Pavel Astakhov -- celebrity lawyer, courtroom TV star, crime novelist, reciter of impromptu religious poetry -- has finally met a scandal he couldn't laugh off: when he met with the children who'd survived a boating accident that killed 14 of their friends, he opened with "So, how was the swim?"
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The perfect cure for a rainy day or your morning transit commute.
Not everyone wants to commit hours of their day to playing games on their phone. That's why casual games exist! Championed by iconic mobile games such as Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga, these games have proven wildly successful. They're designed to be played on the go and at your own pace — as laid back or competitive as you want.
Most casual games are free, offering in-app purchases and some ads, while a few may cost you a dollar or two, but they're totally worth it. We've collected some of our favorites from the past, along with some newer games that are great to keep on your phone for a little gaming break during your day.
Everyone's favorite turtle-stomping plumber is back on Android in Super Mario Run. While Super Mario Run might be a bit of a disappointment for those of us dreaming of a full-fledged Mario game on a non-Nintendo handheld device, it's a great casual game that's sure to be a hit with Mario fans young and old.
Most of the Mario mechanics you know and love from the classic side-scrolling games of the past is here: you're running your way through eight different worlds made up of three levels and a boss battle as you try and rescue Princess Peach from the scaly claws of King Bowser. But rather than giving you full control over Mario, he's automatically running to the left and you control his jumps. It's a game that's designed to be played with one hand while you're riding the subway, which is the goal of most casual games.
The game is free to download and play the first world, but then you'll need to pay $9.99 to unlock the full game.
If you love in-depth strategy games like Civilization 5, but don't typically have 10 hours to burn playing through a full campaign, you should check out The Battle of Polytopia. It's a casual strategy game that borrows heavily from the Civilization franchise but offers a fresh take on the genre for Android.
Upgrade your technology tree, explore new lands, and decimate your enemies in solo and multiplayer modes that are great for quick pick-up-and-play or lengthier gaming sessions. Everything is wrapped in colorful poly graphics and it's surprisingly robust for a free-to-play title.
If you haven't played Reigns yet, you need to check it out — it was one of our favorite games of 2016 and won Google's first Indie Game Award. It's built around a very casual gameplay mechanic (traditionally found in dating apps): you play as a King ruling over your kingdom who must make "yes" or "no" decisions to the advisors, citizens, and talking animals that wander into your palace.
The aim is to live as long as you can. When you die, you take up the role of your successor and the new reign begins (get it?). Featuring a great mix of mystery and gallows humor, this game is filled with fun surprises to discover the longer you play. Well worth the price of admission, this is a game you can casually play — but be prepared to get addicted to its simplistic gameplay and engaging storytelling.
Search for stolen coins, emeralds, and diamonds as you race through multiple worlds in Fast like a Fox. The retro-style geometric design of your little hero fox and the landscapes he runs through are fun to watch, and the soundtrack is zippy and catchy.
The game claims it's "easy to play, hard to master" and that's just what you want in a casual game; it will keep you coming back until your fox has claimed all of the treasure he can. The game also uses a rather unique control scheme that lets you tap the back of your phone to control the speed of your fox. In-app purchases are available for removing ads or unlocking secret character, but they are unnecessary for enjoying the game.
Unwind in your downtime by breaking virtual glass in Smash Hit. No consequences, only loads of points when you shatter the glass obstacles in your path in beautifully designed game levels.
The music and audio effects change as you progress through the game's stages, over 50 of which are available in the free download. An optional in-app purchase gives you premium perks such as the ability to save and access checkpoints, new game modes, and cloud save access across all of your devices. If you have a Samsung Gear VR, you'll definitely want to check out Smash Hit VR, too. Less casual, but a super cool VR experience to say the least!
If you often find yourself mindlessly doodling, Blek is a game designed with you in mind. The multiple award winning game takes doodles to an artistic level as you find patterns and draw your way to more challenging levels.
The concept is simple and hooks you in right away. Use your doodling skills to draw a continuous line that collects all of the colored balls in a pattern. Succeed and your doodle becomes its own piece of art; make a mistake and you try again. Blek is easy enough to play on your downtime, yet challenging enough to busy your mind. With full support for the S-pen, this is a must-own for Samsung Galaxy Note owners.
Building on the popularity of the original Piano Tiles game, Piano Tiles 2 lets you play along with the band to classical music and modern pop songs. Use your fingertips to tap the black keys as they scroll down your screen to the music.
Play in friendly battle of bands-style competitions against your Facebook friends or against other music lovers from around the world. In-app purchases unlock additional songs. A tremendously popular game with a beautiful built-in soundtrack? That's an absolute must have.
The Candy Crush franchise is the most popular casual puzzler for phones. In the latest twist on the Candy Crush game, you match three of the same candy on the game board to create, spread, or clear away jelly. Your nemesis is the Jelly Queen and you can battle her alone or test your skills against your friends.
