The Top 4 TV Deals Besides Netflix

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 15, 2018       

Featuring thousands of shows and movies on its site, Netflix has taken the streaming world by storm since its founding in 1997, with nearly 7.5 million customers joining its customer base in the first quarter of 2018 alone.

However, while other TV streaming sites and bundles haven’t quite reached an iconic ‘Netflix and chill’ status, there are still some TV viewers that find themselves dissatisfied with what the popular streaming site alone can offer. Thus, many people have started looking into alternative options for streaming their favorite TV shows and movies online.

Luckily for them – and for you if you have similarly found the perks of Netflix alone to be underwhelming – there are other options.

Why Are Viewers Turning to Alternative TV Deals?

Although still able to boast its success as the #1 streaming platform worldwide, services and TV deals beyond Netflix have been gaining popularity in recent years as well.

This may be due to the increasing cost for most Netflix membership plans, which has made deals like Verizon triple play – which bundles gigabit connection, TV, and phone services – a relatively budget-friendly option to turn to.

Some people are also just ready to find some new content that hasn’t yet been added to world’s favorite streaming platform. While Netflix still has an impressive offering of media for viewing, for those with more specific tastes, or who are otherwise up for trying out the two to four-week trials offered by some popular alternative streaming networks, TV viewers have no shortage of television options.

In addition to Verizon’s Fios triple play deal, listed below are four other top contenders gaining popularity as Netflix alternatives.

Top Alternatives for TV Deals

1. Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is just one of the perks Amazon Prime members can gain access to when signing up for their prime membership account. However, the video service – now #2 to Netflix for streaming – can also be bought alone, without the prime membership, at a cost of $8.99 per month.

Amazon Prime Video features TV shows from dozens of channels, movies, as well as original content such as the popular shows “Man in the High Castle” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”.

2. Hulu

Hulu is another top TV and movie streaming platform, as a viewing option very similar to Netflix. Starting at $7.99 per month for its lowest-cost subscription (with an upgraded commercial-free plan available for $11.99) the pricing is similar to its top competitors.

One perk of this streaming platform is its feature of offering episodes of shows currently on air, typically allowing access to new episodes one day after airing on their respective networks. Hulu also now offers a Live TV package (at a pricier $39.99 per month), which allows users to live stream 50+ top live and on-demand channels, such as ESPN and popular news channels.

3. Acorn TV

For TV viewers in the United States who can’t get enough of the most popular British dramas and comedies, Acorn TV is an increasingly popular American streaming service providing viewer access to a myriad of TV shows from the UK as well as other countries.

At $4.99 a month, it can be an economical, commercial-free, on-demand TV deal for those still reeling over the end of Downton Abbey and who are looking for a new engaging British show to incite the same excitement.

Acorn TV is available to be streamed on several platforms, including Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or simply your iPad or computer.

4. YouTube TV

Available at $35 a month, YouTube TV is a recent premium streaming service offered by YouTube featuring cable network streaming, live broadcast television, as well as shows from other popular entertainment, news, and sports networks. In other words, it’s basically a cable replacement, which might better explain the cost.

YouTube TV can be viewed on Google Chromecast, Android and iOS devices, tablets, and an Apple TV.

OnePlus 6 gets another OS update, OxygenOS pushed to v5.1.7

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 15, 2018       

The recently announced OnePlus 6 is now getting another software update. Arriving as OxygenOS v5.1.7, the new firmware brings Bootloader system security enhancement, fixes and optimizations.

One should note that the OxygenOS 5.1.7 will not be available for the users living in India. 

We received some reports from users in India that they had experienced stability issues with Oxygen OS 5.1.6 update, we have paused the rollout of this OTA. The 5.1.7 update will not be released for India region, as we are still working on a fix based on the logs we have received from users who have reported these issues.  We will be releasing 5.1.8 update next week which will include the fix & also contain all the features included in the 5.1.7 update.

The Software update includes Fixes of schedule setting issue for Do Not Disturb(DND) mode, Updates bootloader for system security enhancement, General stability improvements and other bug fixes.

