Nintendo released it’s ninth-generation console, the Switch, to much fanfare back in March of 2016. The question still remains, however; three months later, has the Switch lived up to the hype? Let’s dive in. The DesignFirst and foremost, the Switch is plastic on plastic. Some have speculated that this is because plastic screens don’t crack, but this leaves us with a separate issue. The screen is extremely prone to scratches, even by Nintendo’s included Dock attachment, so a screen protector is a must for this product. The central console is a relatively small, yet wide, tablet with two detachable controllers, called Joy-Cons. The tablet has a battery life of five hours at most in our testing; the Joy-Cons live up to Nintendo’s estimate of twenty hours. The two Joy-Cons can be attached to a Grip accessory, that makes for a more traditional gameplay experience. They can be used separately too, and of course, like previously said, can be attached to the Switch tablet itself. This is how they charge. The tablet can be docked to bring the gameplay to the television, which makes it a “hybrid” console. The tablet charges both through this TV dock and through a USB-C port at the bottom. The SpecsInside the console is a Nvidia Tegra X1 chip. This is a great processor for Android tablets, but not so much for a game console like the Nintendo Switch. Gameplay is smooth, but this won’t replace your PS4 or Xbox One. The tablet can also get extremely hot during heavy gameplay, such as in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the console’s launch title. There is a capacitive touchscreen on the tablet, which won’t be very useful for games, but for things like social sharing and navigating the OS, it is miles better than the resistive screen on the Wii U. Speaking of the OS, it also trumps the Wii U in terms of aesthetics, but the U has support for an internet browser, Netflix, and the Miiverse social network. Nintendo has promised support for streaming services on the Switch, but so far they have not shown up. Finally, the Switch does have support for WiFi, but for some reason our unit wouldn’t even notice the existence of the two networks we tested. The GamesLG G6. Galaxy S8. These phones have more in common than you think. But which one takes the cake? For this comparison, we will use the same format that is used in Battle of the Assistants. This means we will have several topics (however, this time condensed into one article), and the winner of the most topics is crowned the best. Note: We used the Galaxy S8 and not the S8+ for this comparison. CameraThe Galaxy S8 has a 12-megapixel rear shooter that remains mostly unchanged from the previous S7, while the selfie camera has upgraded to an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. While the S7's camera was great last year, it doesn't hold up well in 2017. Similarly, the LG G6's camera keeps the same dual-camera setup from 2016's G5. The main shooter is 13 megapixels, and so is the wide-angle lens, which is an upgrade from last year. The 5-megapixel selfie camera lags behind Samsung's, however. However, I believe that the rear camera is often the more important of the two, so the LG G6 takes this round. Winner: LG G6 Display/DesignBoth phones have nearly bezel-less displays that are absolutely gorgeous. The S8 has a 1440p, 5.8-inch Super AMOLED "Infinity Display" which shaves off more bezel from the device than the G6. It also is an entirely metal & glass build that comes in several great colors. That G6 has a Quad HD Plus 5.7-inch 1440p "FullVision Display" that is great, but cannot match Samsung's truly amazing screen design. On the design spectrum, the edges on the phone don't seem to melt on to the device's side the same way it does on the S8, and for some reason LG opted to have colored bezels on the front instead of entirely black. Winner: Galaxy S8 PerformanceThe Galaxy S8 rocks the brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip in the US (Exynos 9 internationally), while the LG G6 is using the same Snapdragon 821 chip from the Pixel. In a speed test by EverythingApplePro, the Galaxy S8 outperformed the LG G6, even though both phones share 4 gigabytes of RAM. Winner: Galaxy S8 SoftwareIs this even a question? In recent years, Samsung has cleaned up their TouchWiz Android Skin (now called Grace UX), and while it's still not as pleasant as stock Android, it's taken strides and is now a respectable skin. It has even taken some cues from the Pixel Launcher, like the swipe to app drawer gesture. Unfortunately, LG's UX 6.0 is actually worse than previous versions of the skin, with no app drawer at all by default and some questionable design choices. Winner: Galaxy S8 ConclusionWhile the LG G6 manages to trump the Galaxy S8 in the camera department, the greatness ends there. The S8 swept the comparisons in the software, performance, display, and design categories in one foul swoop. To conclude, unless your goal is to buy an LG G6 for it's great camera, you would be better off putting your dollars behind Samsung's newest flagship. ∎ Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Every year in Barcelona, Spain, the Mobile World Congress trade show shows the best of what Android has to offer. So, what were the standouts from MWC? These are the three best phones from the show.
