Droid Life

Pixel Buds Review

Kellen — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 13:31:32 +0000

Google's first pair of headphones or earbuds or wireless-but-not-truly-wireless in-ears or whatever you want to call them, are here. They are the Pixel Buds and I'd be shocked if you know what these are and also haven't read one of the early reviews that mostly destroyed them. I say that because we're talking about Google's own smart earbuds that cost a whopping $160. You either know or you don't know about them, and if you do, that means something about their introduction grabbed your attention and you sought out words from reviewers. What I can tell you in this review, assuming you are still contemplating them and are hoping that after further testing or later testing, that a reviewer (me) would change the tone and offer up an alternate view that will get you to pull the trigger, is that I'm sorry because that's likely not going to happen. I will share some thoughts, though! These aren't all bad, they are just a mostly average first attempt in too many ways. This is our Pixel Buds review.

What are the Pixel Buds and how do they work?

Google's first earbuds! They are wireless to a certain extent, though they do have a wire between them that you most definitely should not cut as an attempt to make them truly wireless. They cost $159. They work on Android and iOS devices, but the experience through the Pixel phones is slightly improved as it offers a pretty cool real-time translation feature. They also have Google Assistant onboard which works on all phones running Android 6.0+. In the right bud, you get a touch-sensitive outer case that allows you to fire up the Google Assistant for voice actions, control volume, pause/play audio, and listen to notifications. The Pixel Buds are available in three colors (Just Black, Clearly White, and Kinda Blue), come with a carrying case that doubles as their charger. Again, they cost $159 at the Google Store and Best Buy.

What's good about them?

As I mentioned above, this isn't going to be a glowing review of the Pixel Buds, but I do have some positive notes to share. For one, the Google Assistant onboard is pretty cool, plus I don't think the audio experience is all that bad for casual use. 1. Google Assistant is the future of headphones. The first time you pair the Pixel Buds to your phone and a notification comes in, you'll get a mini in-ear tutorial on what to do next. It'll tell you that you can double tap to get a re-hashing of your day, including a readout of your notifications available. As notifications roll in, especially from messaging apps like Hangouts, you can get readouts of those messages and even reply back. Rather than just hearing a beep like most headphones, listening to your notifications is super powerful and handy. That stuff is all done very well and is the best feature of the Pixel Buds. It'll also tell you that to fire up the Assistant, you'll long-press on the touchpad until you are finished with your command. That means the other Google Assistant features are here too, like checking the weather, getting directions or answers to questions, firing up music and playlists, adding items to your shopping list, controlling your home, and setting reminders or timers. It's very much like how Google Home works in that you don't have a screen to do any of this stuff, so you are relying on voice commands and Google understanding you. I'd call this a mostly well-done Assistant experience for a first attempt. In fact, this is the future of headphones, I think. While I'll talk about some issues below, this ability to access the Assistant from within headphones is something that all headphones are going to need. We aren't going to want to live without it once we all get a taste. I'm already feeling that way, that's for sure.

2. The audio isn't offensive and that's fine for most. Look, I'm no audiophile, but the audio experience here is good enough. Google isn't making $400 over-ear cans here. These are buds and they offer up ample bass for buds, clean mids with somewhat mushy highs. They are fine. I've jumped between these and the new Libratone Q Adapt USB-C earbuds that were released alongside the Pixel 2 and they keep up well there. For a wireless pair of headphones, made by Google who isn't an audio company, to hold up against those, that's probably good enough. Are these going to satisfy audio bro with his DAC in a dimly lit room smelling of old leather and cigar butts? No. Are they going to offer a steady musical experience for you in-between trips to and from work or while sitting at your desk all day long? Yeah. 3. Battery life is as advertised. Google lists the Pixel Buds as lasting about 5 hours on a single charge (120mAh battery inside), along with enough juice in the case (620mAh battery inside) to get you multiple additional charges that could last upwards of 24 hours. I've been testing the Pixel Buds off and on for the past couple of weeks and haven't killed them in a 3-hour period. I'll listen for an hour or so, put them down, listen again, put them down, and then check battery and its always got 50% or more left. For example, I'm a good two hours into writing this review and I'm at 57% after messing with them constantly by jumping them from device to device and also streaming music non-stop. I'd say they'll probably last 4-5 hours on a charge. With the included case also holding another couple of charges, you should have no problem getting a full day's use out of the Pixel Buds. Your purchase of them includes a USB-C cable too, so you shouldn't have any issuing juicing them back up overnight.

What's not-so-good about them?

Well, I have a list, so bear with me. 1. The setup process is both convenient and somewhat frustrating. Those are polar opposite items, so let me try to explain that. The Pixel Buds can utilize Google's new Fast Pair process for pairing headphones with a single tap. It is indeed here, and it works well when your phone recognizes the Pixel Buds. I ran into some issues where I followed Google's directions to initiate the pairing process and nothing happened, though. Since there isn't much of an interface, trying to then force-start that process proved to be difficult until I dove into Google's online support section for the Pixel Buds. In order to get these into pairing mode manually, you have to put them back in their charging case and then long-press on a button within the case for a few seconds until they get into pairing mode. You hope that Fast Pair fires up, but if it doesn't you should be able to find them as an available device within Bluetooth settings. That's not the worst process once you know it, just be aware. On top of that, the Pixel Buds only work with a single device at a time. So if you wanted to pair them with your computer and your phone, or your work phone and personal phone, you can't keep them connected to both at the same time. They will switch between devices that you have previously paired to as you disconnect one.

2. Charging is fine, but not a great experience. To charge the Pixel Buds you have to slap them in this cheapish-feeling case that is designed pretty poorly and isn't easy to open. I hate to nitpick something like a case top, but look at this setup (above). Google used a cutout on the top flap in order to allow you to separate the top from the bottom as you open. Except, the cutout should be on the bottom section, so that as you go to open, you would be able to lift the top. With this terrible design, you have to actually push the bottom case downward in order to separate top from bottom. That's a functional disaster of a design decision, if I'm being honest. Anyways, back to charging. Once you have the case open, you slot the right and left earbuds into the case in their appropriate slots and then proceed to wrap the cord around the case in a specific manner to secure them for juice. It's not a hard wrap-around move once you do it a couple of times, but getting the buds and their pins aligned properly in their slots isn't always so easy. In fact, I've had multiple occasions where I thought the buds were properly placed, yet no indicator light fired up to show me they were charging. I then had to wiggle and wiggle and wiggle until they moved ever-so-slightly and into position to get the light to fire up. But to be honest, I think they often were in the right place, the light just didn't light up to confirm that they were. It's weird. Once they do start charging, you get an indicator to show you what their battery level is, sort of. You get a blinking green light if charging, a solid green light if fully charged, or an amber light if "critically low." That's it. So if you are half-charged, which wouldn't be critically low, you'd see a blinking green light. I don't know about you, but a green light typically means, "Go get 'em, champ!" yet in this situation that could mean not much of a charge. As for the case, it also has its own battery meter that shows up to 3 white dots (3 is full) at a time. Did I just nitpick the hell out of charging? Yep! Normally, that would be a bunch of wasted breath, but come on, charging shouldn't be this awkward. 3. Comfort, seal, and sizing all aren't good. The Pixel Buds definitely gave me some ear fatigue the first couple of times I used them. It's tough to tell if that's because of their weight or because they are just too big for my ears. I'm assuming it's their size and my ears, but I also wonder if it's because they use the cable attached to provide stabilization. Instead of fins or rubber ear pieces like other buds in the industry use, Google just wants you to pull the string attached to the two, to get a proper fit. It does work initially, but I found that the cords gave way with each wear and I had to re-adjust them each time before using. I also feel that because we're using a soft rope/cable to hold these buds in place, you never really get a good seal to really amplify the audio experience. And that's worth noting, because the Pixel Buds are a one-size-fits-all pair of buds, unlike others in the same space that offer tips or fins to help you get the best fit.

4. What about for workouts? So I live in the wet winter wonderland of Portland, OR, and that means I took the Pixel Buds on a 6 mile run in the rain. They got wet. I probably shouldn't have done that, but some have asked if they'd be good for runs or at the gym. On a run, I'd say not so much. I noted earlier that they don't seal well with the attached cable, so I found that they constantly loosened while on a run and forced me to push the volume to the max in order to get some sound. I should point out that the touch pad for accessing Google Assistant works OK when wet or sweaty, but not great. I tried it with both a bare hand and using a pair of smartphone-ready gloves with the little finger touch pad. On some attempts, the volume would adjust and Google Assistant would fire up, and then others I'd have to swipe again or tap and hold again, which isn't something you want to have to worry about while on the go. They could be good in a gym setting, though I'm not sure Google has ever really pushed these as fitness-ready. 5. Assistant confusion and touchpad sensitivity. I praised the heck out of Google Assistant above, but it's not all good there. For the most part, things are straight forward, thanks to the touchpad in the right bud. You tap to pause or play, swipe to change volumes, double tap to get a readout of notifications and your day, or long-press to fire up Assistant. Where I run into issues is when you get to having conversations or when the Assistant seems to miss notifications. For example, on multiple occasions I was having a Hangouts conversation with Tim that started off great. Then all of a sudden another message from Tim arrived and the Assistant told me that I had muted him for 30 minutes and would no longer hear his conversation. Umm, what? I didn't tell it to do that. Not only that, but I couldn't figure out a way to stop that silence or re-apply it in case I did actually wanted to mute someone. I also still can't find any documentation on this feature from Google, how it works, why it applied itself, and how to turn it off or on. On top of that, I found that notifications wouldn't ping in my ear from time to time. By the time I realized that, I'd look at my phone and realize I'd like to hear notifications, only since they had piled up, the Assistant could no longer read them individually and would instead just say that Inbox had multiple there. That then means I'd have to pick up my phone and unlock it to see what the pile included. The touchpad is a sensitive little guy too, if not inconsistent at the same time. Sometimes you'll tap or double tap and it'll recognize both. On other occasions, you might think you doubled tap, only it recognized that as a single tap, which then prompts you to tap again or double tap and then music is pausing and playing and your notifications aren't playing and all hell is breaking loose. You should also understand that because the pad is so sensitive, adjusting them in your ear, taking them off, or putting them on can also activate the pad. I can't tell you how many times I've taken them off to put the Buds back in their case only to turn the music back on. That means you'll cause unwanted pauses when adjusting the strings that never hold and almost any other time you might brush the right bud.

6. Other notes:

They aren't true wireless buds, which I've noted several times. I keep mentioning that because everyone else is making truly wireless buds, yet here is Google putting a rope cord between theirs and charging the same price, if not more, than everyone else who is truly wireless.
Changing songs requires a voice command, which is dumb. You can swipe forward and backward to change volume or tap to pause or play, but there isn't a gesture on the touchpad to just change songs. Think about that.
In terms of design, the Pixel Buds are nice looking, if not a bit bulky when in-ear. I don't think anyone is going to laugh at you like they would the Bose SoundSport Free wireless buds or Apple's cigarette dongles, but they aren't hiding either.

On the translation stuff

I didn't test it! That's silly, right? How could I not test the flagship ~~demo~~ feature of the Google Pixel Buds? Because, in my life, I haven't been in a situation where I would need to use that feature. I lead a pretty boring life on most days. I apologize for not having done that. But you can certainly see Google demo it right here. Other reviews seem to suggest that it works, even if it does require your phone and the Translate app and can be a bit clunky.

Should you buy them?

I wouldn't. Google sent me this pair to review and once they go back, I don't see myself picking up another pair for personal use. The combination of the high price ($159), somewhat confusing Assistant experience, lack of simultaneous connected device support, and the fact that they aren't really made for getting sweaty as hell, would steer me in other directions. Plus, the little things from the weird charging case and pairing experience, to the poor fit and that cable, just leave a lot to be desired. I do like what the Assistant integration has brought here, especially because the future of headphones will be brighter with Assistant onboard, but yeah, for $160, it's a tough sell.

Buy Google Pixel Buds:

Best Buy
Google Store

Under-Display Fingerprint Reader Will be Showcased by "Top Five" OEM Next Month

Tim — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 13:12:12 +0000

Big news from Synaptics today, with the company announcing that we will finally get a look at under-display fingerprint reading technology next month at CES. Not only will Synaptics be demoing Clear ID Optical Sensors for all to see, but according to them, it will be showcased on a Tier 1 (flagship) device from a "Top 5" OEM. Oh yes, this is all hands on deck news, folks. Now, we've heard about Synaptics working with OEMs on this tech before, but the biggest name that gets shopped around when it comes to under-display fingerprint readers is Samsung. According to reports, the Galaxy S8 might've had this exact technology onboard, but time constraints forced Samsung to abandon it. At this same time last year, Synaptics unveiled its FS9100 optical sensor, which we believe was intended to ship with the Galaxy S8. Due to the aforementioned timing issues, it could be the Galaxy S9 that receives this highly sought after upgrade. Stated by Synaptics, "Clear ID performance is twice as fast as 3D facial recognition and requires only one touch to access your smartphone." At CES, the company will show off the FS9500 optical solution, which is the latest generation. Now, while signs may point to Samsung for something like this, it's entirely possible it will be a different OEM. What we do know is that it's a Top 5 OEM, meaning it could be Samsung, OPPO, Huawei, Vivo, or Xiaomi. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe CES won't be such a drag this year after all? // Synaptics

Twitter Makes It Much Easier to Create Threads

Tim — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 11:03:51 +0000

If the character count increase wasn't already enough, and you still need to make a thread to share your sometimes esoteric views with others, Twitter is making it very easy to create threads. Before this change, users would simply reply to their previous tweet to create a thread. Now, once you have composed a tweet and used all your characters, you will see a "+" button in the composer to add another tweet in order to create a thread. From what I can tell, there's no limit to how many tweets you can have when creating a thread. This means, God help us all.

We’ve made it easy to create a thread by adding a plus button in the composer, so you can connect your thoughts and publish your threaded Tweets all at the same time. You can continue adding more Tweets to your published thread at any time with the new “Add another Tweet” button. Additionally, it’s now simpler to spot a thread – we’ve added an obvious “Show this thread” label.

Twitter says this change is rolling out to all platforms over the coming weeks. Google Play Link

// Twitter

Adobe Lightroom Picks Up New Auto Tool, Plus App Shortcuts on Android

Kellen — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 09:51:59 +0000

Adobe Lightroom, the photo editor that I'm not sure I could ever live without at this point, received a big update to its Auto tool across the entire Lightroom ecosystem. An update for Android also brings a Nougat feature, as well as other bug fixes. For the new Auto tool, Adobe says they "completely reworked" it using their Adobe Sensei AI platform. When you tap "Auto" now, you should get a "better photo," thanks to an analysis that compares "thousands of professionally edited photos" in order to get you results. Again, the new Auto is on all Lightroom releases. Additionally, Android users on Nougat+ can use App Shortcuts (long-press on the app icon) to launch into popular modes. You'll also find "more control" over storage management, as well as a bunch of bug fixes. The full list of those changes is below:

App Shortcuts — For Android Nougat and later devices, tap and hold on the app icon to quickly launch the app into popular modes.
More control for managing storage.
Resolved an issue that prevented some Huawei customers from importing images.
Resolved an issue that caused a crash for some Pixel 2 customers on export.
Resolved a problem that prevented some Samsung customers from installing the previous version.
Bug fixes and speed improvements.

Google Play Link // Adobe

You Can Now Follow Hashtags on Instagram

Tim — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 09:03:00 +0000

Instagram introduced the ability of following a hashtag this morning, which is major news for #slime lovers and #nofilter connoisseurs. Just like you'd follow an actual person, whenever you follow a hashtag, you'll see the top results for that particular hashtag in your feed. You'll even see Stories from them. From what I can tell, you can follow any hashtag, no matter how obscure. Taken from Instagram's post, "When you find a hashtag you like, open the hashtag page and tap on the follow button. You’ll begin seeing top posts from that hashtag in your feed and some of the latest stories in your stories bar." I updated my Instagram app this morning and am still not seeing this feature, but my assumption is that it's rolling out and could take a couple of days to arrive for everyone. So, what hashtag are you going to follow?

// Instagram

DEAL: Today's Best Buy Doorbuster is 50%+ Off Samsung EVO Plus MicroSD Cards

Kellen — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:01:21 +0000

Another day, another Best Buy holiday doorbuster! Today's best deal (alongside this $158-off UE MEGABOOM deal) is a 50% off or more discount on Samsung EVO Plus microSD cards. Best Buy has 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB cards all dropped by at least half of what their typical retail price suggests. That means a 32GB SD card for $12.99, 64GB for $24.99, and 128GB for $44.99. Those prices are better than Amazon's, which doesn't happen often. These are UHS-I cards with U3 UHS speeds and Class 10 rating. They can produce read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s. They are pretty damn fast. As with all doorbusters, those prices are likely only good for today.

Best Buy Deal Link

Android Distribution Updated for December 2017: Oreo Hanging With Ice Cream Sandwich

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 16:10:41 +0000

Google updated the Android distribution numbers for December today and they show the same thing we always get, a slow uptick in the percentage of the newest version of Android, as well as an uptick in the previous version, followed by a decline in all others. That's just how Android works, though it does seem like the newer versions are catching on even slower these days or at least never reaching the same heights as they once did. For December, the Android Distribution show Oreo up to 0.5% and Nougat up to 23.3%. After that, we've got Marshmallow down to 29.7%, as well as Lollipop at 26.3%, KitKat at 13.4%, Jelly Bean at 5.9%, Ice Cream Sandwich at 0.5%, and Gingerbread at 0.4%. And that's it. You can see last month's numbers here.

// Android Developers

Monday Poll: Have You Ditched Traditional Cable for a Streaming Service?

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 15:49:50 +0000

YouTube TV Picks-Up Mega Expansion to 34 New Markets

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 14:02:22 +0000

YouTube TV pushed into 34 new markets today, according to a Google Support listing for the service. By our count, Google's TV streaming option jumped from 49 markets in September to 84 today. The new YouTube markets to join the list are:

Albany
Baton Rouge
Buffalo
Cedar Rapids
Chattanooga
Colorado Springs
Des Moines
Flint
Fresno-Visalia
Ft. Myers-Naples
Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers (Arkansas)
Grand Rapids
Green Bay
Greenville (either SC or NC, whichever didn't have it last time)
Huntsville-Decatur (Alabama)
Jackson (Mississippi)
Knoxville
Little Rock
Madison
New Orleans
Omaha
Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg
Portland-Auburn (Maine)
Providence
Roanoke-Lynchburg (Virginia)
Rochester (New York)
Savannah
Shreveport
South Bend-Elkhart (Indiana)
Spokane
Springfield (Missouri)
Toledo
Tucson
Tulsa
Waco

YouTube TV still costs just $35 per month, includes really slick apps on mobile and Android TV, has built-in free DVR, and has a pretty solid channel lineup. It isn't perfect, though. In my opinion, the lack of Turner networks (TNT, TBS, etc.), as well as missing Food and Travel Channels are close to being dealbreakers. At $35, you may not mind. I've been using the service for a good couple of months now after ditching Playstation Vue and really like it. Outside of the missing channels, I don't really have many complaints. An added bonus is picture-in-picture if you are on Oreo, so you can enjoy your Kardashians recordings even as you F5 the hell out of the latest Kylie lipkit drop. You can sign-up for YouTube TV right here. UPDATE: The YouTube TV Twitter account says it's actual 34 markets, not 35. We've updated the post. https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV/status/940366872859508737 // Google Support

Google Launches Two New Experimental Photography Apps for Android

Tim — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 13:45:07 +0000

Google launched three new photography applications this week, two of which are available for Android, with the third being exclusive to iOS. The apps are called Storyboard, Selfissimo!, and Scrubbies (iOS exclusive). As Google puts it in a recent blog post, "The next generation of cameras will have the capability to blend hardware and computer vision algorithms that operate as well on an image's semantic content, enabling radically new creative mobile photo and video applications." While that may sound like word salad to some, Google is working on what it calls "appsperiments," which are photography experiences built using experimental technology. Enough talk, though, here are the details for each new app you can download right now.

Storyboard

Storyboard can take any video on your phone and turn it into a single-page comic layout. The app automatically selects interesting frames from within the video, applies one of six visual styles, then you can choose to save the layout or pull down to refresh and produce a new one. According to Google, there are approximately 1.6 trillion different possibilities to discover.

Selfissimo!

Selfissimo! is catered to those who cannot get enough of their own face. When you open the app, you are met with a black and white image of yourself, then with each pose you strike, a photo is automatically taken by the camera. It can just be yourself, you with friends, or you with your dog. So long as poses are being struck, the camera will keep firing away, so try your best Blue Steel impression! Tap the screen to end the session and review the resulting contact sheet, saving individual images or the entire shoot. The last app, Scrubbies, is only available for iOS at this time, but I will at least detail it for you if you have an iPhone laying around. With it, you can easily manipulate the speed and direction of video playback to make video loops that highlight actions, capture funny faces, and replay moments. As Google explains, "Shoot a video in the app and then remix it by scratching it like a DJ. Scrubbing with one finger plays the video. Scrubbing with two fingers captures the playback so you can save or share it." That does sound neat, but as I said, it's only downloadable for iOS people. Sad face. Here are the download links, so go check them out and be on the lookout for other appsperiments coming from Google in the future. Download Links: Storyboard | Selfissimo | Scrubbies (iOS Only) // Google

DEAL: Today's Best Buy Doorbuster is a UE BOOM 2 Speaker for $77 ($123 Off)

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 12:50:46 +0000

Best Buy is rattling off doorbuster after doorbuster as we approach Xmas, and today's is the perfect gift idea. The Ultimate Ears (UE) BOOM 2 Bluetooth speaker has been dropped from $199 to $76. Yep, that's a $123 discount on one of the best Bluetooth speakers around. UE speakers have long been fan favorites and I can tell you that we use the original UE BOOM in our household when we need quality portable audio. This newer UE BOOM 2 is upgraded, though, and not only includes the cylindrical form factor with 360-degree sound, it's also water resistant (IPX7). It features up-to 15 hours of battery life, NFC, Bluetooth connection from up to 108-feet away, and an auxiliary input jack as well. Again, this is a Best Buy doorbuster, so it's only around today.

Best Buy Deal Link

Apple Confirms Purchase of Shazam, Price Estimated at $400 Million

Tim — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 12:43:31 +0000

It was reported late last week that Apple made a move to acquire Shazam, the song recognition service. Well, unlike many of Apple's other acquisitions, the company actually came forward and publicly confirmed that this one is indeed a reality, but that approval is required for the agreement. The approval aspect likely stems from Shazam's residence in the UK, so while Apple's lawyers go over everything and get the deal hammered out, we can discuss the estimated price that Apple is paying. According to recode, Shazam's price tag is a massive $400 million, making it no small ball purchase. Here's the statement from Shazam:

We are excited to announce that Shazam has entered into an agreement to become part of Apple. Shazam is one of the highest rated apps in the world and loved by hundreds of millions of users and we can’t imagine a better home for Shazam to enable us to continue innovating and delivering magic for our users.

We aren't yet sure how Apple intends to implement Shazam's tech into its own services, but it could be used to compete against Google's own incredibly smooth music recognition. Additionally, there is such a thing as visual Shazam, which could be tweaked to go up against Google Lens. We'll just have to wait and see what Apple plans to do. Back before Google Assistant could automatically hear music was playing and offer to recognize it for you, as well as the Pixel 2's ability to just instantly display what ambient music is playing around you via the always-on display, Shazam was cool. Is it worth $400 million today? Meh, not to this Google user. // recode

Andy Rubin Returns to Essential

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 12:35:28 +0000

Two weeks ago, amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship during his time at Google, Andy Rubin stepped away from his new company, Essential, for personal reasons. Over the weekend, he returned, according to a report from Recode. No one was willing to comment to Recode on the return, so we don't know what the exact reasons were for the personal leave or why he is now ready to return. All we know is that Rubin's reps said previously that any relationship he had at Google was consensual and also that his leave and news of a supposed inappropriate relationship have no connection. So yeah, Andy Rubin is back and those who committed millions of dollars to Essential are probably relieved. Not sure what else to say. // Recode

DEAL: Verizon LG V30 is $300 Off, No Trade-In Required

Tim — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:31:05 +0000

Much like Verizon was doing with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, buyers can get an LG V30 at $300 off its regular price, so long as you don't plan on leaving Verizon anytime soon. Detailed on Big Red's website, the $300 credit is applied over the course of 24 months. So, instead of paying $35/month for the device on a payment plan, you'll only pay $22.50/month, saving you $300 in the long run. To take advantage of this promo, you don't need a trade-in or anything else. It's just there for anyone to use. To sweeten the deal a tad, Verizon is also offering buyers 50% off a wireless charger. Check out our V30 review below if you haven't yet done your research on LG's best device yet. Verizon Link

Cheers Rich!

Verizon Inks New NFL Deal and You Don't Need Their Service to Watch Games

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 11:27:27 +0000

The NFL and Verizon signed off on a new deal today and that means more streaming of NFL games to your devices. This time, though, Verizon didn't sign a limited mobile streaming exclusive and instead has broadened the availability to anyone no matter the carrier. Starting in January, you'll be able to stream NFL games in a number of ways without needing Verizon service. The new deal is a multi-year partnership that, again, pretty much opens up NFL streaming to everyone. Once January rolls around, you'll be able to tune into the NFL Playoffs (including the Super Bowl) through Yahoo and Yahoo Sports, as well as on go90 and the NFL Mobile app. After the Playoffs and into the next NFL season, you'll be able to watch in-market and the bigger, national games (like Thursday, Sunday, and Monday Night Football). So while you may not be able to tune into every single game across the country, you will get access to the games being shown locally, as well as the big weekly night games. That's pretty sweet. Additionally, Verizon will offer streamed NFL highlights as well as other "unique experiences" through the Verizon Up rewards program that involve the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, and Pro Bowl. Once January gets here, you'll want to install the Yahoo Sports app to get in on the streaming action. // Verizon

The Q, Another Live Trivia Game, Swoops in on Android Before HQ

Tim — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 10:08:02 +0000

Last week, I wrote about HQ Trivia teasing an Android app launch. That news was a big deal because the game has been exclusive to iOS users since its launch a few months ago. Unfortunately for them, another live trivia show called The Q, has swooped in and launched on Android. The Q is much like HQ Trivia, with a host live streaming directly to your phone, asking increasingly harder questions, and a winner walking away with real money. The game kicks off at a specific time each time it goes live, so if you miss out on that particular day's action, you'll have to wait for the next show. Other than that, it's your basic trivia game with general knowledge questions. The app is available for all Android users, and to give you a sense of how the game is played, I've embedded one of their full shows below. As you will, since this is a live stream, the host cuts out from time to time, but the questions appear to always make their way through to your phone. What good would a live trivia show be if you were eliminated based on their stream being of poor quality, anyway? Download and good luck! I'll see you there tonight. Google Play Link

DEAL: Huawei Watch 2 Drops to Just $179 at Best Buy, Classic to $219

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 09:22:24 +0000

Now that we know for sure that the Huawei Watch 2 will get the update to Android Oreo, it may have jumped onto your shortlist of potential smartwatch purchases this holiday shopping season. If it has, then I have even better news for you. Best Buy dropped the price of the Huawei Watch 2 by $120 and the Huawei Watch 2 Classic by $150, today. At those massive discounts, you are looking at the regular Huawei Watch 2 at just $179.99 or the Huawei Watch 2 Classic at $219.99. While those aren't $75 Wear24 prices, those are pretty significant discounts on watches that will likely last you a while. Remember, Huawei knows how to make a good smartwatch. To recap, the Huawei Watch features Android Wear 2.0, along with a GPS, heart rate monitor, NFC, 1.2-inch circular AMOLED display, Snapdragon 2100, 4GB storage, 768RAM, and IP68 water and dust resistance. These are decked-out Android Wear watches.

Best Buy Links:

Huawei Watch 2 ($179.99, $120 off)
Huawei Watch 2 Classic ($219.99, $150 off)

Cheers Nick!

These Are the Android Wear Watches That Will Get Android 8.0 Oreo

Tim — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:57:14 +0000

The Android 8.0 Oreo update is already making its way out to a few Android Wear devices, such as the LG Watch Sport and Louis Vuitton Tambour, but Google has provided a list of every Android-powered watch that should receive the update at some point. Considering there are a lot of Android Wear watches on the market, the list is rather long. A few notable devices that should receive Oreo include Fossil's Q lineup, the Huawei Watch 2, Misfit Vapor, Nixon Mission, TAG Connected 45, and LG Watch Style. Naturally, since we're talking about a whole lot of different brands, there's no specific timeline provided by Google as to when each device should see Oreo, but each company should be keeping their customers informed via social channels. If you need more intel, you should check their Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. Look for your particular smartwatch below.

Android Wear Oreo(8.0) update is already available in the following watches:

Fossil Q Venture
LG Watch Sport
Louis Vuitton Tambour
Michael Kors Sofie
Montblanc Summit

Watches that are currently pursuing the Android Wear Oreo (8.0) update:

Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20
Casio WSD-F10 Smart Outdoor Watch
Diesel Full Guard
Emporio Armani Connected
Fossil Q Control
Fossil Q Explorist
Fossil Q Founder 2.0
Fossil Q Marshal
Fossil Q Wander
Gc Connect
Guess Connect
Huawei Watch 2
Hugo BOSS BOSS Touch
LG Watch Style
Michael Kors Access Bradshaw
Michael Kors Access Dylan
Michael Kors Access Grayson
Misfit Vapor
Mobvoi Ticwatch S & E
Movado Connect
Nixon Mission
Polar M600
TAG Heuer Tag Connected Modular 45
Tommy Hilfiger 24/7 You
ZTE Quartz

// Google Support

Google's AR Stickers Arrive on Pixel and Pixel 2!

Kellen — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:00:42 +0000

Google's AR Stickers, a feature first revealed during the October 4 Pixel hardware event, is now available on all Pixel phones, including the original Pixel and new Pixel 2 lines. You'll need to update a couple of apps in order to get them, but we've got both linked below for quick access. What are AR Stickers? Google explains it as a Mode in your camera, which is exactly what it is. You open your camera, slideout the side menu to access modes, and then choose AR Stickers. From there, you'll see a range of AR Stickers that can be added to your live scene. You just drag and drop them into your camera viewfinder and they'll then be a part of your video or picture to spice up the action. To control them, feel free to use two fingers to pinch and zoom or drag them further to put each item in the right spot.

Google has included a handful of Star Wars items, food-like emoji ("foodmoji"), the ability to type out words in various fonts, props, and Stranger Things characters. Again, you'll need the updates below on your Pixel and then you should be all set. NOTE: You may need to be on Android 8.1. Everyone on 8.1 seems to be able to update, while those not yet on 8.1 are getting a "not compatible" listing. Google Play Links:

Cheers Eric!

Google Home Max Now Available at Best Buy for $399 (Updated: Official Everywhere)

Kellen — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 23:14:13 +0000

Best Buy slipped up a bit last week when it posted "December 11" as the launch date for Google Home Max, a date that even Google had yet to officially reveal. Tonight, though, Best Buy followed through and has made Google Home Max available for purchase. (UPDATE: Other retailers have it up too.) You can currently purchase Google Home Max in both Chalk or Charcoal colorways, each of which will run you $399.00. To recap, Google Home Max was first introduced at Google's October 4 hardware event alongside the Pixel 2, Google Home Mini, the Pixelbook, Pixel Buds, etc. Google is pushing it as a high-end speaker that can compete with the likes of Sonos, yet also has Google Assistant on board. Google Home Max sports dual 4.5" woofers, custom tweeters, and "Smart Sound," that tries to self-tune the speaker depending on your room and where you've placed it. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, mic switch, and can be placed vertically or horizontally. You can pair it with another Max, group with other Home units for multi-room audio, and of course, talk to it and the Assistant to set reminders, get the weather, order stuff, and control your smart home. Who wants one?

Google Home Max Links:

Weekly Recap: The OnePlus 5T is Pretty Good

Kellen — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 15:34:25 +0000

I hope everyone had as fantastic of a week as we did, and thank you all for joining us once again. It's the holiday season and even though we have a death cough that took this week's DL Show away, it was still a fun few days of Android. For one, we wrapped up our OnePlus 5T review and had really good things to say about it. This is a true upgrade over the OnePlus 5 and should be on your list of phones to consider, no matter your budget. We also received the Android 8.1 update, learned about the Snapdragon 845, and listened as Verizon told us that unlimited unexpectedly improved their network. The best in Android is listed for you below!

Brrr.

DEAL: Amazon Hosting Big Discounts on Prime Exclusive Phones, Starting With Nokia 6 at $30 Off

Tim — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:37:04 +0000

Right in time for the holiday shopping season, Amazon is set to host savings on its lineup of Prime Exclusive smartphones. The deals kick off today with the Nokia 6 (on sale for just $149), but the majority of phones will go on sale starting December 10, including deals on the Moto G5 Plus, LG Q6, and Moto X (4th Gen). On December 17, the LG G6+ will go on sale, listed at $50 off for just $449. Here's the full list of deals and dates in which they run.

Starting today until December 24

Nokia 6 - $149 ($30 off)

Starting December 10 until Dec. 23

Moto G5 Plus 64GB - $199 ($40 off)
Moto X (4th Generation) - $279 ($50 off)
LG X Charge - $119 ($30 off)
LG Q6 - $179 ($50 off)

Starting December 17 until Dec. 23

LG G6+ - $449 ($50 off)

These prices will only last for a limited time, so if you don't mind a few lock screen ads, check it out.

DEAL: Samsung's Instant $400-Off Trade-In Promo is Back and Better Than Ever for Note 8, Galaxy S8

Kellen — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 13:03:43 +0000

If Samsung really wants to keep hacking $400 off the price of their phones with select trade-ins, we'll have to keep telling you about it. And that's what happened starting this morning - the $400-off with instant trade credit deal is back for the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8, although this time, it's even better. Samsung has not only raised the trade-in limit to $400 (from $300) again for the first time since Black Friday, they are also including new phones that'll get you up to $400 off. You've still got trade options including the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and Pixel and Pixel XL, but you can now trade-in a LG V20, Galaxy S7 Active, Galaxy Note 5, or iPhone 8/8 Plus and get $400 off as well. With $400 off, we're talking a Galaxy S8 for $325, Galaxy S8+ for $425, or the Galaxy Note 8 for $550. Those are the unlocked model prices, anyway, so the carrier variants they sell could differ. Still, those prices are nuts! Of course, if you don't have one of those phones I just mentioned to trade, Samsung will take others and give you $300, $200, and $150 off. You can see the full list here.

How does this work? I'll grab the instructions we previously wrote up and include them below because I think they cover it well.

Head to Samsung’s site to pick out the Galaxy S8, S8+ or Note 8 model you want.
Choose a carrier model or the unlocked version and then the color.
You’ll then find a trade-in device page that lists out acceptable devices.
Click on the device grouping for the device you have.
Decide on whether or not you want their Premium Care.
Decide on discounted accessories.
Then begin the checkout process for your pre-order.
You should see the instant discount in cart for your trade-in.

Why is this the best deal? The beauty of these deals from Samsung is the instant discount. While others offer trade-in programs, most make you pay the full price for your new phone upfront before asking you to send in your old phone that can be assessed and then credit given. We're talking about a multi-week process that leaves you without cash. Should you choose Samsung's instant trade-in offer, they trust that you have the phone to trade-in that you say you do and just give you the money off upfront. You then send in your phone after you get your new Galaxy and they'll assess it and let you know that all is good. It's a pretty great process. I'd imagine the deal is good for a limited time. If you had an S8, S8+, or Note 8 in your sights, now would be the time.

Samsung Trade-in Deal Link

Report: YouTube Remix, Yet Another Paid Music Service, to Launch in March

Tim — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 11:49:53 +0000

According to a source of Bloomberg, YouTube is currently working on a new music subscription service known internally as Remix to compete with Apple Music and Spotify. If you're as confused as we are, you have every right to be. Remix is apparently YouTube's attempt to please music publishers with more revenue from music placed on its service. With YouTube continually pulling in major online traffic, a lot of which is dedicated to music streaming, music executives want in on the action. But what about YouTube Red, isn't that good enough? Well, apparently not, and Remix will be more focused solely on music, not just removing ads from videos the user wants to watch. As the source states, Remix would include Spotify-like on-demand streaming of tunes and would also incorporate video clips from YouTube. If that sounds a lot like what YouTube already is, but with a monthly price attached, then now you know why Remix sounds ridiculous. Detailed in the report, YouTube is attempting to negotiate deals with Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group to have them included in this service, with Warner Music Group already signed on. The service is reported to launch this upcoming March, so we're sure to hear more about it as we get closer to that time. What's your take on this news? // Bloomberg

Verizon Says the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are Next Up for Gigabit Class LTE Updates

Kellen — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 10:31:21 +0000

Verizon is expecting the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ to be the next phones prepped for the launch of their Gigabit LTE network, which should happen any day now. Support pages for the Galaxy S8 line were updated last night to show that new Gigabit LTE access is on the way before the end of 2017. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will join the Moto Z2 as the first phones primed for Verizon Gigabit LTE. For some reason, Verizon pulled the update notes, but we've had readers reach out to tell us that they received the new software. The new software builds will land as G950USQU2BQK5 for the Galaxy S8 and G955USQU2BQK5 for the Galaxy S8+. Both are also getting the November security patch. As you'll see in the notes below, Verizon still isn't giving us an exact date to prepare for the arrival of Gigabit LTE, yet they keep saying "late 2017" or "later this year." I don't know if anyone has told Verizon, but it's December 8 and there are only 23 days left in this year.

Android® Security Patch Level: 2017-11-01 The current software update provides the most up to date Android security patches on your Galaxy S8+, along with support for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) when switching to Verizon from select carriers, as well as the addition of Samsung Pay. Gigabit Class LTE Service Samsung Galaxy S8+ can now take full advantage of the most advanced 4G LTE technology when Verizon launches its Gigabit Class LTE service, providing access to peak speeds far exceeding most phones in the market today*. Transfer movies, photos and large files in no time with some of the fastest possible data speeds so you can spend more time watching what you love and less time waiting for it to download. *Available in late 2017 when operating on a "Gigabit Class LTE" wireless network; not available in all areas.

When you get Gigabit LTE, what should you expect? Verizon suggests "peak speeds far exceeding most phones in the market today," which is not at all specific. I doubt any of us will get full 1 Gigabit speeds, but don't be surprised if we're seeing 3-4x normal speeds. I'd love a 400Mbps download from Big Red. Upload speeds will still be slower, though, and top out at around 150Mbps in ideal conditions. We'll let you know when Verizon finally launches this damn Gigabit LTE network.

// Verizon [2] Cheers Phil!

Android 8.1.0 Update Rolling Out Via Android Beta Program

Tim — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 10:24:12 +0000

Earlier this week, Google posted up factory images and OTA files for Android 8.1.0, but now, the update looks to be rolling out to anyone enrolled in the Android Beta Program. We can confirm that the update has been received on one of our Pixel devices, so others should be seeing it pop up soon enough on their own phones. To recap, there should be Android 8.1.0 files for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL (OPM1.171019.011), Pixel and Pixel XL (OPM1.171019.011), Pixel C (OPM1.171019.011), Nexus 6P (OPM1.171019.011), and Nexus 5X (OPM1.171019.011). As for what's changing, this update includes the December security patch, hamburger emoji fix, and more. Check out our What's New in Android 8.1 video below for the full rundown. If you haven't yet enrolled your eligible device into the Android Beta, follow the link below to do so. Android Beta Program

What's New in Android 8.1

Cheers Paul!

Update for OnePlus 5T Includes Photo Quality Improvements, Face Unlock Optimizations

Tim — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 08:56:40 +0000

An update is rolling out to owners of the OnePlus 5T, listed as bringing quite a few improvements to the device. According to OnePlus, the update addresses photo quality from the rear-facing cameras, while also including an optimized camera UI. While even just the camera improvements sound good, OnePlus is also including optimizations for sound from the external speaker and earphones, improvements for Face Unlock, vibration improvements, as well as WiFi battery usage optimizations. From what we can tell, this should be a solid update. Here's the complete changelog.

What's New

Camera

Optimized UI of Camera
Improvements for photo quality

System

Optimizations for audio from speaker and earphones
Optimizations for face unlock
Optimizations for vibration
Wi-Fi battery usage optimization
Improved stability of fingerprint and GPS
General bug fixes and system stability improvements

In case you missed it, here's our recently published 5T review! // OnePlus

DEAL: Verizon's Retired Wear24 Android Wear 2.0 Watch Hits Woot for Just $75

Kellen — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 08:48:20 +0000

Verizon's Wear24 Android Wear watch was at one time one of the most interesting smartwatches around. It was announced on the same day that LG unveiled its Google-backed Watch Sport and Watch Style, though it seemed like it might be the better choice over those two. Initially, we liked the story - LTE connectivity, Android Wear 2.0, IP67 rating, an attractive design and size (42mm), and NFC with Android Pay on board. But as delays plagued the device's launch (was targeted for a March launch, didn't arrive until May) and Verizon clarified that while the watch had NFC, it was not going to work with Android Pay, we grew skeptical. And then it arrived to some of the worst reviews on the planet noting the various hardware and software issues it contained, likely causing Verizon to pull the plug just three months later. Which brings us to today! You can buy the Wear24 from Woot.com for an insane $74.99. This watch used to cost $350 without a contract or $299 with one, so we're talking a substantial discount here. Should you buy one? Hah! Ummm, that's a tough question to answer. It does run Android Wear 2.0. Woot claims that it'll work without a Verizon connection (so like a normal WiFi watch). And that price is kind of nuts. $75 for an Android Wear watch with "LTE connectivity, Android Wear 2.0, IP67 rating, an attractive design and size (42mm), and NFC ~~with Android Pay~~ on board." Who knows if it'll ever get an update, but the deal is there with delivery by Xmas, and both silver and black models are in-stock at the moment. I'll let you decide what to do.

Woot Link

An Update on Update Button Hammering: It's Broken, Will be Fixed in 2018

Kellen — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 08:29:08 +0000

On September 22, we said our goodbyes to slow Android update rollouts on Nexus and Pixel devices. It was a moment we had always dreamed of. We could finally tap that "Check for update" button, Google would listen by flagging our action as "user-initiated," and then let us jump through the slow, staged rollout. And then that never happened. Which is odd, because the Googler - Elliott Hughes - who told us that this new action was here, was soooooooo curious why the press hadn't noticed this functionality. Maybe because it never worked? Or if it did, it did for all of five minutes? According to Hughes, who returned this week from what must have been a 3-month vacation of laughter and pina coladas, has told us that, well, ha..ha...haha...HAH, ABOUT THAT STORY I ONCE TOLD YOU...yeah, a Google Play Services update broke all that fun. Hope you had fun mashing that button like the good ol' days that never went away. Seriously, though, there was some sort of "API incompatibility" between Android's System Update code and that "Checkin code" that was going to allow your user-initiated action to get you updates. In other words, hitting the "Check for update" button did nothing as has been the case for our entire Android lives even as we thought it was supposed to. Google has now fixed that internally, but couldn't in time for us regular folk and so we'll be waiting until the next update (in 2018) to be able to test this all over again. Another Google Play Services update will bring it back to you. Hughes told some commenters in his Google+ thread that it did work at some point, though, I'm not sure I ever noticed it working since he revealed its availability. Anyways, happy Friday! // +Elliott Hughes

OnePlus 5T Review

Kellen — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:39:50 +0000

Our OnePlus 5T review is here! Sorry it took so long, but you know, it's cold in the northwest. We have beer to drink. For this latest and greatest from OnePlus, we tried to look for the differences in the OnePlus 5T vs. the regular OnePlus 5 (review) to see if we actually got an upgrade this year. As you all know, with the OnePlus 3 (review) and OnePlus 3T (review), the upgrades there were subtle, so this is an important piece to this year's story. Thankfully, I have nothing but positive things to say over the new display and camera vs. those on the 5. The video review dives into more, but the takeaway is that after telling you to consider passing on the OnePlus 5 because of its non-2017 design and sub-par camera, I'm telling you the opposite here. The display on the 5T is quite good and meets the current low-bezel trend, the new dual camera setup is solid, I'm a huge fan of the rear fingerprint reader, the software is as quick as ever, and battery life continues to get better by the day as I've tested it. OnePlus really nailed this phone. The OnePlus 5T can be purchased right here. NOTE: The video says that the 8GB / 128GB model costs $529, and yes, I know that that is wrong. It's too late to fix now. The 8GB model actually costs $559. NOTE 2: No written review because we already wrote up the review for the OnePlus 5. The experiences are almost identical outside of the couple of changes that we dive well into in the video.

OnePlus Won't Support Project Treble Over Fears of Bricking Phones

Tim — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:09:19 +0000

Project Treble is one of those things Google announced recently that many Android users are excited about. To give you a brief summary of Project Treble, Kellen has written a couple pieces on the subject, so I'll let him explain it. This excerpt is from a post we wrote about how Project Treble should increase Android OS updates.

The basic idea behind Project Treble is that Google is 're-architecting Android to make it easier, faster and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to a new version of Android.' How are they going to do that? By specifically separating out the 'vendor implementation' portion of Android, which is the lower-level software that is controlled by silicon makers, the guys who make the processors and chipsets for devices.

Naturally, many Android phone buyers have been anxious to hear from OEMs that would announce complete support of Project Treble. Unfortunately, there hasn't been all too many, and apparently, it's not because they simply don't want to. In a recent AMA on its own forums, OnePlus laid out a massive answer as to why OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T owners won't see any type of Project Treble implementation on their devices.

Project Treble requires a storage partition, by which the Android framework and vendor image are separated. However, because partitions were not required of Android N and previous versions of Android, all of our current devices do not feature a partition. According to our tests, if we were to modify the partition layout via OTA there is a risk that devices will brick during the partitioning. We feel this poses too great a risk for our community of users, which is why we have decided not to implement Project Treble on current OnePlus devices.

As you can see, it's not that OnePlus doesn't want to support Project Treble, it's just they don't think it's worth the risk at this time. If implementing a change such as Treble would result in bricked phones, I can't say I blame them. While Project Treble won't be getting any love this time around, OnePlus did point out that their update history has been quite good, with select OnePlus owners even able to download and play with Oreo. Sad to hear this news, OnePlus owners? // OnePlus

LG Tweaks a Few V30 Specs, Calls it Signature Edition, Prices it at $1800

Tim — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:05:49 +0000

If you live in South Korea and have too much money laying around (don't worry, that can be a common problem for us in the US, too! /s), LG announced a new device this week that can help you get rid of some. The LG Signature Edition, which is really just a tweaked V30, combines what's essentially the best 2017 specs and a couple high-end options not yet common in smartphones. For example, instead of 64GB of built-in storage and 4GB RAM like the V30, the Signature Edition features 256GB of storage and 6GB RAM. Also, buyers will have Oreo shipped with the phone, instead of Nougat like the V30. If that isn't enough to convince you, though, LG is also pairing the phone with two sets of B&O headphones (one wired, one wireless), just so you can take advantage of the Quad DAC. The Signature Edition has the same 6" P-OLED FullVision display, rear-facing dual cameras, Snapdragon 835 processor, and 3300mAh battery as the LG V30. Now, because this phone is so darn fancy, LG is limiting the production run to just 300 devices. That makes this a very rare smartphone, with a price that matches it rarity. According to LG, the phone will be available for 2,000,000 South Korean Won. When converted, that's $1828. Ouchies! Don't worry, though, because LG says they will even engrave the device for you, so there's that. As I stated, this device appears to be exclusive to residents of South Korea, so don't go trying to import this beauty here to the US. // LG (Korea)

Celebrities Now Provide Personal Answers to Important Questions on Google Search

Tim — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:58:34 +0000

Going straight to the list of things I didn't think was ever necessary, celebrities are getting some A-list treatment over on Google Search. To give you an example of what's happening, let's say you Google, "Can Will Ferrell really play the drums?" Thanks to this new "feature," Mr. Ferrell himself will now provide the answer via a selfie video, all within Google Search. Currently, only a handful of celebrities have accessible selfie videos on Google Search, but as Google says, many more are coming. For now, you can find personal videos from Priyanka Chopra, Will Ferrell, Tracee Ellis Ross, Gina Rodriguez, Kenan Thompson, Allison Williams, Nick Jonas, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Seth MacFarlane, Jonathan Yeo, and Dominique Ansel. If you want to listen to some celebs provide a few personal answers, check it out on your phone! // Google

DEAL: Save $130 on Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Kit, Google Home Bundle at Best Buy

Tim — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 09:23:25 +0000

Available at Best Buy, you can grab a Philips Hue white and color ambiance starter kit, plus a Google Home, all for just $198. Getting these products separately would typically run about $328, so this bundle deal is saving you $130. That ain't bad at all. If you couldn't already guess, owners can control Philips Hue lights via Google Home with Google Assistant, so the pairing of these two products as a bundle is perfect for those looking to up their smart home game. We aren't sure how long this bundle deal will last, so get on it if this is the type of home upgrade you've been looking for. Best Buy Link

Instagram Testing Separation of Messaging Into Standalone App

Tim — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 08:59:32 +0000

For folks in Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and Uruguay, Instagram is testing a separation of messaging from its photo sharing service. The app is called Direct, and essentially, it's like Facebook's move to remove Messenger from the standalone Facebook app. When Direct is installed, the messaging function of the Instagram app disappears. Much like Snapchat, when you open Direct, it goes directly to the camera to help promote sharing. Beyond that, there's just 2 screens, one for direct messages and one for your profile plus settings management. As a nice touch, if you continue swiping right, you'll pop directly into the Instagram app. This is only a test for now, but if it goes over well, folks around the globe can expect this change. There's no official timeline, but something to keep in mind. How do you feeling about the breaking down of popular apps and experiences into multiple apps? Does it make sense to you or do you wish companies would focus on housing everything under one roof? // The Verge

Android Wear's Oreo Update Starts Rolling Out Today

Kellen — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 07:53:23 +0000

Android Wear's future is an area we know little about. We know that Android Wear watches are still here, that fashion brands seem to be the only ones interested in making them at this point, and that updates may come quicker through the Google Play Store. But we don't know how much Google plans to update the UI, add new features, improve the experience, etc. It's kind of sad, actually, though we do have some good news today. The Android Oreo update for Android Wear is starting to rollout! What does that mean for your watch? It could be a while before you get it, unfortunately. Google has left the update up to manufacturers with Android Wear and few have proven to care much about pushing these out quickly. Will you get it today or six months from now? Will you ever get it? We don't know! Google began testing Oreo as a beta for Android Wear back in October on the LG Watch Sport. I wouldn't be surprised if it gets the update right away, alongside the Watch Style. As for what's new in the update, it doesn't appear to be much. Googler Hoi Lam posted up the following changelog and image:

🌟Notification vibration strength setting
🌟Touch lock option for wet conditions
🌟Support for 7 new countries / languages
🌟Plus more e.g. notification channels, battery saving background limits

If you see the update on your watch, be sure to let us know! // +Hoi Lam

Here are 10 Paid Icon Packs That are Free for a Limited Time

Tim — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 15:44:31 +0000

Looking through Google Play, there's a number of paid icon packs that can be downloaded for free at the moment, so we've compiled a list to help you discover something you might enjoy. Each of these packs ranges in price from $0.75 to $1.99+, so the fact that they can be had for free is pretty sweet. There's a lot of variation, too. If you want something super colorful, you can try out Nougat Square, or for something a bit more tame, check out Minimal Colors. You can also get a few oddly shaped packs, VertIcons being the one I'd recommend. The point is, they're all free! Follow these links to check out and download each pack. Google Play Links

Who can argue against free icon packs?

Question of the Day: What's Your Current Phone?

Tim — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:44:45 +0000

As we get deeper into December, rest assured that we're working hard to produce our Phone of the Year list. Since we don't expect many more phones to launch between now and January, it's safe to assume that most people's phone buying is winding down for the year, so it's good time to see where we all stand. For this post, all we want to know is which phone you're currently using. Did you get a new Pixel 2? Loving the Galaxy Note 8? Rocking the LG V30? Whatever it is, tell us about the good and bad, how long you plan on using it, then for extra brownie points, let us know what type of phone would get you to ditch your current setup. For fun, here is last year's post when we asked the same thing. Many people were still using the Nexus 6P. Let's hope this has changed a bit since then. For me, I'm currently using a Pixel 2 XL as my daily driver. The camera and software experience are just too good to give up, but as soon as the 2018 devices roll out, I'll probably be switching. Your turn!

All the Snapdragon 845 Details Your Body Craves are Here

Kellen — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 13:00:09 +0000

It took a bloated set of onstage performances over a 2-day period in Hawaii, but we now know all there is to know about Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 845. The basics here are that it provides a boost in some key areas, like battery life, performance, connectivity, imaging, and...AI! If you don't launch a product and talk about AI for 75% of it, you have done it all wrong, my friends. Alright, let's dive in. In the performance department, the Snapdragon 845 and its Kryo 385 architecture could produce up to a 25% performance lift in gaming, application launch times, and other performance intensive tasks compared to the Snapdragon 835. Coupled with the new Spectra 280 Image Signal Processor (ISP) and Adreno 630 GPU, you'll get a 30% improvement in power reduction when capturing video and playing games. That new Adreno 630 will also provide up to a 30% performance improvement too as you slay baddies in those heavy-performing games. Qualcomm says that this is "virtually all-day battery life." In the connectivity realm, the Snapdragon 845 will pair up with Qualcomm's new X20 LTE modem, which is a Gigabit LTE solution. We're talking about the same X20 that's in the 835, so that'll mean theoretic download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, 5x carrier aggregation, License Assisted Access (LAA), 4x4 MIMO, and all of the other wireless goods you'll need as we move from upgraded LTE to 5G. Of course, this wouldn't be a Snapdragon announcement without talking about cameras. So we've got those previously mentioned Spectra 280 ISP and Adreno 630 GPU chips included. Qualcomm wants you to know that these will help capture 64x more high-dynamic range color info in video and for playback on all of your Ultra HD Premium displays. That'll include 10-bit color depth and Rec. 2020 gamut. Other features that make the list are 16MP stills at 60 images per second and 720p video at up to 480fps. That Adreno 630 will bring the fire in Extended Reality (XR) situations too, which is a cheesy way of describing VR and AR experiences. The Snapdragon 845 enables "room-scale 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) with simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) - for features such as wall-collision detection." So it'll help you not bust your face when hella deep in some VR goodness. As for the AI stuff (Hexagon 685 DSP), look, it's a 2017 press release and product unveiling, so we've got mentions of 3x improvement in AI performance, more natural voice interactions, (hopefully) faster always-on voice detection, and that sort of thing. Basically, that's Qualcomm saying that you should use Google Assistant more and that it should be faster to launch and do stuff for you. As you probably figured, the Snapdragon 845 is sampling to customers (manufacturers) and will land in devices in "early 2018." We're expecting phones like the Galaxy S9 and whatever the next phone from LG is to have this processor on board. // Qualcomm [2]

Vine Co-Founder Teases Vine 2

Tim — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:59:25 +0000

Twitter announced that Vine would shut down last year, with many across the internet quite upset about it. Today, though, the internet has reason to be happy, as one of the founders of Vine is ramping up hype for what could be Vine 2. In a tweet from last month, Dom Hofmann stated, "I'm going to work on a follow-up to Vine," but didn't provide too many details, with exception to a followup tweet that said the project would be self-funded. We aren't exactly sure if this "V2" service will be exactly like the first Vine, but if it is, that would be nice. While I didn't use Vine regularly back when it was around, a lot of creators did, which meant they all had to look elsewhere to produce their content when the service was shut down. So, if Vine 2 happens, will you welcome it?

HBO GO Android TV App Updated to Support Google Assistant

Tim — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 09:35:31 +0000

For those who still watch HBO even when everyone's favorite incest and dragon-packed show isn't in season, you'll be happy to learn that both the HBO GO Android TV app and standard HBO GO app for phones/tablets received updates this week. The big change is for the Android TV version, as it receives support for voice controls via Google Assistant. For example, watchers can control playback and use search functions all by using their voice. Basically, anything that allows me to not use a virtual keyboard is a good thing, so I'm happy. As for the phone/tablet app, the search page now shows recommended series and moves. Additionally, Watchlist now shows the most recently added items, that way you don't have to guess whether a certain title is new to the service or not. Here are the complete changelogs for the Android TV app and phone/tablet app. HBO GO for Android TV Changelog

The search page now comes with recommended HBO series and movies.
Added support for Android TV Voice Assistant, so you can access playback controls and search using the mic button on your remote.
Added support for Android TV Launcher (Android 8.0 Oreo only), so you can continue watching series or movies in progress, straight from the Watch Next channel on your homescreen.
Watchlist now shows most recently added items first.
Various bug fixes and performance improvements.

HBO GO for Phones Changelog

The search page now comes with recommended HBO series and movies. This is a real time-saver, so you can go ahead and rotate that frozen pizza halfway through cooking.
Watchlist now shows most recently added items first.
Various bug fixes and performance improvements.

Play Links: HBO GO for Android TV | HBO GO for Phones

DEAL: Buy Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro, Get Free U Flex Headphones ($80 Value)

Kellen — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 08:32:45 +0000

Samsung is already days into their "12 days of joy" promo that showcases handfuls of new deals every day up until Xmas. We haven't seen any great ones just yet, but today they are hosting a deal for the Gear Fit2 Pro, their new fitness tracker, that gets you a free pair of U Flex headphones with purchase. The Gear Fit2 Pro costs $199 and the U Flex headphones cost $80, so with this deal, you'll pay just $199 and get the $80 headphones for free. That's a pretty decent deal. The new Gear Fit2 Pro is the newest version of a fitness tracker I reviewed pretty positively. It has solid battery life with its big ol' display, GPS, heart rate monitoring, is a decent size and shape for your wrist, and now comes with 5ATM water resistance. The U Flex headphones are of the dog-collar trend, yet are unique in that they do flex like crazy. These should be a good workout combo. To get the deal, you only have to hit the link below and add a Gear Fit2 Pro to your cart. The U Flex headphones will then be added automatically.

Samsung Deal Link

HQ Trivia Teases Android Launch for Holidays

Tim — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:27:30 +0000

HQ Trivia, the app apparently no iPhone owner can shut up about, is headed to Android this holiday season. In a tweet sent out from the official HQ Trivia account, the Android app will be a stocking stuffer, meaning we should expect it around Christmas time, though, no official date was provided. Now, you may be asking, WTF is HQ Trivia? Well, it's an online live trivia show that people access via this app, created by the founders of Vine. If you're quick enough, you can play with others for real cash prizes, so long as your trivia chops are up to the task. Because I don't have an iPhone, I know as little as any other Android user about this game, but I'm looking forward to the iOS peeps crying like babies once Android users are welcomed into the fold. Always the best when Android users come and crash an exclusive party. We'll let you know as soon as it launches. In the meantime, if you have any experience with this app, tell us all about it in the comments section below! https://twitter.com/hqtrivia/status/938099287019401216

Verizon's Move to Unlimited Plans May Have Helped Their Network in an Unexpected Way

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 15:11:48 +0000

As Verizon introduced their new Go and Beyond Unlimited data plans in August to replace the unlimited offering they had just introduced in February, we joked about how that initial offering may have impacted their network negatively, hence the quick move away from it. Verizon was so adamant (before editing the section out) that this move to two separate plans, both of which include a hell of a lot of throttling of video, had nothing to do with network performance, that it almost came off as them fully admitting that that's exactly why Go and Beyond were here. Fast forward to today, where Verizon CFO Matt Ellis sat down for a talk at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, and Verizon seems to have realized that this move likely eased some strain on their network in an unexpected way. Ellis was in the middle of talking about their move to two plans and that they created these for customer choice. He mentioned the plan for non-video consumers (Go Unlimited) and the other for those who like gobbling up all the streams their mind can handle (Beyond Unlimited), before admitting that unlimited has ushered in a new era of usage patterns on their network. While they have certainly seen an increase in overall usage because of unlimited data, they are seeing usage spread more throughout a day. Instead of customers with limited buckets of data holding out from using their phones, only to then all dive in at once during peak hours, they are now evenly distributing their data usage. Those results had Ellis referring to Verizon's network performance since unlimited's re-launch as "fantastic." Of course, Ellis wouldn't want to say anything else other than "fantastic" when talking about his company's network, especially after the constant barrage of attacks from T-Mobile executives that Verizon can't avoid. But you get the sense from his interview that this change in usage was a bit of an added bonus discovery. What do you think, Verizon customers? How has the network been since unlimited launched earlier in the year? // Verizon

Instagram Adds New Stories Highlights Section Right to Your Profile

Tim — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 14:34:21 +0000

Instagram introduced two new features for its oh-so-popular photo sharing app this week -- Stories Highlights and Stories Archive. Stories Highlights is the big new feature, which is a new part of your actual profile that others see. In this space, you can highlight Stories that you'd like others to have easy access to. Basically, if you use Stories a lot, you can make compilation Stories from past videos you have shared. For example, if you want to highlight all of the neighborhood dogs you love, you can keep videos of them right on your profile via Stories Highlights. Stories Highlights appear in a new section on your profile below your bio. To create a highlight, tap the “New” circle at the far left. From there, you can choose any stories from your archive (detailed below), select a cover for your highlight and give it a name. What helps Stories Highlights become a usable feature is Stories Archive. Whenever a Story you've posted is expired, it is saved to a private database that only you can access. In this archive, you can tap on any story to watch it. From there, you can add it to a new Story, share it as a post or add it to a Highlight on your profile. If you're a Stories kinda person on Instagram, go check it out. // Instagram

Google and Amazon Fire Up the Petty Tech Battle You Didn't Ask For

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 14:09:39 +0000

Fire TV owners, I hope you don't enjoy watching much YouTube, because the app is about to disappear from your device. Same goes for you Amazon Echo Show owners. Google announced today that it has had it with Amazon and their selective selling and implementation of competing products. That's a vague way of saying that Google is over Amazon not allowing them to sell Chromecast and Google Home through Amazon and so they are blocking YouTube in retaliation. Cool, right? This is exactly what you want from two giant tech bros, both of which likely serve as the gatekeeper to a number of the products you use, none of which you want blocked by the other because they've embroiled themselves in a petty war of accessibility. But that's what we've got! According to a Google spokesperson who shared a statement with CNET, Google has been "trying to reach agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other's products and services." Since that hasn't happened and Amazon refuses to not only not sell Chromecast, Google Home, and some Nest products, they don't seem interested in adding Google Cast to Prime Video either, time is up. Google went on to say that the "lack of reciprocity" has forced them to no longer support YouTube on Echo Show and Fire TV. For Fire TV owners, you'll lose access to YouTube on January 1. For Amazon Echo Show owners, well, as you can see from the image above, your access has already been cut. Will these two ever reach an agreement? That's tough to say. As you can imagine, Google likely wants to have YouTube on Amazon's services, since millions of people use them and Google is all about that reach. However, Amazon probably isn't all that excited about Google competing with them in hardware on their own store, though I'd imagine Amazon's customers aren't going to be happy if YouTube isn't a part of their shiny new device's ecosystem. And what if this gets worse and Google cuts off Nest from Alexa? Yikes. I don't know how this will shake out. I do have some popcorn here, though. 🍿 // CNET

Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 845

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 12:51:34 +0000

Qualcomm is hosting its big Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii this week and took the chance this morning to make the Snapdragon 845 official. They aren't releasing the full details just yet (that'll happen tomorrow), so I have almost nothing to share with you outside of the name and the super OONCE-OONCEy video below. Actually, wait, they did say that the chip contains "billions of transistors" and "executes hundreds of millions of lines of code." AWESOME. Samsung also talked on stage for a minute because they are making these for Qualcomm, plus Xiaomi was there, likely because the 845 will be in their next phone, which you'll never be able to buy in the US. It was a load of good times today...for 2+ hours...to be able to share this tiny bit of info with you. Qualcomm, the new trollout masters. // Qualcomm

Essential Phone Receiving Update With December Security Patch

Tim — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 11:23:35 +0000

Essential announced via Twitter that it's rolling out a new update to the Essential Phone, labeled as build NMJ51B. After installing the update, owners will be running December's Android security patch, which was just announced this week. Considering the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are just now receiving this update, too, that's pretty impressive. If you're rocking the Essential Phone, go grab this update. https://twitter.com/essential/status/938111279188787200

Google's Files Go App Now Available Globally for Anyone Running Lollipop or Higher

Tim — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 10:22:24 +0000

In early November, Google launched a file management app in beta called Files Go. Today, the app launches globally for any Android devices running Lollipop or higher. If you haven't yet downloaded this app, it's a smart file manager, capable of recognizing when a user has duplicate files and unnecessary things clogging up your phone's storage. On top of managing your phone's storage, you can also transfer files to nearby devices without using any data. The file transfers are encrypted and speedy, up to 125Mbps. Go check it out if you haven't already! Google Play Link // Google

December Security Patch Arrives as Android 8.1 and the Pixel, Nexus Images are Ready

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 10:11:07 +0000

After first releasing the December security bulletin yesterday, Google has gone ahead and posted the Android security update for December 2017 and the files are live for a number of devices, both Pixel and Nexus. This is also the Android 8.1 update that has been in preview for the past couple of months. So far, we are seeing 8.1.0 files for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL (OPM1.171019.011), Pixel and Pixel XL (OPM1.171019.011), Pixel C (OPM1.171019.011), Nexus 6P (OPM1.171019.011), and Nexus 5X (OPM1.171019.011). We're also getting a new 8.0.0 build for the Nexus 6P as OPR5.170623.014 and one for the Nexus 5X as OPR4.170623.020. Both include the December security patch. Along with the December patch, Verizon states that the update does indeed include the KRACK fix this time around. You can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. As more files arrive, we’ll update this post. Links:

// Android Developers Blog

Android Go Arrives With Android 8.1 "Go Edition"

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 09:52:27 +0000

Back at Google I/O, Google unveiled a new project called "Android Go" that targeted entry-level devices with 512GB to 1GB RAM. The goal was to provide a lighter and speedier, yet still solid Android experience for ultra-budget phones. With the launch of Android 8.1 later today, Google is also pushing out Android Oreo (Go Edition) for the first time. Android Oreo (Go Edition) provides a performance and storage-tuned version of Android that runs a lighter set of Google Apps and the Google Play Store. We're talking about apps that are 15% faster in many cases, with 50% of the size. Google claims that they have doubled the amount of available storage on lower-end devices by doing this. The list of optimized apps includes Google Go, Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, Gboard, Google Play, Chrome, and the new Files Go app by Google. Of course, just because Google has trimmed up their apps doesn't mean that security or other features are taking hits. You'll still get Google Play Protect and all of the security goods you expect from Android. Speaking of Google Play, Android Go devices will find a special app section that recommends those that will actually run well on entry-level devices. Google didn't unveil any devices that are ready to run Android Oreo (Go Edition), but did suggest that partners will ship it soon "in the coming months." // Google

Google Says That Android 8.1 is "Rolling Out Now" (Updated: Yep!)

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 09:27:54 +0000

Wait, is it? We picked up a second Android 8.1 Developer Preview last week, which was mostly a final version, though we are expecting another update to the final version this month. We are also expecting the December security patch to reach Pixel and Nexus devices as early as today. So is Google saying that the December patch is stable 8.1? We haven't seen it hit AOSP yet, so...hmmmm 🤔. Verizon did reveal the build for this month's update as OPM1.171019.011. That may actually be the giveaway that this is 8.1, since we've got the reference to "M1" in there. That's likely a reference to this being the 8.1 maintenance release. EDIT: Google did say that Android 8.1 was coming today in a blog post detailing Android 8.1 Go Edition. So yeah. UPDATE: The files are now live and the update is indeed stable Android 8.1. We should know before long what's going on and we'll update this post. https://twitter.com/Android/status/938090621834809344

Mid-Range Honor 7X Launches Today in US for $199, High-End View 10 in January

Tim — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 08:56:57 +0000

The Honor 7X, a followup to last year's 6X, was announced back in November. At the time, Honor didn't specify US launch details, but this morning at a press event, Honor provided all the nitty gritty, confirming that the Honor 7X is available today, priced at $199. Since we already had the details concerning the 7X, I'll refer you back to the initial announcement post, which includes specs and all that.

Honor 7X

A bit more interesting is another phone Honor announced, the View 10 (pictured above). While the 7X suits the needs of many in the mid-range, the View 10 is aimed more at the premium corner of the market. The phone features a 5.99" FHD+ display (18:9 aspect ratio), Kirin 970 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB of storage, 3,750mAh battery, dual camera system (16MP + 20MP wide angle), fingerprint reader, and EMUI 8.0 running atop Android. We don't yet have pricing, but Honor announced that the phone will launch for the US in January, 2018. To sum up this morning's Honor excitement, you can purchase a 7X today (linked below) and the View 10 goes live next month. Honor Web Store

Samsung Wants Your Next Phone to Have 512GB of Storage

Kellen — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 08:19:55 +0000

I don't know that I'd suggest that 256GB of storage in a phone has become commonplace just yet, but Samsung is ready to move well beyond that. The Korean electronics giant announced today that they are now mass producing 512GB eUFS chips for flagship smartphones and tablets, doubling their previous efforts. Samsung says they are the first to mass produce these 64-layer 512-gigabit (Gb) V-NAND chips and that these will provide "unparalleled storage capacity and outstanding performance for upcoming" devices. In terms of storage, we're talking over 100 4K Ultra HD video files with a 10-minute duration. These new 512GB storage units can read at 860MB/s and write at 255MB/s, which amounts to a 5GB HD video clip transfer in six seconds. Those speeds are "over eight times faster than a typical microSD card," according to Samsung. And they are right, even the A1 microSD cards from SanDisk, which are some of the fastest in the industry, top out at around 100MB/s. As for other specs, Samsung introduced power management technology here with an "advanced circuit design" in the chip's controller that aims to minimize any increase in energy consumed. Finally, these new 512GB eUFS chips can read 42,000 IOPS and write 40,000 IOPS. I don't know that anyone is expecting a 512GB storage option in the Galaxy S9, but maybe the Note 9 or the next wave of Samsung tablets? You ready for that much onboard, ultra-fast storage? // Samsung

DEAL: Buy Any Nest Product Over $99 Through Best Buy, Get a Free Google Home Mini

Tim — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:28:06 +0000

For a limited time, anyone who purchases a Nest product that is priced over $99 through Best Buy will receive a free Google Home Mini. Why is this awesome? Well, because Nest products support Google Assistant, meaning you can do all sorts of things with nothing but your voice via Google Home. If you're curious which Nest products are priced over $99, that's a very easy question to answer: all of 'em! There's not a single Nest product available at Best Buy that's under $99, so you can choose a 3rd-generation thermostat ($249), Nest Cam ($199), Nest Secure alarm system ($499), or even a Thermostat E ($169). Regardless of what you buy, you'll get the free Google Home Mini. Easy enough, right? Follow the link below to start the process. Best Buy Link

Monday Poll: Which Messaging Service Do You Use the Most?

Kellen — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 14:22:48 +0000

The last time we asked which instant messaging app you all were using, it was 2011 and Google Talk was still a thing. Not only that, but Google+ Huddles was in before Hangouts took over, Beejive was an app that people used, and most of you just settled for good ol' SMS anyway. So let's see where we all stand now. I'm still stuck on the empty soul that is Hangouts, unfortunately, but apps like Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger sure seem like they are in control of the game at this point. Plus, apps like Kik and Telegram have millions of users, and Allo is doing its best to fill up the feature list without addressing critical flaws. There are some solid options, I'm just curious which has captured your attention. Which instant messaging app on Android are you using the most? [poll id="465"]

Cool Trick: Google Lens Can Directly Import Handwritten Notes to Keep, Remember for Later

Kellen — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 12:50:36 +0000

Google Lens is well into its full rollout to Google's Pixel and Pixel 2 devices, which means that most of you should have it by now. Because of that, we're starting to see specific uses pop-up that are worth calling out. As you can imagine, since this is a Google product, Lens will likely do much more than the basics Google lays out when promoting it. For example, a reddit user noticed that when pointing at a handwritten note, Lens not only asked if it could save the info for later, but if they wanted to directly import it to Google Keep. The "Remember this" option isn't necessarily new to Assistant, yet is still cool in this situation because you can ask Assistant to pull that information up later, which it'll do as an image.

For the Keep stuff, we're talking about instant note creation, with an image of the text. Now, I know you could take a picture of something and then share it to Keep or open Keep and start a note with an image, but this could be much easier if you think about. Assistant can be fired up quickly by voice or with a squeeze on the new Pixels, followed by a tap on Lens to read out the note, followed by another quick tap to "Import to Keep." Of course, it could translate text for you that might be something you'd want to remember for later too, which your camera or Keep wouldn't do before saving. Also, while importing to keep, you get to name the note, add tags, and even choose a different Google account, assuming you have multiple on your phone. Just a cool Lens trick. Anyone finding others? // reddit

Neverending Nightmares is Full of Jump Scares and Gruesome Visuals

Tim — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 11:51:44 +0000

Neverending Nightmares was launched for select platforms all the way back in 2014, but at long last, the game is available directly from Google Play for Android devices. You see, when this game launched, it was available exclusively for OUYA and Steam, but it has made its way to other platforms over the years. As a warning, this game is extremely graphic, and I have even seen some say that those who suffer from depression, anxiety, and paranoia should probably stay away from it. The game isn't scary for the sake of being scary, though. The game's lead designer, Matt Gilgenbach, designed the game to give a sense of hopelessness and bleakness, inspired by his own struggles with OCD and depression. Now, as for the gameplay itself, it's a lot of fun -- if you can handle the jump scares and horrific visuals. You play as Thomas, who awakens from a nightmare that you, the player, plays through. As you wake up and explore your surroundings, you quickly realize that every time you're waking up, you're only going deeper into the nightmares. For navigation, you can walk left and right, interact with items that are colored, plus you can sprint for a very limited time. Operating on a checkpoint system, don't worry about Thomas dying, because he'll be doing plenty of that. As a twist, the game has three different endings, all based on player actions within the game. The game is priced at $3.99, with no in-app purchases or ads. Don't say I didn't warn you about the jump scares, though! Google Play Link ($3.99)

Google Releases December's Security Bulletin, Images Coming Tomorrow

Kellen — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 10:34:41 +0000

Google posted December's security bulletin for Android this morning with details about the latest patches for the platform. There are two patches for this month, one for December 1 and another for December 5. If you own a Pixel or Nexus device, you'll get the December 5 patch and the files will be ready tomorrow, according to a note on the bulletin page. The specifics of the patch can be found at the links below, if you are interested in the dirty details of the security notes and what exactly Google patched. You'll find sections for Qualcomm, NVIDIA, MediaTek, and Broadcom products, as well as general patches to media framework and system. Again, Google says that Pixel and Nexus images won't be up until tomorrow. However, Verizon jumped the gun some and did offer up build numbers for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. They also confirmed that this update will indeed include the KRACK patch. All four devices will apparently see Android build OPM1.171019.011. You may recall from the November update that Google started including "functional" improvements for Nexus and Pixel devices that were included alongside the security stuff. For this update, they have not included any functional improvement notes. We'll let you know when the files go live tomorrow. // Android Source [2] | Verizon [2]

User Shows Off New Netflix App Design, All About the Bottom Buttons

Tim — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 10:00:52 +0000

According to at least one person on reddit, Netflix is testing a redesign of its Android app. While we don't have a ton of screenshots to share, user MyFishDrownedItself at least shared a few details about what the redesign offers. From what we can see with the single screenshot, all of the buttons have been moved to the bottom, including the buttons for Home, Search, Downloads, and My Profile. Currently, the Netflix UI consists of a hamburger pullout shelf, housing all of the app's features and settings. While a button move isn't necessarily revolutionary, the reddit user says that the app now features a "Skip Intro" and "Skip Recap" option, thicker timestamps, a central hub for notifications, as well as a dedicated section for My List.

I recently updated my Netflix app and am not seeing this UI, but I'll keep my eye on it. You should do the same. The user says the version number listed is 5.10.1 (code 25262), which is odd, because I'm sitting at 5.11 (code 25402). Does your Netflix UI look like this? // reddit

Facebook Messenger Kids Announced for iOS, Coming Later to Android

Tim — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 08:53:33 +0000

Facebook announced a new chat app for kids today, suitably called Messenger Kids. Sadly, this app is only in preview for iOS at the time, but should be available for Android and select Kindle devices in the "coming months." Messenger Kids is all about allowing your children to contact friends and family, but with the parent still in control via their own FB account. For example, the child's contacts are controlled directly by the parent in their main Facebook app. As for features, kids can access doodling for photo editing, video chat with their friends, as well as send and receive text messages. Additionally, there's a library of kid-friendly GIFs, frames, stickers, and masks for your little ones to access for more fun.

