Samsung Galaxy J2 is one of Samsung’s newest budget phone and it has taken a remarkable change of design; for the first time in Samsung’s budget phone category, they had removed the physical home button, which means you will be using only the navigation bar on the screen.

Why Samsung removed the button we’re not entirely sure spacewise, because the space that houses the now non- existent home button is still there but it was replaced by the brand name. We’re thinking it’s for ergonomic purposes since people who are used to the home button might need some adjusting before getting used to it. It could also be because it is rather redundant to have the physical home button when it’s on the screen itself.

The Samsung Galaxy J2 doesn’t look much on the outside, it doesn’t have aluminum casing or glass back cover but that’s also one of the reasons why it’s so affordable.

Hey, do you want a quick and easy way to sim unlock your Samsung Galaxy J2 from MetroPCS? Click here. 

Samsung Galaxy J2 Build and Design

Samsung Galaxy J2’s build and design is on par with the rest of the Android phones in the budget department. We compared it to 3 other budget phones that retails for the same price (LG Aristo 3, Alcatel A30 Fierce, Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime Silver) from Metro by T-Mobile (previously called MetroPCS) and there seems to be no significant difference among them (comparison shown in the table below).

The J2, however, is considerably heavy for its height, weighing 5.8 oz at just 6 inches long. It has 5 inches of screen display on a Corning Gorilla Glass, with a 540 x 960 resolution on a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s a bummer that it has a lower resolution compared to the LG Aristo 3 which has a 720 x 1280 resolution on the same screen size for almost the same price.

To sum it up, it doesn’t have a stand out appearance and only has the standard look of most Samsung budget and mid-range phones.

Do you want to permanently unlock your phone with the Device Unlock App? Let us help you.

Samsung Galaxy J2 Hardware, Specs, and Features

The Samsung Galaxy J2 again doesn’t have an ‘edge’ above other budget phones of the same price, aside from bearing the brand name you trust. Nonetheless, its specs don’t really disappoint; it has a huge battery, a good processor, and solid cameras.

It has 5MP front-facing camera and 8MP main camera with LED Flash. However, these cameras don’t have instant focus or PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) and that means it might not be that great for selfies as it is for still images. Compared to Alcatel A30 Fierce, it has lower camera specs, because the American brand features a 13MP rear-facing auto-focus camera that has an LED flash and a 5MP front-facing wide-angle camera with LED flash as well.

If you’re about taking great selfie photos with a huge group, the Alcatel A30 Fierce has a better chance of nailing it than the Samsung Galaxy J2.

On the other hand, the battery is quite large but still not as huge as the Alcatel A30 fierce, which has a 3000mAh battery size. The Galaxy J2 only has a 2600mAh but still could last you a day of use.

The security features of the Galaxy J2 are not as impressive as the rest in the budget phone department. It doesn’t have fingerprint sensors like Alcatel A30 Fierce or Face Unlock which is present in LG Aristo 3.

Guidelines and steps on how to perform permanent unlock with MetroPCS device unlock app.

Is Samsung Galaxy J2 Worth Upgrading To?

If you value trust for the brand, Samsung Galaxy J2 is not bad for the price, although it could have had better specs to keep up with its competitors. It’s not the best Samsung budget phone we’ve seen so far, but we think that losing the home button is one of the remarkable changes the brand has adapted for all its budget phones.

Without the home button, the phone is still intuitively easy to use, that is, of course, if you’ve been a long time Android user.

If there was anything significant that we wanted Samsung could have changed, that is adding a fingerprint sensor. Undeniably, that’s something that makes every budget Samsung phone look and feel so out of date.

Do you want to unlock your phone using the Z3X Box but don’t know where to start? Well, here’s a complete guide that will help you do all the things you need to do to unlock your phone using this method successfully!

WARNING: WE WILL BE ROOTING THE PHONE AND THIS VOIDS THE WARRANTY IF YOU STILL HAVE ONE. THIS ALSO DISABLES KNOX AND ITS FEATURES. YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO USE THEM ANYMORE (LIKE SECURE FOLDER) EVEN IF THE FIRMWARE HAS BEEN RESTORED.

TLDR; below is a YouTube video that supplements this guide but all the downloadable materials are in this written guide.

Note: This guide already assumes that you have already installed Z3X Shell, activated the box, and have installed Samsung Tool Pro.

If you don’t already have a Z3X box and you want to unlock your phone, UnlockBase has a white glove unlock program where one of our technicians unlocks your phone remotely over the internet (for a fee). Through this guide you will; (1) know what files needed to be downloaded, (2) know how to root your Samsung phone safely, and (3) unlock your phone through the Samsung Tool Pro software for the Z3X.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Files that to be downloaded:

Samsung Android USB Driver – This will allow the phone to communicate with the computer.

TWRP 3.2.3-1 – This will allow us to flash Magisk so we can root the phone.

Magisk Manager – This software that does the actual rooting.

