dimanche 30 avril 2017

ZTE Axon 7 update: Night Mode, improved MicroSD support, bug fixes, and more

Those rocking a ZTE Axon 7 now have something to look forward to. The company has just announced they are rolling out a sizable update in the next 48 hours. This brings the device up to build 25, which comes with plenty of great improvements to enjoy. Let's take a look at them!

What's new?

  • Enables "Night Mode" setting
  • Supports 256GB micro SD cards
  • Allows users to disable some stock apps
  • Optimizes the "Do Not Disturb" function
  • Fixes various Wi-Fi Calling issues
  • Improves device stability and security
  • Miscellaneous performance improvements and other fixes
See also:

ZTE Axon 7 review

July 25, 2016

Of course, the most important upgrades are Night Mode and support for 256 GB cards. Being able to disable more useless apps is also helpful, though. As is fixing bugs and improving stability.

Have any of you gotten this update yet? Hit the comments to let us know how it is treating you!



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How to customize the Samsung Galaxy S8’s Always On Display

One smartphone feature that's been growing in popularity as of late is the Always On Display. Major phone manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and Motorola have been including these display options on their phones for the past few years, and it's no surprise that Samsung included it on the new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.

See also:

Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus review

2 weeks ago

For those unfamiliar, Always On Display lets you check the time, date, battery percentage, and notifications, even when the phone isn't in use. As you can see in the image attached above, most of the screen is completely black, aside from the clock and notifications on the screen. It's a subtle way to get the information you need as quickly as possible, without the need to turn on your phone's screen.

Plus, Samsung made the Always On Display super customizable. If you want to learn more about the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus' Always On Display, check out the full tutorial below:

Enable Always On Display

  1. Pull down your notification shade, and tap on the Settings cog.
  2. Scroll down and select Lock screen and security.
  3. Ensure the toggle next to the Always On Display category is turned on. To turn it on, simply press it one time.
  4. Then, select Always On Display.

Good job – Always On Display should now be turned on. Now it's time to start customizing.

Customize Always On Display

The very first option you'll see on this screen will help you decide what content will be shown on your lock screen. Tap on the Content to show option, then you can choose whether or not to display only the home button, only your clock or information, or your home button and clock or information.

Personally, I like to have the home button and clock or information option turned on. That way I can see the most information I can on my lock screen, and also be able to wake my device with the virtual home button.

Once that's done, you'll see a list of six different Always On Display styles to choose from. The six different styles are: Digital clock, Analog clock, World clock, Calendar, Image, and Edge clock. For this tutorial, we're going to select Digital clock.

Once you make your selection, you'll see three customization categories at the bottom of your screen: Clock style, Color, and Background. These are all pretty self explanatory, so I'll let the screenshots do the talking:

Once you've edited your Always On Display to the best of your ability, just tap the Apply button in the top-right corner of the screen, and you're all set! Easy, right?

Oh, and one more thing. If you don't want the Always On Display to be turned on at all times, you can set it to a schedule. Just scroll down and turn off the toggle next to the Show always option, then tap Set schedule to select your times.

Looking for more Galaxy S8 how-tos? Check out more coverage below:



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Crowdfunding project of the week: Cosmo Connected smart break light for motorcyclists

It's time for another 'Crowdfunding project of the week", where we highlight the hottest projects from sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. This one goes to my fellow motorcycle riders as they make their way back home safe this Sunday afternoon. Today's featured campaign will keep you visible and your family at peace. Want to learn more? Let's look into it.

Other featured projects:

The rumble of a motor, tremoring pavement and piercing wind are addictive. Motorcycles are a symbol of freedom and pleasure, but they also represent a dangerous lifestyle. Riding requires attention, but not only from you; also from people you share the road with. This is why we buy things like reflective material, extra lights and louder pipes. It's important to help other notice us.

Enter Cosmo Connected, a smart break light that easily attaches to the back of any helmet. The location is important. Riders will know it's always better to keep your head as visible as possible, as it is closer to driver eye level. Simply stick the magnetic base to the back of the helmet, then you are ready to mount the break light.

Of course, the Cosmo Connected's main purpose is to light up when decelerating. This is done with the use of a gyroscope, which means it works with gravity and inertia, making it functional even when motor breaking. The team promises this will work flawlessly for up to 8 hours per charge, but there's more to this little device.

Staying safe and visible is only part of this gadget's functionality. Every time we mount the saddle there is a chance of an accident. We take the risk and hope we will be ready when the moment comes. And when it does happen, what happens right after an accident is critical and can make all the difference.

