Everything Else

Review: Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow Is ... Fun?

I don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow has charm. The original writers are attached to this project, and that shows in the humorous dialogue between characters.

Review: Reigns — Game of Thrones Meets Tinder

Reigns recently went on sale on the Google Play Store (sorry, iPhone users), and that inspired me to give it a go. I've wanted to try this one out for a while now, but the steep price tag kept me away. ($2.99 is a lot for me, okay?)

Review: Altered Beast — The Standard for Porting Games to Mobile

When I booted up my second Sega Forever title, I wasn't sure what to expect. Sonic 1 was fun, but the controls weren't great. Touch screen controls can be excellent when the game is designed for them, but retrofitting a game designed for a physical controller to be played on a smartphone, well, sometimes is a bit disastrous.

News: Anchor Helps You Easily Record and Post Podcasts Right from Your Phone

Anchor has been called the audio equivalent of Snapchat. The app lets you record audio and broadcast it to whomever you follow. If you haven't heard of the app, get familiar with it because it has announced an easy way for you to record and publish podcasts from your smartphone.

News: The Perfect Emoji Will Be Just a Keyword Away in WhatsApp

Most messaging apps have it, so it's about time WhatsApp did too. The WhatsApp beta now has a search bar for emojis.

News: Twitch Will Soon Allow Mobile Gamers to Live Stream

There is a seemingly endless supply of games on mobile. While many of these games are fantastic, many are also, well ... garbage. And unfortunately, the platform as a whole has been dismissed because of those garbage games. This situation leaves gamers like myself wondering what can be done to develop a deeper public respect for gaming on smartphones.

News: Google Photos Gets Smart with New AI & Sharing Features

In case Google Photos didn't recognize your face enough, they're now rolling out a new AI feature who uses facial recognition for easy photo sharing.

News: Snapchat Adds Mobile Creative Studio So You Can Design Geofilters in-App

Snapchat announced today that you can now design geofilters in-app, making it easier than ever to customize your snaps. This new feature incorporates a mobile creative studio, so you no longer have to use your computer to create your custom masterpiece.

News: Scientists Solve Smartphone Glare Problem by Imitating the Eyes of Moths

I can't stand trying to use my phone in direct sunlight. It drives me crazy — I just want to get through a game of Sonic, but I can't see where I'm going. No one has it harder than I do. But my troubles might soon be over, as researchers are developing anti-glare films for smartphones, based off of the eyes of moths. Weird.

News: New Messenger Discover Feature Is a Blast from the Past — with a Twist

Today, Facebook Messenger is rolling out Discover, a feature that helps you chat with companies and locate nearby businesses of interest to you. First discussed in April at Facebook's developer conference F8, Discover is finally available for public use.

News: Tinder Gold Allows Users to See Everyone Who 'Likes' Their Profile

Tinder, marketed as a free 'dating' app, is no stranger to paid features. The company has long allowed users to step up their game by spending money on their 'Tinder Plus' service. Tinder would like more of your money, it seems, as it rolls out a new paid service with a highly-desirable premium feature — the ability to see who has swiped right on your profile, without having to match.

News: Pinterest Takes Steps to Hack-Proof Your Account

The peaceful, pastel and doily-filled world of Pinterest is my oasis. My account conveys who I want to be and what I want to accomplish, so the idea of someone hacking it and ruining my favorite escape for me is heartbreaking. Fortunately, Pinterest has updated its security, implementing three new features to hack-proof your account.

Prime Users: Get Up to $80 Off Nokia, Alcatel & Moto Phones

Honestly, this deal is pretty sweet. As of today, Amazon has added five new devices to their "Prime Exclusive Phones" program. The program allows Prime users to buy midrange handsets unlocked at a discount that goes up to $80.

