The Kurio Xtreme 2 is a child-friendly tablet that retails for $129
Kurio has just unveiled the Xtreme 2, its latest child-friendly Android tablet, which the company has branded as its most durable, yet affordable slate to date, costing a mere $129.
What makes this Lollipop-totting device so appealing for kids is its reinforced plastic bumper surrounding the entire edge, which provides some protection against the knocks, scrapes and bumps its more than likely to incur.
There’s also an integrated kickstand with support for three different viewing angles, making it the ideal media player for children on long journeys. This, coupled with the company’s Motion 2.0 games platform, is designed to keep them entertained for hours.
The Xtreme 2 is a pretty solid device, packing a 7-inch five-point touch display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, a MediaTek MTK8127 quad-core chipset, 1GB of RAM, a 2.1MP rear-facing camera and a 2,820mAh battery.
As you’d expect, content is restricted but you will find the following five core applications preloaded onto the device: Spotify, YouTube Kids, Toon Googles, Netflix and Skype. Parents will have the ability to set time restrictions and filter access to inappropriate websites.
If you like the sound of the Kuri Xtreme 2 and would like to pick one up, hit the source link below to head over to Toys “R” Us’ online portal.
Source: Toys “R” Us
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(Deal) Watch TV on the go with the MJ Technology Android Tablet
The MJ Technology Android Tablet is a great option for those who want to be able to watch TV from wherever you are. With the built-in HDTV tuner, you can pull down any of the available channels whenever you want to watch your local channels. Whether it’s football Sunday, or trying to catch up on the local news, this is a great solution to a growing problem.
Cord-cutters are becoming more and more prevalent, so being able to view your local channels is also becoming important. Sure, you can just buy an HDTV Antenna and connect it to your TV, but that doesn’t help you if you’re on the go, and have some time to kill.
- Watch 4 to 6 hours of HDTV-tuned TV or get 8 hours of basic use w/ one charge
- Watch HDTV anywhere there’s signal
- Take the lightweight, compact gadget anywhere
- Benefit from Android 4.1’s top-notch technology
- Enjoy lightning-fast speeds
- Take advantage of ports for microphone, headphone jack, micro-USB & micro-USD card
While the MJ Technology Android Tablet doesn’t have the biggest battery, and isn’t updated to the latest version of Android, that’s not a huge deal. Well, unless you plan on using this bad boy all day and all night. Then you’ll need a portable battery to go with it.
Regardless of that, this deal from AndroidGuys and StackCommerce is unique and should be considered if you’re taking the path of cord-cutters. Regularly priced at $170, you can head over and grab this deal for $139.99, a savings of 17%.
You can find this, and many other great tech bargains through our Deals Page. Backed by StackCommerce, there are daily promos, giveaways, freebies, and much more!
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How to safely clean your Android smartphones and tablets
Is it any news that our smartphones are as dirty as anything can get? We man-handle these gadgets all day, smear grease all over them, take them to the toilet and put them through unimaginable germ exposure. In fact, a recent Mashable video (as well as studies) tells us our phones contain about 25,000 germs per square inch. That would be much dirtier than doorknobs, checkout screens and even toilets. Yes, you heard that right… most smartphones are dirtier than toilets!
Needless to say, you want to make sure you clean your device from time to time, but you have to do it the right way too. Remember these expensive tech gadgets could easily get damaged. And very few of us are lucky enough to have those waterproof devices you can probably just wash in the sink. Let’s give you some tips on how to clean your technology both properly and safely, shall we?
Do not use chemicals!
Wile the image above is urging us to pull out the bleach, glass cleaner or anything that can kill every single thing on that phone, this is something we must really resist. Yeah, we want to keep our devices as clean as possible, but keep in mind most phones don’t do well when put against strong chemicals. These can stain the materials and remove the protective coating manufacturers put on devices.
