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Twitch app gets persistent player, audio only feature

Hardcore gamers who love watching broadcasts of their favorite games are surely onto the Twitch app by now. Whether you follow League of Legends, Minecraft, or the oh-so-popular Clash of Clans, the Twitch app should be the broadcast app of choice. There are some interesting tweaks that have made it to the current update of the app – including a persistent video player and an audio only mode.



The problem before when streaming a game or commentary broadcast was that you were not able to browse other content within the app while doing so. Exiting out of the broadcast to browse meant you had to re-stream the video again. That ends with the persistent video player, which continues to play your video in the app while allowing you to browse other content.


And specifically for Android users, there’s the Audio Only mode. The new feature lets users listen to broadcasts even with their device locked or just the Twitch app running in the background. A new option is now made available within the Video Options icon to activate or deactivate it. Also, users can control this mode outside the app via Android’s system notifications. Pretty cool, eh?


Twitch is maturing as an app, and gamers who use it must be thankful for developers who think their features through. If you haven’t tried the app yet, get it via the download link below.


DOWNLOAD: Google Play Store

SOURCE: Twitch





Nextbook Ares 11: A 2-in-1 tablet/netbook for under $200

If we asked you what was the 5th largest tablet supplier in the US, would any of you answer E FUN? Probably not, but apparently it is. And now they're making their foray into the hybrid market with their first Android 2-in-1 laptop tablet, the Nextbook Ares 11. While it may not be the high-powered gadget that you've always dreamed of, at least it strives to bring you value for money with its features and functions.



The Nextbook Ares 11 is somewhere in between: it's bigger than a tablet, but smaller than a laptop, with its 11.6-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard. It runs on a Quad-Core Intel® AtomTM Z3735F Processor (X86, 1.8GHz) and it already comes with the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop (which is better than a lot of more high-end devices that have yet to receive that update). The detachable keyboard is backlit and comes with two standard USB ports while the touch screen is 1366 x 768 IPS capacitive.


It has just 1GB memory and 64GB internal storage, with the microSD slot capable of supporting up to another 64GB. So this is not something that you can use to install heavy programs or lots of games and multi-media. But it would be perfect for students looking for a simple machine to use for school or casual users that just need word processing or web surfing basic features. You can also watch movies or TV shows through streaming services like VUDU or Flixster, or reading ebooks (the Nook app is preloaded already).


Of course the best part about is that it is just $197 (with some high-end smartphones costing higher than that). You will be able to buy the Nextbook Ares 11 at Walmart stores and online at walmart.com.


SOURCE: E FUN


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Possible Sony Xperia Z4 specs leak via GFXBench

After we discovered that Sony wasn’t launching their new flagship in January, and another letdown as they did not use MWC 2015 in Barcelona this month to unveil said flagship, it has been quiet on all fronts for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4, at least until today, where we see one of the most ideal leaks – a benchmark leak which shows us most of what we need to know.



First up, the device is coded as the Sony E6553, which apparently translates roughly to Sony Xperia Z4 in code language. So first things first, let’s take a peek under the hood. We see this device not surprisingly powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest, the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, with Adreno 430 graphics. That will power a 5.1-inch full HD (1080p) display, probably of the Sony TRILUMINOS kind. This will be backstopped by 3GB of RAM.


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Then we see a 19MP/4.8MP camera combo. Cameras have always been the strength of the Xperia line, so we can expect these babies to perform as well. Internal storage clocks in at 23GB. The said device, at the moment, runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.


So, no major surprises here – if this is indeed the Sony Xperia Z4. The specs line up to match what we expect to be a flagship device. We have no information yet on when this device will launch, or if this is even the Sony Xperia Z4 to begin with. But the data looks solid at this point.


VIA: Mobifo


All My Gods is a city building game with a Roman twist

There’s a lot to be said about some people’s fascination to become “gods”, to have control over the fate of cities and worlds. Thankfully, we don’t have to go that deep in this article – but only that the Android platform allows some of that to an extent. “All My Gods” is a new game which allows you to practice city building powers as a Roman god.



As a Roman god – specifically the son of Saturn – the player will be “blessed” with divine capabilities. You can control a Roman village and affect its growth by befriending other gods, creating miracles for the people in the village and whatnot – just normal Roman mythology good stuff.



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Play the game right, your village grows in size. Oh, and you have to remember that the god of War dislikes you, you have to deal with that throughout the game, which plays heavy on your strategy skills. Strangely, the game devs promise a very specific amount of gameplay, 12 hours. We wonder why.