Cosmo Connected detects accidents and links to a smartphone app to get you help as soon as possible. The application will immediately alert a roadside assistance service. An operator will try to reach out to the rider and send help to his GPS coordinates if there is no answer. All within 3 minutes. The user can also select a number of personal contacts to be alerted in case of an accident.

Interested? Cosmo Connected starts shipping this July and can be had for as low as 99 Euros (about $108 USD) from Kickstarter. That's not a bad price for the added security and peace of mind. Are there any fellow riders out there? Say hi and tell me what you think of this product. I would consider buying it, but do wonder how well the gyroscope system actually works. It's a great concept, though.



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Samsung Marshmallow offers parental controls and teaches proper phone usage

Marshmallow is not a rare topic here at Android Authority, but it is usually the Android version we refer to when we speak of this sweet treat. Now we have a new Samsung service named after the same dessert – Samsung Marshmallow.

This is a parental control app, but Sammy wants us to look at it as something more than just that. The application is not made to simply enforce rules, it is also designed to teach children proper smartphone usage habits.

It's easy to set bedtimes, limit internet time, block apps and more. The app also takes things a step further by enticing your kids to be better smart device users. There is a reward system in place, too – kids can earn points with good online behavior, while being naughty will cause a loss in points. After getting enough points, the child can ask parents for a card to use in the gift shot.

The bad news? This is a Samsung exclusive, which means only the company's own devices will support the app. Here is a list of supported handsets: Galaxy S8 / S8 Plus / S7 / S7 Edge / S6 / S6 Edge / S6 Edge Plus / S5 / Note 5 / Note 4 / A5 / A7 / A8 / A9 / J3 / J5 / J7.

Those interested and carrying a supported device can go ahead and download the app straight from the Google Play Store. Hit the comments to let us know how you like it!



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Deal: Snag a Google Home for just $114 from the Google Store ($15 off)

With Mother's Day just around the corner (it's Sunday, May 14, by the way), it's time to start thinking about getting your mom a special gift for the big day. If you're still struggling to find the right gift, perhaps this new promotion at the Google Store will help.

From now until Saturday, May 13, you can pick up a Google Home for just $114, which is $15 off the normal retail price. Google says this deal is available while supplies last (or until May 13), so you might want to take advantage of the promo sooner rather than later.

See also:

The complete list of services with Google Home support

2 weeks ago

For those unfamiliar, the Google Home connected speaker works with both Android and iOS devices, and is powered by the Google Assistant. You can ask it for weather updates or trending news, tell it to play a certain playlist, and a lot more. I use my Google Home every day in a variety of different scenarios, and I think it's super handy to have in an office or living room. If you'd like to learn more about the Google Home, check out our full review here.

Interested? Head to the Google Store link attached below.



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Must read: top 10 Android stories

This week we reviewed Samsung DeX, the Sony Xperia XZs, and the new Garmin fenix 5. We also compared the top three voice assistants out right now, and talked about the Galaxy S8's one big flaw. There's a lot to catch up on, so here's the news of the week!

Who wants to win a Samsung Galaxy S8?

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the best Android smartphones out right now. Here's how you can win one!

10 Android stories we handpicked for you

Samsung DeX review – can your smartphone replace a PC? The Galaxy S8 is here and so is the new Samsung DeX docking station. It lets you use Android with a keyboard and mouse, but can it really replace a PC?


Sony Xperia XZs review The Xperia XZs features a few key improvements over its predecessor. Is that enough to make it a compelling choice? Find out in this Sony Xperia XZs review!


Garmin fenix 5 review The fenix 5 is here, but is it actually worth the high price tag? Find out, in our full Garmin fenix 5 review.


Bixby vs Google Assistant vs Siri 2017 is shaping up to be the year of the virtual assistant, so here's how the big three – Bixby, Siri, and Google Assistant – compare.


The Samsung Galaxy S8's one flaw… The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are two of the best phones of the year, but they're missing an increasingly key feature.


8 ways the Galaxy S8 is objectively better than the iPhone 7 We think we can objectively prove the Galaxy S8 is better than the iPhone 7. So grab some popcorn and settle in, because this is about to get ugly.


Have smartphones become too expensive? Buying a flagship smartphone is certainly expensive, but are we paying more for top-end smartphones than we were half a decade ago?


Fitbit Alta HR review The Fitbit Alta HR adds a heart rate monitor and new sleep tracking features to an already convenient and capable device. Learn more in the full review!


The best OEM specific features Flagship smartphones are all pretty impressive these days, but here are the OEM specific features that may make or break your purchasing decisions.


