while long pressing an article gives you the choices to share, star, and mark articles read/unread as well. This makes navigating the app a breeze.

There is also the option to cache items so you can read them later when you’re not on wifi, because data matters. This can be synchronized at different intervals in your settings with the ability to only do it in WiFi as well.

If you would like to become a supporter, since developers gotta eat too, you can do so by giving $2.49. This will remove ads, it will net you the two extra themes mentioned before, and multiple user accounts. I do need to mention that the current ads aren’t intrusive at all.

This doesn’t cover every single thing, but I did give you enough to get started. There are quite a few options to tinker with to get you your feed just right. This is one of the options you should consider when picking out a news reader.

Conclusion

Picking a new reader can be difficult with all of the choices available in the Google Play Store. What it really boils down to is do you like Nike or Under Amour. I choose that analogy because that’s what it’s like, a lot of quality ones out there, you just gotta find that right fit.

*Note* When these screen shots were taken it was still called Quote, all other references to the name Quote have been changed.

Download Newsfold in the Play Store

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808 CANZ review: Portable Bluetooth cylinder that packs a modest punch

Up for review today is a dimunitve portable Bluetooth speaker from 808 Audio, the 808 CANZ. Shaped like a shrunken can of soda, this cylindrical unit is the sort of audio device you’d use in a study or on the back deck for podcasts. Not that it won’t work for music, but it’s not gonna pound out the tunes.

Initially launched a few years ago, the 808 CANZ are among the least expensive speakers of its kind – from a reputable name. Sure, you might find something cheaper at a gas station or from Amazon, but you’re rolling the dice on quality.

The CANZ come in a variety of color options: red, blue, silver, black, and purple. Each has a metallic sheen on the outside with a black speaker grille on the top-facing speaker.

There are very few buttons to fuss with; a power switch is found on the underside of the speaker and a Bluetooth pairing button is near the bottom edge. Other than that, you’re looking at a charging indicator light, auxiliary input, and a miniUSB charging port. Speaking of the bottom, there’s a rubber coating that helps to keep the 808 CANZ in place. We found that, on most surfaces, the speaker stays put even with the most bouncy of music.

Sadly, this one forces you to keep that outdated cable nearby. We’d like to have seen this refreshed with a microUSB port somewhere along the way. Dealbreaker? Not at all. Consider it more of a minor nuisance.

Pairing is quite simple in that you turn it on and push the dedicated pairing button. After a moment you’ll hear the speaker chime a distinct noise to indicate it’s connected to your phone or tablet. Alternatively, the 3.5mm jack lets listeners plug directly into the speaker. The former will use more of the 808’s battery than going the wired route.

As expected, the 808 CANZ don’t pack a terribly powerful punch. Yes, it can get loud and fill a typical room, but at around 75 percent volume you’ll start to hear distortion. Spoken word, classical music, or relaxed and ambient music sounds excellent. Throw on some house music or hip hop, though, and the speaker struggles a smidge with the bass. Highs are very clear at all levels, but more ambitious music reminds you that you’re dealing with an ultra-portable speaker with a $25 price tag.

Battery life is listed at six hours per charge which is rather accurate in our findings. We didn’t have a problem getting through extended podcast listening sessions or using it for background music while reading. Charging is relatively quick; you’ll be ready to go before your phone is at 100 percent. Just don’t forget to pack that oddball cable.

One pain point we’ve come to find in some of these super portable speakers is the lack of volume or playback buttons. It’s not always convenient for us to fumble for the phone to pause a song. And, should you be plugged directly into the source, you might not want to stray too far. There’s not a quick way to mute or stop the music. But, given the price of the 808 CANZ, and its portability, we’re more than willing to forgive.

The 808 CANZ can be purchased at a variety of retailers including Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Best Buy, and Target. Pricing varies but you will likely end up under $20 if you look around.

Recolor: A pretty hobby at an expensive price (Review)

Every now and then, interesting trends come along in the Play Store. Coloring apps have been constantly rising in popularity, especially among parents who want their children to start exploring their imagination. However, there’s also an increasing market for coloring apps for adults. Recolor tries to capture this market by offering a simple, robust, and good-looking app with an impressive amount of pictures to choose from.

Developer: Sumoing

Price: Free, with in-app subscription model

Features

The app greets you with a beautiful interface.