The game has added new candies you'll wish you could buy and eat in real life. If you're connected to Facebook you'll have access to a leaderboard that shows you how well you're doing and who your biggest competition is. There are over 100 levels of sweet, silly fun to be had, and the games are as short or as in-depth as you want them to be.
Enter the world of Fruitasia, where your Sensei is waiting for you with fruit fight missions. All you need to know to get started with Fruit Ninja is to slice the fruit, not the bombs; once you master that, you'll be slicing and dicing like an old pro in no time.
As your game improves, you can upgrade your blade and join new Dojos. Learn how to handle bananas and multi-slice pomegranates, not to mention the rare 10 fruit Great Wave. It all sounds funny and a little on the ridiculous side, but it's also all for fun and distraction; that's the perfect casual game.
The Angry Birds franchise is one of those iconic smartphone games that has reached heights that even the developers couldn't have envisioned when the first game landed on mobile over 7 years ago. What started out as a simple game pitting upset birds battling the green pigs that stole their eggs has spawned several spin-offs and sequels — and even a freaking Angry Birds movie!
If you've never played it before, here's the skinny. Every bird comes with a unique skill, designed to ruin the evil pigs and restore order. You fling the birds at obstacles, power up their skills with features like a Birdquake (hint: it's exactly what it sounds like), or make a one-time purchase of the Mighty Eagle and show those pigs who the real bosses are. It's loads of addictive fun for gamers of any age or skill level. Angry Birds 2 is the sequel, which adds more birds, more powerups, and more fun!
This casual game is based on the cute, animated Australian public service announcement about train safety that went viral a few years back. All you have to do is stay alive, and that would be easy if your character wasn't so dumb. Dumb Ways to Die 2 is actually a series of mini-games, perfect for those little moments when you want to play a game but can't invest loads of time.
In the Dumb universe, you don't throw the javelin, you catch it. Have you always wanted to swim with dolphins? Try your hand at the Dolphin Rodeo and try not to break your neck. Don't forget to join the local curling team and play with dynamite rocks. Invite your friends in the multiplayer mode and see who can jump the ever-rising electric fence.
Fancy yourself a wordsmith? If so, get on board with Words With Friends, the Scrabble-based game you play at your own pace, whether it's one word an hour or one word per day. Just check your gameboard whenever you have a few free moments and play tiles to earn points and climb the real-time leaderboard.
The in-app chat feature lets you converse with your friends as you play, so you can send them an innocent taunt or gentle reminder that you're waiting for them to take a turn, or you can congratulate them on a complex play. You'll also be able to access your game from your desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone, so your game can just keep on going.
Losing your stuff is no fun. Neither is trying to get it all back on a new phone. Here are some tips to make it easier to keep everything important backed up.
We keep a lot of things on our phones. We have pictures and videos, details about the people we know, schedules and important dates and more. Many of us depend on our phones to help keep track of a good part of our daily lives. With all this stuff stored in one portable place, it can be a disaster if we lose it all. Some of us have been there — our phones were lost or stolen or broken. It's not fun to try and sort it all out on a new phone, Not fun at all. That's why it's important to try and copy everything in another place and keep a backup of your important data.
Android is a cloud-based operating system. It was designed to be connected and keep everything synchronized with a computer in a cold building somewhere electricity is cheap. Seriously, data centers are huge banks of machines that mostly exist to store things and have them ready when someone wants to see them. And Google knows all about setting up and maintaining data centers. It makes sense for Google to support and develop a cloud-based system because they are the cloud.
Android was designed from the ground up to be a cloud-based OS.
Google has built-in synchronization for your email, your contacts, your notes and just about every other service they offer. If you move to another phone, just sign in with your Google account and all your stuff is there — except not really.
We don't just use Google's app on our phones, and that's where things get a bit funky. Any app published on Google Play has the ability to store your data (whether its recipes or game progress or anything else) for free inside your Google account. The problem is that many developers don't bother to use it. I've heard from some app devs that it's a trivial thing to include, while others say it's a big mess. I'll assume it depends on just what you;re trying to back up. For whatever reason, one thing to look for when choosing which apps you want to install is if they keep your data safe in case you have to move to another phone — either through Google or their own method. We covered how to set up backup through Google, so be sure to have a look if you have any questions.
For a lot of us, though, the shift from keeping the second copy of all our stuff on a remote computer instead of the computer in our home isn't easy. If you're coming from an iPhone or a BlackBerry you're used to plugging your phone in and copying stuff to your computer, with a piece of software installed that makes it fairly simple. That makes sense, too, because Apple and BlackBerry aren't cloud-first companies (though they are moving in that direction.) Some of the companies who make our Androids recognize this and offer a program suite you can install and connect your phone to copy your stuff locally. It's important to them to try and offer what we want and what we're used to doing. We've covered LG Bridge and Samsung Smart Switch to get you started if this is how you would rather do things.