10 best new Android apps and games from April 2017 Plenty of great apps and games were released in the month of April. Here are the best ones!


Don't miss these videos

Watch more Android videos on our YouTube channel.

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Samsung Galaxy S8 International Giveaway!

Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway, the place where we giveaway a new Android phone each and every Sunday!

Congratulations to last week's Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Giveaway winner: Jorge V. (Portugal)

This week we're giving away a brand new Samsung Galaxy S8!

Samsung's new Galaxy S8 features a beautiful 18.5:9 Infinity display, a powerful Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 3,000 mAh battery, as well as a super impressive 12 MP rear-facing camera with an f/1.7 aperture. One of the standout features on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus this year is Bixby, Samsung's new AI assistant that even has its own hardware button. As an added bonus, the S8 ships with a solid pair of AKG earbuds.

Enter giveaway

Samsung Galaxy S8 International Giveaway!

More giveaways:

Winners Gallery


Terms & Conditions
  • The giveaway is an international giveaway (Except when we can not ship to your Country.)
  • If we can not ship to your country, you will be compensated with an online gift card of equal MSRP value to the prize.
  • We are not responsible for lost shipments.
  • We are not responsible if your giveaway prize malfunctions.
  • You must be age of majority in your Country of residence.
  • We are not responsible for any duties or import fees that you may incur.
  • Only 1 entry per person, do not enter multiple email addresses. We will verify all winners and if we detect multiple email addresses by the same person you will not be eligible to win.
  • We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
  • This giveaway is operated by AndroidAuthority.
  • The prize will ship when it is available to purchase.


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samedi 29 avril 2017

15 best strategy games for Android

best strategy games featured image
Strategy is among the oldest game types in human history. Whether it's chess, board games, or even some card games, we've been playing strategy games since long before there was ever a computer. Strategy games have come a long way, but the basic premise of using your brain to beat your opponents remains true even to this day. It's a fantastic way to test yourself to see how creative you can be. Here are the best strategy games on Android!


Age of Civilizations

Price: $2.14
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Age of Civilizations is a mix between a strategy game and a board game. It has a lot of the same qualities as Risk, where your job is to obtain territories from other civilizations. You'll have access to a variety of scenarios, such as World War I and II as well as a modern world scenario. You can also create your own scenarios to challenge yourself. It also contains 193 civilizations, two planets, and some interesting mechanics. It's complex, difficult, and highly addictive. Best of all, there are no in-app purchases. It's one of the better, simpler strategy games.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Age of Civilizations

Card Thief

Price: Free / $1.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Card Thief is one of the more unique strategy games. It's a mix between strategy and a card game. Your goal is to move around to avoid detection. You'll have equipment, stealth points, and more to help you avoid the guards and finish the level. It boasts a play time of two to three minutes per play. That makes it great for casual gamers. You can can download the game for free and unlock the full version for $1.99.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Chess Free

Price: Free
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Chess is one of the oldest strategy games. Chess Free is probably the best chess game on mobile. The graphics aren't a lot to look at. However, you'll have 12 difficulty levels across two game modes, ELO Ratings, save and load games, local multiplayer, a chess tutor, and a bunch of other cool stuff. It's about as complete of a chess game as you can find. It utilizes the Treebeard Chess Engine. It's the same one from MSN Chess. It's completely free with no in-app purchases or advertisements.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Chess Free

Don't Starve: Pocket Edition

Price: $4.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Don't Starve: Pocket Edition is a strategy survival game. It starts with you being thrown into the wilderness of some random planet. Your job is to survive. You'll have to gather resources, craft things, build structures, and even find sources of food. It does so with a fun tongue-in-cheek flavor. The graphics aren't half bad either. It was a very popular game on PC and the Pocket Edition is pretty much the same game. You'll have to fork out $4.99 to play, but at least there are no in-app purchases.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Hearthstone is one of the most popular card dueling strategy games on mobile. With this title, you build decks of cards and then use them to duel other players online. You unlock cards as you go and gradually get better and stronger. This game also has cross-platform support. You can log in using your Battle.net account and play on PC or mobile. Blizzard has done a decent job of adding in new content to keep the game fresh and it remains among the best card duel options available right now.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY


Kairosoft Co games

Price: Varies
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Kairosoft is a game development studio that has a ton of interesting strategy games. Some of their more popular titles include Game Dev Story, Ninja Village, Anime Studio Story, Grand Prix Story, and others. Currently, their collection spans dozens of games with free and paid versions of most of them. The games are challenging, but not too difficult, and it's easy to sink several hours into pretty much any of them. We recommend giving Game Dev Story and Ninja Village a try first. Click the button below to view their entire collection!
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Kingdom Rush games