Now, of course, this app will likely hit a nerve with certain parents. Facebook didn't blindly go into development of this app, though. According to its announcement, "In addition to our research with thousands of parents, we’ve engaged with over a dozen expert advisors in the areas of child development, online safety, and children’s media and technology who’ve helped inform our approach to building our first app for kids." Essentially, FB wants to make sure parents know that this app is safe for kids to use. As soon as we hear more about a launch for Android, we'll let you know. // Facebook

Verizon's $300-Off Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Deal is Live With "50%" Off Google Home Bonus

Kellen — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 08:04:05 +0000

The $300-off deal from Verizon for the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL that we told you about at the end of last week is now available online after a short in-store exclusive period. The deal is noteworthy because it drops $300 off the price of any Pixel 2 or 2 XL without the need for a trade-in. It's just a straight up $300 off, as long as you are willing to finance the phone over 24 months. Additionally, Verizon is offering you 50% off a Google Home unit with your Pixel 2 purchase to sweeten the deal. So how do you get this Pixel 2 deal? You head over to Verizon's site and decide which phone you want. Then, add it to your cart, choose the device payment plan option that spreads the cost out over 24 months, and checkout. If you are also interested in a Google Home, simply add one of those to cart too and Verizon will recognize the Pixel 2 or 2 XL in your cart and adjust the price by 50% off the original retail price. With this deal, you are looking at a Pixel 2 64GB for $14.58/mo, Pixel 2 128GB for $18.74/mo, Pixel 2 XL 64GB for $22.91/mo, or the Pixel 2 XL 128GB for $27.08/mo. Not bad. I should point out that the 50% discount on the Google Home is only partially accurate. Right now, Google has dropped Google Home pricing almost everywhere from $130 to $$79.99, yet Verizon is doing 50% off the retail price of $129.99. So the Home will cost you $65, rather than $40. That make sense? The deal is live and good for a while.

Verizon Deal Links:

The Little Things: Pixel 2 and 2 XL Screens Don't Light Up When You Charge or Unplug

Kellen — Sat, 02 Dec 2017 09:21:04 +0000

I can't tell you how many times I've cussed out my phone just before falling asleep. Typically, when I'm ready to pass out for the night, I reach for the charging cable next to my bed and plug in whichever phone I'm testing at the moment, only to have its screen (which I just turned off in my dark bedroom), light up the heavens as that USB cable touches home. Or, in the morning, when it's still dark in this NW wet hell of winter, I unplug the phone from charging all night and the same thing happens - BLING! GOOD MORNING EVERYONE ELSE STILL ASLEEP AND YOUR CRUSTY EYES THAT WEREN'T READY FOR MY SHINE! Google, because they clearly understand my frustration in this charging department, changed how this works with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Instead of your screen turning on with each plug, Google has the Pixel 2 phones use their ambient display to simply confirm to you for a moment that they are indeed charging (see image above). Rather than firing up all those pixels, Google instead uses the tools at their command to simplify the process and not blind you in the dark. And when you unplug, well, the phone doesn't do anything but stop charging. You don't need the screen to turn on to show you notifications, because you have an always-on display that is already showing you what's in-store for the day. I know this may seem like a small thing, but that's kind of the beauty of it. As Android matures and these companies all realize that there are only so many features to pack into their skins, it's these subtle changes to the experience that can make or break a phone. OK, that's a ridiculous overstatement, but come on, how awesome is this? Enjoy your weekend.

Weekly Recap: OnePlus 5T is Here and Google Fixed Its Burger Emoji

Tim — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 15:17:07 +0000

The big news from this week is Google's fixing of its hamburger emoji. Yep, massive news. More seriously, we have the OnePlus 5T in-house (review coming up soon!), Google may launch the Google Home Max on December 11, and Andy Rubin has taken a leave from Essential. Here's the stuff from this week you don't want to miss.

Have a good weekend, folks!

T-Mobile Shares Entire List of LTE-A Markets - See If You are Covered

Kellen — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 14:15:13 +0000

Your smartphone isn't quite ready for true 5G yet, but that hasn't stopped carriers from taking additional steps to build up their networks as we get there. T-Mobile has been vocal in recent years about the investment they've made in their LTE network to help them compete with Verizon and AT&T. We've seen them win nationwide speed battles, and they often are quick to point out how they've tested or deployed new tech that their competition has hardly sniffed. Yesterday, their CTO Neville Ray dropped the entire list of T-Mobile LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) markets on us to show just how fast they are rolling out some of these technologies. The list includes 920+ markets, 430 of which can take advantage of the "trifecta" of speed boosters that includes carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, and 256 QAM. https://twitter.com/NevilleRay/status/936306068572880896 For regular LTE-A markets, you'll see up to double your current download speeds. If you hang out in a "trifecta" market, your speeds will double on top of that. So look, we're not talking about 1Gig speeds, but if you were once getting 40Mbps down, you could jump to 80Mbps or 160Mbps or beyond, without doing anything extra, depending on where you live. Verizon told us that on their LTE-A network, you could see up to 300Mbps down. We have no reason to believe that T-Mobile's network isn't capable of similar speeds. Curious if your phone is supported? It should be. As you'll see from this list over at Wikipedia, most phones released within the past 3 years are ready for LTE-A. To see the full list of T-Mobile LTE-A markets, download this file. (It's a PDF and it's hosted by T-Mobile.)

Google's Santa Village Open for Business Again

Tim — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 13:48:31 +0000

Google's Santa Tracker app for Android and the entire Santa Village for desktop users are now back open for business this holiday season. With the app, kids and even grownups can play games, get info on Santa's whereabouts (spoiler: he's typically always at home until Christmas eve), as well as have access to an updated Android Wear experience. For computer users who visit Santa's Village, you'll have access to other games, coding lessons, a place to learn about holiday traditions from around the world, plus a whole lot more. Seriously, Santa's Village ain't no joke this year. Follow the links to grab the app or check out the desktop site. Google Play Link | Desktop Link // Google

Fast Charging Balls

Kellen — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 11:36:24 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we return from a holiday break to share initial thoughts on the OnePlus 5T after spending the past week with it, as well as our final thoughts on the Razer Phone. We'll also recap the latest on the Galaxy S9, Google possibly sliding Nest into its hardware division, and what the future for Essential holds with Andy Rubin stepping away. Later in the show, we'll talk Google Now, Samsung's fast charging balls, Oreo updates everywhere, and more! We’ll be live at 12:00PM Pacific (3:00PM Eastern). If you miss us live and/or want the audio version of our podcast, you can subscribe through the various links below.

DEAL: Google Home 2-Pack Available at Best Buy for Only $130

Tim — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 10:17:06 +0000

BOGO alert, folks! For a very limited time, you can purchase a 2-pack of Google Home units from Best Buy, priced at just $130. That's quite the deal, considering two separate Google Home purchases would typically run about $260. As stated on Best Buy's website, this is a today only event, so don't wait around to pick up the perfect holiday gift. Follow the link below to check it out. Best Buy Link

Google Play 'Best of 2017' Results Are In!

Tim — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 09:26:27 +0000

It's now December, which means it's time for Best of 2017 lists! I must say, I love this time of year, because it allows us to be super duper subjective and tell the world our favorite apps, phones, and games from the year. That's not exactly what this post is, though. Google has shared its best of 2017 lists this morning, based on actual data from Google Play and not any subjectivity. We have Google Play's top new games, new apps, top streamed songs, top movies, top TV shows, and top books. If you're interested in our Best of 2017 lists, stay tuned later this month. They're coming...

Most popular new apps of 2017

Photo Editor - Beauty Camera & Photo Filters
What The Forecast?!!
Boomerang
TopBuzz Video: Viral Videos, Funny GIFs &TV shows
Yarn - Chat Fiction

Most popular new games of 2017

Top five streamed songs of 2017

Top five movies of 2017

Top five TV shows of 2017

Top five books of 2017

I don't see too many surprises, but I am disappointed that Rogue One couldn't beat Moana in the Top Movies portion. Either way, Disney wins. // Google

DEAL: Verizon Drops $300 Off Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, No Trade Required (Updated)

Kellen — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 08:58:51 +0000

Verizon has opened up December with a huge Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL deal. Starting today in stores (and Sunday online), you can grab a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL for $300 off with a device payment plan. At $300 off, you are looking at a Pixel 2 for as low as $349 and the Pixel 2 XL as low as $549. Of course this is Verizon, so you'll be spreading the $300 discount out over a 24-month period. That means you won't be straight-up buying either phone for those discounted full retail prices. Instead, you'll see a discount on your monthly device payment. Verizon hasn't given us the exact monthly payment numbers, but a bit of math drops the Pixel 2 with 64GB storage to $14.58/mo and the Pixel 2 XL with 64GB of storage to $22.92/mo. If you were hesitating on the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, you probably shouldn't any longer. $300 off is about as good as it gets, especially if you plan on sticking with Verizon for the long haul. Our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL review is a good read too, in case you are still on the fence. Again, the promo starts today in stores and arrives online this Sunday, December 3.

UPDATE: NOW LIVE ONLINE!

Verizon Links:

Super Helpful: Allo for Web Tells You When Your Phone's Battery is Low

Kellen — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 08:01:07 +0000

Since Google Allo for the web needs your phone on and alive in order to sync your messages, you can imagine the fear should you use it regularly and your phone's battery run out of juice. With a dead phone, your Allo web experience doesn't happen and your conversations stop. To help keep you connected, Allo for web has this neat little "Phone battery low" notification that pops up when your connected phone is about to die. We haven't seen what the trigger is, but my guess is that the notification pops up around 15% or so on your phone. Thanks, Google, that's super helpful.

Cheers Tyler!

Verizon Galaxy Note 8 Picks Up November Security Patch

Kellen — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 07:16:28 +0000

Verizon's Galaxy Note 8 has picked up another new update this morning that introduces the November security patch. That's all that is detailed in the new software version (N950USQS2BQK2), though there is a mention of the KRACK fix being included. The odd thing is that that was included in an update earlier this week that brought along some Live Focus camera improvements. Did anyone receive that earlier update with the camera improvements? Either way, this update is live, so grab it by heading into Settings>System update. // Verizon

Google May Fold Nest Into Its Hardware Business, and That Would Make Sense

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 15:56:11 +0000

When Google bought Nest back in 2014 for billions of dollars in cash, they told us that Nest would continue on under its own "distinct brand identity." Then when Google became Alphabet a little over a year later, that didn't change and Nest still remained as its own separate entity. Google and Alphabet may be rethinking that move now and are reportedly considering folding Nest into Google's hardware division, according to the Wall Street Journal. Today's report suggests that Nest and its 1,000 employees could join up with the likes of Rick Osterloh's hardware group, which currently makes the Pixel phones, Pixelbook, Google Home, and other various products. By doing so, Google may be in a better position to continue this ongoing battle with Amazon over control of your home. If you think about it, this makes a hell of a lot of sense. In fact, as a former Nest employee told the WSJ, the separation never did make much sense to begin with. Nest and Google likely already overlap in both manufacturing and retail distribution, plus they seem to have similar goals in mind. While Nest still focuses a lot on reinventing boring old home tech and making them cooler and more useful, both Google and Nest want their products in control of your life. Google has spent their early smart home days creating Google Home and Cast-equipped units, but think about where they are missing out. Areas like cameras, thermostats, and security are logical next steps for them, yet Nest already makes all of that. I don't know that I'd be happy to see the Nest brand go away, but the talent, design and manufacturing chops, and products are all there for Google to help push under their own hardware brand that they are heavily pushing at this point. Nest also seems to have stalled some in recent years, both in innovation and in new products. I'd imagine under the Google umbrella, they may get a fresh start. What do you think? Should Nest stay separate or would you rather Google expand its own hardware business? // Wall Street Journal

20+ OnePlus 5T Tips and Tricks!

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 14:49:57 +0000

Following up on our "OnePlus 5T: First 10 Things to Do!" video, we've now got the tips and tricks you've been waiting for. We often spend an extra amount of time explaining features and setup in that "First 10 Things" video, whereas this next OnePlus 5T tips and tricks feature is more of a rapid fire affair, where we try to tell you all that we can in under 20 minutes or so. What you'll find here is a set of tips for the OnePlus 5T that includes gesture setup and the ones we use, customizing your buttons (both physical and on-screen), looking for an icon pack, tweaking the status bar and its icons, choosing a theme, utilizing the audio tuner with your headphones, adjusting default apps, finding battery optimizations you may not have asked for or that are causing problems, and what kinds of advanced settings OnePlus has tucked away (like gaming DND). So far, this OnePlus 5T, especially once you get to know all of these finer details, is turning out to be a heck of a phone. I can't wait to share some final thoughts in our OnePlus 5T review. We're hoping to have that ready within the next few days. You can buy the OnePlus 5T over at the OnePlus store.

Google Home Max Could Arrive December 11, Says Best Buy (and Google, Sort Of)

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 14:04:50 +0000

The arrival of Google Home Max has been mostly a mystery since it was announced back in October. While Google told us to expect the high-end speaker assistant in December, no specific date was ever given. Today, though, both Best Buy and the Google Store may have spilled the beans. According to Best Buy's listing for Google Home Max, Google's newest speaker should be up for purchase on December 11. We've captured an image of that detail below, since there is a chance that Google asks Best Buy to pull it.

If that isn't enough proof, a reference to December 11 also showed up at Google Home Max's Google Store listing this week too. Thanks to the terms for a 12-month YouTube Red promotion that is accompanying purchases of Home Max, Google laid out dates for when the promotion is active. The exact wording is, "This YouTube Red 12-month trial promotion is only open to participants in the U.S. who purchase and activate a Google Home Max between December 11, 2017 and February 15, 2018." See, there is December 11 once again. This may not be definitive proof that December 11 is the day, but it's at least a date we can mark on our calendars. And yes, I've got it marked because I want one of these bad boys. For those of you Xmas shopping for me, now you have an idea. 😉 Who else wants one? // reddit

Microsoft Edge Browser Out of Preview for Android and iOS

Tim — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:41:42 +0000

Back in October, Microsoft launched its Edge browser in a preview for iOS and Android devices. This week, Preview is being dropped from the title and the app is getting an official launch for both operating systems. To provide a quick breakdown, the Edge browser offers familiar features like Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Pages, a Reading View, as well as Roaming Passwords across your PC and phone. The big feature is the ability to be working on your phone, then instantly pop up the same browser page on your Windows 10 desktop computer. Here's what was added thanks to feedback by the community during the Preview phase.

Roaming Passwords – Save a new password on your phone, and it follows you to your PC. Get to what you need, regardless of where you are or what device you are currently working on.
Dark theme – You can now enjoy this popular theme on your phone, in addition to your PC.

If you want Microsoft's browser app, follow the link below and grab it. Google Play Link // Microsoft

Google Assistant Will Now Help You Find a Local Tradesman

Tim — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 11:10:30 +0000

Need the help of a local electrician, plumber, or house cleaner? Well, thanks to a sweet update for Google Assistant, the service can now help you pinpoint the perfect helper. For example, you can say, "Ok Google, I need a plumber." With that, Assistant will then list out a few related issues that a plumber can help you solve. There's an option for clogged drain, faucet repair, etc. Once you choose an option, Google will confirm the address you need work at, then cross reference that with local plumbers near your area. If everything looks good to you, you can directly call the business and schedule your service. Now, a big part of this announcement is that in many cities Google Assistant will suggest providers that have been "prescreened by Google and companies like HomeAdvisor and Porch." This may allow users to feel more confident that whoever they hire is right for the job. If you’re in a city that doesn’t have any available "guaranteed or screened providers," you’ll still get an answer from the Assistant with nearby results. Be on the lookout for this feature to hit your phone in the coming week.

// Google

Google Says Apps Can No Longer Put Ads on Your Lock Screen

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 10:52:25 +0000

Google informed developers of updates to its Google Play Developer Program Policy this morning. There are three changes, but one in particular should make a number of you happy. Going forward, lock screen ads are no longer allowed, unless the Android app serving them is an actual lock screen app. In the updated policy text, Google says specifically that apps "may not introduce ads or features that monetize the locked display of a device." And since Google informed developers of this change, they are immediately subject to this change. Google is telling app developers to fix apps in their catalog that do not comply and submit them again, or unpublish them from Google Play within the next 30 days. Google isn't messing around here. Google also updated some of their content rating guidelines, as well as the requirements to be a part of the Designed for Families program. // Google Play Developer Policy

Cricket's New Unlimited Deal Gets You 4 Lines for $100

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:46:19 +0000

We don't often see deals on data plans from carriers during the holidays, as most instead work angles to entice you into cheaper hardware. Cricket Wireless isn't about that life, though, and will launch a deal tomorrow (December 1) that'll get you 4 lines of unlimited data for just $100 per month. The deal is for 4 lines of their Unlimited 2 plan. The Unlimited 2 plan normally costs $55/mo as an individual plan, so you can see the savings you are getting here at $100 for 4 lines. Understand that because of the discount, this deal is not eligible for an auto pay discount or a Group Save discount. What's the catch here? The Unlimited 2 Cricket plan has some major limitations. For one, your download speeds are always throttled to 3Mbps at all times. That's down from the standard 8Mbps that Cricket usually limits customers to. If you use 22GB in a billing cycle on a line, it'll be throttled to even slower speeds when Cricket's network is seeing congestion. And second, your video streams only come across in SD (480p) when on mobile. This Cricket Unlimited 2 plan does included unlimited texts from the US to 38 countries, along with data access, unlimited calling, and texting to, from, and in between the US, Mexico, and Canada. Don't need 4 lines? Cricket also has a deal running on 2 lines of Unlimited 2 for $80. You can sign-up for Cricket service right here. // Cricket Wireless

LG Replaces Head of Mobile Business as Struggles Continue

Tim — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 09:08:08 +0000

Here's some numbers for you. Last quarter, LG Mobile reported a $331 million loss. Samsung, on the other hand, made $3 billion from its mobile business. Even with LG producing improved hardware with the G6 and V30, there's still something wrong, and to help change this, LG has announced change in leadership and its underlying business. Announced this morning, LG has named Hwang Jeong-hwan as president and CEO of LG Mobile, replacing current chief Juno Cho. According to LG, "Mr. Hwang, who has years of experience in R&D, was closely involved in developing one of LG’s first smartphones in 2009 as head of the CTO’s Multimedia R&D Lab." LG also named former Harman CTO and current software head Park Il-pyung as its new CTO. While naming new executives can signal change in the future, my belief is that LG needs change yesterday. Yes, the hardware is getting better, close to being on par with Samsung and others in terms of design, but it's the software that still needs a ton of work. More emphasis on camera quality would be welcomed, too. We have a new year coming, a fresh slate if you will, for LG to unveil its new lineup of devices. Hopefully, we'll see what changes it makes to better compete in the high-end. // LG | Engadget

Google Home Now Accepts Two Commands at Once

Kellen — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 08:54:21 +0000

How many times have you shouted at your Google Home unit, "OK Google, play my Rick James playlist!" and then had to do a second "OK Google" command to crank it to 11? I know, happens all the time, right? You, a fresh White Russian, sunglasses at night, your best track suit, no one else around, and Super Freak on repeat. Typical Thursday evening. Guess what? You can now do that in a single command! Well, you can do two commands at once now on Google Home and Google Home Mini (still just $29 right now). In other words, as you mix that heavy cream and vodka tonight, you can say, "OK Google, play Super Freak and turn volume to 10." That's kind of amazing. I'm sure there are other combos you can think of, like turning on your TV and also dimming the lights for re-runs of Vampire Diaries. Not all double-combos work, though. I just told Google to add beer to my shopping list and also remind me to buy beer later today and it said, "Yeah, no go on that, bruh." Either way, play with it! Do multiple things and see how it goes. If anything, this is a head start on Google Home and Assistant's eventual Routines arrival where a single command will string together multiple actions. Speaking of Routines, we need those now, Google. OK Google, give us Routines and play "Super Freak." // CNET

Latest Essential AMA: The Future and Andy Rubin, Oreo Beta Update, 2nd Gen Phone, More

Kellen — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 15:29:32 +0000

The Essential team gathered for another AMA over at reddit today, even as news was breaking surrounding the company's founder, Andy Rubin. Rubin's reported leave of absence didn't stop the team from fielding questions about future support for the Essential Phone with Rubin's involvement now up in the air, as well as other concerns related to the phone's next Oreo update, bug squashing, their 2nd generation phone, etc. To get things started, they seriously did field a question about Rubin and his leave. A redditor asked if any Essential member could comment on the situation and whether or not they could assure us that the phone/company would continue to see support. Their answer:

We absolutely will be continuing to support the PH-1 device including security patches, more camera features and additional worldwide carrier support throughout the lifecycle of the PH-1 device. We still have plenty of work, continued release milestones on the roadmap, and new features we want to deliver from the great feedback we get in these AMAs. We are looking forward to supporting you guys for a long time.

As expected, that isn't exactly anyone addressing the Rubin situation, but being a company bigger than a single person, it's no surprise that they plan to continue to support their first phone "for a long time." Alright, with that out of the way, onto the rest of the AMA.

Oreo Beta update coming next week

Since several are asking, we are targeting to release Oreo Beta v.2 to our website next week as an update to the existing Oreo beta build. General fixes in BT performance, improved battery, and general stability improvements. Stay tuned to our socials for official announcement.

What about Android 8.1? Will it get a beta too?

We'll be rolling out Android 8.1 as soon as we can. It probably won't make our first Oreo release, but hopefully shortly there after. We're really committed to keeping your phone as up to date as possible! Its likely we not do a beta for 8.1 and just go straight to release. For 9.0 we will have to assess how big the deltas are between 8-9 but a Beta for 9.0 is certainly possible.

What about Portrait mode?

Portrait mode coming in a play store drop today along with improved JPEG compression + more bug fixes and stability improvements

On touch latency and screen jitters still being pretty bad.

As we mentioned in the last AMA, screen scrolling jitter issues we are continuing to improve on. You and several others have brought this to our attention and we have realized that we owe our supporters a better solution. We are working with our vendors to this further and committed internal and external resources looking into it. Hoping to have something in the next Beta build to improve on this further. We appreciate your patience while we sort through this.

Is the charging dock ever coming? Can we see it? How much will it cost?

Timing: Charging Dock is on its way. Last build is completed, waiting for regulatory. After that, it will be available on the website. As you know, we want to make sure we any date we give, we will meet. Pictures: See below. Cost: Don't have exact cost, but will be reasonable. It will be on the website shortly. Labeling and regulatory being worked on. Cost (take 2): Dock should be reasonable in price. Under 100 for sure, but don't have the exact number here.

What about aptX support in Oreo?

Touching on audio again, will aptx be supported on the Oreo update? It's not currently supported on the beta, while other codecs are (aac, ldac in particular). I, as well as many others, use audio equipment that supports aptx and would really love it if we can take advantage of it.

Android Auto still very broken in Oreo, what's up?

We are aware of this issue specifically with newer Honda's. We have a potential fix in build that we have our field test team going out to validate at dealerships this week.

Seriously, where is Stellar Gray and that ugly Ocean Depths color?

We should have the Stellar Gray before the Ocean. Stellar should be finished before the end of the year, but again, check website for availability

We've got confirmation of the 2nd gen phone being worked on! (Plus some repairability stuff, with a subtle jab at iFixit.)

We are focusing on reparability for the next generation phone. The iFixit article was a bit misleading in its approach for repair and oddly were briefed on repair procedures but still tried to go through the back. We will make sure that your phone can be repaired at a reasonable and competitive price if the consumables, like batteries need to be replaced. For instance, our repair plan for customer damaged displays that need to be replaced.

The full AMA can be found right here.

Verizon Pencils in 5G Residential Launch for Next Year, California Capital First in Line

Tim — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:16:11 +0000

Announced today, Verizon intends to launch its 5G residential wireless broadband service in 2018, with Sacramento, CA the first named city in line to receive it. Since early this year, we've heard about Verizon testing 5G in markets across the US, as well as its competitors doing the same. As already stated, Sacramento, CA is penciled in as being the first, with launch said to be in the second half of the year. According to Verizon, up to 5 cities could have the service by the end of 2018. Earlier this year, it was announced that trials were firing up in 11 markets, so whatever cities do have their 5G broadband networks fired up in 2018, it'll likely be of those initial 11 trial cities. Those markets included Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Bernardsville (NJ), Brockton (MA), Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Sacramento, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Straight from Verizon, "The commercial launch is based on customer experience and on Verizon’s confidence in new technology powered by millimeter-wave spectrum." Of course, we'll keep you posted as this develops. // Verizon

Samsung Begins 2nd Gen 10nm Process Production, Likely for Snapdragon 845 and Your Next Phone

Kellen — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:00:36 +0000

Samsung announced today that it has begun mass production on processors built on their 2nd generation 10nm FinFET process. While their press release didn't say specifically, I think it's safe to assume that this 2nd gen 10nm process will make its way into your next phone (Galaxy S9), likely in the form of the Snapdragon 845 or the next-gen Exynos chipset from Samsung. We all know that Qualcomm and Samsung have teamed up for a decade-long partnership that allows Samsung to produce their premium Snapdragon chipsets. So if we look to last year in an attempt to see where today's announcement is headed, the schedule of events that led up to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 started with Samsung announcing their first 10nm process mass production. Within a month of that happening, Qualcomm followed up with an unveiling of the Snapdragon 835, alongside Samsung. Today, we've got the announcement of this 2nd gen 10nm processor that is built for "System-on-chip (SoC) products." On December 5, Qualcomm is hosting their 2nd annual Snapdragon Technology Summit Keynote from Hawaii, where they'll share announcements surrounding the platform. Since Samsung has unveiled their next-gen 10nm process, I'd be shocked if Qualcomm doesn't give us the goods on the 845 next week. Qualcomm plans to live stream the event starting at 10:30AM Pacific (1:30PM Eastern) at www.qualcomm.com. Speculation aside, what's the big deal with this 2nd generation 10nm process? Samsung is calling this 10LPP (Low Power Plus) and says to expect up to 10% higher performance or 15% lower power consumption compared to last year's 1st gen 10nm process. That may not seem like a massive increase, but the Snapdragon 835 proved to be quite the efficient little beast. If we can see 10% and 15% improvements in those two key areas for the Snapdragon 845, I'm here for all of that. // Samsung

Verizon Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Note 5 Receive KRACK Fix

Tim — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 11:25:12 +0000

Four devices in the Samsung Galaxy lineup on Verizon are receiving security updates, all of which address the KRACK vulnerability. Specifically, the Galaxy S6 (Build - G920VVRS4DQK1), Galaxy S6 Edge (G925VVRS4DQK1), Galaxy S6 Edge+ (G928VVRS3CQK1), and Galaxy Note 5 (N920VVRS3CQK1) are getting these updates, which also includes the November Android security patch. According to the changelogs, that is all that's being updated. If you still own of these Galaxy phones, go get that update. // Verizon

So Much for Samsung Keeping the Unlocked Galaxy S8 and S8+ Updated

Kellen — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 10:09:53 +0000

Back in early August, I told you that Samsung was off to a heck of a start in keeping the US unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ up to date. It was worth pointing out at the time because many were hesitating on purchasing one thanks to Samsung's terrible update record with the previous year's unlocked Galaxy S7 line. Within the first couple of months, the US unlocked S8 and S8+ had seen two updates and were current with carrier models, something that almost never happened the year before. They even received one more in August with the August security patch after I gave Samsung praise. After the August update showed up, though, Samsung stopped updating the unlocked S8 and S8+ for months. Well, it did until today when Samsung pushed out a new update to the unlocked models as G950U1UEU2AQK2 and G955U1UEU2AQK2. So if we're keeping track, Samsung issued three updates within the first three months of each phone's existence, then stopped for almost three full months, while still updating the carrier variants. OK, then. Today's update includes stability improvements, "new and / or enhanced features" that aren't detailed in the changelog, and the November security patch. It's rolling out right now if you want it, just head into Settings>System update. Last year, we all assumed that Samsung was updating the unlocked S7 line on a quarterly basis and were hoping Samsung wouldn't do the same with its newest phones. A quarterly schedule is not exactly a great schedule, especially as these monthly security patches become more and more important. Since the unlocked S8 and S8+ stopped seeing updates, we've had both the Blueborne and KRACK vulnerabilities surface, both of which were incredibly serious and should have been patched as soon as possible. Samsung and its carrier partners updated carrier variants within weeks in some cases, yet the unlocked models haven't been touched since August. So in July we were close to recommending that you skip all carrier models and figure out a way to buy the unlocked S8 and S8+. Today, I'd suggest that you remain as skeptical about the update situation as we were with last year's unlocked S7 line. Samsung is good one month and then not so much for an entire quarter. If you are worried about having the latest in security, these may not be the phones for you. On a related note, it looks like the unlocked Galaxy Note 8 is getting a similar update today.

Cheers Jon and Allen!

Massive Waze Update Brings 'OK Waze' Voice Command, Motorcycle Vehicle Option, and HOV Lane Support

Tim — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 09:57:55 +0000

If you use Waze over Google Maps, be on the lookout for a huge update that is rolling out this week. Inside, there are three big changes, all of which I will detail for you below. As announced, users can now utilize an "OK Waze" voice prompt, which can then be used to navigate to an address, get an ETA, let you report something during your commute, plus a whole lot more. Waze already had Waze Voice Commands, but now, you can do everything without ever having to remove your hands from the steering wheel. Hooray for safety! To turn this feature on, head to Settings > Sound & voice > Talk to Waze > Toggle Listen for "OK Waze" on. Waze also added in a new vehicle type: Motorcycle. Being added to the existing list of Private and Taxi, this new option will allow two-wheeled vehicle riders to access specialized routes, more accurate arrival times, and more. Lastly, Waze has added HOV (high occupancy vehicle) route support. If you live in an area that has such lanes (sometimes called diamond lanes or carpool lanes), these lanes will be now be used to designate the most optimal route. Thanks to the work of many in the Map Editor Community, HOV route support is open to residents of 22 US states, including California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, and more. If using this works for you, Waze details how to enable it, depending on which category you fall under.

If you ride with a full carpool crew, head to Settings > Navigation > Add Toll/HOV pass > Select from a pre-populated list of passes available in your area.
Have a fuel-efficient car? Go to Settings > Navigation > Vehicle Type.

The update is rolling out, so go grab it! Google Play Link

HOV Route Support Overview // Waze

The New Snapchat Separates Social Media Into Social and Media

Tim — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 08:34:06 +0000

Snapchat discussed a completely reworked experience back when its awful quarterly numbers were disclosed earlier this month. Today, Snapchat has begun the process of introducing what this experience is all about. To sum it up, they're taking social media and separating it into social and media. If that ain't buzzworthy, I don't know what is. In alignment with this breakdown, the Snapchat UI is being tweaked to better separate content from your friends and content from actual media outlets. With the update, stuff from friends will be on the left side from the camera (what the app opens to) and stuff from publishers and other creators will be on the right. The update is a bit more than just a simple separation, though. Specifically for your friends, the Friends page is broken down to how you interact with people. Detailed by Snapchat in its blog post, "You can think of it as a more sophisticated Best Friends algorithm that makes it easier to find the friends you want to talk to, when you want to talk to them." Basically, if you talk to someone a bit more than anyone else, you'll see their name appear higher up in the list for easier access to share content. We don't have a specific timeline for when you can utilize this new Snapchat experience, but it must be coming soon. In the meantime, check out Snapchat's video below, which goes over everything you need to know. // Snapchat

Andy Rubin Takes Leave From Essential

Kellen — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 08:14:36 +0000

According to a report out of The Information, Andy Rubin has taken a leave of absence from his smartphone company, Essential. The full details surrounding the departure seem a bit murky and there are already denials from his reps about why he left, but you should still know the situation since the man runs one of the new Android smartphone makers aiming to become a power player. The report states that Rubin informed Essential employees on Monday that he was taking a leave. He did so after learning of a report from The Information that detailed an investigation by Google into an "inappropriate relationship" he carried on while on the Android team. A spokesperson for Rubin denied that his leave and the timing of the report have a connection. According to The Information, during his time at Google as the head of the Android team, Rubin carried on an "inappropriate relationship" with a woman who worked under him. That person filed a complaint with HR. Google supposedly conducted an investigation into the matter and concluded that Andy Rubin's behavior was "improper and showed bad judgement." The investigation reportedly took place in 2014, which is after Rubin left the Android team and moved over to Google's robotics arm. Rubin's spokesperson said that, "Mr. Rubin was never told by Google that he engaged in any misconduct while at Google and he did not, either while at Google or since." He added that, "Any relationship that Mr. Rubin had while at Google was consensual." What does this mean for Essential? Well, he has taken a leave from the company, which doesn't mean he has quit or been fired or removed. I'm not going to speculate as to why due to the serious nature of the information. We'll just have to keep you updated as we learn more. // The Verge | The Information

OnePlus 5T in Lava Red Available for China, No Word on US Availability

Tim — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:11:42 +0000

The OnePlus 5T is the latest phone from OnePlus, available to US buyers only in Midnight Black. However, for buyers in China, they're being treated to the OnePlus 5T in Lava Red, too, which we want right now! For those lucky enough to buy this Lava Red model, it's exclusive to the 128GB storage + 8GB RAM version, which does run a little more than the 64GB + 6GB version. But seriously, the red color alone makes the price jump worth it, at least to me. 🔥! Does that not look sweet? For the longest time, I've always wanted Android OEMs to offer more unique colors, such as red and blue. In my mind, there's a reason why the Really Blue color for the original Pixel phones was so popular, as well as the Black and White Pixel 2 XL. People want something different. If OnePlus provides any availability info for those of us outside of China, we'll let you know. Should the Lava Red model make its way to the US, would you pick one up? // OnePlus (China)

Who Else Misses Google Now?

Kellen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:12:00 +0000

Back on June 28, 2012, I wrote an article titled "Google Now is Awesome." Today, if I were to write a follow-up to that article, I'd probably title it, "WTF happened to Google Now and what is this dumpster fire that Google has forced upon us in its place?" If we look back at when Google Now was first introduced, it's obvious now that it was the beginning of the Google Assistant. It was very much an assistant in that it provided you useful information just when you needed it. That info included the weather, all of the information about your flight later in the day, how traffic was looking for your commute home, tracking status on packages, if your favorite sports teams were playing or had just played, and if it was time to leave for your next calendar appointment. All of those items are still around today in some form and they can almost all be accessed within Google Assistant or through a voice command. But here's the thing. The beauty of Google Now was its UI simplicity. All you had to do was use the Google Now Launcher and swipe over to the left panel where all of your information was waiting for you. It was often in the order you needed it to be, you didn't need to ask it for much, and its pure usefulness was something I'm not sure we appreciated enough. Google Now cards were the sh*t. Today, I don't know even know what Google is trying to do with that old Google Now screen.

There are often 3 or 4 different versions of the Google Now panel floating around. And actually, Google is just calling it the Feed these days and has basically retired Now. But you get various versions at all times, some with rounded corner cards and different panels, transparency on some screens, and swiping and non-swiping and ugh. The UI consistency is an absolute mess, yet that's not even the worst part of it all. The Google Feed in its current state is basically a glorified news reader of topics that Google thinks you might like. There are times that it does a decent job of feeding me topics I might be interested in, I'll give them that. However, I don't need Google to find articles for me to read. I need Google to use its AI smarts and tell me about my day or my favorite sports team or my flights or if I should leave or where I parked my car. I'd also appreciate it if Google didn't bury that info or gave me a way to customize the order in which it shows information in this Feed thing. For example, if I swipe over to the Feed, I'd like to see the old Google Now stuff, that included my calendar items, package tracking, price changes to items I had searched for, flight info, etc. Instead, I get hot news items of the day that are typically just re-hashed Android and tech stuff I've read 4 times and probably written a story about, since that's what I'm doing on Google all day for my job. Thanks, Google, for never letting me leave work behind. The current version of the Feed makes me have to tap this weird looking inbox/sun/half-pipe-sprinkler icon in order to get to any of that information, which really is just a shortcut to the Google App. From within there, I then find a UI with 5 columns, one for the feed, the sprinkler for my day, another for searching, a fourth for Google Search history that I'll never use, and a bottom-situated hamburger menu that opens an entire settings menu as a full page. Talk about breaking your own guidelines, eh, Google?

Let me decide the info I see, Google. Please. Let me re-order the panels, turn some off or on, and decide with my own internal AI what it is that I want to see. It sure as hell isn't news articles all day, every day. At this point, it's almost as if Google is purposely destroying all that was Google Now by creating the worst user experience possible in its place to force you to just use Assistant. Because in all honesty, I never use the Feed for information anymore and instead either ask the Assistant or go directly to the app that will give it to me. Google Now was once an advanced simplicity of information gathering that has since become a 5-headed chicken with 4 heads cut off. I miss Google Now.

You Can Now 'Remix' Photos Sent to You on Instagram

Tim — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 12:42:18 +0000

Inside of version 24 for Android and iOS, Instagram is allowing friends to "remix" photos they receive from friends. Here's how this new functionality works. For example, let's say you receive a fun selfie from a buddy and want to remix it. Thanks to the camera icon at the bottom of your screen, you can capture that photo, edit it, then send it right back for laughs to ensue. You can remix plenty of things, such as doodle on top of it, resize it, add stickers, and more. There doesn't appear to be a limit on how many times a photo can be remixed, then sent back and forth. However, if having your photos remixed doesn't interest you, a One View option can be selected, similar to Snapchat. If you want your friends to be able to view the photo countless times, select Allow Replay. Photos and videos sent with Allow Replay automatically loop and your friends can tap and hold to pause. This update is headed out to Android devices right now via Google Play. Google Play Link // Instagram

THANK YOU, GOOGLE.

Kellen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 12:20:20 +0000

Android 8.1's biggest change - the burger emoji fix. America, great again. // Emojipedia

The Galaxy S8 in Burgundy Red is Pretty Hot

Tim — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:39:58 +0000

Samsung announced a new color for the Galaxy S8 this week, with initial availability starting today in South Korea. The color is named Burgundy Red, and to us, it looks pretty nice. The front side of the phone is the same, but we have a dark red color on the back, which I think contrasts very well. Samsung has yet to offer specific launch details for anywhere outside of Korea, but that information should be coming soon. Personally, I'd love to see a brighter option, such as a bright red or bright blue, but this is still nice looking. Once we get word on a possible US launch, we'll let you know. // Samsung

Samsung's Balls Will Make Battery Charging 5x Faster

Kellen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 09:54:20 +0000

Their graphene balls, guys.

It's true, though - Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) has developed a graphene ball that will not only increase capacity of batteries in your phones (and electric vehicles too), they'll charge insanely fast too. After years and years of us complaining about battery tech never moving, Samsung may have found something fun to talk about and also look forward to. Here is what we know. Lithium-ion batteries aren't so fun anymore because we've probably maxed out how fast they can charge and their limits on capacity. Enter the magical graphene ball. Samsung says that a graphene ball enables a 45% increase in capacity and also charges five times faster. They do this while maintaining a "highly stable" 60 degree Celsius temperature, which is important, right Note 7? Think about this now - instead of it taking you an hour to charge your phone, you may be able to fully charge one in 12 minutes. TWELVE. MINUTES. FULL. CHARGE. We've got companies running around right now bragging about getting a few hours worth of juice in 15 minutes, but with some graphene ball action up-in-ya-flip-phone, you'd be fully charged and beer pounded in that amount of time. We aren't sure when Samsung will be able to produce a battery that is ready for consumer use, but they are filing for patents in the US and Korea already. If all of that sounds interesting to you, but you need more, including the dirty science, you can read about it right here. // Samsung

NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet, Tablet K1 Updated With KRACK Patch

Tim — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:49:28 +0000

The SHIELD Tablet and SHIELD Tablet K1 from NVIDIA are receiving updates this week, patching the KRACK vulnerability and including the November security update. If you're unfamiliar with KRACK and would like to read up on it, you can head here and here. The major takeaway is that it affects almost all WiFi connected devices because it’s a vulnerability with a WiFi protocol, not necessarily an OS or platform like Android. It affects computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. Also listed in the changelog for these tablets are connectivity fixes for Zagg Bluetooth keyboards, plus system stability and security optimizations. If you're still rocking a SHIELD Tablet, go grab that update. // NVIDIA

Verizon Galaxy Note 8 Update Brings Live Focus Camera Improvements, KRACK Patch

Kellen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:45:59 +0000

The Galaxy Note 8 on Verizon is receiving an update this week that should improve the Live Focus feature in the camera. It'll also include the KRACK security patch that has affected almost all Android phones. After the update, which is software version N950USQU2BQJA, Verizon says that the Live Focus button is now easier to find, thanks to a bright yellow background, plus it's now easier to read light and distance guidelines. Now that I read that, it doesn't really sound like there are any Live Focus improvements, these are just UI tweaks. OK, then! To check for the update, head into Settings>System updates on your phone today. // Verizon

OnePlus 5T: First 10 Things to Do!

Kellen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 08:17:31 +0000

We're almost a full week into our testing of the OnePlus 5T, so yeah, that means our full review is right around the corner, maybe even this week. Before we get there, though, we realize that a number of you may have the phone already or one that should arrive any day and might need some tips to get started. In this lengthy video, we continue our "First 10 Things" series by offering up the first 10 things you may want to consider doing with your new OnePlus 5T. You could consider them tips and tricks, but this is a series where we try to catch you just after you finish setup in order to point you in some specific directions that'll get you using your new phone like a pro. This video touches on ideas like using both fingerprints and face unlock, since OnePlus moved the fingerprint reader to the back and is also now pushing facial recognition. We also dive into several customizable options that this phone offers (through the desktop mostly), how to use the Alert Slider, what you can change about the on-screen buttons, which display settings are the most important, how to adjust gestures and which are available, and how to access everything in the camera. If interested in buying the OnePlus 5T, you can do that right here.

Dead Zebra Now Selling Ginger Gene Android Mini for $12

Tim — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 14:57:07 +0000

A new special edition Android Mini is available to add to your collection this week, right in time for the holiday season. This is Ginger Gene, and according to the product listing, he features a "yummy stink!" That's right. Apparently, this cookie-textured mini has a smell to it, and our guess is that's it's along the lines of a typical gingerbread cookie. Don't ask me how they got it to smell like anything besides plastic, but either way, that's cool. This mini runs $12 over on Dead Zebra, with shipping set to begin on December 1. Follow the link below to add Ginger Gene to your collection. Dead Zebra Link

Razer Phone Lacks Headphone Jack, But We Got a Much Bigger Battery Because of It

Tim — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:52:09 +0000

In our review of the Razer Phone, I mentioned that this device surely has enough room for a 3.5mm headphone jack, but for some reason, Razer decided against it. Well, Razer's CEO took to Facebook recently, going into detail why the smartphone lacks a headphone jack. According to Min-Liang Tan, the company was able to include a much larger battery by removing the jack. He estimates the phone got a bump in battery size of about 500mAh, thanks to the removal. Not only that, but the accompanying DAC with THX certification is apparently so sweet that Tan feels that Razer was able to offer a quality audio experience, as well as a bigger battery, all by removing the headphone jack. Here's a portion of his post from Facebook.

By removing the headphone jack - we were able to increase the battery size significantly (I estimate we added 500maH more), improve thermals for performance and a whole lot more. The trade off was not having the jack - but what sealed it for me was that we were able to get audiophile quality sound with the dedicated 24-Bit THX Certified DAC adapter - and I made sure we included that with every phone. Which basically means we give even better quality headphone audio for those who want to hold on to their analog headphones.

When he puts it like this, I suppose it makes sense to cut the jack. I mean, personally, I didn't have any issues with the phone missing the jack (I've been conditioned to use Bluetooth now), but I know others still see this as a no-go. Hard to argue with a much bigger battery, though. // Min-Liang Tan

Amazon's 25 Best Cyber Monday Deals

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:56:01 +0000

We're well into Cyber Monday 2017 at this point and I'm sure you've done some shopping or cruised through the wild world of Amazon. If you became overwhelmed or just need some suggestions, we've got that for you with our 25 best Amazon Cyber Monday deals. In the list below, we included that ridiculous Essential Phone bundle for $399, along with deals like the US Google Pixel for $459, Bose SoundSport wireless buds for $99, Amazon's Echo line at various discounts, UE Megaboom at half off, and a 2-pack of smart plugs. Let us know if you find any other solid deals!

25 Best Amazon Cyber Monday Deals

Essential Phone + 360 Camera - $399.00 ($221 off)
Google Pixel 32GB (US Version) - $459.99 ($189 off)
$150 off US Unlocked Galaxy S8 or Note 8
DJI Spark (Fly More Combo) - $599.00 ($100 off)
Moto G5 Plus 32GB - $144.49 ($85.50 off)
Bose SoundSport Bluetooth Earbuds - $99.00 ($50 off)
Anker SoundBuds Surge Bluetooth Earbuds - $19.48 ($8.51 off)
Anker Quick Charge 3.0 Car Charger - $8.24
Philips Hue Starter Kit with Motion Sensor - $67.29 ($22.51 off)
Amazon Echo Dot - $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo (2nd gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Cloud Cam - $99.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $179.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote - $24.99 ($15 off)
Sonos One with Alexa - $174.00 ($25 off)
Sonos Playbase - $599.00 ($100 off)
Ring Video Doorbell Pro - $199.00 ($50 off)
UE MEGABOOM Bluetooth Speaker - $149.99 ($150 off)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 32GB - $477.99 ($122 off)
Samsung Gear VR + Gear 360 - $199.99 ($72.25 off)
Samsung Chromebook Pro 32GB - $449.00 ($100 off)
Fossil Q Marshal (2nd gen) - $137.50 ($137.50 off)
TP-Link Deco M5 WiFi System - $199.99 ($100 off)
Eero WiFi System (1 eero + 2 beacons) - $296.65 ($102 off)
Etekcity WiFi Smart Plug (2-pack) - $25.89 ($44 off)

Shop all Amazon Cyber Monday deals.

Best Buy’s 25 Best Cyber Monday Deals

Tim — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:22:06 +0000

Cyber Monday is in full effect, and just like Black Friday, we'd like to point out some of the best deals we're currently seeing. Because this is a good time to get a bit of holiday shopping in, these gifts would be clutch for nearly anyone in your family, so be on the lookout for something special. Best Buy has quite a few deals going on. The big noteworthy stuff is $5/month for a Google Pixel XL, Oculus Rift headset for $350, HTC Vive for $599, Philips Hue starter kits for $135, and of course, all of Amazon's Echo lineup is marked down, too. Check it out!

Best Buy’s 25 Best Cyber Monday Deals:

$150 off unlocked Galaxy Note 8, S8, and S8+.
Pixel XL for $5/month.
Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones - $99 ($50 off)
Sony Wireless Headphones - $89 ($110 off)
Oculus Rift VR Headset - $349 ($150 off)
HTC Vive Package - $599 ($100 off)
Roku Express - $20 ($10 off)
Sony 55" 4K Ultra TV - $599 ($200 off)
Philips Hue White and Ambiance Kit - $135 ($65 off)
Philips Hue White Starter Kit - $60 ($40 off)
Philips Hue White + Color Bulb - $32 ($18 off)
Philips Hue Light Strip - $49 ($40 off)
Samsung Tumi Edition Gear S3 - $379 ($70 off)
Acer 15.6" Touch-Screen Chromebook - $319 ($80 off)
Ring WiFi Video Doorbell - $99 ($80 off)
Google Home Mini for $29 + Free $10 Gift Card
Amazon Echo Dot - $30 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo 2nd-Gen - $80 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $180 ($50 off)
Google Chromecast Ultra - $54 ($16 off)
NVIDIA SHIELD TV bundle - $169 ($30 off)
NVIDIA SHIELD TV (Remote Only) - $149 ($30 off)
GoPro HERO6 - $449 ($50 off)
Star Wars Propel Drones - $99 ($50 off)
DJI Mavic Pro - $899 ($100 off)

Shop all Best Buy Black Friday deals.

Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2 Now Available!

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:12:40 +0000

As we reach the final days of November, Google has blessed us with the latest Android 8.1 developer preview. This is developer preview 2 and drops in as build OPP6.171019.012. This latest preview is available to all participating devices, including the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel C, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. To grab the update through the Android Beta program, be sure to sign-up here. If the beta isn’t pushing through you want to get busy manually, you can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. This should be the last developer preview before we get stable Android 8.1 in December or January, according to the 8.1 preview program overview. Google is calling this "near-final system images" and says that it should be used for "final testing." The first 8.1 developer preview showed up at the end of October. You can see what's new in Android 8.1 right here. Links:

Unlocked HTC U11 Update to Oreo Rolling Out Today

Tim — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 08:35:01 +0000

Disclosed over the weekend, owners of an unlocked HTC U11 are in for a treat this week. According to HTC's Mo Versi, an update to Oreo is rolling out starting today for the unlocked U11. This is great news. This update wasn't exactly teased by HTC and the last time we heard anything about HTC + Oreo was back in August when the company confirmed it would bring Oreo to the HTC 10, U11, and U Ultra. With Oreo on your phone, your world will be opened up to native Picture-in-Picture, notification dots, autofill, and much more. Has your unlocked U11 gotten the update yet? https://twitter.com/moversi/status/934506335621861376

DEAL: Google Store Cyber Monday Deals - Free Google Home With Pixelbook, Still $29 Home Mini

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 08:31:25 +0000

We already told you about Google's Pixel 2 deal for Cyber Monday, but that's not all they are doing on the Google Store. Google is also giving out free Google Home units with Pixelbook orders, plus they still have the Home, Home Mini, and Chromecasts dropped to stupid-low prices. And yep, that's pretty much it. All of the deals can be found below.

Google Store Cyber Monday Deals:

Buy Pixelbook, get Google Home Free
Buy Pixel 2 or 2 XL, get $100 credit and free Home Mini
Google Home Mini - $29 ($20 off)
Google Home - $79 ($50 off)
Google Daydream View - $79 ($20 off)
Chromecast Ultra - $54 ($15 off)
Chromecast - $20 ($15 off)
Chromecast Audio - $25 ($10 off)
Up to $50 off Google WiFi

Google Store Link

OnePlus 5 Gets First Oreo Beta Build That You Can Update to Right Away

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 08:02:46 +0000

Alongside the OnePlus 5T's first update this weekend, OnePlus also released an Android Oreo beta build for the OnePlus 5. It is the first "open beta" for the phone, so it may have bugs and it will get you off the current OTA path, but you can flash it right now if interested. These open beta builds are a way for you to help OnePlus test software as they prepare to rollout stable builds to everyone. They are flashable to all, but again, they do take you off the stable over-the-air update path and will make it somewhat difficult to get back on it. You'll have to fully wipe your phone to go backwards to the stable channel, so keep that in mind. If interested, you can find full directions on flashing the first OnePlus 5 Oreo beta here. The full file you'll need can be found here. The entire process can be done without a computer. Here is the full list of OnePlus 5 Oreo update changes:

System
- Updated to Android O (8.0)
  - Added Picture in Picture
  - Added Auto-fill
  - Added Smart text selection
  - New Quick Settings design
- Added Parallel Apps
- Updated security patch to October
Launcher
- Added notification dots
- New app folder design
- Now able to upload photos directly to Shot on OnePlus

If you are worried about joining the beta and don't want to mess with reverting back to stable with a full wipe to get the official Oreo update when it rolls out, just be patient. The OnePlus 3 and 3T just saw their stable Oreo update last week, so I'd imagine the OnePlus 5 won't be far behind. // OnePlus

First OnePlus 5T Update Improves a Bunch of Stuff, Adds KRACK Patch

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 07:52:49 +0000

The first OnePlus 5T update was released over the weekend and it improves a handful of items. From fingerprint and face unlocks to the stabilization in video recording, the overall experience of OnePlus' newest phone should be better. It also patches KRACK. The update is arriving as OxygenOS 4.7.2 and still Android 7.1.1. It does only contain the October security patch, not November's. Here are the full release notes:

Optimizations for fingerprint unlock
Optimizations for face unlock
Improved accuracy for screen off gestures
Improved EIS during 4K video recording
WiFi WPA2 security patch (KRACK vulnerability patch)
General stability improvements and bug fixes

To grab the update, assuming you have the phone in hand, head into Settings>System updates and "Check for updates."

DEAL: Google Store Offers $100 Store Credit + Free Google Home Mini With Pixel 2 Purchase

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 07:20:17 +0000

The best Cyber Monday 2017 deal on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is running at the Google Store for the next few days. If you buy either Pixel 2 from Google, they'll give you a $100 store credit to be used on other Google Store goodies, plus a free Google Home Mini. It doesn't matter how you buy it, from what I can tell. You just buy a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL in which configuration works for you, with financing or at full retail, and Google will send you a $100 store credit code, plus a code to grab a free Google Home Mini. Those codes could take up to 4 weeks to arrive, just FYI. The deal runs from right now through November 30 and "while supplies last."

Google Store Link

DEAL: Best Buy has the Pixel XL for $5/Mo

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 07:09:00 +0000

Been looking at the original Pixel XL, but wanted to see its price drop to something ridiculously low? Best Buy has you covered. For Cyber Monday, Best Buy will sell you the Google Pixel XL with 32GB storage for just $5 per month. That's a savings of around $550 over the course of two years. Also, yes, this is technically the "Verizon" version, but it will work on any carrier. The thing is, you do have to sign a device payment contract to receive a bill credit of $17.91 per month for 24 months in order to notice the full savings. It's one of those sneaky deals that locks you into service for two years. Still, $5 per month for the Pixel XL? Not bad. Note: If you aren't interested in the bigger Pixel XL and would rather go smaller Pixel, Verizon has that for $5/mo today.

Best Buy Link

Cheers Derek!

DEAL: Essential Phone + 360 Camera Drops to $399 for Cyber Monday

Kellen — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 06:45:45 +0000

After the past week of deals, we're finishing it all off with a fresh Cyber Monday 2017. We're hardly awake out here on the west coast, but one deal has already caught our eye - Essential Phone with a 360 camera accessory for just $399. As you all know, the Essential Phone's price drop to $499 a few weeks back, followed by another drop to $449 within the past week, has made this a hard phone to pass on. The hardware is about as good as it gets, the design is unique, it's getting tons of software updates, and it runs about the cleanest version of Android you'll find. Of course, it's still not the best performing phone nor is the camera going to win you any photography awards, but at $399 with a camera mod thrown in? I'm not sure how you can pass on this. The deal appears to be good all day long or until Amazon runs out of stock. Hurry.

Amazon Deal Link

Cheers Michael!

Verizon's 10 Best Black Friday Deals

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:15:29 +0000

Verizon is hosting a pretty decent Black Friday sale that could land you up to 50% off the best smartphones out there. The Pixel 2 (50% off) and Pixel 2 XL (35% off) are included, as are the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8. If you don't want/need a new phone, you'll also find the Google Home Mini priced at $29 with a $10 bonus Mastercard gift card, regular Google Home at $50 off, cases that are buy one, get one 50% off, and Moto Mods that are buy one, get one free. The 10 best of Verizon's are below!

10 Best Verizon Black Friday Deals:

Up to 50% off best Android phones (Pixel 2, Galaxy S8, Moto Z2)
Google Home Mini + $10 Mastercard - $29.99 ($20 off)
Google Home - $79.99 ($50 off)
Google Daydream View - $79.99 ($20 off)
Chromecast Ultra - $54.99 ($15 off)
Fitbit Blaze - $149.99 ($50 off)
UE BOOM 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $99.99 ($100 off)
Moto Mods - Buy one, get one free
Cases - Buy one, get one 50% off
Bose SoundSport Wireless earbuds - $129.99 ($20 off)

Shop all Verizon Black Friday deals.

Target's 20 Best Black Friday Deals

Tim — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:41:31 +0000

We've been bringing you the best Black Friday deals we can find all morning, so let's keep it going. This time, we're looking at Target. Target is offering big discounts on a new Nest Smart Thermostat, GoPro cameras, hoverboards, big savings on Samsung curved 4K TVs, as well as Google Chromecasts. Check it out!

20 Best Target Black Friday Deals:

JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Bluetooth speaker - $89 ($60 off)
Google Chromecast - $20 ($15 off)
Amazon Fire TV Stick - $24 ($15 off)
Nest Thermostat - $199 ($50 off)
Nest Indoor Security Camera - $139 ($60 off)
Google Home - $79 ($50 off)
Google Home Mini - $29 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Dot - $29 ($20 off)
GoPro HERO5 - $349 ($50 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $179 ($50 off)
Vizio 28" Soundbar - $49 ($30 off)
LG 55" 4K TV - $499 ($200 off)
Samsung Curved 65" 4K TV - $999 ($500 off)
Samsung Curved 55" 4K TV - $799 ($500 off)
PlayStation 4 1TB - $199 ($100 off)
PlayStation VR Bundle - $299 ($100 off)
HP X360 Convertible Touchscreen Chromebook - $219 ($80 off)
Oregon Trail: Hunt for Food card game - $7.50 ($7.50 off)
Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones - $239 ($60 off)
Jetson V12 Hoverboard - $199 ($100 off)

Shop all Target Black Friday deals.

eBay's 10 Best Black Friday Deals

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:37:28 +0000

We're almost done with our round-up of the best Black Friday deals around from the biggest electronics retailers. After posting top 20 lists for Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Target, we've now to the 10 best from eBay. eBay is always a tricky one because you often run into refurbished items or sellers you aren't sure if you can trust. So we've done our best to pick through the confusion and give you what we think are 10 good ones. We've got a $50 discount on the Pixel 2 XL with 128GB storage, $29 Google Home Mini that includes a $10 gift card, a great price on an unlocked Galaxy S8+, and more.

10 Best eBay Black Friday Deals:

Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB - $899.99 ($50 off)
Google Home Mini + $10 eBay Gift Card - $29.00 ($20 off)
Google Home - $79.00 ($50 off)
Marshall Acton Bluetooth Speaker - $119.99 ($110 off)
Netgear Arlo Security System (3 cameras) - $199.99 ($250 off)
Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.00 ($50 off)
Nest Cam Indoor - $139.00 ($60 off)
Sonos Play:1 - $149.00 ($50 off)
XBOX Live 12 month Gold Membership - $39.99 ($20 off)
Galaxy S8+ Unlocked Dual SIM (GSM) - $619.99

Shop all eBay Black Friday deals.

DEAL: Geekbench Pro 4 is Free Right Now, Normally $10

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:03:04 +0000

I'm not one to care much about mobile smartphone benchmarks, but I know that plenty of you do and that Geekbench is one of the services you trust. If you are at all interested in running benchmarks on your own phone, well, you should run as quickly as you can through the link below. Google Play is currently hosting a Geekbench 4 Pro discount that drops the app from $9.99 to...$0. That's right, if you hurry, you can grab the $10 Geekbench 4 Pro app for free. And look, even if you don't plan to use it, installing it now at least adds it to your library in case some day, you decide that you may want to run a benchmark. Go! Google Play Link

B&H Photo's 20 Best Black Friday Deals

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 09:51:30 +0000

I don't know what it is about B&H Photo (it's the camera equipment), but scrolling through its deals section never gets old. On Black Friday, that fabulous deals section gets even better. Below, we've got the 20 best B&H Photo Black Friday deals, including a crazy discount on the LG Watch Style. How does $99.99 ($150 off) sound for one of the newest, best-running Android Wear watches on the planet? We've also got the big Google Home and Home Mini discounts here, a SONOS One price drop, and some decent prices on headphones. Of course, for the camera nerds around, there are plenty of those to be had at that bottom link. Find anything good?

20 Best B&H Photo Black Friday Deals:

LG Watch Style - $99.99 ($150 off)
Google Home Mini - $29.00 ($20 off)
Google Home - $79.00 ($50 off)
NVIDIA SHIELD TV with Remote - $149.00 ($30 off)
SONOS ONE with Alexa - $174.00 ($25 off)
Sony XB950B1 Extra Base Bluetooth Headphones - $98.00 ($100 off)
Moto G5 Plus 64GB - $224.99 ($75 off)
Huawei Honor 6X 32GB - $149.99 ($50 off)
JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $29.95 ($30 off)
JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth Speaker - $89.95 ($60 off)
SanDisk Ultra 256GB microSD card - $99.95 ($100 off)
Samsung 10200mAh Battery Pack - $19.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Echo (2nd gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.00 ($50 off)
Huawei Watch 2 Sport - $179.99 ($120 off)
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro - $149.99 ($50 off)
DJI Osmo Mobile Gimbal - $199.00 ($100 off)
Google WiFi 3-Pack - $249.00 ($50 off)
Chromecast Ultra - $54.00 ($15 off)
Samsung Fast Wireless Charger - $24.99 ($45 off)

Shop all B&H Photo Black Friday deals.

Best Buy's 20 Best Black Friday Deals

Tim — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 09:20:21 +0000

We've already brought you 20 of the best deals you can find this Black Friday over on Amazon, but with this, we'll share what we think are some of the best deals you can find over on Best Buy. Just to name a few, Best Buy has deals on various Moto Mods for compatible Motorola phones, a Philips Hue starter kit, Ring video doorbell, the new Gear Sport from Samsung, as well as savings to be had on Chromebooks. Don't forget anyone on your shopping list!

Best Buy's 20 Best Black Friday Deals:

$150 off Unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 8, S8, and S8+
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra - $299 ($100 off)
JBL SoundBoost 2 Moto Mod - $59 ($20 off)
360-degree Camera Moto Mod - $224 ($75 off)
Gamepad Moto Mod - $59 ($20 off)
Google Home Mini + $10 E-Gift Card - $29 ($19 off)
Sony S50G Smart Speaker - $130 ($70 off)
UE BOOM 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $79 ($120 off)
Amazon Echo Dot 2nd-Gen - $29 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo 2nd-Gen - $80 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Plus - $119 ($30 off)
Philips Hue White Starter Kit - $59 ($40 off)
Ring Smart Video Doorbell - $99 ($80 off)
Garmin vivoactive Smart Watch - $119 ($130 off)
Samsung Gear Sport - $249 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear VR + Gear 360 Bundle - $199 ($160 off)
Samsung 11.6" Chromebook with 4GB RAM - $119 ($80 off)
Acer R11 2-in-1 11.6" Chromebook - $179 ($100 off)
PlayStation 4 1TB console - $199 ($100 off)
Call of Duty WWII for Xbox and PS4 - $39 ($20 off)

Shop all Best Buy Black Friday deals.

Amazon's 20 Best Black Friday Deals

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 08:59:13 +0000

Since Black Friday is filled with more deals than any of us can possibly consume, we thought we'd do things a bit differently today. Instead of blasting out a list from retailers - like Amazon - with 200 items for you to sift through, we're just going to bring you the 20 or 10 or 50 best from the top electronics shops. For this post, obviously, we're doing Amazon and have put together the 20 best Black Friday deals at the moment. In this list, some of these deals have been around for most of the week, but we've now added new items like the unlocked Galaxy S8 and S8+ for $150 off, the big SONOS sale with speakers up to $125 off, Element TV's with Fire TV on board for $250 off, all of the big Amazon Echo discounts, and more. Here we go, folks!

20 Best Amazon Black Friday Deals:

$150 off Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+ (Unlocked, US)
Up to $250 off Element 4K TVs with Fire TV
Amazon Echo (2nd gen) – $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Dot – $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Plus – $119.99 ($30 off)
Amazon Echo Show – $179.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Cloud Cam – $99.99 ($20 off)
$25-$125 off Sonos speakers, including Sonos One
Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.00 ($50 off)
Nest Cam Indoor - $139.00 ($60 off)
Honor 6X 32GB - $149.99 ($50 off)
Huawei Mate 9 64GB - $399.99 ($100 off)
Moto G5 Plus 32GB - $199.99 ($30 off)
Huawei Watch 2 Classic - $219.00 ($150 off)
UE MEGABOOM Bluetooth Speaker - $179.99 ($120 off)
Philips Hue 4-Bulb White Starter Kit - $59.99 ($40 off)
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote – $24.99 ($15 off)
Fire 7 Kids Tablet – $69.99 ($30 off)
Samsung Fast Wireless Charger - $24.99 ($35 off)
Garmin Speaker with Amazon Alexa - $99.99 ($50 off)

Shop all Amazon Black Friday deals.

DEAL: Samsung's Instant Trade Discount Drops $400 Off Galaxy S8, Note 8

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 07:44:53 +0000

For most of the year, Samsung has hosted one of the best deals in all of smartphones. They have been running a trade-in program that gets you an instant discount before you ever pay for the new phone you want, saving you instant cash upfront, unlike others who make you wait to get a trade credit back. For Black Friday, they have upped the trade-in cost too and are now dropping up to $400 off your next smartphone, assuming it's a Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, or Galaxy Note 8. In order to get the $400 off price, you'll have to trade-in a device off of Samsung's specific list. The phones that'll get you $400 off the Galaxy S8, S8+, or Note 8 are the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge, iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, and Google Pixel or Pixel XL. They'll also drop $300, $200, and $150 if you have another device to trade - you can see that list below. As you hit that link below to buy your S8, S8+, or Note 8, Samsung will walk you through the trade process where you get to choose the phone you have to trade. Once you do that, you'll see the instant discount for the value of your trade when you hit checkout. For example, a $950 Galaxy Note 8 with a $400 trade, only asks you to pay $550 today. Or that could be a Galaxy S8 for just $325. So how do you ensure you get that trade-in price? Once your new phone arrives, you send in your trade, Samsung checks it out to make sure it meets their qualifications, and then confirms to you that your traded phone checks out and you owe no more money.

Samsung $400 Off Black Friday Link

DEAL: Unlocked, US Note 8, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy S8+ are $150 Off

Kellen — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 07:22:14 +0000

Now that we're officially on Black Friday, some of the special deals are starting to pop-up. The best so far, for those looking to get into a new phone, may be the discount on the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Note 8. Most retailers that offer this US, unlocked model have dropped $150 off the price. And that's without a trade deal or shady 24-month payment plan. For the unlocked Galaxy S8, that means a $150 drop to just $574.99. For the unlocked Galaxy S8+, that means a $150 drop to $674.99. And for the Note 8, that's a $150 drop to $799.99. As a reminder, the US, unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ work on all major US carriers, including Verizon.

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ $150 off links:

Amazon
Best Buy

Galaxy Note 8 $150 off links:

Amazon
Best Buy

Amazon's SanDisk Black Friday Storage Sale has 32GB Cards for $9, 128GB for $28, 200GB for $50

Kellen — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:30:52 +0000

It wouldn't be a proper Black Friday sale if Amazon and SanDisk didn't team up to drop prices on the best SanDisk flash storage products. For our purposes, we've highlighted the microSD cards below, but they also have flash and thumb drives discounted, full SD cards, and SSDs too. For microSD cards, all of the SanDisk Ultra A1 cards - the cards built for apps - have been dropped. You can find a 32GB card for as little as $9.49, 64GB cards for $13.99, and even the big 256GB beast for just $89.99.

Amazon's SanDisk Black Friday Storage Sale:

All SanDisk Black Friday deals
32GB SanDisk Ultra A1 microSD - $9.49
64GB SanDisk Ultra A1 microSD - $13.99
128GB SanDisk Ultra A1 microSD - $28.49
200GB SanDisk Ultra A1 microSD - $49.99
256GB SanDisk Ultra A1 microSD - $89.99
64GB Dual Drive microUSB Dongle - $14.99
128GB Dual Drive microUSB Dongle - $24.99
256GB Connect Wireless Flash Stick - $94.99

Amazon's Black Friday Deals on Echo and Fire Products are Here: $20 Off Echo, $50 Off Echo Show

Kellen — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:18:48 +0000

Amazon's big blowout Black Friday Deals on its Echo and Fire products are now live. For Echo discounts, we're seeing discounts shave off $20 from the new Echo (2nd gen) and Echo Dot, $30 off the Echo Plus, $50 off the Echo Show, and even $20 off the new Cloud Cam. On the Fire side of things, all of the Fire tablets are discounted, as is the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote ($15 off). Like with Google's discounts, these are the best prices of the year for Amazon Echo devices.

Amazon Echo Black Friday Deals:

Amazon Echo (2nd gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Dot - $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Plus - $119.99 ($30 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $179.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Tap - $79.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Cloud Cam - $99.99 ($20 off)

Amazon Fire Black Friday Deals:

Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote - $24.99 ($15 off)
Fire 7 Tablet - $29.99 ($20 off)
Fire HD 8 Tablet - $49.99 ($30 off)
Fire HD 10 Tablet - $99.99 ($50 off)
Fire 7 Kids Tablet - $69.99 ($30 off)

Shop all Amazon Black Friday Deals.

DEAL: Google Home is $79 ($50 Off), Google Home Mini is $29 ($20 Off) Almost Everywhere

Kellen — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:03:41 +0000

Black Friday 2017 doorbusters are already here! As expected, Google Home and Google Home Mini have seen major discounts. Google Home has dropped to $79 ($50 off) and Google Home Mini has dropped to $29 ($20 off). If you were ever in the mood to add a smart home assistant to your house, now is the time. We are seeing the discount at almost every single retailer that carries them. We tossed in some links below, but if you prefer to shop at another outlet, I'm sure they have the discount as well. Google Home Black Friday Links ($50 off):

Best Buy
Walmart
Target
Newegg
Staples

Google Home Mini Black Friday Links ($29 off):

Best Buy
Walmart
Target
Staples

Google Store Black Friday Deals are Here: $29 Home Mini, $50 Off Home, $15 off Chromecasts, More

Kellen — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 05:50:50 +0000

The Google Store Black Friday Deals are now live! While you won't see hundreds of dollars off the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, almost everything else you care about that Google sells has been deeply discounted. Google Home and Mini have dropped significantly in price, as has Google WiFi and the Daydream View, as well as all Chromecast devices.

Google Home - $79 ($50 off)
Google Home Mini - $29 ($20 off)
Daydream View - $79 ($20 off)
Chromecast Ultra - $54 ($15 off)
Chromecast (2015) - $20 ($15 off)
Chromecast Audio - $25 ($10 off)
Google WiFi 3-Pack - $249 $50 off)
Google WiFi 1-Pack - $99 ($30 off)

GOOGLE STORE LINK

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Report: Samsung to Copy Apple's Trash Phone Approach by Offering More in Galaxy S9+ Over S9

Kellen — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 13:59:35 +0000

At Google's October 4 event, where they announced the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the company took a jab at Apple's approach to launching phones when it said that you'll get "the same great experience on both" because they "don't set aside better features for the larger device." We all chuckled because small or large, you shouldn't ever have to compromise when choosing a flagship phone. And this is something that Samsung has done over the past couple of years as well with the launch of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8. Whether you went small or + version, you got the same experience, outside of the difference in display and battery sizes. According to a Venturebeat report this afternoon, that may not be the case when Samsung ships the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ next year. Today's report mentions that the Galaxy S9 (SM-G960) and Galaxy S9+ (SM-G965) will be very similar in style and feature set to the Galaxy S8 line you already know. You could think of the S9 to the S8 as the S7 was to the S6. We're supposedly getting 5.8-inch (S9) and 6.2-inch (S9+) curved-edge Infinity displays again, along with 10nm processors (likely the Snapdragon 845 in the US), 64GB storage, and 3.5mm headphone jacks. But there will be differences outside of size. Venturebeat says to expect more RAM in the S9+, as well as a dual-camera setup on the rear. That could mean 4GB RAM and a single rear shooter in the Galaxy S9, followed by 6GB RAM and a dual rear camera on the Galaxy S9+. Is that the worst news in the world that is deserving of a boycott over Samsung? Well, no. But it's a sh*tty move on their part if it happens. Some of us like smaller phones and we also might want the extra boost in RAM and flexibility of a secondary camera. That's why Google made a specific mention of it on-stage, because we shouldn't have to compromise that much just because we aren't into whales. Either way, we've got more. Venturebeat reports that the Galaxy S9 line will feature AKG stereo speakers (!), a centered rear-fingerprint sensor (!!) situated under a vertically aligned camera and flash, and a new DeX dock that allows the phone to lay flat and act as a touchpad or virtual keyboard when in use. Finally, today's report suggests that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be announced in March, but that they may be teased at CES in early January. Look, I'm not saying that that won't happen, it's just that every year we get a rumor around CES and the next Galaxy, yet I don't know that Samsung has ever mentioned a new Galaxy phone at CES. I guess we'll know here in just over a month. // Venturebeat

OnePlus 5T Broke the Company's Launch Day Sales Record in Just 6 Hours

Tim — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 13:15:41 +0000

While we patiently await our OnePlus 5T review unit to show up, OnePlus shared a bit of maybe not-so-surprising information on Google+ late last night. According to the company, its latest smartphone broke its previous launch day sales record in a matter of just six hours. That's pretty impressive, even though OnePlus did not share any specific sales figures. Back to more important news, though, our review unit should be arriving soon and we'll have all of the unboxing, hands-on, and review goodness to come! If you want to join in on OnePlus' success, buy your very own 5T right here. Congrats, OnePlus. // +OnePlus

Pixel and Pixel XL Get More of the Pixel 2 Launcher Experience

Kellen — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 12:50:22 +0000

With the update to Android 8.1, the Pixel and Pixel XL gained a lot of the Pixel 2's new experience. The update, for the most part, included everything that had been tweaked about the Pixel 2's software, without the full Pixel Launcher goodness. That has now changed, likely thanks to a Google App update or a behind-the-scenes server-side flip. Either way, the new tweaks that are arriving on the original Pixel and XL are somewhat minor, but do add some polish. For one, the Google Search bubble that hangs in the dock now sticks with the launcher as you swipe up and into your app drawer. Previously in 8.1, that didn't happen and you instead had an area that just said, "Search apps." You can see the change in the image at the top of this post. Additionally, as you go to search from within the app drawer, you won't just see apps as results. Instead, you'll get search history from Google Searches, as well as app suggestions. And I believe that's pretty much it. As long as you are running 8.1 on your Pixel or Pixel XL, you should start seeing these changes today. You can update to Android 8.1 right here. // reddit

SHIELD TV Getting Upgrade 6.2 This Week, Includes Security Patch and Much More

Tim — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 11:48:46 +0000

An update to SHIELD TV boxes is now rolling out, labeled as Experience Upgrade 6.2. Inside, owners will find the latest security patch, the ability to adjust their ecobee smart thermostat via Google Assistant, as well as HDR support for VUDU. Also listed in the changelog is Gamestream support for Metal Gear Solid 3 HD, FIFA 18, and Destiny 2. Check out the full changelog below. What's New

Latest Android security patch
Cast Amazon Music
Enjoy HDR on VUDU
Play Metal Gear Solid 3 HD (Android), FIFA18 (Gamestream) and Destiny 2 (Gamestream)
Use voice for Plex, VUDU, Ecobee thermostats, and LG SmartThinQ appliances with Google Assistant support
Watch movies on demand with Movies Anywhere and popular shows and sports from India with Hotstar

NVIDIA also took this time to bring up its Black Friday sale. For a limited time, you can pick up a new SHIELD TV (Remote only) for $30 off, bringing the price down to just $149. That's not bad at all! Go grab that update, current owners! // NVIDIA

Best of Black Friday Deals Week 2017 Round-Up: Day 3!

Kellen — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 10:47:02 +0000

We're back for Day 3 of Black Friday Deals Week and now running out of steam a bit. Not because there aren't still good deals to be had, but because it's mostly the same stuff all over again. Since Black Friday starts almost a week early these days, we often see items drop in price for the entire week. We're not complaining, though! For today, Nest did drop prices on most of its top products at almost all retailers. We've linked Best Buy and Amazon below, but feel free to check out other preferred retailers as they'll likely have the same prices. Amazon is also hosting a huge Huawei sale, though, plus we've got our first Google Home $79 deal at eBay, and a bunch of phone discounts at T-Mobile. As we find more deals, we'll update this post. And don't forget to hit up all those bottom links for past Black Friday days.

Black Friday Week 2017 Deals: Day 3

Amazon

Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.00 ($50 off)
Nest Cam Indoor - $139.00 ($60 off)
Nest Cam Outdoor - $149.00 ($50 off)
Nest Protect - $99.00 ($20 off)
Huawei Watch 2 - $179.00 ($120 off)
Huawei Watch 2 Classic - $219.00 ($147 off)
Huawei Honor 6X 32GB - $144.99 ($55 off)
Huawei Mate 9 + Band 2 Bundle - $399.00 ($125 off)
Huawei Band 2 Pro - $49.99 ($20 off)
Huawei MediaPad M3 8.0 - $224.00 ($75 off)
50% off Amazon Dash Buttons
Roku Streaming Stick+ 4K - $48.00 ($21 off)

Best Buy

Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.99 ($50 off)
Nest Thermostat E - $149.00 ($20 off)
Nest Cam IQ - $249.99 ($50 off)
Nest Cam Indoor - $139.99 ($60 off)
Nest Cam Outdoor - $149.99 ($50 off)
Nest Protect - $99.99 ($20 off)

eBay

Google Home - $79.00 ($50 off)
Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.99 ($50 off)

T-Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S8+ - $820 ($30 off)
LG G6 - $500 ($150 off)
Moto Z2 Force - $374.99 ($125 off)

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Razer Phone Review

Tim — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 10:21:18 +0000

When Razer acquired Nextbit, makers of the cloud-centric Robin device, it seemed inevitable that we would see the gaming-focused company launch a smartphone. We weren't quite sure what to expect in terms of the overall package, but when the phone was unveiled earlier this month, many were pleasantly surprised with Razer's offering. The Razer Phone comes with a solid spec list, an emphasis on mobile gaming, an audio experience that any audiophile can appreciate, as well as what seems to be a justified price. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Razer's acquisition of Nextbit paid off quite well in terms of this initial launch, but let's dive into the details to see just how this device stacks up against established Android manufacturers. This is our Razer Phone review.