Preparation

1. Turn off the phone. Remove all SIM cards. Leave the microSD inside. If no microSD, insert one. (We’ll need that later).
2. Turn the phone back on.
3. Activate both USB Debugging and OEM Unlock
   • Go to Settings.
   • Go to “About Phone”
   • Tap “Software Info”
   • Tape Build Number 7 times, until it says “Developer mode has been enabled”, or “Developer mode has been enabled.”
   • Go back twice.
   • Go to “Developer Options”.
   • Enable both “OEM Unlock” and “USB Debugging”.
4. When prompted “Allow access to device data.” Tap “Allow”.
5. Copy “Magisk-vXXX.zip (XXX means version number of Magisk), to the phone’s SD card.
6. If connected, disconnect the phone from the computer.

Loading TWRP recovery.

1. Turn the phone off. Then press volume down (-), home, and power.
2. If you see “Warning”, press Volume up.
   • If you see the Samsung logo. Pull the battery out, put it back in, and keep trying until you get to the “Warning” screen.
3. Connect the phone to the computer.
4. Connect the Z3X Box to the computer.
5. Launch SamungToolPro
6. Go to “Flash” tab, on the top.
7. Click on “PDA” on the left side.
8. Navigate where you downloaded TWRP (twrp_3.2.3-1_sm-g532.tar).
9. Click “Flash”.
10. As soon as the phone reboots, IMMEDIATELY pull the battery out. Then disconnect the cable.
11. Put the battery back on, and then press Volume Up (+), Home and Power.
12. If you see a red text on the top saying “RECOVERY IS NOT SEADROID ENFORCING”, you just wait.If not, pull the battery out, reinsert and try pressing Volume Up (+), Home and Power. Keep trying until you see the red text on top.
13. Once booted into TWRP, swipe “Swipe to Allow Modifications.”

Rooting the phone.

1. On TWRP, tap “Install”.
2. Tap “Select Storage”.
3. Tap “Micro SD card”.
4. Tap “OK”
5. Select “Magisk-vXXX.zip” (XXX means the version number of Magisk).
6. Swipe “swipe to confirm Flash” to start flashing Magisk.
7. Wait for it to flash. Ignore the red errors).
8. Once done, tap “Reboot System”.
9. When prompted (and didn’t automatically reboot), tap “Do Not Install”.
10. If you see the yellow text “Set Warranty Bit: kernel(0)”. You did everything correctly, so far.
11. Plug the phone into the computer.
12. When prompted “Allow access to device data.” Tap “Allow”.
13. Go where you downloaded Magisk (Magisk-vXXX.zip) (XXX means the version of Magisk), and open it.
14. Extract “Magisk.apk” under the “common” directory, anywhere (just remember where you extracted it).
15. Copy the extracted “Magisk.apk” to your phone’s SD card.
16. Navigate to and install the “magisk.apk” on your phone.When prompted, tap “Settings”, and enable “Unknown Sources”.
17. Once done, click “Open”.
18. If both “Magisk”, and “Magisk Manager” has a green check. We are now ready to proceed to the next step.

Unlocking the phone.

1. Go back to SamsungToolPro
2. Click on “Model” tab on the top. Type in “G532G” “G532M” or “G532F”, without the quotation marks. Select your model from the list, and then click “Select” on the bottom.
3. Click the “Unlock” tab on the top.
4. Click on “Read Phone Info” on the right.  
5. On the right side of “ADB”, click the arrow and select the only option there. (That’s your phone.)
6. Unlock your phone’s screen.
7. Click “Unlock”.
8. When prompted to allow USB debugging, check “Always allow from this computer”, and then tap “OK”.
9. Wait for the phone to ask for Superuser permission or access. Tap “Grant” or “OK”
10. Once done, the phone should reboot. Your phone is now SIM unlocked at this point.
11. Once booted. Turn it off.
12. Put your SIM card. And turn the phone back on.
13. Use the phone normally.

Now your phone is unlocked! You should be able to use a different carrier’s service without any problems. If you have any questions, let’s talk about them in the comments section!

If you’re not that confident with your tech skills, we offer a Remote Phone Unlock Service where one of our technicians will unlock your phone via a remote session on your PC/laptop. We support several devices (list will come out soon as we launch this service) but for this article we will use a Samsung phone as an example.

Moreover, this article’s discussion will focus ONLY on the things you need to do or prepare prior to the remote session.

TLDR; There is a Youtube video that supplements this written guide, but all the downloadable files are in this article. 

A remote unlock session is guaranteed not to exceed 45 minutes in the best case scenario. To make sure your phone will last throughout the whole session, it needs to have at least 50% battery/power.

What you need to have for the remote unlock session are the following:

• A computer that runs Windows Vista or later. Windows XP may or may not work. Our unlock software also doesn’t work on a Mac or Linux.
• A phone (e.g. Samsung) that you want to unlock and has at least 50% of power in it.
• Appropriate USB Cable (since we’re going to need to connect the phone to the computer).

1. Enable USB Debugging on the Samsung smartphone.

In order for the phone to “talk” with the computer, we need to allow USB Debugging on your Samsung phone. Here’s how:

1. Go to “Settings”.
   • Pull down the Notifications drawer and then,
   • tap the gear or Settings icon on the upper right of the screen.
2. If you can’t find it on the first step, you can also just go to the “Settings” app in your app drawer.
3. Go to “About Phone”.
4. Go to “Software Information”.
5. Tap the build number seven times, or until it says “Developer mode has been enabled” or “No need, developer mode has already been enabled.”
6. Go back, twice.
7. Go to “Developer Options”.
8. Turn on “USB Debugging”.