When it comes to our media — the things we like to see and hear, like pictures or video and music — most of us want to keep it safe somewhere in a cloud or on our own storage system as well as be able to enjoy it on all our things with a screen or speakers. It makes sense to have these types of files in multiple places, one where it stays safe and others where we can use them. A lot of companies realize this, and there are plenty of ways to store your media files and share them easily with any connected device.
Two of the easiest solutions are from Google and Dropbox. Google Drive — the free storage you get from Google when you sign up for an account — and Dropbox make it easy to sync across devices and platforms and also have built-in media playing capabilities. With Google Drive, the Google Photos app ties in and offers editing and other fun tools for working with pictures and video. Dropbox is a little less feature-packed, but both ways can automatically back up the memories you create with your camera. We had a look at how easy it is, so check it out if you need help getting started.
As you can tell, there is no do-it-all program you can install on your computer to make a 1:1 copy of everything on your Android. There never will be because Google is all about the cloud. Their business model depends on users being connected — Google doesn't make money from selling phones. Android is a cloud ecosystem, and that means it's not right for everyone. And that's OK. And app developers not using Google's way of backing up data for their apps can be frustrating, but with an open system, there's not much that can be done about it. Google doesn't force developers to use cloud saves to publish an app. Support developers who make it easy on you by delivering a way to keep your data, and know that Google is working on ways to back things up without developers doing anything differently. It's getting better and will continue to improve.
But it's not difficult to keep all of your stuff in place, and get it all back when you move to a new phone. It just requires a bit of know-how and a few settings.
New Jersey public transit was forced to remove the bugs it had installed on its light rail system after a public outcry, but Baltimore's buses and subways remain resolutely under audio surveillance, while in Oakland, the cops hid mics around bus-shelters near the courthouses to capture audio of defendants and their lawyers discussing their cases.
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We've all seen what fireworks look like. This Fourth of July, do yourself a favor and disable Facebook Live notifications.
Good news, everyone! Facebook has made it easier than ever to broadcast what you're doing, live. Bad news, everyone! Facebook has made it easier than ever to broadcast what you're doing, live. And the thing about live video is that it's pointless if nobody's watching. So Facebook makes sure that you get a notification every damn time one of your friends (or a page that you follow) goes live.
Other times, it's downright awful. Holidays such as the Fourth of July here in the U.S. are one of those times. We've all seen fireworks before. Many of us will be out watching them, live. (Like, in-person.) So the last thing we need is 200 notifications of other people broadcasting their own fireworks experiences over relatively low resolution.
(Note that this only works from the full Facebook site, not m.facebook.com (which your phone will try to send you to), or from within the Facebook app.)
Here's how to to turn off Facebook Live notifications:
Go to your Facebook settings. Drill down to Settings>Notifications>On Facebook.
Now choose "Edit." (Note: This link should take you directly.)
Toggle "Live Videos" to OFF.
Note that this only works from the full Facebook site, not m.facebook.com (which your phone will try to send you to), or from within the Facebook app.
Alternatively, if you just want to kill Facebook Live notifications from a single person or page, you can do so from within the notifications themselves. Just long-press on the person you want to squelch, and then choose whether to dismiss that single notification, or to turn off all notifications of live videos from that person.
Unless you absolutely hate any use of Facebook Live, we might suggest not turning off these notifications permanently. While they might get annoying when you've got groups of friends all showing the same thing (and the same thing that you yourself might be doing), you might well miss something interesting other times.
Oslo wanted to host the 2022 Winter Games, but has decided against it because of the International Olympic Committee's demands for special treatment. The IOC's imperial arrogance and opulence would be amusing—were it not the tip of an iceberg of corruption and despotism that floats from city to city every two years.
• They demand to meet the king prior to the opening ceremony. Afterwards, there shall be a cocktail reception. Drinks shall be paid for by the Royal Palace or the local organizing committee.
• Separate lanes should be created on all roads where IOC members will travel, which are not to be used by regular people or public transportation.
• A welcome greeting from the local Olympic boss and the hotel manager should be presented in IOC members' rooms, along with fruit and cakes of the season. (Seasonal fruit in Oslo in February is a challenge ...)
• The hotel bar at their hotel should extend its hours “extra late” and the minibars must stock Coke products.
• The IOC president shall be welcomed ceremoniously on the runway when he arrives.
• The IOC members should have separate entrances and exits to and from the airport.
• During the opening and closing ceremonies a fully stocked bar shall be available. During competition days, wine and beer will do at the stadium lounge.
• IOC members shall be greeted with a smile when arriving at their hotel.
• Meeting rooms shall be kept at exactly 20 degrees Celsius at all times.
• The hot food offered in the lounges at venues should be replaced at regular intervals, as IOC members might “risk” having to eat several meals at the same lounge during the Olympics
America is in the grips of one of the worst housing crises in its history, with 1 in 3 households spending more than 30% of their income on mortgage or rent payments; the US government has two kinds of housing subsidy, one for poor renters and the other intended for middle-income mortgage payers, but guess who gets most of the money?