Price: Free / $1.99 / $2.99 with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Kingdom Rush is one of the most successful tower defense franchises out there. There are three games in the series. They include Kingdom Rush, Kingdom Rush Frontier, and Kingdom Rush Origins. They all have the same basic mechanics. You'll build towers and employ heroes to defend yourself against wave after wave of bad guys. Each title has plenty of levels and upgrades to unlock. The first Kingdom Rush game is currently free while the others will cost you a few bucks. The only downside is that they all have in-app purchases, even after you pay for them. Otherwise, they're great strategy games.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Machines at War 3

Price: $6.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Machines at War 3 is one of the better real-time strategy games. Your job is to beat the bad guys and save some scientists. It features a deep story that covers 21 missions. It also features 130 different types of units and tech to build, unlimited random map skirmishes, online multiplayer, and more. There is even an unlimited random skirmish mode in case you just want to kill a few minutes. The game is delightfully challenging as any good strategy game should be. It's a tad expensive at $6.99 but there are no in-app purchases.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Out There: Ω Edition

Price: $3.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Out There: Ω Edition is one of the most difficult strategy games that we've played. The objective in this game is to survive in the vastness of space after your character wakes up from a cryo-chamber. You'll have to manage things like your oxygen levels and other resources as you travel, encounter various forms of alien life, and slowly repair your ship. It's about as hard as it sounds. It also has Google Play Games achievements, four alternate endings, and each new game is freshly created so no two plays will be the same.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Pandemic: The Board Game

Price: $1.99 / $1.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Pandemic is among the best board games out there. You and up to three other people play as CDC scientists. Your job is to traverse the world to kill disease. Diseases will crop up as you try to destroy them. If you wait too long, the diseases cause a pandemic and it's game over. There are seven characters to play, up to four players via local or online multiplayer, three difficulty settings, a full rulebook, and more. You can also pay a few extra bucks for expansions that give you more roles, more events, and more content. This is really one of the best strategy games out there.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY


Plague Inc

Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Plague Inc is one of the most popular and successful strategy games of all time. The premise is that you're supposed to infect the entire world with a disease. Thus, you must develop and evolve a disease that is strong enough to do that. You'll have 12 disease types to play around with along with save/load functionality so you can keep going between play sessions. It's quite a complex game. The developers have also done a great job adding in expansions over the years. Even the CDC likes this game. Yes, really.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic

Price: $5.99 / $5.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic is a port of the original Rollercoaster Tycoon. The game comes with both the first and second title in the series. There are additional expansions available as in-app purchases as well. For those who have never played, Rollercoaster Tycoon gives you a theme park. There is also a set of conditions that must be met. You must build a park that also fulfills all of those conditions to win the scenario. There are 95 scenarios to play through, tons of coasters and attractions to build, and more. There is even a Park Scenario Editor to create your own scenarios. It's a ton of fun and definitely one of the best strategy games out there.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Supercell games

Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Supercell is the developer of three of the most successful and popular strategy games ever. They are Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Boom Beach. Clash of Clans and Boom Beach are RTS strategy games where you build a base, defend it against other players, and then attack other players. Clash Royale is a card game similar in scope to Hearthstone. Each game boasts a massive player base and that's good news because they're all online multiplayer games. Each one is also a freemium game.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

Vainglory

Price: Free with in-app purchases
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Vainglory is arguably the most popular MOBA on Android right now. It features three-on-three online battles that last up to 20 minutes each. You can play as many as you want without restriction. The game boasts 60fps and a sub-30ms control response which caters to the hardcore fans of the genre. There are quite a few heroes available and more are frequently added. You can also customize them with skins if you prefer. There are casual, ranked, and quick play modes depending on what kind of challenge you're looking for. It's also popular with eSports fans.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

XCOM: Enemy Within

Price: $9.99
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY
Last and certainly not least on our list is XCOM: Enemy Within. This is a tactical strategy game where you move your characters on a chessboard style map and kill off the bad guys. On top of that, you'll be able to recruit new characters, upgrade a variety of things including your gear and abilities, and more. There is also a campaign mode with tons of stuff to do. It also has online multiplayer in case you feel like doing a little social gaming. It's a bit expensive, but there are no in-app purchases and the graphics are pretty fantastic. It's one of the best strategy games out there.
DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY

15 best Android tower defense games

February 4, 2017
 

15 best board games for Android

August 1, 2016

If we missed any of the best strategy games for Android, tell us about them in the comments!



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