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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

3 Reasons the Moto 360 Sport is Worth Buying

We have been spreading reasons why you should buy the top Android smartphones on the market, but starting today, we are shifting our focusing to smartwatches and will kick things off with the Moto 360 Sport. Released earlier this month, the Moto 360 Sport is Motorola’s hybrid device, created to meld both fitness tracking and smartwatch functionality into a usable, easy to understand device.

Having recently reviewed it, I came away very impressed with its ability to track my fitness routines, while also giving me the info I need that comes directly from my smartphone. This includes email alerts, Hangouts notifications, as well as Google Maps info when I am busy driving myself around town. The Moto 360 Sport is the first true attempt at combining everything you need from a fitness tracker and baking it into an Android Wear smartwatch, so again, if you have not yet checked it out, read our full review.

If you already went through the review, or just don’t have time, here are three reasons why the Moto 360 Sport is a good buy for you. 


moto 360 sport

1. It’s a smartwatch that handles fitness very well.

From the first watch face you see when booting up the Moto 360 Sport, you can tell this thing was meant to be your fitness companion. On this watch face, which is the one I used primarily during the time of my review, you can quickly access information on your steps taken, calories burned, and heart activity. Looking to the photo above, you will see a “Start” button. When pressed, you can begin a quick workout, and the watch will begin taking its measurements of calories burned, GPS data, and steps. All of this same functionality can be opened up through an app, in case using this watch face does not suit you.

Once a workout is complete, you can head into the Moto Body application that can be downloaded onto any Android device via Google Play. Inside, you can analyze all of the data the watch recorded, including the route via GPS, calories, heart activity, etc.

In addition, the watch will start you off with “daily goals.” These goals are by no means for Olympic athletes, but perfect for your everyday Joe Schmo. To start, the daily goal for steps is set at 10,000, which seems to be rather common on fitness trackers. For healthy heart activity, the watch wants users to complete a solid hour of activity, just to make sure you get that blood circulating well throughout the body. When you reach these goals, a little vibration will go off, alerting you to a successful day of activity. At this point, you can then binge on nachos and beer.

For a more detailed breakdown on the fitness side of this smartwatch, read our complete review.

2. AnyLight Hybrid display.

First introduced on the Moto 360 Sport, the AnyLight Hybrid display allows users to view their smartwatch in virtually any setting, and this was confirmed by myself after spending a few weeks with the device, even taking it with me to Las Vegas for CES. Whether it is direct sunlight or dimly lit rooms, the Moto 360 Sport offers one of the best smartwatch viewing experiences I have had.

The technology is two panels – one regular LCD that you will find in other smartwatches, in addition to a special front-lit reflective display. When combined, this panel allows real contrast to be seen by the eye, even when you are out on a run during a sunny day. If you compared this to a regular Moto 360, the difference would be almost immediate, as the Moto 360, as with other Android Wear watches, do not fair too favorably in direct lighting.

In my review, I claimed that I wish every Android Wear smartwatch featured this type of display, as there is something about it that is pleasing to the eyes. Maybe its the lack of glare or the lack of blinding brightness needed when outdoors, but AnyLight Hybrid kicks major butt.

moto 360 sport-13

3. Comfort during usage.

Given that if you intend on purchasing this device, you will probably be using it for outdoor and physical activities. I have worn every Android Wear watch to my knowledge, and if I was ranking them on comfort alone, the Moto 360 Sport would easily be in my top three, alongside the Moto 360 (1st Gen) and Huawei Watch. However, none of these other watches are made with complete fitness in mind, so when it comes to the gym, you only have one real option in the realm of Android Wear.

The silicone band on this watch offers great stretch, which I found to be the true reason for its comfort. After a few wears and you find the perfect fit, the device’s bands almost mold onto the wrist, allowing for that perfect fit every time. The same can be said for genuine leather bands, and to see that from silicone, it is promising.

In my review, I note that these bands can be especially sticky, never ceasing to pick up dog hair and random dust particles. To counter this, I find myself wiping my watch down every now and then, which will likely be common if you tend to be sweating on it at the gym. Remember, folks, always wipe down your equipment, including your smartwatch. And don’t worry, this thing is sweat, water, and dust resistant.

If any of these reasons have made you a believer, the Moto 360 Sport is priced at $299 on Motorola’s website.

3 Reasons the Moto 360 Sport is Worth Buying is a post from: Droid Life



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DEAL: This Quick Charge 2.0 Car Charger is Just $5.99

Here’s a crazy good deal for those of you on the hunt for a car charger with Quick Charge 2.0 support. Choetech is currently selling their 2-port car charger for just $5.99 with coupon code. The unit typically retails for $13.99, so you are looking at a solid $8 discount to just a few bucks.

