+101 - Vote for the best Android Applications

• Wear Mini Launcher starts showing pop-up ads after latest update
  

  

  One of the most popular third-party apps for Android Wear is Wear Mini Launcher. As the name implies, it’s an app launcher for your watch that tries to improve upon the normal basic list of apps. But as of the latest update, Wear Mini Launcher has started pushing pop-up ads.

   

  

  A popup from Wear Mini Launcher (image credit)

  After updating to the newest version, many users are reporting pop-ups for various sketchy apps, like a cleaner application in the above screenshot.

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  Wear Mini Launcher starts showing pop-up ads after latest update was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

• [Deal Alert] Samsung Gear 360 (1st gen) is just $99 on Amazon
  

  Samsung’s second 360-degree camera, the 2017 Gear 360, was released alongside the Galaxy S8. Naturally, the price for the original model started to drop from its $349 MSRP. Now you can get it for just $99 on Amazon.
  The original Gear 360 has two wide-…

• Smart home are addictive: how Alexa and friends found their way into my home
  

  Little did I know when I got a discounted Philips Hue starter kit that I’d let myself into a world where there was no going back. Here’s why I’m glad I made my home smart(This is a preview – click here to read the entire entry.)

• [Deal Alert] Moto G5 Plus (64GB/4GB) on sale for $239.99 ($60 off) at Amazon and Best Buy
  

  

  Motorola’s high-end phones haven’t been my favorite devices for the last few years, but the budget lineup is fantastic. In fact, the Moto G5 Plus is probably the best phone you can get in its price range. It’s even better if you have the version with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, but that’s usually too spendy at $300. Today, it’s about $60 cheaper—just $239.99, which is only $10 more than the base model.

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  [Deal Alert] Moto G5 Plus (64GB/4GB) on sale for $239.99 ($60 off) at Amazon and Best Buy was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

• Download the Essential Phone wallpapers here!
  

  You don’t have to spend $699 to get these wallpapers.

  The new Essential Phone has a pretty mind-bending screen with super-tiny bezels, and it just looks even better with one of its default wallpapers loaded. Those wallpapers have picked up some attention, and that’s to be expected — so that’s why we want to offer them up for anyone to use.

  Here are six different wallpapers that come pre-loaded on the Essential Phone. A couple of them actually aren’t super-high resolution, but a few of them are. In either case, these wallpapers will surely look great on your phone if you’re looking for something simple, elegant and dark for a wallpaper. Enjoy!

  (If you’re viewing this on our mobile app, open the article in a web browser to download to your phone directly!)

  Default

  Default 2

  Default 3

  ‘Champagne’

  ‘Jaune’

  ‘Noir’

  Which of this small crop of wallpapers is your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

  Essential Phone

  Essential Phone review: Fir…

• Andromeda OS replaces Windows 10 Mobile – back to square one
  

  Windows 10 Mobile is going through some serious change at HQ. It is to run Andromeda OS on its future devices – is this a good thing? Read on to see what we think.(This is a preview – click here to read the entire entry.)

• Motorola appears poised to finally update the Moto 360 Sport to Android Wear 2.0
  

  A lot of things have changed over at Moto following the takeover by Lenovo. For instance, the phones are modular and the watches are… nonexistent. The company still supports the older wearables, although owners of the Moto 360 Sport might disagree t…

• Essential wants your attention as much as your money (for now)
  

  Essential isn’t even trying to compete with Samsung or even LG with their first phone.

  You’ve probably read at least one “first look” at the Essential Phone. They all have a few things in common, and mostly leave us with the impression that it’s an interesting first try from a new company. It’s definitely an ambitious device in some ways, especially in the looks department. What you’re probably not going to see is the Essential Phone at the top of any “must buy” lists beside the Samsung Galaxy S8 or LG G6. And I think that’s just fine with Andy Rubin (the founder of Android) and company.

  At least for now.

  It’s almost impossible for a new company to come along and make any headway in the Android world. Samsung takes almost all the business, and long-established brands like Motorola, HTC, and LG fight over the scraps, hoping to turn a profit. It takes three things to compete: a good product, agreements with U.S. carriers, and millions of dollars in advertising. At first glance, Esse…

• [Deal Alert] Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is $489 ($110 off) with $20 Play Store credit at Woot
  

  The Android tablet market mostly consists of sub-$100 models usually found at your local Walmart or Target. High-end Android tablets are few and far between, with one of them being the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3. Now you can buy it for $489 from Woot, a $1…

• Get into some trouble in this weekend’s comments thread!
  

  The only rule is to be cool to each other.

  Another week is in the can and that means it’s time to relax, enjoy yourself and get together with friends.

  It’s certainly been another week of charged emotions and stressful happenings, but it’s good for everyone to put aside the things add to the tension and drama once in a while. Here is a good place to do just that. You can talk about Android or phones in general, or you can just talk about anything. The only requirement is to be cool to one another.

  I had a busy week (and will have the same next week) while I remodel my office. After seven years of sitting right in front of the air conditioning vent, I finally had enough and am shifting things so my feet are a little warmer. 🐾

  That means moving A/V equipment and shelves and guitar stands and desks and all sorts of things that are either heavy or screwed to a wall. Once everything is shifted 90-degrees to the AC vent, I get to break down and move a 6-foot long aquarium. Ugh. …

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