Android World

I've been taking "selfies" for more than a decade. Back in 2005, we just called them photos, except we pointed the camera at ourselves instead of the world, and we felt a small but appropriate surge of vanity doing so. It was just fun. Then selfies became a thing, and now you can't take a photo of yourself without feeling like a self-centered 12 year old teenager bragging about his/her latest hairdo on Instagram. It's impossible to walk down the streets of some cities without seeing someone trying to lend you a selfie stick for a few bucks, or to go to a restaurant or pub without seeing a group of friends taking selfies together, or really to engage in any activity without having someone suggest taking a selfie... because selfie or it didn't happen, amirite? While having dinner last month at a local restaurant, I swear the woman sitting on the table next to me took more selfies than breaths of air. I wish this app was available then, because I ...

At Google IO this past June we saw the launch of many new products from Google, including Android M, Android Pay, and Project Brillo. The tech giant also launched Google Photos as its own service, which was previously tied down to Google+. Today we're going to dive into every corner of Google Photos and my experiences with it over the last few months. Intro & tests Over the last eight years I have used iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, and Photos on Mac to organize my photos. While each worked for a period of time, I never truly felt like my photos were properly organized. All of the pictures I have taken over the last three or so years of having an Android phone were backed up to Google+ Photos. I would sometimes upload photos taken on a point-and-shoot to my Windows desktop, and sometimes I would upload to my Mac. Most of my GoPro pictures have spent a long time sitting on an external hard drive. I have increasingly spent less time organizing pictures. Partly due to...

Failed Potential: The Note5 XDA Review The Note5 is one of the most highly anticipated devices of the year, and after mountains of hype behind its release, Samsung’s  Next Big Thing  is finally here. Opting for a new design, updated internals and some sacrifices, this new phone is sure to turn some heads.. … but at the same time, turn away a big part of the Note’s following. In this review, we’ll take an in-depth dive into the Note5. Rather than listing specs and talking about how the experience felt, this feature attempts to provide a thorough look with contents relevant to our reader base. At XDA, our reviews are not meant to tell a user whether a phone is worth buying or not — instead, we try to lend you the phone through our words and help you come to the decision by yourself. Before getting started, let’s get the specification sheet out of the way: Android Version: 5.1.1 Lollipop Model Name: Note5 (SM-N920T) Dimensions: 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm (6.03 x 3.00 ...