The Good

Specs As I alluded to in the intro, the Razer Phone is no chump on specs, with Razer obviously taking the "spare no expense" expression quite seriously. The device features a 5.7" QHD IGZO LCD UltraMotion display (2560 x 1440, 120Hz refresh rate), Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage (expandable supported), dual rear-facing cameras (12MP f/1.75 Wide + 13MP f/2.6), 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+, Dolby Atmos-branded dual front-facing speakers, NFC, fingerprint reader, and Android 7.1+ Nougat. For a company's first attempt at an Android smartphone, this is quite the impressive sheet. While I'm not giddy about dual camera setups (ex: Google does better with just one camera) or even 8GB RAM, Razer actually did something innovative with regard to specs, which is the LCD display capable of a 120Hz refresh rate. That's something we're not seeing from any other maker at the moment, so for Razer to bring it on their first attempt, well, that's very welcomed. While you won't find a headphone jack or water resistance, the price for all of this is $699, which seems incredibly reasonable if high-end mobile gaming and audio performance is what you're concerned about. Display Considering such a fuss was made about this display during Razer's unveiling, I attempted to pay special attention to it during my review process. From what I've found, the 5.7" QHD IGZO LCD display is great, offering sharp contrast, an accurate portrayal of colors, plenty of brightness whether you're indoor or outdoor, and I do think the 120Hz refresh rate ability does play a factor into the overall experience. Inside of the settings menu, the user can select which refresh rate they want the display to run at. You can opt between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. Your typical Android display has a refresh rate of 60Hz (Galaxy S8, Pixel 2 XL, etc.), so for these options to be available, we're talking an instant upgrade in user customization. In case you aren't familiar with refresh rate, it's a number based on how quickly a display changes the image on screen. A lot of high-end computer monitors have a 144Hz refresh rate, while pro gamers can use monitors with up to a 240Hz refresh rate. Essentially, higher equals better (there is argument out there that anything over 100Hz isn't necessary), but Razer is making this a new spec in the Android industry that we once never concerned ourselves with. We used to bicker about resolution (FHD vs. QHD), but refresh rate could be the next area of improvement for all mobile display makers. It plays directly into VR implementations, and with Google and Samsung battling it out in that arena, maybe we could see more emphasis placed on refresh rate. As for Razer Phone, you do notice a change in the scrolling effect when toggling between 60Hz and 120Hz. When cranked up, there is less stutter and animations are very fluid. When playing mobile games, gameplay also looked and felt better, which I'll never argue against. For those interested in overall brightness, I never had an issue when in direct sunlight with the screen cranked up to 100%, but I will say that the range of brightness isn't the greatest. What I mean is, when you're sliding from 25% to 75%, you don't see a massive difference, but I can at least confirm that it gets pretty bright when set to 100%. I like this display and I really like that Razer decided to offer something different from everyone else. Performance Thanks to a Snapdragon 835, 8GB RAM, plus that 120Hz refresh rate, everything you do on this phone seems smooth. Whether you're playing games, diving in and out of apps, or scrolling through a webpage, it's all good. Also aiding this experience is a pretty barebones stock Android experience, but I'll get into that shortly. Provided this phone was made to handle mobile games extremely well, I went and downloaded a lot of my favorite titles. Just to give you some examples of what I played, I used Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Stranger Things: The Game, Aftermath XHD, Hellraid: The Escape, and I also played a few of the preloaded titles that come with the phone - Gear Club and World of Tanks. Of course, all of the games played very well and I didn't come across any issues. Topping off the experience is Razer's Game Booster app, which comes in quite handy for those who really plan on putting in some hours of gaming. With this app, you can select customizable settings for individual game titles. The app allows you to set CPU clock speeds, refresh rates, whether you receive notifications when in fullscreen, as well as an anti-aliasing toggle. For games like Stranger Things, where it's a pretty pixelated game, you don't need massive performance, so throttling down your CPU and refresh rate can extend your battery life while playing. Games like Gear Club want all of your juice, though, so setting your CPU and refresh rate to the max leads to the best performance. Overall, I love playing mobile games on the Razer Phone and it's my new benchmark for how the mobile gaming experience should be. Software The Razer Phone comes with Android 7.1+ out of the box, with no custom OEM skin atop it. This makes for a very familiar experience, but as a cherry on top, every phone is shipped with Nova Launcher Prime as its default launcher. Talk about really trying to make the Android fanboys happy, am I right? With Nova Launcher, you can customize basically all aspects of your home screen and beyond, complete with custom icon pack support and more. With that being said, now would be a good time to brush up on the icon packs we think are hot. Going beyond just your launcher, Razer built in a theme manager for the software, which makes customizing the phone's color scheme and even notification sounds a breeze. When a theme is applied, and there's plenty to choose from, you'll have a custom-colored notification pulldown, calculator, phone app, as well as ringtones and alarm sounds. It's a snazzy effort on Razer's part, one that I appreciate as someone who gets bored with the same ol' white UI on most phones.

While the software is pretty barebones, it doesn't really lack anything. Inside the settings, you'll find access to Smart Lock, Gestures (quick unlock to Camera), storage management settings, an Ambient Display mode for incoming notifications, Night Light, and other settings. It's similar to the approach taken by OnePlus, where they give you all of the essentials, then toss in a few extras that make it a more customizable experience. For me, that's fine, because when we start having features piled on top of features, it's easy for many things to get lost deep inside of the Settings menu.

It would have been nice to see the Razer Phone launch with Android 8.0 Oreo, too, only because it's already November and that means this device launches behind the Android update schedule, if that makes sense. On the plus, this will be a good test to see how well Razer intends to support the software on this phone. If we see Oreo come later this year or very early in 2018, that's a good thing. If we somehow creep into February or March, though, that will be a bad sign and I wouldn't blame anyone for being disappointed. We'll just have to wait and see how that plays out. Audio On the frontside of the Razer Phone are dual Dolby Atmos speakers, both individually amplified for improved sound. Via the USB Type-C port, you can utilize the accompanied audio adapter with a THX certified DAC for your headphones. To sum it up, the sound on this phone, whether it comes from the speakers or your headphones, is remarkable. The speakers get stupid loud and the sound when plugged in is rich and full. No other phone has offered this much audio goodness in a while, so it's nice to have a player back in the game who is taking not just headphone sound quality, but external audio propulsion seriously, too. While LG has great audio via headphones with its Quad DAC, the Razer Phone takes it to another level with these external speakers, getting nearly as loud as my MacBook Pro, which is pretty impressive to me. If I could make one tweak, though, it would be to have better control over the lows on the front speakers via the Dolby Atmos app. Inside this app, you can customize the EQ to suit your needs, but even in there, I can't get quite as much bass as I'd desire coming from the speakers. They are very high and mid heavy, which is fine for the spine tingling guitar riffs I listen to, but I still want more bass. Battery In a world where it seems like the most we ever get from the high-end Android makers is 3,500mAh, Razer brought the heat in the Razer Phone's battery department. The phone features a whopping 4,000mAh battery, capable of providing me with way more than a day's worth of usage, even with heavy testing and gaming. Each night, I hit the hay around 10:30-11PM. At that time, the Razer Phone would still show 40%+ of juice left, meaning I could easily leave it unplugged and pick up right where I left off without having to do my overnight charging routine. For screen on time, I'm getting my usual 4 hours, which is my typical day. Now, you may also want to know if the display's refresh rate ability has any affect on the battery. From what I can tell, that's a "no," and Razer specifically mentioned this during its press event. According to them and its work with Qualcomm on the UltraMotion display, users should actually see "significant battery life improvement." While I wouldn't go so far as to say I saw improvements, what I did see was a battery that was getting me through lots of gaming without a ton of juice being used, so at the end of the day, I'm a happy user who still has plenty of battery life left.

Somewhere in the Middle

Hardware/Design The Razer Phone is an absolute tank, being one of the heaviest phones I've ever had in my pocket. It weighs in at nearly 200 grams, compared to the Galaxy S8+ at 173g, Pixel 2 XL at 175g, and the LG V30 at 158g. The Razer Phone is large in-hand, heavy, and frankly, kinda boring to look at. While I appreciate its tankiness at times, when it comes to leaving the house with it, it can be kinda daunting depending on the type of pants I'm wearing. I know that's weird to read, but bear with me here. Let's think about a quick comparison. The Razer Phone is thicker, wider, and taller than the Pixel 2 XL, but it has a smaller display. I don't know if you've been following us much over 2017, but we have really taken a liking to smartphone design as of late, with the Razer Phone taking the exact opposite approach to every other OEM. Essentially, we have a murdered out, beefed up Nextbit Robin, which to me, isn't the best smartphone design to begin with. All corners are complete right angles, it only comes in black (sorry, that's boring), and the volume button layout paired with a mushy power/fingerprint reader button has had me wishing to be on another phone many a time. I'm sorry, but I'm just not a fan of this design and I think Razer is capable of something a bit better. Now, with my pickiness out of the way, I will say that when it comes to just sitting on the couch, playing games and watching a YouTube video, the phone and its design is really good. It's easy to hold while in landscape, but in portrait, two hands is almost always required. Considering I do plenty of outdoor activities, I don't always have two hands available, so I've even found myself ignoring an incoming notification because I don't feel like fumbling my dog leashes and using two hands to respond to something. What I'm saying is, one-handed operation is not easy on this device. I know it may sound like all I've said is negative, but that's sort of the point. While I don't necessarily appreciate a phone that feels/looks like a brick in and out of my pocket, I know others might. With this larger size, you're getting a dual speaker setup and big battery. For some, that may outweigh the bulkiness of this phone, and that's completely understandable.

The Not-so-Good

Camera When I test out a phone with a stock Android experience, I never equate that to mean they've stripped the camera of all of its modes, too. Sadly, that's exactly what Razer has done, leaving you with nothing more than a point and shoot experience that isn't even all that great. And by stripped experience, I'm dead serious. While you'd typically find a few different shooting modes, such as Panorama, Photo Sphere, or maybe even a Portrait mode, the Razer Phone features none of that. You open the camera, shoot either a photo or video, and that's it. It's an extremely lacking experience, and for a company that opted for the marquee spec of dual rear-facing shooters, I couldn't be more disappointed. Even inside of the settings menu for the camera, the only options you'll find are for resolutions and shutter sounds. Really, I know you might be having a hard time believing this, but it's true. In terms of shooting, the only thing you can do is toggle your flash and the HDR mode, which consistently needs to be enabled because the camera handles many lighting environments poorly. I know I've discussed this before, but why are companies continuing the effort of pushing for dual cameras when they can't even get one right?

When met with ideal conditions, I was able to capture a few good shots. I won't sit here and tell you the shooter itself is god awful, but the overall experience leaves so much to be desired. On the bright side, much of what I'm talking about can be changed via an update to Razer's camera app. All of those modes I mentioned are done purely on the software side, so there's no reason Razer can't address this. As of right now, though, there's no telling if they will. Update: An important post was made by Razer's CEO on Facebook this week, one I missed while writing this review. In the post, Min-Liang Tan specifically mentions that more modes are coming soon and that the Razer Phone's camera is basically a work in progress. Here's what he said.

The next major camera app release will add some new features like the new instazoom button. This will help users immediately jump to the optimal zoom with the telephoto lens. This feature was requested by nearly all reviewers. We will very likely be adding 4x slo motion recording as well. Features like portrait mode, 60 fps video, and additional speed improvements will be coming in late Q1 with our Oreo update. We are still investigating additional performance / speed improvements for this time frame as well.

As I said, a lot of this camera experience can be improved via software, but we'll have to wait for these updates to see if there's any noticeable improvement in photo quality. Here are a few samples, resized, but not edited in any other way.

HDR vs. no HDR

Missing a Few Things The Razer Phone isn't missing much, but there are just a few things I'd have loved to see in this $699 smartphone. For starters, water resistance would be cool. Now, I'm not docking points or anything from this phone because it doesn't have it, I'm just saying that it would be cool if it did. Also, this phone is certainly large enough for a 3.5mm headphone jack. I don't know why Razer decided to exclude it, but seriously, there's plenty of room. On the other hand, I do appreciate that they included a fancy dongle with its own DAC to help me get over the fact that left out the 3.5mm port. Lastly, and I know this is nitpicking, but I really would have appreciated Oreo to launch with this phone. As I've stated, we aren't entirely sure how well this phone is going to be supported by Razer, so to desperately want an update hours after getting it into my hands is pretty depressing.

Other Notes

Girlfriend Impressions - "The phone feels very premium. It's a little heavy and a little too big, but I really like how the volume buttons and the home button are pretty flush with the design of the phone. I feel like the fingerprint reader on the side would be hard to get used to, but it's practical. And I really like this (*points to the Razer logo on the back*)."
Update Expectancy - Since this is Razer's first attempt at an Android phone, we don't yet know what to expect in the update department. As I previously mentioned, how Razer handles the inevitable update to Oreo will be very telling. Will it be later this year (best case scenario) or some point in early 2018? All I can say is, the sooner the better, obviously.

Availability and Price

The Razer Phone is priced at $699, available online via Razer's website as well as select Razer retail stores. Additionally, the phone is sold online and in-store exclusively at Microsoft Stores. For carriers, the device is sold GSM unlocked, so AT&T, T-Mobile, and other GSM networks will work fine. You won't find support for Verizon or Sprint, though. Sorry. The question is, is this phone worth $699? To me, I'd say so. While I'm not the hugest fan of the overall design, you might be. If you do like your phones on the larger side, this device sure does offer a lot. You've got the nice display, 8GB RAM, a good software experience, plus a massive battery. Honestly, I could see a lot of folks (mobile gamers, especially) flocking to this phone. If Razer does something about that camera, too, then we're really in business. Buy Online

Videos

Unboxing 15+ Tips and Tricks

Gallery

The Verdict

While the hardware has left me wanting to go to a smaller phone, I can't get over the performance and battery life I've seen. Playing games and just scrolling through the phone has been very smooth, so overall, I've had a positive experience. While it's very lacking in the camera department, I think it's possible that Razer could push a few improvements via updates (like new shooting modes), and really, that's the only true issue I have with the phone. If the camera was better, I wouldn't have any issues with this being my daily driver, but because things like the Pixel 2 exist, with the best mobile camera you can ask for, and a cheaper $649 price tag, it's hard to say that the Razer Phone is a better buy at this time. The Razer Phone has a lot of compelling features, but for me, I value the camera experience too much to recommend it to anyone who likes taking a lot of photos. You might've already seen this, but Kellen has spoken about 2017 being a really good year for hardware. That's my exact belief. Is there really a bad choice this year for flagships? Not really, and for this being Razer's first effort, I think they did very well. Here's hoping it's not the only Android phone we ever see from the company.

Google Play Black Friday Deals are Up: 80% Off Select Games, Free Play Music Subscription, More

Kellen — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 08:25:32 +0000

This morning, Google opened up its Black Friday Deals for the Google Play store and they cover just about any category of media you might be interested in. From games and apps and subscriptions, to books and movies and music, Google likely has something discounted that'll catch your eye. For the gamers in the building, Google has dropped many of their "premium" games by 80%. You can get into games like LEGO Jurassic World, Mini Metro, and Shadow Fight 2 for $0.99 (normally $5). Even Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies has been dropped from $6.99 to $2.99. Google also said that "hundreds" of apps on the Play store have been discounted, including those that have subscription fees. I'd point you to a list, but if there are hundreds, your best bet is to just browse your Wishlist or some of the top lists. If you don't care about Android games or apps, maybe a Google Play Music subscription sounds good? If so, you can get four months of service for free. I'd imagine you have to be a new subscriber. For book lovers, you'll find $5 credits towards any book over $5, plus discounts on top titles. Some of those deals won't start until November 23, so be patient. And finally, for movie and TV freaks, Google Play is currently offering 50% off any one movie to own and 25% off a TV season of your choice. Those deals may also not start until November 23. Google is also handing out movie rentals for $0.99 on November 25. Feel free to browse through Google's list of new releases that have all been slashed to under $10 too.

Google Play Black Friday Deals:

// Google

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Hackers Stole Info of 57 Million Uber Customers, Then Uber Paid Them $100K to Keep Quiet

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 15:10:04 +0000

Uber, the taxi-killing tech company long-run by a box full of assholes who have since mostly departed, revealed today that it was hacked just over a year ago and paid the hackers who stole millions of customers' data to keep quiet. See - assholes. The hackers stole info from 57 million customers, as well as the data from 7 million drivers. The info they accessed included names, email addresses, and phone numbers, but thankfully, did not include social security numbers, credit card details, or trip location info. At least 600,000 drivers did have their driver's license numbers stolen, though. That's all according to Uber, anyways, the company that successfully concealed this security breach for over a year. Hackers were able to access all of the info by gaining access to a private GitHub that Uber engineers were using. From there, they obtained login credentials that allowed them access to the data that was stored on an Amazon Web Services account. Once they had it, they contacted Uber asking for cash. Uber paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and also keep quiet, which is why we haven't heard about this until now. Uber does not believe that any of the data was ever used, but would not disclose who it was that stole it. Uber's new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over in September, likely just found out about this breach and told Bloomberg that "None of this should have happened" and that Uber is "changing the way" it does business. Part of that response was the firing of CFO Joe Sullivan, the man who took the lead on keeping this all quiet. Fun. // Bloomberg

Google Lens Now Officially Rolling Out to All Pixel Phones in Google Assistant

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 14:01:56 +0000

In recent days, we have seen the Google Lens icon pop-up at random in Google Assistant on a handful of Pixel phones, leading us to assume that/wonder if the rollout of its full feature set had begun. Google confirmed that to be the case this afternoon, saying in a blog post that all Pixel phones (including Pixel 2 and 2 XL) will gain access to the full Lens over the "coming weeks" in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, and Singapore. First introduced back at Google I/O, Google Lens uses your phone's camera, along with computer vision and machine learning, to bring you information. That could be through text, by taking an image or a sign and grabbing the text from it to head to a URL, call a phone number, navigate to an address, or fill out a contact from a business card. It could also help you find information out about a landmark and its history, just by pointing your camera at it. It'll scan barcodes and things like that too, plus you could quickly find out information about books, movies, and art. To access Google Lens on your Pixel or Pixel 2, you'll simply open up the Google Assistant and look for the Lens icon in the bottom right corner. If it's there, feel free to tap on it to open up the Lens UI. Let us know as you see Lens pop-up, so we can let everyone know if a bigger portion of Pixel owners are finally seeing it. // Google

YouTube TV Update Adds Picture-in-Picture on Oreo

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 13:27:14 +0000

YouTube TV is receiving an update today to v1.11.6 that introduces picture-in-picture support for devices running Android 8.0 Oreo. The update may not add anything else, though, so if you aren't on Oreo, feel free to move along. Once updated, PIP should be live for you automatically. All you'll need to do to use it is open up a show and then press the home button. You'll then see it shrink into a small floating box on your screen that can be repositioned almost anywhere. It's really that easy. It works just like YouTube or Google Maps navigation. If you want to turn it off, tap on your account icon in the top right corner, then Settings, and then scroll to the bottom until you see "Picture in Picture." Google Play Link

Best of Black Friday Deals Week 2017 Round-Up: Day 2!

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 10:50:53 +0000

Day 2 of Black Friday Deals Week 2017 is here! Yesterday, we separated out Amazon and Best Buy Black Friday Deals because each dumped a whole bunch of pre-Friday goodness. Since most of those deals are still active, there's no need to re-post them all again - just go back to those posts if you missed out. For today, we're now combining all of the good new deals we've found from various retailers. You'll find details directly from companies, as well as those from the big electronics dealers. We'll update it as we stumble onto more.

Black Friday Week 2017 Deals: Day 2

Amazon

Choetech Fast Wireless Charger - $16.99
Amazon Echo (1st gen, refurbished) - $69.99
Anker Quick Charge 3.0 Dual USB Wall Charger - $17.99 (Code: BFBF2225)
Anker Powerline USB-C to USB-A Cable (3-Pack) - $10.99
Anker SoundCore 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $31.99
Anker SoundCore Nano Bluetooth Speaker - $15.99
Anker SoundBuds Slim+ Wireless Headphones - $22.99
Anker SoundBuds NB10 Sport Bluetooth Headphones - $23.99 (Code: ANKSPT60)
Eufy Lumo Smart Bulb - $13.99
Mobvoi TicWatch 2 Active - $159.99
Mobvoi TicWatch E - $127.99
Tronsmart T6 Bluetooth Speaker - $32.99 (Code: POROP86S)
Tronsmart T2 Bluetooth Speaker - $19.59 (Code: HJUM58FA)
Tronsmart S5 True Wireless Earbuds - $31.99 (Code: TCZ2X373)
Tronsmart S6 ANC Bluetooth Headphones - $50.99 (Code: 89I48O8A)
Tronsmart S1 Bluetooth Headphones - $17.59 (Code: WNAWVO6L)
Tronsmart Presto 1000mAh QC 3.0 Battery Pack - $19.99 (Code: HMTVOPS8)
Tronsmart Dual QC 3.0 Car Charger - $10.99 (Code: ENCTQFH5)
Tronsmart Dual QC 2.0 Wall Charger - $11.99 (Code: CP3D8UVT)

Best Buy (Most require My Best Buy accounts)

Moto G5 Plus 64GB - $224.99
Honor 6X 32GB - $149.99
Netgear Orbi WiFi System (3-pack) - $329.99
Sony XB20 Bluetooth Speaker - $49.99

Samsung

Wireless Charging Pad + 2-Port Car Charger Bundle - $39.99
Fast Wireless Charging Pad - $24.99
Gear S3 Classic - $279.99
Gear S3 Frontier - $279.99
Gear Sport - $249.99
Gear IconX Earbuds - $149.99
Samsung Chromebook Pro - $449.99
Samsung Chromebook Plus - $349.99
SmartThings Home Monitor System - $219.00

Motorola

Lowe's

~~Google Home Mini - $29~~

iFixit

Newegg

Moto X4 (Unlocked) - $339.99
Moto Z (Unlocked) - $429.99

Other

TicHome Mini Google Assistant Speaker - $59.99 ($40 off with code)

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

DEAL: Google Home Mini Discounted to $29 Already at Lowe's ($20 Off) (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 10:22:50 +0000

We know that Google Home Mini is going to get a huge discount to $29 this weekend at a variety of retailers. It's going to be one of the highlights from the wild Black Friday weekend ahead. With that said, Lowe's appears to have either jumped the gun or has gone full Black Friday YOLO with a price drop now live. If you hurry, you can grab the Google Home Mini for $29 ($20 off) in either Charcoal or Chalk. You don't need a code or anything. All you need to do is hit that link below and then buy away. In-store pick-up is an option as well should you happen to have a store nearby with stock. Go! UPDATE: It looks like someone did indeed push the button early. Lowe's has pulled the $29 price and jumped it back up to $49.

LOWE'S DEAL LINK

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Google has Been Tracking Android Device Location Even With Location Services Disabled

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 09:02:40 +0000

You thought you were completely disconnected from any location tracking by Google and your phone when you went into your phone's location services and toggled them off, right? You'd be wrong! Hah...ha...haaa...ugh. According to a report from Quartz, Google has been doing a bit of location tracking on Android phones even if you told them not to by turning off your phone's location services. And we're talking about any of the modern Android phones you might own, so yes, you are included in this conversation. Quartz found that Google has essentially been pinging nearby cellular towers and retrieving that info through the Firebase Cloud Messaging service that manages push notifications and messages. Again, this is all still happening even if you have turned off location services on your phone. This collection of location via cell tower can happen over both WiFi and cellular data connection too, by the way. The data collected is encrypted, but the information still likely contains a unique identifier that when paired with the location info collected, does pose some security risk. Not everyone is comfortable being tracked at all times for various reasons. Google said that the location tracking was used to "further improve the speed and performance of message delivery." That's pretty vague, and the article mentions that Google probably also uses the info for advertisers to target you. Either way, this isn't a good look, especially at a time where we are all a little on edge about privacy. This started in early 2017 and is only now going to stop at the end of November, likely because they got caught. At least, that's the only logical reason I can come up with. Why else would they do this for almost an entire year and then decide to stop after an article was written, outing the secret tracking that no one can opt-out of? There is nothing you can do at this time to stop it other than wait for Google to stop doing it at the end of this month as they promised. // Quartz

OnePlus 5T Now Available for Purchase!

Kellen — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 07:55:24 +0000

Assuming you loved all that OnePlus announced last week at its OnePlus 5T event, you'll be happy to know that you can now buy the phone. Yep, the OnePlus 5T is available for purchase in both 64GB and 128GB configurations. It's looking like OnePlus saw a big enough spike in early orders overnight that there is already a 7-day shipping delay on the 64GB model with 6GB RAM that costs $499. However, if you want to double the storage to 128GB while bumping the RAM to 8GB, the more expensive $559 model is shipping within 4 days. At this time, Midnight Black is your single color choice. If you were waiting for our hands-on and review coverage of the phone, you won't have to wait much longer. We should have our review unit in-house before Thanksgiving and will begin that fun immediately. #2ndwavecrew

OnePlus Store

NVIDIA Hosting Black Friday Deals on 15 Games for Up to 75% Off, Starts This Wednesday

Tim — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 15:47:49 +0000

NVIDIA is getting in on the Black Friday action this year, but you won't have to wait till then to get the savings. The deals will go live this upcoming Wednesday on Google Play, and inside, there's a lot of great titles up to 75% off. Overlooking the list, I'll name a few of the bigger titles. There will be DOOM 3: BFG Edition for just $2.49, Parallax for $1.25, Super Meat Boy for $3.75, as well as Tomb Raider 2013 for $3.75. That's just the start, too! Here's the full list of what'll be on sale starting this Wednesday. Apps on Sale Starting Wednesday

Tomb Raider 2013 - Original $14.99, Sale $3.75
Cluster Truck - Original $14.99 , Sale $3.75
Contrast - Original $9.99, Sale $4.99
Doom 3: BFG Edition - Original $9.99, Sale $2.49
GoNNer - Original $9.99, Sale $2.99
Q*bert Rebooted Original $5.99, Sale $1.49
Q.U.B.E. - Original $5.99, Sale $1.49
Parallax - Original $4.99, Sale $1.25
Pavilion - Original $9.99, Sale $2.49
Pix the Cat - Original $4.99, Sale $1.25
Stikbold! - Original $9.99, Sale $2.49
Super Meat Boy - Original $14.99 , Sale $3.75
Super Slam Dunk Touchdown - Original $15.00, Sale $5.15
The Final Station - Original $14.99, Sale $3.75
Ultimate Chicken Horse - Original $11.99, Sale $5.99

The savings are real this year, people! // NVIDIA (Goes Live on Wednesday)

Verizon Pushing Updates to Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, LG G6, V20, Moto Z2 and Z Play

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 15:08:13 +0000

It's lookin' like an update week for Verizon customers who own one of a handful of phones. Starting today and tomorrow, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, LG V20 and G6, and Moto Z2 Play and Moto Z Play will all see new software. At this time, Verizon hasn't exactly updated all of the support pages for each phone and has only given us dates, so we'll have to update it as we learn more. The one we do know everything about is the LG V20, which is supposed to get an update today (11/20) and it includes the November security patch. My guess is that that's what all of the phones are getting too. The updates for the other phones are scheduled to begin rollout tomorrow, November 21. UPDATE: Alright, so we've got new builds and changelogs to go with them. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are getting the November 1 security patch, along with the KRACK WiFi fix. The Moto Z2 Play and Moto Z Play are also getting the November 1 security patch, but the older Z Play is getting Verizon's AppFlash software too (it's bloatware and you should uninstall it). The LG G6 is getting the October 1 security patch.

New Verizon software updates:

Samsung Galaxy S7: G930VVRU4BQK2
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: G935VVRU4BQK2
LG V20: New software version VS99518A
LG G6: VS98813A
Moto Z2 Play: NDSS26.118-23-15
Moto Z Play: NDN26.118-23-12-3

On a related note, this is the first update for the LG G6 on Verizon since August 1, which means that phone is still on July's security patch. If you ever wonder why we prefer Google's phones so much for updates, this would be a good example. Again, we'll update these as we know the new software builds. For those who own the phones, feel free to check for updates tomorrow! // Verizon [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

15+ Razer Phone Tips and Tricks!

Tim — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:44:04 +0000

We're still on track to publish our complete Razer Phone review later this week (unboxing here), but in the meantime, here's a little something to provide a bit of insight into the software experience you get on this device. Yep, this is our Razer Phone Tips and Tricks video! In the video, we go over the things you'll need to know when it comes to optimizing your mobile gameplay, taking advantage of the legit speaker experience on this device, as well as a brief rundown on Nova Launcher Prime. There's a bit to cover, so I'll let you get started. Look for our complete review to be up this Wednesday, right before we take off for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Razer Phone Tips and Tricks

Buy Razer Phone:

Razer Store ($699)

DEAL: Verizon Also Drops Cases by 50%, Including Tons of Pixel and Pixel XL Cases

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:03:14 +0000

I know that there aren't a ton of you out there who own a Moto Z phone, so that 50% off Moto Mods deal from Verizon may not have grabbed your attention. How does 50% off a Pixel or Pixel XL case sound, though? Verizon has currently slashed most of its original Google Pixel and Pixel XL cases by just that amount, including some of the official Google-made cases. Like the Moto Mods deal, we aren't sure how long this 50%-off Pixel cases deal will last or how many Verizon has available, so you may not want to wait around too long. As we get through this Black Friday Deals Week, inventory levels are bound to drop. Currently, no Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL cases have been discounted that I can tell.

Pixel Cases:

Google Trends Live Case - $24.99 ($25 off)
Case-Mate Naked Tough Case - $17.49 - $17.50 off)
LifeProof FRE Case - $44.99 ($45 off)
OtterBox Commuter Series - $19.99 ($20 off)
Incipio DualPro Case - $14.99 ($15 off)
Speck Presidio Clear Case - $19.99 ($20 off)

Pixel XL Cases:

Google Trends Live Case - $24.99 ($25 off)
Google Earth Live Case - $24.99 ($25 off)
Case-Mate Naked Tough Case - $17.49 ($17.50 off)
Incipio Esquire Series - $17.49 ($17.50 off)
OtterBox Defender Series - $24.99 ($25 off)
OtterBox Commuter Series - $24.99 ($25 off)
LifeProof FRE Case - $49.99 ($50 off)
Speck Presidio Grip Case - $22.49 ($22.50 off)
Speck Presidio Clear Case - $22.49 ($22.50 off)

Verizon 50% off case deal

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Verizon Closing in on New NFL Streaming Deal With Access to TV Streaming

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 11:53:04 +0000

Verizon and the NFL are supposedly close to a new deal over streaming NFL games. According to Bloomberg, this new deal should expand the way Verizon will be able to offer games too, even as it may force them to give up their exclusive mobile streaming rights. For years, Verizon has had the exclusive on mobile streaming of NFL games, typically through the NFL app that often came pre-installed on their phones. The original deal came with a limitation that forced Verizon to only allow streaming to devices 7-inches and under. In other words, they weren't allowed to stream to TVs. Should the new deal work out, Verizon will be able to offer streaming to all devices, including TVs, which is kind of a big deal. Unfortunately for Verizon, the move to bigger screens will mean they'll likely lose that mobile exclusivity and competitors (cable, satellite, and streaming services) could jump through and offer mobile streaming to their own customers. If you are wondering exactly what Verizon is getting themselves into here after reading that, you are not alone. I, too, am confused at what they are signing up for if they won't have a mobile exclusive anymore. Are we talking about a new Verizon streaming TV service that will play NFL games is on the way? Are we talking about other streaming TV services not getting to stream Thursday Night Football or something along those lines? Remember, Verizon already sells TV service through FiOS, which has access to the NFL already, so this isn't a FiOS exclusive. Yep, I'm confused! We likely won't know until the deal is announced. We'll update you as we learn more. // Bloomberg

All Droid Life Shirts $3 Off Through Cyber Monday!

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 11:22:03 +0000

UPDATE 12/17/18: DL shirts and hoodies are now sold here.

Forget Amazon Echos and Home Minis and chargers and phones for a minute - the Black Friday 2017 deal you were really waiting for is here. All Droid Life shirts are $3 off for the next week, all the way through Cyber Monday! All you have to do is either enter code "DLBOSSFRIDAY" at checkout or hit up that direct link below to automatically apply the code. You'll then see $3 off per shirt that you buy. You do have to pay shipping, though. The DL t-shirts are Bella-Canvas 100% cotton tees. They fit somewhat snug or slim, weigh-in at a light 4.2oz, and are super comfortable.

DL SHIRT SHOP

New Honor 7X is Very 2017, US Availability to be Announced December 5

Tim — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 10:28:07 +0000

A follow up to the Honor 6X was announced this morning, the Honor 7X. While Honor provided specs and most of the nitty gritty one would need to know when considering a smartphone purchase, Honor withheld availability info, as well as pricing. All of that has been saved for a press event scheduled for December 5. For specs, the 7X, which is likely to be pretty affordable, comes with a 5.9" LCD display (2,160 x 1,080 + 18:9 aspect ratio) with minimal bezel, Kirin 659 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage (supports expandable storage), dual rear-facing cameras (16MP + 2MP), 8MP front-facing camera, fingerprint reader, and 3340mAh battery. We don't yet know LTE bands or Android version, but if I had to guess, it'll likely be GSM unlocked and come with Android 7.1+ with an updated version of EMUI. Considering the Honor 6X was priced at $250, it's hard to imagine this phone will be listed above $300 in the US. If that's the case, you're getting a solid package of specs, as well as this 2017 hardware design. Not bad, Honor. Be on the lookout on December 5 when the rest of the info will be announced.

Gear S3 Watches Get Big Value Pack Update With Better Fitness Tracking, Updated UX

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 09:42:47 +0000

Samsung is pushing a big Value Pack update to its Gear S3 Frontier and Gear S3 Classic watches today. In fact, a number of our readers have already received the update, so if you own either, be sure to check. So what's in it? Quite a bit of stuff!

For one, Samsung says that the fitness portion of the Gear S3 experience has been "completely transformed." That means advanced, real-time heart rate monitoring that has been improved, better controls over weight, and an experience that lets you use the Samsung Health Fitness Program to watch workouts on a nearby TV and also see your vitals. On the communications side of things, Samsung made searching and creating contacts easier, as well as events with date, time, reminder alerts, and locations. Additionally, users will be able to edit and view checklists, sort of like you have been able to do in Google Keep on Android Wear for years.

Finally, Samsung added more power to each device's rotating bezels. Now, you can rotate quicker or slower to view more information at a time (kind of like zooming). Think about watch faces or widgets, where you might want to compare 3 or 4 on your screen at once rather than just seeing one at a time. Again, the update is rolling out now and weighs in at roughly 257MB and should be Tizen 3.0. On a related note, the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier are heavily discounted at Best Buy right now and can be had for $70 off. // Samsung

DEAL: Verizon Drops 50% Off All Moto Mods, Including the New Polaroid Insta-Share & TurboPower Pack

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 09:15:03 +0000

With Black Friday Deals Week just getting started, we're still on the hunt for some of the biggest discounts out there. The leader in the pack at the moment may be Verizon, thanks to a huge 50% discount on almost all of their Moto Mods. I don't know how long these will stay in stock, but we've got the brand new Polaroid Insta-Share Printer Mod for just $99.99 ($100 off), Amazon Alexa Smart Speaker for $74.99 ($75 off), Insta-Share Projector for $149.99 ($150 off), Moto 360 Camera for $149.99 ($150 off), and a whole bunch of others dropped from $80 to $40 (TurboPower Pack, JBL SoundBoost2, Moto Gamepad). Most of the shells and other power packs are included too. If you own a Moto Z or Moto Z2, you should probably get over to Verizon's site in a hurry.

Shop the rest of the Moto Mods 50% deal.

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

OnePlus 3 and 3T Get First Official Android Oreo, OxygenoOS 5.0 Update

Kellen — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 08:02:06 +0000

Over the weekend, OnePlus began pushing their "first official" Android Oreo update to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. The update jumps both phones up to Android 8.0, as well as OxygenOS 5.0. With this update, you'll be able to experience all that is Android 8.0 "Oreo." We're talking picture-in-picture for apps like Google Maps and YouTube, access to system-level autofill, smarter text selection, a fresh new quick settings design, and more. With the OnePlus launcher, you'll have notification dots too, plus a new folder design. This OxygenOS 5.0 update with Oreo will rollout incrementally, so if you don't see it right away, try to be patient. In fact, it could be a few days before OnePlus ramps up to a full rollout. // OnePlus

Best of Best Buy Black Friday Deals Week (Updated!)

Kellen — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 22:28:24 +0000

Alright, so we just unpacked the Amazon Black Friday Deals Week line-up, which means it's onto Best Buy we go. Since these are the two most shared tech deals spots around here, like with Amazon, we'll try to update you regularly on what Best Buy has discounted for this Black Friday 2017 week. For the most part, we are seeing very similar sets of deals for Best Buy as we did on Amazon, but there are some bonuses too. For example, SanDisk microSD cards, as long as you have a My Best Buy account, are heavily discounted. We're talking their new 400GB microSD card for $249 ($150 off), or a 128GB card for just $29.99 ($30 off). Like Amazon, you'll find big deals on NVIDIA SHIELD TV units, Bose headphones, wearables (Gear Sport, Gear S3), smart home products (ecobee, Arlo Pro), and phones too (Moto X4, Moto Z2 Play). Updates coming! UPDATE: Best Buy's Elite Early Access sale is already run for those with that access. I've added a section below to show you the types of deals to expect in that right now. Timing on those deals is short, so hurry if you are an Elite level My Best Buy member. For those who aren't, well, there's a sneak peak for your Black Friday sale. UPDATE 11/21: Like with Amazon, the deals aren't going to change much until we get to the weekend, so we'll just keep updating this post for these first couple of days. Also, we did put together a DAY 2 round-up here.

Best Buy Black Friday Deals Week

Best Buy Elite Early Access

Full Best Buy Early Access Deal List
Amazon Echo Dot - $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo (2nd gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $179.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote - $24.99 ($15 off)
SanDisk Ultra Plus 64GB microSD Card - $14.99 ($75 off)
SanDisk Extreme Plus U1 128GB microSD Card - $29.99 ($30 off)
SanDisk Extreme Plus U3 128GB microSD Card - $49.99 ($40 off)
SONOS ONE with Alexa - $174.99 ($25 off)
SONOS Play:1 - $149.99 ($50 off)
SONOS Play:3 - $249.98 ($50 off)
SONOS Playbar Soundbar - $599.98 ($100 off)
SONOS PLAYBASE - $599.99 ($100 off)
Huawei Watch 2 - $179.99 ($120 off)
Huawei Watch 2 Classic - $219.99 ($150 off)
Fossil Q Marshal Gen 2 - $137.50 ($137.50 off)
Fossil Q Wander Gen 2 - $127.50 ($127.50 off)
Ring WiFi Doorbell - $99.99 ($80 off)
Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit - $59.99 ($40 off)
Nest Thermostat (3rd gen) - $199.99 ($50 off)
Nest Cam Indoor - $139.99 ($60 off)

Under $25

SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor - $19.99 ($20 off)

Under $50

SmartThings Hub - $49.99 ($50 off)
SmartThings Motion Sensor - $29.99 ($10 off)
SmartThings Smart Outlet - $32.99 ($12 off)
SmartThings Water Leak Sensor - $29.99 ($10 off)
SmartThings Arrival Sensor - $22.49 ($7.50 off)
Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones - $49.99 ($50 off)
Jaybird Freedom F5 wireless headphones - $49.99 ($100 off)

Under $100

Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet - $99.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Connect Home WiFi System AC1300 1-Pack - $99.99 ($70 off)
Samsung Gear VR w/ Controller - $89.99 ($40 off)
Samsung EVO Plus 128GB microSD Card - $59.99 ($40 off)
SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD Card - $99.99 ($125 off)

Under $200

NVIDIA SHIELD TV 16GB - $149.99 ($30 off)
NVIDIA SHIELD TV 16GB with Controller - $169.99 ($30 off)
Moto Z2 Play for $7.99 per month with 24-month contract - ($216.24 off)
Samsung Gear IconX (2016) Wireless Earbuds - $139.99 ($60 off)
Jabra Elite Sport True Wireless Earbuds - $149.99 ($100 off)
Bose SoundSport wireless headphones - $129.99 ($20 off)
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro - $149.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear Fit2 - $129.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear S2 - $179.99 ($70 off)
SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit - $149.99 ($100 off)
ecobee4 Alexa-Enabled Thermostat with Sensor - $199.00 ($50 off)
ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat - $149.00 ($20 off)
Arlo Pro Camera System (1 Camera) - $199.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Connect Home WiFi System AC2600 1-Pack - $149.99 ($100 off)

Over $200

$350 off Galaxy S8, S8+, Note 8 from Verizon or Sprint
Moto X4 (Unlocked) - $339.99 ($60 off)
Moto Z (Unlocked) - $399.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear Sport - $249.99 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear S3 Classic - $279.99 ($70 off)
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier - $279.99 ($70 off)
Garmin Fenix 5s - $499.99 ($100 off)
Garmin Fenix 5 - $499.99 ($100 off)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 32GB - $479.99 ($120 off)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 128GB - $579.99 ($120 off)
Samsung Connect Home WiFi System AC1300 3-Pack - $249.99 ($130 off)
Google WiFi System 3-Pack - $289.00 ($10 off)
Samsung Chromebook Plus 32GB - $349.00 ($100 off)
Samsung Chromebook Pro 32GB - $449.00 ($100 off)
SanDisk Ultra 400GB microSD Card - $249.99 ($150 off)

Black Friday 2017 Sneak Peeks

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Best of Amazon Black Friday Deals Week (Updated)

Kellen — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 21:38:02 +0000

Amazon's Black Friday 2017 Deals Week has kicked off and we've got our first round-up of the best deals (Best Buy's here). We'll do our best to provide updates throughout the week because, well, that's what Black Friday is at this point - a week long sale. Below, we've broken out the best so far (including pricing sections), but will update it throughout the days and week as new deals drop. Feel free to check back regularly. For Amazon Black Friday Deals Week, we are looking at discounts on a variety of Anker products (cables and power banks), Bluetooth headphones (Bose, Jabra, Samsung), smart home goods (ecobee, Samsung WiFi systems), and phones (Moto X4, LG G6+). UPDATE 11/21: Day 2 is here and we've noticed that most of the deals are still live, but also that Amazon has exactly added a bunch of new ones. If you missed any of the first dump they are still below, plus you'll find added items throughout. Additionally, we have a DAY 2 round-up going on right here.

Amazon Black Friday Deals Week

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Weekly Recap: 5T, X4, and Razer

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 16:15:49 +0000

Most years, we don't often expect much to happen in the Android industry after Google announces its hardware, but this year has been somewhat different. Not only do we have another OnePlus flagship-level phone to test, we also got the first phone from Razer and a mid-to-high tier phone from Motorola. And look, I'm not complaining - we love checking out new phones. So this week, we unboxed the Razer Phone, covered all of the news out of the OnePlus 5T event, and polished off a review of the Moto X4 (both Android One and regular versions). For mid-November, that's a lot of new phone talk. Outside of phone news, we got a bit opinionated over topics like Android TV and Google, NVIDIA's missing Spot, and Verizon's stance on unlocked phones after CDMA dies. It was a packed week!

Justice League or nah?

Razer's Hammerhead USB Type-C Earbuds Will Work Perfectly on the Razer Phone

Tim — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 14:28:47 +0000

Razer is now selling its Hammerhead earbuds with USB Type-C, aimed directly at buyers of the Razer Phone. There are pre-existing versions of the Hammerhead buds that have a 3.5mm connector, but since the Razer Phone doesn't have a dedicated headphone jack, these Hammerheads would make a good add-on. In fact, they'd probably make a good add-on for any Android device that doesn't have a headphone jack, which is a lot of them these days. According to the listing, these earbuds have a custom-tuned DAC for clean and unprocessed audio, in-line microphone and volume control, as well as flat cables for tangle-free storage. The Hammerheads are priced at $79.99 through Razer's online store. They haven't made their way to Amazon yet, but you can expect them to show up there, too, at some point. Razer Store Link

Question of the Day: What's Your Favorite Google Assistant Feature?

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 13:56:58 +0000

I've found in recent months that I use the Google Assistant more and more. That could be because I've tried to add more Google Home units around the house and my wife and I enjoy yelling at them, but it's more likely that I'm using it more because Google keeps improving it and making it more accessible. As I've mentioned in the past, I often have the Assistant set reminders for things that I need to know when I get home or to specific places. I use it to control various pieces of my house (temperature, lights, cameras, etc.). I certainly check the weather through it multiple times in a week. I've created Home groups to have the Assistant play music through almost every day. And I've even tried to get back into using the shopping list, even after Google pulled it from Keep and created a dedicated shopping list within Express. Still, I feel like I'm not using the Google Assistant enough and am curious how you all are getting the most out of it? Are you using Google Assistant to find out info, complete tasks, play games, etc.? What is your favorite or most-used Google Assistant feature or command?

Xiaomi Launches Select Lifestyle Products to Amazon, Like Earbuds and a Robot Builder

Tim — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:44:40 +0000

Xiaomi has hit Amazon in the US, launching a few lifestyle products that could be solid holiday gift ideas. On Amazon, there's four products highlighted currently. We have a 10,000mAh power bank for just $30, in-ear headphones for $26, some fancy Mi headphones for $130, and a Mi Robot Builder kit ($140) that I may have to get for a nephew of mine. It's a hodgepodge of products, but it's a good sign that Xiaomi may get serious about selling stuff in the US, at least through Amazon. Follow the links to check out the goods. Amazon Links

Here are a Couple of Free Android-Themed Justice League Wallpapers

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:33:53 +0000

To celebrate the arrival of the new Justice League movie, Google has already teamed up with Warner Bros and DC to promote the film through Android Pay. We talked earlier in the week about how you can unlock a bunch of fun animations starring Justice League characters in Bugdroid form. For those of you who don't use Android Pay, we've got more. Google just Tweeted out a couple of Justice League wallpapers you can slap on your device, one of which features all of those fun Bugdroid characters. The other is a wall full of each super hero's symbol, in case you want to keep it a little more chill. The images are included below and should be at the biggest resolution available. If they don't look right on your phone, feel free to hit up the Tweet below and grab them from there.

Anyone planning to see Justice League this weekend? https://twitter.com/Android/status/931614044078919682

Your Phone Isn't Better Than Mine

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 12:13:02 +0000

And mine isn't better than yours. You like that operating system or that Android skin and the features included, and it's fine that I don't. I chose this phone because it's software meets my needs. It works for me, which is all that matters, since it's my phone. Is the display the best? Maybe not, and that's fine. It's also fine if it's not good enough for you and that led you to your phone. Because your phone should satisfy you. The price of it doesn't bother me because it's what I am willing to spend. You may think it's overpriced and that your phone is properly priced. We pay what we think things are worth. Again, that's OK. Your phone runs the latest version of Android and I may be a little jealous of that. But

OnePlus 5T is Here

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 09:26:52 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're talking (as you probably grabbed from the title) about the latest phone from OnePlus, the OnePlus 5T. We'll dive into the upgrades over the 5, if it's a phone to consider, and also about where OnePlus is headed. After that, it'll be time to dive into Tim's early thoughts on the Razer Phone, our Moto X4 review, initial reaction to the Pixel Buds, why we think Google needs to make a Pixel TV or Google Home TV box, and more! We’ll be live at 10:00AM Pacific (1:00PM Eastern). If you miss us live and/or want the audio version of our podcast, you can subscribe through the various links below.

T-Mobile is Doing a BOGO Free Phone Deal Right Now

Kellen — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 09:07:14 +0000

T-Mobile brought back their buy one, get one free phone deal today to kick off their holiday shopping season. That means you can buy two Galaxy S8 or Note 8 devices and one will be free, as long as you follow a set of steps and don't expect that second phone to be free up front. Yes, T-Mobile puts you through as many hoops as Verizon, if not more.

T-Mobile BOGO Free Deal

So here's the deal. To take advantage of T-Mobile's BOGO holiday deal, you have to buy two phones on their Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) and activate at least one new line. Because the phones available are top tier phones with high prices, you'll have to pay a down payment of anywhere from $80 to $130 on each to get the EIP's monthly payment started. The phones you can choose from are the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Note 8, Galaxy S8 Active, LG G6, V20, V30, and V30+, as well as some iPhone models. Wait, how does the second phone become free then? It sure sounds like I still have to pay a lot upfront? Correct! Remember all those hoops I mentioned in the opening? Here they are! The second phone becomes free after T-Mobile sends you a rebate for the cost of the phone that you can then apply to its EIP. To get the rebate (and don't forget), you'll have to head over to T-Mobile's Promotions Center and enter in a specific code that verifies your eligibility. Assuming that works as advertised, the rebate arrives to you within 8 weeks in the form of a prepaid MasterCard. So that means you have not only paid a down payment for your "free" phone and signed up for a new line of service that has a monthly fee, you've likely also paid for two months worth of EIP payments. Free, though! The deal is available to all customers, including new and existing. To take advantage of T-Mobile's holiday deals line-up, including this BOGO deal, head over to the T-Mobile Deals Hub. // T-Mobile

YouTube TV App Makes Its Way to Select LG, Samsung Smart TVs

Tim — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 16:17:49 +0000

Announced today, the official YouTube TV app is available for owners of a Smart TV from LG and Samsung. While specific models aren't stated on YouTube TV's support page, it does list years, being 2016 and 2017 models. If you own a Samsung Smart TV and would like to download YouTube TV, simply open up Apps, then search for YouTube TV. For LG TVs, head into the LG Content Store, search for YouTube TV, then download. Here's the current list of supported devices for YouTube TV.

Android TV (excluding Xiaomi Mi Box)
Xbox One, Xbox One S, and the upcoming Xbox One X
Samsung & LG smart TVs (2016 & 2017)

Looking to the ever-so-bright future, the YouTube TV teams also claims, "The app will be available soon on 2014 and 2015 Samsung and LG TVs, Sony Linux TVs, and Apple TV." // YouTube TV

DEAL: Amazon Echo Show is $30 Off Today Only

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 15:57:19 +0000

The Amazon Echo Show is currently discounted by $30 to just $199.99, thanks to it being labeled as one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Unfortunately, the deal is only good for today, according to the listing. If you want one, you better jump on this. To recap, the Amazon Echo Show is Amazon's first touch screen Echo device. That means you can talk to Alexa to get information or complete tasks like other Echo devices, but now you'll also get visual confirmation or additional bits of information. I actually like having an Echo Show in my office and kitchen because it constantly displays top news stories of the day, as well as the time and weather. I can also have it fire up my front doorbell camera too, in case I'm expecting guests, or order things off the top of my head that I'll probably forget about if not ordered immediately. While the Echo Show currently lacks a ton of uses for the screen, I think it'll only be a matter of time before Amazon really takes advantage of it with new experiences. The deal is for both white or black models and of course, includes Prime shipping. Amazon doesn't currently list the Echo Show as one of its Black Friday deals, so this may be your only chance.

Amazon Link

Download: OnePlus 5T Wallpapers!

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:43:36 +0000

The OnePlus 5T won't be out until November 21, but we have been blessed with its wallpapers already this afternoon. Hampus Olsson, the guy who has made OnePlus phone wallpapers for years, dropped the 5T pack on us and it is as good as ever. Below, we've included a couple of thumbnails for reference. However, if you want any of these on your phone, you'll want to grab the full 2K or 4K versions from the Dropbox link we've included that contains a .zip file of them all. You can also go directly to Olsson's site to get the images individually from the source link. OnePlus 5T Wallpaper Link (.zip)

// Hampus Olsson

Is OnePlus Quickly Becoming What It Once Challenged?

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:10:00 +0000

With the introduction of the OnePlus 5T, we're now seven or so phones into OnePlus as a company. What better time than now to talk about the direction they are headed, right? Since the launch of the OnePlus One in 2014, we have not only seen OnePlus continue to improve upon previous generation phones in meaningful ways, but that has also meant rising prices. We've gone from "flagship killer" to phones competing in both price and specs with flagships from bigger, more well known companies. I think it's safe to assume that in another year or two, OnePlus will no longer be selling phones you'd consider to be a value buy and they'll instead be there alongside the Samsung Galaxy S, LG G ,and Google Pixel lines. [table id=102 /] Of course, that's fine if OnePlus wants to reach those heights. I don't know that anyone around here will argue with a company setting a high value on their product, especially if people are willing to pay for it. I think if you want to point out some issues there, though, it's easy to look right at their motto, which is emblazoned on the image above and reads, "Never settle." In the early days, OnePlus was telling us that you shouldn't have to settle when you buy a phone and that by choosing theirs, you were getting everything you needed. And that was a direct shot at the competition since it was a suggestion that their phones weren't going to meet your needs and OnePlus' phones would. For many of us, as well-received as OnePlus phones are (and we're certainly fans of them around here), they often force us to settle in various ways. Think about this new OnePlus 5T for example. You've got a 1080p display on it in a time where most high-end phones are using QHD. There is no official water resistance rating. It doesn't work on Verizon. It has a single bottom-firing speaker. It may have a headphone jack, but we aren't talking about a high-end DAC within it. Wireless charging isn't here. There is no SD slot. The USB port is still 2.0. And the design isn't even that unique because it's likely just an OPPO R11s shell that has been rebranded. Let's also not forget that most OnePlus phones ask us to take a hit in the camera department. What you have to realize about what I just listed is that almost all of those have been a part of the equation from day 1. Those are all areas of concern that OnePlus has yet to address even as we're entering this 7th phone.

Look, I'm not here to trash the OnePlus 5T. I think it will be an outstanding phone for many people and am looking forward to getting one in house for testing. In fact, I won't be shocked if it ends up being one of my favorites of the year. The point here is that OnePlus has always tried not to be what they are quickly becoming with each new phone release, yet it's fair to ask if we are getting as much in return for the prices we're now paying. If we look at the whole picture, I don't think anyone can deny that we're seeing OnePlus turn into what it once challenged. It's becoming another player in a really crowded field of flagship phones, many of which do have flaws. At one point, though, OnePlus stood out because of its focus on affordability and features and so we gave them a bit of a pass for asking us to settle in certain areas. But as the prices are creeping up with each release, closer to those others, I'm starting to wonder why we're still settling. And the problem there is that the phones that OnePlus phones are starting to compete with on both price and specs, aren't exactly asking us to settle in as many areas.

#TBT: Razer's $150 Forge TV Released in Mid-2015, Forgotten About by Year's End

Tim — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 12:40:42 +0000

Razer just launched its new Razer Phone (unboxing here) and it got us thinking -- when was the last time Razer launched an Android-powered product? Well, it wasn't too long ago, but it's easy to overlook because the product wasn't very popular. At CES in 2015, Razer announced the Forge TV, powered by Android TV. At that time, it was a rather exciting product, simply because it was a set-top box designed for those who wanted to play mobile games on the big screen in their living room. The package came with the box itself, plus a dedicated gaming controller, making mobile gameplay seem pretty special in your living room. In June, 2015, the Forge TV launched for $149 on the Google Store. Around that same time, Razer acquired Ouya, the makers of a struggling Android-powered gaming box. They acquired the name, hardware and gaming rights. Later in the year, the Forge TV was pulled the Google Store. This prompted the following comment from Razer in November, 2015, in which they mention "doubling-down" on Forge TV.

Following our acquisition of OUYA, we've been focused on integrating the content we inherited and building a spiritual successor to OUYA with the Forge TV. We're doubling-down on Android gaming in the living room and looking forward to producing the world's largest library of Android TV games, from AAA to indie. Concurrently, we are working to ramp-up production to address present demand and should have more news to share soon.

Near the end of 2015, Razer quietly launched a 2nd-generation (reference) of Forge TV, priced at $99, complete with Ouya's gaming library which was rebranded to the Cortex store. This device was showcased at CES in 2016, but by then, it seemed that most consumers weren't interested. Besides, NVIDIA now had SHIELD on the market and from early on it was clear that NVIDIA's take on an Android TV set-top box was commanding the category. Is any of this an indication for the Razer Phone's fate? Considering it's still early on, it's hard to say, but so long as Razer supports it well with updates and the phone is liked by those who purchase it, it should be a much different story. Speaking of the Razer Phone, be on the lookout for our review later next week. Did you own a Razer Forge TV? Did you like it?

DEAL: Verizon Now Doing Pixel 2 and 2 XL 50% Trade-In Discount + BOGO Half Off

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 10:41:01 +0000

Last week, we shared Verizon's latest Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL deal that slashed up to 50% off the phone if you traded in one of a handful of phones. We shared it because the list of phones eligible for the 50% off deal was actually pretty solid and still is. This week, though, Verizon has sweetened the deal by adding on a buy one, get one half-off bonus. So now, if you trade-in your phone and get 50% off, you can also grab a second Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL for 50% off too. Let's talk about the details in two parts because as is always the case with Verizon deals, this sh*t is kind of unnecessarily tricky.

1. 50% off with trade-in The 50% off with trade-in part of this deal hasn't changed from last week. You buy a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL on a device payment plan and then Verizon will still have you trade in a phone from a select list, which will get you up to 50% off in the form of bill credits spread out over a 24-month period. The list of phones includes the iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, Pixel and XL, G6, Z and Z2 Force, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S7. Again, it's a solid list of phones eligible for the full 50% off. So as we explained last week, this is Verizon locking you in for two years to get the full trade credit. If you plan to be with Big Red for the long haul, that's when this deal becomes appealing. For the full explainer on this, read last week's post. 2. BOGO half-off deal This is the new part of this deal that Verizon just launched. It works similar to the trade-in portion, except you don't need to trade anything else in for the second phone. What you do is buy the second Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL on a device payment plan that's also on a new line of service, and then Verizon spreads out the 50% off cost over 24 months. For both 50% off deals, the bill credits don't start until 2-3 months in, so keep that in mind if budgeting this holiday season. This particular deal is good through November 22. Also, Verizon is doing the BOGO half-off deal for a number of phones like the Galaxy Note 8, S8 and S8+, and Z2 Force.

Verizon Links:

You Can Now Create Stories Directly From Instagram's Mobile Website

Tim — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 09:57:22 +0000

For quite some time, Instagram's mobile website has been pretty barebones. You could look at photos and like them, but when compared to the actual app on your phone, the experiences don't quite stack up. Thanks to a change, which includes the ability to create Stories straight from the mobile web, things are looking better. Announced this morning, with availability said to rollout widely over the coming weeks, users who are logged into their account on www.instagram.com will see a new "Camera" icon in the top left corner of their feed. By clicking that, your browser will request access to your phone's camera, allowing you to snap photos, draw on them, then share them to your Stories. Additionally, you can now save posts you’d like to revisit later. You can access all of your saved posts by tapping the "Bookmark" icon in the top right corner of the page. If for some reason you can't access your IG app, this could come in handy. // Instagram

OnePlus 5T Specs (Official)

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 09:00:55 +0000

You've read the story now that the new OnePlus phone is official, but if you need that full list of OnePlus 5T specs to see if the phone will meet your needs and work on your network of choice, we've got those details here. To quickly recap, you are looking at a 6.0.1-inch FHD Optic AMOLED display (1080p, 2:1), 64GB/128GB storage, 6GB/8GB RAM, 3300mAh battery with Dash Charge, dual rear camera setup (16MP + 20MP, both f/1.7), Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint sensor, NFC, and connectivity on almost all of the major LTE networks across the globe sans Verizon. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 currently with OyxgenOS on top. The OnePlus 5T arrives November 21 for $499 with 64GB of storage. You can buy the OnePlus 5T right here.

OnePlus 5T Specs

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OnePlus 5T is Official, Arrives November 21 for $499

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 09:00:30 +0000

The OnePlus 5T is official and is likely the last major phone release for 2017 worth paying attention to. Like the OnePlus 3 to the 3T from last year, the 5T is an upgraded version of the OnePlus 5, only it may do an even better job at providing users with a reason to either be excited or mad. Matching up to leaks and rumors, the OnePlus 5T does indeed feature an all-display front. The display is a 6.01-inch FHD Optic AMOLED (1080p, 2:1) with various modes that you can calibrate to your liking. OnePlus also says that this new panel packs in a Sunlight Display that "adapts automatically to harsh light" to give you a better viewing experience, plus you've got reading mode and night mode returning. Since the display takes up most of the front, that means OnePlus has moved the ceramic fingerprint reader to the back-center of the phone. Overall, as you can tell from the images here, it looks exactly like a much more modern take on the OnePlus 5.

Outside of that big display, you've got a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB or 8GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB storage, dual rear camera setup (16MP + 20MP, both f/1.7), 16MP front camera, 3300mAh battery with Dash Charge, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, Alert Slider, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat underneath OxygenOS. It's got almost everything you need outside of water resistance and wireless charging. The full specs can be seen right here. With that dual camera, OnePlus actually ditched the secondary telephoto lens this time and tossed in that second 20MP shooter that also has a max aperture of f/1.7. The goal here was to create a secondary shooter that specializes in low-light photography. OnePlus says that this 20MP camera "merges four pixels into one" to help reduce noise and enhance clarity. We'll certainly test that out. Additionally, OnePlus made improvements to Portrait Mode, since that's all the rage these days with the kids.

As for the rest of the story, you've got OxygenOS again (v4.7), though the Android version is still only 7.1.1, not 8.0 Oreo. With that said, OnePlus does claim to have an updated platform that helps them deliver "faster, more consistent updates." With OxygenOS, you should still get a buttery smooth performance, gestures from the lock screen, Ambient Display, customizable navigation bar, clean Android experience overall, and a newly added Face Unlock that supposed uses 100 identifiers to make sure you are you before unlocking. Finally, Dash Charge is back again and is likely still the best fast charging solution on the planet. The phone is a GSM phone and will work on T-Mobile and AT&T. The OnePlus 5T will be available on November 21 in the US at a starting price of $499 for the Midnight Black model with 64GB of storage. A 128GB model will be available as well for $559. // OnePlus

Watch the OnePlus 5T Event Live, Right Here at 8AM Pacific!

Kellen — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 07:36:37 +0000

It's OnePlus 5T day! OnePlus is hosting a live event in NYC this morning that kicks off at 8AM (11AM Eastern) to show off the new phone. That's only a few minutes away, in case you hadn't looked at a clock yet this morning. Stay tuned for more coverage!

All Unlocked Pixel 2, 2 XL Models Appear to be Back In-Stock on Google Store

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:14:20 +0000

Having a look on the Google Store, it appears many unlocked variants of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are available for purchase right now. Over the past couple of weeks, many options have been out of stock, but if you act now, you can score a 64GB Pixel 2 XL in Black and White or even a Clearly White Pixel 2. Some options are showing shipping times of 3-4 weeks, but you can at least get an order in, which is better than nothing. We have no idea how long supplies will last, so act quick if you a need Pixel is on your holiday shopping list. Google Store Link

When Verizon Kills CDMA, That Won't Mean Open Season for Unlocked Phones on Their Network

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 16:12:46 +0000

The end of Verizon's CDMA network is something that unlocked phone enthusiasts have dreamed about for years. We have all tried to envision a world where Verizon's lengthy and expensive CDMA testing would no longer be a requirement for phone makers and all of the phones that didn't previously support that portion of Big Red's network would soon just work without interference, assuming they were able to attach to Verizon's LTE network. I hate to drop in on this Wednesday and crush your dreams, but Verizon supposedly has other plans for us. According to PCMag who attended a roundtable at Verizon's New Jersey HQ, come 2020 when Verizon shuts down their old 3G network, they aren't about to let us all hangout on their network with whichever unlocked phone we happen to be interested in at the moment. Verizon still plans try and stop unapproved phones that haven't been tested or certified for its network. Verizon says that in order to pass its network-compatibility testing, phones have to pass a 3-4 week process that involves "friendly users" in the real world, labs, drivers, and global roaming tests. Once a phone finishes that process, a Verizon SIM will supposedly then work or at least allow the phone to activate. Verizon told attendees at this meeting that the 3G CDMA network actually hasn't been a hurdle in recent years for phone makers as they have transitioned to a mostly LTE experience. In other words, they are still putting phone makers through the extensive testing I just described for LTE devices as they prepare for CDMA death in 2020. So wait, can Verizon actually stop you from slapping an unlocked phone on their network? If history provides us with anything, that depends. For one, I don't know that I fully believe that Verizon is going to stop unlocked phones from working as they transition to an LTE-only experience. I say that because phones like the Essential Phone went weeks without receiving Verizon certification, yet you could slap in an active Verizon SIM and get service out of the box from day 1. I know because I tried it. The same thing happened with the Nexus 5X and 6P and Nexus 7 LTE and others. There may also be some Block C rules in there that Verizon has to follow when it comes to being open to accepting all phones. What Verizon will do is make it difficult or impossible to walk into a store with an unlocked phone that hasn't been certified and get it activated on a fresh SIM. This is how they have operated for years. The trick here is to have an active SIM, which I know, isn't a situation that everyone is in. In the end, just because CDMA is going away in the Verizon world, don't expect it to be open season for your unlocked obsession. // PCMag

Razer Phone Unboxing!

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:43:53 +0000

We've got the Razer Phone in-house, but before we can dive into our complete review process, we need to unbox this beast. If you missed the announcement post, allow me to refresh you. The Razer Phone is priced at $699 (available for purchase now) and comes with a 5.7" QHD LCD display (up to 120Hz refresh rate), Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage (does support expandable), dual rear-facing cameras (12MP f/1.75 Wide + 13MP f/2.6), 8MP front-facing camera, 4,000mAh battery, fingerprint reader embedded into the power button, NFC, dual front stereo speakers, no headphone jack, and a pretty barebones Android 7.1.1 Nougat software experience. With all that said, check out our unboxing below, then be on the lookout for a complete review shortly in the future.

Razer Phone Unboxing

Gallery

DEAL: Amazon Hosting Pre-Black Friday Sale on SmartThings - $50 Off Hub, $100 Off Kit

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:37:04 +0000

The holiday season is always the best time to start building that smart home that you have been holding out from. And Amazon has a huge sale going on right now for Samsung SmartThings products that'll get you well on your way. We're talking about 50% off the Hub or $100 off an entire kit. For those new to smart homes, the best way to get started is typically with some sort of hub. While Google Home can act a lot like a hub, having a dedicated device like a SmartThings Hub lets you not only turn off lights and control temperatures, but it also lets you set routines and other actions that can happen through triggers. If you want to get all fancy with it, a hub like those from SmartThings is a way to go. Below, we've got all of the discounted deals lined up, including the Hub (2nd gen) for $50 off, Home Monitoring Kit for $99 off, and some additional sensors too. Plus, don't forget that smart lights, cameras, doorbells, speakers, and other smart home goods (including Google Home and Alexa devices) all work with SmartThings. To see a full list, head over to the SmartThings site.

Amazon Deal Links:

SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit - $149.99 ($99 off)
SmartThings Home Hub - $49.99 ($50 off)
SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor - $19.99 ($20 off)
SmartThings Water Leak Sensor - $29.99 ($10 off)
SmartThings Outlet - $32.99 ($12 off)
SmartThings Motion Sensor - $29.99 ($10 off)
SmartThings Arrival Sensor - $22.49 ($7.50 off)

Philo Streaming TV Service Costs Just $16 and Includes No Sports Programming

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 13:28:33 +0000

There is no shortage of streaming TV service options today. Google has their own. Sling TV is still here. Playstation and Hulu are too. DirecTV is in on it. And I'm sure there are more, those are just the handful that come to mind right away. This week, we get to add to the list a company called Philo who is doing things a bit differently. Philo launched a nationwide streaming TV service yesterday that costs just $16 per month. Yeah, you are reading that correctly. The $16 per month package includes 37 channels, but there is a second tier that costs just $20 and includes another 9 channels. Philo is differentiating themselves from the pack by focusing their channel line-up on entertainment and not sports. I'd imagine that's because channels like ESPN aren't cheap to license and so by leaving sports channels off, you get to a TV package for as low as $16 per month. The channel line-up for each tier can be seen below. You'll recognize the channels, because Philo has some good ones, like AMC, Food, HGTV, IFC, MTV, Nick, History, Travel, and VH1.

Not only is Philo silly cheap with a decent channel line-up, it also includes simultaneous playback on 3 different devices, unlimited 30-day DVR, on-demand library, live channel pausing, program restarting, and favorite showing tracking. Some TV services charge you for much of that, yet Philo is including that all at no extra cost. Philo is currently available on the web, iOS, and Roku devices, but "Android via Chrome" support is coming soon. I have no idea what that means, but I'm assuming it means Casting? Or does that really mean you'll have to watch on Android through the Chrome browser? If so, yuck. Still, $16 is pretty cheap. It also has a free 7-day trial.

Philo Sign-up

// BusinessWire

Google Opens Up New Functionality, Language Support to Assistant Developers

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 12:46:31 +0000

At some point down the road, users will be able to take advantage of changes Google is making to Google Assistant this week, including new language support, Google Home to phone hand-off, and more. Open now to developers, app creators can build apps in Spanish (US, MX and ES), Italian, Portuguese (BR) and English (IN). On top of that, in the UK, developers can start building apps that have transactional capabilities. So, if you're in one of those areas, that's good news. Now, for us here in the US, let's get to the good stuff. According to a Google post, experiences on Google Home will get very integrated with your Android phone. Thanks to a newly launched API, speaker to phone transfer will allow users to finish particular actions on your phone that started on Google Home. For example, you can start an order for Chipotle, confirm it on Google Home, then finish the checkout process on your phone. Of course, there are other examples of how this will be very convenient, but this is the one Google specifically highlights.

Much of what Google detailed today won't be seen by actual users anytime soon, since it takes time for developers to incorporate this stuff, but there is another announcement in here that should make some of this stuff more discoverable when made available. Inside of the Assistant experience on your phone, you will find new What's new and What's trending sections for better discovery of integrations. Come to papa, easy Chipotle ordering! // Google

Google, It's Time for a Pixel TV or Google Home TV Box

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 12:30:48 +0000

Look at that image above and tell me what's missing.

After sharing news of the Nexus Player gaining access to Google Assistant this morning, it really got me thinking about Google's current Android TV situation. And when I say "current Android TV situation" I'm referring to a platform that needs a new entry from Google as soon as possible. It's time for Google to release a Pixel TV or Google Home TV. From a hardware perspective, this only makes sense. For one, Google is (obviously) fully invested in hardware at this point and just unwrapped an entire line-up of goodies that covers phones, audio, cameras, VR, computers, and smart home assistants. What they don't have, outside of Chromecasts, is a media product. Again, I know they have Chromecasts and those do their thing with app integrations and often-frustrating Casting experiences, but I'm talking about a true media set top box.

Pixel TV sliding in

If you look around at the Android TV marketplace, you won't find much today. You can buy the 2017 NVIDIA SHIELD TV, which is just a repackaged 2015 NVIDIA SHIELD TV, the Xiaomi Mi Box, or a handful of TVs that run Android TV (like those from Sony). There may be some other off-brand boxes out there that no one is promoting, but that's pretty much it. It's obvious that hardware makers aren't flocking to the platform to introduce new products. Now would be the perfect time for Google to slide in with a Pixel or Home-styled box that features top tier specs, can push 4K and HDR, and works even better with Google Assistant than NVIDIA's integration. I'm envisioning a minimal product, like the Pixelbook, only in set top box form. Google could push it with free subscriptions to YouTube TV or RED or Play Music or whatever they want. It would be another Casting target from their growing line-up of Google Home units, a showcase for any and all new Google Assistant features that arrive on Android TV, and possibly push out new ideas, like better control over Google Home groups and audio experiences, since it would be a visual platform to play with, or their own take on Apple's new sports and news sections from the new Apple TV. And again, Google seems to really be pushing for Android TV apps and bigger screen experiences, like the new YouTube app, YouTube TV subscriptions, and the Google Home app revamp with a focus on media, so why not have a better product to show them off? Additionally, a Google Pixel TV box is needed because some of us just happen to like that experience over the phone-to-Casting target experience. Not that I don't appreciate Chromecast, but there is something about being able to dive into TV apps and guides and menus and movies with a traditional remote. We are a multi-screen world at this point, so if I'm using my phone for Twitter or Instagram or Facebook, I'd much rather reach for a remote to adjust whatever is on my television screen than have to leave the app on my phone and Cast.

To push new software

As I mentioned this morning, the Nexus Player and its 3-year old set of low-end specs is still seeing updates. While Google puts end-dates for updates on all of its other Nexus and Pixel products, the Nexus Player has continued on in its own lane. My assumption is that Google continues to update it because it's the only Android TV product they can call their own and release new platform builds on as they do with their phones and single tablet. That's really how Google has pushed software for years, outside of Android Wear (which probably means we need a Pixel Watch too). What I'm getting at on a software level is that while it's fun and all that the Nexus Player is still a living, breathing low-end Android TV box, it's probably time for something new with modern specs and that Android users can buy again. Sure, the SHIELD TV is a hell of an option that is reasonably priced, but it's not Google's. And that's a big deal because it means that SHIELD TV boxes, as updated as they are, still aren't running Android Oreo or the new Android TV UI that Google introduced with 8.0. In fact, SHIELD units are still on Android 7.0 and a couple of months behind in security patches. And don't get me started on the update situation for Xiaomi's Mi Box or Sony's TVs with Android TV built-in. If Google is serious about the Android TV platform and pushing the software experience forward, like say with HDR and 4K, the new Oreo UI, and better future integrations with their Home line-up and Casting, their own new product that is controlled by them is going to be needed. Relying on partners is never a good idea with this stuff.

Let's do this

So, yeah, I'm ready for it - I'm ready for Google to release a new Android TV box. I want a serious one this time too, not this low-end Nexus Player type of thing. I want Google to show us what they can really do with their TV platform (that has actually improved greatly in recent years) combined with a growing line-up of Home products. I want a more powerful or polished Google Assistant experience, and I want updates and new features and new UIs that no one else seems willing to deliver. Also, Google is making everything else at this point in order to invade your home and entertainment life, why not by fully taking over your TV too? Let's finish out the line-up, guys. Give us a Pixel TV or Google Home TV box, Google.

Google Maps UI Update Puts Emphasis on Explore, Driving, and Transit

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 11:26:17 +0000

If you're part of the Google Maps beta (and you should be), what I'm about to share may not be news for you, but to anyone not part of the beta, be on the lookout for a new look in Google Maps this week. Detailed by the Google Maps team, they are changing up the driving, navigation, transit, and explore maps to, "better highlight the information most relevant to each experience (think gas stations for navigation, train stations for transit, and so on)." To help sum up the change, you will now have 3 selectable options on the bottom of your screen, one for Explore, one for Driving, and one for Transit. Inside these sections is related content, such as public transportation times (Transit), places to grab lunch (Explore), and more. To go with this updated look, Google is changing up its coloring scheme a bit, and to help, they created a handy dandy cheat sheet. I don't expect any of you to memorize all of this, but it's good to reference, I guess.