In other words, don’t do what the lady in the featured image of this article is doing! If you really must clean your device with some form of liquid, try to only use distilled water, and use very, very little. And turn your phone off when you do – this will increase the chances of the phone not getting water damage if your hand slips and you get the phone overly wet. We will go into further detail later on in the post, though.
Use a microfiber cloth for the overall body
We have a tendency to simply grab any paper towel and clean our smartphones superficially. While this generally works, it’s not the best way to wipe a smartphone down and really get rid of all the dirties. This is because most paper napkins and towels release lint, fibers and other particles. These can then make their way in between buttons, gaps and other parts that will later be hard to clean. Not to mention, paper and regular fabric can be harsh and scratch your devices!
You can buy microfiber anywhere, really. They are usually in pharmacies and eyeglass stores, but you can also score some neat deals on Amazon. For example, here’s a 6-pack of microfiber cloths for only $9.95. There’s also some cool mini stickers from Clean Screen Wizard I really happen to like. These little accessories also have a microfiber surface on one side, which works like a charm. The other side contains a sticker, which can be used to keep the sticker in place, save it somewhere in the phone or even use it for removing particles that may be stuck to your device.
Once you have a microfiber cloth, simply wipe the screen and the rest of the phone in straight lines until all the noticeable residue comes off. If you are having trouble removing a tough stain or smudge, spray a bit of distilled water into the cloth and wipe again. Then use a dry area of the microfiber towel to dry it as much as you can.
Dig into those hard-to-reach spots with cotton swabs
Cleaning the overall surface of your smartphone is easy, but those pesky germs and annoying particles always go and get between buttons and tiny gaps. You can use a cotton swab for this. The concept is the same as with the wipes; don’t get the swabs wet unless you feel it’s absolutely necessary. If you do need some liquid, try to keep it to a minimum. Don’t just soak the cotton swab and go at it.
Blow it all away with a compressed air can
Better yet, you can just use a compressed air can. These are among the most useful cleaning tools for the office. They can blast away dirt from keyboards, computer towers, laptops, mice and any other tech gadget, including smartphones and tablets. If there’s a really tough piece of dirt you just can’t get out, chances are a compressed air can will do the trick. The Read Right OfficeDuster has worked great for me.
Using alcohol is OK sometimes
Those who really want to kill all the germs will feel the need to use some kind of disinfectant. We urge you not to do this, but if you really must, your best bet is probably to use watered down alcohol… just don’t do it all the time. And don’t forget still keep the liquids light.
In a way, the alcohol helps because it dries away quicker than water. This means the solution won’t stick around for as long, reducing the possibilities of it making it to the innards of the device. I have personally done this, and though it may still affect those coating layers, I have noticed no real damage on any of my units.
In fact, I like using alcohol wipes for those times when I really want to deep clean my gadgets. These are dirt cheap and also happen to leave no lint or particles (at least it hasn’t for me). A pack of 100 wipes from Zeiss is only $10.60 from Amazon. These are made for lenses, computers, glasses and devices, so you should be relatively safe. I would just make sure not to use them when they are too damp. Let the towel dry out for a bit and then get going.
Scotch tape can be your friend
We told you about those Clean Screen Wizard stickers above and mentioned you could also use the sticky side to peel any dirt away. You will be glad to know good old scotch tape works the same way. It can even catch some pieces of dirt in between keys and get rid of fingerprints. It just so happens that it won’t do too much to solve the germ situation.
Enjoy!
Got your phone all cleaned up? Now make sure you keep it pristine by taking advantage of these tips as often as you can. Your devices will look great and be free of disgusting germs. Enjoy your sparkling gadgets!
Amazon’s $50 Fire tablet is available to pre-order in singles or six-packs
September is often the month that Amazon reveals new devices, and it’s certainly proving to be the case in 2015. It was only yesterday that Amazon’s rumoured $50 tablet was spotted being put through its paces on GFXBench, and now all of a sudden it’s official and simply called the Fire tablet. It’s priced at just $49.99 and you can even buy it in a six-pack. Join us after the break to see what this $50 Fire tablet has to offer.