While it is 2-port, only 1 of the ports is QC 2.0 equipped. The other port is an adaptive fast charger that should still get the job done fairly quickly.

Amazon Link 

To get the deal, use code “725N2G9D” at checkout. Amazon Prime shipping is included.

DEAL: This Quick Charge 2.0 Car Charger is Just $5.99 is a post from: Droid Life



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DL MEGA CASE GIVEAWAY: We’ve Got 80 Cases That You Need to Take Off Our Hands

Ummm, so, apparently you guys really like cases. What do you say we give away a bunch of the cases we have lying around the Droid Life offices to those that are in need of one? I just counted out a box full and I’m coming up with at least 80 that you need to take off my hands. Seriously, you can see them all in the image above.

Right now, I have a pile of cases lying in my office for phones like the Galaxy S6 and Edge (+ too), Note 5 and 4, LG G3 and G4, Nexus 6 and 5, and HTC One M9. I even have a couple of random cases, like an Incipio battery pack case for the original Moto X, an Alto leather case for the iPhone 6, and car charger/shell combo fo the Blackberry Priv.

The cases you’ll find in this giveaway are from your favorite case brands too, like Spigen and Ringke, but you’ll find some official Nexus cases as well. Some have been briefly reviewed or fondled for a few minutes, but most are brand new and have never been out of the box. I hope if you win one and it has been touched by a finger or two, you won’t mind. After all, it’s a free case.

So what do you say? Who wants a free case? 

This is how to enter to win a free case.


In order to get one, we are going to try and keep this dead simple. Below, you’ll find a link to a Google Form (survey) that you will need to fill out. The survey will ask which phone you own (so we can get you the correct case) and what your shipping info is. It will also require you to login with a Google account. You can only submit a response once that way, so make sure you submit one for the correct phone.

Because we have so many cases to giveaway, this is the most efficient way for us to do this. If you don’t feel comfortable filling out this private survey whose results only I have access to, I fully understand. If you don’t feel like submitting a response with a Google account, I also understand. But that’s how this is going down, because again, we want this to be simple in the end, so that we can easily choose winners and get them shipped out.

Obviously, we have 80 or so cases, but there could be more than 80 entries. Not everyone will win. If you win, you’ll know because you’ll receive a case in the mail. If you receive nothing, then you didn’t win. We’ll do our best to mail all cases out within the next week.

Once the survey and giveaway are over with (meaning we sent all cases out), I’m deleting the survey responses. I have no need for your addresses other than to giveaway some cases that are taking up space in my office.

All good? Click the link below and fill out the simple survey in order to enter for a chance to win.

LINK TO SURVEY

DL MEGA CASE GIVEAWAY: We’ve Got 80 Cases That You Need to Take Off Our Hands is a post from: Droid Life



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Mobile Comments Arrive for Google Docs, Slides and Sheets

App updates are rolling out, allowing users of Google Slides, Sheets, and Docs to add comments while on mobile devices. Previously, commenting was exclusive to desktop folk, but now, anyone who is a part of a file can chip in their two cents, regardless of what device they are using. 

To add a comment, hit the drop down menu in any file, and you will see a comment button under “Insert.” Tap that button, then you are all set to make any comments you need.

Google thought it would be cute to share a story about how impactful comments from mobile can be, so view the company’s promo video below, highlighting a zucchini chocolate cake.

Play Links: Docs | Sheets | Slides

Via: Google

Mobile Comments Arrive for Google Docs, Slides and Sheets is a post from: Droid Life



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T-Mobile Prepaid Plans Upgraded With More Data, No Price Hike

T-Mobile prepaid plans have always been a heck of a value, but within the past couple of days, they made them even better. We’re talking about the addition of more data, yet no price hikes to go with them. For a couple of the plans, the added high-speed data is significant. 

Their prices are staying the same at $40, $50, and $60 levels, but the data is going up to 3GB, 5GB, and 10GB, respectively. Previously, the $40 plan had 1GB, the $50 plan had 3GB, and the $60 plan had 5GB. So you can see that each is gaining a lot with little else changing. Don’t forget that each also includes unlimited talk and text, plus these plans get access to music unlimited and “Data Maximizer,” which are weird terms for T-Mobile’s Music Freedom and Binge On.

You can checkout the new T-Mobile prepaid plans here.

t-mobile prepaid

Via:  Tmonews

T-Mobile Prepaid Plans Upgraded With More Data, No Price Hike is a post from: Droid Life



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Question: Do You Use a Case on Your Phone? What Kind?

