All Posts by Phil Nickinson | Android Central

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All Posts by Phil Nickinson

Modern Dad really likes the HTC U11

38 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 23 Jun 2017 2:36 pm
Another great phone from HTC, but the same question remains: Can they actually sell it? My first smartphone was from HTC — the Treo 750. Over the years I've used more HTC devices than I can even remember, from the Nexus One up through today's flagship, the U11. Not every phone has been a winner, but more often than not I (and others, of course) came to the conclusion that basically went "...

The new Amazon Fire HD 8 is still the best tablet for kids

5 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 21 Jun 2017 7:30 am
I love my kids. But they're going to break things. Expensive things. So I don't buy them expensive things. Sure, grown-ups love their tech. But as we all know too well, so do our kids. And while I'd love for mine to always have the latest and greatest, the fact is that's just a bad idea. My kid doesn't need a $1,000 tablet. Or even a $500 tablet, for that matter. So where to turn? The...

Modern Dad's Father's Day Favorites!

0 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 13 Jun 2017 12:34 pm
Don't think about it too hard. Any Dad (heck, any person) would love to have any of these great gift ideas. I gotta be completely honest here: While this is an excellent Father's Day gift guide full of things that any dude would be thrilled to get any day of the week, the simple fact is not a single one of these products requires actually having sired any children. Consider having offspring...

HD HomeRun modernizes the old-school over-the-air TV game

10 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 12 Jun 2017 7:00 am
HDHomerun is the perfect over-the-air addition to an already excellent Android TV experience. The thing about being a cord-cutter is that you're always trying to plug holes. It doesn't matter what streaming video service you ultimately go with — there's almost always something missing. For many of us, that hole comes down to local channels. And while services like YouTube TV are trying to...

Win a Peel case for Pixel or Pixel XL from Modern Dad!

11 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 7 Jun 2017 3:00 pm
There's no shortage of chunky cases out there, and that's great. But when it comes to phones like the Pixel and Pixel XL, it can be hard to find something that's truly next to naked. That was before I ran across the Peel case, though. It's less than a half-millimeter thick (0.35mm, to be precise), and it's a ridiculously great option if you want to protect the finish on your Pixel but not feel...

Modern Dad does basic storm tech

10 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 7 Jun 2017 1:30 pm
High-tech gadgets can be lifesavers when severe weather hits. But don't count out some low-tech options, too. We've reached that part of the year in which those of us who live in storm-prone areas start to take stock and make sure we're ready for the worst. Maybe (fingers crossed) that'll mean nothing more than a temporary power outage. Maybe it'll be something more serious. In any event,...

Modern Dad on the LG G6

34 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 2 Jun 2017 12:00 pm
For the first time in years, LG has ratcheted back its habit of crazy design, and that's led to a pretty darn capable Android smartphone. The Modern Dad 2017 Smartphone Tour continues, this time with the LG G6. And it's a bit of a departure for LG, which has experimented with modular designs in the LG G5 (spoiler: it didn't work), leather in the LG G4 (spoiler: it didn't last), and buttons...

VPN for dummies ... Or Dads ... Or why it's time to finally take the plunge

19 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 31 May 2017 8:30 am
A good VPN isn't as complicated as it used to be, but it's still a pretty big step for a "regular" user to take. But it's time to get my family used to it. Their data may depend on it. Over the past year I've been slowly moving my family to more secure options for their phones and computers. Password managers — to promote the usage of longer and stronger passwords — was the first step. Then...

Mophie Juicepack for Pixel XL: A beast of battery burden

22 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 27 May 2017 9:00 am
Mophie Juicepack for Pixel XL
What do you get someone who has a nearly perfect phone? More battery life, of course. Google's Pixel XL is a lot of things. It's the phone to have if you're into tinkering. It gets updates before any other phone. It's got a camera that's considered one of the best available today. But battery life? That's not always been its strongest asset, even considering its 3,450mAh capacity. For...

Netatmo Weather Station is long on looks, longer on data

3 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 23 May 2017 12:30 pm
It was time to update my home weather station from something functional but ugly to something decidedly more modern. Netatmo has fit the bill nicely. I was going to show you my old weather station — a venerable beast from Oregon Scientific, which is quite good at this sort of thing. But alas, as soon as I took it off the wall it disappeared to wherever Phil's Old Stuff disappears. (Basically...