As mentioned above, the Fire tablet can be purchased individually for just $49.99 each, or, if you need one for everyone in the family, you can buy a six-pack for just $250. Basically, it’s a buy-five-get-one-free offer. But let’s have a look at what the Fire tablet brings to the table before we too excited.
Specifications:
- Fire OS 5 Bellini
- 7-Inch IPS display with 1024 x 600 resolution and 171ppi
- Unspecified quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz (believed to be a MediaTek processor)
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB Internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 128GB)
- WiFi connectivity: Single antenna 802.11 b/g/n
- USB 2.0 charging port
- 3.5mm Audio jack
- VGA Front-facing camera
- 2MP Rear-facing camera
- Dimensions: 191 x 115 x 10.6mm
- Weight: 313 grams
That is not bad for $50. Not bad at all. And if you want to take the six-pack option and buy one for everyone, it’s even cheaper, coming in at around $41. It should be noted that the $50 tablet comes with sponsored screensavers, whereas the non-sponsored Fire tablet is fifteen bucks extra. Just enter the code ‘FIRE6PACK‘ at checkout to get the six-pack offer applied.
Readers in the UK will be slightly bemused to find out that the Fire tablet is priced at £49.99. The six-pack option runs to £250 while removing the sponsored screensaver will cost an extra £10 per device. Still, it’s a pretty decent offering for £50. To get the six-pack offer just enter the same ‘FIRE6PACK’ code at checkout.
The Fire tablet comes with On-device Mayday screen sharing, as well as Amazon’s Underground app, which offers over $10,000 of apps, games and in-app add-ons free-of-charge.
The Fire tablet is available to pre-order right now, with shipping scheduled to begin from September 30.
Full Press Release:
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today introduced a groundbreaking new tablet for under $50. The new Fire tablet includes a quad-core processor, 7” IPS display, front- and rear-facing cameras, up to 128GB of expandable storage, exclusive Amazon features and services, and access to the world’s best content ecosystem—all for just $49.99. Customers can also choose to buy Fire as a six-pack for less than $250.
“Today, we’re taking another step in our mission to deliver premium products at non-premium prices”
“Today, we’re taking another step in our mission to deliver premium products at non-premium prices,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “The all-new Fire features a quad-core processor, is incredibly durable, and is backed by the Amazon content ecosystem, the new Amazon Underground, and Amazon customer service with Mayday Screen Sharing. Fire sets a new bar for what customers should expect from a low cost tablet.”
Fire delivers a world-class entertainment experience. With access to over 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, apps, and games, as well as exclusive features like X-Ray, ASAP, and Second Screen, Fire is great for watching movies, playing games, reading books, listening to music, and more. With expandable storage via MicroSD card and features like On Deck you’ll never worry about running out of entertainment, whether jumping on a plane or heading out on a family road trip.
Fire—High Quality Tablet, Affordable Price
For just $49.99, the new Fire tablet includes:
- Best display of any tablet in its price class—Unlike other low-cost tablets that use TN displays, Fire’s 7” IPS display offers a great viewing experience with vivid and accurate color reproduction that can be seen at all angles.
- Quad-core 1.3 GHz processor—2x more processing power than Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite at less than half the price; quickly and easily switch between apps, stream movies, and browse the web without waiting for your tablet to catch up.
- Durability—As measured in tumble tests, Fire is almost 2x more durable than the latest generation iPad Air.
- Front- and rear-facing cameras—Video chat with friends and family with the front-facing camera; take and share photos, and save them for later with free, unlimited cloud storage for all photos taken on Fire devices.
- Up to 128GB of expandable storage via microSD—Enjoy even more videos, music, games, and photos while offline.
- All-day battery life—Delivers up to 7 hours of reading, browsing the web, listening to music, and watching video.