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There are dozens of beautiful National Parks in the United States, but if you could only see one, this video and graphic guide from Expedia helps you narrow your choices down to 12 great parks you can explore, all of which are known for specific landmarks or exceptional natural beauty.
From the Hidden Lake overlook in Glacier National Park to the Big Tree Loop in Redwood National Park, all the way to bear watching in Katmai National Park, the guide is full of some of the country’s best and most popular parks, along with some suggestions of what to do in them, when to go, and of course, what everyone else there will likely be doing when you arrive. Each park has a suggested activity you can do in one day, a photo spot where you can take some memorable photos, a great walk or activity you can do in the same day, and of course, an interesting animal you’ll likely find along the way. Check out the full graphic below, or the video above.
Ambient noise apps drown out distractions so you can focus on your work, or generate serene, peaceful environments that encourage you to fall asleep. But with dozens you can download, it’s hard to know which is the best. Noisli, White Noise, and Rain Rain are all at the top of this game, so it’s time to crank them up to 11 and see which one creates so much atmosphere you could practically breathe in it.
The Contenders
As simple as the concept of an ambient noise app seems, no two do the same things. Sure, they all play sounds, but what they play and how they work is what separates the good ones from the bad ones. Let’s take a closer look at our three high-caliber competitors and break down what each one has to offer:
Noisli: The Noisli app features 16 different sound loops, and any sounds can be mixed together or have their volume adjusted as you see fit. You can save your favorite sound combos, it has a built-in timer, and the webapp has a simple, distraction-free text editor. There’s also a color changing background to help with your productivity or relaxation. Noisli is available on iOS ($1.99), Android ($1.99), and as a free Chrome plug-in or webapp.
White Noise: The White Noise app comes in three different flavors: a free version, a full version, and a pro version. The free version has in-app ads and boasts a whopping 40 mixable sound loops, plus alarm sounds, the full version ($1.99) has no ads and more alarm sounds, and the pro version ($2.99) has an extra 50 high-quality sound loops and allows volume and pitch adjustment when mixing sounds. You can save your favorite mixes, set timers for your sounds, and download more loops for free from a separate app market. The full and pro versions of the White Noise app also let your ambient sounds play in the background while you use other apps on your device. The free version is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome, and Kindle Fire. The full version is available on iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire. And the pro version is available on iOS, Android, and Mac.
Rain Rain: Rain Rain’s app has 26 loops to listen to, and there are several additional sound packs available for purchase. Like Noisli and White Noise, you can mash loops together to create your own custom, savable mixes. You can also set a sleep timer for your sounds, and it has a sound-reactive, color-changing background option to help you relax. Rain Rain is available for free on iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices. No web-based app is currently available, and additional sound packs cost anywhere from $0.99 to $2.99 (the original 26 loops are free).
Rain Rain Brings Quality Sound, But White Noise Brings Variety
Many people, myself included, like very particular sounds for specific scenarios. For example, I like the sound of birds, rain, or the beach when I’m trying to be productive, and I prefer the sounds of frogs, crickets, and trains when I want to sleep. Because of that, it’s important to know what sound loops each app provides, and whether those sound loops are actually any good.
Noisli’s 16 Sound Loops Include:
Rain, Thunderstorm, Wind, Forest (birds chirping), Leaves (rustling), Water Stream, Seaside (crashing waves), Water (like being on a lake dock), Bonfire, Summer Night (crickets), Fan (oscillating), Train (tracks not whistle), Coffee Shop, White Noise, Pink Noise, and Brown Noise.
With Noisli, what you see is what you get. No add-ons or upgrades. In terms of sound quality, Noisli sits somewhere between White Noise and Rain Rain. Its loops are not quite as clear as Rain Rain’s (or as long), but they sound better than White Noise’s loops in the free and full versions. Of course, Noisli is also missing out on the massive variety White Noise has, so there’s that (the lack of a good “frogs croaking” loop is particularly disappointing for me). Rain Rain and White Noise also offer different versions of each genre of sound. Whereas with Noisli, if you don’t like its single version of rain, well, too bad.
White Noise’s 40 Basic Sound Loops Include:
Air Conditioner, Airplane Travel (low hum), Amazon Jungle, Beach Waves Crashing, Blue Noise, Boat Swaying, Brown Noise, Car Rain (inside the car), Cars Passing, Cat Purring, Chimes, City Streets, Clock, Clothes Dryer, Crickets Chirping, Crowd, Extreme Rain, Fan, Fire, Frogs, Hair Dryer, Heavy Rain, Heartbeat, Light Rain, Ocean Waves, Pink Noise, Rain Storm, Shower, Sprinkler, Stream Water, Tibetan Singing Bowl, Thunder, Train Ride, Vacuum, Violet Noise, Washer, Water Running, Water Drip, White Noise, and Wind Blowing.