There's nothing fab about a phablet TV remote

13 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 19 May 2017 4:00 pm
What are the odds of buying a Vizio SmartCast TV but not owning a smartphone? I ask, because the last thing I need is a publicly available tablet in my living room. Once upon a time the idea of a television relying on Google's Chromecast for content and shipping with a 6-inch Android remote might have excited me. Because for the most part television manufacturers have tried too hard to be UX...

Amazon is dangerously close to being the new king of messaging

51 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 15 May 2017 1:00 pm
With Alexa gaining the ability to make voice calls and Echo Show bolstering the living room, Amazon moves a step closer to messaging ubiquity. It was about three or four years ago when my wife and I decided to finally get rid of our landline. We weren't really using it anymore — it was mostly an emergency backup, and a great way for solicitors to bug us. (That it occasionally made phantom...

BlackBerry KEYone: Seeing the forest for the trees

14 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 11 May 2017 2:42 pm
The BlackBerry KEYone isn't trying to be the best phone ever — just the best BlackBerry ever. It's succeeded, and given the faithful something to use and abuse all over again. It's easy to forget that on-screen keyboards weren't always as good as they are today. In fact, for years they kinda sucked. Those were the years in which BlackBerry ruled for pounding out message after message. It...

Steel HR on sale just in time for Mother's Day!

2 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 8 May 2017 4:03 pm
My fitness smartwatch of choice is on sale. Mother's Day is just days away. I know what to do, then ... I get it — sweaty, hairy man arms aren't always the best look for things. Even mine. They're real, but c'mon. I can do better. And so can you, actually. I've been singing the praises of the Steel HR when it comes to a watch that's smart but not ridiculously large. I've been wearing it to...

Win a free Nintendo Classic and Bluetooth controller from Modern Dad!

4 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 8 May 2017 12:23 pm
It's contest time again, boys and girls! Up for grabs this time is one is one of the hottest gaming gadgets of the past year — the Nintendo Classic! No need to mince words here; Nintendo in its infinite wisdom has decided to cease production of the throwback Nintendo Classic — a diminutive (and updated) version of the original NES. It was tough enough to buy in the first place, having been sold...

Steel HR brings brains, brawn, and battery to fitness smartwatches

8 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 5 May 2017 4:02 pm
Withings Steel HR
More than a fitness tracker but not quite a smartwatch, the Steel HR fits a sweet spot for me during my daily sweat sessions. SAVE 20% ON STEEL HR THROUGH MAY 31!!! The Steel HR activity tracker/watch/heart rate monitor retails for $199 for the 40mm version ($279 for the 36mm), but this month you SAVE a bunch o' 💰💰💰. ... Use this link to get on it!!! I spent a lot of years wearing a lot of...

Aukey WatchTower review: Low-cost connected security done mostly easy

2 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 3 May 2017 1:00 pm
Aukey WatchTower XVR
Aukey is a longtime seller of, well, all things electronic. Turns out that means cameras and an integrated security system, too — and at a price that doesn't break the bank. Save 20% off WatchTower: Aukey is helping us help you by giving 20 percent off the WatchTower series if you use code AUKEYWMN at checkout. The code is good through May 13. Do it to it! I'm at that point in my life where...

Galaxy Note 7 was a fluke, and the GS8 is no redemption story

178 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 27 Apr 2017 3:47 pm
The story you were told is a lie. The Galaxy S8 doesn't mean redemption for Samsung — it simply means more of the same. There's definitely something about being reminded that the Emperor has no clothes. Maybe it was because I was midway through my own little take on the Galaxy S8. ... It's a beautiful piece of glass and software, the phone Samsung needed to make — the phone it had to make — ...

The five things you MUST do with your phone

9 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 26 Apr 2017 1:30 pm
You know someone who treats their phone poorly, don't you. It's OK. ... We can fix that! It's that time of year when we start to get all the hot new phones. (And our kids start asking when they're going to get one. Thanks, TV ads ...) So I'm going to take a look at the best of the best. Or the least best of the best. Or maybe just some weird stuff. We'll see. More on that in the coming days...

Logitech Harmony paired with Android is the ultimate universal remote

21 Comments
Posted by Phil Nickinson on 21 Apr 2017 6:25 pm
If you spend a lot of time in the living room with a lot of entertainment devices, the Logitech Harmony system is a worthy investment. I once owned a universal remote that I'm pretty sure was the size of a shoebox. That's how I remember it, anyway — a definite two-hander with a large screen (for the time) and very few physical buttons. Something like this. It was awful. Awful setup and not...

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