The first thing you’ll notice is the absolute lack of setup needed to use the app. You just open Recolor, and you’re taking directly to the main screen. In a world where apps want to know as much details about us as possible, it’s a welcome decision by the developer.

In order to classify the hundreds of images available, the app shows a tab bar at the top with different categories. You can choose among different types, such as animals, fantasy, food (you’ll love food, we all love food), people, and scenery.

There’s something for everyone here, so I’m sure you’ll find pictures that cater to your needs. Also, options are updated every day, so the library will just keep growing as time passes by.

There’s also a banner at the top that shows a counter. See, almost all of the images mentioned above are blocked behind a subscription. So, for those of you who would like to paint at digital images for free, the developer gives away a couple of the images in the collection for one day only.

When the counter reaches zero, another set of images will be available for download. There’s also a “Free” category in which you can download some images without charge.

Coloring is easy and allows for precision through pinch-to-zoom.

Upon selecting an image, the app proceeds to download the necessary assets in order to start painting. You’ll get the image’s outline on a white canvas, and some colors at the bottom.

There’s four main categories from which you can choose colors: Palettes, Hues, Gradients and Custom. Under each of these categories, there are subcategories that contain the color themselves.

Special mention to the Palettes category, which offers colors that actually look good combined with each other, in order to prevent your images from looking like a clown’s outfit.

To paint, you can simply tap a section of the image. Obviously, this won’t be easy for more complicated images, so the app lets you zoom on it.

There’s also undo and redo buttons at the top, so you can experiment with confidence, knowing that your changes are not permanent.

When you’re done, the app lets you preview your image and change how your painting looks. You can leave it untouched, but you can also add effects like watercolor, crayon, woodwork, and pencil. Most of them look impressively good, so you may want to experiment a bit.

Finally, you can share your work to any app, but, surprisingly, you can’t save the picture to your device. Obviously, there are workarounds to this, but it’s a weird omission.

General Impressions

The app lets you add filters to your paintings.

The app is easy enough to use, thanks to the images being classified into categories. Also, the sheer amount of available images is impressive, and there’s the developer’s promise that new content will be added periodically.

The flexibility offered by the developer regarding the different amount of colors and gradients makes it a really robust app for those of you who are into this. There’s one weird oversight, though: there’s no eraser. Sure, you can undo changes, and you can always go back to a section and paint it white, but I feel like an eraser should be an option anyways.

Also, I believe that, even though there are a lot of images to choose from, there may be a moment where the user would want to step into its own imagination and just paint something. A white canvas for you to explore what users can do would be ideal. Since the app has the necessary tools already, it would be a great addition and give more value to the app.

Even though the app deals with heavy resources and constant image painting, it performs outstandingly well on my Nexus 6. Everything flows smoothly, even when designs start to get more complicated and there are more colors on-screen.

Changing between different styles after finishing painting up your images is smooth as silk, something many other apps struggle with. Obviously, your mileage may vary, depending on your setup.

Yeah, those are the prices.

Let’s talk a bit about the subscription model I mentioned before. You can get an unlimited trial for one week. After that, you’ll be charged $2.24 a week. There’s also a monthly subscription for $6.75. If you are really into coloring apps, you can purchase a yearly subscription at a discounted price of $32.66.

Being an app developer myself, I know how expensive it can get to maintain an app, but if people wanted to burn Pushbullet’s HQ to the ground for charging $5 a month, then I can’t imagine what they’ll say about this. Anyways, it’s nice to have a trial in order to evaluate if the service is really worth it to you and then decide if you want to pony up.

User Interface

Being an app that deals with beautiful images and artistic designs, it would be a crime to present a bad-looking user interface. Fortunately, the developer did his homework and produced a stunning-looking app that blends nicely (for the most part) with material design.

The banner at the top disappears when you start scrolling the images, giving more space to appreciate the pictures.

The screen where you actually paint the picture focuses less on flashy elements and more on what’s important: your painting. It’s good that the developer added a shortcut to jump between color categories, since there are a lot of subcategories and scrolling between each of them would’ve been a hassle otherwise.

Few options to choose from.

Nevertheless, there’s a lot of scrolling to do if you’re using different colors, especially on the Hues category. Imagine you want to paint an image with only red and black colors. They’re separated by seven pages worth of colors, and you need to scroll page by page in order to jump between them. There’s definitely room for improvement in that aspect.