2. Download and install three things.

After making sure that the phone is now communicating with your PC/laptop, the next thing you have to prepare are the tools and the software we to install for our computers to be able to communicate to each other over the internet.

1. TeamViewer – Is a tool that allows you to share client’s (you) screen and give exclusive access to another user (UnlockBase technician) to remotely control your computer. Of course, we can only proceed with your permission.
   • Select “Basic Installation” and under “How do you want to proceed?”
   • Select “Personal / Non-commercial use” on “How do you want to use TeamViewer?”
   • Click “Accept.”
   • When prompted “to allow this app to make changes to your device”. Click “Yes”.
   • When TeamViewer window opens. Leave it for now.

1. Samsung USB Drivers – In addition to having a USB cable, this is required in order for your computer to communicate with your Samsung smartphone.
   • Click “Next”, twice.
   • Click “Install”.
   • Once done, click “Finish”.

1. UnlockBase Client – This will connect your Samsung smartphone to the technician’s computer over the internet.

3. Connect the phone to the computer using the appropriate USB cable.

Connect one end of the cable to the phone you wish to unlock and the other end to the laptop/PC. To see whether your PC is “seeing” your phone and that it’s been recognized you need to:

1. Launch the Device Manager
   • On your keyboard, press Windows Logo and R at the same time.
   • Type in “devmgmt.msc”, without the quotation marks. Press Enter
2. Ensure that these two shows up under Device Manager.
   • “SAMSUNG Mobile USB Modem” under “Modems”
   • “SAMSUNG Android ADB Interface” under “SAMSUNG Android Phone” or “Android Device”

4. Launch UnlockBase Client

Once you ensure that your Samsung phone is recognized by your PC/laptop, we can then Launch the UnlockBase Client. If you’re logged in to the UnlockBase Client, that means we’re now able to communicate to your computer over the internet.

1. When it asks you that it needs to run as an Administrator. Click “Yes”.
2. If prompted click “Run”
3. If prompted that you “want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”. Click “Yes”.
4. For the ID, type “UnlockBase” (without the quotation marks”).
5. Then click “Log in”.

1. Now, contact and inform the technician on Skype, Telegram, Viber, or Whatsapp. Wait for their reply and they can pretty much take it from here. During the remote unlock session, you can see everything that’s happening on your screen. And since both of you are doing this through TeamViewer, you can always get the cursor access back anytime you see anything suspicious. Moreover, you can always uninstall all the software we used AFTER the unlock process is complete and confirmed on your phone.

That’s basically it. You’re just a few minutes away from having your phone unlocked. Wait for a few minutes for the technician to respond. We have multiple channels of communication and our team is here 24/7 and we’re always ready to help you.

Should you have questions, don’t hesitate to drop them down in the comments and we’re cool to answer all of them as fast as we can!

Have you tried ‘rooting‘ or installing ‘custom ROM’ on your Xiaomi device before? If you did, chances are your phone’s user interface don’t look similar to that of others in the same brand. Moreover, you could be experiencing lags, incompatible apps, or security issues having received no software update from the manufacturer.

Most importantly, this leads to breaking your phone or tablet’s warranty.

If you want to go back to the default firmware your Xiaomi phone or tablet used to have, this article will guide you step-by-step on how to flash the factory firmware back on your device.

Disclaimer: We are not representing Xiaomi. If you have any questions, please contact Xiaomi support. We are not liable for any consequences or damage taking the following steps may result in. Please use your discretion while following them.

WARNING: BACKUP YOUR FILES PRIOR TO FOLLOWING THIS GUIDE. THIS WILL WIPE THE DEVICE!

There is a YouTube video that supplements this guide:

Files that you will need to download:

To proceed, you’re going to need to download three things, so on your computer, follow the link provided below and download them accordingly.

– Google USB Driver – This will allow the computer to communicate with the phone.

– Xiaomi Flash Tool – This will flash the firmware to your device.

– MIUI Firmware –  Click on your device and download the ‘Stable ROM’ because this is what you need to restore on your device. I am doing this on a Pocophone F1, but this process should work on any Xiaomi devices (trust me, I owned several devices by them, and it’s the same procedure when restoring the firmware). Make sure to download the ‘Global’ version, not the ‘China’ one. The Global version has Google Play Store, but the China version does not.

Preparation

1. Go to your “C:” drive on My Computer/This Computer/Computer. Or Press Windows Key and R, then type in “C:\” without the quotation marks.
2. Create a new folder, called “Xiaomi”. Without the quotation mark.
3. Extract the contents of the three files you just downloaded. Once done, your Xiaomi folder should look like this
4. Extract the tar archive (that contains the firmware, has “global_images” somewhere in the file name) to the Xiaomi folder. It should look like this afterward.

Putting your phone to fastboot mode.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press Volume Down (-), and Power at the same time.
3. Let go when you see the fastboot logo.
4. Connect the phone to the computer.