The update is slowly rolling out in all the countries, but it will take some time to reach your smartphone. Also, you will receive the update only if you're using Stock Un-modified firmware.

Moto G5s Plus/ G5s Android 8.1 Oreo Beta [Screenshots]

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 14, 2018       

Just a few weeks back, Motorola started recruitment for Android 8.1 Oreo beta testers for the Moto G5s Plus and today the company has started rolling out the update to the eligible users in Brazil and India. While this is only a beta program, it's still good to see that Motorola is working on bringing the latest version of Android for its users.

Android 8.1 Oreo comes with numerous enhancements over Android 8.0 Oreo, such as new dark and light themes which changes according to wallpaper, Pixel 2 Launcher, Redesigned Power Menu, new Shutdown and Reboot Animation, Round Statusbar Icons, and Setting. Motorola might also add several new features to the latest software update. Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Moto G5s Plus also features the latest June 1st 2018 Security Patch, Stability improvements, and slide three fingers for screenshot Moto Action.

While the company has not revealed date of the official rollout of Android Oreo, it is believed that Motorola might release the official update by July. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter page to get the first News.

Below are some screenshots of the Android 8.1 Oreo Beta for Moto G5s Plus

Via: Fabio Santos

Moto G5s Plus and Moto G5s now receiving Android 8.1 Oreo Soak Test

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 14, 2018       

As predicted the Moto G5s Plus and the Moto G5s are now receiving it's Official Android 8.1 Oreo Soak Test.

Just a few days back Motorola released Android 8.1 Oreo with June 2018 Security Patch Release Notes for the Moto G5s Plus. Now, the company has started rolling out the latest update to its soak test users in Brazil and few other countries.

You can also call it Beta test for selected users, you need to enroll to Motorola Feedback Network MFN in order to receive the first software updates.

Android 8.1 Oreo comes with numerous enhancements over Android 8.0 Oreo, such as new dark and light themes which changes according to wallpaper, Pixel 2 Launcher, Redesigned Power Menu, new Shutdown and Reboot Animation, Round Statusbar Icons, and Setting. Motorola might also add several new features to the latest software update. Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Moto G5s Plus and Moto G5s also features the latest June 1st 2018 Security Patch, Stability improvements, and slide three fingers for screenshot Moto Action.

Moto G5s Plus (Sanders) gets it as OPP28.60 while the Moto G5s (Montana) receives it as build OPS28.49-2.

Moto G5s Plus/ G5s Android 8.1 Oreo Beta [Screenshots]

Once the Soak Test is over, you can expect the public roll out for the same. We will let you know once the update is live for general users. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter page to get the first News.

Screenshot:

After Moto G5s Plus and Moto G5s, the company plans to update Moto G5 Plus, Moto G5, and at last the Moto G4 Plus. It looks like Motorola is skipping Android 8.0 in favour of Android 8.1, which is impressive.

This Galaxy S10 concept is the phone we want Samsung to build

 By Vaibhav Jain on June 12, 2018       

In 2017 we saw some incredible decisions taken by some of the reputed companies over the globe. One such decision that stands out from every other is that Samsung releasing their first Infinity Display Smartphones. Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were the Samsung's first attempt to take on the bezel-less war.

And, they succeeded in doing that. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is widely regarded as the best smartphone of 2017. However, it's successor Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus were criticized for familiar design language and traditional features.

Now, Phone Designer has come up with an exciting new concept of Samsung's next flagship Galaxy S10. The phone’s fingerprint scanner is placed underneath the display, just like Vivo Apex. It has a triple camera setup at the rear. If you take a closer look at the phone’s front, you’ll also notice that it has tiny top bezel, which makes device beautiful.

Phone Designer imagines that a variant of the Galaxy S10 would feature transparent panel just like the Xiaomi Mi8 EE, and HTC U12 +. 

Well, before we actually dive into it, you should know that there is a minimal chance this is what Galaxy S10 will look like in 2019. That said, it’s still fun to imagine what it would be like to use an Galaxy S10 like this, and the possibilities are endless.

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S10 at MWC 2019. Thoughts on this beautiful S10 Concept?

Phone Designer | Mobil-helden