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Amazon Fire Phone iFixit teardown: unsurprisingly tedious

Now that the Fire Phone is officially out, it is, of course, time to give it the iFixit treatment. Amazon's much-awaited first ever smartphone is filled to the brim, not with top of the line specs, but with fancy gimmicks and features that keep the device unique, if not entirely interesting. However, it is those features that may actually make it all the more difficult to repair.



At first glance, the Amazon Fire Phone looks deceptively easy to open up since its two halves are only held together surprisingly by non-proprietary Torx T3 screws. Once separated, however, the phone reveals a different story, one that is not exactly impossible to pick apart but unnecessarily tedious. The only thing that connects the two halves, apart from the glue sealant, of course, is the volume rocker cable. The inside back cover of the Fire Phone reveals a tamper-evident sticker that testifies to your ghastly deed. That, however, is the least of the problems when trying to open up the device.


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There are two major sore points in this teardown process. The first is that, unlike most smartphone nowadays, the Fire Phone's components are not modular. Several even share the same cable so that replacing one could pretty much mean replacing others as well. The other problem is the four front-facing cameras that enable the Fire Phone to implement its fancy Dynamic Perspective feature. These cameras are encased in glue to ensure that they won't accidentally jiggle around because precision is critical. But it also means they are terribly hard to remove. And since they're glued to the display assembly, getting the latter repaired means either replacing all four cameras too, or some extremely careful transplanting procedure.




It isn't surprising then that the Amazon Fire Phone gets a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the easiest to repair and 1 being the worst. Then again, this might not exactly be surprising to those that are familiar with how Amazon performs its business. The company very much likes to keep everything under its control, so it will very much prefer that it will be the only one to repair it. Of course, that may never have been in question for most owners anyway, but the repairability index does have one other implication. Even if you get the Fire Phone repaired, it will most likely cost you more than usual.


SOURCE: iFixit





Google Play now has ‘Offline Games’ section

If there’s one thing casual gamers hate (with the fire of a thousand suns), it’s those single player casual games that require you to have internet connection. It just defeats the purpose of casual gaming. You want to pass the time and chill out, play a couple of games. Adding the internet requirement just boosts the stress level up a couple of notches. So yes, this is a good move for Google Play – to promote games that don’t need a live internet connection.



Please don’t get us wrong, we understand that because of piracy issues, or if your game is has an online multiplayer aspect – there are games that totally need an internet connection. But there are some which do not, and Google is in our opinion playing their cards right, making it easier for casual gamers to find those games that do not require a connection.


The list contains such goodies as Asphalt 8, Whale Trail, Beach Buggy Blitz, Dots, Plague Inc., Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Kingdom Rush Frontiers, Assassin's Creed Pirates, and Slingshot Racing. As of the moment, the list contains 54 games, all of which you can play even if you were stuck in an uninhabited island somewhere in the South Pacific (provided you have enough battery power, that is).


Too often, we are stuck with single player games that have to download features from a server, or have authentication protocols – most of the top game developers are doing this. Hopefully, this promotion by Google would encourage those developers who just want to see their game played, and those users who really – just for a few minutes, to break the stress and monotony – just want to play.


VIA: Reddit





HTC One M8 shows off red and pink colors

If you’re the type of person who prefers to have your smartphone in flashy colors without resorting to using phone casings, then HTC One M8’s newest color offerings would be right up your alley. They are now making the smartphone available in two other color variants, namely red and pink, to appeal to those who would rather forego the original Gunmetal Gray and Glacial Silver colors.



However, not everyone will be able to avail of these funky new colours. While Verizon is offering the red variant in the US, calling it the Glamour Red model, it is exclusive in the UK to carrier O2 who will be accepting pre-orders by August 5 and will be available in-store by August 7. The Pink HTC One M8 will only be available to the Carphone Warehouse in the UK as well starting August 7, but customers can already pre-order starting July 25 and will even receive an HTC One Dot View case for free.


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But lest you think that there are some additional features for the two color variants, they’re still the same as any other HTC One M8 phone. And that is not exactly a bad thing as HTC’s flagship has been receiving mostly positive reviews. Its 5-inch Super LCD3 1080p display, 32GB of internal storage, 2GB of RAM, 2600 mAh battery and Snapdragon 801 processor are very desirable features to have in a smartphone. Another stand-out feature is that 5MP front-facing camera for those who just love to take selfies. The Duo Camera boasts of great imaging capabilities, harnessed by HTC’s Ultrapixel technology.


The design of the HTC One M8, with its rounded corners and edges and curved unibody design, isn’t all that bad either. The brushed metal look which worked so nicely with the gray, silver and Amber Gold (also available in the US through Verizon) colors, also work well with the two newest colors. Now anyone up for making a purple or orange one?


VIA: Pocket Now





SNK Playmore brings King of Fighters ’98 to Android

If you enjoyed the arcade beat-em-up era of the late 90s, then you might have played this fighting game favorite – King of Fighters. This particular arcade game has been ported to a number of consoles because of its huge nostalgia hit and immense replay value. And yes, game creators SNK Playmore are now bringing this to Android devices. Should be a blast.