News: T-Mobile LTE-U Gives Galaxy S8 Owners a Speed Boost in Select Cities

Last month, AT&T made headlines with its disastrous launch of its 5G Evolution network (spoiler alert: it wasn't actually 5G). T-Mobile responded to the embarrassing news by saying the company would be working on its own 5G network, and would take its time rolling it out. Well, T-Mobile may have just pulled an AT&T — T-Mobile is launching LTE-U in the US, and things seem pretty similar to the 5G Evolution's introduction.

News: Dating App 'Hinge' Wants to Showcase the Real You with Video Clips

It seems we've come full circle in alternative dating routes. Just like a long time ago when people were able to go to matchmakers and watch videos of potential matches, the dating app 'Hinge' is now allowing you to add videos to your profile.

News: Facebook's AI-Powered Assistant Just Keeps Getting Better with Latest Update

M — Facebook's AI-powered assistant unveiled to the public in April — is now better than ever. The latest update to M now allows it to provide three more suggestions: a function to save content to view later, birthday wishes, and call initiation.

News: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Request an Uber for Someone Else

Admit it — many of us have not gotten in the Uber's we've requested. Sometimes, you just need to get someone else a cab that you're not going to be going with. No biggie ... but your friend doesn't have any connection to Uber or the driver, which can be a little awkward. Uber is addressing this slight issue today, with an update that allows you to officially request Ubers for others.

News: Spotify Brings Popular Playlist to Life with Concert Tour

Your favorite music-streaming app is taking artists from its popular RapCaviar playlist on tour to five major US cities. That's right, put down your smartphones and pick up your credit card because these tickets are going to sell fast.

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog on Mobile Is a Fun Throwback, with More Than a Few Headaches

Who would have thought back in 1991 that you'd eventually be able to play Sonic the Hedgehog whenever and wherever you wanted? Not a crappy Game Gear version, either. I'm talking the full Sega Genesis version of Sonic, available to you on a bus, a plane, or in a rest-stop bathroom. Now imagine how those people would react if you told them the game would also be free. They would think you were crazy.

News: Facebook Messenger Gets a Huge Update with New Filters & AR Features

Say goodbye to boring video chats over Messenger. Now the app is rolling out new features that can make any chat interesting and fun.

News: Want to Watch YouTube with Other People? Try Uptime

If you're like me, then your perfect Friday night has your friends over for some group-YouTube streaming. If you're not like me, you're probably cool. But for the rest of us, YouTube is meant to be a shared experience. I think YouTube has caught on to that trend, since it has developed Uptime, an app that lets you watch YouTube with other people wherever you all are.

News: Want to Make Your Own Live Broadcast? New Facebook App Aims to Help

Facebook, you either love it or you hate it ... or maybe you're indifferent. The point is, Facebook is everywhere, and the debate is still raging over whether or not it's actually, well, good. That debate may not exist for the various personalities of Facebook much longer, however, as Facebook announced a new app geared directly towards improving how they broadcast their content to their audiences.

News: You Can No Longer Automatically Backup Photos to Google Photos While Charging

Well, get ready to have your battery depleted if you use Google Photos. The backup app has just removed the "Backup While Charging" feature in their app.

News: Being a YouTuber On-the-Go Just Got Easier

The beauty gurus, gamers, and daily vloggers of the world are getting a great gift from YouTube very soon. No, it's not exclusive swag or diamond awards. Instead, it's an update to the YouTube mobile app that will support all video formats and let you send in-app messages.

News: Forget CNN or FOX, WhatsApp Is Now a Popular News Source

According to a new study from the Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford, people are getting their news from ... unexpected sources. Put away your CNN app and stop checking the New York Times because a familiar app is now keeping you up to date on current events: WhatsApp.

News: Revamped Video Tab Testing Shows Facebook Really Wants to Compete with YouTube

More video content is making its way to Facebook as the social network relentlessly tries to get its video platform up to par with YouTube. Now, they seem to be making more of an effort to improve their video tab, as new features have started to appear on some Android phones.