The pro version of the app also offers an additional 50 higher-quality loops, and there are almost 1,000 more to download in their market. As you can see, White Noise definitely has Noisli and Rain Rain beat when it comes to the number of noises available, but some of them are a bit curious. I don’t know who wants to listen to a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, or pounding heartbeat (horror games and movies have ruined me), but they’re there if you want them. Also, the sound quality on the free and full version ($1.99) is the same and neither is that impressive.
Rain Rain’s 26 Free Sound Loops Include:
Rain Rain Original, Rain Rain 3D (surround sound), Ocean Waves, Thunderstorm, Crackling Fire, Thunder Cracks, City Rain, Rain on a Tent, Forest Rain, Rain Downpour, Summer Rain, Rain Dripping, Harbor Seagulls, Windy Storm, Slow Stream, Outdoor Fountain, Ocean Pier, Seagulls Over Ocean, Desert Wind, Blizzard Wind, Airliner, Train, Car in the Rain, Dishwasher, Clothes Dryer, Washing Machine, and Alarm Clock Ticking.
There are also five sound packs available for purchase: Wind Chimes (four sounds for $0.99), Sounds of Summer (eight sounds for $1.99), Weather Sounds (six sounds for $1.99), Nature Sounds (seven sounds for $1.99), and Memories of Home (11 sounds for $2.99). Most of Rain Rain’s loops may be focused on rain or water (go figure), but they sound great. It’s also nice to have a ton of variety within the popular “rain sounds” theme. Forest Rain sounds very different than City Rain, Summer Rain, or Rain Downpour. And Desert Wind even sounds way different than Blizzard Wind. The only free animal sounds are seagulls, which is a bit disappointing, but the Nature Sounds Pack has more options if you want them.
It should be noted that none of these apps require data usage for loop playback except for Rain Rain, and that’s only on the first play. After that, the sound is saved to your device. You don’t have to worry about them taking up too much space on your device, however. All the sounds are loops so they end up being fairly small audio files.
Noisli Brings the Extras, and White Noise Wants You to Pay
On the most basic level, all three apps do the same thing. But Noisli, White Noise, and Rain Rain each have their quirks that set them apart. All three apps play ambient sounds, but Noisli also adds a timer (like for the Pomodoro technique), distraction-free text editor, and chromotherapy features into the mix. The timer and text editor are as simple as you can imagine, but they give the app some function beyond “sound machine.” For example, I could crank up some rain and thunder, change the background to a productivity-inducing red, set the timer for a short work interval, and bust out some writing that I can save in the app and move elsewhere later.
If you want to listen to several sounds at once, all three apps let you create your own custom mixes and save them for later. White Noise, however, is a little hamstrung in this department. In the free and full versions of the White Noise app, the not-as-nice-sounding audio gets a bit muddy when you mix loops together. And while it would help if you could adjust the volume for individual loops, neither of those versions let you. The pro version ($2.99) lets you control the volume (and pitch) of each loop, but you’re paying an extra buck for what I feel should be included in the full version at the very least. When it comes to making your own custom mixes for, Rain Rain and Noisli have White Noise beat (and Rain Rain does it all for free).
Update: We incorrectly stated that the free version of the White Noise app doesn’t allow volume adjustment for individual sounds in your mixes. You can, in fact, adjust the volume, balance, pitch, position, variance, and speed if you dive far enough into the menus. Go to Manage Sounds > select or create your mix > tap the information symbol (“i” with a circle around it) > Edit Mix. The DJ-like Mix Pad, however, is only available with the Pro version of the app. Small changes have been made throughout this piece to reflect that.
Noisli Is More Than Atmosphere, White Noise Has the Best Variety, and Rain Rain Please Don’t Go Away
When it comes to design, Noisli is the Apple of the bunch. The interface is sleek, easy-to-use, and the multi-colored, chromotherapy backgrounds make it the best pick for when you’re working in your browser, or want to take a quick relaxation break at work with your phone. It doesn’t have as many loops as the other two, but the loops it does have sound fantastic. And Noisli’s fewer loops, all represented by clean icons instead of stock photos, keep the app focused and gives room for other interesting features. Do you want to relax or be productive? Okay, here are your favorite sounds and colors. Need a timer? Great, there you go. Oh, you’re writing? Allow me to remove distractions. All in all, Noisli feels like an assistant, not just a soundboard.
White Noise, without a doubt, gives you the most variety when it comes to sounds. If you spring for the pro version at $2.99, you’re getting over 100 loops and alarms. That’s more ambient sounds you’ll probably ever need, and you can download more for free from their market app. But if you’re looking for more obscure sounds to work or fall asleep to, White Noise is the way to go. And the fact that you can record and use your own sounds is pretty neat. The built-in sleep timer and alarm clock functions are useful as well, making it a better choice for those who are strictly looking for a sleep sound machine. The free version isn’t ideal, however. It offers more loops than Noisli or Rain Rain pre-sound pack purchase, but the basic sounds aren’t as clean, and some loops are super short and get repetitive fast.