Install the drivers

1. Go to the Device Manager.
2. If you are on Windows 10, simply right click on the Windows logo (lower left corner). Then select “Device Manager”.
3. On other versions of Windows. Press the Windows Key and R at the same time. Then type “devmgmt.msc” without the quotation marks.
4. Ensure that the “Android Bootloader Interface” is installed, under “Android Devices”, “LeMobile Android Device” or anything that says “Android”. It varies.
5. If not installed and you see “Android” under “Other Devices”. Double-click on “Android”.
6. Click on “Update Driver”.
7. Click on “Browse my computer for driver software.”
8. Click on “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.”
9. Click on “Show All Devices”
10. Click on “Have Disk…”.
11. Click “Browse”.
12. Navigate to the “usb_driver” folder on your “Xiaomi” folder. Then select “android_winusb”or “android_winusb.inf”. Click “Open”, then click “OK”.
13. Select “Android Bootloader Interface”, then click “Next”.
14. When Prompted, click “Yes”.
15. Once done, click “Close” twice, and exit out of Device Manager.

Flashing the firmware to the device

1. Navigate to the “MiFlashXXXXXXXX” (XXXXXXXX means the version of MiFlash) folder, and then double-click the “XiaomiFlash” or “XiaomiFlash.exe” file to start MiFlash.
2. On MiFlash, click on “Select”.
3. Navigate to the folder where you extracted the firmware earlier. (The directory where the “images” folder is located.
4. On the lower right of the window, select “clean all” to keep the bootloader unlocked (if you ever want to flash a custom ROM again in the future, without having to wait 72-360 hours again). Although leaving it unlocked will prevent some apps (like Pokemon Go and some banking apps from running). If you want to lock the bootloader after flashing, leave it at “clean all and lock”.
5. Click “refresh” and see if a device appears on the list. If your screen looks like this, then you are ready to proceed to the next step!
6. If not, then try disconnecting/reconnecting the device, moving it a another USB port, and restarting your computer. As a last resort, try reinstalling the driver. If you have it connected to a USB hub. Try connecting directly to your computer’s USB ports (as USB hubs could be causing the problem.)
7. Click “Flash” to commerce flashing.
   
8. Once flashing is done. Device will reboot. From there, set the phone up normally. Like you would like as if you took it out of its box.
   

And there you have it! Congratulations, your Xiaomi device is now back to its stock firmware! Now you’ll be able to enjoy all the manufacturer updates necessary to keep your device secure and running on optimal conditions. Want to share your thoughts? Drop them on the comments section below!

Alcatel 3T 8 is TCL’s newest budget tablet, it’s 8.24 inches tall and can be bought outright for $150 through T-Mobile. It has built-in features that make it great for the whole family’s entertainment, especially the kids.

It has CloserTV app, Eye Care Mode (blue light reduction/eye protection), and built-in parental control called Kids Mode. The Kids Mode feature has a parental control panel that allows you to limit the usage time and choose only the apps your children can use.

The Eye Care Mode is exclusive to Alcatel and it’s especially helpful in relieving visual fatigue coming from the blue light due to long hours of screen time. It offers optimized brightness and tonality both in daylight and at night.

The best thing about this tablet is that it supports T-Mobile 600mHz network, which means it can get better reception even when you’re indoors or in an enclosed area. Now you can enjoy fast 4G LTE speeds that reach even when you’re inside your home!

Unlock your Alcatel phone with us! Click here. 

Alcatel 3T Specs and Features

Alcatel 3T 8 comes with the latest Android operating system, Android 8.1.0 Oreo. It has a vibrant 8-inches display, super-fast 4G LTE capability and 5 MP front and rear cameras.

It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM, expandable up to 128GB microSD card and runs on a 1.5GHz Quad-Core processor. With just 2GB of RAM, you cannot expect this tablet to multi-task and run several apps at the same time in the background without experiencing lags. Due to the limited RAM, use of heavy gaming apps and social media apps may not be as seamless as compared to that of using your mid-range smartphones.

Quick tip: the best way to optimize the speed of your tablet or smartphone is to close all the apps running on the background. With the android Oreo operating system, you can do this by simply tapping on the burger (three horizontal lines) icon located at either the bottom right or left portion of the display screen.

By tapping on the burger button, you will see all the apps that are running on the background and you can close all the remaining apps you do not wish to use. Doing this will optimize your device’s speed again and will help you avoid unnecessary lag.

Want to know how to use the T-Mobile Mobile Device Unlock app? Here’s a quick how-to guide! 

Moreover, the Alcatel 3T 8 comes with a gargantuan 4080mAh battery with a standby time of up to 400 hours in the 4G network. Despite its huge battery size, it won’t last you a day of video streaming because the average usage time for LTE video streaming is only 6.7 hours. If you’re video streaming via Wi-Fi, it will last you a little longer, which is approximately 8.35 hours.

Alcatel 3T Build and Design

This family-friendly tablet is offered only in one color, which is metallic black. It has a considerably ergonomic 10.37oz of weight and comes with an Asahi glass. It is comfortably slim just like your regular smartphone, but it doesn’t have the most stylish look.

It doesn’t look remarkably amazing on a first look, but with bezels on all 4 sides of the display, you’ll have ample room to hold it comfortably without accidentally touching the screen.

Want to change carrier? Unlock your T-Mobile phone with us and save money! 

Alcatel 3T 8 vs Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 8” vs Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0

In the table below, we compared the tech specs of Alcatel 3T 8” to two of the Android tablets within its price range. Though the Alcatel tablet doesn’t particularly stand out or have a “wow” factor, it’s clear that its manufacturer chose to make up with the lack of luster by being in the middle; offering features that some brands don’t and by serving a specific target market: parents with kids.

