Theta Android News

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Deal: Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus now available for just $550/$640

If you have been thinking of getting either the Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus, now is the time to do so. Unlocked versions of both devices are currently on sale on eBay: the Galaxy S8 is available for $549.99, while its bigger brother can be yours for $639.99.

These are great deals, especially considering that the smartphones cost $720 and $840 when released back in April. However, the two devices are only available in the Midnight Black color option — and keep in mind that the deals won't last forever, though there's no word on when exactly they will end.

As you may know, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are among the best-regarded smartphones on the market right now. The smaller of the two features a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset. The device has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage that can be expanded for an additional 256 GB of memory.

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It features a 12 MP primary camera, a selfie snapper with an 8 MP sensor, and packs a 3,000 mAh battery. In addition, the S8 features an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, Android Nougat, and Samsung's own Bixby digital assistant.

The Galaxy S8 Plus, on the other hand, is identical to its smaller brother with a few exceptions. It has a bigger 6.2-inch display as well as a larger battery with a capacity of 3,500 mAh. You can learn more about the devices in our review below.

If you're interested in picking up the Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus, visit eBay via the buttons below.

Get the Galaxy S8

Get the Galaxy S8 Plus

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Play your way to success with Pokémon Go on Android!

Prepare to raid!

Pokemon Go introduced raids just over a month ago, and it's become clear that Android users are going to run into some issues. From lag to needing to restart to the ever-dreaded battery issues, there are problems that you should be aware of. That doesn't mean that it's time to jump ship, though, because there are plenty of ways to help yourself out.

Equipment matters

When it comes to raiding in Pokemon Go on Android, your equipment really matters. The best phone for Pokemon Go on Android is without a doubt the Samsung Galaxy S8. The taller screen gives you better odds of catching Pokemon when you come upon them in the wild, and with a super bright mode, you'll be able to see what's going on no matter how sunny it may be.

You can easily top your battery back off and get back to the game without having to stay plugged in indefinitely.

Everyone knows what a battery hog Pokemon Go can be — especially if you're using AR to see Pokemon in the world around you — and plenty of people have invested in a decent battery pack. While this can be mandatory for longer Pokéwalks, you've also got a few other options. If you're running a Galaxy S8 or a different phone that charges off of USB-C, then you're in luck.

That's because with USB-C, your phone charges at a faster clip. This means that even when your battery percentage starts to get low, by rocking a portable charger you can easily top your battery back up and get back to the game without having to stay plugged in indefinitely.

We recommend the Anker PowerCore+. It's super light and has a huge 20100mAh capacity. It's a little pricey at around $66, but it's worth it!

See at Amazon

Be prepared

Pokemon Go is notorious for lag and the occasional software issues that crop up. Rather than pretending that you aren't going to run into these problems at all, it's better to go in knowing that there are some things you can do to help yourself out along the way. Being prepared means that when these issues do happen, you're prepared to deal with them.

By tweaking your settings a little bit, you can help yourself out in the long run.

Reboot!

When you're getting ready for a raid, rebooting your phone is a solid call. Frustrating, but if you go out of your way to reboot before jumping into a raid then you can be sure that you'll have less of a chance of running into issues. Likewise, by tweaking your settings a little bit, you can help yourself out in the long run.

Stay connected

Make sure you've turned off your Bluetooth, and that your location is turned onto high accuracy. Additionally, if your phone has access to a game performance mode, then you definitely want to turn it on. These little things will help you out in the long run, and help to cut down on the lag that you experience.

Don't sweat the small stuff

For the most part, the bugs and issues that crop up on Android are small and, while irritating, they aren't deal breakers by a long shot. You may lose out on a few seconds at the beginning of a raid, but provided you're prepared for the fight — and in the case of Legendary raids, you aren't trying to pull it off solo — then it shouldn't make much of a difference.

