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• Motorola’s new Beta Experiences program will let you test new Moto features before they’re public
  

  Motorola is taking app development more seriously.

  When you think of Motorola’s phones, you think more about the hardware than the software — not because the latter is bad, but because it’s pretty sparse, yielding to Google’s idea of what Android should be. But there are a few differentiating features, like Moto Voice and Display, that are tucked neatly into the Moto app pre-installed on every phone.

  In Sao Paolo, Brazil this week, during the launch of the Moto G6 and E5 series, Motorola’s VP of Product, Dan Dery, told the audience that the company would be launching a new Beta Experiences program to allow early adopters to test new features of existing Moto experiences, along with new ones entirely, in order to provide feedback and shape the future of the company’s software platform.

  Launch timing and details were sparse — we’ve reached out to Motorola for more detail — but after years of stagnation from a software perspective, it’s nice to see Moto taking its f…

• Best Portable Monitors for PlayStation 4 in 2018
  

  Take your gaming on the road with the GeChich M155, our pick for the best portable monitor for your PlayStation 4.

  Best Overall
  Best on a budget
  Best for PS4 Pro
  Short of buying a PlayStation Vita and doing some Remote Play magic, playing your PlayStation 4 on the go can be a tricky and cumbersome experience. But it doesn’t have to be.

  That’s thanks to the advent of portable monitors. While it won’t be portable in a handheld sense, you can make it far more comfortable to not only pack up and travel with your PS4, but also play it anywhere you can find a power outlet.

  The portable monitors we’ll be taking a look at today are all capable of delivering very competent gaming experiences for your PS4. We’ve highlighted monitors based on a number of factors, including portability, ease of use, and resolution.

  Best Overall

  GeChic 1503H 15.6-inch Monitor

  See at Amazon

  GeChic wins our pick for best PS4 monitor with their 1503H model. With a 15.6-inch IPS panel, a resolution that …

• Amazon’s now letting anyone create custom questions/responses for Alexa
  

  Custom responses are just a few clicks away — no coding required.

  If you’ve got a question, chances are Alexa has an answer. Amazon’s been hard at work improving its AI for a few years now, and its latest development results in you being handed the tools for creating custom responses specifically for your own Alexa-powered speaker.

  Amazon just launched a new service called “Alexa Blueprints”, and it enables you to cook up personalized responses from Alexa based on certain questions that you ask it.

  There are a variety of Blueprints to choose from on Amazon’s website, with some of the highlights including custom responses for babysitters, family jokes, a collection of your favorite inspirational quotes, etc.

  In one example for the Houseguest skill, you could say “Alexa, open My Houseguest Guide” to then hear an intro from Alexa introducing some of the custom questions your guests can ask, such as “How do I turn on the TV?” or “Where’s the toilet paper?”.

  After selecting w…

• Huawei launches Honor 10 in China with stunning color options
  

  

  Huawei today unveiled the new Honor 10 smartphone in China. The handset packs an edge-to-edge display and high-end specifications, but it’s the gorgeous color options that are most impressive. The phone is already available to pre-order from the Honor site.

  The Honor 10 is a slightly more affordable (and more attractive) alternative to the Honor View10. It looks a lot like the Huawei P20 at first glance, with a 5.84-inch FullView display with a 2280×1080 resolution at 432 pixels-per-inch.

  Read More

  Huawei launches Honor 10 in China with stunning color options was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

• Moto E5 and E5 Plus hands-on preview: Your next cheap phone
  

  This is how Motorola plans to keep its hold on the low-end market.

  I would argue that the Moto E line is the last of Motorola’s phones that stays true to the company’s original vision for modern Android smartphones. The vision shown with the original Moto X of a simple, compact phone with specs that were good enough but a complete experience that far outweighed the spec sheet. That’s all but gone now to make way for big, feature-packed and costly phones in the Moto Z line and even the Moto G line, which had extremely humble beginnings but has since eclipsed even what that 2013 Moto X represented.

  Last year’s Moto E4 wasn’t flashy or exciting — but it was cheap, and in a real differentiator for a phone of that price it also wasn’t crap. Actually, it was pretty good. The Moto E4 topped out at $129, could regularly be found for about $100, and had all of the entry-level smartphone basics more than covered. This is where Moto makes a killing in developing markets selling unlocked…

• Moto E5, E5 Play and E5 Plus specs
  

  Everything that’s inside.

  The Moto E series is more about price point and value than raw specs, but you still want to know what you’re getting inside your affordable phone. Here’s the full spec sheet for the Moto E5, Moto E5 Play and Moto E5 Plus.