Lenovo’s tablet clearly has the “wow” factor because of its cool features: rotatable camera, versatile design, Dolby Atmos speakers, and a really huge battery size which is a power bank at the same time.

Samsung’s tablet, on the other hand, doesn’t come out with a spectacular design like that of Lenovo Yoga, but it makes up for having a better camera and video recording quality.

Alcatel 3T 8” definitely has competitive key features, and for the price, it’s definitely worth it. For a simple source of entertainment for your children, it really is wonderful to have on the go to keep your children entertained safely while they’re on the internet.

Alcatel 1X Evolve was recently launched and it is offered through Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS was recently rebranded).

It is the second edition of Alcatel 1X which was released a few months ago and sold unlocked through retail stores and Amazon. Unlike the Alcatel 1X, the Alcatel 1X Evolve won’t be using the Android Go Edition operating system.

The Android Go is an optimized operating system created for budget phones with less than 1GB of RAM.

Phones with 1GB (or less) RAM would normally lag with heavy usage from social media or gaming apps. But with an Android Go operating system, the phone can use lite versions of apps that were customized for the Android Go OS, like Facebook Lite, Gmail Go, Google Maps Go, etc.

Nonetheless, the Alcatel 1X Evolve’s speed and performance is not at all bad. It’s still sporting 2GB of RAM which we think is fair enough for a phone with a sub $100 price tag.

At a glance, Alcatel 1X Evolve is a basic phone that offers basic features and use. It has a premium-looking suede finish, but it’s only offered in color Blue with its current carrier.

Related: How to use the MetroPCS device unlock app.

Alcatel 1X Evolve Build and Design

This budget phone only retails at $109 when you buy it outright from Metro, and for the price, it’s well worth it.

It has the typical 2016 look; fingerprint sensors at the back below the rear camera, a premium suede finish, and a boxy but not too bulky frame. It is arguably light and not too heavy to hold comfortably with one hand.

It has bezels on all 4 sides of the screen, but it has a 5.3 inches full view display in an 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a blue suede finish on a durable 2D Dragontrail™ Glass.

Alcatel assures their users that the phone can withstand scrapes and scratches because of it’s durable Dragontrail glass cover.

The fingerprint sensor which is conveniently located at the back also serves other purposes apart from unlocking the phone. You can assign other fingerprints to quickly launch your most used or important apps.

The phone has a sizable battery which is 2460mAh and can have 14 hours of talk time (based on a 3G network).

Want to use your Alcatel 1X Evolve with another carrier? Unlockbase can help you!

Alcatel 1X Evolve Performance and Camera

This budget beauty is fast, considering its price tag. As mentioned, it is running on Android Oreo on a Quad-core processor with up-to 1.1GHz in speed.

The camera is the usual so-so cameras you get from budget phones. The rear camera is 8MP and the front camera is 5MP.

And yes, it comes with camera features but they are not as great as your $300 mid-range phones.

Alcatel 1X Evolve vs Other Budget Phones

Alcatel 1X Evolve is the third Go Alcatel variant to be released within this year; the other two variants were Alcatel 1X and Alcatel 1, the latter was released in Russia.

But among the three, the 1X Evolve has the best and most sophisticated features.

On the other hand, compared to its other budget phone competition, the 1X Evolve does not particularly possess a feature that makes it stand out; if there is, it would be its glass back and body frame which is way better than the plasticky finish Motorola E5 play and ZTE Avid 4 has.

Related: How to resolve basic errors on your mobile device unlock app. 

Conclusion

The Alcatel 1X Evolve definitely changed the way we’ll look at budget phones again. We thought the Alcatel 7 is the best budget Alcatel yet, but it turns out we can get almost the same features with Alcatel 1X Evolve for almost half the price. With budget phones like this, midrange and flagship phone manufacturers are going to have a good run for their money.

AI is now the main technology ingredient behind Apple’s iPhone range

In September this year, when Apple unveiled the latest iPhones, Tim Cook introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a game-changing roadmap component behind almost every aspect of the device. Apple manufacture 15.6% of the world’s phones, but capture more than half of the industry’s revenue. Their strategic focus on AI is a worthwhile reminder of the importance of the opportunity that AI represents.

It’s not just Apple, however, who stand to benefit from this new, ubiquitous technology. With AI continuing to be the technology offering the most potential of our time, and mobile now a key part of every digital customer interface, there is no industry which can expect to be free from the need to find a way to garner AI’s benefits.

AI as a concept has been around since the idea was first generated by John McCarthy in the late 1950s. Today, well beyond claims of ‘hype’ it is fundamentally redefining every industry, starting with mobile.  Source: Medium

It’s no exaggeration to suggest that AI in Smartphones will redefine the field of mobile technology.

According to Gartner, 80% of Smartphones will have AI capabilities by 2022. AI is paving new ways to meet both specified an unspecified customer expectation and turbo charge the use of mobile technology in research.

AI’s success is derived, most fundamentally, from 3 things.

• First, it can be applied, in various forms to any industry, something we haven’t seen in many years– since air conditioning, indoor plumbing, the jet engine and other innovations of the 20th Century were rolled out.
• Second, it thrives on computing power and big data sets, two things which we now have in quantities never before seen.
• Finally, AI automates the most important aspect of the cutting edge of computing interfaces, personalization. Here are some examples of how those important AI principals are being applied to mobile.