These small issues may be deal-breakers for some hardcore players, but to be honest it isn't that huge of a deal once you're used to it. Technically, iPhones do get the better deal, but it's nothing worth jumping ship or switching phones over.

Pokémon Go

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[Update: More images] Galaxy Note8 leaks ahead of August unveiling

Update 1: 2017/08/01 2:26am PDT
A further image from @evleaks shows the Galaxy Note8 from every angle, including the fingerprint sensor and dual cameras on the rear:

The upcoming Galaxy Note8 has been highly anticipated by fans, despite the previous model blowing up on several occasions. There have been a few leaks so far, but only from questionable sources. Evan Blass, known as @evleaks on Twitter, has shared an image of the upcoming phone.

[Update: More images] Galaxy Note8 leaks ahead of August unveiling was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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The latest Humble Mobile Bundle is all about making you think

Who doesn't love puzzle games? Well, a lot of people, probably, but if you're not one of them, you might enjoy the current Humble Mobile Bundle.

Paying the minimum of $1 will give you a trio of minimalistic puzzle experiences. Hook, Zenge, and klocki all follow a similar idealogoy — they're meditative games that don't pressure you with timers, move counters, or anything else. It's just you, a puzzle, and all the time in the world. They also arrive with some beautifully atmospheric soundtracks — they could make for some great stress relief.

If you can part with five bucks or more, you will also receive three very different games. The first is for the city planners out there and it's called Mini Metro. This tasks you with planning out the best underground railway network possible. The second, Human Resource Machine, can be described as an illustration of why people quit their office jobs and become travel bloggers. And the third, Deus Ex GO, is a turn-based stealth puzzle take on the critically acclaimed Deus Ex video games series.

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Paying more than the average other users parted with, which at the time of writing is a bit over $5.50, will add three more games to the package. A Good Snowman is Hard to Build will put you in the shoes of a monster that really likes building good snowmen, while Concrete Jungle, on the other hand, is a mix between a puzzle and a city-building game; both bring fresh ideas to the puzzle genre. As for Slayaway Camp, it's for the kind of people who watched Friday the 13th in the 1980s and really wanted Jason's job.

Considering the total value of the games is $29, paying six bucks for all nine of them sounds like a pretty good deal to us. So, if you're into puzzle games, don't miss it.

Have you played any of these titles? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments.

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There is a fix for your Nexus 6P bootloop issue (Update: now with better performance)

nexus 6p

Update: The Nexus 6P bootloop fix recently created by members of the XDA Developers forums has just become even better. User XCnathan32, the main developer of the original fix, posted an update to the install guide over the weekend to announce the changes.

XCnathan32 writes that the modified Nexus 6P image users must flash on their devices now takes advantage of four CPU cores (compared to one and a half in the previous iteration), providing faster performance and even beating the stock Nexus 6P ROM in some benchmarks.

While this doesn't mean that process of applying the fix is any easier, it should mean that those who want to give it a try can expect an improved overall experience.

The Nexus 6P might have been release back in 2015, but it took a bit longer for some owners to notice their device would refuse to fully boot up and start over in a constant loop. Otherwise known as a "bootloop," this issue has seemingly hit more Nexus 6P owners as more time passed, to the point where some folks took matters into their own hands and develop a fix.

XDA user XCnathan32, along with assistance from two other users, created the fix and put it up for anyone to give it a whirl. Without getting too technical, the fix shuts down all four of the Nexus 6P octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor's performance cores that seemingly prevent the phone from properly booting up.

June 29, 2017

More specifically, the A57 performance cores are disabled while the A53 cores are left alone. This means that, while you will notice lag when going through the UI, you might notice slightly improved battery life, since the A53 cores are more power-efficient than their A57 counterparts.

One of the bigger issues regarding the fix, however, is that you need to be comfortable with messing around with your device a bit. The fix involves unlocking your bootloader and flashing various modified images, so if you have no idea what any of that means, you might be better off not messing with your Nexus 6P.