Options

The developer clearly focused on giving users a good experience before, during, and after painting, and wants us to use the app as is, instead of providing options for the app. The only option available is to be reminded of new pictures every day.

Some options like deactivating picture categories would’ve been nice, as well as turning off some color packs. For example, I know I will never use a metallic gradient on one of my paintings, so I don’t need to scroll through them in order to get to the colors I actually use. A way to sort the color categories myself or define my favorite ones would be nice too.

What I like

• Beautiful UI
• Several color categories to make things easier to you
• New content added constantly

Room for improvement

• Subscription model has a steep price
• More choice regarding available colors
• Almost no options to setup the app to your liking

Conclusion

Recolor offers a wide range of images and several tools to make your paintings easy and satisfying. The business model proposed by the developer is something they should think about, since it might be expensive for a person looking for some minutes of fun once in a while. If you are into coloring apps, however, Recolor is a solid option that will keep you entertained.

Download and install Recolor from the Google Play Store.

Koalasafe: Keep an eye on your kids habits. (Review)

As parents, our number one concern is the safety of our children. That’s why we make them wear helmets against their will when riding a bike because we love them. What about the internet? There are lots of things we don’t want them to see yet just lurking around. Just one mistyped word and only God knows what will pop up.

Kids also run the risk of becoming addicted to the internet, which can be bad for social skills. Not knowing how to cope without it is a sign that they might be addicted. Parents can watch them as much as possible, but even we get busy and time could slip by us just like that. We need a bicycle helmet for the internet. That’s where Koalasafe’s $100 modem comes in.

In the box

• Koalasafe modem
• Network cable
• USB Power Adapter
• microUSB cable
• Quickstart guide

Setup/App Features

Getting your new Koalasafe modem connected is so easy they only needed a small card to print the instructions on. Simply attach the ethernet cord to Koalasafe’s WAN ports and the other end into one of your router’s LAN ports.

Once that is finished, download the app and create an account. From there, you will pair your phone with the device, and you’re set to adjust the profiles. There is already one default profile for everyone that has options already set up. You can choose to use that one and alter the settings as you wish, or you can create individual profiles.

If you wish to create individual profiles, click the add button and begin. You will choose the profile name, age, and assign an icon for this profile. First, you will want to set up the schedule for each day of the week, which can be applied in any combination to any day of the week. You can even have multiple schedules in one day.

App screens

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Next, you will go into App and Site Blocking to set your preferences. This includes categories ranging from file sharing, gaming, social media, video and more. They can be blocked, allowed or partially blocked. Partially blocked will automatically filter content based on age.

You then will want to set the devices that should be included in this profile. Koalasafe will pick up all the devices within its range, and you can choose which devices you wish to assign this profile. Once you select them, do a pull down on the device screen for a refresh to make sure they got assigned.

Click the Advanced tab to select your filtering security mode preference. You have the options of high, medium and low with medium being the default. After doing some research, you should know that if you wish for Netflix to run on this modem, low must be checked.

Size in hand

Design and Build

Koalasafe is one tiny little modem for your tiny or big kid. Modem and router devices can take up a lot of valuable real estate. Depending on your setup, you may not have room for another device. Koalasafe measures in at just over two inches by two inches and a thickness of almost one inch. That means space is one less thing to worry about.

Usage Monitoring

This feature is one that could be used as an educational tool for your child. Instead of just snapping at them and telling them they spend too much time on the internet, (because they always think you’re exaggerating) you can show them how much time they are online and what sites they are visiting most.

Ports

What it’s missing

While you can control Netflix and Youtube, it doesn’t seem to have the option for other services such as Hulu and Amazon Video. It even describes the video section in the App and Website blocking section as follows:

Sites and Apps that allow the uploading and sharing of video content such as Vimeo.com or Tv watching sites like Netflix.

Despite Vimeo being listed it in the description, it doesn’t allow you to block it or alter it in any way. I have searched the Koalasafe forums, and I don’t believe I’m missing anything. It should pick up on all apps the device has and allow you to block it.

Another side view

What we love

We love the fact that the things Koalasafe does allow you to do are done well. After making sure Adult content was blocked, I searched the word porn and no bad results popped up. Along with adult content, it blocks VPN’s and proxies, violence, and more.