You should see these changes over the next few weeks in all Google products that utilize Maps, including Google Assistant, Search, Earth, and Android Auto. Over time, the new look will also appear in apps and websites that use the official Google Maps API. If waiting isn't your strong suit, sign up for that beta. Google Play Link // Google Maps

Sprint Offers Free Access to Hulu for Those on New or Existing Unlimited Plan

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 10:02:27 +0000

If binge watching some of the more popular TV shows out there right now interests you, Sprint's unlimited plan may be something to consider. Announced today, Sprint will offer folks on a new or existing unlimited plan free access to Hulu, giving you all the Handmaid's Tale, Empire, and Bob's Burgers you can handle. Noted in the release, this promotion kicks off November 17. As detailed, the Hulu access you receive is the Limited Commercial option, which typically runs $7.99/month. As for Sprint's Unlimited Freedom plan, it's listed at $25/month for the first four lines, with a fifth line being free. However, that price is with "savings." Once the savings are over, which is marked for January 31, 2019, the rates go up to $60/month for line 1, $40/month for line 2, and $30/month for lines 3-5. On top of this, Sprint also teased an upcoming announcement for an upgrade option to add Hulu’s sports and news-centric live TV plan. We don't yet have pricing, but that could also be tempting for some. For more details, hit up the Sprint website link below, which provides all of the info you'll need to know. Sprint Website Link // Sprint

3-Year Old Nexus Player Now has Google Assistant Too

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 09:33:04 +0000

The Nexus Player, Google's Android TV box that was first introduced in late 2014 for $99 with a pretty low set of specs, now has Google Assistant. It runs Oreo too, by the way. The unit I keep hooked up to a monitor in my office received November's security update today and Assistant appears to have come along for the ride. Think about that for a second! This is an Android TV box with an old as hell quad-core Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB storage that runs Android 8.0 Oreo, has the Google Assistant, and is still Google's showcase device for the latest in Android on a set top box. It's over 3 years old! This thing should have been dead long ago, but Google just keeps on updating it. It's also still receiving monthly updates with factory images and OTA files. It's too bad Google stopped selling this bad boy back in 2016, because I'd still recommend people buy one if they have the chance. Not only is Google showing no signs of slowing on updating it, it still runs like a champ. I just fired off 15 or so commands with the Assistant and it responded as quickly as my SHIELD TV boxes do. Nexus Player the 👑. // h/t Android Police

Shake It Like a Polaroid: Motorola Intros the Insta-Share Printer Moto Mod, Priced at $199

Tim — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 08:39:26 +0000

Introduced this morning, the Insta-Share Printer from Polaroid may be one of the cooler Moto Mods we've seen to date. With it, you snap a photo on your Motorola device, then simply print it out and hand it over to whoever you want. Using ZINK Zero-Ink paper, you can print 2×3” smudge-proof photos, complete with adhesive backsides for sticking on surfaces. You're not limited to printing photos straight from your camera app either. Users can print photos from Facebook, Instagram, as well as Google Photos. The Insta-Share Printer will be available for $199.99 in the US at Verizon and Motorola.com beginning November 17, and will be available for pre-order at Best Buy, B&H, Fry’s and Newegg on December 6, with general availability starting December 13. As for paper refills, we have reached out to Motorola to see how much those will cost, as it's information not covered in the press release. If you still value physical photos, this could be a solid little pickup for your Moto Mod-compatible phone. Oh, and to clarify, you don't have to shake the photo. 😊 // Motorola

Razer Phone Now Available for Purchase at $699

Kellen — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 08:00:50 +0000

The Razer Phone is now up for purchase! To recap, the Razer Phone was built with gamers in mind, but also those who want a serious entertainment machine. It features a 5.7-inch IGZO QHD LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB storage (with SD slot), 4000mAh battery, DOLBY ATMOS and THX certified audio, and massive front stereo speakers. It's got classic Razer styling and offers a refreshing take on a smartphone in a sea of samesies. The Razer Phone costs $699 and is an unlocked phone that works on GSM networks, so T-Mobile and AT&T. Sorry, Verizon gamer bros. Last night, when the phone first went up for sale, there was apparently a special edition model available too, but that sold within minutes. Still, the phone is there if you want in on the first Razer Phone. If you were waiting for us to take a look at it, well, I have good news! We should have our review unit at some point today, so stay tuned for coverage. Buy Razer Phone

Verizon Galaxy S8, S8+, and Moto Z2 Force All Pickup Updates

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:53:51 +0000

The week is still young, but Verizon has already begun pushing out software updates to some of its more important phones. Over the next day, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Moto Z2 Force will all receive over-the-air updates. For the Galaxy S8 and S8+, it looks like Verizon is cleaning up a bug from the previous KRACK update that wouldn't allow devices to complete phone calls. The security patch on the update is still listed as October's. As for the Moto Z2 Force, owners are receiving the November security patch with that same KRACK patch that the S8's received. Bravo, Moto, for pushing that out semi-quickly. Here are the new software builds to expect:

Galaxy S8: G950USQU1AQK3
Galaxy S8+: G955USQU1AQK3
Moto Z2 Force: NDXS26.183-15-5

To check for the new updates, head into Settings>System updates. // Verizon [2] [3]

Action Launcher Update Introduces Adaptive Folders, Essential Phone Support

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:44:18 +0000

Action Launcher received an update today to v31 that includes a number of new features. In a blog post detailing the update, developer Chris Lacy showed off the launcher's new adaptive folders and full support for the Essential Phone before talking about how this update ushers in finalized Oreo compatibility. With adaptive folders, you are getting a similar experience to what you get with adaptive icons that are capable of changing shape. The thought here is that your folders shouldn't be left out of the shape-shifting fun and should match the design of your icon set, assuming you are that level of anal. I guess it makes sense. You can see how that looks in the GIF below.

As for the Essential Phone support, Lacy doesn't specify, but I'm assuming he means that Action Launcher now supports the weird screen shape and size (as well as the oddly shaped notification area) of the Essential Phone to give you the full, colorful experience. I didn't mention this in the opening, but he included support for Google's Product Sans font too. Finally, for Oreo compatibility, this update builds on previous Oreo enhancements by adding support for pinning widgets and shortcuts from external apps. Neat. Google Play Link // Action Launcher

You Can Sideload an Oreo Beta to the Essential Phone Right Now

Tim — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 15:07:12 +0000

Brought to our attention this afternoon, a beta for Oreo is now available for download to the Essential Phone, but you'll need a bit of ADB experience if you intend on flashing it. Listed as OPM1.170911.130, this is the first beta for the Oreo update, so you can expect some bugs. Currently, Essential lists that flashers may experience:

Increased battery drain with bluetooth enabled
Android Auto compatibility issues with some vehicles

On Essential's website, they provide a complete list of instructions for how to download, sideload, and flash the update. They also specifically state that you won't need to wipe your data, so that's a plus. If you want to give this beta a try, we also have complete instructions on ADB sideloading here. Essential is not messing around with the updates, folks. Download Here Cheers Apollo!

NVIDIA, Where is the Damn NVIDIA Spot Already?

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 13:14:45 +0000

We have seen some cool tech surface in 2017. From all-display phones to Pixel Buds and the Google Assistant built into more and more devices, it's hard not to find something to purchase that will likely blow your mind and instantly make your life easier. But still to this day, I have to admit that one of the coolest items I saw this year first arrived way back at CES in January during the event's opening keynote. I'm talking about the NVIDIA Spot, the little Google Assistant-powered wall plug that has yet to go on sale for reasons we have yet to figure out. Before we dive in, let's recap Spot. NVIDIA Spot is a $49.99 circular wall plug with a speaker and microphone that has access to the Google Assistant. Think of it as a mini Google Home that's even smaller than the Google Home Mini and plugs directly into an outlet without the need for a cable or extra shelf space. NVIDIA explained it back in January as a "tiny microphone" with "far field processing" and "echo cancellation" that doesn't have to do any heavy lifting because it sends signals to and from a SHIELD TV unit that does all of that for you. In other words, the NVIDIA Spot just relays information to you wherever it's plugged. That make sense?

I was so excited about Spot (and still am) out of the gate because as someone who continues to tweak my smart home setup, this seemed like the perfect add-on. Rather than putting $130 Google Home units in each room that all need a shelf or desk or nightstand to sit on, I could instead have $50 Spots everywhere that hide in the open through an outlet. Spot would then give my entire house access to Google Assistant to control things like music or lights or thermostats or cameras at a fraction of the price. At the time, NVIDIA showed off this vision for the future of SHIELD as the ultimate hub for your smart home. They not only unveiled a revamped SHIELD TV unit and Spot, they also talked about a specially made SmartThings dongle that would plug into the back of SHIELD units to aid in smart home control. As you all know, that product has now been released as the SmartThings Link. The other piece of the puzzle was Google Assistant launching on Android TV, and yes, that has now happened too. If you look at the progress we've made, the only item left we are waiting on is the NVIDIA Spot. So where is it?

Well, we don't know. Has NVIDIA cancelled it or is it still coming? It's still on their website with a "Notify Me" button next to it, so that's at least a positive. As for the official word from NVIDIA, Tim has reached out to them on multiple occasions and they haven't said much in recent months other than there is nothing new to update us on. We've reached out again and will update this post if we hear anything meaningful back. Of course, we now have Google Home Mini and other third party Google Assistant device options that are both affordable and probably more powerful as standalone devices than that original NVIDIA Spot concept from CES. As I mentioned above, the Spot they showed off at CES was supposed to connect to SHIELD for processing and smarts and to create a sort-of-WiFi-web around your house that was filled with Google Assistant. One has to wonder if the delays in Spot were not just related to Google Assistant rolling out, but maybe to NVIDIA re-thinking the hardware and how it might interact instead of just being a WiFi spot with a microphone. Or maybe they realize now that a price reduction from $50 is essential and that's taking extra time. Or maybe, just maybe, the slow arrival of Google Assistant to Android TV and third party devices has really been the reason for Spot silence? All I know is that I still want NVIDIA Spot, even as I've slowly added Google Home units here and there and as our phones have picked up the ability to do all of the Assistant stuff we need anyway. Who couldn't get some use out of a Spot plugged into a bathroom outlet as you take care of morning business?

Tuesday Poll: Does Your Phone Need to be Water Resistant?

Tim — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 11:51:20 +0000

I still see people say that they don't need water resistance on their smartphone from time to time. To me, that's crazy talk, because why would you not want that added layer of protection from this thing we call life? It's not like I'm out here actively dropping my phone into water, but if I can use it around the pool or in the kitchen without fear of damaging it, that seems like a major bonus to me. Also, with how well water resistance tech is being incorporated into phones these days, it's not as if you're losing out on anything hardware wise either. Remember the Galaxy S5 and its little plastic protector thingy that you stuck into the USB port to keep it watertight? Yeah, those aren't a thing anymore, so water resistance isn't affecting your hardware's design either. My point is, I'm all about that IP67 or better life, and y'all should be, too. If you're not, though, please explain to me why. [poll id="464"]

Amazon Black Friday 2017 Deals Sneak Peek Saves You All the Cash on Echo Devices

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 10:40:54 +0000

The Amazon Black Friday 2017 deals sneak peek dropped this morning and as expected, a whole bunch of Echo and Fire products are featured with big discounts. We knew some of these were coming, thanks to Best Buy and Walmart, but Amazon is almost always the best place to buy Amazon products from. We'll get $20 off the Echo Dot and new Echo (2nd gen), $30 off the new Echo Plus, and $50 off the older Amazon Tap. We will also find the new Cloud Cam at an even more ridiculous price of $99 ($20 off), and more discounts on the Fire line-up of tablets an Sticks. Outside of Amazon product discounts, Amazon will save you money on smart home products, as well as big ol' smart TVs from Sony and Samsung. Of course, this is Amazon so tech won't be the only thing discounted. To take advantage of Amazon Black Friday 2017, you'll want to have all of the proper tools aligned. You'll be able to buy stuff directly from Amazon's site, but the Amazon App will feature deals too, including the ability to watch deals and get alerts. Additionally, Amazon is bringing back the exclusive and early Alexa voice shopping deals too, and those start on Wednesday, November 22 at 5PM Pacific. Finally, Amazon says we'll see more than 30 Deals of the Day on Black Friday. Remember that in order to get some deals, plus faster and free shipping, you'll want to be signed-up for Amazon Prime.

Amazon Black Friday 2017 Deals

Amazon Echo Dot - $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo (2nd gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Plus - $119.99 ($30 off)
Amazon Echo Tap - $79.99 ($50 off)
Add smart plug to any Echo purchase for $5 ($20 off)
Amazon Cloud Cam - $99.99 ($20 off)
Fire 7 Kids Edition tablet - $69.99 ($30 off)
Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet - $89.99 ($40 off)
Fire HD 10 tablet - $99.99 ($50 off)
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote - $24.99 ($15 off)
Save up to 30% on TP-Link smart home products
Save up to $40 on Schlage Smart Locks
Save $100 on SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit
3-month Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99

You can view the full list of Amazon Black Friday deals at amazon.com/blackfriday.

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

AT&T to Bring 5G Evolution to Minneapolis in Time for Super Bowl

Tim — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 09:59:36 +0000

Announced this morning, AT&T intends to launch 5G Evolution in Minneapolis by the end of this year, hopefully granting customers with select smartphones access to faster speeds while attending February's Super Bowl. AT&T is highlighting Minneapolis because of the Big Game, but actually, the carrier intends to have 5G Evolution up and running in 20 markets by year's end. We're pretty sure that includes two markets, Austin and Indianapolis, which already have 5G Evolution available in certain neighborhoods. Now, if utilizing the 5G Evolution trifecta of technology (256 QAM, 4x4 MIMO, and 3-way carrier aggregation) is something you want to do, AT&T specifically lists the LG V30, Moto Z2 Force, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active as supported devices. If you don't have one of those phones, don't worry, because as more phones launch we are sure they will support this wireless connectivity tech, too. Get ready for the speed, Minneapolitans. // AT&T

Cricket Wireless Quietly Kills Off 12GB and 8GB Data Plan Options

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 09:33:33 +0000

Cricket Wireless tweaked its data plan line-up again by eliminating two of their bigger data options. Their 8GB and 12GB choices are no longer available for new customers, leaving us only with 2GB, 5GB and two separate unlimited plans. The change to the line-up arrives unannounced after Cricket just got done adding more data to its two lower tier options earlier in the month. Actually, the change may have been in the works at that same time, since the two unlimited options overlap the 8GB and 12GB choices in terms of pricing, it's jut that Cricket wasn't shouting out that fact. Either way, they fully removed the 8GB and 12GB choices on November 8, five days later. The 8GB plan used to cost $50 per month, while the 12GB plan was $60. For now, if you want Cricket service and need more than 5GB of data per month, you'll have to choose from Unlimited 2 or Unlimited. Unlimited 2 sounds like smartphone hell in that it only serves up always-throttled download speeds of 3Mbps. It costs $55 per month. The regular Unlimited plan costs $60 per month and is at least only throttled to the Cricket standard of 8Mbps at all times. // Cricket Cheers Tom!

ecobee Smart Thermostats Now Support Google Assistant

Tim — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 08:36:57 +0000

ecobee smart thermostats now support Google Assistant, according to a press release that went up this morning. To specify, this integration is supported on the ecobee3 lite, ecobee3 and ecobee4. With it, users can say, "Ok Google, make my home warmer,” among other commands to control their thermostats via a smartphone or Google Home. As for how you set it up, head into the Home app (Google Home), then proceed into the Home Control settings menu. From here, add your ecobee device and link your accounts, then you're good to go. It's pretty painless and once you're set up, you'll be controlling ecobee with nothing but your voice. Get on it. // ecobee

HTC and Google Cancel Standalone Daydream Headset in US, Lenovo Still on Board

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 08:10:25 +0000

The launch of a standalone HTC VR headset for Google's Daydream platform is no longer happening in the US, according to TechCrunch and now confirmed by Clay Bavor, Google's VR boss. The HTC-made headset was announced at Google I/O in May and expected to launch before the end of the year alongside another similar headset from Lenovo. The HTC part of that is obviously no longer happening, but Bavor did insist that Lenovo is still working on their product. In fact, he said on Twitter last night that he's been using a pre-release Lenovo headset and will have more to announce on that front soon. So why is HTC ditching the US? They didn't say other than that they are instead focusing on releasing a standalone VR headset powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor that will be released in China. That unit is called HTC Vive Focus and was officially unveiled today. You can read more on that here. https://twitter.com/claybavor/status/930310690077777920 https://twitter.com/claybavor/status/930310847586484224 Sad to learn this news? Were you looking forward to HTC's headset or are you fine with Lenovo still being on board? // TechCrunch

YouTube Adds Ticketing and Concert Dates to Artists Video Pages

Kellen — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 07:37:55 +0000

Starting today through YouTube, you'll be able to more easily find out if your favorite musicians are on tour, along with the specific dates and locations of each stop. If you think you might want to attend a show, YouTube will also feature a "Tickets" button that will direct you to sites for ticket purchases. To start, Google and YouTube will feature a new section just under the video you are playing that includes concert dates and other info, like the shortcut to ticket buying. You can tap on this area to explore additional concert dates or tap through to buy tickets. For now, the first partnership is with Ticketmaster, so you'll only see this new section show up under videos where the artist uses Ticketmaster for their ticket sales. For now, this new feature is rolling out in North America, but the plan is to make it available globally. Since Google is launching this initiative as an "ongoing commitment to support artists," I would imagine we could see additional ticket buying options outside of Ticketmaster. After all, not all artists use Ticketmaster.

// YouTube Blog

Over a Month Later, I'm Not Sure Best Buy has Shipped a Single 🐧 Black & White Pixel 2 XL

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:00:53 +0000

Over the weekend, a reader of ours directed our attention at a Best Buy community forums thread discussing Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. No, the thread isn't about how great the Pixel 2 or 2 XL are or how overblown all of that display drama was, instead it's 60+ pages and 600+ comments from Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL pre-orderees who still have not received their phones and have no idea when they might show up. It's actually pretty fascinating stuff. I initially started looking into the thread because it seemed as if not a single person had received a Pixel 2 XL in Black & White (🐧), but the issues weren't isolated there and affected Kinda Blue Pixel 2 pre-orders too. Not only that, but the Pixel 2 XL in Just Black may not have shipped to anyone for almost a full month from Google's opening pre-order date. That's wild! The Just Black version has been in-stock almost from day 1 and never really dropped or showed delays. But let's focus on the Black & White Pixel 2 XL for a minute, though, because this is really something. You see, after Verizon initially sold out of most Pixel 2 XL Black & White models, they have since fully re-stocked and you can basically order the device today and likely get it tomorrow or the following day. They currently have both 64GB and 128GB models in-stock, ready to ship. The Google Store, on the other hand, has a somewhat different situation. If you want the unlocked models, your only choice at the moment is the 128GB model with 2-3 week shipping. The Verizon models ship from the Google Store in 2-3 weeks as well, but you do have a choice of the 64GB version. Either way, you can order the B&W 2 XL from the Google Store and Verizon and likely getting within days if not a couple of weeks. So what's the deal with Best Buy? No one knows! If you read through page after page from the link below, you'll see that most have had no success in getting any information out of Best Buy. But think about this - it's November 13 and we're not sure that a single B&W 2 XL has shipped from Best Buy. And not that the Google Store has done an excellent job either, but we received our B&W order that was placed within minutes of the pre-order opening a couple of weeks early. I think we should assume that Google is once again struggling some to make enough of its new smartphones. This isn't surprising, but it is kind of embarrassing that Best Buy, one of their few retail partners, may not have shipped a single Black & White version of their flagship phone. It looks bad on Best Buy and it also looks bad on Google. This is not how you sell your shiny new, highly marketed phones that you want people to buy over Samsung and Apple's. You know what people are doing? Cancelling at Best Buy, ordering from Verizon minutes later, and receiving the phone the next day. Seriously, if you have a Best Buy Pixel 2 XL pre-order in and it hasn't shipped, you should cancel it and get the hell out of there. We have no idea when they are going to ship your phone. And if you were thinking about ordering from Best Buy today (because, yes, they are still taking orders for some reason), you may want to think twice about that. // Best Buy Forums Cheers Drew!

PSA: When Shooting Near LED Lighting, Pixel 2 Users May See Banding

Tim — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 15:54:23 +0000

If your ear is to the floor, always listening for the latest bug to strike the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, there's a new one making the rounds. Before you freak out and start the refund process, though, just note that we are of the belief that this isn't really a bug at all, and an update to Google's native camera app could remedy the issue entirely. So, what's happening, you may ask? As some Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners are finding out, the camera on the back of Google's latest smartphone is picking up a banding effect when shooting around LED lighting. Now, if you didn't already know, LEDs let off a flicker that isn't detectable by the human eye. However, as we're seeing with this issue, certain smartphones and other cameras can detect this effect. This means that when you're taking photos or shooting video, it looks like dark-ish lines are going through your shot. It isn't a bug on your phone, per se, but it's an issue with LED lighting in general. To solve the issue on many cameras, you need to ensure your shutter speed is set to a multiple of the light source frequency. Here in the US (using utility frequency), that means a shutter speed of 1/60s, 1/120s, 1/180s, etc. Now, another issue is, Google's native camera app doesn't allow for the manual adjustment of the shutter speed, and obviously, any type of auto detection and adjustment for this effect is not yet present. Until they either add the ability to adjust the shutter manually or build in an auto detect and correct function, you will have this issue. For best results, try moving away from the LED lights, though. According to Google's product forums, the team is aware of the issue, but hasn't directly addressed any means of solving it. Again, though, it would seem that the only course of action Google can take is to build in a camera feature that lets you tweak the shutter speed. The below video details the issue quite well with shooting in LED lighting, and because I'm no electrical engineer, I suggest you watch it. We'll keep you posted if Google makes a comment on the issue. // Google Product Forums

Google Home Max Hits the FCC

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:37:12 +0000

Since we're only a few weeks away from December, the launch month for Google Home Max, it makes sense that the product has now stopped through the FCC for all of the needed approvals. The biggest member of the Home family showed up today, to be exact, under FCC ID A4R-H0B. If that ID looks familiar, that's for good reason. The original Google Home was A4R-H0ME and the recently released Google Home Mini was A4R-H0A. You can see the ID below as it'll show on the label for Home Max.

The FCC docs don't reveal much or give 100% confirmation that this is Google Home Max, but what else could it be? The naming scheme lines up with previous Home units, it's referred to as a "multimedia device," they tested both 2.4GHz and 5GHz MIMO WiFi as well as Bluetooth, and the power requirements (100-240V) match the requirements on the Google Store's listing for it. Google hasn't provided us an exact date yet, but the Google Home Max will go on sale in December for $399. // FCC | 9to5Google

Verizon and AT&T are Building Hundreds of New Cell Towers Together

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 13:10:44 +0000

Verizon and AT&T announced today that they have entered into an agreement, along with Tillman Infrastructure, to build out hundreds of new cell towers across this great country of ours. Assuming all goes well, there could be "significantly more" cell sites in the future following this first batch to help both companies expand networks to locations where they may not currently have towers. I wish I had additional details about this involving 5G and super fast 4G LTE Gigabit goodness, but they didn't go into specifics. Execs from each company had belly-warming quotes to accompany the press release, though. They talked about reducing operating costs and reviewing other long-term contracts, as well as hanging out together to drink beer and count their billions. OK, that last part is BS, but you get the idea. Tillman Infrastructure plans to start building out the first set of towers in Q1 of 2018. // Verizon

T-Mobile's REVVL Plus Features 6" Display, Awesome Paint Job, and $200 Price

Tim — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 12:36:51 +0000

T-Mobile announced the REVVL smartphone back in August, but today, the carrier announced the REVVL Plus. The phone differs from the original REVVL in a few ways. First, it has a pretty awesome black and magenta paint job, plus a bigger 6" FHD display and octa-core processor. Other specs include a dual camera on the backside (13MP + 5MP), 2GB RAM, rear-facing fingerprint reader, expandable storage, and Android Nougat. The phone is priced at $0 down and only $9/month with an 18 month JUMP! on Demand lease or $8 down and $8/month for 24 months on a Equipment Installment Plan. Full retail price is $200. Here's the full list of specs. Specs

Camera: 13MP & 5MP RFC/8MP FFC
Battery: 3,380 mAh
Color: Special edition black with magenta accents
OS: Android N
Screen: 6” FHD IPS display
RAM: 2GB
ROM: 32GB and expandable to 128GB
Bands: CAT 4 LTE Bands 2,4,5,12 & 66
Security: Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.25 x .35 in
Processor: 2.0 GHz Octa-Core

The REVVL Plus arrives November 17, in-store and online. REVVL Plus Link // T-Mobile

Android Distribution Updated for November 2017: Oreo's Bigly Adoption Rate Continues to Impress

Tim — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 10:39:39 +0000

If you haven't yet been able to tell, we're pretty sarcastic when writing our headlines for Android Distribution updates. Adoption rates for new versions of Android are always pretty comical when compared to iOS, so it's something we embrace and poke fun at. The numbers for November have gone live this morning, and just as we expected, Android 8.0 Oreo adoption continues to soar! Last month, Oreo debuted at 0.2% of all devices. Today, it sits at a mighty 0.3%, which is a mind-boggling increase. It's huge! For the other Android versions, Nougat now sits at 20.6% (up from 17.8%), Marshmallow is at 30.9% (down from 32%), Lollipop is at 27.2% (down from 27.7%), KitKat is at 13.8% (down from 14.5%), Jelly Bean is 6.2% (down from 6.6%), and Gingerbread is now at 0.5%. Here’s our fancy graph that tracks Android distribution over a 5 year period. Last month's numbers can be viewed here. // Android Distribution

Google Home's Broadcast Feature is Rolling Out

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 09:21:05 +0000

The Google Home broadcast feature that Google showed off at its October 4 hardware event, appears to be rolling out now to Google Home units. Google posted support info for it today, describing how it'll work from both phones and Home units, as well as which software version you'll need to be one to access it. To recap, the new broadcast feature is a way for you to broadcast a message throughout your house, assuming you have multiple Google Home units in your mansion. For example, if your family needs to leave the house and everyone is off in separate rooms, you could have Google Home tell everyone to get their butts moving and out the door. You can also use it to tell everyone that dinner is ready or to go to bed, that sort of thing. An even better use might be for those times where you are leaving your office and on the way home and want to let everyone know. Through your phone, you could say, "OK Google, broadcast 'I'm coming home, baby'" and your Google Home units at home will send that message. To access broadcast, you'll need at least one Google Home unit if broadcasting from your phone or two or more if broadcasting from a Home unit. With all on the same WiFi network, you'll simply say to your phone or a Home device, "OK Google, broadcast 'Time for dinner!'" or something along those lines. All of the Google Home units in your house will then send that message out. Google adds that for some commands, like "dinner time," a bell will play instead of your scratchy voice. Google says that you'll need your Home units to be on software version 1.26.93937 or higher. I've been trying to get broadcast to work and it's not live for me yet. Feel free to give it a shot, though. UPDATE: It's now official and Google says that broadcast will start rolling out today to the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK. // Google Support | Google

Moto X4 Review (Regular vs. Android One)

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 09:01:34 +0000

From the minute Motorola announced the Moto X4, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. As a huge fan of the first three Moto X phones, yet also one who almost immediately made it clear that this phone doesn't deserve to be a part of the line, I really just wanted to see how this phone would play in Motorola's grand scheme. After all, the new Moto X4 is not trying to be a top tier phone like its predecessors and drops in at a reasonable price, all while packing in a decent set of meaningful specs. It's available as an Android One phone too - the first in the US and it works on Project Fi. I've spent the past week or so with both the regular Moto X4 and the Android One Moto X4 to try and get a feel for both. The goal was to see not only if the differences matter, but if either stood out as the better option. Without spoiling much, I'll just say for now that neither really impressed me and I'm fully ready to be onto the next phone. Sorry, Moto X fans, I don't think this is your next. Let's talk about why in our Moto X4 review. NOTE: As I mentioned, I used both the regular and Android One versions, so if something differs between them, I'll call that out below. If I don't, then you should assume the experience in that area is identical.

What's good?

Design I can't tell you the last time I had a phone in-hand that multiple people inquired about within a short review period, but that's exactly what happened with the Moto X4. Over the weekend, I had separate conversations with different family members who each asked which phone I was currently using and the reason they asked was because they thought the phone looked nice. I was using the Sterling Blue (silver/blue) model at the time and would tend to agree with everyone I talked to - this is a handsome phone. The Moto X4 is a great size for those who might not want an oversized phone, feels premium in-hand with its metal and glass body (even though no one should consider glass to be premium), sports an edge-to-edge display (from side to side, just not top to bottom), and has nice curves throughout to help it settle into your hand.

It's the shiny glass and color that help this phone standout, though. This might be a $400 phone, but it looks like a phone that could cost another $200 or $300. Sure, it doesn't have an all-display front, plus its rear camera hump won't appeal to everyone (I'm not exactly a fan). However, both Super Black and Sterling Blue versions do look great. The black carries a sophisticated sleekness, while the silver/blue model is nothing short of pretty. Overall in the design department, I think Motorola is on to something here. If they are able to capture this style and carry it through to other phones in 2018, as long as they start reducing bezels and expanding display sizes, we should all pay them some attention. Specs Motorola packed in a 5.2-inch FHD LCD display, Snapdragon 630, 32GB storage (with SD slot), 3GB RAM, 3000mAh battery, IP68 water and dust resistance, Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint sensor, and dual rear camera setup (12MP standard + 8MP wide-angle). The phone (both versions) works on all major US carriers (including Verizon) and runs Android 7.1 with Motorola's simple take on an Android skin, if you can call it that. If you were to choose the Android One version, nothing changes outside of some of the software experience. That's a pretty solid set of specs for what Motorola is pushing as a mid-to-high-end phone. I hate to call the Moto X4 a budget phone because it's not exactly acting like one. A true budget phone is something like the Moto G5S Plus, yet this phone does top that in a few key areas including design and finish, newer processor, water resistance, and NFC. Are those things worth the extra $120 you'll pay for the Moto X4 over that phone? I tend to think so. Software Like all Motorola phones these days, the Moto X4 ships with a pure Android experience along with some on-top tweaks that add value (like Moto Display, Actions, and Voice). The Android One version isn't all that different either. In fact, the only noticeable differences are the missing Moto Voice and Key options from within the Moto app on the Android One model, no option for fingerprint navigation, different phone apps, and a different color to the app drawer. Otherwise, you've got Moto's custom clock widget, the Moto Display and Actions, and clean Android 7.1.1 on both.

While there is nothing exceptional about the software experience of either phone that stands out as groundbreaking, it's again, the clean Android approach that I appreciate. I know that notifications will act properly, where all settings are, and that no terrible UI decisions have been made for me. You can still launch the camera quickly with a wrist twist, wave your hand over the phone to check notifications, and even do a little chop-chop to turn on the flashlight in a pinch.

It is a bit disappointing that both models are stuck on Android 7.1.1 and the September security patch (it's November already). Google said that the Android One model will get Oreo before the end of the year, so that's good. Unfortunately, it's already months behind in security patches and runs horribly (see performance commentary below). Battery life I don't know that I would call battery life on the Moto X4 exceptional, but it's very good. On the regular X4, my stats show slightly better than the Android One version and typically topped 4 hours of screen on time while still leaving plenty of battery to sit on my night stand until the following morning with juice to spare. On the Android One model, I was seeing similar screen on time, but I often started considering the idea that I may need a charger before going to bed.

Regular Moto X4 battery life

Either phone will get you through a full day, though, plus you have Motorola's Turbo Charging on board for quick top offs. Motorola continues to show that it knows how to get the most out of a battery.

Android One Moto X4 battery life

Price and availability At $399 for the regular Moto X4 or Android One Moto X4 (or as low as $329 for the Amazon Prime Exclusive model), I'd call the price just about right. As I mentioned above, the phone tops the Moto G5S Plus in a handful of key areas that raised the price to where it's at. Overall, I just find the fit and finish of this phone to be far superior to the G5 line like one would expect. If you compare it to a phone like the OnePlus 5 that started at $479, the conversation becomes tougher. The OnePlus 5 clearly outranks the Moto X4 in processor, RAM, display tech (AMOLED), cameras, and performance (we'll get to that on the X4). The OnePlus does cost more, though, and it doesn't have near the network capabilities or water resistance, so again, I think the X4 is priced just right. As for availability, you can buy this phone as an Android One phone from Google, from Motorola as a regular Moto phone, or Amazon with a discounted rate as long as you are OK with some Amazon ads. It works on all major US carriers and shouldn't be hard to get a hold of even if it isn't sold at any of those carriers.

What's not-so-good?

Performance I'm just going to say it - the performance on the Moto X4 sucks, and that includes the Android One version. I haven't used a phone this jittery from Motorola in years. Moto had become one of those companies that was so good at fine-tuning Android that the hiccups and stutters almost everywhere on this phone were shocking. You can see the jitters the minute you swipe open the app drawer and scroll through a list of apps. The icons almost skip as if the drawer were paginated. It'll give you a headache if you look at it for too long. Opening apps, like the camera, is a painful process too. I can't tell you how many pictures I more than likely missed at my son's birthday this past weekend as I switched between both Moto X4 devices trying to get the camera to load up. I also can't tell you how many times I tapped on an icon for an app and it sat there thinking for a handful of seconds before finally opening it.

I should point out that Motorola may be aware of how badly this phone performs because the regular Moto X4 had all animations turned off out of the box. I'm not sure if you've used a phone with animations set to 0 in a while, but it's not fun. It's an attempt to speed things up, yet all it does it disorient you as if something is missing. Thankfully, I know where developer settings are and unlocked those to turn animations back on immediately. Again, the issues here show on both phones, including the Android One model, which seems so odd since it runs an even leaner version of Android. I don't know who is to blame for that. Just know that whichever phone you were considering, it probably won't run well. I'd imagine all of this, well, jank, can be fixed, but how long is it going to take for that to happen? Camera I know you are seeing the camera listed here and assume it's awful, but it's not really. At $400, you shouldn't expect it to be great either, though. So you know, the camera apps on the Android One and regular Moto X4 are the same and provide the exact same set of features. You've got a 12MP (f/2.0) standard shooter coupled with an 8MP (f/2.2, 120-degree) wide-angle shooter. They are housed in a hump that you either love or hate (me) and are as capable as most phones that fall out of flagship levels. That's a nice way of saying that the Moto X4 can take decent photos in good lighting and outdoors, but the struggles are immediate indoors.

As I mentioned above, I took a bunch of pictures from my son's 4th birthday over the weekend and made sure I took about 4x too many. I did that because I expected most to be unusable, with blur, since the camera's shutter isn't exactly the quickest, and wanted to make sure at least some were keepers. With non-moving objects, you'll get OK results, though. I like the camera setup here because it's the same as LG's, where you get a standard shooter along with a wide-angle camera. As I've said numerous times, I like this flexibility vs. the dual camera setups that include a secondary zoom lens that most people just use for fake bokeh effects (which this camera also does). With that said, switching between the two shooters isn't easy like it is on LG phones. Instead of zooming in and out to make that switch happen, Motorola forces you to tap a button off to the left side of the camera app that isn't obvious at first. As for results, you can see a handful below. The camera is OK at capturing color, has average dynamic range, is OK in indoor macro settings but not so much when indoors and not in a close-up setting, and does a poor job at faking its way through the bokeh portrait effect. Again, you'll want to snap photo after photo because it's not the most trust-worthy shooter on the market.

Anyways, you get it - the Moto X4 camera is fine at times and not so much in others. It's not lacking features, but isn't really great at any one thing either.

Should you buy the Moto X4?

I'm not sure I would tell you to run out and do that. At $400, you should probably do what you can to spring for a slightly more expensive phone, like the OnePlus 5(T) or Essential Phone. Sure, those don't have the water resistance nor do they work on Project Fi, but the overall set of specs tops the Moto X4, as does the performance from each. And that's mostly my beef here. The Moto X4, at least on paper, has so much going for it, yet the performance side of things is such a disaster that the phone just isn't fun to use. I'm talking for both the regular and Android One models too. Poor performance is also one of those areas that can only improve with software updates. The problem there is Motorola's poor history of updating phones regularly, so you shouldn't exactly go in expecting improvements. Honestly, I'm not really sure who this phone is for. The price point is such a weird in-betweener from the $250-$300 budget range and $500-700 high-end range, that I don't know why someone would settle here. You could drop down to the much-better-performing Moto G5 line and save a couple of hundred bucks or splurge a bit for true flagship like OnePlus' latest. It's gonna be a no for me, dog.

Buy Moto X4:

Bugdroid Justice League Heroes Invade Android Pay

Tim — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:56:55 +0000

To celebrate the launch of the new Justice League movie, the Android Pay team has worked in a few new characters and animations when you make purchases using your phone. As you will see, the new Bugdroid toons are based on The Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, and Cyborg. When you make purchases using Android Pay, the little toons will do nifty animations, and you'll unlock all of the characters by making more purchases. According to Google, you won't know who you'll unlock first until you make a purchase, so if you're in a race to unlock them all, just go for it. All you need is the latest update to the Android Pay app, linked below. Google Play Link // Google

Qualcomm's Board Unanimously Says "No Thanks" to Broadcom

Kellen — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 06:46:59 +0000

Just last week, we were talking about the possibility that Broadcom might soon own Qualcomm, thanks to an unsolicited offer the company sent to the San Diego based chip maker. Today, Qualcomm announced that its board unanimously voted to reject Broadcom's offer. The press release talks about the proposal "significantly" undervaluing Qualcomm because of their leadership position and growth prospects. It also mentions Qualcomm's opportunities to create even more value for shareholders, especially as we approach the transition to 5G. So yeah, Broadcom is not buying Qualcomm unless they significantly up their offer. Even then, I'm not sure Qualcomm would bite. // Qualcomm

Weekly Recap: Pixel Buds In-House and OnePlus 5T Event Next Week!

Tim — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:04:29 +0000

Big news went down this week! The long-rumored T-Mobile and Sprint merger is officially dead, we unboxed our Pixel Buds unit, we re-reviewed the Essential Phone (that price drop, tho!), and the Saygus V2 went through the FCC. Wait, what year is it? On top of all that craziness, Google launched its excloos file management app, we learned the Galaxy S8 Active is coming to T-Mobile, and Snapchat announced a major redesign for the Android app. Also, as a reminder, the OnePlus 5T launch event goes down next week, November 16. Here's the stuff you don't want to miss!

Have a great weekend, folks!

Here's the OnePlus 5T

Tim — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 15:06:32 +0000

OnePlus is hosting an event next week in New York City where they intend to introduce the OnePlus 5T to the world. Well, the internet has officially beaten them to the punch, with ZDNet Germany posting up photos not only of the phone, but of the Reviewer's Guide, too. Yikes. The site was kind enough to post up plenty of photos of the phone, front and backside, photos of the cases that OnePlus will sell for the device, as well as pictures of the complete spec rundown. Let's talk specs first. According to these images, the device will come with a 6-inch AMOLED display (1080x2160, 18:9, 401ppi), Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM (there is an 8GB model), 64GB or 128GB of built-in storage, dual rear-facing cameras (16MP + 20MP), fingerprint reader, Bluetooth 5.0, 3,300mAh battery, Alert Slider, USB Type-C, headphone jack, and OxygenOS based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Galaxy S8 vs. Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 vs. OnePlus 5T

As for hardware, the backside of the device looks just like the current OnePlus 5, but you will see that OnePlus has placed the fingerprint reader right where we like it -- in the middle on the backside. The other difference you will see is on the frontside with its larger display with minimal bezels. While the OnePlus 5 has a 5.5" display with plenty of bezel to house the bottom fingerprint reader, much of that has been stripped for the OnePlus 5T's larger 6-inch AMOLED panel. Again, the OnePlus 5T event kicks off on November 16. Check out the photos and specs, then share your thoughts below. Are you interested? // ZDNet (German)

Google Pixel Buds Unboxing!

Kellen — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 12:07:47 +0000

The Google Pixel Buds are now available for purchase and pre-orders have begun to ship to those early adopters. Thanks to Google, we have a review pair in-house to give you a preview before yours arrive or in case you were on the fence about purchasing them. After all, these are Google's first wireless earbuds and they cost an arguably-steep $159. So we'll be diving into the Pixel Buds to checkout Google Assistant on them, decide if they sound good enough to replace your current earbuds, and to report back on things like battery life. We'll see if we can find an opportunity to test the real-time translation magic that Google has baked in as well. Before we get to all of that, though, we figured an unboxing and setup tour would be a good place to start. Here is our Google Pixel Buds unboxing!

Buy Google Pixel Buds:

Google Store
Best Buy

ESPN+ Streaming Service Coming Next Year

Tim — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 09:52:50 +0000

A standalone streaming service for ESPN, which will be known as ESPN Plus (ESPN+), is expected to launch in the spring of 2018. "The product will be accessible through a new and fully redesigned ESPN app, which will allow users to access sports scores and highlights, stream our channels on an authenticated basis and subscribe to ESPN+ for additional sports coverage, including thousands of live sporting events," Disney CEO Bob Iger said during an earnings call this week. According to Iger, the service will offer sports fans far more than they currently get through any other app, website, or channel. Sadly, what we don't yet know is whether or not this service will be offered to cord cutters or those with existing cable packages. On top of that, no pricing or additional details were provided, so what we have here is just a tease for future announcements that will likely be made at some point next year. As soon as we know more, we'll let you know, sports fans. // Engadget

Pixel 2 and 2 XL Owners Who Used Google's Trade-In Program, How's That Process Going?

Kellen — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 08:51:08 +0000

We're now a few weeks into your ownership of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, which also means that your Google Store trade-in has likely processed if you sent that off. At this point, we'd love to know how that situation is shaking out, since a couple of our readers haven't exactly had the best results there, plus there are a couple of lengthy threads over at the GooglePixel subreddit that are running into similar issues. Here's what we know today. People are getting nervous after sending in their trades because the early returns are not good. For example, after having sent in working phones that turn on and have no screen issues, users are receiving trade-in credit emails suggesting the opposite and adjustments to previously quoted values. The same thing is happening for some who are confident they completely factory reset their phones with the instructions Google provided, yet the trade-in company (Apto) is telling them otherwise and greatly reducing their trade credit. It gets worse when readers (like the one below) are sending in Pixel XL phones quoted at $400 values and receiving trade-in credit emails where Apto thinks the phone they sent is actually a Nexus 6P and worth hundreds of dollars less.

What can you do? If you haven't sent in your phone yet, I'd say that taking pictures and video of it in the condition it is before going into the return envelope is probably a good idea. Some dude sent his in with a case on it and got dinged for that, so don't send it in with a damn case on it. Google told us that they believe in their return envelopes, so that's on them if something happens during travel. Also, if you are factory resetting, make sure you remove factory reset protection even if Google's instructions aren't telling you to do so. For these guys to be able to re-sell your phone, it can't be locked to your Google account. So again, remove factory reset protection and all accounts attached to it. What if you already sent it in and did none of the stuff above? If you get an email like the one above that is a different phone or suggests damage that wasn't there, you need to contact Google support and escalate, escalate, escalate until you get the value that was originally estimated, assuming they got it horribly wrong. It might take some time, possibly a couple of conversations and an hour or more in chat or on the phone, but people are getting money back (see email below).

So let us know! How are things working out? Was everything processed cleanly or did you run into issues like we described above? What is Google doing to remedy the situation?

Walmart Black Friday 2017 Deals Include Big Google Home and Mini Discounts

Kellen — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 15:10:21 +0000

The Walmart Black Friday 2017 deals line-up is out and it has some solid tech discounts, but let's be real, I'm not sure anyone is matching the monster set of discounts that the Best Buy Black Friday list includes. Walmart has done well - Best Buy is the current Black Friday 2017 king, though. So what does Walmart have planned for 2017 Black Friday? You'll find the same discounts on Google Home and Google Home Mini that Best Buy has, which means $79 ($50 off) for regular Home and $29 ($20 off) for Home Mini. I'd imagine Google will drop them to those same prices, as will others like Staples and B&H and whoever else sells Google Home products. Walmart also has the Chromecast at $20, Samsung's Galaxy Tab E 9.6 at $139, Fitbits on sale, and cheap microSD cards. Should Walmart add more to their list, we'll update the best choices below.

Walmart Black Friday 2017 Deals

Google Home Mini - $29 ($20 off)
Google Home - $79 ($50 off)
Chromecast - $20 ($15 off)
Roku 4K Stick+ - $48 ($21 off)
Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6 - $139 ($50 off)
SanDisk Ultra Plus 64GB microSD Card - $14 ($13.88 off)
JBL Clip 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $30 ($29.88 off)
Fitbit Charge 2 - $99 ($50 off)
Fitbit Alta HR - $99 ($50 off)

You can view the full Walmart Black Friday 2017 ad here.

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Question of the Day: What Mobile Games Are You Playing Right Now?

Tim — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 13:54:44 +0000

Because Pokemon GO is no longer cool, I'm now the sole mobile gamer in the DL offices, a title that I hold proudly. Since I started playing Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, I've been on it like crazy every single day for the past few months. To say I'm addicted would be an understatement. I do find myself playing others games, too. At launch, I played Into the Dead 2, the new Monument Valley 2, and Stranger Things: The Game as well. All of those are great, but SWGOH has been my go-to for a bit now. However, once Alto's Odyssey finally drops, I'm sure I'll be on that pretty hard. What about you, though? There are a lot of great mobile titles out there, so we're curious to hear about what you've been playing. Still rocking Pokemon? Candy Crush Saga? Temple Run? Let's hear about it! Also, if there's a game you think we should write up for the site, drop it down in the comments and we'll check it out!

Qualcomm and T-Mobile Show Off Gigabit Class LTE, Highlight LAA Technology

Tim — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 11:48:33 +0000

At a media event today in San Jose, CA, both Qualcomm and T-Mobile met with press to showcase the power of Gigabit Class LTE on T-Mobile's network using Android phones featuring Snapdragon Gigabit LTE modems. Tests were performed using VR streams, file downloading from cloud storage, as well as media downloading for offline playback (movies & tv shows). As for which devices were being used, there was the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, Moto Z2 Force, and LG V30. Qualcomm doesn't specify what speeds were being reached during testing, but they did go over what type of technologies T-Mobile is utilizing, plus T-Mobile highlighted another type of advanced LTE tech they intend to incorporate into its network soon. According to T-Mobile, its LTE Advanced network now reaches 920 markets, with 430 of those markets leveraging carrier aggregation, 4X4 MIMO and 256 QAM. In addition, T-Mobile highlighted LAA (License Assisted Access), which taps into unlicensed spectrum on small cells to further densify the network for even more capacity and speed. LAA is said to arrive to T-Mobile's network this year. If you like speed, things are heating up. // Qualcomm

DEAL: Get a SHIELD TV Pro for $35 Off at Newegg, Price Down to $265

Tim — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 10:05:03 +0000

Usually priced at $299, buyers can grab an NVIDIA-made SHIELD TV Pro unit for just $264.99, thanks to a coupon code that saves you $35. The Pro model comes with 500GB of built-in storage, designed to be a media server for users who enjoy apps like Plex. Thanks to recent updates, all SHIELD TV models offer Google Assistant, and this unit does come with a 2nd-generation SHIELD Controller for all of your gaming needs. As a user of a SHIELD TV myself, I can confirm, these are the best Android TV set-top boxes available. If you're looking to do a bit of early holiday shopping, checking it out and use code NEFPRUW35 at checkout. Newegg Link

Verizon Will Give You 50% Off Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL If You Trade Some Old Phones

Kellen — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 09:13:34 +0000

Verizon is currently running a 50% off deal for the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that isn't horrible depending on your situation. It's one of those semi-sneaky deals where you have to trade in the proper phone to get the full 50% off, plus they then spread the 50% off discount out over 24 months to keep you locked to their network for the next couple of years. It's a garbage move for the most part that almost all carriers are doing these days as a replacement to the 2-year service contract you used to sign. Now, they are doing everything in their power to get you to sign the 2-year device payment contract. With that said, if you really do plan to kick it with Big Red for the long haul then this deal isn't all that bad. And I say that because the list of phones eligible for the 50% off is pretty solid. You can see the full list below, but we're talking about phones like the original Moto Z Force, Galaxy S7, and iPhone 6s all getting you 50% off the new Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. Those phones are all approaching old-as-hell status. You can even trade-in your last year's Pixel or Pixel XL too and get the full 50% off. If you don't have one of those phones, they are still offering 35% and 25% off deals for even older phones that you may have lying around in a drawer at this point. I'd imagine a few of you have a Galaxy S6 or HTC 10 or iPhone 6 you'd be willing to part with that no one in your household is using.

Alright, so to get the full 50% off, you understand that you need to trade-in an eligible phone. Alongside that portion of the deal, Verizon will make you sign a 2-year device payment plan (a 2-year contract) for whichever Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL you buy. They'll then apply a credit to your bill, spread out over 24 months for 50% of the phone you chose. So if you buy the Pixel 2 XL with 128GB storage at $949.99 and trade-in a Galaxy S7, Verizon will spread out a $474.99 credit over 24 months. In other words, they aren't just going to slap a $475 credit to your bill in a month, they'll instead slowly reimburse you. Still, this is currently the best Verizon Pixel 2 XL deal I'm seeing. It's also looking like 🐧 Penguin 2 XL is fully stocked and ready to ship.

Verizon Links:

South Park: Phone Destroyer Now Available for Android Worldwide

Tim — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 08:43:49 +0000

Teased back in mid-June, South Park: Phone Destroyer is now available worldwide for Android users. To compare this to another popular title, think Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. In this game, you collect character cards, then use these cards to form a squad which you will use in PvP battles. Each card has different abilities, meaning there are many different types of squads you can form. The ultimate goal is to collect the best cards that can shutdown any type of opposing force. This being South Park, you will find all of your favorite characters and voices in the game, as well as what seems to be a rather intriguing storyline. Just note, you may hear some offensive language, so this game is probably not suitable for your young children. The game is free to download, but is listed as offering in-game ads and purchases. Go check it out! Google Play Link

Google Makes Its Secret Files Go App Available for Download

Kellen — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 07:51:52 +0000

Files Go, the secret file manager app of Google's that was discovered earlier in the week, is now available for download on Google Play. Google's VP of product management, Caesar Sengupta, took to Twitter last night to acknowledge the app and that it had been discovered, noting that they opened it up to more people are at welcoming feedback. For those who missed it, Files Go is a smart file manager from Google that tries to recommend apps or files to clean up from your device to free up space. For those of you with 128GB phones, this may not be something you care about, but if you have a phone like the Moto X4 pictured above, this is exactly the type of app that could come in handy. Not only does it recommend unused apps to remove, it'll show you duplicate files, and cache that could use a clearing. It also has a handy file send/receive feature that can be done with another nearby phone even if you don't have a data connection. Overall, the app is simple yet does the trick by offering up storage management device. It's nice. Google Play Link

Makers of Pokemon Go Create Harry Potter: Wizards Unite for Their Next AR Adventure Game

Kellen — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:38:35 +0000

Niantic Labs, who you know from smartphones titles such Ingress and Pokemon Go, have their next project lined up and it could be another big one. This time, Niantic is focusing their augmented reality skillset on JK Rowling's Wizarding World with the creation of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. As you might expect from Niantic, the focus will be on real-world interaction to "put magic in the hands of aspiring wizards and witches worldwide." By taking over your neighborhoods, you'll go on "adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters." And that's really all we know, but I'm guessing your imagination will lead you to the potential here. For fans of Harry Potter, this is a big deal. Niantic Labs says to expect more details in 2018, so don't expect a beta launch any time soon. At this stage, it sounds like we're just beginning to build hype rather than get you ready to cast that first spell. To sign-up to be notified of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite happenings, hit up this link. // Niantic Labs

Sony Intros Redesigned PlayStation App, New PS4 Second Screen App

Tim — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 13:33:50 +0000

Introduced this week, Sony has a completely redesigned PlayStation app, as well as a new app called PS4 Second Screen. For the main PlayStation app, users will find it faster to switch between viewing who’s online, checking notifications, and keeping up with the latest activities in the PlayStation community. Additionally, the updated interface features a new PS button, which ensures the app's key features are always readily accessible. As for the new PS4 Second Screen, Sony details that you can navigate your PS4’s menu, use the on-screen keyboard, and even view extra content in compatible games, such as map and radars. Think of PS4 Second Screen like Fallout 4's Pip-Boy app that let you directly interact with the game while on your phone. Links below will take you directly to the apps on Google Play. Play Links

// Sony

US City 4G Speeds Ranked, Minneapolis Crowned Victorious

Tim — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 12:12:13 +0000

OpenSignal released new findings this morning, ranking 4G download speeds in 35 major metropoles in the US between July and September. According to the report, Minneapolis ranks the highest in terms of download speeds, coming in at an average of 21.5Mbps. Second place goes to Detroit with 20.77Mbps and third place is Seattle at 19.06Mbps. Interestingly, Texas appears to be a rather slow state, with San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Austin coming in at an average of under 15Mbps. Last ranked Las Vegas came in at 11.65Mbps, which isn't very good at all. On a more personal note, I'm happy to see Portland, OR rank in the top 15. Hooray for speed! For an in-depth look at how individual carriers perform in these markets, OpenSignal released that information in early August. Now, check out the chart and see where your city sits. // OpenSignal

T-Mobile Offers Nest Secure Pack + Nest Cam Combo With Cellular Backups

Kellen — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:18:22 +0000

T-Mobile announced this morning that it has teamed up with Nest to offer a cellular-equipped version of its new Nest Secure product. With this partnership, you'll be able to get Nest Secure that has additional cellular backup and notification capabilities powered by T-Mobile's network. According to T-Mobile, their offer includes a Nest Secure system (Nest Guard keypad, 2 Nest Detect motion sensors, and 2 Nest Tags) plus a Nest Cam Indoor for a total price of $480. To pay for it, you'll put down $240 upfront, followed by $10 monthly payments for 24 months to finish out the full cost. For those keeping track, that's essentially a $20 discount off the Nest Secure, plus a free Nest Cam Indoor ($199 value). That's not a bad price! Keep in mind that T-Mobile does require a $10 per month service plan (after $5 credit) on top of the equipment plan, so for the first 2 years with Nest Secure, it'll cost you $240 upfront, followed by $20 per month in fees (equipment plan + service fee). The $10 cellular service plan covers unlimited cellular backups for Nest Secure, as well as Nest Aware for 10 days worth of recordings on the Nest Cam Indoor that is included. How does this Nest Secure differ from the one you can by from Nest? Again, it's all about the cellular capabilities, which are built right in. With backups also happening via cellular T-Mobile connection, you'll have access to them at any time, even if the power goes out or your WiFi is down. Additionally, with WiFi down or power out, you'll still get notifications from Nest Secure, thanks to the network connection. For those curious, the Nest Guard in this special Nest Secure has a Cat 1 LTE module inside that connects to LTE bands 2, 4, and 12. Nest Secure with T-Mobile arrives November 10. More info can be found here. // T-Mobile

Best Buy Black Friday Deals Have Started, and Oh Man, There are Goodies to be Had

Kellen — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 09:57:11 +0000

It's never too early for Black Friday deals, right? Best Buy certainly doesn't think so and kicked off the yearly sales period by launching tons of deals already in the lead-up to the actual Black Friday 2017. And I've got to say, they actually have some good stuff available at the moment, plus even more ridiculously good deals for the next several weeks. In terms of Black Friday deals that are already live, we're talking 128GB microSD cards for $30 ($132 off), NVIDIA Shield TV with the controller for $169.99 (that's cheaper than the model without the controller!), SmartThings Hub for $50, huge discounts on Philips Hue items, and even the Moto G5 Plus at $75 off. You'll find the full list of the best just down below. If you don't like that early list, you'll definitely want to check out the future deals list as it includes Google Home for $80, Google Home Mini for $29, Chromecast for $20, discounts on all of Amazon's Echo products, SONOS price drops, and more. Seriously, Best Buy is going big this year.

Best Buy Black Friday 2017 Deals

Current Deals:

SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB microSD Card - $29.99 ($132 off)
NVIDIA Shield TV 16GB (with controller) - $169.99 ($30 off)
Moto G5 Plus 64GB - $224.99 ($75 off)
August Smart Lock - $149.99 ($80 off)
Ring Video Doorbell - $99.99 ($80 off)
SmartThings Hub - $49.99 ($50 off)
SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit - $149.99 ($100 off)
Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit - $59.99 ($40 off)
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus - $49.99 ($40 off)
Jaybird Freedom F5 Wireless Earbuds - $49.99 ($100 off)

The rest of the early Best Buy Black Friday 2017 deals can be found here. Future Deals:

Google Home - $79.99 ($49.01 off)
Google Home Mini - $29.99 + free $10 Best Buy gift card ($19 off)
Chromecast Ultra - $54.00 ($15.99 off)
Chromecast (2nd gen) - $19.99 ($15 off)
Amazon Echo Show - $179.99 ($50 off)
Amazon Echo Plus - $119.99 ($30 off)
Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) - $79.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Echo Dot - $29.99 ($20 off)
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Remote - $24.99 ($15 off)
SONOS Play:1 Speaker - $149.99 ($50 off)
SONOS Play:3 Speaker - $249.98 ($50 off)
SONOS Playbar Speaker - $599.98 ($100 off)
SONOS Playbase Speaker - $599.99 ($100 off)
UE Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker - $79.99 ($120 off)
Samsung Gear Sport - $249.00 ($50 off)
Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro - $149.99 ($50 off)
Huawei Watches up to $150 off
Fossil Q Gen 2 Watches 50% off
Nest Thermostat (3rd Gen) - $199.99 ($50 off)
Eero WiFi System 2-Pack - $249.99 ($50 off)
DJI Osmo Mobile Gimbal - $199.99 ($100 off)
Zhiyun Smooth-Q 3-Axis Gimbal - $99.99 ($40 off)

You can checkout the full Best Buy Black Friday 2017 ad here.

Other Black Friday 2017 Deals

Amid Awful Quarter, Snapchat Announces Android App Redesign

Tim — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 09:52:48 +0000

Snapchat's quarterlies were announced this week, and as you'd expect, they were quite quarterly. Thanks to more than tripling quarterly losses and uncountable amounts of unsold Spectacles glasses, the company's shares took a dive of nearly 20%. Unless you're a stockholder, this news doesn't affect you, but during a conference call, prepared remarks directly from Evan Spiegel (Snapchat's CEO) will directly affect Snapchat's Android app you know and love. According to Spiegel, the company is about to pour a ton of resources, also known as $$$, into redesigning the Snapchat app for Android. In doing so, it hopes to attract many more Android users.

One thing that we have heard over the years is that Snapchat is difficult to understand or hard to use, and our team has been working on responding to this feedback. As a result, we are currently redesigning our application to make it easier to use.

While a redesign does sound exciting, and could be a solid way to attract more users, Snapchat is completely aware that a huge change to the way Snapchat behaves could be detrimental in the short term.

There is a strong likelihood that the redesign of our application will be disruptive to our business in the short term, and we don’t yet know how the behavior of our community will change when they begin to use our updated application. We’re willing to take that risk for what we believe are substantial longterm benefits to our business.

The redesigned Snapchat will roll out to select markets first, then to the rest of the world. We don't yet have timing on this launch, but given it seems to be quite the undertaking, it could be a little bit before we see it. We'll keep you posted. // Snapchat

Galaxy Note 8 in Deepsea Blue Available November 16 in the US

Tim — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 08:36:20 +0000

The Galaxy Note 8 in Deepsea Blue will be available on November 16 at Best Buy and on Samsung's web store. We've actually been waiting for this color to launch ever since Samsung first detailed the Galaxy Note 8 in mid-August. At launch, the Note 8 was only available in Orchid Gray and Midnight Black, so having a new color is always fun. On Best Buy, the Deepsea Blue color appears to already be listed as "coming soon" for Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T, but we're not seeing an Unlocked listing at this time, even though we can assure you it will be there by the time November 16 rolls around. If going through Best Buy doesn't suit you, the phone will be available in all versions at Samsung.com, too. The below links will take you directly to the product listing on Best Buy. Best Buy Links

Verizon
Sprint
AT&T

Are you feeling the Deepsea Blue?

Wednesday Poll: Do You Care About Wireless Charging?

Kellen — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 08:25:35 +0000

Does wireless charging matter anymore? I know that Apple kids are just now getting on board with this technology that has been in Android phones for years and years and years, and now think it's the hot new thing, but I'm actually curious if it's a technology that matters to you, the Android fan? I bring this up because OnePlus started a conversation around the topic today as it was explaining why the OnePlus 5T won't have wireless charging. Their explanation makes a lot of sense to me in that fast wired charging is a much more efficient option that charges phones faster and more reliably. I tend to align with their thinking and look at wireless charging as a bonus feature, not one I need or really care that much about. But we certainly see those of you in the comments who can't live without wireless charging. And I get why you would want it. Being able to set your phone down on a pad or stand to have it charged without needing to fumble over a cable is pretty handy. Also, a wireless charging stand allows you to easily interact with your phone as it charges, unlike the experience you get when plugging it in and setting it on your desk. When you consider Samsung (and now LG some too) is using a faster wireless charging than most, it's hard to argue that there aren't benefits to wireless charging. Unfortunately, there are few companies including the tech these days. Samsung has for as long as I can remember, and now LG and Apple are, but Google isn't and probably never will again. HTC doesn't use it. The Essential Phone doesn't have it. Motorola doesn't really use it outside of Moto Mods. We're at the point where if wireless charging is a feature you need in a phone, your options are limited. How do you feel about that? Let us know your thoughts on wireless charging. [poll id="463"]

Check Those Inboxes: Google Home Mini Codes Going Out to Pixel 2 Buyers

Kellen — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 07:52:03 +0000

When you pre-ordered your new Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, you likely did so knowing that you'd be receiving a free Google Home Mini too. At the time of order, especially for those first early orders, Google said to expect redeem codes or emails to arrive within a few weeks. Here we are a few weeks later and those emails are now arriving for free Google Home Minis. This is a reminder to check your spam boxes should the email have skipped on by your inbox. Once you find the email, the instructions are pretty straight forward. All you do is click the big "Redeem now" button within the email to take you to the Google Store, add any of the three colors of Google Home Mini to your cart (including "exclusive" Coral), head to checkout, and you should see the full $49 discount applied there. As long as you choose the free shipping option, your Google Home Mini won't cost you a thing. Get to it!

Essential Phone Grabs November Security Patch Already, Fingerprint Bug Fix

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 15:25:51 +0000

Andy Rubin's Essential Phone is already picking up the November security patch that Google just dropped yesterday on Pixel and Nexus devices. The update only weighs in at 57.4MB, but it also includes fixes for fingerprint related issues that arrived with the previous update. I'm hoping it revives the dead fingerprint sensor on my white version that support told me was a known bug as well (Update: It did! Update 2: And then it died again. Getting a replacement phone.). The new build is NMJ32F and is still Nougat, obviously. To grab it (because it is live), head into Settings>About phone>System update. For those who missed our post yesterday, because I know someone will ask - yes, the Essential Phone is 100% worth considering right now. I've been using it again for most of the past week and haven't tired of it at all. I really like this phone a lot, outside of its below-average camera. But it's things like this (fast security updates and bug fixes) that have made it a phone I can't put down. Oh, and the beautiful hardware. Best Buy still has the phone priced at $449, which is $250 off retail. https://twitter.com/essential/status/928032693211635714

DEAL: Samsung's New Gear Sport Smartwatch Already $30 Off (Just $269)

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 14:58:01 +0000

Samsung's Gear Sport, their newest sporty smartwatch that debuted a little over a week ago, is already discounted at most retailers. You can currently find both the black and blue models at Samsung's store, Amazon, and Best Buy for $30 off. With that discount, you will only pay $269.99 for a smartwatch that ticks most of the boxes. To recap, the Gear Sport features a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, 5ATM water resistance, NFC for Samsung Pay, 300mAh battery that lasts for days, heart rate monitor and GPS, rotating bezel, and compatibility with both Android and iOS devices. For those not familiar, Samsung's Gear line is no longer a Galaxy exclusive line. That's a pretty good deal if you are in the market for a smartwatch.

Gear Sport Deal Links:

Twitter's 280 Character Limit is Ready for You!

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 13:39:21 +0000

The 280 character Tweet limit that Twitter began testing for a small group of users back in September is now ready for almost everyone. Twitter announced today that "all languages where cramming was an issue" will see the doubling of the character limit from 140 to 280 characters. Twitter said in a blog post that during testing, most people with the 280 character limit didn't Tweet all that much with the full 280 characters. Instead, most Tweets were under 140 characters, but having the higher limit did allow users to Tweet more often when they had something longer to say. And since that was the goal of the limit change, Twitter is satisfied and wants us all to have such freedom. Those who Tweet in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese will keep the 140 character limit, since cramming all that needs to be said into a single Tweet isn't an issue for them. The rest of us, well, we're getting 280 whether we like it or not. // Twitter

Look! Saygus V2 Did Actually Show Up at the FCC!

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:24:48 +0000

As much as I would love to never talk about Saygus and the V2 phone again (that's probably a lie - talking about disasters is fun), we can't quit until we see this thing through. And guess what? After supposedly clearing the FCC a couple of months back, the phone actually showed up there this week with official FCC documentation! Did we learn anything fun? Well, some stuff seems different for sure! Also, we do have some fresh photos of the phone and we get to see which bands Saygus tried to get cleared. Ready for this?

In terms of specs, we can see that the phone that was tested is still running a Snapdragon 801 processor (MSM8974), even though the V2's specs page now says it'll run a Snapdragon 835. The battery has now been bumped up to 3200mAh from 3100mAh. The phone is still running Android 6.0.1 (not 7.1.2 as the specs suggest), which is about as old as the processor inside and we know that the model number is SG02. Here's a look at a couple of diagrams from the user manual:

I'm a bit confused about the network situation. You see, Saygus said from the beginning that the phone would work on GSM/CDMA/LTE and they appear to have followed through there. The odd part is that while this phone will work on your typical GSM and CDMA bands, the LTE support is severely lacking, unless I'm missing something. According to the documentation, the FCC only testing this phone for LTE bands 2, 4, and 12.

We still don't know if Saygus ever plans to try and sell another phone again, including this one. In fact, at least one commenter at this post is under the impression that they basically closed up shop a long time ago and are never in their offices. That's all in addition to their Twitter account going silent for two months after they told us about the FCC, only to light up again last week with some weird futurism Tweets. If anything changes, we'll let you know! // FCC | Liliputing Cheers Nick T!

5 Reasons the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Are Worth Buying

Tim — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:46:34 +0000

We've already discussed how this has been one of the best year's for Android phone buying and we mean it. Each major Android OEM has launched a flagship worthy of your money. As a consumer, this is a good thing, unless you're out here trying to save money, then it can be pretty tough. In this particular post, we'll outline 5 reasons why we think Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are worth buying. If you already read our complete review, you'll know these devices are real contenders for Phone of the Year. With them, you get an excellent camera, fast software updates, plus a whole lot more. Here are 5 reasons the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are worth buying.

1. Camera

We can't find enough good things to say about the camera inside of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. In shootouts against other 2017 flagship devices, the Pixel 2 proves it's a highly capable and versatile shooter, one that has me reaching for it all the time when I'm outside and in need of shot snapping. Whether you're in a dark environment or have sunlight blazing down, I've found that the Pixel 2's camera performs well in nearly any circumstance. Obviously, the rear-facing 12.2MP camera sensor itself has a lot to do with its capability, but Google's image processing almost seems unmatched at this time. Let's take Portrait Mode as a quick example. From what I've seen, the Pixel 2 dominates this widely-used mode, even beating out the Apple iPhone X in side-by-side testing. In most shots, not just those in Portrait, color accuracy is retained, exposure levels are nearly perfect, and noise is very limited.

Portrait Mode Off vs. Portrait Mode On

If you'd you like to see more sample shots from the Pixel 2, check out the aforementioned shootout (linked above) or our complete review. We really dive into the cameras and can assure you that they are the real deal.

2. Software Experience and Updates

As a reviewer of smartphones, I am constantly jumping from custom OEM skin to skin, and each year, the hardest one to put down is Google's. Now, you may think that the Pixel 2 and 2 XL are running what is essentially stock Android, and while you could label it as that, it's really not stock at all. Google has tweaked vanilla Android very much so on these phones, creating a feature rich experience that won't ever have you missing Samsung or LG's user interface. Whether it's the Now Playing feature that identifies background music and displays it on your lock screen, Google Lens, Active Edge, or any number of the custom additions we outlined in our complete review, the latest Pixel phones feel like complete packages from Google. And speaking of "from Google," now would be a good time to highlight the updates for this phone. When you buy a Pixel, worrying about receiving updates is never a care, because you know they will come in a timely manner and directly from Google. According to them, these phones will have 3 years of major OS upgrades, which means at some point, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will run Android R. If you want a phone that's going to last, these seem like a good choice.

3. Pixels With Water Resistance

It took quite a while, but at long last, the Pixel phones from Google sport IP67 water and dust resistance. Now I know some of you don't appreciate water resistance as much as us, but once you have it, it's hard to look at phones that don't have it the same way. It's like an additional layer of protection from the B.S. that we call everyday life. You never plan on dropping your phone in the toilet, it just happens. You don't mean to spill that glass of water on your phone, it just happens. It's easy to not recognize its importance until it's too late, so the fact that these phones feature IP67 is a major bonus that hopefully you never have to benefit from.

4. Size Options, Same Features

Unlike other companies, where some features are withheld for the larger of two devices, the feature list for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is the exact same. Everything you find on the larger Pixel 2 XL can be found on the Pixel 2, making your choice as the consumer come down purely to size. Do you want a bigger display? Then get the 2 XL. Do you want something that fits more comfortably in your hand? Get the Pixel 2. The point is, regardless of which phone you choose, you're not missing out on anything and I think that's the best method of showing you're a buyer-friendly phone maker.

5. This Hardware is Nice

We've been fortunate to have both the Pixel 2 and 2 XL in the office, and in terms of smartphone hardware, this is some of Google's best. Last year the phones had a very metallic feel, but this year, the hardware reminds me very much of the HTC-made One X from a few years back. While that phone was mostly matte plastic and these are metal, that same type of textured, somewhat grippy feel is on these devices. The Black models have a more coarse feel than the White found on the 2 XL, which comes off as more smooth and slippery to the touch. As for which one you'd enjoy, that's a personal preference, but I think both are phenomenal to hold and use. Speaking purely about the Pixel 2 XL, which is currently my daily driver, the phone is just cool to look at and to hold. The curved front glass grows on your very quickly, and even though it comes with a very large 6.0" display, it never seems overwhelming in terms of size. And thanks to the design, you get minimal amount of bezels on this phone, as well as dual front-facing speakers. While you do get front-facing speakers on the smaller Pixel 2, too, the bezels are quite a bit larger. If you haven't yet, I'd highly recommend heading to somewhere that these devices are on display and getting them in your hand. Seeing is believing, so don't just take my word for it.

Considering another phone? Feel free to take a look back at 5 reasons to buy other phones, like the Galaxy Note 8, HTC U11, or LG V30 in previous installments of this ongoing series.

Google Starts Sharing Additional Pixel and Nexus Improvements Baked Into Monthly Security Patches

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 09:19:22 +0000

Along with yesterday's November security patch, Google began sharing specific changes made to their Pixel and Nexus line-up through a separate bulletin. In this bulletin, Google not only points out the security vulnerabilities that were addressed for Pixel and Nexus, they also share "functional updates" that were included. These updates aren't security related and are instead changes to Android that could fix Bluetooth bugs, improve the camera, that sort of thing. Google also included last month's Pixel/Nexus bulletin, but it doesn't have anything listed at this time under this new "Functional updates" section that we'll certainly be paying attention to going forward. Should you have ever accepted a monthly update in the past and wondered what else Google tweaked, we'll now have a place to go look instead of just guessing. So what's new in the November update for Pixel and Nexus devices? We've included the entire table below, but you can see that Google made a bunch of Bluetooth adjustments (connection pairing and info display in carkits), a couple to the camera (improved autofocus), and also overall application stability. [table id=93 responsive=scroll /] I like it. Thanks, Google! // Android

LG V30+ Hits T-Mobile on November 17

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:34:59 +0000

Sprint's exclusive on the LG V30+ will come to an end on November 17. T-Mobile is the latest carrier to pick-up the special V30 model, but they are suggesting they'll only have a limited quantity of it. What is the LG V30+, you ask? It's the LG V30 with 128GB of storage and a special pair of QuadPlay ear buds. That's it. Those are the only differences. You still get the same set of specs, including that dual camera setup, Snapdragon 835, water resistance, and 6-inch POLED display. The LG V30+ at T-Mobile will cost $130 down followed by $30/mo payments for 24 months. // T-Mobile

Google Search and Maps Now Show You Estimated Wait Times at Restaurants

Kellen — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:01:25 +0000

It has been almost a year since Google began showing their Popular Times feature in Google Search and Maps, so today, they are adding an additional bit of information to it. As you search for your favorite restaurants in Google, you'll now see estimated wait times along with the busy indicator. In order to see the new estimated wait times, you'll simply tap on the hour bars in the Popular Times section, as can be seen in the image above. So not only will you be able to see the times a restaurant is busy or if it might be busier than usual at the moment, you'll also know just how long you might have to wait for a table should you show up. Google says that you should start seeing this new addition show up for "nearly a million" sit-down restaurants around the globe. // Google

Galaxy S8 Active Headed to T-Mobile and Sprint Later This Month

Tim — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 06:00:11 +0000

The Galaxy S8 Active is headed to more carriers, ending the exclusivity AT&T has had on the device. Announced this morning, Samsung's rugged S8 Active is coming to T-Mobile and Sprint later this month, with exact availability and pricing not yet shared. Expect T-Mobile and Sprint to announce that info soon. UPDATE: T-Mobile says to expect the phone online on November 17 and in "participating" stores November 22. The S8 Active at T-Mo will cost $100 down, followed by $30/mo payments for 24 months. You'll be able to buy the phone at this link. For specs, the S8 Active features a shatter resistant 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED Display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, 4000mAh battery (with wireless charging), 12MP f/1.7 Dual Pixel rear camera, 8MP f/1.7 front camera, Bixby, and an outer shell made of military-grade materials that is shatter, dust, and water resistant (MIL-STD-810G). Once T-Mobile and Sprint share pricing and the exact time you can grab one, we'll let you know. // Samsung | T-Mobile

November's Pixel 2 XL Update Adds Color Profiles, Nav Bar Dimming (Pixel 2 Too)

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 16:47:16 +0000

Google tucked a couple of unexpected surprises into the November security patch for the Pixel 2 XL, which just went live as an over-the-air update. To take care of a couple of display complaints, Google included a new Colors section in display settings that lets you adjust the phone's color profile, plus they added in a fading navigation bar to address any burn-in concerns. NOTE: These new features are included in the Pixel 2 builds as well. Google told us these two adjustments were coming and we even saw the fading nav bar show up in the Android 8.1 beta. We weren't exactly expecting both in a regular monthly security patch, though. The Saturated color profile that adds a punch to the colors of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL can be found in Settings>Display>Advanced>Colors. Once in there, you can choose from Boosted, Natural, and Saturated. Boosted is likely the Vibrant setting that came with the phone out of the gate, while Natural is likely the sRGB-tuned style that Google would rather you use. Saturated will be less accurate overall, but potentially more pleasing to your eye.

As for the new fading navigation bar, well, you don't have to do anything to activate it. In fact, it's not a mode, it's just the way the navigation bar works now. When in apps or moving around the OS, if you don't touch any of the navigation buttons for a few seconds, they'll do a subtle fading shift. This should help prevent any long-term burn-in, Google hopes. To check for the update, head into Settings>System>System update. And yes, the update is live right now even if the factory images and OTA files from Google do not currently exist for public download.

This Google Pixel 2 Commercial is Pretty Good

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 15:00:26 +0000

Commercials are commercials, but this is a solid effort here by Google for the Pixel 2. We often talk a lot about lousy commercials that forget to show off the products being sold in favor of robots and other crap, including celebrities. But this lengthy spot seems to do a bit of both, while adding some fun. Everyone enjoying their Pixel 2?

Checkout This Google File Manager App You've Likely Never Heard Of

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 14:33:03 +0000

Google has apparently been testing a file manager app called Files Go that is currently listed on Google Play as an unreleased app. That means you can't install it or anything because it was likely released only to a limited group. However, the file is now floating across these fine internet waves and is available, should you be interested in checking it out. Files Go is actually a pretty cool little file manager. It's basic goal is to help you manage storage by offering up suggestions of files, apps, images, cache, etc. that you might want to consider deleting to free up space. When you load the app up, it refreshes to see if there are areas it could help you improve upon. From within each section, you'll get to pick and choose files or apps to remove and then receive a sort of "Congratulations!" after it completes the task. Where I think the app is a big deal is in its ability to share files with another person, even if you are offline. There are send and receive buttons in the Files section of that app that allow you to directly connect to another person to send files to. I just tried it and it works about as neatly as you imagine, plus it keeps a list of all of the files you've received. Again, the app isn't released publicly yet, but the .apk file is around if you look in the right places (like below). Google Play Link | APK File // TuttoAndroid

A Fresh Look at the Essential Phone: Worth It Now?

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:54:51 +0000

When I wrapped up reviewing the Essential Phone back in early September, I told you guys that even though it had some pretty critical flaws and you probably shouldn't buy it, that it was a phone I didn't want to put down. That's a first me, as someone who reviews phones for a living and typically can't wait to move onto the next one, especially when the phone I've finished talking about hasn't reviewed all that well. You see, the Essential Phone, even with its poor performance and below-average camera, might have the best hardware and design in the business right now. It's a phone that feels incredible in hand and clearly tricked me into needing more of it in my life, flaws and all. Since that review, though, Essential has issued multiple updates to both the camera and software, plus the company dropped the price by $200, from $699 to $499. Because of those happenings dramatically changing this phone's story, we decided it was time to get it back in hand and take it for another spin. After all, I'll never say no to a chance to play with this hardware some more, but the thought of having better software and camera is something we needed to explore further. Here are some fresh thoughts on the Essential Phone.

Hardware

It's still as good as ever. The titanium body and ceramic back, coupled with this unique all-display front design really do make for an attractive phone. I'm sure some of you still hate that front camera notch at the top, but it has never really bothered me. While there is a solid black block of bezel at the bottom of the phone, the way the display carries all of the way up to the top front curved corners offers a uniqueness that no other phone really does. This is one of those phones that just looks cooler than everyone else's. As I mentioned in my review, there is a nice weight to this phone that almost makes it feel heavier than you would expect. It's not that it's a bad weight, just for the size of the phone, you don't expect this heft when you grab it. But there really is a dense feel when you pick it up, pull it out of your pocket, whatever. It's a constant reminder of the luxurious nature that Essential was trying to evoke when they slapped the original $700 price on it. Samsung and LG and Google phones all have a lightness to them, thanks to their aluminum bodies. They don't feel cheap by any means, but when held side by side with the Essential Phone, there is a difference that is noticeable that I really appreciate. I'd also point out that this phone has somewhat of a retro vibe to its body. It's a rectangle with flat edges all around. In a way, it reminds of the iPhone 4 and 5 period of time, where the goal wasn't yet to make the most curvaceous phone around. This is the opposite of what Samsung and LG are doing, where they are trying to mold glass and metal together to create a seamless design experience. Essential purposely made this have edges and I kind of really like it. I don't even know why, because it is in no way as comfortable to hold as the Galaxy S8. Maybe, again, it's just because it's different. Be together, not the same, right?