Rain Rain was the biggest surprise, and it offers the most bang for your buck. Without paying a cent, you get 25 superb sounding loops (and they’re fairly long), individual loop volume adjustment in mixes, a sleep timer, saved custom mixes, color-changing lights (though not quite as good as Noisli’s), and background play so you can listen while using other apps on your device. That said, Rain Rain doesn’t have a webapp, so it’s only available on your handheld devices. And the sound packs are pretty pricey compared to the other apps that have a more all-inclusive approach. If weather sounds are what you’re after, though, Rain Rain is a must-have. In fact, I’m a Noisli fan, but I actually found myself listening to Rain Rain just as much while writing this.
Update: Changes have been made in this piece. See above.
Your phone is loaded with your preferred settings, from Wi-Fi passwords to app preferences, and it took you some work to get everything just the way you like it. Maybe you have your accessibility settings set up just so, or maybe you're switching to a new device and you'd like to load all your settings just the way you had them on your old phone.
Maybe (and this is a sad thought) your phone gets lost or stolen and you'd like those settings to stay as they were if you have to start over. With a few easy steps you'll be able to back up your settings to Google Drive and put your mind at ease.
Launch the Settings app from your home screen or your app drawer.
Scroll down and tap Accounts.
Tap on Google. If you have more than one Google account associated with your phone, tap the primary account you set your phone up with.
Tap on each service you want to automatically sync.
Each synced service, like passwords, Chrome bookmarks, and app data will also then be available to your other devices when you sign in with your Google account, like a tablet.
Set up Google's automatic restore
Automatic restore is helpful overall, but especially if you delete an app or service from your phone, then later reinstall it, or reset your phone.
Launch the Settings app from your home screen or your app drawer.
Hannah Cohen is a 19 year old who is being treated for a brain tumor at Memphis's St Jude's Hospital, who is "partially deaf, blind in one eye, paralyzed, and easily confused" -- and who was subjected to a violent beating during a secondary TSA screening while flying home to Chatanooga, TN for the holidays.
It’s easy to find movies to download or stream, but if you’re flying straight and narrow or want to support and watch films that are free, public domain, or whose creators want them free and openly shared, here are some great sites to bookmark—and visit when you want something new to watch.
Vimeo is most certainly second seat to YouTube when it comes to size and popularity, but it’s still a great video upload service for short film and independent filmmakers, and for people who want the freedom and flexibility of a mobile-friendly, HD-capable upload service with great privacy and video management controls and an upbeat community of users.
For those folks just looking for something great to watch, Vimeo’s Staff Picks is full of gems that run the gamut from drama to documentary to science fiction and back again. Best of all, you can either grab the Vimeo mobile apps to take your movies with you, or stream Vimeo films directly to your TV through your Chromecast, Roku, Xbox, or Apple TV.
If you’d rather download than stream, Public Domain Torrents is the place to go. As you’d expect, a number of the films available for download there are pretty old, or classic cinema, but that doesn’t mean they’re not completely free to download and watch whenever you want, as often as you choose. Best of all, many of the films here are available in versions that are optimized or encoded for specific mobile devices, or you can just grab the highest quality download and do the encoding yourself, it’s up to you.
If thoughtful or informative movies are more your speed, WatchDocumentary.org is one good resource. Start by diving into the site’s many many categories, from documentaries on political assassinations and world conflicts, then move to money and business, science, and travel documentaries. The site doesn’t always host the documentaries themselves though—they use a Flash-based player to pipe movies to and through their site so you can watch them, and they offer an Android app if you’d like to cast or take films on the go. Still, the catalog is deep and worth exploring if you’re in the mood for something educational and thought-provoking. Oh—and keep in mind that “documentary” doesn’t always mean “factually correct,” it just means “intended to be non-fiction.”
TopDocumentaryFilms, or TDF, is another great documentary site—and probably one that’s a little more up to date with more recent films. Like WatchDocumentary.org, the site has tons of documentaries broken up by category, from war and global conflict and crime to health and environment, and so on. It’s a little easier to navigate, and the site has a community of users who provide ratings for each film and can comment on them so you have an idea of what you’re in for before you watch. If you’d like a starting point, check out their top 100 documentary list to see what people are watching, or check the front page for their featured films.
Like other documentary sites, they’re a bit more of an aggregator, and their content is pulled from YouTube, Vimeo, and other sources—but that also makes it a convenient one-stop shop for what you want to see.
If the name doesn’t give it away immediately, Classic Cinema Online is ideal for those old, classic movie buffs who love the era of black and white films and artistically painted movie posters. Classics like Gregory Peck’s Moby Dick and the original Lone Ranger film are among some of the site’s highlights, but if you dive deeper you can find treasures like the 1952 Mutiny and the 1932 Secret of Dr. Kildare, among others.