One nice feature is the big red button. Just click the status tab, click the red button, and the internet is instantly turned off. Also in that same tab, you can see the status of the internet.

The absolute best feature is the internet schedule. Coming home at midnight with my child still streaming while she is fast asleep gets annoying. Now, there is a set schedule, and she know what time it goes off. Of course, there are times when there should be a little give in what time it shuts off. To that end, Koalasafe allows you to extend time by however long you wish, and it will delay the cut off time.

Summary

Koalasafe is an effective tool to help in keeping your child safe on the web. While it is missing somethings that should be there, there is no reason to not buy this product. It will make your life a little bit easier…after everyone gets use to the new normal.

Buy from Koalasafe Website

Buy from Amazon

Download the app from the Play Store

Inateck 4 Port Car Charger: Style and functionality (Review)

I’ve had a long run of car chargers that barely do the one thing they are designed to do, charge my battery. It has become this big ordeal where I have to get the cable just right and pray I don’t bump it. Since all my family has an assortment of devices to charge while on long trips, we all need a slot, but half the time they all don’t work. Inateck has a solution for this, it’s the 4-Port Car Charger that sells for $13.99 on Amazon.

In the box

• 4 port car charger
• 2 microUSB cables

Review

This sleek four port charger is made up of white plastic with an aluminium bottom that gives it a real high-end look. When plugged into your car, the charger will emit a blue light from the USB ports to let you know there is power. I know it’s not a big deal to have a nice looking charger, but given the option wouldn’t you rather it look nice as well?

Inateck’s charger has built in smart chip technology that knows your devices charging capabilities and adjust to that. This ensures the correct current that will not overheat and will deliver the quickest charge possible. It has been certified by RoHS, FCC and CE for the highest safety standards.

Aside from the charger itself, Inateck also provides you with two four foot long microUSB charging cables. Each cable comes with a customized Inateck cable ties made with velcro to help keep your cables neat and tidy when not in use.

Summary

Choosing a car charger can be a frustrating experience. You never know what you are gonna get. It works perfectly today and tomorrow it’s in and out. Inateck is a company that provides products that last and its 4-port car charger is well worth the bargain price.

Buy Inateck’s 4-Port Car Charger

[Review] ZeroLemon SolarJuice 20,000mAh power bank + Giveaway

I guess I’ve become somewhat of a power bank connoisseur lately. The Blitzwolf 10,000mAh power bank has remained my favorite thus far, but can ZeroLemon’s rugged offering topple the Blitzwolf from its pedestal? Let’s find out.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed about this beast is the weight. Although the website notes that it’s only 483g (1.06 lbs), it feels more like two pounds. Keep this in mind on your next backpacking trip. While it packs a lot of power into a portable unit, and is able to charge with solar power, it is heavy and you might have to literally weigh the options if you have a weight limit.

The power bank features a USB 1.0 port, one USB 2.0 port and one microUSB input port. Kind of disappointing to have a USB 1.0 port on a device, but hopefully this battery will get upgraded over time.

Features

• Capacity: 20000mAh /74Wh Grade A Lithium Polymer battery
• Input: Micro USB 5V 2A
• Solar Charger: 5V 200mA(max)
• Output1: 5V/1A (Max)
• Output2: 5V/2.1A (Max)
• Battery Indicator: 4 Led indicators for power level (0–25%–50%–75%–100%)
• Dimensions: 160 x 85 x 25.8mm (L x W x T)
• Weight: 483±10g (1.06 lbs)

The battery is rated as anti-explosion with over a thousand recharge cycles over its lifetime. The solar panel features monocrystalline silicon cells, which have the highest efficiency rates due to being made with the highest-grade silicon.  These solar panels are also space efficient and have the longest life of other solar panels, with most manufacturers putting a 25-year warranty on monocrystalline solar panels.

Usage

The power bank is also rain resistant, dirtproof and shockproof, so it can handle camping trips and hiking with ease. Speaking of camping, this battery also has an LED light in the front, so you can use it as a flashlight. Just long press the button for a second, and the LED will light up.

Charging the battery with the solar panel takes about eight hours, so remember to leave it out in the early morning to catch those rays all day. Charging from a standard power outlet takes roughly half that time at four hours. Nevertheless, the solar panel definitely gives it an advantage over other power banks.