Software

So the software, now that the phone has received multiple updates, is much better. I'd love to be able to tell you that it is flawless and the experience rivals that of the OnePlus 5 or Motorola's phones or the Pixel devices, but it's not on that level yet. A lot of the touch responsiveness, scrolling lag, and overall jitters have been reduced or greatly improved, though. The Essential Phone is no longer frustrating to use. I'm still seeing slowdowns throughout a day, where I have to clear all running apps from the app switcher, plus I experienced at least one full freeze-up that required a reboot over the weekend. Again, these issues have been improved upon, but they are still present a couple of months later. I'd also point out that on the white Essential Phone I have here, I thought the fingerprint reader died on it after having been out of the box for all of 10 hours. I say that because the fingerprint reader just stopped working and all software related to it disappeared from the phone, almost as if it no longer registered the component. After talking with support, they told me that this was a known bug from the latest software build and that they are working on a fix. While that's great that Essential is already working on a fix, we're talking about the fingerprint reader completely dying after a software update and a fix potentially weeks away. That's kind of bad. Couple that with the fact that Smart Lock almost never works on the phone and I'm stuck in 2009 entering in PINs and passwords to unlock my phone. Overall, I do enjoy the software here because it is bare-bones, stock Android without any fluff at all. To this date, Essential is still customizing none of it and only includes their camera app. If you like the purist form of Android, this is it. It uses Ambient Display, a launcher that looks like the old Google Now Launcher with access to Google Now off to the side, and notifications that haven't been messed with. It should get Oreo pretty quick here too, at least in the form of a beta. So yeah, the software has gotten a lot better in terms of performance and stability, but it still has a few bugs and Essential is clearly still finding their groove in squashing them all. The experience has come a long way.

Camera

Alright, camera time. Has Essential been able to improve the camera's photo taking abilities and camera experience? Without a doubt, the camera app that Essential includes has been improved enormously. That's not saying much since the app used to crash, freeze, miss touches on the shutter button, and overall perform like an app created by a 7th grader learning to code. Now, it opens pretty quickly, can snap multiple photos without much of a hiccup, and hasn't crashed on me since I started re-testing it. It's still a pretty weak app, though. The HDR mode is super slow since it takes its time snapping two photos to process together, there are hardly any other settings to adjust (definitely no manual mode), and it still won't remember that you turned flash off as you switch back and forth between regular mode and HDR. It's a poorly made camera app, what else is there to say? Oh, you should just use Google's Camera app that can be found over at XDA. What about the photos it takes? Uhh, I think it certainly can take a decent picture from time to time. In fact, most of the photos you see below (that I hand selected), are pretty solid. The problem is that the camera is pretty slow to focus, often times doesn't focus on the correct object without you touching-to-focus, and is mostly terrible in low light. In other words, I'm here to tell you that the camera is still the weakest part of the phone and I'm not sure it's ever going to get much better. If you use the Google Camera app I suggested above, your results will probably be much better than if you use the Essential camera app, that's for sure. Here are some recent samples. Honestly, I can't remember which was taken with which camera app, but most were with the Essential app to give it the fairest shake, since that's the camera app Essential ships on it. You'll see solid shots in good lighting, but an instant deterioration of image quality once I tried to take anything indoors. Also, keep in mind that I often had to take multiple shots in order to get one that was in focus.

Essential Phone: Now worth it?

Is the Essential Phone now worth considering? It really is at $500 (or $450 at the time of this post). You are competing with OnePlus at this price point, rather than Samsung and LG and Google, which makes sense since the total package doesn't really add up to what those companies are offering. I'd argue that the hardware and design are better than OnePlus', but that the camera is a touch below that of the OnePlus 5 and the software experience similar, though it hasn't been quite as fine-tuned as OnePlus' phones nor does it have the extra customizations. Would I choose this phone over something like the OnePlus 5? Probably, and that's because I love the hardware and design so much, plus I appreciate the ultra-bare-bones software. It also works on Verizon, unlike OnePlus phones. But I'd do so knowing that the camera experience is going to be somewhat frustrating, probably forever. In the end, the Essential Phone is now a really solid phone, thanks to updates, at a heck of a price that has to be on your shortlist if your budget tops out at $500. Do I think you should choose this over the Pixel 2 or Note 8 or V30? Eh, probably not if you care about taking great photos. This might not be the worst camera in a smartphone, but it is no where near the top. If hardware is what you care about, then sure, you'll be happy with your decision.

Download: HTC U11+ Wallpapers

Tim — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:35:15 +0000

While the U11+ from HTC isn't coming to the US, we can at least enjoy its wallpapers. 😐. Inside of a zip that is downloadable to any device you'd like, there are 21 wallpapers directly from the U11+, all listed as 2880 x 2880. That should be plenty of resolution for any phone you're using. Below you will find a few resized samples, just to give you an idea of what to expect. The .zip file linked below is only about 40MB, so go check it out if you want some fresh wallpapers. Download Here // @LlabTooFeR

November's Android Security Update Goes Live With Factory Images for Nexus, Pixel (Updated)

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 10:25:06 +0000

Google just posted the Android security update for November 2017 and the files are already live for a number of devices, both Pixel and Nexus. So far, we are seeing 8.0.0 files for Pixel 2 (OPD1.170816.025, OPD3.170816.023, OPD1.170816.018, OPD2.170816.015, OPD3.170816.016), Pixel 2 XL (OPD1.170816.025, OPD3.170816.023), Pixel and Pixel XL (OPR1.170623.032, OPR3.170623.013), Pixel C (OPR1.170623.032), Nexus 6P (OPR5.170623.011), Nexus 5X (OPR6.170623.023), and Nexus Player (OPR2.170623.027). No other devices, including the Pixel 2 XL have updates just yet. UPDATE 11/7: We've got more files including those for the Pixel 2 XL. We've added throughout this post. As for notes, Google says that device or carrier specific updates are as follows:

Pixel 2 (General): OPD1.170816.018
Pixel 2 (DTAG): OPD2.170816.015
Pixel 2 (Verizon): OPD3.170816.016
Pixel 2 (EMR): OPD1.170816.025
Pixel 2 (Verizon EMR): OPD3.170816.023
Pixel 2 XL (EMR): OPD1.170816.025
Pixel 2 XL (Verizon EMR): OPD3.170816.023
Pixel/Pixel XL (General): OPR3.170623.013
Pixel/Pixel XL (Fi/Canada): OPR1.170623.032

You can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. As more files arrive, we’ll update this post. Links:

Disabling Bixby Now Completely Disables the Bixby Button

Tim — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:34:56 +0000

Thanks to the latest Bixby update, when you disable Bixby, it completely disables the physical Bixby button on your Galaxy phone. Believe me, this is huge news. In September, Samsung rolled out the ability to disable Bixby, but sadly, the Bixby button still functioned to open up Bixby Voice. With this update, when you disable Bixby, the Bixby button won't respond in any way should you press it on purpose or by accident. If this is something you'd like to do, simply open up your Bixby settings menu, turn off Bixby Voice and set your Bixby Key to "Don't Open Anything." It's November and we're still talking about disabling Bixby, but with this update, let's hope we don't have to ever again. // SamMobile

OnePlus 5T Arrives November 16, You'll be Able to Buy It November 21

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 09:13:20 +0000

OnePlus announced this morning that the OnePlus 5T will be unveiled on November 16 with sales opening up on November 21 here in the US. To watch the event, OnePlus will host a livestream as well as a live keynote in Brooklyn at 11AM Eastern (8AM Pacific). For those keeping track, this is the first time that OnePlus has hosted a live keynote to unveil a new product. Their previous launches were all pre-recorded productions, including that one time they attempted to do a show in virtual reality. If you are interested in attending the event in Brooklyn, you can buy tickets on November 8. Tickets cost $40. You'll find more info on tickets and the event at this page. OnePlus didn't dive into details of the new phone, only suggesting that they have plenty of "new features and improvements" to share since the OnePlus 5. They also released the teaser video below. // OnePlus

Monument Valley 2 Now Available for Android, Costs $5

Tim — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 08:24:36 +0000

Right on schedule, Monument Valley 2 is now available for Android. In mid-October, the developers gave us this specific November 6 launch date, ending the iOS exclusivity period. If you somehow never played the first Monument Valley, which could easily be labeled as a Top 10 Android game of all time, it's a puzzler that revolves around architecture. This new installment centers on a mother and daughter, and during the adventure, you'll learn all about Sacred Geometry (universal patterns used in the design of everything in our reality). Now, while the game looks gorgeous, it is priced at $4.99. The upside to this is that there are zero in-app purchases. The downside is that you'll have to choose between this game and your morning mocha cappuccino. I know, tough decision ahead. Go get it! Play Link ($4.99)

Broadcom Wants to Buy Qualcomm for $105 Billion

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 07:42:28 +0000

Over the weekend, Qualcomm acknowledged that it had received an unsolicited offer from Broadcom to acquire the company. The offer from Broadcom is valued at around $105 billion and would be the biggest technology takeover deal ever. Qualcomm hasn't accepted the proposal by any means and will instead now assess it with their board of directors and decide if it's the right move. If Broadcom were to acquire Qualcomm, they would become the third-largest chipmaker behind Intel and Samsung. The move could also help Qualcomm and Apple sort out their current licensing issues around the globe, since Broadcom likely has a better relationship with the Cupertino giant. That's not a guarantee, of course. What would this mean for the smartphones we use? For now, probably not much. ~~Qualcomm is still Qualcomm and would still be doing the same Qualcomm things even if Broadcom owned them. They are still the largest mobile phone chipmaker and I can't imagine this would change that~~. EDIT: PCMag has a great write-up on what might actually happen if Broadcom buys Qualcomm. In short: it might be horrible for innovation and all of us. Still, $105 billion is kind of a big deal. // Bloomberg

T-Mobile and Sprint Formally Call Off Merger Discussions

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 06:49:43 +0000

It's hard to imagine that we are done for good this time, but T-Mobile and Sprint have (for now) formally and officially called off merger talks. T-Mobile released a statement over the weekend acknowledging that the two companies "were unable to find mutually agreeable terms." In recent weeks (months?), it seemed an almost inevitable conclusion that the two would announce that they were merging. Then within the past week or so, talks broke down as SoftBank (Sprint's parent) decided it didn't want to give up control to T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom. I guess this means a supposed last ditch effort by T-Mobile's John Legere to salvage the deal didn't work out. Either way, the deal isn't happening at this moment in time. Below is the statement given by John Legere:

“The prospect of combining with Sprint has been compelling for a variety of reasons, including the potential to create significant benefits for consumers and value for shareholders. However, we have been clear all along that a deal with anyone will have to result in superior long-term value for T-Mobile’s shareholders compared to our outstanding stand-alone performance and track record,” said John Legere, President and CEO of T-Mobile US, Inc. “Going forward, T-Mobile will continue disrupting this industry and bringing our proven Un-carrier strategy to more customers and new categories – ultimately redefining the mobile Internet as we know it. We’ve been out-growing this industry for the last 15 quarters, delivering outstanding value for shareholders, and driving significant change across wireless. We won’t stop now.”

// T-Mobile

DEAL: Essential Phone Drops Another $50 at Best Buy to Just $449 (Amazon Too)

Kellen — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 06:34:49 +0000

It has only been two weeks since Essential dropped the price of the Essential Phone to $499, yet here we are talking about a further price reduction. Best Buy (and Amazon too) is now listing the phone at $449.99, which brings the total discount to $250 off. That's nuts! Best Buy has both black and white models, but the white model stock has been going in and out for the past 24 hours or so since this latest price drop showed up. The black model is in stock, though. At this price, I know you are going to ask - is it now really, really worth buying? To keep it simple, I'll say this: at $450, I can't think of a better deal in smartphones, to be honest. I'm working on a re-review (Here it is!) of sorts at the moment that will be up later in the day if you really want to know my latest thoughts. I've spent the past four days or so with the phone to give it a fresh look following all these price drops and a bunch of software updates aimed at improving the experience. But yeah, at $450, if that's your budget, this would be a hard phone to ignore.

Best Buy Link | Amazon Link

Weekly Recap: LG V30 Reviews are Live and We're Impressed With Razer Phone

Tim — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 15:45:52 +0000

It was a fun week, packed with new phone announcements, our LG V30 reviews, plenty more Pixel 2 XL display talk, and so much more. If you missed it, Razer announced the Razer Phone (a pretty sweet looking device), Essential launched an update that has us back in love with their phone, HTC bummed us out by not releasing the U11+ for the US, and that T-Mobile/Sprint merger appears to not be dead after all. Here's the good stuff you don't want to miss!

Watch: The Droid Life Show - Episode 157 "No U11+ for You" [Subscribe]
Written Review: LG V30.
Video Review: LG V30.
5 reasons to buy the LG V30.
I don't know which phone you should buy, and that's a good thing.
Razer announces the $699 Razer Phone. Official specs here.
Essential Phone gets a sweet update.
The Sprint, T-Mobile merger isn't dead yet.
Oreo: Oreo beta for the Galaxy S8, S8+ made available this week.
OnePlus 5T name made official.
YT TV: YouTube TV app for Android TV now available!
HTC announces the U11 Life, headed to the US for $350.
Google announced Fast Pair for quick Bluetooth pairing.
HTC U11+ made official, but it's not coming to the US.
Essential: More Essential Phone colors on the way!
Pixel Visual Core will be enabled in DP2 for Android 8.1.
HTC plans to launch 5 to 6 phones next year.
HTC U11+ might be based on "Muskie."

Have a fun and safe weekend, everyone!

Verizon HTC 10, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge All Pick-Up Security Patches

Kellen — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 14:23:39 +0000

As we head into the weekend, Verizon is updating the HTC 10, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge. The updates are security patches and nothing more, but you should still try to grab them immediately. Each phone is receiving the October 2017 security patch, plus the HTC 10 is getting its Blueborne patch. Below, you'll find the new software version to be on the lookout for. To check for updates, head into Settings>System updates on your phone.

Galaxy S6: G920VVRS4DQJ1
Galaxy S6: Edge G925VVRS4DQJ1
HTC 10: 2.41.605.30

// Verizon [2] [3]

No U11+ for You

Kellen — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 11:27:55 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're recapping the week in Android that included our LG V30 review, the unveiling of HTC's U11+ and the Razer Phone, a confirmation on the OnePlus 5T, Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and yet another reason to buy the Essential Phone. We'll be live at 11:30AM Pacific (2:30PM Eastern). If you miss us live and/or want the audio version of our podcast, you can subscribe through the various links below.

5 Reasons the LG V30 is Worth Buying

Kellen — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 11:05:42 +0000

We already said this in our LG V30 review, but this is LG's best phone without question. From the design to the cameras and all the stuff and things they tossed in, this is the most complete phone they have ever built. It even has a damn Quad DAC and headphone jack because LG likes laughing at stupid 2017 trends. In this post, though, assuming you either can't get enough V30 talk or skipped the reviews we put together, we talk about all of that goodness above, only in a shortened format. The point is to give you reasons to buy the phone in case you were considering it yet still hesitating and need to be talked into whipping out that credit card. Here are 5 reasons the LG V30 is worth buying.

1. So pretty, such design

The LG V30 is one of the best designed phones I've seen this year and that's saying something when you consider the advancements in design we have witnessed from almost everyone. LG really managed to create a phone that fits perfectly in the hand, yet still includes a massive 6-inch display. Samsung did a heck of a job with the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 at including a similar style, but something about how LG put all of the pieces together here makes for a phone that feels better than almost all the rest. There is a softness to the curves, a roundness that allows it to nestle into your palm, and a width that helps it avoid feeling skinny and tall like the S8. It's balanced, that's for sure. Again, this is far and away the best designed phone LG has ever put together and it might just be he best designed phone of 2017.

2. Cameras and versatility

Not only has 2017 been the year of big ol' bezel-less displays, it's also ushered in an era of dual-cameras. Almost everyone outside of Google is doing the dual camera thing, but LG does it differently than others in a way that I actually prefer. Instead of including an additional shooter that zooms or helps with a bokeh effect, LG continues to use a wide-angle lens as a secondary camera. I'm a huge fan of this move because it adds a level of versatility that no others have. While zooming on things is great and bokeh effects are fun, I'd rather capture more of a scene than blur the background of it. Plus, blurring effects, as Google has shown, can be done without a secondary camera. So instead of wasting additional camera hardware on something software can do, LG is making real use out of theirs. The setup is a 16MP standard shooter at f/1.6, along with a 13MP wide-angle lens with 120-degree views. The cameras take good photos by themselves, which is important, but there really is something magical about being able to frame a shot, snap a photo, then re-frame it with another camera to see what all it can capture. Our review has some examples of the wide-angle shooter in action, plus we've included some below.

3. I like the big POLED display

I know that there has been some drama surrounding the 6-inch POLED QHD display that LG shipped in both the V30 and Pixel 2 XL, but I've got no major beef with it. Sure, there is a bit of a color shift at angles and we can argue until the death about the other supposed issues that have been reported. For me, though, LG has tuned this well and colors look good, plus there are multiple color profiles and controls to let you tune it to your liking. The brightness levels at the top and bottom are really great, you have a night light mode for dimmer situations, and consuming content here is pretty damn fun because 6-inches of OLED is a lot of screen real estate. Is it the best display in the business? Well, no, because LG has just started ramping up production on its high-end OLED displays again. They'll get better, but the V30's panel is totally fine and I think most people will enjoy it.

4. QUAD DAC, AUDIO BRO

I know almost nothing about DACs other than the fact that audio bros take them and their headphones very seriously. With the V30, it's a selling point even if you aren't an audio bro because the Quad DAC here will give you better overall sound that you can customize no matter what. From filters and profiles to balancing, everyone that owns the phone should play with those controls to see the differences between them until they find a sound that soothes the ear. LG makes them easy to understand and adjust. If you don't care about the DAC, at least respect the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack in a time where everyone else is ditching them without giving us a reason why.

5. Not bad, price

When you look at everything that LG included in the V30, you have to wonder if this isn't the biggest steal in all of smartphones at the moment. This phone has it all, including a top tier processor, FullVision all-display front, plenty of RAM and storage, a dual camera setup, fast charging, big enough battery, beautiful design, and some extras, like a Quad DAC. When you consider that this phone costs about $800 at most places, yet Samsung and Google want almost $1000 for their new phones, you get why I think this might be a steal.

Considering another phone? Feel free to take a look back at 5 reasons to buy other phones, like the Galaxy Note 8, HTC U11, or OnePlus 5 in previous installments of this ongoing series.

HTC Plans to Launch 5 or 6 Phones Next Year, Promises Dual Camera Setups

Tim — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 10:32:33 +0000

According to HTC President Chialin Chang, the company will launch 5 to 6 devices in 2018, with a focus being placed on at least one with a dual camera setup. "We'll definitely be releasing a dual-camera phone next year, but we'll need to figure out how to make this feature stand out," he said to media who attended the U11+ launch event Now, of course, this wouldn't be HTC's first attempt at a phone with dual cameras. They've released quite a couple actually, including the One M8 and EVO 3D. While the EVO 3D can be chalked up to gimmickry nonsense, the One M8 was actually pretty nice, minus the 4MP (aka UltraPixel) camera. Chang didn't specify how they will make their dual camera stand out next year, but I hope it doesn't involve 3D. As you should know, the U11+ was just announced, which is a great looking device, but it's not coming to the US. Let's also hope HTC plans to show the US some love next year. // Engadget

Cricket Adds More Data to a Couple of Its Data Plans

Kellen — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 08:46:14 +0000

Cricket announced this morning that its two lower tier plans are getting an extra boost of data come November 5, without a price hike. Their 1GB-$30 plan will now have 2GB "high-speed" data, while the 4GB-$40 plan will jump to 5GB "high-speed" data. Yes, I quoted "high-speed" because Cricket deploys a permanent throttle at all times to their download speeds. That throttle is set at 8Mbps. If you are on Cricket, you likely already knew that, though. Alright, so on November 5, if you are already subscribed to one of those plans, you'll automatically be bumped up to the higher data amount! Sweet! // Cricket Wireless

Tip: If You had Device Protection on Your Old Pixel and Traded It in, Get a Partial Refund

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 16:15:13 +0000

If you picked up a new Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL from Google and traded in your old Pixel or Pixel XL from the Google Store, you might be able to get a partial refund on your old Device Protection plan. At least one of our readers did just that and will get back $50 to spend elsewhere. As you can see from the screenshot below, after reaching out to Google Store support, Mike was able to get a refund on the Device Protection plan for his Pixel XL that he had previously purchased. He initially paid $99 for the plan, but is now going to receive a $50.92 partial refund. He says that he was able to get the refund because he didn't file a claim in the time he owned his phone, though that may not fully matter.

If you look at Google's support site for the Pixel and Pixel XL Device Protection plan, it does say that after 30 days "You can get a prorated refund (less any claims paid up to the cancellation date)." So make sure you are all paid up and get to asking Google for some cash back. For Pixel Device Protection info, feel free to head over to this Google Support page and also Assurant's site. Cheers Mike!

DEAL: Eero WiFi System Packs are Up to $72 Off Right Now

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 15:39:11 +0000

The latest Eero Home WiFi System is seeing a substantial discount at Amazon today. This is the new 2nd generation Eero too, and is available in a couple of different packs that will help blanket your home in fast WiFi. The 2-pack that includes a single Eero 2nd gen unit and an Eero Beacon is just $232.44 ($66 off), while the 3-pack that adds on an extra Eero Beacon is $327 ($72 off). The new Eero Beacons in these packs are sweet because they plug directly into a wall without the need for a cable or shelf space. This is the same WiFi system I use and have few complaints about. Eero is one of the companies that kicked off the wave of mesh WiFi systems. While they aren't the cheapest option, they do provide regular updates to both their software and their nicely designed apps. When we see them on sale, we try to let you know.

Amazon Link

The T-Mobile, Sprint Merger Isn't Dead Yet

Tim — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 15:35:20 +0000

According to the latest report from The Wall Street Journal, T-Mobile has sent another offer to Sprint, in a desperate attempt to make a merger between the two happen, with it said a deal could still be made "within weeks." This news follows a report from earlier this week that the merger was basically dead, stemming from SoftBank's (Sprint's parent) desire to not give up too much control in a merger with T-Mobile. As the previous deal outlined, T-Mobile's parent, Deutsche Telekom, would be steering the ship should a merger take place. As reported, T-Mobile's John Legere called Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure on Wednesday, saying how he didn't want the deal to fall through. Of course, the main takeaway from all of this is that the deal could still not happen, but even if it does, it has to go through regulators. You can argue that a merger makes sense with relation to competition with AT&T and Verizon, but the negative is that the US consumer loses out on a few options for their wireless service. Less competition is not a good thing, in this case. We'll keep you posted. // Wall Street Journal

Dashlane 5 Dropped Today With Special Features for Android Oreo

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 14:04:14 +0000

Dashlane released v5 of its apps today across all platforms and that includes Android. The biggest takeaways are that they redesigned their web experience, added 2-step authentication support, and have new logos and icons everywhere. If you are a Dashlane user, I highly recommend you dive through the video below, as well as the source link to get all of the info about the changes that just dropped. As for the Android-focused pieces, Dashlane says that in Dashlane 5, you'll get automatic in-app logins in Android Oreo, which should remove the need to copy/paste or manually type Dashlane-generated passwords. I just attempted to check this feature out and have no idea how it works or what Dashlane is talking about, so there's that. Below, you'll find an image of what that UI is supposed to look like, though. UPDATE: Dashlane tells me that they just added the app to Oreo's autofill. So yeah, instead of the floating bubble you typically see, you'll now get a more native experience. Why they explained it as "automatic in-app logins" is beyond me. Carry on.

If we ever see this new UI, we'll be sure to clarify in this post. For now, feel free to update to Dashlane 5 and choose it as your autofill service in Android Oreo to get a better experience. But again, this update is way more than an Android Oreo feature - it's a major platform update to browsers, desktop apps, and more. Play Link // Dashlane

Here's Our LG V30 Video Review!

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 12:26:10 +0000

For those who didn't have a chance to read through our entire LG V30 review or who would rather have the visual version, our LG V30 video review is now up! In this 9-minute clip, I share thoughts on the phone's 6-inch POLED display and whether or not it suffers from the same supposed issues as the Pixel 2 XL, as well as the incredible job LG has done with the V30's design, and how much I'll miss this dual-camera setup. LG's UX 6.0+ gets some time too, as does battery life, the Quad DAC, and whether or not you should consider the V30 along with the latest from Samsung and Google. LG V30 owners, how's the phone been treating you?

YouTube TV App for Android TV Now on Google Play

Tim — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 10:37:23 +0000

The YouTube TV app for the Android TV platform was made official on October 30, and today, the app is now available for download via Google Play. From my device list on Google Play, I can confirm that you can download it to NVIDIA SHIELD TV units, as well as the Nexus Player. You should also be able to download it to select smart TVs that run Android TV and Xbox One devices, so check on Google Play to see if you can download it now. Go grab it! Play Link

HTC U11+ Might be Based on the Original "Muskie" Pixel 2 XL

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 10:20:52 +0000

On last week's DL Show during a discussion about the HTC-made Pixel 2 XL under codename "muskie" that was scrapped by Google in favor of the LG-made Pixel 2 XL under codename "taimen," Tim tossed out the idea that "muskie" may not be dead and could arrive as the HTC U11+. According to a report out of The Verge, that's actually what happened in a way. A source told The Verge that the U11+ is the "muskie" device, just not in the exact form that Google likely had lined up. And that makes some sense since Google would have matched the design up to the Pixel 2, whereas the HTC U11+ just looks like a U11 device with a full-display front. But as is noted in this report, the fingerprint reader very much resembles that of one Google would use, as do the dimensions of the U11+'s display and overall spec sheet. To recap, the U11+ sports a 6-inch Super LCD 6 QHD display (18:9), Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, a 12MP UltraPixel 3 camera, and 3930mAh battery. While this could be seen as disappointing to those still stuck on the Pixel 2 XL's display drama, I really just want to know what caused Google to make the switch to LG. Is it because HTC couldn't find a source for a 6-inch OLED panel and LG was the one ready to sell them to Google after a Google investment? If so, why couldn't Google just fit them in the HTC phone rather than a full switch to LG? Please don't tell me it was Google returning a favor to LG for giving them first dibs on their new POLED panels. And for those tossing out this idea that this Super LCD panel in the U11+ would have made it into the final Pixel 2 XL from HTC, you should probably stop there. Google is fully into OLED displays and has been for years now. The last LCD they used was in the Nexus 5X, likely as a cost cutting measure. The last 6 top-tier phones from Google have all used OLED displays of some type (Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL). Also remember that HTC is the king of LCD panels, yet they made the Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel 2 for Google and went OLED because Google told them to. Again, chill on the "OMG THIS WOULD HAVE SAVED THE PIXEL 2 XL!" On a related note, if this is a phone based off of "muskie," is anyone wondering if that has anything to do with it not being available for purchase in the US? HTC told us that they just didn't want to step on the toes of U11 owners. However, that seems like an odd thing to worry about when you just announced what could be the most advanced phone you've ever built. Why would you not want that sold in this wireless market? Thoughts? // The Verge

Google Assistant on Phones Now Supports Spanish and Italian

Tim — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 10:17:22 +0000

Announced this week, Google is adding support for Spanish and Italian to Google Assistant on phones. With this, folks in the US, Mexico, and Spain will be able to prompt and speak commands to Google in Spanish, while those in Italy will be able to do so in Italian. These newly supported languages join English in Australia, Canada, U.S. and U.K.; Portuguese in Brazil; French in Canada and France; German in Germany; Japanese in Japan; and Korean in Korea. Now, while the support has been announced, don't go asking Google where your pantalones are just yet. According to the release, "this will be rolling out automatically over the coming weeks." // Google

LG V30 Oreo Beta Available to Owners in Korea

Tim — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 09:13:00 +0000

If you're reading this in North America, this news doesn't directly concern you, but in a way it does. Announced today, LG is launching a preview program for the Oreo update to the V30, which is basically a public beta. At this time, the beta is limited to only those in South Korea, but for V30 owners the US, this is good because that means Oreo is indeed being worked on and must be nearly ready for rollout. According to LG, the Oreo update targets, "speed, battery and basic performance, as well as enhances the screen configuration, graphics and a variety of convenience features will be added." They also mention the faster boot times and minimized power and battery consumption. As soon as we know more about the Oreo update for V30 owners in the US, or any other devices, we'll let you know. // LG (Korean)

OnePlus 5T Name is Official and the Phone Will Have a Headphone Jack

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 08:30:44 +0000

This morning, OnePlus confirmed through their forums that they have a device on the way and it's called the OnePlus 5T. Their execs and social media channels have been teasing the phone in various ways (Lolzerpants, haha 5 cups of tea, good one, guys!), but this sets the name in stone. In the post revealing the name, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau focused his time on their decision to keep a 3.5mm headphone jack in the phone. He said that they make decisions like this based on their "understanding of user needs" and that they don't think now is the time to remove a feature that 80% of their users use. He mentioned that they could have gone the USB-C route to further slim down this new phone, but that they don't want to take away their users' freedom just yet.

There is more in the post about wireless audio and headphone price categories and percentages about what OnePlus users think about audio quality, so if that sounds interesting to you, hit up that link below. I'm just glad that OnePlus is sticking to their guns and listening to users so as to never remove anything that users might want. Excited for the ~~Oppo R11s~~ OnePlus 5T? // OnePlus

HTC U11+ is Official, Looks Absolutely Amazing, and Isn't Coming to the US

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:00:19 +0000

HTC announced two new phones tonight and the headline grabber is without a doubt the HTC U11+. This phone has been rumored for weeks as HTC's first full-display device and we can now confirm that those rumors were true. This phone looks incredible and would easily be on our list of phones you should consider buying, except there is one major issue - it's not coming to the US. I'm not kidding, guys. The HTC U11+ is headed elsewhere, as HTC thought the launch of it was too close to the U11 here in the States and didn't want to piss anyone off. I personally think that's an overblown idea and this isn't the greatest of moves, but I'm also a smartphone fan who likes to be able to buy the latest and greatest at any given moment. I know a lot of you are the same and are probably disappointed. Either way, let's talk about this phone in case some of you are going to consider importing it! With the HTC U11+ you do indeed get a big ol' 6" Super LCD 6 display with an 18:9 ratio and a resolution of 2880x1440 (HDR10 support too). So yep, it's the same setup as the Pixel 2 XL and LG V30, only as an LCD instead of a POLED. It also runs a Snapdragon 835 and sports a 12MP UltraPixel 3 (f/1.7) camera, 3930mAh battery, IP68 water and dust resistance, and Android 8.0 Oreo under HTC's Sense. It'll come in two models depending on market: 64GB storage and 4GB RAM or 128GB storage and 6GB RAM. The phone will come in three colors: Ceramic Black, Amazing Silver, and a semi-see-throw color called Translucent Black.

As for features, you have an improved 12MP camera on the back with full-sensor phase detection autofocus, as well as HTC's Acoustic Focus when recording videos. HTC improved Edge Sense too, by letting you squeeze the phone to open an Edge Launcher that gives you access to both apps and notifications. Think of it as a one-handed mode. But again, this phone isn't coming to the US. And I don't mean just for the time being - HTC made it sound like there are absolutely no plans to bring this phone here. If something changes on that front, we'll be sure to let you know. Sadface.

HTC U11+ Specs

[table id=91 responsive=scroll /]

HTC Announces U11 Life for T-Mobile and US, Priced at $349

Kellen — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:00:15 +0000

Alongside the not-coming-to-the-US HTC U11+ that HTC unveiled tonight, the company also told us that we're getting the HTC U11 Life here in the US. This is a mid-range phone with a really solid set of specs and a $349 price tag, as well as a partnership with T-Mobile. The U11 Life offers a 5.2-inch FHD LCD display, Snapdragon 630 processor, 32GB storage (with SD slot), 3GB RAM, 16MP rear camera, 16MP front camera, 2600mAh battery, fingerprint sensor, and an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box with HTC's Sense on top. Again, you get all of that for $349 through HTC's site, but HTC tells me that T-Mobile might have an even better deal that will be revealed shortly. On top of those specs, HTC also packed in their Edge Sense technology, so that you can squeeze the hell out of the phone to get things done, open apps, etc. They are including their really nice USonic earbuds too. The phone comes in HTC's Sapphire Blue color and will be available beginning November 3. The U11 Life in the US isn't the only U11 Life that was announced today, though. HTC also unveiled the HTC U11 Life Android One version, which like the U11+ isn't coming to the US. The Android One version is exactly like the version in the US except it runs stock Android 8.0 Oreo and will come in an optional 4GB RAM/64GB storage model. Again, it's not coming to the US. You can buy the phone from HTC.com today. UPDATE: T-Mobile has priced the phone at just $12 down followed by $12 per month for 24 months. That's a retail price of $300 and is a $50 discount over HTC's unlocked model.

HTC U11 Life Specs

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Samsung Officially Opens Up Galaxy S8 and S8+ Oreo Beta With Samsung Experience 9.0 (Updated: Live!)

Kellen — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 20:18:26 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ update that features the Samsung Experience 9.0 as well as Android 8.0 Oreo is now official. Samsung announced the update this evening as an early beta for select devices that will go live November 2. Owners of these devices in South Korea, UK, and the US will have an opportunity to test it. Samsung describes the update as the Samsung Experience 9.0 that is "based on the Android OS," which is a funny way of referring to your Android skin, but I'll just leave it at that. The update does include Android 8.0 Oreo as well. UPDATE: IT'S LIVE. GO! GO! GO!

If you are interested in participating in this beta program, you can do so by downloading the Samsung+ app to your phone. That can be found in both Galaxy Apps and Google Play stores. Once you have the Samsung+ app installed, you'll open and look for a Galaxy Beta Program option under a "Registration" menu towards the top of the app. I'm not seeing it at the moment, so I'm either blind or it's not live quite yet. Assuming you find the option, you'll register and then head into Settings>Software update>Download updates to check for the beta file. According to the beta FAQ for the US, eligible devices are S8 and S8+ units from Sprint and T-Mobile, as well as non-operator-locked devices and open-market versions. In other words, Sprint, T-Mobile, and the US unlocked units should work. Anyone able to grab it yet? // Samsung

Latest Essential AMA: New Colors Coming Soon and the Deal With No IP67+ Rating

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 15:51:06 +0000

The Essential team has been doing bi-weekly AMAs on reddit, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what it is they're up to. In these AMAs, we have learned about when the White model was going to drop, what they were doing with the laggy scrolling, the status of Oreo, and a lot else. In this AMA, the Essential team talked more about the design and hardware of the device. They give answers about the next colors we can expect (still no Ocean Depths!), why there's no IP67 or IP68 rating, and why they don't offer any 1st-party cases or bumpers. We've looked over the full AMA and have compiled a solid list of some of the best answers.

ETA for the next color?

New colors are still coming soon... we know that answer sucks, but it's the transparent truth. I actually just left a meeting reviewing the lastest Ocean Depths samples out of Japan and it's getting so. close. But there are still lingering issues (e.g. 30 micron specks) that don't meet our standards. Stellar Gray (matte black) is the next one to drop. (Stellar Gray will beat Ocean Depths to shrinkwrap.)

Why no IP67 rating?

To achieve IP67 or IP68 on this device unfortunately would have required some significant design trade-offs that were unpalatable for our first device: larger display borders, a thicker product, much larger receiver opening, to name a few... . To make a phone more waterproof + repairable takes space for sealing solutions. IP67 has been a resounding request from our customers. The good thing is, this give me more fuel to push on Linda for the next phone.

DIY: Best way to approach self repair for battery and display?

We use a fairly standard hot-melt glue to bond the display glass to the chassis of the phone. By heating up the perimeter of the display to ~85C the glue softens and the display can easily be pulled off (using a suction cup) and the glue removed, ready for a new display to be installed. It's important to only heat up the perimeter and not the center of the display to prevent damage to the LCD panel. The battery is also pretty easy to remove and replace if done properly. After disconnecting the battery from the circuit board there are two pull-tabs for the standard stretch-release adhesive. Just like the stretch-release adhesive hangars you can use to hold stuff on your wall, you just grab the pull tab and pull straight up. Working with modern Li batteries is dangerous, however, so make sure you have the right safety equipment on-hand in case a mistake is made. We currently don't sell parts to consumers but do offer a competitive extended warranty plan.

Looking back, what would the team change about the phone?

Nothing is ever perfect, but we tried to build the best product we can. I won't give away any clues about what I would change now...because we are rolling it all into gen. 2!

Why is there a small gap between the bottom of status bar and the bottom of the front camera cutout?

We actually looked at removing that gap, but the end result felt awkwardly tight. The goal of having the camera float in the status bar is feel as if it's just another icon, but once you cut the status bar into two separate bars, that no longer is the case. That resulted in two short status bars that felt too tight to be usable.

1st-party Cases? We want cases or bumpers or something!

We are such a small team that we decided to hyper-focus on products where our crew can create truly unique devices that express genuine technological fortitude and push the envelope. In that context making plastic bumpers is not where we generate the most impact in the world of consumer electronics. What we've chosen to do instead is be super open with 3rd parties. I've been working closely with companies Incipio (and others) to ensure they have all the data they need to build nice product. They operate independently from us, but they're fully Essential-empowered to build good stuff for ya'll. So while we have encouraged those 3rd parties to build accessory-ready designs, that's up to them.

And that’s it! For the full AMA, hit up that link below. // reddit

Galaxy S8's Oreo Changelog Details Notification Badges, Edge Screen Changes, and More (Updated)

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 15:28:12 +0000

A screenshot from a Galaxy S8 owner part of the beta update details all of the changes that Samsung is looking to ship with Oreo. As you will see below, the list of changes is big, with a download weight to match. According to this screenshot, the Oreo update will come in around 1.4GB, which is rather hefty for a smartphone. Inside, Samsung details Samsung Experience 9.0, which will include notification badges, changes to the Edge Screen, the touching and holding of app icons to reveal shortcuts and actions, system performance improvements, Samsung Keyboard changes, plus a whole lot more. We have zero confirmation from Samsung for when this update will roll out, but considering the beta is live, it's a safe assumption to expect it somewhat soon. UPDATE: Samsung has now announced the Oreo and Experience 9.0 update. Details on how to sign-up can be found here. Now, prepare yourself, because what follows is a very long screenshot, but it goes into detail with everything that is changing. // SamMobile

Razer Phone Specs (Official)

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 14:04:38 +0000

The first Android-powered smartphone from Razer is now official, and on paper, the Razer Phone sounds sick. Inside the phone is a Snapdragon 835 processor with 8GB RAM, 5.7" QHD LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 4,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+, and dual front-facing speakers. Sounds pretty good for all you mobile gamers out there. Here's the full list of specs for the Razer Phone.

Specs

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Razer Phone Announced with 5.7" 120Hz Display and 8GB RAM

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 13:56:25 +0000

Razer made the Razer Phone official today and we have most of the details you'll want to know. For specs, the Razer Phone has a Sharp IGZO-produced 5.7" QHD LCD panel with UltraMotion (120Hz refresh rate which means no ghosting, no motion blur, etc.), Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB RAM, 64GB of storage, dual 12MP rear-facing cameras (wide angle + 2x telephoto), 4,000mAh battery with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ (single hour of charge gets you from 0% to 85%), 24-bit DAC, dual front-facing speakers with Dolby Atmos powered by individual amplifiers, THX certification, plus Android "Nougat." The phone doesn't have an IP rating and there is no headphone jack, but a adapter dongle is included with the phone.

While the software is said to be pretty stock Android, one very cool detail is that the phone launches with Nova Launcher Prime pre-installed. Yes, that is very, very awesome. ~~We don't have availability yet~~, but the price is set at $699. Update: The Razer Phone will be available in the US starting November 17 online or exclusively at Microsoft stores. Reserve Here

Watch Razer's Phone Unveiling Right Here at 1PM Pacific

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 12:39:18 +0000

Razer's "Biggest Unveiling" event, which we're assuming is a smartphone suitable for hardcore gamers, is about to go down! The event kicks off at 1PM Pacific (4PM Eastern). We don't know much about this device, but thanks to a listing that went live yesterday, we believe it sports a 5.72" 120Hz display, 4,000mAh battery, and 8GB RAM. So far, that sounds pretty sweet. Tune in below and watch the festivities!

Question of the Day: New Pixel 2 XL Owners, How's the Display?

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 11:53:14 +0000

Hey, new Pixel 2 XL owners, how's that display treating you? With all of the drama surrounding the POLED panel that's inside this phone, we're definitely curious about your personal experience. We have written about the blue tint issue and potential screen burn-in, but in our review, we felt that these issues aren't necessarily deal breakers. We also covered Google's plan to combat these issues. Let's cut right to it, though. How are you liking the phone now that it's in your hands?

IKEA's Inexpensive Smart Bulbs Now Support Alexa and HomeKit

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 10:13:30 +0000

IKEA launched the TRÅDFRI smart lighting system back in March of this year, allowing many to get into the LED home lighting game with its affordable pricing. Today, TRÅDFRI now supports Amazon Alexa and Apple's HomeKit, with Google Home support still to come. In May, it was noted that Alexa support was indeed coming, with Google Home support also mentioned. With Alexa and Siri support now here, we have to assume support for the Google Assistant-powered hub is on the way. According to one of our readers, the setup process is incredibly simple. You open up the TRÅDFRI app on your phone, go into your settings, then choose either Amazon Alexa or Apple HomeKit to begin the connection process. Painless and straightforward, just how we like it. Do you have these in your home yet? If so, how do you like them? If you don't, you can shop for them right here. Play Link Cheers Chris!

Google: Pixel Visual Core to be Enabled in Android 8.1 Developer Preview 2

Tim — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 08:55:07 +0000

As most Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners should know, inside your phone is a special image processor, known as the Pixel Visual Core. As of now, this special processor is not enabled, but Google has provided specific details about when we'll be able to utilize it. According to a post on the Android Developers website, the team says it's not enabled inside the already released Developer Preview 1 for Android 8.1, but it will be enabled inside Developer Preview 2. Confirmed by Google, Developer Preview 2 for Android 8.1 will be available later this month. From the release notes for Android 8.1.

Pixel Visual Core is Google’s first custom-designed co-processor for image processing and machine learning on consumer devices. If your app uses the camera APIs and you have a Pixel 2 device, you'll be able try an early version of Pixel Visual Core starting in Developer Preview 2, planned for November 2017. Testing on Developer Preview 1 is not yet supported.

If you're a developer or eager user trying to test this out, look for it later this month. https://twitter.com/RonAmadeo/status/925488807193055235

Google Drops Deductible for Normal Wear and Tear in Pixel 2 Preferred Care Plan (UPDATED)

Kellen — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 08:11:09 +0000

After Google extended the standard warranty on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL to two years following all of the 2 XL's display drama, a number of you who opted-in to the Google Store $129 Preferred Care plan were wondering if it was worth hanging on to. Was there still benefit there now that the number of years covered was the same for both standard and Preferred warranties? That's tough to say, but Google has attempted to add some additional value by removing one set of deductibles. According to emails pushing out to Preferred Care members, Google will no longer require a deductible payment for normal wear and tear during the coverage period (two years after you bought it). So now, if you have issues that arrive from that aren't your fault, you'll be able to get a replacement or repair without any additional cost.

UPDATE: Alright, so there is clearly some confusion surrounding the below email that Google sent out to Preferred Care customers. Some are under the impression that Google suggesting that deductibles have been dropped isn't a new addition and that this is just Google passing along the fact that they extended the manufacturer's warranty to all owners of the phone. After reading through the newly updated Limited Warranty that covers two years, I'm not so sure that takeaway is correct. The new Limited Warranty (you can read it here) specifically states that Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones are now covered for two years, but that it "does not apply to damage caused by normal wear and tear, accidents, misuse, neglect, disassembly, alterations, servicing other than by Google authorized technicians," and so on. The new 2-year Limited Warranty only covers "defects in materials and workmanship under normal use." In the email below, Google is saying that "normal wear and tear" is covered in Preferred Care. Attempting to define the difference between all of that should be fun for everyone should you need to file a claim. It would be nice if Google was better at communicating these things.

Dear Preferred Care member, Good news: To offer even more peace of mind to our customers, we’ve extended our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL manufacturer's warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Since you’re one of our valued Preferred Care members, we wanted to let you know how this will affect our program. As of today, if you experience hardware failures due to normal wear and tear during your coverage period, you will not have to pay a deductible for repair or replacement. And of course, you’ll continue to enjoy all your Preferred Care benefits, including exclusive access to our expert sessions, priority service, and two-year accidental damage coverage for up to two claims. These changes are effective immediately, and there’s nothing that you’ll need to do. As always, you can receive a full refund on your purchase of Preferred Care for up to 30 days after your device was shipped. If you’ve made any claims, the refund will be minus any claims paid before your cancellation. Got questions? Just contact us anytime. We’re here to help. Thanks, The Google Store Team

Keep in mind that accidental damage will still require a deductible. With this plan, you can claim up to two incidents in the two year period. For the Pixel 2, the deductible there is $79, and for the Pixel 2 XL it is $99. You tell me, is that enough value? For additional details on the Preferred Care plan, head over to Google Support. Cheers Mike, Phillip, and Jeff!

LG V30 Review

Tim — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 13:25:32 +0000

Since the V10, we have referred to LG's V series as the "stuff and things" lineup. The reason for this is LG's inclusion of pretty much everything you can pack into a smartphone. There were secondary displays, dual selfie cameras, high-end DACs to please the audiophiles, Dura Guard steel frames and rubber textures, and plenty more. There seemed to be everything, so calling it stuff and things made sense to us and I must insist that it was never meant as a negative. For the V30, not much has changed in terms of what's being included and highlighted, but once you see this phone in person and hold it in your hand, all would-be jokes go right out the door. As you'll see, we can't possibly speak ill of this device, even if it's the epitome of stuff and things. What has us so in love with the V30, you may ask? Let's find out. This is our LG V30 review.

The Good

Specs Basically matching all other 2017 flagships, the V30 ships with a great list of specs. The phone features a 6" Quad HD+ FullVision POLED display (2880x1440, 18:9, 538ppi), Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB (V30) / 128GB (V30+) of storage, expandable storage with support up to 2TB, 4GB RAM, 16MP (f/1.6, 71°) + 13MP wide-angle (f/1.9, 120°) rear-facing cameras, 3300mAh non-removable battery (wireless charging supported), an IP68 rating, Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint reader, and Android 7.1.2 "Nougat." This phone has all of the 2017 specifications you'd expect from a flagship device, but you'll notice that there is no secondary ticker display, once a staple for the V series, as well as no dual selfie cameras. Thank you, LG, for realizing that is completely unnecessary for most people. Basically, what you have here is a solid phone, equipped with everything you should need, with no extra "gimmicky" add-ons. You could even call this barebones compared to past V devices, but this device is far from barebones. Hardware and Design The most striking change from last year's V20 to this year's V30 is the overall design. This year's model is somewhat breathtaking, proving that LG can stand right alongside Samsung, Apple, and other smartphone makers in the hardware design department. It has the smooth glass on back and front, cool to the touch metal around its edges, plus the front FullVision display that has hardly any bezel surrounding it. Believe me, when you throw this thing on the table, you'll have plenty of folks asking about it. It's a real head turner.

Even with the 6" display, the lack of bezels makes the device easy to hold in one hand. Way back when, some folks would be turned off by the idea of a phablet, but with hardware looking the way it does now, the category itself seems pretty dead. I mean, here we are with massive displays and we're not complaining whatsoever because fitting them in our pocket is no longer a seam ripper. Looking at the broader picture, the LG G6 from earlier this year was a great step forward in the design department for LG, but the V30 puts that device to shame in terms of hardware. You may have already heard Kellen and I say this on the Droid Life Show or Twitter, but the V30 is LG's best hardware yet. If this is the road it continues to travel on in 2018, we're stoked. Display The LG V30's display is good. There, I said it and you won't hear any complaints or hyperbole from me. This 6" POLED display, basically the same you'll find in the Pixel 2 XL, is really nice. While you will see the same "blue tint" effect when looking at the display from an angle, any type of screen burn-in is something I have yet to really come across in a noticeable way. If you need the complete spec rundown on this thing, you have a 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio, with QHD+ resolution (2880x1440) equating to a PPI of 538. If you want to do your mobile VR stuff on here, and this thing is Daydream compatible, you should be good. From what I can tell, the first thing I noticed when switching to the V30 from the smaller Pixel 2 is the color saturation. I don't know anymore if this is a good thing or bad thing, but to my eye, the colors really do seem to pop off the screen in some cases. Under the settings menu, resolution tweaks can be made (Low, Medium, High), as well as profiles for "Screen Color." In here, there are options for movies, photos, web browsing, and even a custom setting that lets you customize RGB values and color temperature. My hunch is that most normal buyers won't be diving into here, but it's there for those who want it.

With Google's display drama happening, I'm not quite comfortable on asserting my opinion on whether loads of saturation is awesome, but for the most part, I do enjoy the way this display looks. The videos I watch look good and the games I play look good. Does anything else really matter? To me, they don't, because I'm not on here editing photos in Lightroom or compiling footage in Final Cut for a video review. I'm here playing games, scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, and that's about it. For my needs, this display suits me very well and I haven't come across any deal breaker OLED issues that others have talked about. To sum up the display, if you are actually worried that it's bad or are on the fence because you just don't know, I'm fine in telling you that it looks completely fine to my eyes. Camera The back of the LG V30 sports two cameras, a 16MP (f/1.6, 71°, OIS) shooter and a 13MP wide-angle (f/1.9, 120°) shooter. It's a similar setup to the one found on the G6 from earlier this year, which we found to be very versatile. From my time with this phone, I'd say these are very good cameras, probably LG's best. Having used all of this year's great smartphone cameras, it's sort of a tossup with which one you would prefer, because each really does certain things very well.

For the LG V30, having the ability to quickly switch between a standard and wide-angle shot can be very useful, as well as the loads of software tweaks LG throws in. There is a Manual photo and video mode, Cine Video mode, Time Lapse, Slo-mo, Food, 360 Panorama, plus a whole lot more. LG really markets the V30 as having one of the best cameras out there, and for the most part, I wouldn't exactly argue that. One mode in particular that LG touts quite highly is the Cine Video mode. With it, you dive into a video shoot, with loads of different preset filters at your disposal. If you're shooting a scene at night, you can opt for the Thriller setting or Noir, but if you're in daylight, you can opt for something a bit happier looking such as Scenery and Romantic Comedy. Each setting can be tweaked with a vignette and strength dial, but also, LG built in a really helpful zoom feature that steadies any wide and tight adjustments you make while filming. If shooting a few home-made movies is on your agenda, Cine Video is pretty slick.

While I think the Pixel 2 is bit better at capturing the most life-like shots, the V30's software versatility makes it much more useful in some use cases. For example, I can't control shutter speed with the Google Camera app for longer or shorter exposures. I love tinkering with things like this, so having that extra functionality is nice. Basically, the Pixel 2 is probably the best point and shoot camera out there, but if you want something with a bit more depth, the V30 is a great choice. If you missed our flagship camera shootout, go check that out here. Here are some samples. Battery Inside the V30 is a non-removable 3,300mAh battery, which may sound kinda small for this phone's dimensions, but battery life has been great for me. My typical day is about 7:30AM to 11PM or so, and on each day, I was making it through all of that with 4+ hours of screen on time. That's basically my average, so the fact that I wasn't having to find a charger during the day is a very good sign. If you do need more juice, the phone support both wireless charging and Quick Charging, so you can get plenty of juice in no time at all. That Quad DAC, Tho Inside every smartphone you will find a DAC, short for digital-to-analog converter. On the V30, LG kicks it up a notch, equipping an additional DAC (four DACs actually, hence the "quad") chip, built in to help provide a better listening experience when you're cranking the tunes. What does this thing even do, you ask? Well, according to LG, this Quad DAC should provide cleaner sound, but the issue is, you will only benefit from it should you be plugged in with headphones. It doesn't work wirelessly over Bluetooth and the single bottom-firing speaker surely isn't making use of this fancy audio tech. Inside of the settings menu under the Sound category, you'll see a simple On/Off switch for the Quad DAC. When enabled (defaults to On when headphones are plugged in), there are more settings to tweak, such as options for a digital filter (changes pre and post-ringing of the impulse response), sound presets (bass, enhanced, live, etc.), and balancers for right and left. From my testing, the best setup for a "clean" sound is the filter set to "Sharp," the preset dialed in at "Enhanced," then your balance cranked to the right on both sides. The point is, if you take your music listening seriously, then the V30 will surely make you happy. You won't find more control over what you're hearing than you will on this phone.

Somewhere in the Middle

Software and Performance The V30 is a good indication that LG is still trying to figure out what it wants to do with its software. While the hardware is fantastic, that really is only a portion of the overall experience, and sadly, the software isn't quite as awesome. Is it really, really bad? By no means at all, but it still needs some work. Last year on the G5 and V20, things were pretty rough with LG's custom skin, but things are getting better. The G6 had a much improved skin, performing well in day-to-day usage. From my time, the V30 builds upon that, and really, I'd even say it's completely usable if you're fine with running a custom launcher and some icon packs. If it's just the color of the UI you don't like, LG does offer a theme option, but beware, it's not available on all carrier variants from what we can tell. It works great on my AT&T unit, though. For the first few days, the performance of the device seemed great, but after that, things did slow down from time to time when diving in and out of apps. There's that weird sluggish, stutter effect you feel when opening apps or closing them that a quick reboot tends to fix. This just isn't an issue I have on phones like the Pixel 2, so when switching from buttery smooth Android to a custom skin, it has been sort of frustrating. There are also little tweaks to the pre-installed launcher that I'm not a huge fan of. For example, the launcher defaults to a layout that has no app drawer. Thankfully, you can enable one in the settings. Another example is folders. When you add more than 9 icons to a folder, it switches to pages, instead of just making the folder window bigger. It's a little thing, yet I just don't care for it, so I found myself dying to install Nova Launcher as quickly as possible. Not all of LG's tweaks are bad, though. This phone still has KnockOn, which lets you tap on the display to turn it on and off, as well as a GIF Capture mode that lets you quickly make your own GIFs. For example, if you see an Instagram post that would be great as a GIF, you can select that portion of the screen via the Capture+ tool in the notification pulldown, hit the record button, then share the GIF to wherever you'd like. It's a fun, easy to use tool for all of us awesomely-hip millennials. Now, because this phone launched later in the year, my hope is that a timely upgrade to Android 8.0+ "Oreo" can really help a few of these small things. As for LG and its software upgrade timeline, we have no clue when Oreo may come for the V30, but I think it may be safe to assume it shouldn't take too long. Last year, the V20 launched with Nougat (the first non-Google device to launch with it), so it's kind of a downer LG didn't shoot to do the same thing on the V30. It's not the end of the world, but waiting for big updates is never something an Android user wants to worry about.

Other Notes

It Has a Headphone Jack - Is it safe to say that LG will be the last OEM to ditch headphone jacks? I could definitely see Samsung ditching them for the Galaxy S9, so I guess time will tell. For now, they're alive and well on the LG V30, which is still a plus in my book.
Girlfriend Impressions - "This is nice. I like that the back is really shiny. Is this stock Android? It's not? Oh, that's too bad."
External Speaker - The single, bottom-firing speaker isn't terrible, but it's not great. It's pretty tinny at times, really pumping out the mids and highs with few noticeable lows, but it's comparable to basically all other phones that sport a similar setup. Coming from a Pixel 2 with dual front-facing speakers, it's tough to compare in terms of overall loudness.

Availability and Price

The LG V30 is purchasable through a number of US carriers and retailers, with an unlocked model still to come. The average full retail price is about $820, depending on where you buy it from. I will take this time to say that I really hate that prices differ from place to place, but hey, that's the world we live in. The phone is available through Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, Best Buy, and B&H. The unlocked model should be coming to Amazon and LG's own website soon, so we'll keep you posted on that. All I can say is, I'm glad LG didn't go too crazy and charge over $900 for this device. We already have Samsung and Google competing in that area, and if LG thought they could do the same, they'd be wrong. LG's marketing game would need to be cranked up a few notches if they intended to do that, so for now, let's be thankful this awesome phone is more affordable than some others.

Videos

Unboxing First 10 Things to Do 20+ Tips and Tricks

Gallery

The Verdict

This verdict would be best summed up by asking a simple question: Should you buy this phone? The answer is "Yes," if not having purely stock Android doesn't bother you at all. Everything else about the device is pretty spot on, and when you look at the whole package, plus a reasonable $800+ price, that's not bad at all. As I've said, this is LG's best phone yet, and while it may resemble a lot of other devices on the market, it really is quite an enjoyable smartphone experience that you just can't deny. The V10 and V20 were devices I wasn't even interested in using, but for the V30 to just bust down the doors and impress me this much, that's really saying something. Go check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Schlage Adds Amazon Alexa Support for Sense Smart Deadbolts

Tim — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 12:00:43 +0000

Schlage, makers of the Sense Smart Deadbolt, are announcing support for Amazon Alexa this week. With this integration, owners can get info on the current state of their door's deadbolt and control it all from within the Alexa app on their phone. To make this integration possible without a central hub, Schlage is requiring owners to have the existing $70 Sense WiFi adapter, which will connect your deadbolt to Alexa. If you want a more robust smart home experience, customers can get a Schlage-made Connect Touchscreen Deadbolt, which connects to Amazon Alexa through Wink or Samsung's SmartThings. So, what all can you do with this new Alexa support? A few cool things, actually. If you have a routine already set up for a "Goodnight" command with Alexa, you can have your doors locked and lights switched off. Additionally, with a newly launched Schlage Sense skill for Alexa, users can easily see if their doors are locked or unlocked at any point during the day, as well as lock or unlock them on commands. Let's say you have a friend coming over while you're gone who doesn't have a key, this is any easy way to grant anyone access. This integration rolls out this week, so if you already own the necessary hardware, be on the lookout. Amazon Links

// Schlage

WhatsApp Now Lets You Delete Messages Sent by Mistake

Kellen — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 11:36:31 +0000

WhatsApp has rolled out a message delete feature, y'all. They did so for those times where you potentially sent a message by mistake to a single person or a group. In order to delete a message, simply press and hold on a message, then choose "Delete" or "Delete for everyone." The only catch is that you have to do so within 7 minutes of it being sent, otherwise the record is permanent af. Oh, both you and the person you sent the message to have to be on the same version of WhatsApp in order for the deleted message to actually be deleted as well. Tell your friends to update. Messaging deletion is rolling out now to iOS, Android, Windows Phone (lol), and desktop. // WhatsApp Blog

Google Just Announced Fast Pair for Hassle-Free Bluetooth Pairing

Kellen — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 09:45:24 +0000

Starting with Google Play Services 11.7+ (and Android 6.0+), Android users will be able to take advantage of Google's new Fast Pair service that turns Bluetooth pairing into a hassle-free process. You'll also need compatible Bluetooth devices, but we're already seeing several arrive on the market, including Google's new Pixel Buds. With Fast Pair, Google's Nearby service scans for nearby Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) broadcasts within a close proximity of your phone and then asks if you'd like to pair. A simple tap on the notification that pops down (see below) will then finish up the pairing process for you. Once done, it may even recommend a companion app if there is one, through a second notification. Otherwise, you can immediately start using the connected Bluetooth device. This - obviously - eliminates the need to go into your Bluetooth settings, tap the "Scan" or "Pair new device" buttons before waiting for your new Bluetooth device to show up in a list, tap on it, enter in a pairing code, and then hoping all finishes up. Additionally, when your phone recognizes a nearby device, it'll ping Google's servers to get an image of the product to show you within the notification. That's kind of cool and happens instantly. Again, you'll need hardware that works with Fast Pair and so that means Bluetooth device makers need to build this stuff in. Right now, we've got support with the Pixel Buds amd Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear headphones (pictured above). Google says to expect the Plantronics Voyager 8200 to support Fast Pair too.

// Android Developers Blog

Razer Phone Listing Outs Specs Like a 5.72" 120Hz Display, 4000mAh Battery, 8GB RAM

Kellen — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 08:20:49 +0000

Tomorrow, Razer is expected to announce their first smartphone. Little is known about the device, but a listing that showed up at 3G UK yesterday may have outed some of the specs that will accompany this gaming-centric handheld. Are you sitting down for this, Razer fans? According to the image below that has since been taken down, the Razer Phone will feature 64GB of storage, a 5.72-inch IGZO display with 120Hz refresh rate and wide color gamut, Dolby ATMOS sound through dual front-facing speakers (and amplifiers), dual camera setup on the back (12MP f/1.75 wide-angle + 13MP f/2.6 zoom), 4000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+, 8GB RAM, and something called 4G Super-Voice. Since it sports QC 4+, I'm going to assume it's running a Snapdragon 835 as well. As you can probably pull from that list, this phone should be a gaming beast. Not only do you have an IGZO display (ultra-touch sensitivity, reduced power consumption) with 120Hz refresh rate for that buttery smooth image while gaming, you have all the RAM you'll ever need, a big battery that could last all damn day and then some, plus a potentially exciting speaker setup. The image above was included with the listing, and yes, it's a terrible image that looks like a pixelated Nextbit Robin (which Razer acquired). If that is indeed the phone, then you'll get a somewhat dated design when compared to other flagships of the moment, but that doesn't mean it won't be great for gaming. Top and bottom bezels do allow you to hold a phone better in landscape, plus those areas should house the speakers. What do you guys think? Want to guess on the price? Is this something that interests you at all? The event kicks off tomorrow at 1PM Pacific (4PM Eastern). You can watch it here.

// reddit | 3G UK

Verizon Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, and S6 Edge+ Updated With Blueborne Patch

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 15:51:32 +0000

Earlier today, Verizon began pushing security updates to their Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ variants that included patches for the KRACK vulnerability. This afternoon, they are now following up those patches with Blueborne security patches for most of the rest of their Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 5, and Galaxy S6 Edge+. While not KRACK patches, they do address the other big security vulnerability of the past few months. Each update also includes the October security patch even though we are days from November. The new software versions are as follows:

Galaxy S7 - G930VVRS4BQI1
Galaxy S7 Edge - G935VVRS4BQI1
Galaxy Note 5 - N920VVRS3CQI3
Galaxy S6 Edge+ - G928VVRS3CQI3

To update on most of these phones, head into Settings>System updates and get busy. // Verizon [2] [3] [4]

I Have No Idea Which Smartphone You Should Buy, and That's Awesome

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 15:10:38 +0000

I'm sitting here working on the LG V30 review for the site (or at least thinking about working on it) and have three or four other phones sitting on my desk that I'd also like to be using. There are another one or two in the drawer below that my SIM would enjoy time in, two more in boxes that are the same phone only branded differently that are 100% up after the V30, along with another on a truck for delivery that I want to use the minute it shows up too. This is smartphone hell, but in the best possible way if that is actually possible. And I bring this up because as we approach the holidays now that we are just outside of Google's 2017 phone unveiling, we are asked a handful of times per day - "Guys, which phone should I buy?" I HAVE NO IDEA. WHICH IS AWESOME. Why is that awesome? Because, man, there are so many good phones out here to choose from that I'm not sure you can go wrong no matter which way you turn. Let me run down the list of phones above that I want to use all at the same time. 1. The LG V30, which I've used on and off for the past two months it seems, is awesome! Its design is almost flawless and might be the best feeling phone you'll put in hand, if you take away the Essential Phone. Its dual camera setup is the best in the business because wide-angle shots are way the hell more fun than your dopey zoom-bokeh lens, Samsung and Apple. It has a DAC too, audio bruh! IT'S AWESOME. 2. The three or four other phones sitting here are in order: Essential Phone, Pixel, Pixel XL, and Pixel 2 XL. STOCK ANDROID, EVERYWHERE. 2a. I want the Essential Phone even if it has a bad camera and pretty awful performance. And I want it because Essential keeps updating it to make it better every other week. It's hardware is so damn beautiful that I can't quit it. Oh and they just shaved $200 off it, dropped the white one on us, and gave me an extra $200 off because I've already purchased one. THIS PHONE HAS SOME AWESOME. 2b. The Pixel and Pixel XL may be a year old and look like left-over iPhone parts, but they already run Android 8.1, have most of the Pixel 2's experience, still take brilliant photos, and come in this awesome blue color. They have headphone jacks too! If this was my phone today and I had no money, I'd keep it and be insanely happy about that while your phone still has old ass software and is more than likely a jankfest of bad Android skin. THE ORIGINAL PIXEL IS AWESOME. 2c. Yeah, the Pixel 2 XL is here too and I miss it dearly after switching back to the LG V30. No offense, V30, but your software is old and stuttery compared to the new Pixel, plus your standard shooter can't match Google's. Also, the Pixel 2 XL might look goofy, but those front speakers are 🔥 , the battery life is beyond impressive, and the fingerprint reader doesn't double as an obnoxious power button. I don't care about the display drama, because unlike 99% of complainers, I have actually used the phone for three weeks and still love almost every ounce of it. P2XL, YOU AWESOME, DOG. 3. In the drawer below those four phones, I have a Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that I'd for sure be using as a normal person who may have purchased one earlier in the year and doesn't have 10 other phones lying around for testing. What's wrong with either? Outside of that dumb fingerprint reader placement, I dunno? Nothing? The cameras are excellent, battery life in the S8+ is super solid, and that design basically ushered in a new era of smartphone design that still looks insane today. Think about the Galaxy S8's 5.8" QHD display and also the fact that the phone feels small. What? How's that even possible? AWESOME. 4. Those two in boxes? I have no idea if they are any good, but they are the Moto X4 and Moto X4 Android One, two phones that are the same yet different. They look decent enough, sport inoffensive prices, and might be the beginning of a super important new line of mid-range devices you'll get to choose from. Again, I have no idea if they are good, but I want to find out, like, yesterday. THEY LOOK AWESOME. 5. As for the phone supposedly on a truck for delivery, well, that's the Penguin 🐧 Pixel 2 XL that should be here at any moment. I know, I know, I just talked about the Pixel 2 XL, but this is the Penguin 🐧. It's the version we all want that Google hasn't actually shipped to almost anyone yet and appears incapable of producing quickly. IT'S 🐧 AWESOME. Bonus: Oh and I also picked up my Essential Phone code and do have a white Essential Phone on the way that cost me just $299. I'll want to use it the minute it gets here. BEAT THAT, AWESOME. Bonus x2: I didn't mention the Note 8 because the Note 8 is giant and I don't miss one second of it. That's partly a lie because I do miss the S Pen. S PENS ARE AWESOME. So I'll say it again - I don't know which phone you should buy and that's actually a good thing. You could buy any of those phones above, even the Note 8, and probably be super happy. From mid-range to discounted-high-end to the top of the mountain tier phone, the choices are there. What are you waiting for? Oh, our LG V30 review. It's coming!

Essential Phone Update Includes Improved Touch Scrolling, Fingerprint Gesture, and More

Tim — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:03:46 +0000

A new update is rolling out to Essential Phone owners, labeled as build NMJ20D. The update includes a patch for the KRACK vulnerability (October, 2017 Android security patch), improved touch scrolling when navigating around the device's UI, plus the enabling of a fingerprint gesture (swipe down for notifications). The update weighs in at 74MB. Go grab it, Essential peeps.

// @Essential

Sprint, T-Mobile Merger is Apparently No Longer Happening

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:39:57 +0000

According to Nikkei and the Wall Street Journal, Sprint and T-Mobile are no longer negotiating and will likely soon call off steps towards a merger. That news comes as somewhat of a shock, as reports for weeks have suggested that the companies may announce a merger before the end of October. That idea seemed even more likely last week as each released Q3 earnings without live calls or fielding questions, leading many to believe that they would announce something within days. Today's reports say that SoftBank's (Sprint's parent company) board met over the weekend and decided that they weren't willing to give up control of Sprint to Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile's parent), which had previously been the proposed arrangement. SoftBank could officially tell T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom either today or tomorrow that the merger won't happen. No matter what you think of this news, it certainly means that the US wireless industry will continue to operate with the same four major players. Sprint will have to heavily invest in network going forward if they want to seriously compete, just like T-Mobile has been and continues to do. I don't know that either will close in on Verizon or AT&T in the near future, but T-Mobile has shown that it has figured out how to add customers in a time where everyone else seems to be shedding them. This sad news or did you not really care to begin with? // Wall Street Journal | Nikkei

DEAL: Amazon Echo Dot is $10 Off Today (Just $39.99)

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:05:32 +0000

The Amazon Echo Dot is seeing a $10 discount today at almost every retailer that sells it. That drops the already-reasonable $50 price down to just $40. That also drops the Echo Dot under Google's new Home Mini in case you were trying to decide which to get. At this point, both are incredibly powerful platforms. The Amazon Echo Dot is powered by Alexa and has thousands of skills, can control almost all smart home products, does reminders too, as well as make calls and more. If you are into smart home stuff, you really need a voice-activated assistant to make controlling it easy. The Echo Dot is the cheapest way to get in on that.

Amazon Echo Dot Links:

Amazon
Best Buy
B&H Photo
Staples
Bed, Bath & Beyond

YouTube TV App for Android TV Now Official, Rolling Out This Week to Select Devices

Tim — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:26:39 +0000

We just posted a piece that detailed NVIDIA's teasing of a YouTube TV app for Android TV, but now, YouTube has gone and made it official. The native YouTube TV app will start rolling out this week to select Android TV devices, such as the NVIDIA SHIELD TV, select Sony TV models, as well as the Xbox One family. YouTube details that other TVs, like ones from LG and Samsung, should see the app available within the new few weeks. Features

Control your live TV experience with your TV's remote control or game controller.
For a more cinematic look, we made the background dark on your TVs.
A new Live guide made for your big screen so you can get a sneak-peek at what's airing soon.
Never miss the action with our background playback experience built for your big screen.
Easily pick up where you left off on another device when you get home.

Obviously, to get this app first, you'll need a SHIELD TV or select model of smart TV. Everyone else may have to wait just a bit, but having a little patience never hurt anyone. Happy day! // YouTube

NVIDIA Says SHIELD TV 6.1 Update Arrives This Week, Hints at YouTube TV Android TV App Too (Updated)

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 09:11:22 +0000

NVIDIA's SHIELD TV units recently picked up a major update to v6.0 that included Google Assistant for the Android TV platform. It's major in that Google Assistant turns Android TV into a control hub for your home life by allowing you to get info, access smart home objects, etc. This morning, though, NVIDIA posted details for a SHIELD TV 6.1 update that expands on Google Assistant, but may also have tipped off a YouTube TV Android TV app announcement. UPDATE: Google just announced YouTube TV Android TV app. Funny. UPDATE 2: NVIDIA has once again posted the details below. The 6.1 update should be arriving soon! NVIDIA left the details up for 45 mins or so and has since pulled them. The update was dated "10/30/17," so today, and we've included the list of changes below.

SHIELD Experience Upgrade 6.1 - 10/30/17 What's New?

YouTube TV - Coming This Week to SHIELD

Watch cable-free live TV from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, AMC, and more, including live sports and news from your local channels. Try it free today.

SmartThings Link Now Available

With the SmartThings Link, SHIELD TV becomes the brain of your smart home. Control hundreds of smart devices with automated routines and voice control.

Google Assistant Keeps Getting Smarter – Now with HULU, Uber, Target, and More

Use your voice to open shows and control playback in HULU. Order an Uber or even a pizza and go shopping on Target, Walmart, Costco, and more.

New Games

Other Enhancements

The latest monthly Android security updates including fixes for WPA2 protocol (KRACK)

Added TV on/off over IR for SHIELD Remote (tap Home + Back)

Improved Logitech Harmony Hub setup over Bluetooth

So as you can see there, NVIDIA is suggesting that YouTube TV is coming "this week" to SHIELD. For those not familiar, YouTube TV doesn't currently have an Android TV app and is instead just Cast to devices that have Chromecast built-in, like a SHIELD. For NVIDIA to say that it's on its way, plus we've already been told that a YouTube TV Android TV app is coming, I'd imagine this is the week. Also in the update, Google Assistant is getting additional improvements, like the ability to pull up HULU and open shows or control playback, Uber or pizza ordering, and shopping through Target, Walmart, and Costco. NVIDIA tossed in the KRACK security patch as well, plus they added a TV on/off action using the SHIELD remote's IR blaster. All you have to do is tap the Home and Back buttons at the same time. Pretty solid update. Once it goes live and NVIDIA posts the info again, we'll let you know. // NVIDIA

Verizon Galaxy S8 and S8+ Get KRACK Security Patch

Kellen — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 08:04:05 +0000

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ picked up new updates over the weekend that were aimed at patching the KRACK WiFi security vulnerability that affects many WiFi connected devices. We haven't touched on KRACK much, but if you are interested in learning more, you can head here and here. The big takeaway is that it really does affect almost all WiFi connected devices because it's a vulnerability with a WiFi protocol, not necessarily an OS or platform like Android. It affects computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. The updates to these two phones drop in as G950USQS1AQJA for the Galaxy S8 and G955USQS1AQJA for the Galaxy S8+. You should grab these updates as soon as you can by heading into Settings>System updates. On a related note, the Moto Z2 Play also picked up a new security patch as software version NDSS26.118-23-11. This contains the October 2017 security patch. // Verizon [2] [3]

Weekly Recap: 2018 Pixel Codenames, Displaygate Part 2, and Much More

Tim — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 16:00:39 +0000

With so much going in Pixel 2 XL display drama-land, Essential dropping the price of its phone, and even us posting the codenames for the 2018 Google Pixels, this week was packed. Earlier in the week, we even found time post up our Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL video review, plus 20+ tips and tricks for Google's latest! Other noteworthy hotness was Google's launch of the Android 8.1 developer preview (downloads available for select devices), Misfit finally put the Vapor smartwatch up for pre-order, and Verizon is now letting people pay $10/month to get out of 720p streaming hell. Here's the stuff you don't want to miss!

WATCH: The Droid Life Show - Episode 156 "Burn-in Man" [Subscribe]
Review: Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL video review!
Download: Android 8.1 developer preview.
Video: What's new in Android 8.1!
Video: 20+ tips and tricks for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL.
Changelog: All the new stuff in Android 8.1 developer preview.
These are the 2018 Google Pixel codenames.
HTC continues its teasing of the U11 Plus, unveiling set for Nov. 2.
Google on Pixel 2 XL display: Move along, nothing to see here.
Google addresses that weird clicking you might've heard from the Pixel 2.
Google outlines plan to address screen burn-in, other display issues.
Every Pixel 2 owner needs the Now Playing History app.
The Essential Phone only costs $499.
Pixel 2 pre-orders were really good, says Google.
Opinion: Google is still bad at selling phones.
Don't want 720p streams on Verizon? You'll have to pay $10/month more.
LG joins Amazon's Prime Exclusive lineup, get a G6 for just $399.
Amazon has its own security camera now, priced at just $119.
HTC intros HTC Financing.
You can now pre-order the Android Wear-powered Misfit Vapor!

Have a great weekend!

Best Deals on This Friday Afternoon: $100 Off Pixel 2, $500 Off Sony 55" 4K TV, $100 Off UE Megaboom

Kellen — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 15:36:04 +0000

It's Friday, so how does a big dump of tech deals sound? Below, we've gathered up some of the better deals you'll find as we head into the weekend. As of right now, we've got big discounts on Sony Android TVs at Best Buy, typical $100 discounts on the Galaxy S8 line, $100 off UE's Megaboom speaker, good deals on Samsung's best microSD cards, and that still-running $9.99 deal for the SmartThings Link for NVIDIA SHIELD.

Sony 55" 4K Ultra HD Android TV with HDR - $1,199.99 ($500 Off)
Free $50 Best Buy gift card with Moto X4 purchase
US unlocked Galaxy S8 - $620.99 ($104 off)
US unlocked Galaxy S8+ - $724.99 ($100 off)
Up to $250 off AT&T or Verizon Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8, S8+
$100 off Pixel 2 with 24-month device payment plan
UE MEGABOOM Blueooth speaker - $199.99 ($100 off)
Sony 1000X Wireless Noise Cancelling headphones - $249.99 ($150 off)
Samsung DeX Station - $121.50 ($28 off)
Samsung 256GB EVO Plus microSD card - $149.99 ($50 off)
Samsung 64GB Pro Plus microSD card - $44.99 ($45 off)
Samsung Fast Charge car charger - $18.00 ($12 off)
Samsung Gear 360 camera - $174.49 ($56 off)
SmartThings Link for NVIDIA SHIELD - $9.99 (CODE: SHIELDLINK)

Feel free to drop any others in the comments if you see 'em.

Burn-in Man

Kellen — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:03:18 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we'll catch you up on the latest in Pixel 2 XL display drama now that Google has weighed-in with findings from their investigation over burn-in reports. In short, they are giving everyone a 2-year warranty, think the supposed reported display issues are normal, and are also going to issue software tweaks to further prevent bad things from happening. Good guy, Google. After that, we'll talk more on the Pixel 2 and pre-orders, why Google still sucks at selling phones, what's new in Android 8.1, if the Essential Phone is now worth buying, thoughts on the HTC U11 Plus teasers, and more! The show kicks off at 1PM Pacific (4PM Eastern). If you miss us live or want audio versions of each DL Show, hit up those links below to subscribe.