King of Fighters ’98 is the fifth in the series of games SNK released under the KoF franchise, with the main attraction to the fans of the series being that the game brought back characters who were killed off in the earlier storylines (yes, these games did have storylines). The game itself did not add to the story arc, but was more about bring old and new characters together. For what, you ask? Why, for fighting, of course!




This jump to Android is a welcome, if a little bit predictable, move on SNK Playmore’s part. But hey, why not cash in on a good game? The game is easily downloadable via the Google Play Store (see the source link) for USD$3.99. With the download you get a beefed-up 38-character King of Fighters roster and you can fight all you want.


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This version also brings what is probably a welcome additional feature to the fighting game genre in Android. Other famous fighting games have been bogged down by using virtual on-screen buttons, which not only hampered the view, but also made gameplay that much more difficult. This version, apart from having the virtual buttons, will also support Bluetooth gaming controllers, which should be a breath of fresh air for hardcore gamers.


SOURCE: Google Play Store





Firefox Beta gets new tab panels, easy language switch

Chrome isn't the only one getting a Beta makeover. Mozilla has just revealed the latest version of Firefox Beta for Android and it has two new features that are definitely boast-worthy. Users can now customize new tab pages with their choice of panels and can now switch the browser's language on the fly without having to change the entire device's language settings.



Home screen pages bring a dash of personalization to Firefox on Android. These pages, or rather panels, can offer dynamic content suited to a user's preferences. You might already be familiar with those panels, as the the History, Top Sites, Bookmarks and Reading List are some of those. Now you can also add more via the Firefox Add-ons market. These range from panels that display your Pocket reading list to Goal.com footie scores to an Instragram photo wall. But more than just adding them, you can reorder them and even choose which one to use as the default panel when you start Firefox or open a new tab. All these via the Customize options in the Settings menu.


Language switching is also a lot easier now. Previously, to use Firefox in another language, you'd have to dig into Android's own Language settings and change the language there, which would, of course, affect the whole device. Now you don't have to if you just need to take a quick peek at another locale. Simply go to Firefox's settings and Language options. Fast, easy, and worry-free. Note that this language switching only applies to the user interface and doesn't translate the web page, of course.


These new features are coming via the latest Firefox Beta for Android update, rolling out to users in the usual staggered fashion. Home panels can be added to Firefox by visiting the link below from your smartphone or tablet. Do note that they are marked as experimental. In addition to these new user features, Mozilla is also announcing a fresh new set of APIs that will let other developers create their own home screen pages.


SOURCE: Mozilla (Add-ons)





Chrome Beta for Android gets Material, single sign-in

Google has rolled out a new beta version of Chrome for Android, bringing with it both functional and visual improvements. The new simplified sign-in system means you won't have to repeatedly enter your username and password when in Google territory and the slight facelift heralds the arrival of Material Design on the browser.



The new sign in feature is very simple and practically associates your device's Google account with Chrome. Simply go to Settings and select Sign in to Chrome and you'll never have to sign in to any Google website you go to ever again. This reduces the potential for errors when entering passwords, but could also mean easy access to your Google account for anyone currently holding the device. This system works even if you have multiple Google accounts on your device, with each of those getting signed in to Chrome automatically. Google isn't saying if it works for third-party sites that utilize Google logins as well.


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Google has started applying the tenets of Material Design to non-Android L apps, starting with Google Play Store this week. But like Play Store, it isn't yet a total overhaul and changes are being applied piecemeal. The most notable difference in Chrome is the flatness of the tab decorations and icons, in line with Material's aesthetics. We expect to see more such changes rolling out eventually to other Google apps as well.


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The latest Chrome Beta for Android has been uploaded to Google Play Store and should be rolling out to users, though again, not all at once. Users of the stable version, however, might have to sit and wait for a while, as it usually takes a couple of Beta releases before those features trickle down to the final Chrome version.


SOURCE: Google





Google offers more services as Chromecast turns 1 year old

Has it only been just one year since Google first introduced as to this streaming dongle? As Chromecast celebrates its first anniversary, Google is giving us a glimpse into where it is going as well as offering up some other free media to entice new users and keep existing ones happy as well.



Despite some recent reports saying that the demand for and the actual use of Chromecast has declined, Google would like to believe that the fact that there were over 400 million times that people have pushed the cast button means that they still have a stronghold on the market. In order to convince even more people to get one or to use their existing one more often, they are offering 90 days of free use for the Google Play Music All Access, provided that you are not already an existing subscriber to the service. The trial period is for new and current Chromecast owners, but they have to sign up before September ends to avail of this promo.


According to Chromecast chief Mario Queiroz, there are more plans to improve the use of the dongle. In the next few months, they will be adding features like allowing people not on the same WiFi network to cast to your TV. They also plan to add a customisable home screen called Chromecast Backdrop for when you want your screen to look pretty even when you’re not using it yet.


They also offered several tips on how to maximise your Chromecast by using some of the apps that they’ve made available for the past year, like casting your YouTube playlist to your TV, using the Daily Burn for exercise and watching sporting events on your TV by casting your subscription to MLB or MLS. An insight from market researchers Park Associates said that while 6% of US households have Chromecast, a huge percentage of that bought the dongle just because of its cheap $35 price, without necessarily understanding what it does or how it can benefit them. Google wants to hopefully change that perception by offering more apps and features in the future.


VIA: SlashGear


SOURCE: Google





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