Game
Stemworld Dig 2: My 3rd Favorite Game of 2017
As much as putting Resident Evil 7 on this list surprised me, at least I knew what that game was before it came out. Steamworld Dig 2 came out of left field for me, and I am stunned by how head-over-heels I am for this game. I bought this game because it was
Game
Resident Evil 7: My 4th Favorite Game of 2017
I never thought this game would be on this list. I’ve never been a huge Resident Evil fan. RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and I think RE0 is a woefully underrated game, but the rest of the series left me mostly feeling nothing at all. I didn’t even
Game
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: My 5th Favorite Game of 2017
As you can likely guess from the title of the post, there are 4 more posts coming in this series.
Mario Kart 8 originally came out for the Wii U in 2014, which means most people never got a chance to play it. Now that the game has been released for the Switch, which means
Links
2018 will Totally be the Year of Android Tablet Apps
Dieter Bohn has a great compilation of “Android tablets apps will be good soon” quotes. Here’s one:
Tablet-friendly apps are still few and far between — even the big Twitter web and app overhaul didn't include any optimizations for larger form factors — and it does seem like everyone's waiting for
Android
Google is Killing Project Tango
From 9to5Google:
Begining March 1st of 2018, Tango will no longer be supported, with the company pointing developers to embrace its latest AR initiative instead.
This makes sense as ARCore, Google’s new augmented reality platform for Android is almost as good as Tango in many ways and works on hardware you actually want to
goodie
6 Slick Wallpapers (All Shot on iPhone)
It's been too long since I've made some wallpapers, and decided it was about time I made a few again. In that light, I hope you enjoy these 6 wallpapers on whatever device you’d like1.
Android
Android Oreo Review: Conclusion
This is the 8th and final part of a multipart series on Android Oreo. The subsequent parts in this series will be posted daily to BirchTree, so subscribe via RSS, Twitter, or Apple News.
* Part 1: Introduction
* Part 2: All the Little Things
* Part 3: Google’s Assistant and Other Apps
* Part 4: Third Party
Links
The Nintendo Switch on Pace to Outsell Wii U by March 2018
Business Insider has a look at Nintendo’s reveal that they just sold their 10 millionth Switch:
Demand has been so high, in fact, that Nintendo had to revise its sales projections for first-year sales of the Switch. The company initially expected to sell about 10 million units in year one — now, Nintendo expects
Links
AirPods and the Complexity Behind Simplicity
T3 has an extended interview with Schiller:
“At the surface level, it’s an incredibly simple product. But the reality is it’s actually an incredibly complex product to make. Each AirPod really is its own computer, running software and hardware. And those two computers need to deliver this very clear experience that you want,
Android
AR Stickers Come to the Pixel 2
The Pixel's AR Stickers are the most fun you can have with a camera | Android Central:
AR Stickers aren't a separate camera app on your Pixel. Instead, it lives right inside the Google Camera app. You access it just like you would Portrait Mode, by tapping the Menu button on the
Links
An Android User Falls in Love with the Taptic Engine
Android to iPhone, part two: What I've liked about switching to the iPhone X:
Apple’s Taptic Engine doesn’t just buzz - it clicks, it taps, it knocks. And it can do so with an incredible range of intensities and precision. If I had to analogize, it’s sort of like having used
Links
The OnePlus 5T Can't Currently Stream HD videos
Your shiny new OnePlus 5T can't stream HD videos | Android Central:
In order to stream videos in HD from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, etc., phones need to support something called Widevine Level 1 DRM. As some users on OnePlus's forums have noted, the 5T only supports Widevine Level
Links
Apple Throttling iPhones with Degraded Batteries?
Apple's Alleged Throttling of Older iPhones With Degraded Batteries Causes Controversy - Mac Rumors:
A Reddit post over the weekend has drawn a flurry of interest after an iPhone 6s owner reported that a battery replacement significantly increased the device's performance running iOS 11. The ensuing discussion thread, also picked up by
Links
Apple Watch Expected to Grow by 20-30% in 2018
Apple Watch 3 shipment growth to benefit Taiwan IC packagers in 2018 - DigiTimes:
Shipments of Apple Watch 3 are expected to surge 20% on year to reach 23-25 million units in the coming year, which will greatly benefit Taiwan players in the supply, particularly backend packaging and testing service providers, according industry sources.
As
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Google Assistant lets you sync smart devices with your voice
Google Assistant adds command for syncing smart home devices - Android Police:
You can now say "sync my devices" to Google Assistant (on your phone, Google Home, etc) to refresh all of your smart home services. For example, if you have Philips Hue lights and WeMo outlets, Google will pull the full list of
podcast
The BirchTree Podcast #45: 3 Reasons I Prefer iOS to Android
It comes down to 3 main things for me:
1. Third party software
2. General look and feel
3. Sync with my Mac
Subscribe to The BirchTree Podcast here.