If you’re looking for something specific, you can sort by category using the menu in the upper right, check out the serials available, or just check out the old, super classic silent films from the menu up there too. If you love old movies the Golden Age of Hollywood (or just look back on it with rose colored glasses from time to time,) this site is for you. As a bonus, if you prefer that era of television, check out Classic Television Online, its sister site.
With thousands of free TV shows and movies, and names and titles you’ll probably recognize, PopcornFlix is owned and operated by Screen Media Ventures, an independent distributor of TV shows and media to the television market—which means they have access to and rights to tons of shows. The service prides itself on the fact that none of its programs or movies are more than two clicks away, and they’re all completely free to watch on your computer, or through their mobile apps or other supported devices.
Their distribution rights mean you’ll find full National Geographic series catalogs, so you can catch up on episodes of Wild Justice or Alaska State Troopers, or sit back and watch Inspector Gadget or Rugrats Gone Wild.
MoviesFoundOnline collects free films, independent films, stand-up comedy, TV shows, and other media freely available around the web. From full films to indie TV series to classic film, you can browse the site’s categories across the top—like short films, documentaries, viral videos, or comedy to name a few—to find something you’re interested in specifically. It’s worth pointing out that since MoviesFoundOnline doesn’t upload or host the media themselves, some of it may wind up vanishing if there’s a copyright claim, but they do host a lot of great, freely available, and difficult to find movies and TV recordings that would otherwise fall by the wayside of time.
Owned by Sony (which is why there’s so much to watch), Crackle is often overlooked when people discuss free streaming media on the web, but it’s present on a number of mobile devices and set-top boxes. You do have to sign up for an account, but once you do you can create a watchlist, get recommendations on what to watch based on the things you like, and browse the full library of TV shows and movies, including things like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and Sports Jeopardy!, or TV series’ like Firefly and Seinfeld.
That’s part of the beauty of Crackle—you’ll absolutely find movies you’ve heard of, shows you actually want to watch, and more, and it’s all free—as long as you’re willing to watch commercials and ads occassionally.
No list of freely available TV shows and movies would be complete without YouTube, and not because of the sheer volume of ripped and pirated media available there—in fact, YouTube is home to a ton of free, and freely-published movies and TV shows, many of which are YouTube originals, and others that are available via Creative Commons or shared in the public domain. Many YouTube originals are vanishing behind the paid curtain of YouTube Red, but there are still plenty to be found, and lots of entertaining shows and movies—and channels to subscribe to. For example, the Paramount Vault channel is packed with free movies, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The Internet Archive is a repository for all sorts of things, and while you probably know it for the ever-useful Wayback Machine, it’s also great for public domain films, independent media, TV broadcasts and newsreels, and other media that you’re free to use and remix on your own as well as sit back and enjoy for yourself.
There are plenty of movies, organized by category like sci-fi, horror, or film noir, but also art films, educational videos and films, special collections that were made available to the Internet Archive for posterity, documentaries, and even stock footage. It’s not the most easily browse-able, or organized for non-computer screens, and good luck getting that video on a bigger screen unless you download it first, but it’s certainly a treasure trove.
Illustration by Nick Criscuolo.
Lifehacker’s Weekend Roundup gathers our best guides, explainers, and other posts on a certain subject so you can tackle big projects with ease. For more, check out our Weekend Roundup and Top 10 tags.
The plan is actually surprisingly detailed and well-thought out compared to the guff that usually emerges from the Brexit crowd. I'm beginning to think England will endure!
Wynd is an intelligent portable air purifier that can remove allergens and other pollution from your personal space. The tiny purifier, which looks like a tiny version of Google's OnHub router with more vents, can detect and automatically filter out dust, allergens, smoke, and pollution wherever you take it.
It's small enough to fit in a cupholder or your bag, and comes with a detachable air quality tracker which you can take with you anywhere to monitor the air around you. Wynd says you can leave the purifier on auto, or adjust by twisting the top to increase or decrease the output.
The device, which is now up on Kickstarter, will also come with an app that will track and display air quality trends over time, and the company says it...
It’s difficult enough already for the visually impaired to read the books and publications sighted people take for granted, but it’s downright impossible when the content isn’t even available in accessible formats. Fortunately, a global agreement aimed at alleviating the problem passed a major milestone today and may take effect before the end of the year. Read More
According to new figures from Brazil’s Public Security Institute, in the city of Rio alone 40 people were killed by on-duty police officers in May: an increase of 135% on the same period last year, when 17 were people killed by police. Across Rio state as a whole, police killings almost doubled, from 44 to 84.
The 2016 Olympics are shaping up to be quite the trainwreck: a government meltdown, a doping scandal that may see Russia's entire team banned, and a public health crisis likely to convince many athletes, media and tourists to stay away.
When it comes to accessing public websites, Tor has an intrinsic security problem: though the nodes between your computer and the public internet are unable to see where the traffic is coming from or going to, the final hop in the network (known as an exit node) gets to know what webserver you are connecting to.