The date was October 4, 2016. Google announced it's upcoming Home smart speaker, which was slated to be the Amazon Echo killer. Has it lived up to it's promises? Let's take a look. When unboxing the device for the first time, you get the device itself, a grey base, an AC adapter (warning: the Google Home's port is proprietary), and four pages of paperwork. The hardware is well-designed and should fit in well with anyone without sticking out as a piece of technology. The bottom base can be replaced with six available first-party bases available for $20 and $40 respectively. The device also features a touchpad on the top with volume control, play/pause for media, and activation of the Google Assistant. Of course, the Assistant can also be activated using one of three hotwords: "Ok, Google," "Hey, Google," and "Ok, Boo Boo" are all options. Currently, the Assistant is more helpful than Amazon's Alexa software due to it being conversational. Basically, this means that, for example, you could ask, "When did the Hunger Games come out?" and follow it up with, "Who starred in it?" without the Assistant getting confused. The Assistant, however, struggles with third-party support. It works well with first-party devices & apps, like Chromecast, Play Music, and Google Keep, but falls flat with smart home support and Google's version of Alexa Skills, called Actions. The catalogue of Actions is growing, yes, but Home still has no support for devices like Lifx smart bulbs, narrated news like CNET, and ride-hailing service Lyft (Uber is supported). More pros with the Home over the Echo is that, even though the selection is smaller, there is more functionality with what smart home services are supported. For example, with Google Home you can change the colors with Phillips Hue bulbs. Also, the speakers get the nod over the Echo with better bass and louder noise. The Google Home app is very user-friendly, and the Assistant has a fun "personality" which Google claims they spent a considerable amount of time working on. To conclude, the Google Home is much better than the Amazon Echo in a lot of ways, but it is stagnated by support from third parties. However, like mentioned earlier, new features are being added slowly but surely, and in the future, it may even gain multi-user support, according to a teardown of a forthcoming Home app update by Android Police. The ability to shop via Google Express has recently been added, and it is also backed by Netflix, which isn't the case with the Echo. After all of this back and forth, the question posed at the beginning of this review can now be answered; is the Google Home worth your money? For the competitive price of $129, I certainly love my Home. The Google Assistant is far smarter than Alexa, and it works perfectly with my lifestyle. But right now, the Google Home is just a symbol of potential. Very good potential, but still just potential. Right now, a purchase of this device is only for niche audiences, and so is the normal-sized Echo, but the Echo Dot isn't. What Google needs to do is release a mini version of the Home to get it to as much houses as possible, and then third-party support will voluntarily come to them. Would I recommend the Google Home to the average consumer? Not until more assistance comes in from other brands. But to a tech fan deciding between the $180 Echo and $129 Home? The Google Home has smarter software, and again, tons of potential. It is most definitely the better device. Let's remember that Amazon had a two year head start. With Google only being the second tech company to throw their hard into the smart speaker ring, it shouldn't be too far until I can recommend it to everyone, especially if the Mountain View-based company is smart enough to appeal to budget audiences. This device is one to keep your eye on in 2017, and I'll most definitely circle back with a re-review next year. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-cheif of Mirror Journal.
When it comes to calorie tracking apps on iOS, the first two names that come to mind are Under Armour's MyFitnessPal and the Swedish startup Lifesum's app of the same name. We put both to the test to see which is better using the categories of the setup process, plans, the food database, diaries, summaries, social features, integration, and the design. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Siri, Cortana, and Google's brand-new Assistant are considered the best in the business for digital assistants. For the comparison below, we used an iPhone SE running the iOS 10.2 beta, and each article in the coming days will feature a different topic. After this 'series' of articles end, we will make a ranking of the best & worst assistants. Without further ado, please enjoy this comparison of weather conditions using Siri, Google Assistant in the Allo app, and Cortana in her respective app.
2016 has been a wild year in almost every field, whether it be politics, people, or technology. However, out of the ashes of the dumpster fire that was 2016 (or, ironically, phone fire), tech lovers were privileged to amazing tech products. We covered the best smartphones, laptops, apps, smartwatches, budget offerings, and more in this roundup. Please feel free to click "Read More" and dive into our selections.
Siri, Cortana, and Google's brand-new Assistant are considered the best in the business for digital assistants. For the comparison below, we used an iPhone SE running the iOS 10.2 beta, and each article in the coming days will feature a different topic. After this 'series' of articles end, we will make a ranking of the best & worst assistants. Without further ado, please enjoy this comparison of weather conditions using Siri, Google Assistant in the Allo app, and Cortana in her respective app.
Siri, Cortana, and Google's brand-new Assistant are considered the best in the business for digital assistants. For the comparison below, we used an iPhone SE running the iOS 10.2 beta, and each article in the coming days will feature a different topic. After this 'series' of articles end, we will make a ranking of the best & worst assistants. Without further ado, please enjoy this comparison of weather conditions using Siri, Google Assistant in the Allo app, and Cortana in her respective app.
While widgets have been present since iOS 8, Apple revamped them in it's new iOS 10 update. In this list, we've compiled five of the best new widgets compatible with iOS 10.
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