AI and the IoT (Internet Of Things) – A match made in heaven

The internet of things (IoT) is the name given to the concept of cheap sensors and computing capabilities being embedded in to everyday aspects of our lives – everything from smartwatches, to smart buildings, rubbish bins and even children’s backpacks. Information from those now connected products is delivered through mobile phone (cellular) networks connected to the internet with increasingly cheap data plans.

In some senses, the Internet of Things is just at its beginning. Forbes suggest that 45% of business are aiming to implement IoT sensors in the machinery in their organizations. This is the first tranche of the rollout – since these sort of industrial implementations offer the fastest payback for an IoT investment.

We take it for granted that our desktops and selves are connected to the internet with laptops and smartphones respectively. Over the next decade, every other physical asset worth more than $50 will also be added to the mix. Just like our computers and phones, these artifacts will start to generate huge quantities of information about their status and environments.

Early implementation of IoT will affect industry, where paybacks are fastest. However, B2C – Business to Consumer applications will also occur in the next decade. Source: Statista

In this IoT world, AI assists in picking the signal from the noise of data which are generated by newly connected devices. Combined, of AI and the IoT helps means that the information obtained from such a broad array of sensors, can be filtered and put to good use.

The results will improve efficiency where, currently, we don’t have information to realize how we could optimize.

As usual, Google are ahead of the curve, and have applied AI algorithms to their data centers, optimizing them with invisible AI algorithms to cut the power used by an incredible 40%.

 AI and Digital Conversation – An altogether different experience

We take for granted that our current interface with mobile technology is the common touchscreen, introduced most famously, again, in the original iPhone back in 2007. This may not be the case for much longer, however, and AI is, again, the tool which is bringing these new interaction methodologies to the fore.

Now, people are getting used to ‘talking’ (or having real time Instant Messaging ‘chats’) with chatbots which answer their queries in much the same way a human would.

Most people have interfaced with one type of ‘bot’ even now. If you’ve talked to Siri or said ‘OK Google’ to perform a search with your voice – you’ve been dealing with a ‘personal assistant’ – a specific type of Chatbot.

Now, the same technology is being rolled out by banks, phone companies and even government departments to manage the huge volume of calls and chat requests they receive from people every day.

The beauty of chatbot is the ability to communicate with a large number of people at the same time – importantly – at a zero marginal cost. Over time, these bots are much, much cheaper than employing people to do the same thing.

Chatbots have started to become a crucial aspect of customer relationship management, learning from mistakes, providing more accurate answers to the most common questions and getting better at the root of the problem from a computing / AI perspective – establishing a user’s intent from what they say ( ‘utterances’ in techno-speak.)

History of Chatbots. Source: SmartSheet

Does using chatbots work? More than 95% smartphone users feel that customer service has seen improvement since the inception of AI fueled chatbots.

AI and mobile technology – A lethal weapon for research

AI-powered tech may well be the key component driving the future of every form of mobile research.

80% of research is spent compiling and analyzing the information required. A great deal of the most useful research undertaken starts with a deep understanding of human needs and behaviors. The data available from mobile devices, aligned with AI to sort the wheat from the chaff, has now made that information easier to collate.

Consider the amount of information a smartphones gathers. Simply studying people’s movements using the GPS feature on a phone can be useful for research purpose. Other device sensors (most phones contain accelerometers, GPS, microphones, RF antennae and so on) can be used to gather information on people and cross reference that with other variables, either established through the phone data or derived from another source, to reach a research objective.  

One specific, work undertaken at Dartmouth University, used data collected from students’ smartphones, to determine their levels of depression, stress and loneliness. Their movements, audio signals and position information were correlated with survey questions asked directly of the students using one of those targeted apps. The results could be used to predict psychological wellbeing on other students phones (those who had not answered the questionnaire.)

Further, the strict mathematical models behind AI can also be used to practically remove human bias from the research process, something hard for humans to do but which can materially and negatively impact the value of any research undertaken.

AI and smartphone security – Two sides of the same coin

Finally, AI is catering to the biggest concern of the mobile economy – security.

Security is a difficult subject to contend with for those developing any consumer product, especially when it’s used to address the needs of mobile users.

The nature of security solutions is that they offer an uncomfortable trade off – between the safety of and the convenience of access to information. It’s an important balance to get right, given the quantity of personal information that the average smartphone now contains.

AI ‘fuzzy’ pattern matching is allowing developers can predict vulnerability levels and app security. The technology will keep a eye on ‘suspicious’ (note how vague that term is) activities, identifying them from the coalescence of similar patterns in the past – and raise an alert when ‘unusual’ behavior (of the sort which might indicate a ‘hacker’ is working) is encountered.

AI has the potential to find the loopholes and reduce the risk of intruders attacking the smartphone of the customer through their apps.

Bringing it all together

Most fundamentally, AI helps computers behave in a more human manner, delivering more personalized experiences in an automated way. When your phone recommends a song playlist you love, containing tunes you’ve never heard before, when your mobile interface to Netflix guesses a show you’ll enjoy or when Amazon show you products that you might like to consider – AI is behind those suggestions and transforming the experience you have with your mobile technology.