- Fire OS 5 “Bellini”—Includes an updated user interface that replicates the look and feel of a magazine, making browsing and searching for your content easier than ever—what you want is just one tap away; plus, Fire OS 5 includes hundreds of new and upgraded features and platform updates, plus Amazon-exclusive services.
- Amazon Underground—A one-of-a-kind app store experience where over $10,000 in apps, games and even in-app items are actually free—including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs, and more.
- Have you ever forgotten to download a movie ahead of a flight? For Prime members, On Deck automatically keeps your Fire tablet current with popular Prime movies and TV shows, as well as Amazon Original Series, so you always have something good to watch. Importantly, On Deck only uses the available storage on your tablet, opportunistically in a special shadow mode. When you download something, On Deck automatically makes room for your selected content—there’s no hassle of needing to clear out space yourself. This feature will be available via a free, over-the-air Fire OS update in the coming months.
- Activity Center—For parents whose kids have outgrown Amazon FreeTime, Activity Center provides an easy way for them to see how their kids are spending time on their Fire tablet—from how much time they spend playing games, to which websites they visit. Activity Center will be available via a free, over-the-air Fire OS update in the coming months.
- World-class customer service and tech support—Mayday Screen Sharing lets an Amazon expert guide you remotely through any feature on your screen, available 24×7, 365 days a year—for free.
- Amazon-exclusive features—ASAP, X-Ray, Second Screen, Amazon FreeTime, Family Library, Word Runner, and more.
- World’s best content ecosystem—Access to over 38 million movies, TV shows, songs, books, magazines, apps, and games—with free, unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content.
Also available for Fire are new accessories, including a protective cover available in five colors—black, blue, orange, green, and purple—that can stand in both landscape and portrait orientations, for $24.99.
The Fire Family
Fire is $49.99, and will start shipping on September 30—order at www.amazon.com/fire. Fire is also available as a buy five, get one free six-pack for $249.95.In addition to Fire, Amazon also today introduced the new Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 tablets, Fire Kids Edition tablet, and the all-new Amazon Fire TV. To read the press release about the new Fire HD tablets, visit www.amazon.com/fire-hd-pr. To read about the new Fire Kids Edition, visitwww.amazon.com/kids-edition-pr. To read about the new Fire TV, visit www.amazon.com/fire-tv-pr.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.
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Is Acer’s Predator 8 tablet a Shield-killer or just a nice try?
Does another promising device bite the dust?
At IFA 2015, it was quite obvious that Acer is aggressively pushing its Predator line of elite devices. There was a whole flashy area dedicated to it, surrounded with the brand’s industrial, red-accented theme. To recap, we were shown powerhouse gaming laptops, large curved monitors packed with Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, a smartphone with a 10-core CPU monstrosity, and a sweet-looking 8-inch gaming tablet – the Predator 8.
Acer’s new elite tablet brings some fresh features to the gaming tablet segment, a segment that previously existed by one other – the Nvidia Shield tablet. So does the Predator 8 stand a chance? Let’s check it out.
In picking up the device for the first time, you can tell one of Acer’s objectives for the Predator tablet was to wow the user with the design. This thing is flashy and totally not for someone who doesn’t want to draw attention. Everyone will know this tablet is special, a completely different take from the subtlety of the Nvidia SHIELD. I love it.
Unfortunately, the feel did not back up the awesome appearance. There’s no other way to break it down, it feels cheap. The chassis is mostly plastic. OEM’s sometimes make plastic work, but Acer just didn’t with the Predator 8. My word to Acer: You can’t skimp on build with a premium device.
Okay, so it’s apparent Acer cut some corners to make the Predator 8 a reality, but how far does that fact extend? Let’s go over the performance, but first, a breakdown of the specs:
In addition, one of the staples of the Predator 8 are four front-facing speakers. You read that correctly, four. Like many OEM’s are doing these days, the external audio is supported by some Dolby Audio software trickery.