Video: What's New in Android 8.1

Kellen — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 10:38:30 +0000

Since Android 8.1 is now available and began rolling out through the Android Beta Program yesterday afternoon, we've spent enough time with it now to show you the biggest new stuff inside. And when we're talking about big, new goodness, we're talking about the subtle UI tweaks and other features that Google doesn't necessarily ever mention when they announce an update like this. For example, I'm pretty sure the official list of 8.1 changes might be written in another language and is not the stuff we're talking about in this clip. In this video, we have a Pixel 2 XL and Pixel XL running Android 8.1, along with a regular Pixel still on Android 8.0. For the most part, we show off the Pixel XL, since 8.1 appears to be bringing over the Pixel 2 experience to last year's Pixel phones. In other words, the big changes are going to be noticed by Pixel users, not necessarily those who have spent the past week or so with a shiny new Pixel 2. We show off the latest Pixel Launcher experience (like dark and light themes), new transparency all over, tweaks to the Settings UI and layout, the new fading navigation bar that should help prevent screen burn-in, the new power menu, cleaner UI when updating or restarting a device, and the brand new Oreo Easter Egg that is an actual Android Oreo cookie. See anything else that we missed?

What's new in Android 8.1

HTC Teases U11 Plus Frontside With Minimal Bezel

Tim — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 10:25:38 +0000

HTC has been teasing the U11 Plus on Twitter recently, today posting up a small and angled look at the rumored phone's frontside. From the image, we can gather that the U11 Plus has a display with minimal amounts of bezel. Considering this is the trend for 2017, we're not shocked. Because it may come with small amounts of bezel, we also assume the phone will not have capacitive buttons, something we're very much excited about. In the last teaser image, we saw that this device has a rear-facing fingerprint reader, just like on the new Pixel devices. That, of course, is a good thing (if you're into that placement). If you don't already know, HTC is hosting an event on November 2 where its new device(s) will be unveiled. https://twitter.com/htc/status/923791488248508416

Netflix Supports Picture-in-Picture on Android 8.1

Tim — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 09:52:13 +0000

If you have found usefulness with the native Picture-in-Picture mode in Oreo, you'll be happy to learn that the Netflix app nows supports it. The only catch is, you need Android 8.1 (currently in developer preview), making this an exclusive feature to Pixel and select Nexus owners for the foreseeable future. With this feature, folks can start watching whatever movie or TV show they want on Netflix, hit the home button, then continue watching their title within a little window while they get other things done on their device. Personally, it's hard to multi-task with PiP, only because I find myself getting distracted easily by whatever it is I'm watching. Maybe others have more self control than me. Anyway, if you want to check this out for yourself, make sure you're on Android 8.1, then grab the latest version of the Netflix app on Google Play. Play Link

Pixel 2's Weird Clicking Will be Fixed With Update, Temporary Fix Available

Kellen — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 09:41:14 +0000

Since Pixel 2 phones started arriving, new owners of the device complained about an odd clicking noise, as well as a high pitch frequency or hissing during calls. Up until yesterday, Google had not really addressed the concerns, but did simultaneously as they shared results of their investigation into the Pixel 2 XL's display drama. For the clicking noise, Google says that a software update will fix it in the future. They offered a temporary fix as well. According to Orrin, the community manager at Google's Pixel User Community, the clicking noise will be fixed in the coming weeks through software, but to get by until that happens, they urge you to turn off NFC. You can do so by heading into Settings>Connected devices>NFC. After looking through the Pixel User Community this morning, it's tough to tell if turning off NFC has actually fixed the clicking noise. You'll have to let us know if it works. As for the hissing or whining or squealing, well, Google didn't address those concerns and hasn't offered up a fix. If you head to the link below, you'll see dozens and dozens of complaints about it, even as users are getting replacement devices sent. We'll let you know if Google says anything. // Pixel User Community

This is Google's Plan to Combat Screen Burn-In and Color Complaints on the Pixel 2 XL Going Forward

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 16:50:07 +0000

Google's Mario Queiroz just weighed-in on the Pixel 2 XL's display drama, assuring customers that not only do their tests show that the 2 XL's POLED display is "in line" with other premium phones, but he also announced that Google is pushing the phone's warranty to 2 years and plans to issue additional software updates to combat potential burn-in going forward. Seang Chau, Google's VP of engineering, added more info to the story by talking about the Pixel 2 XL's color profile, color management in Android 8.0, and offered up specifics on how they might actually defeat differential aging or image retention.

Saturated Color Mode

The color management and dirty details of the Pixel 2 XL's POLED display are not exactly my expertise, so while I'll try to recap the points Chau made, be sure to hit that source link below for the full write-up. In essence, what Google has done is tune the Pixel 2 XL's display to sRGB +10% and calibrated it to a D67 white point. That's a fancy way of saying that the display is indeed tuned to the cooler side of white, while also expanding the colors in all directions by 10% to show slightly more vibrant than sRGB. The point, which we talked about the other day, thanks to a reddit user who explained it brilliantly, was to not only go with a more natural look, but also allow developers and UI designers the opportunity to have more control of how colors are rendered in their apps. Google says that this approach, while not quite as vivid or vibrant as you might be used to, is more accurate than a display that has that extra bit of "pop," since that's more a color stretch than an accurate color profile. Still, they listened to the complaints and will offer up a "saturated" color mode through a future software update. This mode will place the display in an "unmanaged configuration" just like the original Pixel's. In other words, you'll get the vibrance you wanted, but it won't be as accurate.

Combating Burn-in

In the differential aging or burn-in department, we've already talked about how Google's investigation shows that the phone is "in line" with other premium phones. I know that some will question that, but that's what Google is telling us and so that's what we have to go on. As for how they'll combat this issue going forward, Google has some nifty ideas. For one, Google is testing a software update that lets the navigation bar fade-out after a short period of inactivity. Since that's the area that people are seeing supposed burn-in or image retention, that actually sounds like a decent idea. Second, Chau says that Google is working with more apps to use a light nav bar that matches their app's color scheme. And finally, they plan to reduce the display's max brightness by a "virtually imperceptible" 50 cd/m2. I can't say that I love that idea, unless I really won't be able to notice and the benefits are as big as is explained in Chau's post. The update with the "saturated" color mode, as well as the navigation bar fade, more use of white in the nav bar, and that maximum brightness adjustment are all coming together here in the "next few weeks." Thoughts? Satisfied or do you need more from Google? // Pixel User Community

Google Says Pixel 2 XL Display is "In Line" With Other Premium Phones, Ups Warranty to 2 Years Anyway

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 16:11:23 +0000

You probably remember that Google told us the other day that it was investigating possible screen burn-in issues on its new Pixel 2 XL phone, right? This afternoon, they weighed-in with their findings. Not to spoil the fun, but Google says that the Pixel 2 XL shows the same signs of "differential aging" (their term for image retention or screen burn-in) as other premium smartphones. Also, they are giving the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL a full 2-year warranty to make you all feel better about your purchase. Google's Mario Queiroz took to their Pixel User Community to talk further about their findings, noting that they take reports of suspected issues seriously. He first addressed the color profile issues that many have pointed out since receiving the phones. This is the issue where people found the Pixel 2 XL's display to show muted or more natural colors, rather than the vibrant and vivid colors you may see on a Samsung Galaxy phone. Even though Google purposely tuned the Pixel 2 and 2 XL to be exactly as they are, they listened to feedback and will deliver a new mode that will present more saturated colors. That new mode will arrive via software update in the next "few weeks." As for the differential aging (burn-in) issue, Queiroz said that they started an investigation into supposed burn-in immediately on October 22 when the first report of it came in. Their investigation "confirms that the differential aging is in line with that of other premium smartphones and should not affect the normal, day-to-day user experience of the Pixel 2 XL." Additionally, Google does use "software to safeguard the user experience and maximize the life of the OLED display" on the Pixel 2 XL, but they plan to release "ongoing" software updates to continue to optimize this. Google also posted a deeper dive into the Pixel 2 XL display that we've recapped here. It's worth a read because it talks about how exactly they tuned the Pixel 2 XL's display and some of the software tricks they plan to implement to prevent burn-in. // Pixel User Community

Canary is the Latest to Integrate Google Assistant Into Its Devices

Tim — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 15:14:14 +0000

Canary, the makers of security cameras plus the really cool all-in-one Canary device (security alarm, camera, air monitor), announced integration with Google Assistant this week. With this integration, Canary and Canary Flex users can get important information directly from their phone when they ask Google. For example, "Ok Google, what's the temperature in my apartment?" Thanks to Canary, that answered can be delivered right to you. Of course, there are other things you can do, with Canary detailing even more features coming down the road. As mentioned in Canary's blog, "Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to roll out additional functionality to provide location information and enable siren activation." If you rock a Canary, this integration should be hitting your device this week, so be sure to set it up on your Google Home and Google Assistant. // Canary

Google's Pixel 2 Pre-Orders More Than Double Last Year's

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 14:31:30 +0000

During today's Q3 2017 Alphabet earnings call, Google CEO Sundar Pichai talked about the company's recent hardware announcements, mentioning that the new Pixel 2 phones have been well-received out of the gate. According to Pichai, pre-orders of the new Pixel 2 line on day one "were more than double what they were last year." I'd say that lines up with the amount of buzz we've seen here at Droid Life since the phones were announced. Maybe it was the boring, iPhone-esque designs of last year, the shock of non-Nexus pricing for Pixel, or the limited available of the original Pixel line, but the Pixel 2 phones have really attracted the DL community this time without much of last year's negativity. Of course, most of that happened before the Pixel 2 XL's display drama picked up. Still, our inbox has been flooded for the past couple of weeks with almost nothing but Pixel 2 talk. He also talked about Google's plan to get all of their new devices in more hands. They are doing that by scaling their go-to-market strategies, investing more in marketing, selling in more countries, and partnering with more retailers. That's great, but please, please, please, focus on the manufacturing of phones. Marketing, selling in more countries, and making devices (phones in particular) available in more retailers doesn't mean much if potential customers can't buy the ones they want. Maybe that's why Google once again is struggling to fulfill orders, eh, Tim?

DEAL: Woot has Brand New Amazon Echo (1st Gen) Devices for $75 Today

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 12:46:05 +0000

Amazon may have just replaced the original Amazon Echo with two new models, but that doesn't make the 1st gen version any less worthy of being in your home, especially when it can be had for ridiculously low prices. Currently, Woot has both the white and black Amazon Echo (1st gen) for just $74.99 and they are brand new units. This isn't your typical refurbished Woot deal, my good friends. It's tough to say how long this deal might last because I'd imagine they'll sell through them quickly, but they are being fulfilled by Amazon and show an estimated delivery of November 2-3. If you have been waiting to get in on the Amazon Echo life, this is the time to do it. I'm not sure we've seen a price this good on brand new units.

Woot Link

Cheers David!

Opinion: Google is Still Bad at Selling Phones

Tim — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 11:47:15 +0000

So you're having troubles with your new Pixel order from Google? Dang. Well, I hate to break this to you, but it has been this way for years. Looking back through our post archives, Google has had issues when it comes to meeting demand for its flagship devices, both Pixel and Nexus. Please, allow me to provide a brief history to you. Let's not get too crazy and just go back to the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. On the morning of September 29, 2015, Google announced two Nexus devices (5X and 6P). Pre-orders went live later that morning, but at the time, there was no concrete shipping estimation. Weeks went by and finally, Google said 5X orders were shipping out. Not too long after, folks who purchased the 6P saw their credit cards getting charged, figuring they would have their device in-hand soon enough. For some, maybe even many, that wasn't the case. As Kellen wrote in November, 2015:

Google didn’t mention anything about devices shipping this time, instead choosing the silence route. Then the device sold out across all models of the 6P. Then it was back in stock! Then everyone who read reviews and decided they wanted in on the premium Huawei fun started ordering again with varying estimated ship dates! And then those late orders started shipping almost immediately, while those original Android enthusiast orders sat in “Pending” purgatory!

Hmm, so people who ordered the phone at a later date were receiving their phone before original pre-orderers? That sounds quite familiar, doesn't it? In fact, that's what many people are experiencing right now with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Threads on reddit and XDA are filled with these stories. One individual pre-ordered a Pixel 2 XL on October 4, then another on October 24. Guess which one shipped first? Yep, the October 24 order. Let's look at the original Pixel and Pixel XL now. Announced on October 4, 2016 with pre-order up that same day, the phones, particularly the Pixel XL, were selling out fast. We were constantly doing updates on Google Store availability, and consistently, the Pixel XL in all configurations was not available for purchase. On October 26, 2016, Google support staff stated orders were running 3 weeks behind. Orders that were expected by late October were now scheduled for mid to late November, and of course, buyers were pissed. Even well into 2017 we were still discussing inventory of the Pixel phones. This past February, Kellen wrote an update on his Pixel experience. Of course, he was still loving it, but what stood out to me were the people in the comments who said they were still awaiting their Pixel order from November and December of the previous year. One person wrote, "Ordered mine on Black Friday. Current ETA is 2/10." From what I can tell just by doing a quick search online, he definitely wasn't the only person having an issue still. Last year, one of our readers, zepfloyd, made a great point that I will quote here:

You would think by now Google would have figured out how to manage inventory. Anything they do for the last few years is always out of stock, poorly planned and so on. Great products but no logistics. It's beyond puzzling and entering bizarre. All this deep learning and AI and Google can't figure it out?

He's absolutely right. Each year, we expect Google to have figured this whole selling and shipping thing out, but they don't seem quite capable. All we as consumers can hope is that they learn from these mistakes and better plan for the following year. We're going on a few years of shipping drama, though, so who knows when Google will completely overhaul what it is they're doing. As of right now, there are many people who pre-ordered the new Pixel and don't know where their device is, even though it was expected to be in their hands at this moment. To those people, I'm sorry you're upset, but when ordering a phone from Google, things like this are almost expected at this point. Is that a cool way of doing business and earning people's loyalty? Hell no, but what else can be done? You can cancel your pre-order and try ordering another like other people are doing or you can completely cancel your order and go for another phone. Believe me, there are a lot of nice phones on the market right now. You can also try being patient. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I'm sure Google is doing its best to fulfill the order you placed. Here's what Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL inventory levels are looking like at the time of this writing. The Pixel 2 is purchasable in Clearly White (64GB is sold out, 128GB shipping in 3-4 weeks) and Just Black (64GB shipping in 4-5 weeks, 128GB shipping in 3-4 weeks), but Kinda Blue is sold out. The Pixel 2 XL is purchasable in Just Black (64GB ships by Oct. 29, 128GB the same), but Black & White (aka Penguin), is sold out in both 64GB and 128GB models. We recently asked when buyers of the Black & White Pixel 2 XL were expecting their phones to arrive, with many saying around mid to late November. Now, a message to Google. Please, fix this. Every year it seems like the same thing, and frankly, it's beyond unacceptable. Apple sells millions of phones and doesn't ever seem to have issues quite like this. All we ever hear from that camp is how shipping dates are pushed back for those who ordered the phone late - none of this, "Cancel your pre-order and then re-order, it'll come faster." What is that nonsense? A little bit of transparency and communication could go a long way, too. I want to hear from you, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL buyers. How are your orders looking right now? When did you order and when is it expected to arrive? Have you already spoken to Google support about where your phone is? I want to hear about that, too.

Google Home and Assistant Can Now Cast HBO and CBS Shows to Your TV

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 10:37:56 +0000

Just over a week ago, Google Home and Google Assistant picked up the ability to play YouTube TV on a screen nearby through a voice command. Today, Google has expanded that by adding on HBO NOW and CBS, as well as The CW. Like with YouTube TV, you can say things like "Watch Curb Your Enthusiasm" or "Play Star Trek: Discovery" to the Assistant or Home to get those shows to start playing. It typically helps if you specify the Chromecast or Android TV you want to cast to as well. This functionality also works with Netflix. To get setup, you'll head into the Google Home app, swipe out the side menu and tap on "More settings." From there, scroll to the very bottom "Videos and Photos" section and tap on it. Once inside, you'll be able to link accounts for casting, as you can see below. Keep in mind that you can perform this action through your phone too, using the Google Assistant.

// Google

Logitech Circle Cameras Now Support Google Assistant

Tim — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 08:51:59 +0000

The Circle lineup of cameras, Logitech's little security cams, now support Google Assistant thanks to an update. According to Logitech, both the first and second generation models (wired and wire-free) support the update. With this integration, folks with a Chromecast connected to their TV or those with a TV with built-in Chromecast can simply say, "Ok Google, show me the front door camera" to their phone. At that point, your video feed will pop up on the big screen. For a complete rundown of proper setup and a list of verbal commands, follow the links below. I'm liking the future of home surveillance. // Logitech [2]

LG Joins Amazon's Prime Exclusive Phone Line-Up With G6 at $399, G6+ at $499

Kellen — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 08:04:07 +0000

Amazon's line-up of Prime Exclusive phones, those being the phones filled with Amazon apps and ads that you can buy at a discounted rate, continues to grow at a fast rate. This morning, LG added four phones to it, including the impressive LG G6 (our review) and LG G6+. The LG G6 Prime Exclusive version can be had for just $399.99 and is unlocked to work on all major US carriers. The LG G6+, which features a Quad DAC and QuadPlay headphones, is just $100 more at $499.99. It too works on all major US carriers. Those represent prices that have been discounted anywhere from $50 to $200 compared to the non-Amazon versions. Amazon also added the LG Q6 and X Charge to its list of Prime Exclusive phones. Both are considered budget or mid-tier phones and can be purchased for $229.99 or $149.99, respectively. All phones are currently up for pre-order today and will ship in November.

Amazon Prime Exclusive Phones

Video: Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Review

Kellen — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 14:29:38 +0000

As we promised last week after our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL review was posted, we now have our thoughts in video form. We know that some of you don't need all of the dirty details of a written review and would rather get the visual overview perspective. Today, we bring you just that. In this video, we'll dive into each phone's design, camera experience, industry-best software, and battery life. We also touch on the display drama that's surrounded the Pixel 2 XL and discuss whether or not those supposed issues are dealbreakers. As you likely already know, for me, they aren't. These are two of my favorite phones of 2017. Enjoy!

Halloween Sale for NVIDIA SHIELD Games Kicks Off on Friday

Tim — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 12:40:52 +0000

Kicking off this Friday (October 27) and ending the night of Halloween, NVIDIA is hosting a sale on games for GeForce NOW as well as SHIELD TV. From the list provided to us by NVIDIA, there are two games for GeForce NOW players, Deadlight Director's Cut (80% off, bringing it to $2.39) and The Guest (on sale for $3.39). For Android titles, most are marked at 50% off, including Whispering Willows, Doom 3 BFG Edition, The Final Station, Resident Evil 5, Space Hulk, Killing Floor Calamity, and more. Check out the full list of games below. GeForce NOW

Deadlight Director's Cut (80% off original $11.99, sale $2.39)
The Guest (66.60% off original $9.99, sale $3.39)

Android

Whispering Willows (50% off original $4.99, sale $2.49)
Doom 3 BFG Edition (50% off original $9.99, sale $4.99)
Resident Evil 5 (50% off original $9.99, sale $4.99)
The Final Station (50% off original $14.99, sale $7.49)
Killing Floor Calamity (50% off original $4.99, sale $2.49)
Haunt the House: Terrortown (50% off original $1.99, sale $0.99)
Burn Zombie Burn (60% off original $3.50, sale $1.39)
Space Hulk (50% off original $11.99, Sale $5.99)

Again, this sale kicks off on Friday and ends Halloween night.

What's New in the Android 8.1 Developer Preview

Tim — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:39:36 +0000

The Android team just released a developer preview for Android 8.1 "Oreo," so let's dive in and see what's new. Considering this is only a developer preview, a lot of this will probably go unnoticed by end users, but if you're a developer, these days are always like Christmas. Here we go.

Added Neural Networks API

The Neural Networks API (NNAPI) provides apps with hardware acceleration for on-device machine learning operations. The API supports on-device model creation, compilation, and execution. Apps typically do not use NNAPI directly; instead, NNAPI is meant to be called by machine learning libraries, frameworks, and tools that let developers train their models and deploy them on Android devices.

Changes to Notifications

Apps can now only make a notification alert sound once per second. Alert sounds that exceed this rate aren't queued and are lost. This change doesn't affect other aspects of notification behavior and notification messages still post as expected.

Improved Targeting for Low-RAM Devices

Android 8.1 (API level 27) adds two new hardware-feature constants, FEATURE_RAM_LOW and FEATURE_RAM_NORMAL, to Package Manager. These constants allow you target the distribution of your apps and APK splits to normal- or low-RAM devices. These constants enable the Play store to promote a better user experience by highlighting apps especially well-suited to the capabilities of a given device.

Autofill Framework Update

The Developer Preview adds support for custom descriptions that the Android System shows in the autofill save UI instead of the original representation of the data. This is useful, for example, when you want to mask a credit card number and show only the last four digits. To learn more, see the CustomDescription class.

Programmatic Safe Browsing Actions

By using the WebView implementation of the Safe Browsing API, your app can detect when an instance of WebView attempts to navigate to a URL that Google has classified as a known threat. By default, the WebView shows an interstitial, as shown in Figure 1, warning the user of the known threat and giving them the option to load the URL anyway or return to a previous page that's safe.

Added WallpaperColors API

Android 8.1 Developer Preview (API level 27) adds support for managing wallpaper colors. This feature lets you create a WallpaperColors object from a bitmap, a drawable, or by using the first three most visually representative colors. You can also retrieve details of the first three noticeable colors of a wallpaper.

Fingerprint Updates

The FingerprintManager class has introduced the following error codes:

FINGERPRINT_ERROR_LOCKOUT_PERMANENT – The user has tried too many times to unlock their device using the fingerprint reader.

FINGERPRINT_ERROR_VENDOR – A vendor-specific fingerprint reader error occurred.

For the complete rundown, be sure to check out the Android Developer webpage with all of the nitty gritty. If you're just looking to get this downloaded onto your phone ASAP, make sure you're enrolled in the Android Beta Program, then be on the lookout for the update. // Android Developers

Android 8.1 Developer Preview Now Available! (Updated)

Kellen — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:21:14 +0000

We knew that the Android 8.1 Developer Preview was on the way, but we didn't think it would be here this quickly. And yep, it did just show up! This latest Android Oreo build is available for the Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel XL, Pixel, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, and Nexus 5X. All builds are OPP5.170921.005. Again, this is Android 8.1 and is only in developer preview at the moment. As of right now, we have both factory image and OTA files for each device. The schedule for this Android 8.1 Developer Preview looks like an initial release now followed by another preview in mid-November before the final, stable build arrives in December. Since this is a developer preview and the first release of it, you should expect some bugs. Google says that there could be various stability issues and that some apps may not function properly (including Google apps). To read the full set of release notes before proceeding, head here. To see what's new in this Android 8.1 DP, we've got a brief write-up here. The preview site also mentions that you should be able to enroll in the Android Beta Program if you want the update. You can sign-up for that here. UPDATE 10/26: Now live on the beta track!

~~NOTE: At this time, we aren't seeing Pixel 2 devices as eligible for the Android Beta. My guess, that'll change here in a few minutes~~. If the beta isn't pushing through you want to get busy manually, you can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. Links:

Nighthawk Mobile Hotspot Router Available at AT&T, Capable of 5G Evolution Speeds

Tim — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:08:07 +0000

Beginning this Friday, AT&T customers can pick up a Nighthawk mobile hotspot router, capable of pulling down 5G Evolution speeds for your devices. This mobile hotspot, produced by NETGEAR, can connect up to 20 devices and features a 5,040mAh battery. According to AT&T, that's good for 24 hours of battery life. Of course, the important aspect concerns data speeds. As detailed, 5G Evolution speeds should equal about 2x the speeds you'll have with standard 4G LTE. This, of course, will vary greatly depending on where you are located. For more info on AT&T's rollout of 5G Evolution, see here. For pricing, AT&T will list the Nighthawk at $49.99 when purchased with a two-year contract. That means you'll need to sign up for service on the device at time of purchase. Again, this mobile hotspot goes on sale Friday, October 27. AT&T Link // AT&T

Now Playing History is an App Every Pixel 2 Owner Needs

Tim — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 08:58:22 +0000

Now Playing is a feature exclusive to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. With it, your phone can recognize music that is playing in the background, saving you from downloading Shazam or embarrassingly asking the barista at your local Starbucks whose smooth jazz rendition of Ode to Billie Joe you're listening to. Until now, there has never been a place to showcase all of the music that has been recognized by Now Playing. Thanks to the release Now Playing History, available right now on Google Play, you can see all of the songs that have been picked up by the feature. When you open the app, you'll see a list of songs that have been recognized, then you can choose to play the songs from your music app of choice (Google Play Music, Spotify, etc.) It's a pretty straightforward app, but one that seems totally necessary to have if you utilize Now Playing on your Pixel 2. The app is priced at $0.99 on Google Play, so check it out, Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners. Play Link ($0.99) Cheers Riggs!

Verizon Will Let You Pay $10 Per Month to Get Out of 720p Streaming Hell

Kellen — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 08:34:14 +0000

Two months after Verizon introduced new Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited data plans that included all-day, all-the-time video throttling no matter your data connection or display resolution, the company has decided that you can now stream beyond just 720p. Of course, they are going to make you pay for that privilege, because that's how wireless carriers operate - they take nice things away only to make you pay extra for them later. The news comes out of CNET, who says that the option will arrive November 3 and cost you $10 per month. Most of the details aren't here just yet, but they are reporting that you'll be able to stream up to 4K or whatever resolution of video your phone can handle (aka original, non-throttled quality). HOW NICE OF YOU, VERIZON. If we find out additional bits of info, we'll update this post. // CNET

Amazon Announces Its First Security Camera at $119, In-Home Delivery Amazon Key System Too

Kellen — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 08:17:22 +0000

Amazon jumped into the simple home security arena this morning by introducing a security camera and front door security system that will allow your Amazon delivery guy to drop packages inside your home. That's right, Amazon is now more than just an Alexa and Fire company - they also do home security. Their first security camera is called Amazon Cloud Cam and it's stupidly cheap at $119.99. Well, that's for a single unit. If you want to outfit your entire home, they are selling 2-packs for $199.99 (code: 2CLOUDCAM) and 3-packs for $289.99 (code: 3CLOUDCAM). Seriously, those prices are nuts. If you went the Nest Cam or Nest Cam IQ route, you'd be looking at a $500 price for 3 cameras or as much as $299 for a single cam. The Cloud Cam is an indoor-only cam, records at 1080p (120-degree angle), works with Alexa to be viewed on TVs or Echo products (and the Cloud Cam app), has night vision, does live viewing, features a built-in speaker and mic, detects motion and people (with plan), and gives you 24 hours of recorded clips for free (up to 3 cameras). If you want more recordings, they have monthly payment options that start at $6.99. That payment option provides 7 days of recordings for up to 3 cameras, person detection, zone setup, and unlimited sharing of clips. As for the home delivery and security stuff I mentioned above, Amazon also announced the Amazon Key. Amazon Key is a combination package that includes a Cloud Cam and a smart lock ($249.99 for both). Those paired with your Amazon Prime account allows Amazon delivery drivers entry to your home to drop off packages. You can also use this to let in service appointments or guests. Wait, that sounds super sneaky and insecure, how does that work? Amazon says that to start, it'll only work in 37 cities and that it comes at no extra cost to you (even home setup is free by a professional). Once setup, you get live view of the deliveries to your home, as well as notifications that they are happening. When a driver is set to drop off a package, Amazon uses an "encrypted authentication process" to let them in, rather than revealing your unlock code. Amazon Cloud Cam can be pre-ordered right now and arrives November 8. Same goes for Amazon Key.

Amazon Cloud Cam and Key Links:

// Amazon [2]

Add-ons for Gmail Are a Go and Great for Enterprise Users

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:16:18 +0000

Launched today, add-ons for Gmail allow third-party developers to integrate their services directly into the Google-powered email service. There's already a handful of add-ons available, so far catered to enterprise users, including some from Trello, RingCentral, Dialpad, and Asana. More add-ons are on the way, some of which should benefit any type of user, not just enterprise. For example, let's say your place of work uses Trello. When enabled and you're inside of an email, you can place that email directly on a Trello board without having to go to a different webpage to access Trello. It's the same case for all the other services, helping users save time when sharing items between services. At least for Trello, the add-ons are integrated into the Android app, too. That means you'll find the same options to send items whether you're in the Gmail Android app or on a desktop. As a Trello and G Suite user, this is beyond clutch. To access, you should see a new "Get add-ons" option in the settings drop down menu inside of Gmail. I had to refresh my Gmail tab to access it. From here, install whichever add-on you want to use and sign into the service. From there, you're all set. // Google | Trello

Go Live With a Friend on Instagram Thanks to Latest Update

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:03:04 +0000

Thanks to a new update (Version 20, to be exact), users of Instagram can now fire up a Live broadcast with a friend, a feature that's been in testing since August. Let's say you want to do a little Instagram show with a friend being your guest. Simply fire up the Live video, tap on the new icon in the bottom right of the screen, "Add" whichever friend you'd like, then get to broadcasting. You can remove your guest and add a new guest at any time during the broadcast, too. The update is rolling out to all users right now. Play Link // Instagram

HTC Partners With TD Bank for HTC Financing, Buy a New Phone With $0 Down and Low Monthly Payments

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 11:34:47 +0000

HTC announced HTC Financing this morning in partnership with TD Bank. Similar to other financing programs we've seen, HTC Financing can score you a new HTC phone (must be priced at $599+) with $0 down, low monthly payments and 0% APR. This is great for unlocked phone buyers who don't want to deal with carriers and don't mind monthly payments. So far, only one HTC device qualifies for HTC Financing, being the U11. On HTC's website, the phone through HTC Financing is listed at $0 down and $28/month for 24 months at 0% APR for 64GB or $0 down and $31/month for 24 months at 0% APR for a 128GB model. Keep in mind, this is all subject to credit approval, like everything else these days. We're sure to see more devices available through HTC Financing in the future, so this is something to keep in mind for your next HTC phone. To check out the program for yourself, follow the link below. HTC Link // HTC

There's Now an Official List of Games You Can Play on Google Home With Your Family (Updated)

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 10:32:15 +0000

No doubt there are plenty of fun titles you can enjoy with your family on the Google Home, but finding a definitive list has been sort of tough. Thanks to a post on Google's support website, we now have such a thing. According to the web page, there are over 35 different apps and games specifically for the Google Home, including a Harry Potter quiz, Math Showdown, Tech Trivia, Space Trivia, and more. Seriously, it's a solid list of games, perfect for keeping you or that special little someone in your life occupied for a bit. To see the full list, follow the link below and if you see something you like, each link contains the specific command you need to begin the game/app on Google Home. For example, "Ok Google, Play Harry Potter Quiz." Update: Google made this all official with a press release, detailing more about what kids can do with a Google Home.

The new activities are rolling out today so you can go on a family adventure together. With their parent's permission, children under 13 can also have their own personalized Google Assistant experience when they log in with their own account, powered by Family Link. Family Link helps parents manage their child’s Google Account while they explore. And with Voice Match, your family can train the Assistant to recognize who’s speaking, up to six voices.

Have fun! // Google [2]

HTC Says We'll "See It All" on November 2 in Teaser Tweet for U11 Plus

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 09:28:32 +0000

With save the dates and unofficial multi-angle looks already out there, we're pretty confident HTC is announcing the U11 Plus on November 2. In a teaser tweet from late last night, the company gave us an actual look at the device's backside, complete with rear-facing fingerprint reader and single backside camera. In the tweet, HTC says that we'll "see it all" on November 2. Not only are they referring to us seeing the new phone, but we believe this is a play on the theory that the U11 Plus will have a front display with minimal bezel. Think along the lines of Pixel 2 XL and LG V30. November 2 is right around the corner. https://twitter.com/htc/status/922704228245676032

Misfit Vapor, at Long Last, Up for Pre-Order and Priced at $199

Tim — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:39:07 +0000

Misfit Vapor, the Android Wear smartwatch that many of us thought could be the one, is finally up for pre-order! Teased at CES this past January, then confirmed to run Android Wear in March, the story of Vapor is pretty funny. Because of its good looking design and the mystery that once surrounded its specs, we had a few readers reach out to see if the device was actually real. Feeding that hysteria is the fact Misfit pushed launch of this device to October, when it was first thought we would see it hit the market in the late summer. Well, the time has come and you can pre-order a Vapor right now for $199. Hooray, it's not vapor-ware! For specs, the Vapor sports a 1.3" full round AMOLED display, Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, 4GB of storage, connected GPS (not standalone), optical heart rate sensor, virtual touch bezel, "all day" battery life, and Android Wear 2.0 out of the box. For $199, this watch still sounds pretty awesome. Are you picking one up? Misfit Link | Amazon Link

DEAL: SmartThings Link for NVIDIA SHIELD Now Just $10 With Code

Kellen — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:26:01 +0000

SmartThings finally opened up pre-orders for the SmartThings Link a few weeks back and gave us a substantial discount to $15 to kick things off. Now that the device is shipping, they are back with an even better deal. You can now buy the SmartThings Link for NVIDIA SHIELD for just $9.99 with coupon code at checkout. Since it retails for $40, that's umm, yeah, that's a good deal. If interested, keep in mind that you will need an NVIDIA SHIELD TV to plug this into. If you do own one (or are going to own one), the SmartThings Link will turn your NVIDIA SHIELD TV into a SmartThings Hub. At $10, I'm not sure you'll find a better deal that will help get your smart home started. This Link will allow you to control lights and other smart home products, set routines for your house, get alerts, etc. To get the deal, enter "SHIELDLINK" at checkout to see the price drop to $9.99. You can also save $40 off the Lighting Kit for NVIDIA SHIELD with code "SHIELDBUNDLE."

SmartThings Link

UBreakiFix is Once Again the Exclusive Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Walk-In Repair Shop

Kellen — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 07:04:26 +0000

Some of you have been asking and uBreakiFix finally confirmed yesterday - they are indeed the exclusive walk-in repair shop for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, just like they were for the original Pixel phones last year. uBreakiFix is now up to 335 stores across North America, so finding a walk-in location to get your Pixel 2 or 2 XL fixed is only getting easier. And when you do walk-in to a location, you'll find manufacturer-backed, same-day repair with actual OEM parts. You should be able to get immediate screen replacement service too, rather than having to wait for an appointment. Additionally, while any Pixel 2 owner can walk into a uBreakiFix store and get help from their specialists, customers who bought Google's preferred device protection plan can get help as well when filing claims. So what are we talking about in terms of pricing? Pixel 2 screen repairs will cost $149.99 while Pixel 2 XL screen repairs will cost $219.99. You can find additional pricing for things like front and back camera repair, battery replacement, etc. at this link and this link. To find locations near you, head over to the uBreakiFix website. // GlobeNewswire Cheers Shane!

Ready for 2018 Google Pixel Codenames?

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:34:46 +0000

We believe that at least one of the 2018 Google Pixel codenames is currently "crosshatch," according to a trusted source of ours, but that Google may also be working on devices codenamed "albacore" and "blueline." Yes, I'm talking about next year's Pixel devices, not the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that we just got done reviewing and were only unveiled officially a few weeks back in San Francisco. Our source, who has handed us very early and correct info on multiple occasions, including the first mention of "taimen" as a potential third Google phone earlier this year. As you all know now, "taimen" turned out to be the LG-made Pixel 2 XL. This source adds that Google may end up simply referencing the trio of phones as A, B, and C to hide their identity some. We were also told that two of these devices will be considered "premium," while the third will fit into the "high" end tier. What the difference is there is a mystery to us. Our source referred to them as "Pixel" devices, though. We've been sitting on the info for some time as we worked to find an additional confirmation or a reference to any of the devices by Google. Today, that happened for "crosshatch" through a comment to an AOSP listing in reference to Pixel devices. The mention popped up here and can be seen below.

The reference to "crosshatch" is in the same breath as if it were a part of Google's device line-up (or future line-up), specifically the Pixel line-up. The page discusses both "sailfish" and "marlin" on numerous occasions (those are the original Pixel and Pixel XL), plus the comment we care so much about says that "crosshatch" and the audio files under discussion were a part of "Pixel and Qualcomm code." That's certainly not definitive proof that "crosshatch" is a new Pixel phone, but it matches up to info provided to us. On a related note, while "albacore" and "blueline" have avoided us thus far, you'll notice that we underlined another mystery device above, "wahoo." I have no idea what "wahoo" is, other than it's another fish and we know that Google likes to look for obscure sea creatures when naming its hardware products. I also know that it's being coupled in with other Pixel devices here, including "crosshatch." We were told that "wahoo" may have been some sort of leftover from 2017 Google devices and is not necessarily in the 2018 group. Also this went live for "wahoo" today, as well as "wahoo-kernel":

Those repositories are empty, but they are public. Are they supposed to be public? If so, what device is it? There is only a single mention of it in AOSP that I can find - the one we included in the screenshot above. We should point out that for 2017 we saw "muskie," "walleye," and "taimen" all exist at the same time, but that "muskie" was eventually given the boot. Since we're reporting these names this early, don't be surprised if things change as we get into 2018. Either way, you now have some names to start hunting down or at least keep an eye on.

Video: 20+ Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Tips and Tricks!

Tim — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:12:46 +0000

Our written review is posted for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, with our video review close to being done. In the meantime, maybe you've just received your shiny new Pixel device or are expecting it to come in soon, so to help you get acquainted, we wanted to share our usual Tips and Tricks video with you. In this, we'll share 20+ tips and tricks to help you master Google's custom Pixel experience software, because after all, this isn't exactly stock Android. Google has built a ton of little features into Oreo, and frankly, it's all pretty darn awesome. We cover enabling Now Playing, shortcut gestures, making a Do Not Disturb schedule, changing the device's theme with the help of wallpapers, plus a whole lot more. Have fun!

Google Posts First Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Factory Images (Updated)

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 10:38:25 +0000

Google just posted up the first factory image and OTA files for the new Pixel 2 ("walleye") and Pixel 2 XL ("taimen"). The images ~~contain the October 2017 security patch and~~ drop in under a couple of different build numbers. UPDATE: As you'll see below, if you own a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, these builds are the current builds on the phones and they are not October's security patch. In fact, both my review units are running OPD1.170816.010 which is only September's patch. What's up, Google? UPDATE 2: Google has now removed the mentions of October from the builds. UPDATE 3: And now Google has added notes, so we know which build is for which owners. We've added their notes below. We've got Android 8.0 builds of OPD1.170816.010, OPD1.170816.011 (Telstra), OPD1.170816.012 (Rogers, Fido), and OPD3.170816.012 (Verizon) for both phones. ~~Which do you need for your phone? Google hasn't included notes just yet, so we aren't actually sure~~. Should they clarify, we'll go ahead and update this post. For now, just be sure to head into Settings>System>System update and tap "Check for update." If no update is there and you want to get busy manually, you can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. Links:

EDIT: Title edited to be more accurate now that we know these are the launch builds from Google, not October's security patch.

Sony's Xperia XZ Premium is Getting Oreo Update Starting Today

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 09:56:11 +0000

Wow, so, Sony said this morning that it has started the Android Oreo update rollout for the Xperia XZ Premium. That's huge news for those in the Sony ecosystem. That basically makes them the first to grab Oreo in an official capacity that isn't just an early beta (feel free to correct me if I'm missing a phone). Along with the expected Oreo goodies, Sony tells us to expect 3D Creator (3D avatar creation tool), Predictive Capture (like a smile "green light" to the camera), autofocus burst, improved sound quality in the front-facing speakers and when using wireless headphones, and App Shortcuts for apps on home screens. As is noted in the announcement, this will be a "phased process," so it may be some time before your phone get sit. // Sony

Pay With Google Now an Option For Mobile Users on Chrome and in Select Apps

Tim — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 08:53:10 +0000

Not too long ago, paying for anything on a mobile device could be a real hassle. You'd have to fill out the payment info on a tiny screen, hope the app doesn't crash, and the experience was hardly ever painless. Today, that changes, with Google launching Pay With Google. With this, your mobile shopping/ordering dreams have come true, as there will soon be no more need to type in your credit card info, shipping address, or any other pesky info when buying something on your phone. Rolling out to a few apps (listed below) and Chrome, when a purchase process is nearly complete, Android users will be met with a new option to Pay With Google. So long as you have any payment option saved to your Google account (from YouTube, Google Play, Android Pay, etc.), Google can securely share that payment information with the merchant, without you having to retype any of that information. Honestly, this should be a real time saver.

Now, as for which apps support this right off the bat, there is Chrome (web shopping), Doordash, Yelp Eat24, Fancy, GameTime, Kayak, Postmates, Wish, and others. Other retailers will get in on this action, too, including Airbnb, Boxed, Papa Johns, StubHub, Just Eat, Hotel Tonight, and many more. If you are a developer and want to integrate this new service for shoppers, head over here. You may not see this option everywhere starting today, but soon, the idea is that this will be common nearly everywhere you shop online. Go give it a try! // Google

Ready for Verizon Gigabit LTE? Moto Z2 Force Now Is

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 08:08:17 +0000

When Verizon launches Gigabit LTE service later this year, the Moto Z2 Force will be one of the first phones able to take advantage of it. Thanks to an update that arrived on Friday, Motorola's newest flagship will be able to hit "peak speeds far exceeding most phones in the market today." The update arrived as software version NDX26.183-15 and also includes the Blueborne security patch, as well as that semi-shady AppFlash app Verizon continues to push that's nothing but a garbage advertisement and should be turned off by you. That's all side noise, though, as the Gigabit LTE piece of this update is huge news. Verizon will use four carrier aggregation to push out this new Gigabit Class LTE by leveraging unlicensed spectrum, along with licensed spectrum. That technology is called Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) and is going to be the new hotword in wireless technology as we see carriers crank out ridiculous download speeds to your phone. It should allow for Verizon to reach 1Gb download speeds and up to 150Mbps upload. AT&T will use LAA as well. Of course, in order to do this, phones will need technology that can take advantage of these speeds and the Moto Z2 Force is one. The combination of a Snapdragon 835 processor and a Snapdragon X16 LTE modem inside should do the trick. Phones like the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and HTC U11 also come equipped with those two Qualcomm products and will likely see updates on Verizon as well. You can read more on the Snapdragon X16 at this post. Now, Verizon hasn't said specifically when Gigabit Class LTE will launch, but they did tell RCRWireless back in August that they are already upgrading cell sites with new hardware that can push these speeds. These hardware upgrades are happening across the US. Still, you'll see that Verizon has noted on the Moto Z2 Force update page that Gigabit LTE won't be available in all areas at launch. In the end, even if we don't have a launch date from Verizon, I'd assume that we're fast approaching the day. After all, the Moto Z2 Force now has the software to access those speeds and Verizon is saying that Gigabit LTE will launch this year. I don't think I need to point out that we're closing in on the end of October, leaving Big Red only two more months to launch in 2017. // Verizon

Google is Investigating Pixel 2 XL Screen Burn-In After Reports

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 06:02:03 +0000

Over the weekend, reports began to surface suggesting that the Pixel 2 XL may be showing signs of screen burn-in on some of the early review units that have been in the hands of media for the better part of the past two weeks. Initially, I didn't think that the unit I've been testing was showing any signs of it after looking at multiple grey backgrounds, but I can now spot it (see below). Additional examples can be found here and here and here. That's not good. Google has already weighed in and said that they are "actively investigating" these reports.

Pixel 2 XL screen burn-in or temporary retention?

So what is screen burn-in and should you be worried about it? Screen burn-in happens when the same image sits on a display for a long period of time. It's as if those image parts that aren't moving are being burned-in to the display and will continue to show remnants of themselves even as you switch the screen to something else. An example can be seen above, where my phone is showing nothing but a blank grey screen with hidden navigation bar, yet you can see a faded navigation bar with buttons. Now, there are two takeaways here for the most part. If this is screen burn-in, that would likely be a permanent "burn" to the screen that would leave these pixels forever showing that navigation bar fade. That would not be good. If it's something like a temporary image retention, that could be more of a temporary ghosting, where the display is showing leftover pieces of the previous display contents, but will eventually wash them away as new imagery takes its place. Which is this? That we do not know, but I can tell you that the picture above was taken immediately after flipping the phone from portrait with the navigation bar open to full-screen and it hidden. It was pretty obvious right away that there was either burn-in or image retention going on. However, as I've let the phone sit with that same grey screen for the past few minutes, it's almost all faded away and is now just a clean grey screen.

Should you be worried?

Maybe! If this is a permanent burn-in that is showing after less than two weeks of usage, that's not exactly a good thing for a phone you may own for a couple of years. Unfortunately, we just don't know what's really happening. With that said, this news comes on the heels of supposed other, non-related display issues, like an odd color shift and a muted, sRGB-like color profile setup. We'll have to wait for Google to provide feedback here. // The Verge

Essential Phone Drops to $499 for Good, Early Adopters Get $200 Credit Too

Kellen — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 05:16:40 +0000

Andy Rubin's Essential Phone is now a $499 phone. And no, this isn't just a temporary discount, Essential is slashing $200 off the price of the phone, likely in a move to move some units and get their product in more hands. The company announced the price drop through a blog post last night, stating that they want to "make it even easier for you to experience" their products and brand. Instead of spending a bunch of money on a marketing campaign, they figure that a discount to the phone might be a better approach.

You should consider one now, right?

Wait, so at $499, is the Essential Phone now a slam dunk deal? I'm kind of thinking so. The phone is now competing with the OnePlus 5 as a somewhat-affordable flagship phone with top tier specs, yet it has far superior hardware (titanium body). While it may lack water resistance, headphone jack, and a best-in-class camera, at $499, I still can't think of a phone I'd rather own for that amount of cash. In fact, I still really like the Essential Phone, even after reviewing it and hammering on a few key portions of it (camera and software performance). There really isn't a better feeling phone in your hand than this one. So yeah, I think this is a hell of an option. The phone has been dropped to $499 at Essential's store, but also at Best Buy and Amazon. You can buy it on a payment plan as well.

What about those of us who already bought one?

In a somewhat surprising move, Essential is also giving out $200 discount codes to those of us who already bought the phone prior to October 22. Essential is calling this a "Friends & Family Offer." It's a $200 promo code that will get you their 360-degree for free, basically, or a $200 discount off the $499 phone, should you want another (like the white version) or know someone in mind that may want the phone. To get your code, you'll need to head over to this form and fill out the required info. Essential says to expect a code within a couple of weeks. Also, you need to fill the form out by November 15.

Buy Essential Phone:

// Essential

Weekly Recap: Sup, Pixel 2 Review?

Kellen — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:10:41 +0000

To wrap up another week at Droid Life, we dropped our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL on you before diving into another DL Show that spent 45 minutes on the subject. I'd call this a solid Friday for those interested in Google's newest phones. If you've seen enough Pixel 2 stuff, plenty of other action went down this week. We now know that Android 8.1 is coming very soon, saw the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro details drop, think we may when the HTC U11 Plus will arrive, and are keeping track of our pets in Google Photos. Good stuff below.

WATCH: DL Show Episode 155 | Subscribe
REVIEW: Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
Pixel 2 and 2 XL: Unboxing!
Pixel 2 and 2 XL: First 10 things to do!
Pixel 2 and 2 XL: 8 things you might not know
Camera shootout: Pixel 2 vs. LG V30 vs. Galaxy Note 8
Details on the Pixel 2's secret Google-made image chip
Here are Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL battery life numbers
Some info on the Pixel 2 XL's supposed display issues
Android 8.1 is coming very soon
Question: Has anyone received a Black & White Pixel 2 XL?
Huawei's Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are official
Take a look inside the Pixel 2 XL with iFixit
HTC U11 Plus could arrive November 2 | First look images
These 3D renders of the U11 Plus are even better
Google Photos now knows who you pets are
ZTE created a 2-screened flip phone for some reason
Bixby 2.0 announced, how excited are you?
Monument Valley 2 hits Android on November 6
Moto X4 arrives in the US for $329 at Amazon

Blazers going 82-0.

DEAL: 2-Pack of Our Favorite Accessory, AUKEY Magnetic Car Mount, on Sale for $9

Tim — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:28:56 +0000

Should you have a device that would benefit from such an accessory, you can grab a 2-pack of magnetic car mounts from AUKEY on sale at Amazon, down from $12.99 to just $9. All you'll need is the below listed coupon code. Now, I must mention, you will need a certain device for this accessory to work without using the included magnetic stickers. I don't know about you, but attaching a sticker to the back of my phone doesn't sound very appealing. For the most part, though, it all depends on a phone's weight and the material on the backside of the device. Phones from Samsung, like the Galaxy S8, work great with these without needing the sticker. Other phones, like the LG V30, may weigh a bit too much for the magnet to support it. At the end of the day, if you really want to use this accessory, just utilize the included sticker to ensure it works properly. The 2-packs come in either Black or Gray, and to get the discount, use the coupon code AUKEHDC5. Amazon Links: Gray | Black

Here's a Multi-Angle Look at the HTC U11 Plus

Kellen — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 14:56:29 +0000

Forget 3D renderings, want to see real images of the HTC U11 Plus? These images were pulled from TENAA, a telecommunications certification group in China (like the FCC), and show the device from almost all angles. It most definitely matches up to those renders I just mentioned too. The listing from TENAA doesn't provide anything outside of these pictures, but as you probably realize, this is an HTC phone that doesn't actually exist yet or hasn't been announced. Its design, display style, and the placement of its fingerprint reader all are as has been reported. This is the U11 Plus, y'all. I brightened up the images a tad to reveal more of the phone. As you can see, there are no front buttons, so this phone will sport an all-display front while the fingerprint reader moves to the back. Like the Pixel 2, HTC also has chosen to stick with a single camera rather than jump on the dual-camera train. I don't think that's a bad thing knowing that the U11 had one of 2017's best cameras - I'd imagine that'll be the case here too. Other reports peg that display at 6-inches, alongside 64GB or 128GB storage, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, Snapdragon 835, and IP68 water and dust resistance. None of that is confirmed, of course. Will HTC unveil this phone on November 2? We sure hope so. // TENAA | Mobilissimo

DEAL: Get a Google Home for Only $86 With This Coupon Code

Tim — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 13:26:54 +0000

For a limited time, you can grab a Google Home for just $86.39 via Rakuten, thanks to a coupon code. The unit is already marked down from its usual price of $129, but with the code, you get an additional 20% off. Not bad at all! To get in on this deal, enter the code "FLASH20" at checkout. Rakuten Link

"Hey Google" Command Rolling Out to Phones With Prompt to Re-Train Your Assistant

Kellen — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 12:28:11 +0000

This may have started slowly rolling out a few days ago, but if you haven't been prompted yet, be on the lookout for Google telling you that the "Hey Google" command is ready for use on your phone. This is the alternate Google Assistant launch command that was previously reserved for Google Home units. Once "Hey Google" hits your phone (and you'll know, thanks a notification like one pictured above), you'll be able to train your phone to listen for both "Hey Google" and "OK Google," aka the hotword most likely to push you to end the life of your phone by throwing it against a wall because it never picks up this stupid hotword. While not a game-changing bit of news, "Hey Google" really is so much easier to say to phones and Google Home units. In fact, it's the hotword I use for Google Home and have been wondering why Home had exclusivity over such a gentler-to-say phrase. If you haven't been prompted, you may want to jump into Google Play and check for a Google App update. I just picked one up on my Pixel 2 XL just before this prompt showed up.

Pixel 2 Reviewed.

Kellen — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 09:37:01 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're sharing final thoughts on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL now that our full review is done. We'll dive into the cameras, display controversies, availability, and of course, whether or not we like the damn things. (Spoiler alert: we really do.) After that, we'll update you on our V30 review, talk about HTC's upcoming event and the possibly of an incredibly hot U11+, Bixby 2.0, the Huawei Mate 10 and 10 Pro, arrival of the Moto X4 in the US, and more. It'll be a packed show! The show kicks off at 10AM Pacific (1PM Eastern). If you miss us live or want audio versions of each DL Show, hit up those links below to subscribe.

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Review

Tim — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 08:11:14 +0000

Following the apparent success of last year's Pixel and Pixel XL, Google is back, this time with Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. As you would imagine, given these are Google flagship devices, both of these phones were leaked and reported on for months ahead of the official unveiling, but thankfully, they really do live up to the hype. Both feature a fantastic camera, great build quality, plus a smooth software experience that you really can't find anywhere else. Now, are either of these phones good enough to top the best from Samsung, LG, and HTC? The competition is high this year, but so far, it's looking pretty good for Google and we've still got a couple more months until Phone of the Year voting begins. This is our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL review.

The Good

Specifications With exception to the overall in-hand size, display, and battery size, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 pack the same specs (official specs list), including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 12MP rear-facing camera, IP67 water and dust resistance, and rear-facing fingerprint reader. Other specs include Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, dual front-facing speakers, starting base storage of 64GB, 8MP front-facing camera, and Android 8.0 "Oreo" straight out of the box. For the Pixel 2, its 5-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (441ppi), while the Pixel 2 XL features a 6-inch POLED QHD (2880x1440, 538ppi) display. The Pixel 2 battery is 2700mAh and the Pixel 2 XL battery is sized at 3520mAh. Sure, these new Pixel phones may not have some silly amount of RAM or dual cameras, but these phones feel like the first complete smartphone packages from Google. There really doesn't seem to be anything missing, with a few exceptions that we have listed in this review below. However, Google has delivered water resistance, hardware that feels oh so good in-hand, plus dual front-facing speakers that everyone should enjoy. Software One of the main reasons anyone would want a phone from Google is the software, I would hope. You're getting the latest build of Android, Oreo, right out of the box, 3 years worth of major OS updates in a timely manner straight from Google, and no skin that makes your phone feel sluggish and janky. It really is something to love. Over the course of the past week that I have used the Pixel 2, I have forgotten about all other OEM skins and now all I ever want is Google's custom Pixel experience. The software is smart and damn smooth. For the most part, you're getting a minimal, yet feature-rich experience, with Google building custom tweaks on top of AOSP. Essentially, it's like what Motorola was doing for a bit, adding minimal changes and software enhancements on top of a pretty plain OS. On the Pixel 2, Google nails this, providing helpful features on top of a Oreo. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature special things like Ambient Display (now with an always-on mode), a Night Light mode, Active Edge for quickly accessing Google Assistant, a revamped Pixel Launcher, intelligent theming whenever you change from a light to dark-colored wallpaper, Now Playing that automatically identifies songs playing in the background of your environment, as well as a polished Picture-in-Picture mode for select applications (YouTube, Google Maps, etc.). The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also come preloaded with the first iteration of Google Lens, which takes your existing photos, then basically runs a background check on them to deliver information straight from Google Search. For example, Google Lens can recognize dog breeds in a photo, types of trees, or landmarks. It's pretty cool, but I feel as if I have little use for it in my daily life. Maybe if I was traveling abroad or something like that, it could be very helpful at identifying certain things.

Another important aspect of the new Pixel phones is Google Assistant. Accessible via the same long press of the home button or squeezing the sides of your phone with Active Edge, Assistant is becoming a very powerful tool. I truly thought Active Edge would be gimmicky, but it has surprised me. While it doesn't do much, having quick access to Assistant is nice, plus it can silence your device if you have an incoming call. I think Google could incorporate a few more features to make it really, really useful, but this is a good start and I actually enjoy using it.

To put this simply, the Pixel 2's software is the most refined feeling version of Android I think I've ever used. As I said, it's smart, completely smooth and free of stutters, and there's something about it that just looks and feels cool. You don't have to worry about swapping themes or icons, because Google kindly allows for all of that natively in the OS and there's plenty of fun features to play with because this isn't some barebones AOSP build. This is a custom software experience built atop AOSP, and frankly, I don't know if I could use anything else after this. Hardware and Design Pixel 2 (Tim) Obviously, the first big difference you'll see with the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL is the size and look of the devices. Unlike last year, the Pixel 2 isn't just a smaller version of the 2 XL, and I can still say that I'm bummed about that move by Google. We have two completely different hardware designs going on here. Last year, I enjoyed having the option between a big and small version of the hardware I liked. With the Pixel 2, it's much different from the 2 XL, with massive bezels holding dual front-facing speakers and a squared 5-inch FHD display. The Pixel 2 XL has a bigger 6-inch QHD display with rounded corners, plus very minimal bezel, similar looking to the LG V30. At first, I really didn't think I'd care for a phone with such large bezels. After all, I've been using the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and LG V30, all of which have very minimal bezel. Coming from those phones, with rounded corner displays and glass all over the place, I didn't quite know what to expect with the Pixel 2. As I began to the use the device naturally, I started to realize that bezels are not my enemy. In fact, it's quite nice having somewhere to really hold the device when I'm playing a game or watching a video. Couple that with the huge, loud front-facing speakers and you have yourself quite the pocket-sized entertainment system. This isn't to say I'd prefer the Pixel 2 not have smaller bezels, because I would, but I don't want to get hung up on something I can't change. Point being, the Pixel 2 feels great in-hand, with a solid weight to it for how small the phone is, a brushed metallic backside that feels really nice to hold, and a perfectly placed fingerprint reader that makes me really wonder what Samsung was thinking this year on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. The Pixel 2's hardware just feels good and the bezels have grown on me. What can I say, I'm adaptable, I guess. Pixel 2 XL (Kellen) While Tim got stuck with the 2015-design Pixel 2, I did have the luxury of using the bigger, more modern Pixel 2 XL. Is it a beacon of beauty? Well, it's no Galaxy S8 or V30, but it's not bad! In fact, it's mostly a joy to look at. The bezel is minimal, just not on par with those two phones I just mentioned. So if you were looking for that full edge-to-edge design of say the Note 8, you won't quite get that here. It does have a really nice curve to the top glass, though, a curve that almost adds this bubble effect when you look at the phone from a profile view. That subtle curve also adds a roundness where front and back meet the sides of the phone, since the back plate curves as well, leaving you without much of a sharp edge anywhere. For sporting a 6-inch display, I'd point out that it doesn't feel like a monstrosity in hand. That 6-inch display is encased by a metal body that is similar in size to the Nexus 6P, a phone with a smaller 5.7-inch display. So you can see that Google was able to go bigger in the display department without going, well, too big. Don't get me wrong, it is still a very big phone and only slightly shorter than the Note 8. Keep that in mind. Add in the front stereo speakers, a playful color-blocked combination of glass and metal on the back, and the Pixel 2 XL ticks the boxes for a phone in 2017. Not only that, it's Google's unique flavor of smartphone hardware that isn't just another all glass and metal body combination. I like options. Camera Last year, Google really outdid themselves with the quality of photos and video the original Pixel and Pixel XL were able to take. I mean, seriously, everything before the Nexus 6P and 5X were pretty bad, but the company has only gotten better at delivering a solid shooter. This year, it's like falling in love all over again, with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both able to take stunning photos in all sorts of conditions, and we have no beef with DxOMark ranking this as the best smartphone camera currently on the market. To recap, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use the same 12.2MP camera (f/1.8, 1.4um, OIS, EIS, PDAF, LAF). There isn't a dual camera setup here like in most other top smartphones, yet that hasn't held the camera back at all, since Google seems to really be finding a groove in how its phones process pictures. They might be the best in the business at it right now. Let's also not forget that each phone has Google's first custom chip inside called the Pixel Visual Core. This is an image processing unit that isn't even turned on at this point, but will offer 3rd party camera systems access to Google's HDR+ magic, as well as new future camera features, once it goes live. To me, what makes this a special camera is its ability to really capture the same scene your eyes see. A lot of the time, you'll have phones oversaturate or overexpose a scene, but from my experience on the Pixel 2, that just isn't the case. In our recent camera shootout (Pixel 2 vs. V30 vs. Galaxy Note 8), you could actually tell that the Pixel 2's shots were somewhat darker than the others, but in reality, that was much more close to reality than what the other phones were showing. Greens aren't looking neon, purples aren't on the verge of turning pink, and autumn leaves are just bursting with vibrance. Seriously, I could take pictures on the Pixel 2 all day and never get tired of it.

Another area we take seriously is the reaction time between us pressing the shutter and a picture being taken. Is there a delay? Does the camera stutter? For the Pixel 2, the answers are no and no. As soon as you launch the camera app, it is quick to focus on whatever is in front of you or whatever you tap on, then the shot is ready to be taken. As soon as the shutter button is pressed, the photo is snapped and you're ready to shoot another. If you're shooting pictures of a dog or child, this comes in handy when getting just that right moment to save forever. For the software, Google has included Slow Motion (max of 240FPS), panorama, Photo Sphere, and Portrait modes. While all of this works just fine and dandy, I do wish Google incorporated a "Pro" mode or something with a bit more control over certain levels. This is something all the other OEMs are doing, such as LG and Samsung. The piece I really want is a shutter speed slider, which would allow for longer or shorter exposures for certain lighting tricks I like to perform. Since this phone is so good at cutting down noise in low lighting conditions, I really feel that a shutter speed dial could allow night time photographers to get some great shots of the sky. Maybe in the future Google could incorporate something like this. As for that new Portrait mode, well, it does work. I'm not huge on going around and asking people if I can take their portrait, but it seems to work fine on my dogs, so long as I can get them to stand still for 2 seconds. To sum up my week with the Pixel 2's camera, it's the best photo-taking experience I've had on a Google phone to date. Here are a few sample shots from the Pixel 2.

Battery Pixel 2 (Tim) Over the course of the past week, I have been nothing but impressed with the Pixel 2's battery. It's on the small side, just 2700mAh, but it lasts all day long. Even with my constant playing of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and taking pictures all over the place, I always have juice to spare at the end of the day.

My typical day is 7:30AM to about 10 or 11PM and I haven't had to plug it in during the day a single time. It's been pretty awesome. Now, there's no way I'm going to get two days of battery life from this phone, but getting through one day with no troubles is fine for me. Not only does the battery last a solid amount of time, but the phone does support Rapid Charging, so if you do find yourself having to charge, it won't take you too long to get a good amount of charge back into your phone.

Pixel 2 XL (Kellen) Battery life on the Pixel 2 XL, with its 3520mAh cell, has been better than expected. Every year, Google tells us that they've built more battery efficiency into the newest Android version that ships on their new hardware, yet I'm not sure it ever lives up to the hype. This year, I think it might. Not once in testing (over a week now) have I had to plug the Pixel 2 XL in later in a day after taking it off the charger. That's actually something to brag about.

I really hammered on this phone, too. For me, a typical day is 3-4 hours of screen on time, but I went extra hard on this phone for some reason and pushed it closer to 5-7 hours each day. Still, not once (just like Tim with the Pixel 2) did I reach for a charger before going to bed. While that's not 2-day battery life, I'll take it, especially knowing this phone can charge in a hurry if I need it to.

We did a complete battery overview for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that you can see here. External Speakers A Pixel phone with dual front-facing speakers? Dang, this is fancy! A feature I have been asking for, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have dual speakers, perfect for bumping your tunes, watching YouTube videos, or playing mobile games. They aren't on the bottom, meaning no covering the speaker by accident when holding the device, and they aren't on the back, which was never good spot for them in the first place. Nope, you've got one on the chin and one on the forehead, perfectly placed for consuming audio goodness. On the Pixel 2, the speakers are loud, but not overly bass-heavy, kind of like what you find on HTC devices. The Pixel 2 speakers are more catered to highs and mids, which is fine, but the sound can come across as a bit tinny depending on what you're listening to. The point I can't stress enough, though, is that they are loud. I'm afraid to go 100% volume because I don't want the little things to explode. When just watching a YouTube video, I can listen comfortably at about 55-70% volume, which is a nice change from my experience on other devices from this year. While the addition of these speakers appear to have resulted in Google having to intro a bit of bezels in the design, let's just be thankful they were included in the first place, since neither of the new Pixels have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Don't worry, we'll talk about that, too. Water Resistance An IP67 rating is included on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, meaning no dust/sand will makes its way into the device and the phones can be submerged into at max of 1 meter (about 3 feet) of water for 30 minutes with theoretically no damage to the device. To put it simply, you can use these phones in the rain, have them around your kitchen sink, or maybe even take a few underwater photos in the pool with no harm to the device. For Pixels, this is huge, as no other Google phone has had this type of IP rating. It really makes them more versatile and durable phones. It's almost winter time for Portland, OR, so the fact I have water resistance on this phone is a huge bonus whenever I leave the house.

Somewhere in the Middle

Display Pixel 2 (Tim) The Pixel 2's 5-inch FHD display is fine, but nothing to get overly excited about. It's a basic AMOLED panel, with decent colors and support for Always On software. I've had a few people ask if colors seem muted or tinted at all, and thankfully, I haven't had any complaints in that department, but if you're comparing it to the display on the Galaxy S8 or LG V30, you will see big differences. The colors just don't pop as much as they do on those other phones, even with the option for "Vivid Colors" enabled under the settings menu. Part of me would want the Pixel 2 to have a super colorful panel to take better take advantage of its great camera, but at the end of the day, it gets the job done well. As for the 1080p aspect, that has not been an issue for me in daily usage, with exception to virtual reality. I simply can't, even on phones with high resolutions. I used to be somewhat resilient to the effects of motion sickness, but with age has come an inability to sit down with a VR headset for anymore than 10 minutes without feeling sick. This isn't a knock on the Pixel 2's screen, but I'm pointing out that with the lower resolution of this display, the problem seems compounded for me. Everyone is different in this department, though. Pixel 2 XL (Kellen) The 6-inch POLED display on the Pixel 2 XL has found itself smack dab in the middle of a controversy. Is the display flawed or is this just the way Google tuned it? Is this a bad OLED panel or will it be perfectly fine for most people? I tend to fall in the latter of both of those categories. For those not familiar with what I'm talking about, you should go checkout our full write-up on supposed Pixel 2 XL display issues. There's even a fun little video to show you what the complaints so far have been about. The basics are this - when tilted to anything not directly in front of your face, you may notice a blue tint to the panel on the 2 XL. Additionally, the colors have been tuned by Google (purposely) to a more natural, muted profile, which shows even with the included Vivid colors option turned on. Others have suggested that the display shows a gritty or dirty appearance when in extreme low light, but I haven't necessarily noticed that on mine.

So what's the deal, is the panel bad or what? I don't think so, no. I'm not about to tell you that this display is of Samsung quality, though, but I think most will find it to be just fine. The viewing angles are decent for the most part, and the color profile probably won't offend you unless you are directly comparing it to a saturated Samsung AMOLED display. Also, Google says they may introduce additional color profiles if they receive enough feedback. As a big display, it's actually pretty fun to consume content on. Brightness levels are OK in good light and really nice in low light, thanks to the ability to drop to a really dark setting, which I appreciate as someone who uses their phones in the darkness often. I even find touch responsiveness to be solid. In the end, the Pixel 2 XL probably isn't going to blow your mind, yet it'll do the job.

The Not-so-Good

Missing Pieces While the Pixel 2 and 2 XL is what we would label as the first complete phone packages from Google, they are missing a few things, some of which people may even see as deal breakers. We don't, though, just to be clear. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL lack a headphone jack, wireless charging, and expandable storage. These are things we've talked about countless times, and if you're pissed that Google didn't include them, there are other phones out there that will suit your needs. While I'm not really upset or bummed at all with the non-inclusion of expandable storage or wireless charging, the lack of a headphone jack does somewhat irk me. I mean, looking at these phones, it's not as if there wasn't room for one, and since USB Type-C headphones aren't included with the purchase, no company has really solved the problem that they created by removing the 3.5mm port. All we get is a dongle, easily losable, which would then need to be replaced for $9. I'm fine with using Bluetooth, but it's not as if Google created some amazing alternative to a wired experience. If you're someone upset that Google excluded any of this, I'm sorry, but if you love everything else about these devices, then give them a try. I used to think no headphone jack was insane, but you just get used to it and adapt.

Availability and Pricing

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are available unlocked via the Google Store or through Verizon as Google's exclusive wireless carrier partner. Regardless of Verizon being the only carrier you can directly purchase these devices through, the phones have the necessary bands to work on virtually any carrier in the US. They'll work on Project Fi, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or basically anywhere else. If you have a specific carrier you want to use the Pixel 2 on, but aren't sure if they support it, hit up their customer service. The Pixel 2 starts at $649 for 64GB, with a 128GB model available for $749. The Pixel 2 XL is priced at $849 for 64GB and $949 for 128GB. For colors, the Pixel 2 comes in either Just Black, Clearly White, or Kinda Blue. The Pixel 2 XL comes in two options: Black and White (aka Panda, aka Penguin) or Just Black. The pricing of these phones confirms that we are long past the days of what we'd label as competitive pricing. Google wants to compete with Samsung and Apple, and really, these phones can do it. They have great hardware, insanely good cameras, and a software experience that you won't ever get tired of. It's a justified price for a solid Android experience.

Other Notes

Pixel Imprint - Not only is the fingerprint reader in a good spot on the backside, but it's super fast. Last year's Pixel was also quite good at reading fingerprints, so I'm happy to report that it's the same story this year.
Active Edge - I wanted to quickly point out that I am a fan of squeezy sides. At first, I figured this was a gimmick, but it's actually very useful to access Google Assistant when wearing gloves. Super handy to have onboard, but I do wish you could customize it to do more. Maybe in a future update?
Pixel 2 Girlfriend Impressions - "Wow, look at these bezels. Phone feels really nice in-hand, though. No headphone jack? That's so stupid."

Videos

Unboxing First 10 Things to Do

Gallery

The Verdict

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL deliver smartphone packages that are arguably the best in all of Android. The cameras here are so good, the designs are refreshingly unique enough in a sea full of competitors' phones built entirely out of fragile glass, their performance is as good as it gets, and the software experience is a tastefully improved Google version of stock Android that you know will always be two steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to updates. You also get choice in size of phone without giving up anything and access to whatever new Google features are introduced over the coming years. These phones aren't without flaws, but in our view, the flaws aren't dealbreakers and the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are going to be hard to pass on. While they may not be the easiest to get, thanks to a ridiculous Verizon exclusive and frustratingly low levels of stock of select versions, closely watching Google Store availability is something you'll have to get used to. Do we recommend the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL? Absolutely.

Buy Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL:

Verizon
Best Buy
Google Store

Button Mapper Lets You Change Pixel 2's Active Edge Action

Kellen — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 07:58:01 +0000

Not cool with the Pixel 2's Active Edge being locked to Google Assistant and not open to any action you might get more use out of? Button Mapper has been updated with a work-around that will let you change it, though it's not as simple as just installing an app and tapping on a couple of things. Instead, you have some work to do, including a bit in adb (👎). Because Google has apparently hardcoded Google Assistant to Active Edge in the Pixel 2's SystemUI, they made it incredibly difficult to easily change what it can do. In other words, a straight re-map of the function might not ever happen without some heavy lifting, so today's update to Button Mapper is more of a weird masking or tricking of the system into doing what you want. According to XDA, Button Mapper is "using an Accessibility Service to detect when Google Assistant is about to pop up, then it reads the system logs while filtering for something called 'ElmyraService.'" Once it detects that, my assumption is that it kills Assistant from launching and then tells the system to launch whatever action you have defined. The current setup also kicks you back to the home screen when activated, which is obviously not ideal. Obviously, this is a first attempt and currently the only option if you really don't want to launch Google Assistant with Active Edge. To get started, you'll have to install Button Mapper from the link below. Then, head over through the XDA link to get the full set of instructions. Have fun! Google Play Link // XDA

UE Blast and Megablast Have Arrived With Amazon Alexa Onboard

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 15:15:45 +0000

Ultimate Ears, the company behind the extremely popular UE Boom series of Bluetooth speakers, unveiled two new products today, the UE Blast and UE Megablast. These new speakers should be better that the Boom series in many ways, but the standout feature has got to be Amazon's Alexa. Having Alexa along for the ride means access to all of Alexa's skills including music controls, smart home controls, and general information gathering. Each speaker can be activated with the "Alexa" command as well. Both speakers retain their cylindrical figures and should look familiar, but we do have new colors to choose from (see above). Ultimate Ears also says to expect WiFi onboard, IP67 water and dust resistance, 12 (Blast) and 16 (Megablast) hours of battery life, and access to a new Ultimate Ears app that will update the speakers when new experiences and features are available. Over WiFi, you are looking at range of 330 feet, along with 150 feet over Bluetooth. For those not familiar with the naming scheme, the Blast is the smaller and more affordable of the two. The Megablast is the big dog that Ultimate Ears is calling their "best sounding speaker to date." It sports custom drivers with more powerful mid-range, deeper bass, maximum sound pressure level of 93 dBC, and a 40% loudness increase over the Megaboom. Both devices are up for pre-order today and should arrive later this month. The Blast costs $229.99 and the Megablast costs $299.99. Pre-orders: MEGABLAST | BLAST // Ultimate Ears

Verizon Drops Screen Replacement to $29 in Total Mobile Protection Plan

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 12:42:10 +0000

Verizon announced this week that its Total Mobile Protection plan now offers cracked screen repair for just $29. It used to cost $49, so yeah, a $20 discount on screen replacement is a solid change. Thanks, Verizon. Starting today, if you are interested in signing up for Total Mobile Protection to get that protection or because you skipped it out of the gate and now want coverage, you can do so during open enrollment. Open enrollment is now open and will close on November 17, so don't hesitate for too long. To recap, Total Mobile Protection costs $11 per month for smartphones and covers loss, theft, damage, and post-warranty defects. It offers same-day screen repair (in select locations and for select smartphones), a tech coach, and access to the Tech Coach app, should you need general help with your phone. It's Verizon's most expensive and comprehensive plan. Again, open enrollment runs from today (October 19) through November 17. Verizon Total Mobile Protection // Verizon [FAQ]

Google Support Double Confirms Pixel 2's 3 Years Worth of Android Version Updates

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 11:30:10 +0000

If the Google Store's not-all-that-clear suggestion that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were set to get 3 years worth of both Android version updates and security patches, we've got some clarity. The Google Support page that lists end-of-support dates for Pixel and Nexus phones now lists the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL with the dates we were hoping to see. As you can see from the list below, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are scheduled to receive Android version updates until October 2020, along with security updates through the same time. So yes, we've got full confirmation that your Pixel 2 will see updates for three full years. Does that mean an update to Android R? Assuming Google sticks to big Android version releases around August of each year, then it could very well mean that.

// Google Support

iFixit Tears Down the Pixel 2 XL to Find Its Squeezy Tech, Pixel Visual Core Chip

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 11:04:28 +0000

The folks at iFixit did their thing to the Google Pixel 2 XL today. They didn't find a solution for blue-tilting in displays or how to turn off sRGB mode, but they did find the rest of the goodies buried in this latest smartphone from Google. Thanks to this teardown, we get a first look at Google's Pixel Visual Core chip and the squeezy tech tucked into the Pixel 2's sides.

3520mAh LG battery

Pixel Visual Core (in pink outline)

Squeezy goodness

Overall, the repairability of the Pixel 2 XL was given a score of 6 out of 10. That's not terrible, especially when you consider the Essential Phone scored a 1 out of 10 and the Galaxy S8 dropped in at 4 out of 10. iFixit says that you'll need to be extra careful removing the "thin and poorly supported display," and that battery removal is incredibly difficult. Other than those issues, the rest is pretty easy to disassemble. // iFixit

And It's Official: HTC is Announcing a New U Device on November 2

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:22:35 +0000

HTC confirmed via Twitter last night that they are indeed going to announce a new U device on November 2. I think most of us are assuming they'll announce the rumored HTC U11 Plus, but they could announce something more mid-tier, like an Android One phone. An Android One phone doesn't necessarily seem worthy of a "save the date," though, does it? If it is the U11 Plus, I think we are going to be in for a treat. We showed off some 3D renderings of the phone yesterday and shared some specs that paint the picture of a phone that may be tough to pass on. We'll keep you updated as November 2 arrives! https://twitter.com/htc/status/920892399060099072

DEAL(?): Essential Phone Drops by $100 at Best Buy

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 09:18:04 +0000

Mad at Google for the Pixel 2 XL's display and are ready to jump fully into the other flagship phone on the market with flaws that happens to run stock Android? The Essential Phone is $100 off right now at Best Buy! I think that's a deal. Yeah, it technically is. Does that price drop make the phone worthwhile now? Sure! Maybe. It helps. I'd say more, but we've written and discussed the Essential Phone numerous times. I'm a fan of it even with its flaws, but I get why some would pass on it. Either way, our review is below, and that $100-off deal may not be good for long.

Best Buy Link

Pixel 2 XL Display Issues...(Updated)

Kellen — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 09:02:12 +0000

On Tuesday, within hours of the first wave of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL reviews being posted, our inboxes, YouTube comment sections, and various other online forums filled up with questions about the display quality in the Pixel 2 XL. Not the Pixel 2 - the Pixel 2 XL. Some initial reactions to the Pixel 2 XL's 6-inch POLED were not kind as they pointed out what some may consider to be unforgivable flaws that a person may not ever be able to un-see. We were initially not going to say much about it until our review, but the situation has turned into a full on -gate at this point and figured it was time to address it. Plus, we want our inboxes back to normal.

So what's the deal with the Pixel 2 XL display?