Artificial intelligence is slowly revamping the entire economy, including its mobile component with its immense power to connect the facilities we’ve listed above. The IoT means more data is collected, often in real time for analysis. AI makes collecting and analyzing it more secure. It offers better ways of interfacing with technology than our current screen technology, in the form of chatbots and voice agents ‘why’ act on our behalf.

Are you getting a weak signal from your Smart Bro Prepaid Home WiFi? There’s a way to fix it!

Boost the signal by adding antenna correctors and outdoor antennas!

This will also work on the PLDT Prepaid Home WiFi. It is essentially the same modem, just a different brand. Be warned: doing this notification will surely VOID your warranty. It is up to you whether to proceed or not.

Disclaimer:  We are not responsible if things go wrong.

Also, your mileage may vary. In my case, this modification boosted my signal indoors. But it may or may not be the same for you, it depends on your area. There are a number of factors that may affect wifi signal strength; (1) thick walls, (2) microwave oven, and (3) actual distance from the router/modem. 

There is also a video version of this guide. Watch below:

Things you need to buy/required for this modification:

• Antenna SMAWiFi Pigtail Cable IPX to SMA (₱99.00 on Lazada)
• 1/4 and 3/16 drill bit. (I used multi-purpose)
• Drill
• Marker (any color will do, as long as you can easily see it).
• Ruler
• Thin plastic (like a guitar pick or gift card).
• Box cutters

1. Use the ruler and marker to write lines on the back of the modem as shown in the picture.
   
   
2. Take the box cutter and slowly insert it into the left side modem, when doing so, make sure it face down at a 45-degree angle. Insert the cutter in the middle to avoid damage to the internal antennas, just in case you want to use it again the future.
   
   
3. Once the cutter is inserted. Grab a thin plastic (guitar pick, gift card, etc), and insert it next to the cutter.
4. Once both the cutter and thin plastic are both inserted, slide the thin plastic throughout the perimeter of the modem. If you’re having trouble sliding the plastic through, yank out the cover a little bit to ease the plastic through.
5. Once the cover is off, disconnect the two antennas (circled in red) gently.
6. Drill two holes (circled in blue). Start out with the 3/16 bit on each, then finish them off with the 1/4 bit also on both.
   
7. Loosen the nut on the SMA to u.FL connector and install each one onto the holes.
8. Insert each SMA connectors on each hole. Don’t forget to install the nuts afterward. 
9. Connect u.FL connectors onto the motherboard (where you disconnected the internal antennas from back in step 5). It doesn’t matter which one is which you connect them to.
10. Put the cover back, and snap it in place.
11. Connect the antennas.
12. Turn on the modem and see the improved reception. Your mileage may vary, depending on your area.

Before:

After:

If you want to use this without the outdoor antenna, you could purchase an external SMA antenna (as shown in the picture below) and hook it up to the modem, or open the modem again, and connect back the internal antennas.

There you go! Your very own DIY external antennas for a better wifi signal strength!

If you don’t want to go through the hardware DIY, you can ask your internet service provider if your Wifi Modem has the capability of connecting to a “range extender.” Range extenders look like small wifi boxes with external antennas and you can install as many as you can to areas where you have poor wifi strength or none at all.

Range extenders, as the term defines, ‘ extend’ your wifi’s range. You can easily purchase one from any store near you, but for the convenience they offer, they might come a little bit pricey.

The Sony Xperia XZ3 is the last flagship phone in the XZ series released this year.

Unlike its predecessors, this flagship phone comes with an impressively bigger 6in screen display. What makes this phone a beast is that it’s the first ever Sony Xperia phone to have an HDR OLED display, making images as crisp as watching them in a Sony Bravia TV.

Related: How to sim unlock your Sony Xperia phone for use with another carrier.

Sony Xperia XZ3 at a glance

The phone looks like your typical 2018 Samsung; its screen had the iconic curves at the edge. Unlike most Android phones this year, this one thankfully doesn’t have a notch.

A notch would have ruined its beautiful display.

Going by the book, the Sony Xperia XZ3 came out with the latest Android operating system, customized into the Sony graphic user interface. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with 64 GB internal memory supported by 4 GB RAM.

It has a 19MP rear camera with a motion eye technology that can also record in 4K HDR. At the front, there is a 13.2MP camera, which we think is a total letdown, since it can do so much better for selfies.

We provide unlock codes for Sony phones! Find your model here.

Sony Xperia XZ3’s Build and Design vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9

In its borderless slim appearance, Xperia XZ3 came in with four different color variations you can choose from; Black, White Silver, Forest Green, and Bordeaux Red.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the Sony Xperia XZ3 have aluminum frames and curved glass panels in the front and back. Both are also IP68 water and dust resistant. As mentioned earlier, the Xperia XZ3 has a cunning resemblance to Samsung Galaxy phones.

The XZ3 stands 6.2 inches with bezels at the top and bottom leaving 6 inches for the screen display, but Note 9 is still a bit taller. But the XZ3’s size is more ergonomic to hold than that of Note 9, which are too large to hold.

And since the XZ3’s screen is HDR OLED, it’s arguably better than Note 9, which has Super AMOLED. It has a slightly bigger pixel density, which means it has high contrast ratios and deep blacks.