News: Mark Zuckerburg Announces Facebook's Commitment to Uniting the World

At Facebook's first Communities Summit, admins from top Facebook groups assembled to discuss tools to better manage and optimize their members. Here, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that these changes fuel the company's shifting focus from connecting the world to uniting it.

News: Facebook Testing 'Profile Picture Guard' to Protect You from Scammers

Facebook is testing a new feature in India. One that could help you protect your profile photos from being used on sites without your permission.

News: Niantic Branding Pokémon GO Cheaters with Scarlet Letter

Pokémon GO updates will have new deterrents for cheaters, and these seem to use shame more than just prevention. The changes were mentioned by a Pokémon GO support account on Reddit. (There are other updates coming soon to Pokémon GO as well.)

News: Snapchat's New Feature Shows You Where in the World Your Friends Are

Snapchat's newest feature will allow you to see where your friends are posting from around the world. Called Snap Map, this easy-to-use update gives users the ability to view your friends' stories and locations on a map.

No Excuses Now: Uber Introduces a Tipping Feature in Their App

Uber drivers do a lot for us. They sit through traffic, make conversation, put on our favorite tunes, drive us however far we need to go, and they work long hours. Some even have to deal with people who may have had too much to drink, which we all know can be obnoxious. So yeah, we'd say that it's about time for Uber to include a tipping feature in their app.

News: Netflix Introduces 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Television — We're Just Waiting for Interactive House of Cards

Have you ever been on a Netflix binge and thought to yourself "man, these characters are so dumb. Why would you go back to the haunted house, Jenny? You know what's in there, and now you're going to die. This whole situation was so easily avoidable, JENNY." If you've ever thought you'd make better decisions than the characters in your favorite TV shows, Netflix has your back.

News: Create a Fire Mixtape with Your Friends Using Spotify's Group Playlists

Music has always been able to connect us. Spotify is now offering an innovative new way to do just that. The company announced today that they have launched a new feature in collaboration with the Messenger app that allows you to share and make playlists with friends.

News: Read Classic Ebooks for Free — With Formatting You Would Actually Pay For

Volunteer project Standard Ebooks strives to enhance some of the work available from Project Gutenberg and other public domain text sources, making them easier on the eyes.

News: PayPal & Venmo Are Finally Offering Instant Pay Transfers, Within Minutes

For $0.25 per transaction, PayPal will soon be allowing you to transfer money through their app that will get delivered within seconds rather than days.

News: Snap & Time Warner to Create 10 Original 5 Minute Shows a Year

Thanks to a $100 million deal, you could be seeing more original shows on your Snapchat soon. Already, Snap has been producing super short shows in order to compete with social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook who have also been attempting to create their own content. While musical.ly has so far had the biggest success in this area, this deal with Time Warner is certainly promising for the beleaguered platform.

News: Pokémon GO Fans — Niantic Is Updating the Game in a Big Way

Pokémon GO has been making the news since it was released last summer. But throughout the past year, the core gameplay has remained mostly the same. We're learning today that is about to change, as Niantic is gearing up to release a major update for the popular AR game.

News: This Dad Wants to Make Selling Pre-Teens Smartphones Illegal

While restaurants and classrooms have enacted policies banning cell phones, one father has had enough of his kids' obsessive phone habits. Dr. Tim Farnum is now seeking to ban the sale of smartphones to children under 13.

News: Tidal Is Still a Thing That Exists, Now Has Jay Z Exclusive

We talk a lot about Spotify and Apple Music on the topic of music streaming. So much so that it's easy to forget that other streaming platforms exist. Tidal, Jay Z's streaming service, is often one of these forgotten platforms.

Limited Time Only: Verizon Opens Enrollment to Insurance Platform for Your Current Phone

Ok, I have to admit, I drop my phone around 2–4 times a week. I'm horrible at protecting it and I've gone through my fair share of cracked phones. Most of the time, once the phone is cracked it's just easier to get an entirely new phone, rather than have to fight your phone provider for a fix.