Smartphones can be quite the investment, so of course, folks want to protect them. There are hundreds of different cases for your smartphone on the market, so how is one supposed to choose the right option? Should they choose one that doesn’t make the device too bulky? Is added bulk okay as long as it protects your device from all of the elements of life? 

We at DL, as we have probably said many times before, do not use cases on our phones. We want to enjoy the look and feel of our phones, which is usually hidden by any case we would choose. Options such as a Toast cover can take your metal and glass phone and turn it into something you would find on the forest moon of Endor. Others, like TPU cases, can be bulky and simply feel cheap at times. Of course, there are also premium thin cases (like the ones from Spigen), heavy duty protective options, and skins that you can apply directly to your phone for low level protection.

With all of that being said, the question of the day is, do you use a case on your smartphone? And if so, which case are you using and why? Is protecting your device more important that admiring its looks on a daily basis? Or maybe you just like the way a particular case looks?

Share your take on cases below.

Question: Do You Use a Case on Your Phone? What Kind? is a post from: Droid Life



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Google Play Reviews Get “Thumbs Up” Button for Quick Positive Feedback

Google made the slightest of tweaks to the Google Play store reviews section this week that will make it easier for you to tell the developer that someone has said something you appreciate about their app, but a little harder for you to tell a developer that a review is nothing but spam. 

As you can see in the image above, we now have a little “thumbs up” icon next to a mini action overflow (read: menu) button. As you run through reviews of an app and you see one or two or ten that you find helpful, a little tap on that “thumbs up” button will go a long way, likely in how reviews show in the app’s listing. If you see reviews that you consider to be spam, well, that’s where you will find the flag as “Spam” option tucked inside that little menu.

It’s a small change, but it does away with the thumbs up/down button and makes it easier to share which reviews you find useful.

Google Play Reviews Get “Thumbs Up” Button for Quick Positive Feedback is a post from: Droid Life



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T-Mobile Hosting BOGO Half-Off Smartphone Event

Starting today, T-Mobile Simple Choice customers can upgrade their lines, thanks to a buy one, get one half-off promotion. For a limited time, customers can purchase any of the high-end smartphones that T-Mobile sells, then receive half-off of a smartphone of equal or lesser value, from the same manufacturer. For example, if you purchase a Galaxy S6, you get a second Galaxy S6 for 50% off. The same goes for the iPhone, Galaxy Note 5, LG G4, among others. 

To pay for these devices, they will be financed through your plan, leaving you with monthly charges to your bill. However, while the first device will be the usual price of around $25, the second device will only cost as low as $12.08 per month. For a Galaxy S6 32GB, that’s a savings of nearly $290 over 24 months for qualified buyers.

Additionally, to take advantage of this promo, no trade-ins are required, and as part of the promotion, families and businesses can get up to six smartphones at half price.

If interested, follow the T-Mo link below.

T-Mobile Link

Via: T-Mobile

T-Mobile Hosting BOGO Half-Off Smartphone Event is a post from: Droid Life



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AT&T Galaxy S7 Shows Up at Geekbench With Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, Android 6.0.1

With less than a month to go before Samsung unveils the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge at MWC in Barcelona, new details are surfacing almost daily. Take today for example, where the phone under model number SM-G930A showed up at benchmarking site Geekbench with a couple of scores and a handful of specs we were curious about. 

As a reminder, SM-G930 has long been referred to as the model number for the Galaxy S7. Once you start attaching letters to the end, that’s when you get specific carry or regional models. In this situation, the “A” stands for AT&T. The Verizon version will be SM-G930V, Sprint will be SM-G930P, and T-Mobile will more than likely be SM-G930T. While we’re on the subject, the Galaxy S7 Edge will fall under SM-G935 generally speaking, with end letters, again, pointing to specific carrier or regional models.

Back to the benchmark – we are seeing the AT&T version that appears to be running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. We know that from this benchmark because the processor is listed as a Qualcomm chipset that is quad-core. We can also see the motherboard listed as “MSM8996.” If you have been following the Snapdragon 820 saga, then you will know that MSM8996 is indeed the part number for the 820 and that this is Qualcomm’s first custom, 64-bit quad-core chip.

We don’t know if all of the US carrier variants will use the Snapdragon 820, but it would be surprising. In the past, we have seen Samsung use Exynos chipsets in international markets, yet use Qualcomm processors here in the US. They didn’t last year, but that’s because they skipped Qualcomm altogether.

As for other info from this benchmark, we are seeing listings for 4GB RAM and Android 6.0.1.

galaxy s7 benchmark

Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy?

Via:  Geekbench | GforGames

AT&T Galaxy S7 Shows Up at Geekbench With Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, Android 6.0.1 is a post from: Droid Life



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