However, Note 9 has a bigger display and slightly smaller bezels than that of the XZ3.

Related: How to sim unlock your Sony Xperia phone for use with another carrier.

Sony Xperia XZ3 vs iPhone Xs Max vs Huawei Mate 20

Sony Xperia XZ3 Camera

Motion eye system is still in-use and the predictive capture in this phone that gives you the opportunity to capture 4 photos before clicking the capture button has been showcased to its predecessors already.

Just like the Note 9, the XZ3 has slow-motion recording, but the latter has higher resolution. The XZ3 can record in 1080p at 960fps while the Note 9 can record 720p at 960fps. However, recording on Note 9 is way easier because it has motion detection.

The Sony XZ3 also has a bigger front camera 13MP with f/1.9 on portrait mode, while the Note 9 has 8MP with f/1.7 selfie focus.

Sony Xperia XZ3 Performance

The processor of this smartphone is the Snapdragon 845. Having a faster processor means conserving energy since it cannot take so much time in optimizing a command.

The XZ3 has 4GB of RAM, while the Note 9 has 6GB and 8GB RAM variants. We think this is what a $100 price difference is worth.

Nonetheless, the XZ3 is compatible with wireless charging and comes out of the box with Android Pie, the latest Android operating system.

The biometrics of this phone is still in fingerprints. We are still waiting if Sony has a plan to follow Apple through their Face ID, Samsung’s Iris Scanner or they’ll be able to develop a much safer and convenient way to secure phones in the near future.

Related: Here’s why you should unlock your phone with UnlockBase!

Unlock Sony Xperia XZ3 – Conclusion

Sony Xperia XZ3’s display is definitely way ahead than that of Samsung Galaxy’s Note 9. It’s arguably better than Note 9 in so many aspects, and we think that with the Xperia XZ3, this is Sony’s golden year for smartphones.

After the release of Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra, Sony released another phone for the mid-range market, the Xperia XA2 Plus.

Just like many of Sony’s flagship phones, the Xperia XA2 Plus is designed for entertainment. It has a huge screen, a conventional design, and a huge battery capacity. It is built with a 6 inches aluminum and glass body, and had two different sets of memory capacity and RAM; 32GB with 4GB RAM and 64GH with 6GB RAM. You can get in 4 different colors; silver, black, gold, and green.

What makes this phone stand out in the upper midrange arena is its 23MP rear camera. If you’re greatly inclined to photography and filmmaking, you definitely need to check this phone out.

Related: How to sim unlock your Sony Xperia phone for use with another carrier.

Sony Xperia XA2 Plus’ Build and Design

This high- level tiered phone is crafted with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with metallic finishing. The edges are done with diamond cuts bringing an elegant curve that is ergonomic to your hands.

Its total height is 6.2 inches, but only 6 inches of it was spent to the 1080 x 2160 resolution full HD display screen. It’s not bezel-less and it a small chin at the top and at the bottom of the screen.

Thus, although the bezel is thinner than Xperia AX2 and Xperia Ultra, it can never be compared with other Android phones that already achieved the bezel-less look e.i. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone Xr.

Located at the top of this phone is the audio port for 3.5 mm headphones that enhance by DSEE and High- Resolution Audio technology. In addition, the LDAC that heightened the wireless music streaming is available on this phone too.

Sim and micro-SD slots are located at the upper left side of the phone. Located at the other side are the camera key, power button, and the volume adjuster.

The battery capacity of this phone is in 3580 mAh, however, the processor of this phone is still in Qualcomm Snapdragon 630. The performance is expected to be slower than Xperia XZ2 and shorter battery life.

Nonetheless, it’s one of the few mid-range phones that have a huge battery and the operating system is justified by its price.

It doesn’t have dual rear cameras but having a 23MP single rear camera compensates what it lacks. You won’t see this from mid-range phones coming from other manufacturers.

Even the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 only has a 12MP rear camera at the back, and it’s a flagship at that.

Having an 8MP front camera is not that bad, too. You still have a bokeh effect and other common camera features other phones of the same price range have.

The security feature of this phone is fingerprint scanning. It is located at the back along with the camera.

The touch system of the pre-installed keyboard to this phone is very smooth and there’s no delay. Other phones may pause if you’re typing too fast; there are none in this phone.

Related: Want to unlock your Sony Xperia? Click here!

Xperia XA vs. Xperia XA Ultra vs. Xperia XA Plus

The purpose of this table is to show the improvement (if there is) in Sony’s Xperia XA2 Plus.

Related: Here’s why you should unlock your phone with UnlockBase!

Sony’s XA2 series offered mid-ranger phones that really stand out in performing their daily tasks in serving you.

XA2 Plus is the upgraded version of the regular XA2. It has bigger RAM and internal memory more than its predecessor and the capacity to accommodate external memory has enlarged too.

On the flip side, after the release of XA2, XA2 Ultra is launched having the same specs with XA2 except for its front camera having the amount of mp twice as compared to XA2 and XA2 Plus.

Despite that, the XA2 Plus has a bigger RAM capacity. If you’re looking for speed, this is your best bet.

The Xperia XA2 Ultra is priced almost the same as the Xperia XA2 Plus, the latter doesn’t have lesser specs, it’s just a matter of deciding what you are able to compromise.

You really can’t have it all.