The game is free to play, but will have a lot of IAPs that you can use to boost your godly powers. The in-app boosts cost as much as USD$2.99. The game is free to pick up via the Google Play Store.


DOWNLOAD: Google Play Store





ASUS Chromebook Flip: budget netbook in tablet/laptop hybrid style

We somehow expect a lot from our netbooks nowadays, when before we only needed it for word processing and web surfing functionalities. But now we have a lot of high-end devices that can function as both a netbook and a tablet. Chromebook OS devices are also slowly growing in number, but they are either too expensive or on the other end of the spectrum, the low-end ones still leave a lot to be desired. But now ASUS is attempting to bridge the gap between premium specs and affordable prices with their new Chromebook Flip.



The 15mm thick (or we should call it thin) netbook runs on Rockchip's new 3288 quadcore chip with 1.8GHz and ARM Mali-T764 GPU graphics. The full metal device has a full HD IPS touchscreen and a convertible hinge that will make it easier for you to turn it from a netbook into a tablet. It can be useful for both personal use and even professional use but it can also appeal to students, particularly for art education as the touch screen functions of the Chromebook Flip.


Speaking of Chromebook, a lot of the touch-friendly functionalities of Google are baked into the device, like automatic screen rotation (which will hide window management buttons when you go into full-screen mode), a new virtual keyboard (including handwriting support, which is why it's very convenient for students taking notes), and many other features that we've come to expect from Chromebook OS devices.


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The way Chromebook Flip looks, you would expect it to cost a lot, but when you see its price tag, you would be pleasantly surprised. It will only cost you $249 (even cheaper than some of the smartphones out there) and it will go on sale this summer.


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New Moto X now with red leather option in Moto Maker

If your favorite color is red and you're in the market for a new smartphone that you can customize to your heart's content (well, at least more than the others available now), then the 2nd generation Moto X might be the one for you. They're now introducing a red leather option when you "create" your smartphone through their customizable Moto Maker, branding it under their hashtag #ChooseChoice.



The Horween leather back option, which previously comes in other colors like brown, gray, black, orange, blue but now, you can choose red as your color, making a striking look for your Moto X 2nd gen. They previously had a "football red" (the American football, not "soccer) edition, but this is only for the Verizon variant. But other than that, this is still the same Moto X that has gotten rave reviews from some tech enthusiasts.


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It runs on a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 quad core processor and has 2GB RAM and an option to get the 16GB or 32GB internal storage option. The Moto X has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 OLED display, with a 13MP main camera and a relatively low 2MP front-facing camera, which may not be that ideal for selfie-loving folks.


The red color is only available through Moto Maker but only in the US, UK, France, Germany and Mexico markets. It will cost you an additional $25, just like the other leather back options previously, and that will be added on top of the regular off-contract Moto X which starts at $399.99.


SOURCE: Motorola





Jamstik+ is a modern musician’s guitar, up for crowdfunding

When Zivix came out with the jamstik in 2014, we kinda sorta knew they were not going to stop at just the first edition, what with the warm reception as CES 2014 and NAMM 2014. Lo and behold, they have come out with the much improved Jamstik+, and Zivix is looking to crowdfund its initial push for the modern stringed instrument.



The Jamstik+, at its core, is a smart guitar which a musician is able to play by pairing it over Bluetooth to an Android smartphone or tablet. One of the biggest draws to this is that musicians who live in apartments can play it without producing any noise. You can record yourself without ambient noise and such.


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Is it comparable to a traditional guitar? Well, heck no. But it’s targeted at a very specific type of musician. The Jamstik+ is a lot smaller than a traditional guitar, so it’s easier to put inside your backpack. It just requires pairing a device that has either headphone or speaker outputs. The Jamstik+ has 5 frets, so as a guitarist you can imagine just what you will be able to play on it.




Zivix placed the Jamstik+ on Kickstarter, where it has gotten way more than the USD$50,000 goal amount. If you are looking to back this project, head on over to the campaign via the source link below.


SOURCE: Kickstarter


This is a crowdfunded project, and as such may not deliver what its creators initially promise. Most crowdfunding sites, like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, have policies about what happens to your money if the project fails to deliver on its goals, but choosing to back a project is inevitably a risk. Android Community's reporting on crowdfunded projects should in no way be seen as an endorsement, unless specifically stated, and we recommend closely examining the terms and conditions to understand your individual rights as a backer before making a pledge.





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