So with all that said, how does it sound? It’s good, just not superb. It can get loud, but the quality leaves to be desired. It is treble-heavy, almost shrilly sometimes. It reminds me a lot of the Nexus 6 speakers, where Motorola obviously made loudness a priority over quality. On the Nexus 6, bass was almost non-existent. I would have to do a review of the Predator 8 before I can conclude the same, as Acer’s booth wasn’t the quietest environment.
Next up is the display. Unfortunately, it left to be desired as well. This is often my experience with Acer displays, but I was hoping a premium product of theirs would be of better quality. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible. Looking at the screen straight-on it’s fine, and colors have particularly nice vibrancy. However, tilt the device and the image slightly (but noticeably) washes out. We should be past the days of washing-out displays. Maybe I’m just spoiled by Samsung’s fantastic S-AMOLED panels.
And last but not least is the gaming performance. Bear in mind that this is not a full review, and I give the Acer the benefit of the doubt of maybe not having finished software. Asphalt 8 was loaded up on the device, which serves as a good gaming benchmark.
For some reason the gameplay stuttered, too much for my taste. It was playable, and bits where it didn’t stutter were smooth, but every time action ramped up (i.e. crashing into a wall, because I suck at racing games), the performance struggled. On a normal tablet I could look past this occurrence, but not on a “gaming” tablet.
So can I recommend the Predator 8? It depends. Acer does bring some neat things to the tablet, that weren’t there before, such as quad, front-facing speakers and gaming-tuned haptic, vibrational feedback. Only, quality isn’t where it should be for a stand-out, elite device. It’s almost like a normal tablet in disguise.
If you can look past the cut-corners and really want a sweet-looking, gaming tablet, there’s no other that pulls it off like the Predator 8. If you want a better overall package, look to the Shield.
Both tablets have near-stock software, 8-inch 1920×1200 displays, front-facing speakers, and run $299 retail. However, Nvidia’s Tegra K1 chipset should have significantly more gaming power than Intel’s HD graphics.
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The Amazon Fire Phone is officially off the shelves
After finally admitting defeat, Amazon’s Fire Phone is no more. Last month, Amazon revealed that the Fire Phone was a flop and started discounting the device to prices as low as $130. With a free year of Prime attached, you were essentially getting the device for only $30.
Regardless of the price cut, Amazon has seemingly run out of stock, and is officially discontinuing the Fire Phone from being sold. Amazon had big hopes to change up the mobile device market, but instead, they barely made a dent. Sub-par specs and an awkward user experience made the Fire Phone a head-scratching release.
The pricing of the Fire Phone started at $649 off contract, or $199 for two years through AT&T, but as sales took a dive, so did the price. In conversations amongst us here at AndroidGuys, we were still hesitant to pull the trigger, even at the price point of $130.
However, Amazon hasn’t given up completely on offering everyone new devices to try out. Reports have surfaced surrounding a new tablet that Amazon is gearing up to release for the Holiday season. In regards of this device, the reports are stating that it will be a 6-inch device, and will cost around $50 or less. However, it’s too early to know whether this will be another product in their Kindle Fire lineup, or something different altogether.
Sound off in the comments below about whether you picked up the Fire Phone before it went on the discontinued line.
Source: Android Central
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Amazon may be gearing up for the holidays with a sub-$50 tablet
When it comes to Amazon releasing their own devices, it has been an up-hill battle. With the exception of the Echo and Kindle E-Readers, Amazon has yet to really find it’s niche in the tablet market. There was news galore surrounding the fact that Amazon has given up on the Fire Phone, and you can now find those for as low as $125 with a year of Prime still in tact.
Reports have started coming out that Amazon is gearing up to try and hit a different part of the market share. The low, low-end. These reports are stating that Amazon is planning to release a sub-$50 tablet with a 6-inch display, for the holiday season.
When it comes to sub-$100 tablets, the market is really scarce. There are those off-brand ones, but to find a good sub-$100 is next to impossible. That is, of course, if you do not include the refurbished options and such.