  Category
  Moto E5
  Moto E5 Play
  Moto E5 Plus
  Operating system
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Display
  5.7-inch IPS LCD, 1440×720 (18:9)Gorilla Glass 3
  5.2-inch IPS LCD, 1280 x 720 (16:9)
  6-inch IPS LCD, 1440×720 (18:9)Gorilla Glass 3
  Processor
  Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-coreAdreno 308 GPU
  Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 or 427 quad-coreAdreno 308 GPU
  Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 octa-coreAdreno 505 GPU
  Storage
  16GB
  16GB
  32GB
  Expandable
  MicroSD up to 128GB
  MicroSD up to 128GB
  MicroSD up to 128GB
  RAM
  2GB
  2GB
  3GB
  Rear camera
  13MP, 1.12-micron, f/2.0, PDAF
  8MP, 1.12-micron, f/2.0
  12MP, 1.25-micron, f/2.0, laser AF
  Front camera
  5MP, LED flash
  5MP, LED flash
  8MP, 1.12-micron, f/2.2, LED …

• Moto G6 series hands-on preview: Hello photo
  

  Budget beauties.

  It’s been five long years since Motorola introduced the Moto G, a phone that would, after the ignominious rise and fall of the ahead-of-its-time Moto X, come to stand out less for its features than its legacy.

  When Lenovo took over the Moto brand, “G” was the lone money-maker in Motorola’s shrinking portfolio, so the new owners did what any corporate parent would do in such a circumstance: it expanded.

  What was a single model between 2013 and 2015 bloomed to three in 2016 with the Moto G4, G4 Plus, and G4 Play, and four the following year with the Moto G5, G5 Plus, G5s and G5s Plus, all carefully designed to cater to various slices of the global budget phone market.

  To avoid the pitfalls of other companies in such a low-margin business, Motorola has embarked on a ruthlessly data-driven quest to build phones for the existing needs of its incumbent countries, rather than waiting for customers to seek them out. That’s why you’ll find upwards of a dozen individua…

• Moto G6, G6 Play, and G6 Plus specs
  

  Two of them are coming to the U.S.

  Motorola has introduced three new Moto G6 phones for 2018, the G6, G6 Play, and G6 Plus. They’re all pretty similar, and familiar, but each has its own place in the market. Here’s what you need to know.

  Category
  Moto G6 Play
  Moto G6
  Moto G6 Plus
  Operating System
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Android 8.0 Oreo
  Display
  5.7-inch IPS LCD 1440×720 18:9 aspect ratio
  5.7-inch IPS LCD 2160×1080 18:9 aspect ratio
  5.9-inch IPS LCD 2160×1080 18:9 aspect ratio
  Processor
  Snapdragon 427 1.4GHz octa-coreAdreno 308 GPU
  Snapdragon 450 1.8GHz octa-coreAdreno 506 GPU
  Snapdragon 630 2.2GHz octa-core KryoAdreno 508 GPU
  Storage
  16/32GB
  32/64GB
  64/128GB
  Expandable
  microSD card up to 128GB
  microSD card up to 128GB
  microSD card up to 128GB
  RAM
  2GB / 3GB
  3GB / 4GB
  4GB / 6GB
  Rear Camera – Main
  13MP, ƒ/2.0
  12MP, ƒ/1.8
  12MP, ƒ/1.7 Dual Autofocus Pixel
  Rear Camera – Secondary
  N/A
  5MP RGB (for depth)
  …

• Google’s Family Link now supports monitoring of Chromebooks
  

  Available as part of Chrome 65.

  For parents that need a helping hand monitoring their kids’ device usage, Google Family Link is one of the best options around. The service was made available for all parents in the U.S. and Canada over the last few months, but up until now, it’s only been available to use for monitoring Android and iOS devices. Now, Chrome OS is being added to the list.

  As noted by ChromeUnboxed, Google’s support page for Family Link has been updated to show that you can “manage your child’s activity on a Chromebook.”

  This functionality is available as part of Chrome 65, and once enabled, allows you to block or allow certain websites, prevent your kiddos from using Incognito Mode, view their Chrome history, block access to the Play Store/Chrome Web Store, and more.

  Family Link is free to use, and you can get started by downloading the app on your phone and creating a special Google account for any of your kids that are 13-years-old or younger.

  Download: Google Fa…

• Xiaomi’s Black Shark shows that the next big leap for smartphones will be gaming
  

  Mobile gaming could be the catalyst for the next wave of smartphone innovations.

  Smartphone design hasn’t changed much over the last two years, and if you’re in the market for a phone today, you can either get a phone with a glass back like the Galaxy S9+ or Huawei P20, or one with a metal chassis like the Redmi Note 5 Pro or Honor 7X. The Mi Mix 2S and the Essential Phone are notable for using ceramic and titanium, and the Pixel 2 series and the Nokia 7 Plus come with a ceramic coating over a metal back.

  But overall, there’s little to no variation when it comes to the design, but it now looks like mobile gaming could drive the development for the next wave of smartphones. The Razer Phone launched last year to much fanfare, offering a 120Hz display, high-end specs, and the “best damn smartphone speakers” on a phone today.

  Xiaomi also rolled out its take on a gaming phone with the Black Shark last week, featuring top-of-the-line hardware and a controller that can be affixed to one …

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