Umm, it has a couple of issues. Do I personally think they are dealbreakers? Eh, I haven't been overly offended at this point, like others, but I do fully understand how some would complain and worry about what they are seeing from an $849-$949 phone. Display quality is a pretty big deal!

Blue tint

For one, you'll notice that as you tilt the phone to the left or right or look at it from an angle (like if it were lying on your desk to the side), you'll see an almost-instant blue tone taking over the display. You won't notice it for the most part with a dark background or app up, but with a light background on the display you will see it without a doubt. Another way to describe this would be that if you aren't looking directly at the display with it also facing directly at you, you may see a weird color shift to a cooler temperature. The problem here has to be the LG POLED display being used because the LG V30, which more than likely uses the exact same panel, produces the exact same effect. I have a retail Verizon LG V30 unit right here, and yes, it does it as well at a similar angle.

sRGB mode is ON and the colors are blah

A couple of days ago, just as this display fuss was beginning to make the rounds, a reader of ours suggested we check for an sRGB mode on the phone to see if it was possibly toggled to ON. After doing a quick search from the phone's Settings, sure enough, we found it, but Google has blocked us from accessing it. That's odd, since it does show up in a search. However, if you head into Developer options - the spot it is on the Pixel XL - you won't see it listed. Google buried it and more than likely enabled it out of the box.

I'm inclined to believe that it's on because if you enable it on the original Pixel XL, it shows a similar color profile. That color profile is dull to the extreme when compared to it being off. Now, Google said that they tuned the displays on these new Pixel 2 phones to be much "more natural and accurate" than in previous years without the vivid colors that you might prefer. Here is the full statement they gave to The Verge:

"We designed the Pixel display to have a more natural and accurate rendition of colors this year but we know some people prefer more vivid colors so we've added an option to boost colors by 10% for a more saturated display. We're always looking at people's responses to Pixel and we will look at adding more color options through a software update if we see a lot of feedback."

What you get then is a move away from the punchy or color-forward display experience you are probably used to, especially if you are coming from a Samsung phone. You'll notice it as well should you be jumping from an old Pixel to another. Is there a fix for drab, lifeless colors? There is a "Vivid colors" toggle in the display settings of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, but I'm not sure it does anything. I've toggled it off and on numerous times and can't tell a difference. If there is one, it's incredibly subtle. Instead, I think Google needs to give us access to that sRGB toggle, so that we can turn it off and choose which display setting we prefer.

Grainy in the darkness

The other big complaint we have seen talked about is this potential issue where the display looks grainy or dirty when in dark situations. I don't know that I've noticed this, so maybe that's because I don't know what I'm looking for. But in general, the takeaway is that when brightness is very low, you may not see the greatest picture in return. Arstechnica captured this experience in the image below:

Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL

LG panel

As I mentioned above, the Pixel 2 XL uses an LG POLED display, a type of display that LG attempted to make a few years back, but hasn't necessarily pushed forward again and onto a meaningful phone until now. I'm not saying that LG has no idea what they are doing, just that in the grand scheme of OLED smartphone displays, I'd say they are a handful of years behind Samsung's OLED technology. After all, Samsung has been fine-tuning this stuff for as far back as I can recall and is often given credit for having the best displays on the planet, whereas this is kind of new start for LG, in a way. I'm not trying to give LG an out should the panel in the Pixel 2 XL be to blame for everything above, I'm just letting you know what we're working with here. If anything, their OLED panels should get better and better now that they are back to using them in flagship phones and that Google has reportedly made a big investment in production. While that doesn't do much for the Pixel 2 XL, it at least gives us hope for the future.

UPDATE: Reddit user ShortFuse wrote up a lengthy explanation of his findings after doing some digging and major research into the Pixel 2 XL's display. You should read every single word of it, because it's an excellent dive into what Google may be doing here and why it's triggered some early complaints. My understanding is that Google has set the default color space in Oreo to be sRGB or "low." They are then allowing developers to establish the color space that their apps should be displayed at, whether that's sRGB, wide color gamut, or HDR. At this time, no one has really built out anything, so we're seeing an sRGB color space across all apps, hence the muted, more natural colors. In theory (or the long run), Google doing this could be beneficial. It'll allow developers to really customize the viewing experience in their apps. Unfortunately for now, nothing is ready and so we're all staring at everything in sRGB. Some may like that, while others have expressed clearly that they do not. So Google should give us an option to force a wide color gamut and start adding that to their own apps. Again, go read the full write-up as it is excellent.

My thoughts

I initially shared some thoughts on Twitter yesterday about this whole deal and still feel the same way for the most part. Basically, I've had the phone in my hand for a week and have used the sh*t out of it (7 hours SoT the other day!). While I certainly noticed the color shift to blue when the phone isn't situated at the perfect viewing angle, I don't know that I was offended at any time. I tend to like looking at my phones directly at all times, not at odd angles - call me a weirdo! Again, the blue tint shift is there and I don't know that any Pixel 2 XL phone doesn't have this issue, you just need to decide if it's that big of a deal. To me, it's not. As for the less-than-punchy colors, I'm not seeing this as the ultimate dealbreaker either. And I say that because, again, I've been using the phone for more than a week and didn't once say, "Man, the colors look terrible here and Google and LG should be ashamed and I don't want this phone." In fact, I thought to myself that the display looked fine and am only now seeing the huge difference since I've compared it to other phones while writing up this post. In other words, I don't know that most people will care unless they are doing some deep dive display comparisons to their old phones or are a display freak. And it's fine if you fall into that category, I just would think that most people will come away thinking this whole situation is fine. If anything, I would hope that Google might give us back that sRGB toggle after this backlash. I have a good feeling about that fixing the color reproduction complaints. It won't fix the blue tint, though. Should you cancel your Pixel 2 XL pre-order? I don't think so, no. At this point, you should receive that order, take the phone for a spin, and then decide if these problems are going to be dealbreakers. You can always return these things. In the end, you are still getting the best software experience and arguably the best camera in all of smartphones, stellar battery life, and 3 years worth of major software updates.

Oh Man, If This is the HTC U11 Plus, It's Gonna be Good

Kellen — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 14:39:59 +0000

It's looking like HTC has something to announce on November 2 and rumors are starting to suggest that they will use the time to unveil the HTC U11 Plus. They could, of course, announce another phone or product, like the rumored HTC Android One phone, but new leaks have us frantically circling the date on our calendars in hope that it is indeed the U11 Plus. The folks at Coupon Raja posted up 3D renders of the phone, renders that are likely based off of case schematics sent early to accessory makers. If this is the HTC U11 Plus...sign me up today. Look at this bad boy.

For those not picking up the reasons for me excitement, I'll try to explain. This phone looks exactly like the HTC U11, a phone we were quite fond of outside of its dated design (our review). This U11 Plus fixes all of the aesthetic complaints we had (wide body, terrible button setup, etc.) and brings in a modern smartphone with an all-display front and what has to be the return of on-screen nav buttons to HTC, along with that super sleek liquid metal exterior that makes the U line so unique and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. According to this report, the phone sports a 6-inch display, Snapdragon 835, 4GB or 6GB RAM, and 64GB or 128GB storage. That info matches a previous report that suggested similar specs, as well as IP68 water and dust resistance, 12MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, and Edge Sense. Much of that may have been confirmed by this benchmark that also shows it running Android 8.0 Oreo. Seriously, I'm looking at these renders and wondering what will keep this from my hands permanently should it arrive soon? I know the Pixel 2 XL just got here, but this phone through this leak has really grabbed my attention for the moment. // Coupon Raja

Google Play Music for Android TV Getting Big Redesign

Tim — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 13:08:59 +0000

Here's some exciting news for Google Play Music fans, specifically those who use the service on Android TV. Spotted by the folks at Android Police, Google's music service is getting a big redesign, one that should be making its way to your set-top box or smart TV soon. As you can see from the above header image and screenshot below, a lot of the UI has been blackened, allowing some album covers to really pop with color. Additionally, Google has removed a few of the notable Material Design characteristics, but we feel that this UI looks much more clean than ever before. In terms of new features, there don't appear to be any (not noteworthy, at least), with this update being purely aesthetic. Either way, it looks slick. The update should be rolling out to all users via Google Play right now or within the next few days. Enjoy. Play Link // Android Police

Question of the Day: When is Your Black & White Pixel 2 XL Estimated to Arrive?

Kellen — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 12:13:58 +0000

Tomorrow is the official Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launch day, in case you had forgotten. And we know that a bunch of pre-orders from both the Google Store and Verizon have shipped (our Pixel 2 did) and are expected to hit doorsteps at some point throughout the next 24 hours. However, we're trying to figure out if anyone's Black & White (or "Panda" - Edit: or should it be Penguin?) Pixel 2 XL orders have shipped yet or are anywhere near shipping. We're wondering that because the Black & White version is the version that sold out almost immediately before re-stocking a couple of times with later and later shipping estimates. It's now fully out of stock on the Google Store and showing a November 8 ship date at Verizon. But even before the dates began slipping and we dropped a DL order before most knew the listing was even live, we were given an estimate of November 6, with November 8-9 arrival. A friend of the site got his double-Panda order in at or around the same time and is showing a October 30 ship date with November 2-3 arrival. So let us know! If you ordered the Black & White Pixel 2 XL, when is it expected to arrive? Also, don't forget to include the storage amount and if you went Verizon or unlocked. Go!

Samsung Announces Bixby 2.0, a "Bold Reinvention" of a Platform That's Barely 6 Months Old

Kellen — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:18:46 +0000

Samsung announced Bixby 2.0 this morning at the Samsung Developer Conference. The announcement focuses on the future of the platform and a plan for it to be more open and accessible to developers, as well as to new device categories. In fact, Samsung is calling this a "bold reinvention of the platform." That's, in a way, an admission of Bixby 1.0 as a failure, since the assistant service is barely 6 months old. Let's dive into the announcement, though!

Bixby 2.0

Samsung says that they want to transform "basic digital assistants from a novelty to an intelligence tool that is a key part of everyone's daily life." OK, so what does that mean? Isn't Google Assistant and Siri and Amazon Alexa already kind of doing that? Samsung wants Bixby 2.0 to be more personal, with "enhanced natural language capabilities for more natural commands and complex processing, so it can get to know and understand not only who you are, but who members of your family are." Umm, yeah, so Google Assistant and Alexa already do all of that. Let's keep going. Samsung did suggest that Bixby 2.0 will be available outside of Samsung's own ecosystem, stating that "Bixby 2.0 will be ubiquitous, available on any and all devices." Does that mean a Google Play listing coming soon? That we don't know, but it will mean Bixby 2.0 in not only phones, but TVs, refrigerators, home speakers, and "any other connected technology you can imagine." The thought here is that developers can build out support for Bixby 2.0 and then have their services accessible anywhere, on all platforms or device types. Bixby 2.0 will be more "open." What that means is a partnership with more developers to "choose and model how users interact with Bixby." To do so, they'll launch a private beta (such open) of the Bixby SDK for select developers in order to bring 2.0 to life. They'll of course, continue adding additional participants in the beta over time before opening it up to all. Finally, Bixby 2.0 is going to be some sort of "marketplace for intelligence." That means a new way for developers to reach new users, as well as a way for developers to earn some cash for their work. Specifics for how that will work were not revealed there. To recap, we've got Bixby 2.0 as a major reinvention of the entire platform. It could come to all major phones, as well as home electronics and more. We're also getting a Bixby SDK for developers to start preparing their services for. When will you get it, though? Who knows. // Samsung

Monument Valley 2 Hits Google Play on November 6

Tim — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 09:13:45 +0000

Back in June of this year, Monument Valley 2 launched with iOS exclusivity. Today, the developers gave Android users a reason to be excited for November 6. According to a tweet sent out by ustwo games, the game will finally be made available for Android that day, about 5 months after it was first available for iOS. If you haven't already known, the game has been up for pre-registration on Google Play for some time. Pre-registration, in this case, means no more than just a notification for when the game goes live. It's helpful, but not all that exciting. Check out the embedded trailer below for the game, then get pumped for the launch. Play Link https://twitter.com/ustwogames/status/920588969552826368

SHIELD TV With SHIELD Remote Bundle Available for Purchase, Priced at $179

Tim — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 08:53:50 +0000

Your typical SHIELD TV bundle came with a SHIELD Controller included, starting at $199. Now, there's a new bundle available, a SHIELD TV coupled with just a SHIELD Remote, priced at $179.99. This new bundle is available for purchase today, perfect for those who want to save a little money and don't plan on playing many video games on their Android TV-powered set-top box. As NVIDIA says and even I can tell you, there are still games you can play with just a SHIELD Remote. There's Alto's Adventure, Crossy Road, Pac-Man, Red Ball 4, plus many others. And don't worry, you can always purchase a SHIELD Controller separately should you have the need for one. The new bundle is available at Best Buy right now, as well as on NVIDIA's own website. Purchase Links: Best Buy | NVIDIA

Motorola's Moto Mod Speaker With Amazon Alexa Official at $149, Arrives in November

Kellen — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 08:27:57 +0000

The newest Moto Mod to join the ever-expanding family is the Moto Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa. With this speaker connected to your Moto Z device, you'll be able to access Alexa by voice command at any time. Like all other Moto Mods, this Amazon Alexa-equipped smart speaker works with the Moto Z and Moto Z2 family. All you do is slap it on the back and it'll just work, giving you access to Alexa to play music, get news, grab answers to questions, control your smart home, order an Uber, add items to a grocery list, etc. It's like an Amazon Echo, only in Moto Mod form on the back of your phone. The speaker has four microphones inside, so it should be able to hear you from across the room as well. It'll even act as a nightstand clock, thanks to its design that allows it to angle nicely when on its back. Motorola says to expect up to 15 hours of built-in use through the speaker's own battery. This new Moto Smart Speaker with Amazon Alexa arrives in November for $149.99 at places like Amazon, Best Buy, Verizon, and Motorola's online shop.

// Motorola

Moto X4 Joins Amazon Prime Exclusive List, Available for $329 (Updated)

Kellen — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 07:48:44 +0000

Motorola's Moto X4, a device that jumps beyond the budget realm and into a tempting territory just before Android's high-end market, will join Amazon's Prime Exclusive line-up today at a ridiculously low price. For $329.99, you'll be able to own this latest device from Moto and use it on any carrier in the US. To recap, the Moto X4 features a 5.2-inch FHD LCD display, Snapdragon 630 processor, 32GB storage (with SD support), 3GB RAM, 3000mAh battery (with TurboPower charging), Bluetooth 5.0, fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, and dual camera setup (12MP f/2.0 + 8MP ultra-wide-angle f/2.2). It's also Motorola's first IP68 water and dust resistant phone if my brain is remembering correctly. The design, while not customizable and probably shouldn't be included in Motorola's X line, does feature 3D contoured glass and an anodized aluminum frame. Outside of the love-it-or-hate-it camera bump on the back, the phone is quite pretty and packs a hell of a set of specs for the price. The Moto X4 typically costs $399, so the Amazon Prime Exclusive model saves you $70. Just keep in mind that Prime Exclusive phones do show Amazon ads here and there on the lock screen of the phone as a way to help pay for that discount that Amazon is giving you. The Prime Exclusive Moto X4 goes up for pre-order today at 10PM Pacific in both black and blue colorways. It'll ship by October 26. UPDATE: If you were looking for the non-Prime Exclusive Moto X4 in the US, Motorola also announced today that it'll go up for pre-order tomorrow and arrive on October 26 at places like Best Buy, B&H, Fry's, Jet.com, Newegg, and Motorola's own online store. It'll still cost $399.

Amazon Prime Exclusive Link

Garmin Speak is a Mini Alexa-Equipped Car Accessory, Priced at $149

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:39:33 +0000

Garmin and Amazon have teamed up to launch the Garmin Speak, a mini Amazon Echo-like device with Amazon Alexa onboard to give you voice control powers when in your car. That means access to Alexa's skills as you drive, only this is in a tiny package that sticks to your windshield. The Garmin Speak costs $149 and is available today if you are interested. It works by attaching to your phone via a Garmin Speak app and Bluetooth, so that your phone's data connection can give it access to Alexa. In other words, this device doesn't have its own data connection or SIM card or WiFi module, but does connect to your phone to utilize a data plan you already pay for. It also connects to your car's stereo via Bluetooth or AUX to provide audio feedback and responses. Garmin says that you'll be able to play your playlists and podcasts, get traffic updates, hear sports scores and stats, listen to the news, place orders for goods, control your smart home, and even get Garmin's turn-by-turn spoke directions with a bit of lane guidance on the device's tiny display. It looks pretty sweet! Garmin Speak Links:

Amazon
Best Buy
Garmin Store

Cheers Pops!

Control What You Watch on YouTube TV With Your Voice Via Google Home

Tim — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:53:00 +0000

Announced today, subscribers to YouTube TV can now control what they watch with their voice via new support for Google Home. To lay this out simply, let's say you have both a Google Home and Chromecast in your house, plus a subscription to YouTube TV. If you know what you want to watch, you can tell Google Home, "Play MSNBC" or "Record Orville." Just ensure your Google Home and Chromecast are linked via the dedicated Google Home app, available from Google Play. As a friendly reminder, should you sign up for the free YouTube TV trial, then go on to subscribe for $35/month, Google will send you a free Chromecast, which is a handy gift to have. Now all we need is a native YouTube TV app for Android TV. Soon, we hope! // Google Cheers William!

Google Calendar, Sexified With Material Design, Now Available to All Desktop Users

Tim — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:58:46 +0000

Back in mid-August, a big redesign for the web-based Google Calendar was teased by a beta user on reddit. Today, that redesign is official and available for everyone, and man, it looks good. Basically, the whole thing has been redesigned from top to bottom, complete with a floating action button, ability to check on other's calendars (should you be an enterprise user), as well as the fact you can add rich formatting and hyperlinks to calendar invites. As Google details, "Now you can see contact information of meeting participants when you hover over their names in a Calendar invite. There’s also a new way to view and restore deleted items in one place in case you accidentally delete a meeting." To get started, open up Google Calendar for the web, then hit the "Use new Calendar" button in the top right. Such fancy. // Google

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL: 8 Things You Might Not Know

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 10:14:40 +0000

Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are not only a chance for Google to showcase their vision for phone hardware (without being rushed like last year), the phones also stand as an opportunity for Google to show the world what they think Android should look and act like. And if we're being honest, we really should start calling the software on Google's Pixel phones a skin or Pixel Experience, since this is no longer "stock" or pure Android. That's not a complaint, I'm just pointing out the reality of the situation. With Google's own custom Android experience on the Pixel phones comes software tweaks you might not normally see or be aware of. For example, there are dark and light themes to the Pixel 2 that you wouldn't know about unless you happened to stumble on them through a wallpaper switch. We've also got subtle tweaks to Settings areas, a hidden notification LED, different icon shapes to take advantage of, a yet-to-be-turned-on Image Processing Unit, and more, all of which isn't announcing itself to the world, you just have to know it's there. Below, we've compiled a list of 8 things you might not know about Google's new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

1. Pixel 2 and 2 XL have dark and light themes that are enabled by wallpaper switches

We covered this in our First 10 Things video, but there are both dark and light themes on the Pixel 2 and 2 XL. The thing is, you can't enable them manually, you instead have to make the switch by changing your home screen's wallpaper. If you go with a lighter image, you'll get the light UI. If you go really dark, the UI flips to give you a dark app drawer, dark pulldown shade, and even dark app shortcut menus.

To make this switch happen, again, just long-press on your home screen and change your wallpaper. From what I can tell, the change isn't limited to just Google's wallpapers and you can toss on your own darker photo to bring up the darker theme.

2. Apps & notifications area now shows recently opened apps, which is awesome

This is a minor tweak to the Settings UI, but think about how many times you have realized you need to force stop an app, uninstall it or clear data/cache, yet hate the process of diving into Settings>Apps & notifications before having to scroll through an entire list of apps to pinpoint the one you want to tweak. With the newest UI on the Pixel 2, you'll get a list of the 5 most recently opened apps that you can quickly jump into to adjust things. And it makes perfect sense that Google would do this, since the app you had most recently opened are more than likely the ones you'll want to dive into.

3. There is an LED for notifications!

There really is! It's been a bit finicky, but there is an LED notification light on both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. You can see in the image below, and yes, it's most definitely multi-colored.

To enable it, you'll simply long press on your home screen, go into Home Settings>Notification Dots and then look for the "Blink light" toggle. Turn that on and your notification LED should start shining through as notifications do. If you are using a third party launcher, you can also go into Settings and search for "Blink light" to find it. So far, again, the times it does light up correctly have been pretty hit or miss, so there is some tweaking or poking around that needs to be done here. Still, it has one!

4. Clock app icon shows the actual time in the Pixel Launcher

You may have already noticed this after side-loading the new Pixel Launcher from the Pixel 2, but the Clock app shows the exact time now and constantly updates. It's like a live little icon, which is cool just because. Why would you care that the little clock icon shows the proper time when you can look up to the top right corner of your phone to see it digitally? I don't know! Just roll with me here and enjoy the small things in life, enjoy the attention to detail by Google.

5. Active Edge also silences calls

The big story with Active Edge in the Pixel 2 and 2 XL is the fact that it is probably the best way to launch Google Assistant at any time, assuming you can't stand Google's obnoxious "OK, Google!" command or are in a quiet area. But it doesn't just do that! No sir, it also acts as a way to silence incoming calls. If you head into Settings>System>Languages, input & gestures>Advanced, you'll find Active Edge settings. In there, you can adjust the squeeze sensitivity of Active Edge, but you'll also find a toggle for "Squeeze for silence," which is the feature I'm talking about. So as you receive calls and your phone is lying on a desk, instead of fussing with volume buttons to silence or hangup on someone, you can reach over and give your phone a little pinch to make it shut up, at the very least.

6. Camera has a secret image processing chip on board

We already shared an entire story on this news, but it's worth mentioning again - Google created its first in-house SoC for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and none of us knew it. The chip is called the Pixel Visual Core and its an image processing unit that'll give 3rd party camera apps the ability to tap into Google's awesome HDR+ feature. Not only that, but it'll make processing of HDR+ insanely faster when compared to the phone's using the Snapdragon 835 on board. Outside of the HDR+ access for developers, Google also says that they have a whole bunch of stuff lined up that'll be able to take advantage as well. That means more camera goodies coming to an already incredibly powerful camera experience on the Pixel 2.

7. Now Playing is your best new music friend once you turn it on

One of the coolest features on the Pixel 2 that also happens to be the creepiest, is a song recognizing feature called Now Playing. It's disabled out of the box, but should you turn it in, Now Playing allows Google to listen for music at all times and let you know what the song is on your phone's always-on display. It's pretty awesome when it finds the song and just shows up at the bottom of your screen.

If that sounds too creepy to you to use, understand that Google is telling us that Now Playing "works offline and never sends songs or conversations to Google." So it's accessing some sort of database of songs internally that we believe hosts more than 17,000 songs. In my testing, the Pixel 2 hasn't had any issue pulling up music that I'm playing, though your results may differ depending on the tunes you jam out to.

8. Don't forget you can change icon shapes

This is really just an Oreo feature, but you shouldn't forget that if round app icons aren't your thing, Google has built in a handful of choices, including square, rounded square, squircle, and teardrop. To access this, jump into home screen settings by long-pressing on your home screen, then Home Settings>Change icon shape. From there, choose from the short list and watch as your screen refreshes with the new setup.

And that's it for now! As we discover more interesting tidbits about these new Google phones, we'll be sure to share.

ZTE Attaches Two Displays, Throws in a Snapdragon 821, Calls It the Axon M and Prices It at $725

Tim — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:54:51 +0000

ZTE and AT&T announced a new phone this morning, one that isn't like your typical smartphone. Usually, a smartphone has one display and we'll sit here and argue about its resolution or bezels or some other nonsense. Well, the Axon M is quite different, sporting dual displays, both measuring in at 5.2", with the phone featuring a foldable design. Yup, big things happening in the design department at ZTE, people! For specs, the Axon M offers dual 5.2" FHD LCD displays, Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C, 20-megapixel rear-facing camera, dual speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Android 7.1.2 out of the box. As for what you can do with two screens, ZTE offers a few neat tricks, all focusing on either multitasking or sharing whatever it is you're watching with another person. Here are specifics modes that come with the Axon M.

Dual Mode: Provides unlimited potential in app combinations so consumers can do more, all at once. With Dual mode, you can watch your favorite professional basketball team or PGA TOUR tournament on one screen, while ordering a pizza online on the other.
Extended Mode: Stream, email and play games on a full 6.75-inch Full HD display. Extended mode lets you watch your favorite shows and movies on a larger screen, when and where you want to.
Mirror Mode: Sit across from your friends and watch the same content on one device. Simply fold the device in Mirror mode and place it on a table for easy viewing from two separate sides.
Traditional Mode: When you aren’t watching sports, catching up on your favorite shows, or surfing the web, Traditional mode gives you a great everyday smartphone that’s easy to use and hold in one hand.

So, you're either totally loving this or totally hating it. If you're loving it, you'll be happy to learn that this device will be available at AT&T stores next month, priced at $24.17/month for 30 months. That's a full retail price of about $725. Please, share your thoughts below. // ZTE

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL Battery Life: No Worries Here

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 07:48:42 +0000

After almost a full week's worth of testing (unboxing, camera comparisons, first 10 things, etc.), I think Tim and I have no hesitation in saying that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are solid in the battery life department. He's hammered on the regular Pixel 2 like he typically does all phones, while I put in some extra time on the Pixel 2 XL to see how far a single charge could really go. Honestly, I'm pretty impressed by the initial numbers. And to recap, the Pixel 2 has a smallish 2700mAh battery, while the Pixel 2 XL has a decent-sized 3520mAh cell. Neither is removable, but they do have rapid (fast) charging through included USB-C adapters should you ever need to grab some quick juice in a pinch. Those battery sizes aren't topping the charts either, though our testing shows numbers that are as-good-if-not-better than competitors, including the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8. Below, you'll find Pixel 2 battery life results followed by the same from the Pixel 2 XL.

Pixel 2

As you can see here, the Pixel 2 lasted all day with plenty of juice to spare. Tim's results show days with less than 4 hours of screen on time along with days that eclipsed the 5-hour mark. On no day did he need to plug the phone in to save it from dying before he went to bed, which means 15-17 or so hours of being unplugged. For a 2700mAh battery, I'm not sure I expected that to be the case at all. Clearly, Google has done a heck of a job fine-tuning the performance of the smaller Pixel 2 to run as efficiently as possible.

Pixel 2 XL

For the Pixel 2 XL, I almost always jumped past the 5-hour screen on time mark and still had fuel in the tank. One day, it's obvious that I decided to do nothing with my life but stare at the phone's screen and managed to push past 7 hours of screen on time, yet the phone still didn't die. So for the 3520mAh battery in the Pixel 2 XL, I was seeing anywhere from 16-20 hours of overall usage without the need to plug the phone in. That's impressive!

While I'm not sure I'd crown either of these phones the "Battery King of the World" like we did with the Moto Z Play, I really don't think you are going to run into battery life issues no matter the Pixel 2 you choose.

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL Unboxing!

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:00:53 +0000

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are arriving on doorsteps in a couple of days and we've had them in house for long enough to bring you all the goodness. Well, our Pixel 2 review will be up shortly, but we've got the first 10 things you should do with both phones, a camera comparison vs. the V30 and Galaxy Note 8, and this, a Pixel 2 unboxing. In this clip, we took our time and really dove into the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL first boot experience. Not only do you get a tour of the goodies tossed in the box, but we tour the outside and run through a bit of the software, something we don't typically do during unboxing videos. These are Google's new phones, though, so we go a little bit wild. I know that some of your orders are weeks and weeks out, so hopefully this will help you get a taste for the device you have coming. More coming throughout the day!

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL Unboxing

Buy Pixel 2 and 2 XL:

Pixel 2 has Google's First In-House Chipset Called Pixel Visual Core, Aims to Bring HDR+ to More Apps

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:00:46 +0000

All of the talk in recent years about Google possibly designing its own in-house chipsets for phones has come true in a way on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. This morning, Google announced that both phones contain Google's first custom-designed System on Chip (SoC), called Pixel Visual Core, though this one was made to help with the outstanding camera in each rather than replace the work of Qualcomm's Snapdragon line. In the coming weeks and months, Google will enable the Pixel Visual Core to help bring the Pixel camera's HDR+ magic to third party camera apps. Seriously, you are reading that correctly - the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL had a secret Image Processing Unit (IPU) that none of us knew about until now and hasn't even been turned on yet. That's kind of cool, right?

The goal here is, again, to bring the Pixel 2's HDR+ smarts to others outside of the Google Camera app. The SoC will do so by taking advantage of its eight Google-designed custom cores that can deliver "over 3 trillion operations per second on a mobile power budget." By using the Pixel Visual Core, Google says that HDR+ can run 5x faster and at less than 1/10th the energy than if it was trying to through the application processor (like the Snapdragon 835 in these phones). There are many more nerd details here than that, but it's over my head and so I'll leave those dirty details to those willing to dive into the press release below. Here are a couple of examples of the HDR+ capabilities that are coming to third party camera apps, thanks to Pixel Visual Core:

Of course, since this is Google's first chip, they won't just stop with opening up HDR+ to others. They already have the "next set of applications" lined up that they want this Pixel Visual Core to power. The Pixel Visual Core will be enabled first as a developer option in the "coming weeks" through an Android Oreo 8.1 (MR1) developer preview. Further down the road, likely when Android 8.1 goes stable, Google will enable it for all third party apps to use within the Android Camera API.

Press Release

Pixel Visual Core: Image processing and machine learning on Pixel 2
The camera on the new Pixel 2 is packed full of great hardware, software and machine learning (ML) so all you need to do is point and shoot to take amazing photos and videos. One of the technologies that helps you take great photos is HDR+, which makes it possible to get excellent photos of scenes with a large range of brightness levels, from dimly lit landscapes to a very sunny sky. HDR+ produces beautiful images, and we have evolved the algorithm over the past year to utilize the Pixel 2’s application processor efficiently and enable the user to take multiple pictures in sequence by intelligently processing HDR+ in the background. In parallel with that engineering effort, we have also been working on creating capabilities which enable significantly greater computing power, beyond existing hardware, to bring HDR+ to third-party photography applications. To expand the reach of HDR+, to handle the most challenging imaging and machine learning applications, and to deliver lower-latency and even more power-efficient HDR+ processing, we have created Pixel Visual Core. Pixel Visual Core is Google’s first custom-designed System on Chip (SoC) for consumer products. It is built into every Pixel 2, and in the coming months, we will turn it on through a software update to enable more applications to use Pixel 2’s camera for taking HDR+ quality pictures. Let’s delve into some of the details. The centerpiece of Pixel Visual Core is the Google-designed Image Processing Unit (IPU)—a fully programmable, domain-specific processor designed from scratch to deliver maximum performance at low power. With eight Google-designed custom cores, each with 512 arithmetic logic units (ALUs), the IPU delivers raw performance of over 3 trillion operations per second on a mobile power budget. Using Pixel Visual Core, HDR+ can run 5x faster and at less than 1/10th the energy than running on the application processor (AP). A key ingredient to the IPU’s efficiency is the tight coupling of hardware and software—our software controls many more details of the hardware than in a typical processor. Handing more control to the software makes the hardware simpler and more efficient, but it also makes the IPU challenging to program using traditional programming languages. To avoid this, the IPU leverages domain-specific languages that ease the burden on both developers and the compiler: Halide for image processing and TensorFlow for machine learning. A custom Google-made compiler optimizes the code for the underlying hardware. In the coming weeks, we will enable Pixel Visual Core as a developer option in the developer preview of Android Oreo 8.1 (MR1). Later, we will enable it to all third-party apps using the Android Camera API, giving them access to the Pixel 2’s HDR+ technology. We can’t wait to see the beautiful HDR+ photography which you already get through your Pixel 2 camera also be available in your favorite photography apps. HDR+ is the first application to run on Pixel Visual Core. As noted above, Pixel Visual Core is programmable and we are already preparing the next set of applications. The great thing is that as we follow up with more, new applications on Pixel Visual Core, Pixel 2 will continue to improve. We'll keep rolling out other imaging and ML innovations over time—keep an eye out!

// Google

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL: First 10 Things to Do!

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:00:21 +0000

Alright, so you watched our Pixel 2 unboxing and hopefully dove into our big Pixel 2 vs. V30 vs. Galaxy Note 8 camera comparison. Now, though, it's time to talk about what the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL can do on their own with our First 10 Things video. This video (along with our soon-to-be-released tips and tricks tour) is probably going to surprise some. You would think that as a Google phone that runs pure Android that there wouldn't be that much to show off. But in reality, Google is customizing the hell out of Android at this point and it shows with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. For example, in this Pixel 2 First Things video, we walk through Active Edge and the phone's squeezy side, its always-on display and music listening feature, a way to tweak the theme be dark or light, picture-in-picture usage, Night Light and DND modes, and of course, the really, really good Portrait Mode in the camera. Google is doing a lot to stock Android these days, and so far, we're liking the approach. Let's dive into it!

Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL: First 10 Things to Do!

Buy Pixel 2 and 2 XL:

Camera Shootout: Google Pixel 2 vs. LG V30 vs. Galaxy Note 8

Tim — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:00:20 +0000

It's the battle of the 2017 heavyweights, smartphone camera style. If you haven't yet noticed, it seems that all major 2017 launches from Android OEMs have great cameras included, and really, what you may think is best is very subjective at this point. However, with this post, I'll simply share some shots I took on the Pixel 2, LG V30, and Galaxy Note 8, with resizing being the only edits made, then you can decide which one you like best. Let me just say, though, all three shooters are great, so there's no wrong answer here. Over the course of the past couple of days, I have used the cameras as I normally would. I took some landscape shots, macros, pictures of my dogs, and even did a short test of the video stabilization found on each device. Naturally, things differ from device to device in terms of specs, and the Pixel 2 only has a single camera compared to the dual setups on the LG V30 and Galaxy Note 8, but to sum it up, this is just a general overview of what these phones offer straight out of the box with no fancy editing or value tweaks. Now, to make this somewhat interesting, I will embed the photos and then below, I will list which column is which phone. Do you think you can tell which is which? Let's find out! Let us begin.

Full Magnification

Galaxy Note 8 | Pixel 2 | LG V30

Well, now that you know which column is which, how'd you do? Video Stabilization

Conclusion

As I stated, the photos weren't touched up or edited in any way, but during the resizing and compression process, some details can be lost. Still, from what I can tell, each phone has an incredible camera, with all three being very versatile in varying conditions. To my eye, it's clear that the Pixel 2 does not draw in as much light as the V30 or Galaxy Note 8, but in the long run, the photos still turn out great. Instead of what could be a blown out image with too much exposure, there's a subtle darkness to the images, which allows for better contrast and higher detail. Naturally, the Pixel 2 doesn't quite compete when zooming in to the max, given there's no telephoto lens. However, the Galaxy Note 8 excels at this, with insane amounts of detail remaining even when zoomed in 100%. The LG V30 fared very well in this department, too. For more talk about the Galaxy Note 8's camera, check out our written and video reviews. If you're more interested in the V30, our review on that will be coming up soon, too. The Pixel comes with a 12.2MP (f/1.8, OIS, EIS) camera, which doesn't jump off the page in relation to other high-count megapixel sensors on the market, but Google obviously took a ton of time tuning not just the hardware, but the software as well. When the HDR+ option is enabled, colors are vibrant but not oversaturated, and when in low light, noise levels are very minimal. For example, in a night sky, you can aim the camera straight up. up the brightness to 100%, then shoot a picture. The resulting image, so long as there is no cloud cover, is a completely black sky with stars shining here and there. It's quite remarkable, especially when we think back to how awful smartphone cameras used to be in the night time shooting department. We have much more Pixel 2 to talk about in our full review which will be up later this week.

More Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL Coverage

Android Oreo 8.1 is Headed to Pixel Phones in the "Coming Weeks"

Kellen — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:00:18 +0000

Not only did Google announced the Pixel Visual Core this morning, the company's first in-house SoC for smartphones, they also announced that an Android 8.1 update is arriving in the "coming weeks." Through their blog post with details on the Pixel Visual Core they mentioned that we'll see this chipset first enabled with Android Oreo 8.1.

In the coming weeks, we will enable Pixel Visual Core as a developer option in the developer preview of Android Oreo 8.1 (MR1).

We don't have many other details than that, but Android 8.1 is the first maintenance release (MR1) for Oreo and will show up on the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. If MR1 for Oreo is anything like MR1 for Nougat, we could see a handful of new features. Remember last year with Android 7.1, Google gave us App Shortcuts, support for circular icons, image keyboard support (like GIFs and stickers in Gboard), and a couple of other minor changes. As we learn more about Android 8.1, we'll let you know. // Google

New Nova Launcher 5.5 Beta Adds Searchbar to Dock Option, Fun Icon Animations, More

Kellen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 12:33:23 +0000

A new Nova Launcher v5.5 beta update is available now to beta participants and it includes some of the goodness from the Pixel Launcher in the Pixel 2, as well as other Oreo-styled items. For one, you can now add the search bar directly to the dock if you want, just like you'll see on the Pixel Launcher with the Pixel 2. You'll find it in Nova Settings>Dock>Searchbar in dock. To style it, you'll do so from Nova Settings>Desktop>Search bar style. If you aren't a fan of the searchbar moving, well, maybe you'll like the new pop-up menu found in Oreo. The pop-up menu being the menu you see as you long-press on icons or folders on your home screen. To find this setting, head into Nova Settings>Look and Feel>Popup Menu. Finally, you'll find fun little adaptive icon animations as you drag icons around (assuming you have adaptive icons turned on), speed improvements to adaptive icon shape and theme application, and bug fixes and other optimizations. If you are in the beta, head into Google Play and you should see the update live already. If you aren't, you can find beta builds and ways to join at the source link below. Google Play Link // Nova Launcher Beta

Your Pet Photos Will Now Show Up Alongside Your Friends and Family in Google Photos

Kellen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 12:10:53 +0000

Because we all take massive amounts of pictures of our pets thanks to all of our pets being awesome, Google is making it easier to locate them all in Google Photos. Starting today and rolling out globally, Google will start showing your cats and dogs in groups alongside all of the people you currently see. Instead of just a "People" category, you'll find a "People & Pets" category that includes your furry friends too. You'll be able to name them and quickly make albums or movies out of the pictures of them. Additionally, Google says that you'll also be able to search by breed, so you could search for a Poodle or Maine Coon and find results, plus they are letting you do animal emoji searches with cat and dog emoji. Google didn't specify if you'll need a Photos app update or if this is a server-side change. My guess is the latter. Google Photos is awesome. Google Play Link // Google

Google WiFi Adds Site Blocking to Keep Away Inappropriate Websites From Your Kids

Kellen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 10:47:33 +0000

Google WiFi, a heck of deal in the mesh WiFi router game, received an update today that gives admins the ability to turn on site blocking. That's a techie way of saying that Google is giving parents a way to block unwanted content from their kids' devices. With site blocking turned on, Google says that more than 8 million non-kid-friendly websites won't show through on devices you specify. The option uses Google's SafeSearch, which is always on the hunt for new sites to add to its list of bad guys. In fact, with site blocking turned on, Google will automatically start blocking new sites as they are added without any work from you.

To turn on site blocking, open the Google WiFi app and head into the far right tab, the one with the 4 dots. From there, you should see a Family Wi-Fi option under the Settings section - tap it. Finally, tap on Site Blocking to enable the new feature. If you haven't yet setup labels in your Google WiFi network to identify devices or groups, you'll have to do that first. For more on all of these settings, head over to Google WiFi support. Google Play Link // Google

DEAL: Get $150 Off Verizon and AT&T Galaxy Note 8 Models at Best Buy

Tim — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 10:28:48 +0000

For what's sure to be a limited time, folks can save $150 on select Galaxy Note 8 models at Best Buy when you purchase the phone with a device payment plan. According to the listings on Best Buy's website, only the Verizon and AT&T variants are listed at the discounted pricing. With the savings, the price of the Verizon model is dropped from $39/month to $32.75/month for 24 months, and for AT&T, the usual price of $31.67/month is dropped to $26.66/month for 30 months (or $33.33 for 24 months). Again, the discount is not applied if purchasing at full retail price. You can head on over to Best Buy's website to score this deal or hit up your local Best Buy store. Best Buy Link

Download: Pixel 2's Live Wallpapers on Your Device

Kellen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 09:06:02 +0000

Last week, the Pixel 2's updated Pixel Launcher and Camera app both made their way onto online Android nerd rooms, so it's no surprise that the new live wallpapers from Google's new phones did as well. We're talking about the live wallpapers that Google showed off during the Pixel 2 event, wallpapers that may look like a typical aerial shot of the Earth, yet have subtle motion within. You can see the wallpaper above running on my LG V30 review unit, which is the one that Google showed off on stage. There are others, though, including additional aerial shots, but also some that are interactive (like the Gooey and Glimmer series). Most are very cool, assuming you have a powerful enough phone to run them. Like I said, I installed the live wallpapers on my LG V30 and it seems to be running them with no issue. I should point out, though, that the files you'll need to get these live wallpapers on your phone are substantial in size (170MB). To get started, hit up the XDA link below, read through some of the instructions so that you know what to expect. Then, find the "Downloads" section to grab the proper file. You don't need to be rooted or anything - just install the correct .apk. Once done, you should find the wallpapers in your live wallpapers picker. // XDA

Open Beta for Oreo Update Now Available to OnePlus 3, 3T Owners

Tim — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:41:42 +0000

Announced this weekend, an open beta for Android 8.0 "Oreo" is now available to owners of a OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T. Is that awesome? You better believe it. Somewhat on the sad side of this news, it was announced back in August that Oreo would be the last major update for the OnePlus 3 and 3T. So, once your phone is upgraded to this, don't expect anything else too exciting to follow it. Sure, you'll still get security updates, but that's it. Here's the entire list of what's new, plus a list of known bugs you should be on the lookout for. What's New

System changes
- Update to Android O (8.0)
  - Added Picture in Picture
  - Added Auto-fill
  - Added Smart text selection
  - New Quick Settings design
  - September security patch
Launcher changes
- Added Notification dots in Launcher
- Added OnePlus account login for access to Shot on OnePlus
  - Now able to upload photos directly to Shot on OnePlus through wallpapers

Known Issues

Fingerprint actions may be slower than you are used to.
Shortcut to access Google Photos is unavailable
Some stability issues with NFC and bluetooth
Performance and compatibility of 3rd party apps will continue to be optimized

Of course, because this is a beta, OnePlus would also like your feedback on the UX and UI. If you come across an issue, you can report it here. The quicker OnePlus identifies bugs and squashes them, the quicker the update can rollout to everyone worldwide. Follow the link below to get started on your download. // OnePlus

Huawei Announces the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, Once Again Without US Details

Kellen — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 07:17:14 +0000

Huawei announced its new flagship phones this morning, the Huawei Mate 10 (pictured below) and Mate 10 Pro (pictured above). These phones have been reported about, thanks to leaks, for weeks and weeks now, but we've been handed the official details to share. So here's the story. Like with most Huawei phones in recent years, even if they look incredibly impressive (which these do), we have no idea when we'll ever see them in the US. Huawei did tell us that "US pricing and availability will be announced at a later date," so that's at least promising in terms of them showing up here one day. In fact, that leads us to believe that the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are indeed coming, we just hope it isn't 6 months down the road. Then again, if we assume these are a part of the big Huawei-AT&T mash-up we keep hearing about, I guess we do have some time still. But enough of that, what if you aren't in the US or simply want to import the next big thing from Huawei? These are the details to know. We've got the Huawei Mate 10 and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. As the names suggest, the Pro version should be the better version. With that said, it sounds like the Mate 10 Pro lacks the SD card and headphone jack of the regular Mate 10, plus its display drops to 1080p from QHD, which would be downgrades for the most part. It does have IP68 water resistance, though, so there's something. As for other details, they both run Huawei's Kirin 970 octa-core processor, have dual Leica-branded camera setups (20MP Mono + 12MP RGB, both f/1.6, OIS), 8MP front cameras, 4000mAh batteries, and Android 8.0 Oreo under EMUI 8.0. The Mate 10 sports a 5.9-inch QHD LCD display (16:9) with front-chin-situated fingerprint reader, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage. The Mate 10 Pro moves the fingerprint reader to the back to make way for a 6-inch 1080p OLED (18:9) that cuts out most bezel, along with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The phones are also very glass-like and are quite pretty. I know that the design with that band across the back has offered up plenty of fun in the comments, but I tend to like both the color schemes and that design detail/

The Huawei Mate 10 will arrive in late October for €699. The Mate 10 Pro will arrive in mid-November for €799.

Huawei Mate 10 / Mate 10 Pro Specs

[table id=88 responsive=scroll /] // Huawei

Weekly Recap: LG V30 In-House and White Essential Phone Available for Purchase

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 15:23:31 +0000

At long last, our retail unit of the LG V30 arrived in the DL offices, so we started the process or reviewing it. We can't say when exactly we'll have it up, but it won't take forever, we promise. In the meantime, we posted up an unboxing, tips and tricks, and be on the lookout next week for some more fun stuff! Other than the V30 action, Essential finally got around to making the White option available for purchase(!), the launcher found on the Pixel 2 leaked and is available for download on a number of Android devices, and we learned Samsung may start to ship Bixby 2.0 out to supported devices next week. Oh, the joy. Here are the stories you don't want to miss from this week.

Video: LG V30 unboxing.
Video: LG V30 first 10 things to do.
Video: LG V30 20+ tips and tricks.
Essential Phone in White now available for purchase.
Free movies: Make sure to grab your free movies from Google!
Google's Wallpapers app updated with new goodies.
Google updates trade-in policy to reflect important changes.
Download: Test out the Pixel 2's launcher for yourself.
Razer: We'll see Razer's mystery smartphone on November 1.
Bixby 2.0 may start rolling out next week.
Answers to Volume 49 of the DL Q&A Sessions are now up!
Shopping with Google Assistant? Don't mind if I do.
NO-reo: No Oreo update for NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet, SHIELD Tablet K1.
Price of Google's Type-C to 3.5mm dongle dropped to $9 from $20.
Report: Galaxy Note 9 may have fingerprint reader embedded in display.

Have a great weekend!

You Can Now Order Food Via the Facebook App

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 14:59:43 +0000

Announced today, users can now order food for takeout or delivery directly through the Facebook app. We're talking pizza, burgers, or anything else you might be in the mood for. Simply open the app, search for what you want, place the order, and then eat. As for which services Facebook currently supports, listed is EatStreet, Delivery.com, DoorDash, ChowNow and Olo. For restaurants, there is Jack in the Box, Five Guys, Papa John’s, Chipotle, and Panera, but there are others depending on your area. For where to find this option in the Facebook app, here's FB to explain.

You can browse restaurants nearby by visiting the Order Food section in the Explore menu. On this page, you can browse food options and select Start Order when you’ve found what you’re looking for. If the restaurant you want to order from offers takeout or delivery with multiple services, you can select which service you’d like to use. If you don’t have an account with that service, you can quickly and easily sign up, without leaving the Facebook app.

Using this process does sound quite simple and painless, so long as the food you want is listed. Give it a try! Play Link // Facebook

Good Guy Google Drops Price of Headphone Jack Adapter From $20 to $9

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 13:22:23 +0000

When the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were announced, I think it's safe to say that everyone was a little shocked to learn Google's own USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter was priced at a whopping $20. That ain't cheap for a little dongle and I'm pretty sure I saw plenty of folks mad about it. Well, Google has heard your cries and has dropped the price of the adapter to $9 on the Google Store, even though they were already providing one inside of the box for you. This price drop is great if you happen to lose your first one or you want a backup, just in case. If you need one of these, go for it. I'm sure they are high quality adapters. Google Store Link

DEAL: Grab Aukey's USB to USB Type-C Adapters at a Discount Thanks to Coupon Codes

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 13:07:01 +0000

For a limited time, you can grab yourself a handy dandy 2-pack of USB-A to USB Type-C adapters from Aukey, perfect for usage with your new MacBook Pro or Android device that features USB Type-C. According to the product listings, these adapters are USB 3.0, capable of data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. There are also four colors, capable of matching the color of the device you intend to use it on. There is White, Black, Aluminum/Gray, and Silver. For pricing, the White and Black versions retail at $9.99, but with the below discount code, you can have them for $6.99. The Aluminum and Silver models retail for $13.99, but with the discount code, you can have them for $9.37. Again, these are 2-packs. Amazon Links

White (Use code: AUKEYAA1)
Black (Use code: AUKEYAA1)
Aluminum (Use code: AUKEYAA2)
Silver (Use code: AUKEYAA2)

Have at it.

DL Q&A Sessions: Volume 49 Answers

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 10:59:05 +0000

We have answers to your questions on this lovely Friday, wrapping up Volume 49 of the DL Q&A Sessions. This week, we got a nice variety of questions, ranging in topic from batteries, disappearing bezels, Android Wear, and our recommendations for devices in certain price ranges. If you want to have your question answered, be on the lookout for when we post Volume 50 (we try to do this every other week), which we may try to make very special. We'll see how we feel when we get there. In the meantime, let's do this! Reminder: K is Kellen and T is Tim.

Why are more and more manufacturers going with smaller batteries and thinner devices?

K: Well, I don't know that that is actually happening. Some companies like Motorola might be doing that, but think about it, most phones now are 3000+mAh or 3500+mAh. It wasn't that long ago that 2200 or 2500mAh was big. I think we've settled into an area where batteries are quite large, it's just that they are now powering massive high-res displays, so they don't seem to last as long or any longer. Problem with going bigger, like 4K or 5KmAh, is then the phones become too thick. It's a balancing act for manufacturers to keep phones mostly thin without sacrificing the overall feel and design. I think most are doing a pretty good job so far. T: Because that's what people are buying, apparently. There are thicker phones on the market that have bigger batteries, so if you want to show them who the boss is, buy something else. For example, the Mate 9 was a good option; massive display, big battery, good software. There were others, too, but my point is: Put your money where your mouth is. If you don't want a skinny phone with small battery, don't buy it. The only way to change the trend is to get 100,000+ other people to do the same with you.

What are the best phone recommendation at $200, $400, and $600 ranges?

K: The $200 range is tough because most are closer to $300, but I'd say the Moto G5 Plus or if you go to eBay and look at their phone deals, you'll find phones like the Galaxy S7 or Moto Z Play for close to $200. At that price, they are definitely a good deal. At $400, while I haven't used the phone yet, I'd say the Moto X4. It has a lot of good going on, plus it's brand new and should last you 2 years. If not, then maybe splurge to the OnePlus 5. At $600, your options really open and you'll find the LG G6, discounted Galaxy S8, or even the original Pixel there. T: To me, if you can find one of Motorola's phones, like the Moto G5 Plus, that'd be your best bet at the $200 range. If you don't mind using last year and the year before's flagship, you can find those used and refurbished on sites, too. Never a bad option, if you're cool with that. $400 can score you some better stuff, even a Galaxy S8 if you're lucky. Swappa has good deals on used flagships. After looking, you can find a Galaxy S8 for $420+, which is pretty tempting. At that price, you can afford to do your research and find a really good deal on the best that's out there. Now, $600? Well, there are a lot of good phones out there for that price. OnePlus 5, Galaxy S8, original Pixel devices. You have lots of options in that range!

What are the best connected light bulbs and hub to use with Google Home?

K: I use Philips Hue because they were one of the pioneers of it and got in a while ago, but I'm starting to see some cool stuff from LIFX like their new Tile and Beam products. But Philips also has sweet lamps and other types of lighting that no one else has that can really outfit any type of room you want. They work great with Google Home and Assistant. T: Personally, I use Philips Hue, only because it's basically the industry standard. Everything supports them. Painless setup, and while the price is high, the quality seems top notch. I also use a Nanoleaf Aurora system, review here, but it's not a light bulb. Still awesome, though!

Disappearing bezels - a natural evolution or an overhyped trend?

K: Both? I like that we are seeing reduced bezel, but because of usability concerns, I'd hope that they won't totally go away. Or at the very least, make displays flat like the Essential Phone or still with a bit of side bezel like the LG V30 and Pixel 2 XL. I'm all for top and bottom bezel going away for the most part, though. T: Tough question. To me, it's a little bit of both. While I think it's awesome and phones are looking gorgeous these days, it can end up hurting an end user. Small bezels could mean smaller battery or lack of a headphone jack. If those things are important to you, then you probably think it's all a gimmick. However, there are phones with massive bezel, like the Pixel 2, and even that phone doesn't have a headphone jack. It's a weird time in the tech world, where things that would once be considered user hostile are the new norm. Very odd.

What are your thoughts on the current state of Android Wear and Android TV?

K: I love Android TV and think it has really turned into a solid product. I have an NVIDIA SHIELD hooked up to the two TVs in my house and use it for everything. I do think it's weird that Google doesn't talk all that much about it, though. Maybe they will when they finally release a Pixel TV box? As for Android Wear, it's pretty much in the place that Android tablets quickly went. People realized their big phone is a better computer and also don't need yet another screen in their life to maintain. I honestly don't know why Android Wear still exists. The software experience is pretty damn bad and no one seems to be able to make really nice hardware. T: I don't think Android Wear is dead, but I am of the belief that it should be. I'm no hater, but it really doesn't do anything all that special. It was a fun experiment, but I can't imagine it's making any money whatsoever for Google or its partners. Sorry, Google. As for Android TV, it's alive and well! The platform just received support for Google Assistant (SHIELD TV first), but it's coming soon to other boxes and TVs. Very cool! All we need is more developer support, even from Google. For example, what's up with the YouTube app for Android TV? It's super janky. Also, we've heard that a YouTube TV app for Android TV is coming and we're very excited about that! So, to sum it up, Android Wear seems dead and Android TV can only get better from here as more big name partners begin to integrate it.

Are we going to see any better battery technology in 2018?

K: Hah no. T: Every year we think some big innovation is going to take place. It doesn't appear anything awesome will ever happen, with exception to improvements in how quickly we can charge our phones. Frankly, I'm fine for now with quick charging tech, at least until a real breakthrough happens.

Check out previous Q&A Sessions!

Download and Try Out the Pixel 2's Custom Launcher and Camera App

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 08:44:11 +0000

Courtesy of the good folks over at XDA, the Pixel 2's custom Pixel Launcher and updated Google Camera app with Motion Photo and Face Retouching are available for download and installing on other Android-powered devices. For the Pixel Launcher, it appears it will work on any Android device running Lollipop or higher. We downloaded and tested it on a Pixel XL running Oreo and it is working flawlessly, Google Now intact. If you are curious about what's so fancy about it, well, the search bar has been moved to what may be an awkward position for some (all the way at the bottom), but other than that, it's a pretty straightforward launcher. As for performance, it seems to run very smoothly on my Pixel XL. Don't forget to check out our hands-on video where Kellen goes into detail. If you are more interested in the updated Google Camera, I'm sorry to say that it looks like you'll need a Google device to make it work. I don't have a Nexus phone to test it, but XDA does mention it will work fine on a 1st-generation Pixel phone. This updated Camera app should include Motion Photo, which is a short clip of what happens moments before and after you press the shutter button. Additionally, the option for Face Retouching and maybe even Portrait Mode should be there. XDA claims your mileage may vary with regard to features. Follow the links below to get your download on. // XDA [2]

T-Mobile Offers Buy One LG V30, Get One for $500 Off

Tim — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 08:06:23 +0000

T-Mobile is currently hosting a promo, offering buyers of the newly launched LG V30 to get a second V30 device at $500 off. There are a few requirements, but that's nothing new for deals such as this. To lay it out as simply as possible, folks will need to purchase two V30 devices on an EIP (equipment installment plan) agreement and activate a 2nd line. Then, once you have your phones, enter in your purchase details on T-Mobile's promotion website, then you'll receive a prepaid MasterCard with a value of up $500. There are a few more ways you can utilize this promo, but we'll let T-Mobile explain.

T-Mobile customers can mix and match this offer and get up to $500 back on the equal or lower cost device. In other words, that’s $500 MORE you’ll have to spend on all things pumpkin spice this October. And, if you’ve been thinking about taking home a tablet, now is the time! Un-carrier customers can combine this offer and get a G Pad X or G Pad X2 PLUS on us when activated on EIP with a qualifying rate plan.

For pricing the LG V30 is listed at $80 down and $30/month with a full retail price of $800. It's not quite a BOGO deal, but it is a BOGOF500O deal. Still, not bad. Follow the link below to get started. T-Mobile LG V30 Link // T-Mobile

Bixby 2.0 Might Show Up Next Week

Kellen — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 16:20:05 +0000

Samsung is hosting its developer conference in San Francisco next week and it may act as the showcase for Bixby 2.0, according to a report from the Korea Herald. The report also suggests that Samsung already put someone new in charge of the smartphone assistant because of a "lackluster" response to it so far. Chung Eui-suk is now the head of Samsung's service intelligence group and in charge of further developing Bixby. Chung has been with Samsung for a bit and has previously worked in research roles at Samsung. This move takes Rhee In-jong, Samsung's mobile chief technology officer, off of Bixby development. Today's report sure hammers home this idea that Bixby hasn't exactly been well-received. It talks about how most consider it a beta and not necessarily a polished product thanks in part to it still struggling to clearly understand all commands. Of course, it also points out that the English version of Bixby was delayed for a couple of months. But the big announcement here could be in the form of a new version of Bixby. Samsung is expected to announce the new version during the developer conference, a version that will "supplement the incomplete parts" of Bixby 1.0. They are thought to offer more developer participation going forward, as well as expand into additional third party services and products, including those that aren't smartphones. (I'm thinking it's time for that Bixby speaker, no?) Samsung's annual developer conference will take place October 18-19. How many of you are using Bixby regularly? What would you like to see in Bixby 2.0? // Korea Herald

Amazon Echo Devices and Alexa Now Accept Multiple Voice Profiles

Kellen — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:44:41 +0000

One of Google Home's coolest features has for a long time been its ability to present specific information to the voice that activated it. For example, if my wife were to ask Google Home for information from her calendar, it would give her just that - her calendar info. Should I ask the same request a minute later, Google would then switch and access my calendar because it can tell the difference between our voices. It's a multi-user voice profile type thing and it's awesome. In fact, it's so awesome that it has been one of the few advancements that Google Home has had over Amazon's Echo devices. Well, until this week. Amazon pushed out an update to the Alexa app this week that activated Alexa Voice Profiles. With Voice Profiles, each user in your home now has the ability to teach Alexa their voice. What would the benefit of that be beyond just calendar stuff? Let's say you make a voice call through an Echo device or send a voice message. With a Voice Profile setup, Alexa could then tell the person on the other end specifically that it's you calling or sending the message. It could also come in handy with notifications or messages that you want to access, since it could recognize your voice, plus a Voice Profile comes in handy when shopping or listening to music through Amazon Music Unlimited. To get started with setup, head into the Alexa app, swipe out the side menu, tap on Settings, and then scroll down until you see "Your Voice." Open that section and follow the instructions! // Amazon

FYI: No Oreo Update for NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet, Tablet K1

Tim — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:07:26 +0000

Sorry to break the news to you, but if you own the SHIELD Tablet or SHIELD Tablet K1 from NVIDIA, you won't ever see an Oreo update. Confirmed by NVIDIA's Manuel Guzman, though, the company is sending out a Nougat-based update to the SHIELD Tablet K1. To clarify, the K1 received Nougat in February, meaning this new update builds on top of that. Sweet, but not chocolate wafer and creme filling sweet. The fact these tablets won't receive Oreo isn't too surprising. The original SHIELD Tablet launched in September, 2014, followed by the Tablet K1 in November, 2015. We typically have major Android updates for two years following a device's release, so this pretty much sums it up. Sorry, SHIELD Tablet peeps. https://twitter.com/ManuelGuzman/status/918567424756277249

Google Updates Google Store Trade-In Policy to Honor Price Quotes 30 Days From Receipt of Phone

Kellen — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:41:38 +0000

Remember all that Google Store trade-in confusion we talked about the other day? We now have some clarification, thanks to Google, as well as a retroactive coverage for those of you who got in early pre-orders, yet aren't expecting your phones to arrive for some time. Since our original story went up, Google says they are updating the Google Store trade-in program to give you 30 days from the receipt of your new phone to trade in your old phone and receive the original price they quoted you. Again, once your new Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL arrives, you then have 30 days from that point to send in your trade and still receive the value they initially quoted you at. Also, they are retroactively covering those who were quoted for trades since October 4. Now, if you send in your trade after 30 days from receipt, they'll adjust and give you market value once they receive it at their facility. That all make sense? Previously, Google's policy set the initial trade-in quote timeframe for 30 days from when the quote was given. Now, you get 30 days from the time your new phone arrives to get that value.

Samsung Gear Sport, IconX Earbuds (2018) Up for Pre-Order Starting Tomorrow

Tim — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 10:25:03 +0000

Samsung announced availability for its new Gear Sport smartwatch and improved IconX earbuds for US residents. Previewed back in August, the Gear Sport features a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display (360×360, 302ppi), 20mm strap width, dual-core processor, 4GB storage, 768MB RAM, NFC for mobile payments over Samsung Pay, and a 300mAh battery that is advertised to last up to 4 days on a single charge. Samsung has priced the Gear Sport at $299.99, available in either Black or Blue, and can be pre-ordered on Samsung's website or at Best Buy starting tomorrow, October 13. Widespread US availability starts October 27 through additional retailers, including Amazon, Macy’s, and US Cellular. As for the improved Gear IconX (2018) earbuds, they feature an updated design that should be more ergonomic on the ears, plus you still get the automatic tracking of running activities. Noted by Samsung, battery life should also be improved and now reach up to 5 hours of streaming or up to 6 hours of standalone music playing. The new Gear IconX buds provide 4GB of storage. If you wish to pre-order these buds, you can find them for $199 on Samsung's website for pre-order tomorrow, with general availability starting October 27 at Best Buy, Amazon, US Cellular, Sprint. // Samsung

Shopping With Google Assistant Coming Soon, Target Added to Google Express

Tim — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 09:10:53 +0000

Announced this morning, all of Target is now shop-able via the Google Express application for all US residents, with exception to Hawaii and Alaska. With this move, if you need to order some coffee or paper towels, or even some clothing, you can now do so quite easily through the Express app. In the future, Google details that more features will come, such as the ability to add your REDcard to Google Express to receive 5% off most Target orders, plus free shipping. Tucked away at the bottom the announcement, Google also states that shopping with Google Assistant is "coming soon." With this, you'll be able to order a huge variety of items all with your voice. For example, "Ok Google, order a kid's bomber jacket from Target." Assistant will showcase a few of the options, you choose which you want, then it's on the way to your house. Super clutch. Google didn't specify when this shopping feature will hit select Android phones, but it's coming. For now, grab the Google Express app and check out what's new at Target. Play Link // Google

Movies Anywhere Adds Multiple Movie Studios, Google Play Movies Signs-Up

Tim — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 21:05:11 +0000

In 2014, the Disney Movies Anywhere service opened support to iTunes and Google Play, specifically for Disney movies to be accessed virtually anywhere. The service was great for consumers because it allowed you to access your Disney movies on multiple platforms no matter where you purchased them from. Today, Disney has partnered with additional movie houses (Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.) to launch a broader version of this service called simply, Movies Anywhere. Google Play Movies is adding support for the new service, which means that you'll now be able to access your online locker of digital movies that goes beyond just Disney flicks. To explain this, let's say you purchased a 4K movie on iTunes, and have that account linked to Movies Anywhere. With Google Play Movies now supporting it, you'll find that exact 4K title inside of your Google library, ready for watching. This goes for whether you purchased the movie on Amazon, Vudu, iTunes, or Google Play. Now, all of your movies will be in the same place, making things very easy for you, especially if there are different prices depending on which service you do your shopping on. To get started, you'll need the Movies Anywhere app, then you can begin to connect all of your accounts. Once everything is connected, you'll see your movies populate inside of Play Movies, so long as they come from one of the supported movie studios (Disney, Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.). To celebrate this, Google is offering 5 movies to those who link two or more accounts (Disney, iTunes, Google, etc.) to Movies Anywhere. These are the movies you'll receive for free when you link up.

Big Hero 6
Ghostbusters (2016)
Ice Age
Jason Bourne (2016)
The Lego Movie

Sweet, right? So, go forth and link those accounts and start taking advantage of this. You can do so at the Movies Anywhere site. Play Link // Google

Google Kills Google Home Mini's Top Touch Functionality

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 20:03:16 +0000

After a short privacy scare over the weekend that involved Google Home Mini and its top touch area functioning improperly, Google has gone ahead and permanently killed the feature. Google told us in a statement that they take "user privacy and product quality very seriously," and by removing this feature, they hope customers who ordered and own a Google Home Mini will have "complete peace of mind" now. The full statement can be read below:

"We take user privacy and product quality concerns very seriously. Although we only received a few reports of this issue, we want people to have complete peace of mind while using Google Home Mini. We have made the decision to permanently remove all top touch functionality on the Google Home Mini. As before, the best way to control and activate Google Home Mini is through voice, by saying “Ok Google” or “Hey Google,” which is already how most people engage with our Google Home products. You can still adjust the volume by using the touch control on the side of the device."

To recap, a Google Home Mini review unit was found to be functioning improperly over the weekend, leading to unwanted activation of its voice record feature. In other words, it was recording its surroundings when it wasn't supposed to be. They said that the issue stemmed from a touch control mechanism that was "behaving incorrectly." Google pinpointed the problem and quickly sent out a software update to stop it from happening. Still, you can imagine that they don't want to risk this popping up again. So again, if you ordered a Google Home Mini, you should expect the top touch functionality to no longer work. Before Google killed this feature, it would allow you to long-press on the top of the device to activate Google Assistant. Now, you'll have to do so by saying "Hey Google" or "OK Google," which is fine. Also, the side touch volume controls on the device still works.

Want to Play With the Pixel 2 or 2 XL Tomorrow? Head Into a Verizon Store

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 16:12:36 +0000

Don't want to wait until October 19 (or whenever your hella-delayed pre-order will arrive) to play with a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL? Verizon is expecting display or demo units in-store tomorrow, October 12, and will gladly let you fondle one. We aren't sure just how many stores will have them on hand, but you can see that members of the Verizon PR team are sharing the news all over Twitter today. It sure sounds like the majority of stores will give you a "hands-on preview" of Google's new phones, which makes sense, since Verizon has the damn exclusive on them. If you are interested in checking the phone out, you should call your local store to make sure they have them. You should also checkout our Pixel 2 hands-on preview. https://twitter.com/scottcharlston/status/918220347152805888

White Essential Phone Now Available for Purchase

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:46:52 +0000

The white Essential Phone is finally here! Essential just sent me an email with the news because that's the model I had previously reserved, but it looks like the white model is generally available for purchase at their site if you are interested. The white version still costs $699, just like the black one. None of the specs change either, but you do get white accessories, including a white USB cable, white headphone jack adapter, and white fast charger. This is most definitely the hotter of the two models. If you have held out this long on buying the Essential Phone because white was the color you had your eye on and are still interested (even after seeing our review), the time has come. Essential Phone Links:

T-Mobile's Mobile Without Borders Now has Borders, Thanks to 5GB Data Cap

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 15:09:52 +0000

Back in 2015, T-Mobile introduced a new feature to its line-up of data plans called "Mobile Without Borders." As the name suggests, your plan ignored borders in North America, allowing you to travel to and from Canada or Mexico without having to worry about data usage. The big selling points were the fact that you just got to use your data when in those two countries without needing a special roaming plan or worrying about limits. On November 12, that will no longer be the case. T-Mobile is now putting a 5GB per month cap on Mobile Without Borders. The change affects those on T-Mobile ONE, Simple Choice North America, and legacy rate plans. Those plans, when traveling in and out of Canada/Mexico will get a maximum of 5GB of high-speed or 4G LTE data, followed by a throttle to 128kbps thereafter. If on T-Mobile ONE Plus, those speeds will drop to 256kbps. Why would T-Mobile make this change? They said that some meanies were likely taking advantage of the openness to data usage in Mexico and Canada and want to "prevent usage beyond the intent of the product." They added that "less than 1% of people" who use this benefit in Canada and Mexico ever eclipse 5GB per month. So wait, the feature was sold as all of us being able to use our data in Canada and Mexico just like we do in the US. What exactly is the "usage beyond the intent" supposed to mean then? That sure sounds like T-Mobile admitting that they didn't actually want you to "use LTE data in Mexico & Canada just like in the U.S." and that the hope all along is that you'd hardly tap into your plan's bucket. Hey, misleading! Again, the change happens on November 12. To learn more, hit up that link below. Also, you'll find a chart below that describes future usage availability.

// T-Mobile Support Cheers Jason!

Video: 20+ LG V30 Tips and Tricks!

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 14:09:06 +0000

Oh yeah, we've got LG V30 tips and tricks for you now, brand new V30 owners. I'm sure you already whipped through our unboxing and "First 10 Things" videos, so now it's time to dive a bit deeper into LG's latest V-series phone. In this clip that has me speaking in fast forward, you'll get tips on double-tapping to wake and sleep the V30, lock screen customization, firing up the camera in a hurry and a couple of the settings worth tweaking, how to adjust the floating bar, accessing Mini View, tweaking vibration strength, using Capture+ for quick notes, hiding the navigation bar in apps, and figuring out how to access multi-window. Our LG V30 review will be along shortly!

LG V30 Tips and Tricks

Buy LG V30:

Google Wallpapers App Updated With New Categories, Bit of Pixel 2 Goodies

Tim — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 13:58:25 +0000

The official Wallpapers app from Google received a few new categories today, including a wallpaper specifically for all Pixel users that was showcased on the Pixel 2 at Google's October 4 event. From what we can tell, Google has added three new categories, some only accessible by Pixel device owners. In total, the new categories are Geometric Shapes, Underwater, and Keep Looking. Those are the three you'll find on all Pixel devices. I checked on my LG V30 and only saw Geometric Shapes, though. No Underwater and no Keep Looking categories. Additionally, the Live Earth wallpaper that showcased a beach with moving waves is not present on any device, including the Pixel. That could be kept as an exclusive for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners. As for the Cityscape shot (shown below), you'll need a Pixel to access that one, as I'm not seeing it on the V30. While I'm not a fan of having wallpapers be an exclusive thing, it's whatever. They're just wallpapers after all. If you want to check out the new additions, go grab the app. Play Link Cheers Art!

Google to Inject Duo Video Calling Into Core Android Apps

Tim — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 12:10:41 +0000

Duo, announced alongside Allo at last year's Google I/O, has been available as an option for folks who want a solid video calling service directly from Google. It actually works very well and we find ourselves using it much more than we do Allo. Anyway, announced today, Google is starting to inject direct support for Duo right into core services on your Android phone. Google's vision is to make video calling extremely easy to access, with links to it inside of the Phone, Contacts, and Messages applications. As for when and who can expect to see this, I'll let Google explain.

We’re starting to roll out integrated video calling to first-generation Pixel, Android One, and Nexus devices, and it will also be available on Pixel 2 phones. We’re working with our carrier and device partners to bring this experience to more Android devices over time.

According to the announcement, if you and the person you’re video calling are on a carrier that supports ViLTE video calling, your video calls will be routed through the carrier’s ViLTE service. If not, Duo will connect your video call to anyone with the app installed. Pretty shabby. Be on the lookout for this integration to possibly hit your phone soon. Play Link

// Google

Into the Dead 2 Now Available on Google Play

Tim — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 09:59:50 +0000

In March of 2013, one of my favorite zombie killin' games was launched to Google Play, Into the Dead. Today, its sequel, Into the Dead 2, is now available for download. If you watch the trailer below, don't get fooled into thinking there is a compelling story to be overly concerned about. Into the Dead 2 is the same "running and killing zombies" gameplay as the first one, although, the story does evolve over time and has multiple endings. As you run through new environments, 60 stages in all, you pick up new weapons, meet new companions, and ultimately kill as many of the walking dead as you can. Do note, the game is free to download and play, but there are IAPs that may put you in an advantageous position within the game. I haven't played it yet, but I'm about to, so I can report back on that. Die, zombies, die! Play Link

Google Starts Updating Device Health Services Through Google Play for Pixel and Nexus Devices

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 09:02:20 +0000

Owners of the Pixel or Pixel XL and Nexus devices should be seeing an update this morning for an app called Device Health Services. I'd imagine the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will see updates to this as well, once they launch. What is Device Health Services? Google describes it as a service/app that "predicts how long your phone's battery will last based on your usage." As the screenshots indicate, this is the battery section inside of your phone's settings that relays to you your usage. On your usage chart, you should see two numbers, one that indicates how long your phone has been unplugged, along with another that estimates how much longer your battery will last. This app, Device Health Services, apparently helps with that number. There is likely some other magic going on under there, but those are the basics that Google is sharing with us.

In terms of this update, the changelog says that there are "model & infrastructure improvements," as well as "more models" and bug fixes. OK, then! Google Play Link Cheers Jason and @rakoskjc!

Razer Teases "Biggest Unveiling" for November 1, Could be a Phone

Tim — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 08:49:33 +0000

Razer has officially begun teasing something big, its "biggest unveiling," to be exact. Posted to Twitter moments ago, the gaming-focused company states we'll watch, listen, and play, alongside an image of a person watching something on a handheld device. Is it a tablet? A phone? Well, if previous reports were spot on, we're talking about a phone that is made specifically for "hardcore gamers." If you'll recall from January of this year, Nextbit, makers of the Robin smartphone that was all about cloud storage, joined Razer as an independent mobile division. From that and subsequent reports, all fingers point to a smartphone coming from Razer. Now, the company just gave us a date that should officially put the rumors to bed, November 1. We aren't exactly sure how a smartphone is made for hardcore gamers, but it's Razer, so we're assuming rainbow colored LEDs with strobe effects and hardware that can withstand hours of Gamma Lab sweat being poured all over it. But seriously, I'm pumped for this. November 1, hurry up and get here. https://twitter.com/Razer/status/918130361070100480 // Razer

A Few Google Home Mini Review Units had a Privacy Issue That Google Already Fixed (Updated!)

Kellen — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 08:10:30 +0000

After the big October 4 Google event from last week, Google handed out Google Home Mini review units to press in attendance. We've been using ours since and have had zero issues with it. Unfortunately, not all reviewers have had the same experience, including at least one that might have discovered a hardware flaw that could have been a privacy nightmare for Google. Over at Android Police, they noticed that one of their review units was firing up and listening to an almost-constant stream of audio throughout a day. That's bad, you know, because your Google Home units shouldn't be listening to you unless you purposely activate them. According to a Google Support page that went live yesterday just as this information dropped, Google claims to have fixed everything already. Google says that only Google Home Mini devices from recent Made by Google events were affected. In other words, the pre-ordered units you may have purchased are not affected by this issue. So what is the issue? It had to do with the touch control mechanism on the top of the device that caused units to "behave incorrectly." That incorrect action was them listening to any audio in your house, so yeah, I'd say that's misbehaving. For now, the touch control on the top of review units has been killed and no longer activates the device with a long-press like it used to. Again, Google says they fixed the issue, which is good assuming you believe them. I guess we'll find out when those pre-order units start arriving next week.

UPDATE: Google has now decided to kill the feature permanently, even from retail units, according to a statement sent to us. That means the top touch functionality of the Google Home Mini is dead. The full statement from a Google spokesperson can be read below:

"We take user privacy and product quality concerns very seriously. Although we only received a few reports of this issue, we want people to have complete peace of mind while using Google Home Mini. We have made the decision to permanently remove all top touch functionality on the Google Home Mini. As before, the best way to control and activate Google Home Mini is through voice, by saying “Ok Google” or “Hey Google,” which is already how most people engage with our Google Home products. You can still adjust the volume by using the touch control on the side of the device."

This is probably the correct move, to be honest. Even if the issue was only in a handful of review units sent to press, the potential backlash that could occur should this happen to a retail unit would be massive. In the end, this also doesn't really change the way you use the device either, since most of us use a voice command. // Google Support | Android Police

Google Store Trade-In Program has Some Things You Should be Aware Of (Updated!)

Kellen — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:59:01 +0000

The trade-in program that Google launched in the Google Store just before announcing the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL sure looks like a sweet option to score a discount on a new phone, especially if you are coming from an original Pixel or Pixel XL and don't mind ditching your current device. However, as some of you have shared with us since pre-ordering the new Pixel 2 phones, there are some things to be aware of with this trade-in program that are both questionable and might be affected by time constraints. For one, the trade-in kits are already arriving for those who pre-ordered the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, even if their shipping estimate shows that their new phones won't be here for weeks and weeks. While that's great news that people can figure out the exact steps to send off their old device, I'm not sure that 6-8 weeks is a necessary cushion.