Of course, this would be a good reason to start tinkering with your Nexus 6P, particularly if you have done so before. Just keep in mind that we cannot vouch for the fix – some folks have reported it worked wonders for their device, though that is not the case for everyone.

Interestingly enough, the same XDA user who created a Nexus 6P bootloop fix also created a fix for the Nexus 5X, which has its own share of bootloop issues. Unlike with the Nexus 6P fix, though, the XDA user did not personally test the Nexus 5X fix, so your mileage will vary even more.

Regardless, if you are at your wit's end with your Nexus 6P's or Nexus 5X's bootloop issues, your other alternative is to pay attention to lawsuits against Huawei, Google, and LG over these issues.

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Here’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 in Midnight Black

The upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year. Although we're still a few weeks away from its reveal, we already know quite a few things about it. Back in June, we saw the first alleged renders and a 360-degree video of the device, which revealed its design. Now, another image of the handset was posted online by none other than Evan Blass.

Samsung Galaxy Note8 (in Midnight Black) http://pic.twitter.com/QZii9xFarQ

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 31, 2017

As you can see, the smartphone looks similar to the Galaxy S8 series devices — at least the front. The back of the device is expected to look a little bit different because of the dual-camera setup it is rumored to come with.

Of course, Midnight Black isn't the only color option the Note 8 will be available in. Evan Blass announced on Twitter last week that you'll also be able to get your hands on the device in at least one new color option — Deep Blue. In addition, we expect to see at least two more color variants, with one of them likely being Orchid Gray.

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As far as specs go, the Note 8 is rumored to sport at least a 6.3-inch QHD+ display and the Snapdragon 835 chipset. It should have 4 or 6 GB of RAM, have dust and water resistance, and run Android Nougat with Samsung's user interface on top. The device is expected to be made out of a combination of metal and glass, feature two 13 MP cameras on the back, and come equipped with the popular S-Pen.

We'll know more about the device once it is officially announced, which is scheduled to happen on August 23 in New York City. Meanwhile, feel free to check out our Samsung Galaxy Note 8 rumor roundup post to learn more about what to expect.

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Google announces ‘Made for India’ initiative to showcase apps optimized for Indian market

At the first ever Google Play App Excellence Summit in India, Google today announced its new 'Made for India' initiative.

As part of the initiative, Indian developers can apply for a chance to have apps that are specifically optimized for the Indian market to be showcased on the Google Play Store in India in a special section.

Made for India is an initiative to discover and showcase developers who are building high quality apps and optimizing them for Indian users. All you have to do is to apply at http://ift.tt/2hiU5rQ.

Specifically, the company is looking for factors like innovation, minimized data consumption, optimized battery consumption, optimized for internet connectivity, useful offline state, device compatibility for apps, app size reduction, and localization support.

The reason for Google's interest in the market is obvious. More than 70% of internet users in India go online primarily via their smartphones and this number is growing at a phenomenal rate. Interestingly, there are now more people using Android devices in India than in the US.

During her note to kick off the summit earlier today, Purnima Kochikar, Director – Business Development, Google Play, shared that people in India install more than a billion apps every month from Google Play. And while this is a staggering number already, the number of apps installed in India has grown by 150% each year.

Since Google has introduced diverse and convenient forms of payment for Indian consumers, the consumer spend on apps and games is growing at 3X in India.

At the summit, Google brought together over 700 Indian app and games developers, where the company shared tips and tools to help developers create the best quality Android apps that are locally relevant.

Last year, Google announced 'Build for Billions' guidelines to help developers overcome challenges such as varying network connectivity, device specifications, and high data costs. The playbook, available on Google Play, is a step-by-step guide for developers to learn about the features, tools, and best practices to get apps ready to meet the needs of billions of Android users in India as well as globally.

With initiatives like 'Build for Billions' and 'Make for India', Google aims to help Indian developers of all sizes build successful, locally relevant businesses.

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