Since this report is so early, it’s not yet known whether the new tablet from Amazon will be a part of the Fire family. However, if it is, the tablet would be half the cost of the lowest available Fire HD tablet, which also has a 6-inch display.
It will be interesting to see what Amazon does to try and force their way onto the market with another option. If they can deliver and bring a $50 tablet to the market in time for the holidays, combined with a decent performing tablet, it’ll be interesting to say the least.
Let us know what you think about Amazon’s rumored plans for a new tablet, and whether you think they should keep trying to gain market share.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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Amazon may enter the budget friendly tablet market with an upcoming device
Amazon is still recovering from its recent Fire Phone disaster. A new report out of WSJ states the company might be working on a super budget friendly tablet.
Amazon may be prepping a tablet device to ship next quarter. Allegedly, the device will feature a 6-inch display and many low-end specifications. So far there has been no word on any other details associated with the tablet’s specs, nor its pricing, design or availability. However, we do know that Amazon is targeting the low-end market with this one and may launch the device for as low as $50. Amazon is likely going for the basics here so don’t expect much.
The device will most likely be an Amazon exclusive and you can bet it won’t offer LTE or 4G connectivity. We should find out more about the cheap tablet in the coming weeks.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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AT&T adds new LG G Pad X to the lineup with DirecTV app in-tow
We’ve been wondering just how in-depth AT&T was going to incorporate DirecTV into their services. After offering some pretty awesome bundle deals after the acquisition, AT&T is up to it again.
Today, AT&T has announced the LG G Pad X 10.1 tablet that will be coming to your nearby AT&T location starting September 4th (this Friday). Pre-bundled on the G Pad X 10.1 is the DirecTV application which will allow you to start watching your favorite TV shows before you even have service set up at your home.
The device will run you $249.99 with a two-year contract, or $17.50 a month for 20 months with AT&T’s Tablet Installment Plan. The G Pad X 10.1 is sporting a 2.26GHz Quad Core processor with 2GB of RAM. As well as a 7400mAh battery, 32GB of on board storage with a MicroSD card slot with support of up to 128GB. The G Pad X 10,1 will also be running Android 5.1.1 out of the box, but there was no mention of whether this device will be updated to Android Marshmallow.
As the first tablet to offer the DIRECTV app, the LG G Pad X 10.1 is a game-changer for entertainment,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Device Marketing and Developer Services, AT&T. “With the G Pad X 10.1 you can walk out of an AT&T store watching your favorite shows on DIRECTV, before the service is even installed in your home. Combining this with a high speed processor, Full HD screen, and the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network, the G Pad X 10.1 is a comprehensive mobile entertainment system at an affordable price.
This is probably only the first of many devices to have the DirecTV app pre-loaded onto it, so we can only wait and see what AT&T has up their sleeve next. Let us know what you think about this new device, and the fact that the DirecTV app is pre-loaded on it in the comments below.
Source: AT&T
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UPDATE: Samsung finally patches Galaxy Note Pro 12.2; users rejoice
You may have recalled my article three weeks ago about Samsung’s update for the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 that broke all competitor’s Bluetooth keyboard functionality with the niche tablet. Finally, as of earlier last week, Samsung rolled out a patch that fixes the dreaded Bluetooth bug that has locked out many keyboards from working with the over sized tablet, most notably the $120 Logitech Keyboard Pro Case made specifically for this product.
The update rolled out about 5 days ago and the only details about the patch released were that it fixed the Bluetooth keyboard connectivity problems and fixed some other bugs. After testing it out for an afternoon, I must admit the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is running much smoother after the update. What a shame that Samsung took about 6 weeks to fix this problem and did not communicate at all during the process with end-users who rely on this business orientated tablet for productivity in the work place.
You can grab the newly updated and almost bug-free super-sized tablet on Amazon for $649.99.
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AIVAnet 