Ben's Blog World: January 2015

Saturday, January 31, 2015

Can't watch the Super Bowl? Use these Android apps instead

Whether you're just "in it for the commercials" or you're cheering on a team, you can watch from mobile if you have to

We can't all be comfortably seated in the best spot in the living room with a huge plate of wings and a threatening glare toward anyone who dares to even think about touching the remote control this Sunday night. For reasons passing understanding, Super Bowl Sunday is not a national holiday yet. As a result, you may have obligations that put you somewhere that doesn't have the big game playing. The good news is there are mobile options if you're able to watch. The bad news is, if you want to watch live, there's not a lot of them.

Anna Kournikova
Hayden Panettiere
Cameron Diaz

Grab a skin case for your Galaxy S4 today for only $2.95

The Mobi S-Line Case is a slim, form-fitting TPU cover that wraps around your Galaxy S4 to protect against drops and scratches while providing an enhanced grip. It adds very little bulk and is completely flexible, making installing and removing the case very easy. Comes in 8 colors, too!

Ciara
Blake Lively
Scarlett Johansson

What would you change about Apple's Messages app?

Messages launched with the original iPhone as "SMS", because that's all it did at the time. Apple had Safari, so they didn't build an old-school WAP browser and it turned out an old-school WAP browser is what MMS used and needed. So, Apple built one and, once carriers stopped freaking out about the potential bandwidth, added it to the app. Then Apple did an end-run and announced iMessage, integrated alongside MMS and SMS in the Messages app, and running on data completely outside carrier control. They brought it to iPad and Mac. Most recently, Apple enhanced group messaging, added instant sound-bites, selfies, and with SMS-relay brought the carriers to iPad and Mac as well.

Now we want to know what you'd like to see next?

Allow Messages to be secured by Touch ID or Passcode
Extend VIP from Mail to Messages
Allow a confirmation before sending soundbites, selfies, or location
Combine FaceTime and Messages together into a single super-app
Support for stickers
Allow favoriting of a message
Per-person read receipts in group messages
iMessage for iCloud web app
iCloud Drive file attachments
Smarter search and filtering to find messages

If Apple asked you what you wanted in Messages for iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, what would you tell them?

Bar Refaeli
Malin Akerman
Mila Kunis

Can't watch the Super Bowl? Use these Android apps instead

Whether you're just "in it for the commercials" or you're cheering on a team, you can watch from mobile if you have to

Pen�lope Cruz
Hilary Duff

Top free antivirus apps for Android

There are a ton of options when it comes to antivirus apps on your Android phone or tablet — but there are only a handful of truly free ones. Many offer free features, with more robust features available as at a premium or subscription basis. You can get just as many great features from an unrestricted free app however. And in this case we're talking all-the-way free.

So while we still contend that you don't necessarily need a virus scanner on Android, it's still a conversation we're going to have, and we're going to look at some of the apps that are currently available.

All of these apps offer the basics like virus and malware scanning, but a few also have features that go beyond, like app managers, app locks, privacy controls, phone finder, remote wipe and more. So if you're looking for a great free antivirus app for Android, look no further than these apps.

Angelina Jolie
Vanessa Hudgens
Danneel Harris
Zoe Saldana

The world seems to be ending in Mophie's first Super Bowl ad

Smartphone battery case company Mophie has decided to join the Super Bowl TV commercial train for the first time this year, and they have already posted their 30-second commercial online. The ad shows the entire world on the brink of destruction.

Rihanna
Jordana Brewster
Jennifer Love Hewitt

Blu Vivo Air specs

The Blu Vivo Air is many things. It is very affordable at just $200 off contract, and absurdly thin at just 5.15mm from front-to-back. But there are things it is not — it's not a barn-burning high-powered flagship device, not that you should expect it to be so at that price. For the nitty gritty on one of the world's thinnest smartphones, head on past the break for the complete specs list of the Blu Vivo Air.