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If you’re looking for something interesting to watch, YouTube channel Public Domain Full Movies is full of, well, what its name implies. Classic films like A Trip to the Moon and Behind Green Lights to fun flicks like Gammera The Invincible are all here to stream, completely free, to any device.
There are films like the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead all the way up to 1975's Grave of the Vampire, and beyond. You’ll find even even older films going back to the silent picture era, and some more recent films as well—all as long as the film is either in the public domain because of age or because the creators of the film have released it to the public. And since they’re all streaming on YouTube, you can easily watch them on any device, stream them to your living room screen through your set top box or Chromecast, and of course, pause them and pick them up to watch again later.
If you’re looking for a little inspiration, check out the channel’s playlists, organized into topics like old Charlie Chaplin films, old monster movies, film noir, sci-fi, comedy, and more. Hit the link below to look over the full catalog.
You’ve invited your parents to go glamping this holiday. Unfortunately, it's "bring your own snack” and they don't know an Afghan biscuit from a Scooby Snack. The OED has your back. Its authors have added those and a number of other excellent terms as new words in their June 2016 update.
The English language is always changing
The OED continually updates their list of words to keep abreast of modern colloquiums and phrases. The update for this quarter includes 1,000 new words and senses, as well as almost 2,000 revised and expanded entries for existing words.
Some of our favorites this term include Glamping (glorious camping), Afghan biscuit (a New Zealand treat with cocoa icing and walnut), MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), listicle...
BlackBerry isn’t ready to give up on Android. The company is reportedly planning to release three new Android phones this year, which will come out one per quarter for the next three quarters, according to VentureBeat. That’s a lot of Android on BlackBerry, especially considering the company’s first Android phone, the Priv, completely flopped this past year. The company only sold 600,000 units during its first quarter of 2016.
Still, today’s rumors aren’t a complete shock. CEO John Chen mentioned the creation of two new Android phones earlier this year. At the time, he said the Priv was a failure on his company’s part. "The fact that we came out with a high end phone [as our first Android device] was probably not as wise as it should...
The US government has released numbers estimating that targeted air strikes have killed 64 to 116 civilians outside war zones since President Barack Obama took office in 2009. The New York Times reports that 473 strikes, mostly carried out by drones, also resulted in between 2,372 and 2,581 "combatant" deaths. The statistics offer a rare official look at casualties from the drone program, albeit one that is significantly lower than unofficial estimates.
The report doesn’t count deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, which are designated "areas of active hostilities." That leaves anti-terrorism strikes in countries like Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has previously reported that hundreds of...
We can be star struck in more than one way. Celebrity sightings of famous Hollywood stars is one way, the other is by the celestial stars themselves – literally!
Let’s look at a few images of celestial subjects and see how they can be captured in photographs:
Today, The Interceptpublished leaked documents that contain the FBI’s secret rules for targeting journalists and sources with National Security Letters (NSLs)—the controversial and unconstitutional warrantless tool the FBI uses to conduct surveillance without any court supervision whatsoever.
Singer Björk has commissioned a set of wild 3D-printed masks for her upcoming shows. These masks, made in conjunction with MIT’s Mediated Matter lab and Stratasys, are called Rottlace and have a strange, hairy quality thanks to advances in 3D printing filament and new printing techniques. Professor Neri Oxman lead the team that made the masks. “I am so incredibly blown away by… Read More
Apple is reportedly considering an acquisition of Tidal, the Jay Z-owned music streaming service, according to The Wall Street Journal. The service launched in 2014, placing a focus on high-fidelity audio quality, but more recently has secured exclusive streaming rights on several high profile albums to better compete with much larger rivals like Spotify and Apple's own Apple Music service. Talks between the two sides are "ongoing" and a deal might not materialize, according to the report. Tidal executives flatly denied the rumor when questioned by the Journal.
Apple's interest in Tidal is tied to the service's unique relationship with some of today's top artists including Kanye West. Jay Z acquired Tidal last year, gave other...
I wanted to know what it's like to nap inside a giant futuristic egg, so I went to a sleep clinic in downtown Manhattan to find out. There, I entered the MetroNaps EnergyPod — pods that look like very comfy chairs you'd expect to see on a spaceship. They're used by places like Google and NASA, and they're getting a sensory upgrade thanks to a new partnership with a company called Pzizz, which promises soundtracks that can put you to sleep.
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android games that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.
It’s difficult enough already for the visually impaired to read the books and publications sighted people take for granted, but it’s downright impossible when the content isn’t even available in accessible formats. Fortunately, a global agreement aimed at alleviating the problem passed a major milestone today and may take effect before the end of the year. 
Singer Björk has commissioned a set of wild 3D-printed masks for her upcoming shows. These masks, made in conjunction with MIT’s Mediated Matter lab and Stratasys, are called Rottlace and have a strange, hairy quality thanks to advances in 3D printing filament and new printing techniques. Professor Neri Oxman lead the team that made the masks. “I am so incredibly blown away by… 