Like other power banks, it automatically turns itself off when you unplug your phone or tablet, so you don’t have to worry, wondering if you remembered to turn it off. The power bank also has a carabiner, to hang it from a tree or the outside of your backpack.

Conclusion

If you’re an outdoorsy person and constantly going on camping trips and hiking excursions, I highly recommend this battery. It will serve you well. For the non-outdoors among us, I still recommend it for the whopping 20,000mAh capacity.

You can buy the power bank on Amazon for $39.99. (Affiliate Link).

Giveaway

ZeroLemon is partnering with AndroidGuys to offer a giveaway! Here are the rules:

Go to Facebook and “like” ZeroLemon’s page

Come back to this article and post a screenshot in the comments to prove that you “liked” it.

That’s it! The contest will run for a week, and end on June 21, 2016, so enter now! The winner will be picked randomly.

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AppLock: A solid choice for security (Review)

Overview

App locks are the easiest way for people to have access to your phone without allowing them to dive into areas that you don’t wish them to see. There are quite a few app locks out there and choosing one can be a task. Hopefully, this will help you decide if AppLock is the best protection for you.

Developer: DoMobile Lab

Cost: Free (In-app upgrades)

Setup

Setup Pattern

When you open the app for the first time, it prompts you to make a pattern and set up your email. Once you have configured your unlock pattern, you are then carried to the main screen, which lists all the apps you can lock out. Simply click which app you want locked out and it’s secured.

Highlights:

• Lock apps individually
• Lock photos and videos
• Different lock profiles
• Time lock
• Location lock

Review

AppLock is one of the best security tools you can get from the Play Store. It’s a free app that is rich in features. Like all app locks, it allows you to lock apps individually, but there are couple things I really like about this one.

Randomized Keyoard

To start off, it does have the pattern lock that I mentioned, however, you can change it to a numeric lock. What’s so special about that? Well, nothing really, except that you have the option to use a randomized numeric keyboard so, even if someone sees a pattern, the numbers will be in a different place the next time. The downside is it makes you really have to pay attention to what numbers you are punching in as you can be easily confused.

Another great feature is setting profiles for different scenarios. You could have profiles for your home, guests, kids, and more. You can customize the profile to only allow people access to certain apps. The best part is you can create home shortcuts that allow you to activate them by clicking and inserting your passcode.

Some other awesome features include the ability to activate those profiles at certain times and locations. So, if you have a work profile, you could set it for clock-in time. Be aware that there is no deactivation time, so it will stay on that profile until your next time lock occurs.

The location lock works off WiFi. When your phone hooks up to certain networks, it locks to the appropriate profile.

Let’s not forget that you can lock your videos and pictures one at a time as well. I don’t use this feature, but it’s always good to have more security at your fingertips.

Other Features:

• Security questions
• Power-saving mode
• Quick lock switch
• Themes

While this isn’t all that this app can do, it’s enough to give you a good read into how well this app has you covered.

In-app Purchases

Menu

This is the part that I found confusing. In the description of the app, it mentions that there are three different types of accounts and where to find them. Most people do not fully read the descriptions and may find it difficult to find where to upgrade.

To make it more confusing, the screen where you can manage your subscription is not apparent at all. You have to click your email in the Account Center that is located in the menu when you click the top-left hamburger menu.

Once you get into the Account Center, you’ll find the different accounts you can purchase. In order to get the premium features, you can either subscribe to a premium account or keep the app free but ad-supported. There’s also a basic account option that doesn’t show you ads, but doesn’t provide premium features.

Premium Features: ($.99/month, $5.99/year, or ad-supported)

• Photo vault
• Video vault
• Themes
• Fake covers
• Customize background
• Profiles, easy to change locks
• Auto time lock
• Auto location lock
• Hide applock icon
• Random keyboard
• Lock switch

Conclusion

AppLock has tons of features, which is nice, but I have rated it lower in value. The reason I did that is because I think it’s a bit pricey to pay for an app like this by the month or year. I think you’re better off using the ad-supported version of this app as the ads aren’t bad. The developer should consider simply charging a higher price to outright buy the app.

I also believe that it would be less confusing for the users if the developer changed the Account Center and just add a pretty “Premium Features” button, so the average customer knows that this is where he or she should go to support the developer. However, they are nice enough to auto-enroll you in the ad version instead of basic, no-extra-features version.

Download and install AppLock from the Google Play Store.

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