Trade-in offers expiring

Additionally, part of the issue with these kits arriving so early is the fact that the trade-in quote given at the time of purchase may not still be valid by the time phone orders actually arrive. You see, when you tell Google that you want to trade-in a phone, they give you a quote upfront for the value they will offer you, assuming your phone arrives to them in the condition you described. But those trade-in value offers are only good for 30 days (SEE OCTOBER 12 UPDATE BELOW). After that, the quote is no longer good and will supposedly be cancelled. At that point, you would presumably have to get a new quote before sending in your old phone. It's anyone's guess if the new quote will match the original quote. Both the Project Fi trade-in program terms and the Google Store terms mention the 30-day window. The Google Store says specifically that your "Refund is based on phone received matching the description provided at time of estimate and will be issued to form of payment used for order. Phones sent for trade in must be received within 30 days of initiation of trade-in process." The Project Fi terms leave at least a little more wiggle room, suggesting that the 30-day window may not apply with pre-orders and that you'll have "two weeks from when your new phone ships." Remember, these two trade-in programs are supposed to be under the same terms. I should also point out that reddit users are having issues getting a straight answer from anyone at Google Store support. Some reps are telling them that the 30-day window must be followed or they'll need a new quote, while others have told them to just wait and send in their trade when their new Pixel 2 arrives. It's kind of a mess. Either way, Google may have screwed up by sending out these trade-in kits so early. Talk about a headache for all parties involved. Your best bet is to continue to ask Google Store support what the hell is going on. If we can offer clarification, we'll update this post. UPDATE October 11: Google appears to have added some time to trade-in value offers this morning and Tweeted that your estimate "is valid for 50 days, post purchase." Here's to hoping you all get your phones within 50 days and don't have to deal with any extra stress. https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/918117712538296322 UPDATE October 12: After all of that confusion, Google reached out to us and said that they are updating the program so that the original price they quote is good for 30 days from the receipt of your new phone. Additionally, they are retroactively covering those who placed orders since October 4. So going forward, if your trade-in arrives to Google after 30 days, you'll then receive market value. As for the kits they provide, Google told us that they are drop-tested and have a failure rate of less than 1%. They said that they are similar to those used by other major carriers as well.

The kits are a joke

Outside of the early kit arrivals, the actual trade-in kit leaves a lot to be desired. Two readers of ours (plus more at reddit) noted that the return kit is nothing more than a 4x6 lightly padded envelope, along with a return label. In other words, this trade-in kit isn't going to offer much protection for your phone should you send it back like this without additional cushioning. We were also told that the return label is for USPS (see below) rather than FedEx or UPS. As someone who has had enough issues with USPS over the years, I can't exactly say that that option would thrill me. At least one person was told by Google Support that they could slap the provided label on a box along with the phone in the included sleeve. If you plan to send in your phone for a trade, you should probably take them up on that to make sure your phone arrives at trade-in HQ the way you described it.

At this point, there is still a lot of confusion and we'll do our best to help clear this all up. For now, you may want to reach out to the Google Store to confirm whether or not they'll be able to honor your quote should your Pixel 2 order not arrive within 30 days. If anything, point to Project Fi support (found here) that talks about a 2-week buffer when pre-order phones arrive. Because again, the trade-in program terms (found here) cover both Google Store and Project Fi orders.

Cheers Tristan and Tyler!

LG V30: First 10 Things to Do!

Kellen — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:55:19 +0000

As you are now well-aware after watching our LG V30 unboxing, we do indeed have a retail V30 in house and are (finally) progressing towards that official review. Before we get there, though, we like to get to fully know the ins-and-outs of devices like this and share some tips and tricks related to them. In the end, our goal with each major flagship is to help you get the most out of it. One of the ways we like to do that is by offering up the first 10 things we think you should consider doing. This is an ongoing series that is one of our favorites. To see previous entries for other devices, be sure to head over to this link. In this "LG V30: First 10 Things to Do" video we cover not only some of the basics, but more advanced topics as well. You'll learn about the various lock screen options for the V30 (fingerprint, face, voice, etc.) and how to customize the camera experience, as well as where you'll find our favorite display settings and how to access the Quad DAC. More LG V30 coverage to come!

LG V30: First 10 Things to Do

Verizon Moto Z, Z Play, Z Force Updated With Blueborne Patch

Tim — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 14:04:54 +0000

The Moto Z, Moto Z Force (software version: NCLS26.118-23-1-1), and Moto Z Play (software version: NDNS26.118-23-4) on Verizon are receiving the September Android Security patch, which includes a fix for the Blueborne vulnerability. If this is the first you're hearing about Blueborne, click here. Other than the updated security, the changelog doesn't list any further changes. If you own of these devices, grab that update! // Verizon [2]

LG V30 Unboxing!

Tim — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 12:34:19 +0000

We have had an LG V30 in the office for some time, but because it was a non-retail unit, we weren't able to bring you all of the coverage we usually do. We didn't unbox it, review it, or anything like that. Well, we have a retail unit now, so all of that changes starting today! Before we get to work on a our big review, we'll start at a familiar place, which is to unbox this gorgeous thing. Just to catch you up, the V30 sports a 6.0" Quad HD+ FullVision display (2880x1440, 18:9, 538ppi), Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, 16MP (f/1.6, 71°) + 13MP wide-angle (f/1.9, 120°) rear-facing cameras, 3300mAh, IP68 rating, and Android 7.1.2 "Nougat" out of the box. Be on the lookout for much more V30 talk in the days ahead. Enjoy!

Report: Galaxy Note 9 May Have Fingerprint Reader Embedded in Display

Tim — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 11:25:27 +0000

We've seen reports over the past year about Samsung and Apple in a race to embed fingerprint readers in front displays. According to the latest report, Samsung may score a "W" come late next year with the Galaxy Note 9 if all goes smoothly. As reported, Samsung is already receiving samples from 2-4 companies that can supply the necessary hardware to make this implementation work. In the running to score the contract is Synaptics, who we know has already been working with Samsung, Korea's BeyondEyes and Samsung's own LSI, and Egis, which already supplies "standard" fingerprint readers to the company. The way Samsung wants to power the optical sensor seems quite brilliant. According to a note from KGI Securities, Samsung wants to utilize a technology that allows the OLED screen to double as a light source for the fingerprint sensor, which would result in better battery life. In theory, a user would simply place their finger on a designated position on the display (probably near the bottom), the OLED display lights up only the pixels needed for the reader to work, then your phone unlocks. Magic! We're quite a ways from a 2018 Galaxy Note 9 unveiling, but this is something to look forward to if you're a fan of tech in general. If Apple and Samsung launch similar fingerprint readers around the same time, it will be interesting to see who scores the better implementation. We'll keep you posted. // Business Insider

Android Wear Will Receive Incremental Updates via Google Play Between OTA Updates

Tim — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 08:41:06 +0000

Announced via Google+ this week, the only place Android Wear news seems to be alive and well, the wearable platform from Google will receive incremental updates via official Android Wear app updates on Google Play, instead of all things being pushed through in an OTA. Think of this like your Android phone. Not too long ago, Google broke down the OS and pushed apps (launchers, dialer, messages, etc.) to Google Play, allowing for more timely updates to take place. Now, folks can have updated features via apps, instead of needing to wait for a complete system update. It was a great move, one we're still benefiting from to this day. As for this Android Wear update, here's the list of what's new. What's New

3rd party chat app support in Contacts
Reduce accidental entry into the watch face picker
Improve Play Store discoverability for new users
Other features and bug fixes

Be on the lookout for this Android Wear app update and subsequent updates, users. Play Link // +Hoi Lam

Outlook for Android Gets a Bunch of Calendar Enhancements and Features

Kellen — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 08:35:41 +0000

If you use Outlook for email and calendar purposes, you are going to love today's update on Android. I think. I mean, if adding meetups and managing delegates and shared calendars is something you've been dying to have, then yeah, this sh*t is going to make your day. Microsoft announced today the following for Outlook on Android and iOS:

Sync shared calendars: You will now find the ability to view and edit shared Office 365 and Outlook.com calendars in the Outlook app.
Manage delegate calendars: You can now manage the calendars of other people that you manage from the Outlook app. Things like managing delegates, accepting delegation requests, and fully viewing and editing delegated calendars is here.
Get Meetups added directly to calendars: Meetup is a new Calendar app in Outlook that I've never heard of, but with today's update, you'll be able to add Meetups to your Outlook calendar directly. Cool.

That's not all, though. These new bits below have to do with managing events and, honestly, I just pulled them right from Microsoft's blog post because re-writing Calendar updates has already put me to sleep and taken 45 minutes to get this far in this post. Holy Jesus, this is brutal info to try and make interesting for you. So I'm not going to! Microsoft says you can now do the following:

Create events with daily, weekly, monthly or yearly recurrences.
RSVP to a single occurrence of a recurring event series (e.g. decline one instance without removing the entire series from your calendar).
See your coworkers’ availability when scheduling meetings (available previously on iOS, now available on Android).

And finally, these items are here for iOS, but only "coming soon" to Android:

Add a message when responding to a meeting invite (e.g. explain why you are declining a meeting invitation.)
Set an event as private, to keep the details to yourself when sharing your calendar.
Mark your calendar events as Busy, Free, Out of Office, or Tentative.

Google Play Link // Office Blog

DEAL: Google Home is $20 Off Everywhere

Kellen — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:48:51 +0000

Google Home is currently discounted almost everywhere by $20. This isn't the ultimate Google Home deal by any means, but it's still a good one. If you are all of a sudden in the market for a Google Home, now is a good time to jump on it. We're seeing the deal at Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and the Google Store. I'd assume you can find it everywhere else this device is sold, though. I probably don't need to remind you, but Google Home Mini is also up for pre-order at the moment. It most definitely is not discounted, but is only $49 and could be an even better way to get started with your smart home setup. Google Home Links:

Best Buy
Target
Walmart
Google

How to: Buy Phones at Verizon Without Signing Up for Service (Including the Pixel 2)

Kellen — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:10:01 +0000

Earlier today, we talked at length about the differences between the unlocked and Verizon Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Because some of you came away from that post with a decision to pre-order one of the two phones from Verizon instead of the Google Store, we wanted to share a tip for those who want to do so without signing up for Verizon service. That's right, you can buy devices from Verizon without ever signing up for one of their plans. Back in the day, Verizon used to run pre-orders and some full retail device sales through something they called the Iconic Portal. That has since been retired in favor of an actual pre-order site that sells almost all of Verizon's phones at all times, not just when they are up for pre-order. While this portal can be used for those of you with Verizon service, it really does come in handy if you aren't a Verizon customer and want to buy a phone from Big Red without a plan, especially when the phone is unlocked and works on other wireless carriers, like the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. UPDATE 10/18: Verizon is a bunch of big meanie faces and appears to have removed the option to buy a "Device only" without service. Feel free to give it a go using the directions below, but yeah, once again Verizon has decided to not let us have nice things.

To buy phones from Verizon without service, do the following:

Head over to preorder.verizonwireless.com
Choose to "Continue as Individual" New Customer.
Enter your zip code.
Choose "Device Only."
Adjust the filters on the left side to find the phone you are looking for. You may need change the Availability filter to "All Devices" in order to get most to show up.
Click on the phone you want and then add it to cart.
Continue through past accessories until you get to Billing & Shipping.
Enter your info there before moving on to the order review page.
Finally, enter your payment info and click "Submit."
Keep in mind that once you click "Submit," it'll charge you and complete your order, even though this isn't that clear and you may think there is one extra step.
Once complete, you'll get an email confirmation, followed by additional emails when your phone has shipped.
That's it!

Wait, how does this not sign you up for service? At no point does the process state that you are signing up for service nor are you agreeing to any sort of contract. You are buying a "Device Only." Verizon will assign you a phone number with your order when it ships and include a pre-inserted SIM card, but no service or contract has been agreed upon. In other words, they would still need you to actually sign-up for service once your device arrives. As an example, I can tell you that I bought a Verizon Galaxy Note 8 this way just a few weeks back. They assigned me a random phone number and included a SIM in the phone, but I just took the SIM out, threw it in the garbage, and tossed in my own active SIM once it arrived. I've never heard from Verizon again with regard to that assigned number and that old SIM. My guess is that them preloading a SIM and assigning a number should just help you with the setup process, assuming you do want Verizon service. Since you are ordering this way, I'd assume you don't. NOTES:

Of course, this method only allows you to buy phones at full retail, so keep that in mind.
The 14-day return period works with this method as well, should you need to return a phone

Latest Essential AMA: Oreo Update Status, Night Mode, Stuttering Fix, White Model, and More

Kellen — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 12:17:40 +0000

The Essential team announced last week that they would start hosting bi-weekly AMAs over at reddit to continue the two-way dialogue that first opened up through an AMA with Essential founder, Andy Rubin. In doing so, they also kicked off the first of those bi-weekly AMAs and talked about a lot of stuff that current and future Essential Phone owners might want to know about. Overall, the team answered a number of questions, many that were specific to individual complaints or software bugs like lagging or scrolling issues, touch responsiveness, a blue light filter or night mode, when Android Oreo is coming, etc. Below, we've captured the good stuff to save you from having to sift through the entire AMA.

Status of the Android Oreo update...

"...our QA team is in the process of testing Android Oreo as we speak to insure there are no regressions on the device. We are making great progress and target to have public beta available here within several weeks that you can try out before we release globally. We will make sure to publicly announce as soon as the Beta is available."

Night mode?

"Night mode is coming in O!"

On laggy touch issues (including scrolling jitters)...

"Hi everyone. Since multiple people are asking below yes we are aware of the issue related to the display touch scrolling jitteriness and have a patch we are testing internally. I saw the fix in action literally yesterday and the improvement is night and day. I think you guys will be really happy with it. Our plan is to get this out in one of the next upcoming OTA updates releasing a few weeks. Stay tuned!"

More on laggy touch issues...

"...yes we are aware of the issue related to the display touch and have a patch from Qualcomm we are testing internally. I saw the fix in action literally yesterday and the improvement is night and day. I think you guys will be really happy with it. Our plan is to get this out in one of the next upcoming OTA updates releasing a few weeks. ...it is related to touch jitter, in part coming from non-uniformity of the coordinates getting fed into the upper layers. This device has in-cell touch, which improves noise immunity overall and makes the display thinner, but is requiring some extra tweaking to get things just right. The fix to the slow scrolling jitter is the first of several touch improvements we are working on, but we'll be rolling them out one at a time as soon as they are ready."

Fingerprint reader gestures...

"...this is in progress but didn't make it into today's OTA. We're targeting the next one..."

What does the Essential Services app really do?

"This application collects high-level statistics about battery life, ANRs etc that we use to improve user experience. It allowed us to diagnose and resolve the UI freezes folks were seeing. Hopefully you'll see how it pays dividends in the latest system update :-)"

On 360 camera not working with skins, if external audio sources have support, and where live streaming is...

"The wireless connection with the 360 camera won't work with a skin...The skin causes too much signal reflection with the 60Ghz signal we use to transmit the data. So extending the pins won't help. Unfortunately the camera app does not currently support external audio input for recorded video via inline headphones. Live streaming is under test right now starting with Facebook and Periscope and is part of our fall OTA release plan with Youtube and others coming shortly after. Working diligently with our partners to make sure this is rock solid for you guys!"

Where da white model at?

"We are planning on sending out the letters for those who reserved white by the end of the week. The units are already built. Because of the holiday in China, customs may be backed up a few days. Ocean depths and Stellar Grey are under development." Actually... "Quick update that the holiday in China is delaying us a few more days. Look out for news early next week."

Release of kernel source, system images, etc?

"I'm hoping to get kernel source out asap. System images are going to take a little longer. Thanks for you patience!"

And that's it! For the full AMA, hit up that link below. // reddit

Buying the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL: Do You Go Verizon or Unlocked?

Kellen — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 10:51:45 +0000

"Which Google Pixel 2 should I buy?" is a question we have already been asked a number of times by DL readers. Do you go unlocked or Verizon version? While Google's phones are sold unlocked and work on all carriers, you still have some decisions to make about where and how you buy one, plus Verizon is in the mix and that always makes our stomach turn a few times. So what we thought we'd do here is help you make a decision and finally buy the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL from the place that works best for you.

Which phone do you buy, the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL?

Honestly, this is a choice that is completely up to you and depends on your need in a phone. Do you want a smaller phone with bigger bezels and an extra color choice or do you want a bigger phone with less bezels and one less color choice? You see, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL contain the exact same specs (processor, RAM, storage, camera, front stereo speakers, etc.) outside of their display size, battery size, and front design, so that's really what this boils down to. Small or big? Somewhat old school design or mostly modern design? These phones will get updates at the exact same time, see the same amount of support (a full 3 years), take the same level of pictures, have access to the same Pixel software experience, and never have headphone jacks. While HTC did build the Pixel 2 and LG built the Pixel 2 XL, Google will treat them as Google phones without acknowledging who made them because they are Google's phones, not HTC's or LG's. OK, with that out of the way, let's dive in.

Unlocked or Verizon Pixel 2? What's the difference?

When you buy the Pixel 2 or 2 XL from the Google Store, you'll need to make a choice - do you want the "Unlocked" version or the "Verizon (includes SIM)" version? First, we need to understand what the difference is. According to Google Support, the "Unlocked" version is "an unlocked phone that works with all major carriers (including Project Fi)." The "Verizon (includes SIM" choice is a "Verizon-enabled phone with a Verizon SIM card pre-inserted." That tells you very little, unfortunately.

Both versions work everywhere

So what is the difference? Well, there isn't much of one at all, actually. I say that because the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are unlocked phones that do indeed work on all major US carriers and support 21 different LTE bands here, including those from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, and of course, Verizon. We aren't sure why Google and Verizon are making this somewhat confusing, but it probably has to do with Verizon's exclusive deal to be the only carrier in the US to sell the phone. Either way, if you buy the Verizon version of the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, you can then take it to any carrier you want and it'll work. For example, T-Mobile is running a promo where they'll give you $325 if you bring the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL to their network. Their terms list the Pixel 2 or 2 XL from "Google, Verizon or other original retailer," because the phone, no matter where you buy it from, is unlocked and works everywhere. As for the Verizon SIM card coming pre-inserted, well again, that's likely because Google has this exclusive deal going with Verizon and a pre-inserted SIM makes activation of the phone on Verizon's network that much easier. Now, if you buy the Verizon version you can open the SIM tray and put in whatever SIM card you want, reboot the phone, and it'll then connect to that network (assuming you have an active SIM card). Just because the phone ships with a Verizon SIM, doesn't mean it'll forever just be attached to Verizon. SIM trays open, folks.

The hardware is identical

There is no difference in the hardware from the unlocked version to the Verizon version. They feature the same specs, same software experience, and come in the same colors. Well, it actually looks like Verizon may have an exclusive on the Pixel 2 in Kinda Blue, since you can't order it as the unlocked model. So there, that would be one difference.

Software updates should arrive at the same time

When you buy a Google phone, you likely do so knowing very well that their phones get software updates the fastest. Being Android, that's always going to be a concern when you buy a phone that isn't from Google. Here, you'll get fast updates no matter which Pixel 2 or 2 XL you buy, at least that's still our assumption. I do not believe that either Google or Verizon has said specifically, but last year, Verizon committed to pushing major OS updates to the Pixel and Pixel XL sold through them at the same time as the unlocked or Google Store versions. The arrangement allowed Google to push monthly security patches to all phones, while allowing Verizon to review and do testing of the major OS updates yet still get them ready with the rest of the Pixel devices. Verizon said last year that "when Google releases an update, Verizon phones will receive the same update at the same time. (much like iOS updates)." We have no reason to think that anything will change this year. Also, Verizon did stick to their word and the major updates were pushed to Pixel phones with other non-Verizon Pixel models.

Bootloaders and bloatware

One aspect of Google's phones that has always excited the nerds among us is the fact that their phones have unlockable bootloaders. If you don't know what that is, you can probably just skip on by, but the main takeaway is that they are ultra-developer friendly. An unlocked bootloader allows you to take advantage of additional customizations provided by 3rd parties. With last year's Verizon Pixel and Pixel XL, Verizon locked down bootloaders. In other words, if you bought a Pixel or XL from the Google Store, you had an unlockable bootloader and some extra freedom, while Verizon said, "Nope, you can't do that to our phones." We don't know how any party is treating bootloaders at this point, but I would assume it'll be similar this year. Once we know for sure, we'll update this section. However, if an unlockable bootloader is something you must have, you should skip the Pixel 2 that has any sort of Verizon branding next to it. As for bloatware, Verizon did pre-install My Verizon, go90, and Verizon Messages apps last year on the Pixel and XL when a Verizon SIM is inserted and activated. All three could be uninstalled, though, so that's not really that big of a deal. No documentation currently posted by either Google or Verizon says if that'll be the case this year. My assumption is that it will be.

Recapping differences

See, not many differences, right? To recap, you have "Unlocked" and Verizon Pixel 2 phones that have the same hardware, work on all of the same networks, and are expected to receive updates at the same time. The only real issues to worry about are locked bootloaders and a couple of uninstallable bloatware apps. In the end, the safest bet is always going to be Google's "Unlocked" versions over those from Verizon because again, Verizon often does questionable things that make us vomit. For the most part, though, you should be good either way.

Google Store, Verizon, or Best Buy (or Target!)?

Now that you've decided which phone and which version to buy, let's talk about where you might want to buy it from. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL can be purchased from four different spots as of today: Google Store, Verizon, Best Buy, and Target. Target is the new player this year.

Google Store for unlocked model

If you walked through everything above and decided that you aren't going to risk dealing with Verizon and will just buy an unlocked Pixel 2 or 2 XL, then your only choice is to shop on the Google Store. That's right, the unlocked models are only sold there at this time. You'll find standard Pixel 2 ($649, $749) and Pixel 2 XL ($849, $949) pricing, along with a newly launched trade-in program. As of today, Google will give you up to $410 back depending on what you trade-in. So far, the original Pixel and Pixel XL are the phones fetching that much cash, so if you wanted to upgrade from last year's phones to this year's, Google's store is probably your best bet. The Google Store offers their own support, along with an upgraded Preferred Care package that will cost you $129. This Preferred Care gets you 2 years of worry-free protection for "mechanical breakdown and up to 2 claims for accidental damage." That also includes access to participating walk-in centers for screen repairs. The rest of Preferred Care includes 24/7 support with trained agents and unlimited expert sessions to learn tips and get the most out of your new phone. Finally, the Google Store has its own financing options, so if you don't want to pay full price, you can breakdown the cost of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL into monthly payments.

Verizon, Best Buy, and Target

If you don't think you'll need the unlocked version, then you have some choices in terms of where you can purchase the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. As of today, Verizon, Best Buy, and Target are all selling the phone with various deals. Depending on the day, you could get an instant $100 off from Best Buy or up to $300 off for a trade-in at Target or Verizon shops. All three of these offer you the choice between full retail purchases and monthly payments. Many of their deals force you into payment plans, though, because that's their way of locking you in to 24 months worth of service. Target appears to only have the 64GB versions of each phone, while Best Buy and Verizon have both 64GB and 128GB options. Again, Verizon seems to have an exclusive on the Kinda Blue Pixel 2, so that means all three of these retailers will sell you that color. I think that about does it!

Google Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL Links:

Google Store: Pixel 2 | Pixel 2 XL
Verizon: Pixel 2 | Pixel 2 XL
Best Buy: Pixel 2 | Pixel 2 XL
Target: Pixel 2 | Pixel 2 XL

In closing

I'm exhausted now after going through all of that. Please send beer. NOTE: I may add to this post over time to help answer any additional questions that come up.

DL Q&A Sessions: Volume 49

Tim — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 10:13:28 +0000

The new Pixel devices from Google are official, LG launched the V30, and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 is out, which means if you were waiting to see what the second half of 2017 had in store with regard to Android flagships, we now know everything there is to know. The remainder of the year is basically us reviewing what's been announced, then coasting into 2018 and January's CES to start the process all over again. Honestly, I love this time of year. With all of that being said, you may find yourself wanting to ask a few questions about which device you should think about picking up. With the Q&A Sessions, you can ask us anything that may be on your mind with regard to Android or about anything else you want to know. We can talk about sports, the weather, politics (lol, jk), or even what we expect to be the big focus in 2018. It's all fair game. On Friday, we'll round up the questions and get back to you with our answers. Have at it!

DEAL: Save $30 on an Amazon Echo Show, Down to $199

Tim — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 08:51:55 +0000

For anyone who has been patiently waiting on Amazon to discount the Echo Show, now is your time. Usually listed at $229.99, you can find a Black or White model for just $199.99 with Amazon Prime. The Amazon Echo Show is the same Echo experience you'd expect, with its learnable skills for doing all sorts of things, but the Show comes with a 7" touchscreen that allows you to really interact with the information Alexa provides to you. You can view weather forecasts, play videos, use it as a glorified picture frame, and place video calls to friends. I do believe this is the first deal on the Echo Show we've seen, so like I said, now is the time to pick one up if you have been waiting patiently for a price drop. Follow the link below to check it out. Amazon Link

Man, These Pictures Taken With the Google Pixel 2 are Nuts

Kellen — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 08:06:03 +0000

Google's camera in the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is highly rated and we also figure it will be one of the best, but you never really know until you either see some results or get your hands on the camera and start testing yourself. Today, we have at least half of that, thanks to Googler Isaac Reynolds, who shared a bunch of "unedited" photos and videos taken with the new phones. They are quite good, in case you were worried. To recap, the 12.2MP camera can shoot at f/1.8. It also has both optical (OIS) and electronic (EIS) stabilization as well as laser and dual pixel phase detection autofocus. It's got all of the bells and whistles you'd ask for in a high-end smartphone camera, unless you really need a second shooter for depth or extra-wide-angle shots. Below, you'll find a handful of the samples that Reynolds shared, just keep in mind that I did resize them a bit to allow them to render quicker on the site. For the full resolution shots (along with videos), we've got a link lower in the post.

You can view all of Isaac's photos at this link. What do you think? // Pixel User Community

Weekly Recap: It's True, This Week was Nuts

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 15:14:03 +0000

What a week. What. A. Week. Right? Google took over on Wednesday with its huge hardware event, which meant that everything else, even if it would normally have been a big deal, got pushed to the side. Google gave us new Pixel 2 phones, a Pixelbook, Google Home Mini and Max, Pixel Buds, a weird GIF camera, and probably something else (new Daydream View) that I can't remember because there was so much. We happened to be at the event and went hands-on with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. You'll find that video below. I'd also highly recommend you checkout this week's DL Show that dives into everything Google announced and then some. It's our immediate thoughts after being on hand for the festivities. Finally, if you are all caught up on the Google stuff, then dive into the bottom half of the list below where you'll find news out of Verizon prepaid, the LG V30 launching, and Netflix prices once again on the rise. What a week. Highlights below.

The NBA is back!

Report: T-Mobile-Sprint Merger Could be Announced This Month

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 13:03:16 +0000

According to a report out of Bloomberg, T-Mobile and Sprint are now "ironing out" the final details on a merger that could be announced as early as the end of October. The announcement could happen as each carrier presents its Q3 earnings in just a few weeks. The move, as you fully understand, would change the US wireless landscape pretty dramatically. Instead of having four major nationwide wireless carriers, we would have just three. The move could allow a combination of T-Mobile and Sprint to better compete with Verizon and AT&T, though one could argue that T-Mobile is doing a solid job of chipping away at both on its own. A merger has the ability to speed that process up, I guess. No one from any side of the deal would comment, as you can probably imagine. And let's also not forget that this big of a merger would need approval by higher powers. We'll let you know more as things shake out! // Bloomberg

Want to Know How Google Built the Pixel 2's Camera? Watch This Video

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:42:58 +0000

The camera in the new Google Pixel 2 phones is more than likely going to be a really good one. We assume that because the camera in the Pixel and Pixel XL was arguably the best in the business last year, but also because Google seems to have figured something out dating back to the Nexus 5X and 6P. Google is finally serious about smartphones cameras and it has been showing us that for a couple of years now. Oh, and if you care, DxOMark already scored it a bonkers 98. So how did Google put together the camera for its latest smartphones? On Google's Nat and Friends YouTube channel, Nat walks us through the making of it all. The clip is over 9 minutes long, but I highly suggest you give it a watch if camera hardware and the processing around imaging takes place is of any interest to you. The video isn't overly technical, yet still dives just deeply enough to give you some of the dirty details. You'll learn info about the image stabilization in the 12.2MP shooter (both EIS and OIS), the camera module used and its lens stack, its dual pixel setup, how some of the processing is done to final images, and the steps taken by Google to work through the camera's new portrait mode. You'll even get a look at some of the testing facilities and the equipment Google is using to fine tune its smartphone cameras.

Verizon LG V30 and V20 Pick-Up Blueborne Security Patch

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 11:20:25 +0000

Both the LG V30 and V20 on Verizon picked up updates today, updates that'll address the Blueborne security vulnerability. That's all either update is here for, so I'm not going to waste your time with any additional fluff. The LG V30 is seeing update VS99610c, while the LG V20 will get VS99516B. The updates include the September Android security patch. // Verizon [2]

Oh Yeah, Pixel 2 Reaction Time

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 08:29:43 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're recapping the mega Google event that went down this week! That means reactions to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google Home Mini and Max, Pixelbook, Pixel Buds, and all of the other announcements that came out of this packed event. If we have time for more, well, I'm actually not sure there will be time for much else. Seriously, this event was kind of nuts. Google went HAM. All other tech companies took a back seat this week, whether they wanted to or not. Sorry, Sonos. We’ll be live at 9AM Pacific (12PM Eastern). If you miss us live, you can subscribe through the various options below.

DEAL: Best Buy is Selling Pixel 2 at $100 Off, Pixel 2 XL at $25 Off

Kellen — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 08:17:46 +0000

Looking for the best Pixel 2 deal? Best Buy currently has it, assuming you don't have a phone to trade. If you are just straight up buying the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL on a device payment plan, Best Buy is here for you. The electronics dealer is selling the Pixel 2 with a $100 discount on both 64GB and 128GB models as well as the Pixel 2 XL with a $25 discount. Those aren't massive discounts, I know, but they are discounts. Keep in mind that the discount is only given with a device payment plan, we aren't talking about a price drop on full retail prices. For a 64GB Pixel 2, you'd pay $22.91 per month for 24 months, while the Pixel 2 XL with 64GB storage will run you $34.36 per month. I should point out that these are the "Verizon" versions, though they should still work on any carrier.

Best Buy Link

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are Getting 3 Years of OS and Security Updates

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 16:07:01 +0000

According to the Google Store listing for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Google plans to provide "3 years of OS and security updates" to each device. That's noteworthy because 3 years worth of OS updates would be an extra year compared to the original Pixel and Pixel XL. You can see the mention from the specs portion of the Pixel 2 listing below that talks about the full 3 years worth of both types of updates. It's somewhat confusing in that it references a Google Support site for additional details, except the support site there hasn't been updated with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL yet. For now, unless Google tells us something else, we'll just have to take this page for exactly what it says and it says to expect OS and security updates for a full 3 years.

The current timeline for Pixel updates is "Android version updates for at least 2 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store." Google says that "after 2 years, [they] can't guarantee more updates." So, 3 years worth is something! A bonus! We'll let you know if something changes. // Google Store

Google's USB Type-C Guru Talks Charging With the Pixel 2 (Update: Or Not!)

Tim — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 14:46:36 +0000

Benson Leung, Google's go-to man for all things USB Type-C, wattage, and amps, has detailed the exact charging spec for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. This is perfect for all of us who need to know specifically what types of chargers we'll need to ensure these phones charge not only quickly, but safely. As detailed by Benson, 18W Type-C + PD (power delivery) power adapters are what ship with the new Pixel 2 devices, but not only that, Google's new phones can support up to 27W charging from compliant PD chargers. UPDATE: Or maybe not! Benson has updated his initial post with the following message:

I'd like to clarify this post as Pixel 2 and 2 XL will not be able to support 27W charging. While the phones may be able to negotiate more power using USB Power Delivery when connected to a higher wattage charger, there are other factors which may limit the speed at which it charges the battery. The included 18W charger in the box will provide optimal charging for Pixel 2 and 2 XL. Sorry for the confusion!

Also noted, something that is quite cool, Android 8.0 "Oreo" implements Type-C and PD support using the new Type-C Port Manager in the Linux kernel. This is specifically for 1st-gen Pixel and 2nd-gen Pixel devices, which is good! Keep in mind, Google made the "Made For Google" accessory certification program official this week, which means if you are in search for a compliant 3rd-party charger for your Pixel device, that should be easier to do now. // +Benson Leung

The Google Assistant is Turning Into a Fully-Featured Beast Already

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 14:10:58 +0000

Google may have held a hardware event yesterday to show off its new Pixel 2 phones, new Google Home hardware, a Pixelbook, a weird GIFy camera, and some earbuds, but that wasn't at all the main focus. All of those products fall under Google's AI initiatives that are led by Google Assistant. Not that Google has ever said that Google Assistant sits at the top of the pyramid of all that it does, it's just obvious, isn't it? Google is building powerful machines and is fully invested in hardware, but they want you to power those by using Google smarts and the ever-growing product that is Google Assistant. What I've found fascinating in recent months or even weeks is just how much of a beast Google Assistant has already become. And that's fascinating because we are still very much in the early stages of this saga. For example, just yesterday, Google reminded us that you can now control over 1,000 smart home products from 100 brands with the Google Assistant, that there is an option to change the Assistant's voice, and you can do things like place phone calls for free in the US (you can now attach your phone number for caller ID purposes too). Beyond the stuff that's here, they announced that over the coming weeks and months you'll be able play family games or go on family adventures powered by the Assistant, create new routines that control multiple items at a time with a single voice command, purchase goods from even more vendors, use your Google Homes to broadcast messages throughout your mansion, access the Assistant on Chromebooks (starting with the Pixelbook) and in all sorts of headphones, and get assistance visually through Google Lens. Again, all of that was announced yesterday. Now, some of these deserve a deeper dive. For example, all of the family stuff (being a parent) sounds pretty incredible. Google says that they have 50 new experiences for kids and the family to enjoy, including exclusive experiences from Disney that will feature Mickey Mouse, Lightning McQueen, and Star Wars. But there are also games that kids can play, educational tools, etc. You can even setup Family Link to Google Home, so that you can limit the stuff your kids can access. Honestly, I can't wait to try some bedtime routine commands like "OK Google, tell me a story" in place of letting my 4-year old watch a show.

The new routines feature sounds great too. For those of us who have invested in smart home products, a simple command to control multiple items will be very useful. Sure, there are products like Wink (which I own) that do routines already, but this feature is now being built into Google Assistant. That means you not only have access to routines with your smart home stuff, but you'll have it outside of your home and in your daily life as well. Google gave an example that involved your commute where you would say, "OK Google, let's go home" and the Assistant would give you commute info, text your partner that you are on your way, and fire up your favorite podcast or playlist. You could also arrive home then and say, "OK Google, I'm home" to have the temperature set just right, specific lights turn on, and your reminders to fire off. We're talking about automating multi-step pieces of our life just by talking to Google. I also loved hearing about the new Nest integrations that allow you use voice commands to see your camera feeds on Chromecast or Android TV devices (it's already live and working too). Even the somewhat-creepy Nest Hello doorbell Assistant action that could tell you out loud, who is at your door, is cool. Like, this is the future from movies, yet it's becoming a part of reality in a hurry. We spent months complaining about the fact that Google Home still couldn't do reminders (it now can), but we're now at a place where my NVIDIA SHIELD TV has Google Assistant and it's awesome there. LG is about to put the Assistant in all of its appliances and home goods. The next pair of headphones you buy will likely have Assistant. IKEA products, which will be affordable, are coming. This all happened so quickly. And I know that the Google Assistant can seem overwhelming. Hell, I don't think I use it enough at all. I still type things out or manually open apps to get things done, when I know that there is probably a voice command that would do it more quickly. This will take time to get used to. I would just recommend starting to think about giving it a real shot because Google isn't going to let up on improving Assistant with new features and your life might actually be simpler by learning a few of these commands and trying to fit them into your daily life. And by doing that, you might just give yourself more time away from the phone in your pocket and the computer on your desk.

Contest: Win 2 Tickets to the New York Film Festival, Courtesy of LG and Its Launch of the V30 (Update: Winner Chosen!)

Tim — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 13:10:39 +0000

We've partnered with LG to give away two tickets to their event at the New York Film Festival. As you may or may not know, LG is a sponsor of the festival, highlighting the company's V30 smartphone with its legit dual rear-facing camera setup. If you don't already know, the V30 sports 16MP f/1.6 standard + 13MP f/1.9 wide-angle cameras, with LG really marketing this device as something that can compete with what we'd label as real cameras. Don't believe me? Check out this video where a filmmaker puts the LG V30 up against a $50,000 RED Weapon camera and prepare to be shocked by the results. Now, should you win this sweet prize, you'll be treated to a night of cocktail parties, film screenings that were apparently shot on the V30 itself (neat!), as well as a keynote panel discussing the future of film and content creation. We'd be joining you in NYC ourselves, but our schedules won't allow for it this time around. Provided we're talking about an event on a specific date at a specific place, we kindly ask that enterers of this contest live in or around New York City and are able to attend the event on October 13, 2017. There will be alcohol served, so we also ask that enterers be 21+ in age. Let's do this!

Contest

Prize 2 (two) entry passes to LG's event at the New York Film Festival on Friday, October 13, 2017 at 7PM ET in New York City, New York at the Lincoln Center. Specifics on where to go will be provided to the winner. How to Enter a Rafflecopter giveaway Winner We will choose our winner on Monday, October 9 at 10AM Pacific. We will email our winner to confirm you are in the NYC area and are able to attend the event. LG will not be providing travel or sleep accommodations to the winner. Again, we ask that only people age 21+ enter, as there will be alcohol served at the event. Good luck!

Essential Phone Gets Both System and Camera Updates

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 10:58:57 +0000

Essential rolled out a system update to the Essential Phone today, as well as a camera app update through Google Play. The combination of these two should bring much needed improvements to the camera experience. The new system update is build NMI81C. I already received the 72.2MB file on my unit. It is not the October security patch, in case you were wondering. It is listed as bring "improved performance and bug fixes." Once installed, and with the new camera app update, Essential says that you should see a speed boost in capture time that's up to 40% faster than it was. You should also notice improvements in low-light shooting, as well as other improvements to the 360 camera experience. Here is the list of improvements to the camera:

Boosted capture speed in regular and low light to below 1 second (over 40% faster)
Improved brightness and performance in low-light
Spatial sound when shooting in 360 (supported on device, Facebook and YouTube)
Use volume up/down keys as shutter buttons in 360 mode
Countdown timer when in 360 camera mode
Bug fixes and overall reliability improvements

Additionally, Essential noted that it has more improvements in the works, including HDR improvements. Play Link (apk)

// Essential

Netflix Middle and Top Tier Prices About to Catch an Increase

Tim — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 10:06:31 +0000

Netflix subscribers on the middle and top tiers are about to notice an increase in their monthly bill. Specifically, those on a standard $9.99 plan will see their price raised to $10.99, while those on the $11.99 tier will see an increase to $13.99. If you're on the $7.99 plan, though, your price stays the same. These are changes are reported to take place next month in November. So, why the price increase? Well, consider the fact that Netflix has been bankrolling content on a crazy scale. According to Netflix's chief content officer, the company's content budget is about to be pushed to $7 billion in 2018, which is nothing to scoff at. This means more original shows, movies, comedy specials, and other types of content. Honestly, considering how much I love Netflix and its exclusive shows (House of Cards, Stranger Things, etc.), I'm all for paying one or two extra bucks. Totally worth it to me. What's your take on a price increase? // Mashable

Watch: Relive All the Pixel Excitement With This Highlight Video From Google

Tim — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 09:05:53 +0000

You may have been busy working or doing something important while Google's Pixel event took place, but if you wanted to check out how everything unfolded, Google has posted a super compact highlight video, lasting only 3 minutes. In the video, you'll see Google unveil the Google Home Mini, Home Max, Pixel devices, as well as the Pixelbook. I wasn't there, but Kellen was, and he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Maybe this video can provide you with a taste of the excitement. While you're at it, be sure to check out our hands-on with the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL! Anyone here awaiting the arrival of their new Pixel device?

Nest is Getting Serious With the Google Assistant

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 08:33:30 +0000

During yesterday's Google event, Nest made a surprise appearance to talk about how they plan to integrate the help of Google Assistant into a bunch of their products. We're talking about commands that'll allow you to view cameras on TVs, set your home up the way you like it as you go to bed, or even let you know who is standing at your front door. Later this year (for some), those three new integrations of the Assistant and Nest will essentially give you voice control over your entire Nest-infused house hold. For one, you'll be able to say, "OK Google, show me my backyard" and TVs with Chromecast will then pop-up a feed of your Nest Cam from the backyard, assuming that's where you have one. But this could work if you have a Nest Cam in a bedroom or front door as well. You get the idea. The second integration will be Google Assistant's new routines function that allows you to use commands to set off a string of events. Nest's example is of you heading out for the day, so you would say something like, "OK Google, I'm leaving." That would trigger your Nest Cams to turn on, your Nest Thermostat to turn down, your smart lights to turn off, and your Nest Secure alarm system to activate. Routines will come soon to Google Assistant, but the power of them will be awesome. Think about going to bed or arriving home, where a single command would let you turn down the lights, set a night time temperature on your thermostat, and maybe even play your kid's favorite bedtime song. And finally, Nest says that its new Nest Hello video doorbell will be so smart with with Google Assistant, that it'll start recognizing faces as people approach and then broadcast to your house, who is at your door. That's kind of creepy and also pretty awesome. Ahhhh, our AI future. // Nest

Pixel 2 Phones Use eSIM, so They Won't Even Need a SIM on Project Fi

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 08:00:03 +0000

Google packed the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL full of the latest in most smartphone tech, but one area they are ahead of everyone is in the SIM card department. The Pixel 2 phones include an eSIM, which is an embedded SIM that lets you quickly connect to a carrier without having to pop open your phone to slide in a SIM card and take whatever steps necessary to acquire said SIM. Why is that important? It's important because an eSIM allows a carrier to activate your phone without the need to head into a store and get a SIM card. Of course, carriers would have to support this idea and almost none of them do. At this time, the only carrier that works with the Pixel 2 eSIM is Project Fi, which is Google's own service. If you buy a Pixel 2 from the Google Store or Project Fi, you'll be able to walk-through the setup to Project Fi during the first boot if you want. That means you can sign-up for new service and join Project Fi or active your current subscription without having to open up the phone. That's pretty cool, right? Google says that they are piloting eSIM and hope to share their findings with industry partners. Because in the end, wouldn't it be great if you could just buy a phone and activate it without the extra step of having to order a SIM or head into a carrier store? Yes x1000. // Google

LG V30 Now Available at Verizon and AT&T, With Pre-Orders at T-Mobile

Kellen — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 07:12:58 +0000

It's LG V30 Day today! I know that we all have a bit of a Pixel 2 hangover, but there really is another brilliant phone from LG arriving this morning that you should strongly consider. The LG V30 is the latest in the V series from LG and it's arguably the best phone they've ever made (maybe by a mile). It sports that same 6-inch POLED QHD display as is in the new Pixel 2 XL, along with a Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, IP68 water and dust resistance, wireless charging, 3300mAh battery, fingerprint sensor, and Quad DAC. It also has one of the best dual camera setups in the business with its combination of standard 16MP shooter and 13MP wide-angle camera. It is easily my favorite dual camera setup of them all. If interested, Verizon has the device in-store, ready to ship today, October 5. AT&T has it available on their site and will get units in-store tomorrow, October 6. T-Mobile has a pre-order open right now and plans to have the phones to you by October 13. The phone costs around $800 at full retail everywhere, but everyone has their device payment plans these days to make that more manageable. More pricing details can be found here. We haven't reviewed the LG V30 yet. Don't worry, we will soon. My initial thoughts, though, after spending a handful of weeks with a pre-production unit are that you won't be disappointed. LG V30 Links:

Video: Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL First Look and Tour!

Kellen — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:41:55 +0000

Apologies for the delay, but it's time to take the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL for a spin! We spent some time with both phones today and are ready to share some initial thoughts and run through a tour of each device. My first major take away is that these feel like true Google phones. What I mean is the fact that these feel like phones Google actually designed, phones that weren't just last-minute leftover parts from HTC's iPhone knockoff department. Each phone is unique in this cluttered smartphone world, especially the Pixel 2 XL. Both phones feel really nice in hand, though the Pixel 2 XL definitely feels more premium. They are similarly finished, but the smaller Pixel 2 just isn't quite up to par, at least to my hands. That's not to say that it won't be a heck of a phone, it just isn't the flagship of the two and that's OK.

The software experience is what you expect. It's clean and minimal still even as Google continues to add-on their own custom touches. The updated Pixel Launcher with Search buried down in the dock is going to take some getting used to, but this is Android, so launchers can be changed if it's not your thing. The squeezy side gesture to launch Google Assistant works well, and no, you can't change it to do anything other than launch Assistant. The camera is as fast as you would hope. I know that DxoMark crowned it the king of smartphone cameras, but I just didn't have enough time to test its quality. I'm expecting it to be pretty damn good, though, just like last year's Pixel cameras. Who needs dual shooters, eh?

And that's pretty much it for now. We (obviously) didn't have time to test battery life or look at performance or setup the fingerprint reader or train Google Assistant either. We definitely didn't get a superb grip on which phone will be the one for you. I'm certainly leaning towards the Pixel 2 XL, if only because it feels like the it's on trend, unlike the smaller Pixel 2. Either way, we can't wait for more.

Poll: What Has You the Most Excited From Google's Press Event?

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:19:12 +0000

Damn, Google just announced a ton of new hardware. It's an Android nerd's dream today, with plenty of new toys to get excited about. There's the new Pixel 2 devices, Google Home Mini, Google Home Max, Pixelbook with Pixelbook Pen, updated Daydream View, Pixel Buds, and even the Google Clips camera. Seriously, Google went ham this year. If you're done reading all of our write-ups for each new thing, it's time to vote on what has you the most excited. Get to it! [poll id="462"]

'Made For Google' Accessory Certification Program is a Go

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 15:00:08 +0000

While new hardware is always fun, Google made another announcement that is sure to make a big impact for Google hardware owners. Reported earlier this month, the Made For Google accessory certification program is now official, paving the way for customers to purchase accessories for their Google device without fear of purchasing something that isn't compatible with the latest Google spec. Basically, any accessory that should work properly with a Google-made device will sport a "Made for Google" badge, similar to what Apple has with its "MFi" program. We're talking cables, adapters, and basically any and all 3rd-party accessories, so long as the company submits its accessories to go through the certification process. To name a few companies that are already signed on to create Made For Google accessories, there is Incipio, Moshi, Belkin, dBrand, Griffin, Speck, Otter, Lifeproof, and many more. As Belkin states in a press release to go along with Google's announcement, "The new made for Google program complements the Belkin approach of creating people inspired products starting with consumer insights so that we give consumers exactly what they want and need. To participate in the inaugural class gives us a seat at the table as these programs are being developed and we are excited to be a part of the process from day one.” You can peep all of the new Made for Google accessories by following the link below. Google Store Link

Want a Free Google Home Mini? Here's Your Chance

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 13:35:16 +0000

If you want a new Google Home Mini, but don't want to shell out the $49, Google is offering you a chance to score one for absolutely free. I know this will sound weird, but bear with me. Google is going to have popup donut shops in various cities across the country. You'll find one in San Francisco, New York, Oklahoma City, Venice, Austin, and more. To sum it up, you can RSVP for these events (held on varying dates) and Google is offering the chance to win either two donuts or a Google Home Mini. So, you're winning either way, so long as you enjoy donuts. Here's where you'll have a chance to score a free Google Home Mini. Follow the link below to RSVP for the event closest to you. Donuts With Google Link

Google Pixel 2 Gets First 98 Score on DxOMark

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 13:14:56 +0000

It appears Google outdid themselves this year, nearly breaking DxOMark's smartphone camera ranking system. Published today, the camera ranking site has given the Pixel 2 a score of 98, which is a first for any smartphone. Last year, the Pixel scored a 90, which at that time, was one of the best. To keep things in perspective for you, now the Pixel 2 sits alone at 98, with the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 Plus at 94, the iPhone 8 at 92, the HTC U11 and 1st-Gen Pixel at 90, then other devices coming in below that. Do note, though, the Galaxy S8 and LG G6 didn't receive a score. For the pros, DxOMark lists that the Pixel 2 has a wide dynamic range in all lighting conditions, features excellent autofocus, very good white balance in both indoor and outdoor conditions, good detail preservation, and strong flash performance. Here's a cool lighting test DxOMark showcased, really showing differences between the Pixel 2, iPhone 8 Plus, and last year's Google Pixel. As for cons, DxOMark doesn't list too many. For pictures, they say some flare and flickering can happen in certain lighting conditions, medium and long-range zoom can lose you some detail, and the Portrait mode sometimes causes visible artifacts. Considering this is still a smartphone camera we're talking about, that's pretty awesome. So, yeah, if DxOMark ranking is something you're into, this is great news for you. // DxOMark

Google Clips, a $249 GIF-Making Machine for Your Family

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 12:50:37 +0000

Announced at this morning's press event, Google unveiled Google Clips, a video clip-taking and GIF-making camera that will cost $249. Not yet available for purchase or pre-order, Google Clips features a 30-degree field of view sensor with 1.55μm pixels, capable of essentially running all by itself thanks to an always-learning Moment IQ feature, a machine learning algorithm that’s, "smart enough to recognize great expressions, lighting and framing." Basically, you will place this little camera wherever action is taking place (in your living room or kitchen), then let it do its job. It will capture videos when it thinks the time is right, then you can access the library via Google Photos. The device also has a shutter button, just to make sure it doesn't miss a shot you want to capture. Google states that the camera comes with 16GB of onboard storage and 3 hours of battery life. We don't yet have availability info, but it is priced at $249 with a waitlist available on the Google Store. Google Store Link

Google Drops Pixel and Pixel XL Price by $100 on Google Store

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 12:13:52 +0000

Maybe you aren't looking to cop that new-new Pixel 2? That's totally cool, because Google just cut the price of its 1st-Gen Pixel and Pixel XL by $100 for each model and each storage configuration. The updated pricing goes like this. Pixel 32GB is now $549, with the 128GB model now at $649. For the Pixel XL, the 32GB model is $669 and the 128GB model is $769. From what we can tell, inventory is fluctuating rapidly, so if you're interested, you may want to hurry. Good luck. Google Store Link

T-Mobile Offering Pixel 2 Buyers $325 if They Activate a New Line of Service

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:53:27 +0000

While Verizon is the exclusive carrier partner for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, that won't stop T-Mobile from doing its usual thing. Following Google's unveiling of its latest phones, T-Mobile laid out a promotion specifically for Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL buyers, which can net them a free $325. Detailed in T-Mobile's announcement, all Pixel 2 buyers have to do is purchase their phone via the Google Store or Verizon, then simply switch a single voice line over to T-Mobile (or activate a new line of service) and sign up for a T-Mobile ONE plan. It's being marketed as a "BYOPixel" promotion. Very cute. For specifics, "Simply purchase an unlocked Pixel from Google, Verizon or other original retailer, port in a number or activate a new line of service, sign up for T-Mobile ONE and then enter the details at T-Mobile’s online validation site." According to T-Mobile, existing customers can get in on the deal, too, when they add a line of T-Mobile ONE or Simple Choice Unlimited. You will receive the $325 in the form of a prepaid MasterCard card, usable wherever the card is accepted. If this promotion entices you, follow the link below. T-Mobile Promo Site Link // T-Mobile

Verizon Lays Out Pricing and Availability for Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:30:44 +0000

As announced this morning, Verizon is indeed the exclusive wireless carrier for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL from Google. If you're already a Verizon customer, that's a good thing, with the company now detailing its pricing and availability of the devices. According to Verizon, on a device payment plan, the 64GB Pixel 2 is $27.08/month for 24 months ($649.99 retail price; 0% APR) and the 128GB version is $31.24/month for 24 months ($749.99 retail price; 0% APR). For the Pixel 2 XL, the 64GB model is $35.41/month for 24 months ($849.99 retail price; 0% APR) and the 128GB model is $39.58/month for 24 months ($949.99 retail price; 0% APR). If you're an existing customer, Verizon is granting you early access to pre-orders through the carrier, too. As detailed, "If you’re on the latest plans and have the latest version of the My Verizon app, you get early access to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL pre-order starting today at 3 pm ET. Online preorders for everyone else begin at 3am ET on October 5 and in Verizon stores that morning." Additionally, customers get up to $300 off the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL if they buy it on Verizon device payment and trade in select smartphones. Just like any other Pixel 2 buyer, you will also receive a free Google Home Mini. The below linked Verizon product page should go live later today. Verizon Link // Verizon

Google Announces $159 Pixel Buds With Google Assistant

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 11:08:58 +0000

Announced as the perfect audio accessory for your new Pixel 2 or Pixel 2XL, Google unveiled the Pixel Buds at its press event this morning. The Pixel Buds are $159 ear buds, wired to each other that connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone. Onboard is Google Assistant, allowing you to quickly access answers to whatever questions you may have. Users can also queue up music using their voice, thanks to Assistant. The standout feature for the Pixel Buds is real-time translations, though. As shown on stage, a user can speak their native language, with Google then providing instant translations into various languages to a user nearby. It was actually quite remarkable, something we'll hopefully get to test out once these buds arrive. As for specs, the Pixel Buds include up to 5 hours of listening time on a single charge, "one-touch" audio control, and "high quality" audio. Google does not provide specifics for the actual audio side, but we assume it'll be much like other earbud experiences. The Pixel Buds are available for pre-order today, priced at $159, shipping later this year. Google Store Link

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Specs (Official)

Kellen — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:29:11 +0000

Now that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are official, we've got your official set of specs to browse. There aren't a ton of surprises here, since these have leaked off and on. We've got the displays we expected, which is a 5-inch 1080p panel in the Pixel 2 along with a 6-inch POLED QHD panel in the Pixel 2 XL. Their batteries also differ, with the Pixel 2's weighing in at 2700mAh and the Pixel 2 XL's at 3520mAh. Other than that, they are mostly the same with Snapdragon 835 processors, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB storage, 12.2MP rear cameras, and Android 8.0. You'll find the rest of the details below.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Specs

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Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL Made Official, Available Starting at $649 Later This Month

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:26:11 +0000

After weeks and months of hype, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL from Google are now official. For the Pixel 2, specs include a 5" AMOLED FHD display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB of built-in storage, 2700mAh battery, 12.2MP rear-facing camera, and Android 8.0 "Oreo" out of the box. As for the Pixel 2 XL, you will find a 6" pOLED QHD+ display (18:9), Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB of built-in storage, 3520mAh battery, 12.2MP rear-facing camera, and the same Android 8.0 "Oreo" OS. As Google explains, no features will be exclusive to select models, meaning every feature you find on the Pixel 2 XL, you will also find them on the smaller Pixel 2. This includes Active Edge squeezing for Google Assistant, the same camera experience (which DxOMark just ranked at 98), Always On display software, and much more. Google also announced that these devices will receive major software updates for 3 years. So, yeah, that means these phones should receive Android R at some point. For pricing, the Pixel 2 starts at $649 (64GB) and ships on October 17. According to the Google Store, the Pixel 2 XL will begin shipping in 5-6 weeks, starting at $849. Pre-orders are up today. For a limited time, every purchase of a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL will include a Google Home Mini. Google Store Link

Google Announces Pixelbook, Starting at $999

Kellen — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:02:53 +0000

At Google's event this morning, they made the Pixelbook official. As expected, the Pixelbook is a high-end Chromebook, like the Chromebook Pixel devices of years past. As we first reported a few weeks back, the Pixelbook is a convertible in that it folds flat to act as a tablet. That, of course, means it has a touchscreen too, just like the old Chromebook Pixels. So what else does Pixelbook do or have? Since this is a high-end Chromebook and packs the goods you'd want from a computer in this price range. We're talking a 10mm thickness, 12.3-inch QHD LCD touch display (235ppi), Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 512GB of storage, up to 16GB RAM, up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge, and USB-C charging. The Pixelbook is the first Chromebook with the Google Assistant too. That means you can ask Assistant for help, get answers, check on the weather or your day, etc. As a bonus, the Pixelbook is equipped with a feature that will automatically tether the connection from your Pixel phone should your WiFi drop off. It'll also work with the new Pixelbook Pen, a stylus built specifically for the Pixelbook. It features 10ms of latency, 60-degree of angular awareness, and 2,000+ levels of pressure sensitivity. It'll cost $99. The Pixelbook will go on sale October 31, but pre-orders open today. It starts at $999.

Google Home Max Announced, Arrives This December for $399

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 09:49:58 +0000

Google has surprises! Announced at its press event, Google introduced the Google Home Max, a Google Assistant-powered high-quality speaker that is all about that bass. Unlike the standard Google Home, the Google Home Max is specifically made to satisfy those who want big sound. Thanks to a feature called Smart Sound, the speaker will deliver crisp, "thoughtfully tailored" sound experiences to your home. The speaker features inputs, too, allowing owners to hook up a turntable or any other device they want to play music from. Google Home Max will come in two colors: Chalk and Charcoal. US buyers will find it for $399 this December. All purchases come with a 12-month subscription to YouTube Red. Thoughts?

Google Home Mini Announced, Available October 19 for $49

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 09:32:17 +0000

Announced this morning at Google's press event, the Google Home Mini was made official. Like its big brother, the Google Home Mini features a speaker and microphones, allowing you to ask it questions and receive answers, as well as play music. Naturally, Google Assistant is onboard, so you will find all of the same features on the Home Mini as you do on the larger model. The Google Home Mini comes in three colors: Coral, Chalk, and Charcoal. The Google Home Mini will be available on October 19 for $49 and pre-orders are up today. Google Store Link

Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Availability Details

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 08:55:39 +0000

Verizon Will be the Exclusive Wireless Partner for the New Pixels

Tim — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 08:19:30 +0000

According to an early morning tweet from Diego Scotti, Verizon's CMO, the carrier will be the "Exclusive Wireless Parter" for the new Pixel devices. Now, we will update this post once we have finalized details from Google and Verizon, but it appears that if anyone was hoping we'd see a change from how things were done last year, it looks like you're in for a rough day. If this deal is anything like last year's, it means you will only find the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL through Verizon stores, but you can still purchase it online through various retailers and the Google Store (with its cool trade-in program), then activate it on virtually all wireless carriers in the US. Again, we will update this post once the details are announced. https://twitter.com/diegoscotti/status/915581488699146241

Watch the Google Pixel 2 Event Right Here at 9AM!

Kellen — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 07:02:42 +0000

The day has come! Google is hosting an event in San Francisco this morning to unwrap all of their new hardware products. We believe that we'll see the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Pixelbook, Google Home Mini, and a new Daydream View headset. Beyond those guys, we aren't sure if Google has more, but I'd imagine they could. This is Google and there is always a chance for new software goodies or updates to go along with their hardware. The event kicks off at 9AM Pacific (12PM Eastern). Stick with us as the news unfolds! We're on hand for the festivities and will have plenty of coverage.

Instagram Intros Real-Time Polls for Stories

Tim — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 15:45:34 +0000

Launching this week inside of Instagram, users can now add polls to their Stories! With this, you can ask a question, then receive votes in real time, helping you decide on things you may be asking about. Can't decide what type of donut to eat? Ask a poll question. Need help determining an outfit for your job interview? Ask a poll question. On top of polls, Instagram announced new tools to help make you a bit more creative: a color picker for text and brushes and an alignment tool for text and stickers. As detailed, "When you choose a color for your text or drawing tool, you’ll see a new eyedropper icon at the far left. Use it to select any color from your photo or video and apply it to your text or drawing tool." I must be the only Instagram person that has never used Stories. Sad me. Go grab that update! Play Link // Instagram

Best Buy May Hand You a Free Google Home Mini With Pixel 2 Purchase

Kellen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 15:24:40 +0000

According to next week's Best Buy newspaper insert/flyer, if you pre-order a new Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, they'll hand you a Google Home Mini for free. At least that's what the translation from French to English is telling us in an image posted over at reddit. The picture of the flyer below shows both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, along with the Google Home Mini, so we're assuming the deal is for either phone. It does specify the Pixel 2, though. While that's Canada's Best Buy running a deal, I wouldn't be surprised to see both Google and Best Buy do something similar here. With the Google Home Mini being introduced alongside the new phones and priced at just $49, it's the perfect kind of add-on bonus. Google sweetens the deal for its new phone by getting its cheaper speaker with Google Assistant in your home as you pick-up a Pixel 2 or 2 XL.

On a related note, Google handed out free Daydream View units last year. While I'm always cool with freebies, a Google Home Mini is 100x a better bonus than a VR headset, in my opinion. That help push you towards buying one of the new Pixel 2 phones? // reddit

Google Contacts App Update Brings UI Changes, Action Buttons for Quicker Connecting

Tim — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:45:45 +0000

The official Contacts app from Google is receiving an update this week, offering a few UI changes, plus new features that should make connecting with your contacts a quicker experience. For the UI, the app is bringing back big contact photos (a requested feature), action buttons that will be displayed underneath the contact photo (call, text, video, etc.), plus a Directory Card where you’ll see things like a contact’s job title, work phone number, manager name, and office location. Also new are changes to Suggestions. With the update, you’ll see suggestions to add contacts you frequently communicate with across Google’s various products. To find those, they appear under the “Add people you contact often” summary card. Additionally, the duplicates suggestion view now has a “MERGE ALL” button which allows you to accept all duplicates suggestions at once. Nice. The update is rolling out right now, so have at it. Play Link // Google

Galaxy Note 8 Ties New iPhone 8 Plus With DxOMark Score of 94

Tim — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 11:09:42 +0000

DxOMark, a site that ranks smartphone cameras, just posted up its score for the Galaxy Note 8. Get ready, this is gonna blow you away. The Galaxy Note 8, Samsung's latest and greatest sporting a dual rear-facing camera system, tied the new iPhone 8 Plus with a score of 94, ranking it above all other Android devices. Wowzers! As explained in their review, the Galaxy Note 8 excels in zoom and auto focus, as well as low noise levels in low light scenarios. For cons, they marked the Note 8 as having limited dynamic range, a sometimes non-visible bokeh effect when the feature is enabled, and frequent white balance casts in bright light and indoor conditions. To sum it up, they believe the Galaxy Note 8 is the best Android camera experience as of right now, but with more flagships coming from other manufacturers, they aren't sure how long Samsung can hold onto the top spot. Now, I mostly agree with DxOMark's findings here, and you can check out our review to see for yourself. The Note 8 has a fantastic dual camera system, but when it comes to this scoring system, I'm not completely convinced. I'd say for the most part, what makes a good photo an exceptional photo can be a subjective matter, but I do appreciate that DxOMark attempts to quantify and rank these devices. At the end of the day, though, people will gravitate to what they in their own mind think is best, and that may or may not be the Galaxy Note 8. Heck, my original Pixel XL only has a score of 90 and I would put it up against the Galaxy Note 8 any day. My point is, don't let these scores sway you or de-sway you into thinking a particular device is best. Regardless, take that iPhone! // DxOMark

Google Home Gets New Night Mode, Refreshed App UI

Kellen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 10:55:28 +0000

We're now only hours away from Google unveiling its next hardware line-up at an event in San Francisco. We've uncovered new info on the Google Home Mini and are likely to find more before we get there. But in an official capacity, Google is also handing out some newness to its apps and services before new products arrive. Last night, they pushed a new Google Home Preview Program update to participants that included a new Night Mode, plus the Google Home app UI got a big refresh. Below, you'll see a look at the new Google Home app UI. It's not a two-column setup with "Discover" and "Browse" sections. You get tips and tricks and suggestions for Google Assistant in the Discover section and suggestions for content consumption in the Browse section. The UI is also filled with fun new transitions and floating buttons, along with access to your devices in the top right corner (that's not new) and the slideout menu. The update should be live for all, so head into Google Play and grab the update.

As for the Night Mode, it appears that you'll need to be a part of the Preview Program (firmware v99351) to get access. You can sign-up here. Once in and Google Home units see the newest update, you'll find Night Mode by heading into each device's Settings section. You should see an option to "Enable night mode" listed just under Preview Program.

What is Night Mode? Well, it lets you reduce volume of responses and decrease brightness of Google Home's LED lights during specific times. You can change the time you want Night Mode to automatically come on, pick specific days, precisely adjust both LED brightness and volume level, and even go full do not disturb. By toggling on DND, you'll be telling Google Home to "block sounds from reminders, broadcast messages and other notifications." Your alarms and timers will still blast through, though. Give it a try!

Allo for Web Now Supports Firefox, Opera, and iOS

Tim — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 09:30:19 +0000

Google's Amit Fulay, the overseer of Allo, announced newly supported web browsers for Allo this morning. Previously, only users of Chrome were able to get in on the amazingness of Allo for the web, but now, users of Firefox, Opera, and iOS can get in on the action. According to Fulay, the Allo update needed will begin rolling out today, so if you don't see support immediately, remain calm. In the meantime, if you want to learn about setting up your Allow account on the web, check out our guide. To get started on one of these newly supported services, click here. https://twitter.com/amitfulay/status/915240186451173376?s=09

Verizon Updates Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Moto Z2 Force With Blueborne Patch (Updated: More!)

Kellen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 09:08:04 +0000

Verizon is pushing out three updates this week to add Blueborne security patches to the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Moto Z2 Force. The update to the Moto Z2 also includes the September Android security patch. UPDATE: Verizon now says that additional devices are also receiving the Blueborne patch including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy S6 Edge+. The updates are rolling out as:

Moto Z2 Force - NDXS26.122-58-8-4
Galaxy S8 - G950USQS1AQI6
Galaxy S8+ - G955USQS1AQI6
Galaxy Note 5 - N920VVRS3CQI2
Galaxy S6 - G920VVRS4DQI1
Galaxy S6 Edge - G925VVRS4DQI1
Galaxy S6 Edge+ - G928VVRS3CQI2

What is Blueborne? Blueborne is an airborne attack by hackers through your device's Bluetooth, hence the name. It was discovered weeks ago and affects most connected devices that support Bluetooth, which is why you are seeing many Android phones receive specific updates to fix this vulnerability. More info on Blueborne can be found here. // Verizon [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Android 8.0 Arrives for Android Wear in Form of Beta for LG Watch Sport

Tim — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 08:47:31 +0000

Android 8.0, known in the developer circle as API level 26, is rolling out in the form of a beta for LG Watch Sport users. While you won't see many drastic changes, this Android Wear beta does include support for Notification Channels, as well as increased restrictions on background services. As described by the Android Wear team, "In this update, users can choose the types of notifications they receive via an app through notification channels. This gives users finer-grained control than muting all notifications from the app. For notifications generated locally by Android Wear apps, users will be able to customize the notifications channel they want to see, right on their watch." Downloads for this beta are available via the Android Beta Program, meaning getting it is rather easy. Once your device is enrolled via the program, you should see an OTA hit your device shortly thereafter. If you own a Watch Sport and would like to test this beta, look here. // Android Developers

Verizon Introduces Prepaid Family Account With Discounts for Multiple Lines

Kellen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 08:39:02 +0000

Verizon introduced something today called the Verizon Prepaid Family Account. No, it's not a family plan, but an account that includes multiple lines and is prepaid. I know, that sounds incredibly confusing. Let's try to figure out what this is! According to Verizon, the Prepaid Family Account is a way to get multiple family members onto Verizon Prepaid, so that everyone has their own data allotment to pull from. The benefit to having a family account would be that Verizon gives you per line discounts as you add more to the account. The amount of the discount all depends on which prepaid package you choose. For example (and you can see this in the chart below), if you buy four Verizon prepaid lines at 10GB per line, you'll pay $60 for the first line, which is the full price. However, as you add more 10GB-$60 lines, you'll get a $20 discount for each new line (up to 5 lines). So for those 4 lines, your price would be $180 per month without a contract or background check (plus taxes and fees). The math there is $60 x 4 lines - $20 each for lines 2-4 (60 x 4 - 60 = 180). That make sense at all? To keep it simpler, let's look at the Unlimited plan. If you and your spouse each want unlimited, you'd pay $140 per month for the two of you. That's $80 for each line, minus $20 for line 2, thanks to the Prepaid Family Account discount. As you can see below, the 10GB or Unlimited plans offer the $20 discount per lines 2-5, the 7GB package offers a $15 discount per lines 2-5, and the 3GB plan only offers a $10 discount per lines 2-5.

Verizon Prepaid Sign-up

// Verizon

Walmart Opens Google Home Mini Pre-Order, Arrives October 19 (Updated)

Kellen — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 06:35:11 +0000

The Google Home Mini, a device we first revealed back in mid-September as the cheaper, smaller Google Home assistant speaker for $49, is now up for pre-order at Walmart. I don't think it's supposed to be, you know, since Google hasn't actually announced it yet, but it is. The listing explains to us that this is indeed a smaller Google Home. It's your "powerful little helper" that gives you answers to questions, controls your smart home, shares weather info, and even plays music. So even as this smaller device likely won't carry the same musical prowess as its older, bigger brother, it'll still do it. The device weighs less than a pound and measures at 4.53 x 4.53 x 4.72 inches. Pre-orders will cost you $49 and Walmart expects the device to arrive by October 19, which is more than likely the planned in-store day for Google Home Mini. UPDATE: Annnnnnd, they pulled it already. That was quick! Still, we got these two new big ol' images to use. UPDATE 2: The guys at 9to5Google dug deeper into the Walmart listing just before it was pulled and found another couple of images, including one of the back of the device and also a new angle of the Pixel 2 XL.

UPDATE 3: The Walmart app is still showing the listing, so you we grabbed additional imagery.

Walmart Link

Pixel 2 May Arrive a Full Month Before Pixel 2 XL, But Here's Some Hot New Pics

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 16:04:01 +0000

According to a report out of Venturebeat, we should be able to pre-order both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL at some point shortly after Google announces them later this week, but when those pre-orders arrive at our doorsteps may differ substantially. We're looking at a possible month gap between the two phones arrival. The Pixel 2 release date, again according to this report, is set first as October 19. The Pixel 2 XL release date may not be until November 15. Yep, that's a full month apart. There is always a good chance that Google will open up pre-orders for each as early as Wednesday, like they did with the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Just keep in mind that if that happens, the shipping estimates between the two phones may differ significantly. As for other news out of Venturebeat, well, we've got fresh new pictures of all Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL variants. At the top of this post, you'll see the Pixel 2 XL in "Black & White" from the front and back (Just Black version here). Below, you'll see the smaller Pixel 2 in Clearly White, Just Black, and Kinda Blue, as well as the front of the device with its substantial top and bottom bezel that hold its front-facing speakers.

Two days away! // Venturebeat

Android Distribution Updated for October 2017: Oreo Makes Huge Debut!

Tim — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 15:51:08 +0000

Oreo has officially made its debut on the Android Distribution chart, flying in at a massive 0.2%! Considering it's only available for a handful of devices, this low number was somewhat expected, but it's still a little disappointing and reminds us that updates continue to be a pain point for Android users. Regardless, Oreo! As for the other Android versions, Nougat now sits at 17.8% (up from 15.8%), Marshmallow is at 32% (down from 32.2%), Lollipop is at 27.7% (down from 28.8%), KitKat is at 14.5% (down from 15.1%), Jelly Bean is 6.6% (down from 6.9%), and Gingerbread is still kicking at 0.6% (no change). Here’s our fancy graph that tracks Android distribution over a 5 year period Last month's numbers are right here. // Android Distribution

Google Pixel 2 Event Preview Show!

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:17:32 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, we're hypebeasting the Google event that'll go down on October 4! Crazy to think that we are only 2 days away from the madness. Since we're fully expecting to see the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, Pixelbook, Google Home Mini, and a new Daydream View all on stage at some point, we thought we'd catch everyone up on what's new. Let's also not forget that there could be some surprises, perhaps in the form of Android 8.1, a new Pixel experience update (like a new launcher), Google Assistant heading to Chromebooks, and more. We also want to talk about Amazon's new Echo line-up and Fire TV 4K, plus some other happenings from around the tech world. We'll be live at 2PM Pacific (5PM Eastern). If you miss us live, you can subscribe through the various options below.

Report: 'Made for Google' Program Will Indicate Accessories Compliant With Google Hardware

Tim — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 12:44:43 +0000

According to a report, Google is working on a program for accessory makers, called Made for Google. With this, accessory buyers can rest assured that what they're buying is indeed compatible with their Google hardware, as it would allow the maker to say so on the box. In essence, the Made for Google program would be similar to Apple's "MFi" or Made For i. To sum it up, it's a license paid by accessory makers to manufacture official accessories for the public to purchase. When an accessory is marked with the MFi logo, you'll know that whatever it is you are buying will be compliant with whatever device you're purchasing it for. Simple enough, right? For me, the most impact a program such as this can have would be for USB Type-C cables. Will they support Rapid Charging or high-speed data transfer that Pixel devices offer? It seems to always be a guessing game, but a Made for Google initiative could really help in this area. As for when we might see a launch of Made for Google, the report did not provide specifics. However, with Google literally days away from expanding its hardware lineup with new phones and even a Pixelbook, we may see it soon. // 9to5 Google

SwiftKey Update for Android Brings Redesign and New Themes

Tim — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 11:02:48 +0000

An update for SwiftKey is rolling out, bringing changes that appear to be mostly cosmetic. As described in the SwiftKey blog, users will find an updated aesthetic for the SwiftKey Hub, as well as several new default themes. The update also includes support for the latest batch of emoji, available only to those that are running Android 8.0+. These emoji not only look very different from past Android emoji, but include newcomers such as Breastfeeding Woman, Vampire, Zen Master, and Fairies. A complete rundown of the new emoji can be found here. Go grab that update, SwiftKey lovers! Play Link // SwiftKey

Here is a Pixel 2 XL Picture of Its Front Side With Dual Front Speakers (Updated: New Pics!)

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 10:36:47 +0000

Up until now, the only official pictures of the Google Pixel 2 XL have been those provided by us. Unfortunately, we only had access to the phone's back and both colorways, not the front. Thanks to @evleaks, we may now have our first look at the front and it is indeed glorious. The picture posted is supposedly of the Pixel 2 XL in a case. It certainly looks like we expected it to look in many ways, but assuming this picture is the real deal, it shows dual front-facing speakers, that all-display front, and some tweaks to the Pixel experience. Reports have suggested for weeks now that both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL would have front-facing speakers, we just haven't seen the 2 XL front to be able to confirm that. We've seen a couple of shots of the regular Pixel 2 already sporting dual front speakers, but were trying to envision a way for Google and LG to do the same on the XL, knowing it has an all-display front. Apparently, they found a way to cram two in there. https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/914899507720130560 But again, the speakers aren't the only thing to point out here. The UI is also seeing a major change from the Pixel Launcher that came with the original Pixel and Pixel XL. We're seeing the Google Search bar moving to the bottom of the home screen and into the launcher dock, just above the on-screen navigation. Then, above that we have 5 apps that will likely be customizable in the same way that we have now in the Pixel Launcher app drawer dock. An arrow indicator still suggests a swipe up to access the rest of our apps. In place of the Google Search pill button that used to sit up top, we now have information relevant to a person's day. Instead of just showing the weather next to Google Search, this appears to be tuned-in to your calendar and future activities, sort of like Google Now is. As you can see here, it's reminding this person when their next event is and how long it's scheduled to last. The weather is there as well. What we don't know is if this info is more of a ticker that displays more than one item at a time or if it'll just update throughout a day until that next event is over with. What do you guys think about this look? UPDATE: And here it is without a case! (Holy weird bezel!) (@evleaks)

UPDATE 2: We've got more pics of all colors now, plus possible release dates following pre-orders. More info and pics here.

October's Android Security Update Goes Live With Factory Images for Nexus, Pixel

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 09:48:32 +0000

Google just posted the Android security update for October 2017 and the files are already live for a number of devices, both Pixel and Nexus. So far, we are seeing 8.0.0 files for Pixel and Pixel XL (OPR1.170623.027, OPR3.170623.008), Pixel C (OPR1.170623.027), Nexus 6P (OPR5.170623.007), and Nexus 5X (OPR4.170623.009). We have nothing yet for the Nexus Player. Others receiving updates are the Nexus 6 (Android 7.1.1 - N6F27M, NGI77B) and Nexus 9 (Android 7.1.1 - N4F27P, N9F27M). As for notes, Google says that Pixel/XL build OPR1.170623.027 is for Project Fi and Canada, so the other build (OPR3.170623.008) should be for everyone else. The Nexus 6 build NGI77B is for Verizon customers, so N6F27M should be the general update for all others. You can grab each image or OTA file at the links below. For instructions on how to flash a factory image, here you go. For instructions on how to flash an OTA .zip file, here you go. As more files arrive, we’ll update this post. Links:

It's Google Pixel Week! Here's a Preview of the October 4 Event

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 09:23:47 +0000

Not that you needed a reminder, but it's Google's big hardware week where they'll host an event on October 4 to show off all kinds of new products. It's basically a Pixel week, since we should get new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL phones, along with a Pixelbook Chromebook. If Pixel isn't your thing, that's OK, since we are expecting new Google Home and Daydream units as well. Let's do a quick recap of the goods we are almost guaranteed to see!

Watch Google Pixel 2 Event

Before we get to the devices, and even though we'll be there in person to cover the event on October 4, know that you can watch it all live through the embedded video above. The event kicks off live at 9AM Pacific (12PM Eastern).

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Pixel 2 (left), Pixel 2 XL (right) - not to scale

So the fun thing about this recap before the event is that we are the ones who showed you all of the goods that Google is likely to show off. The most important, of course, are the new phones which we believe to be called the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. As far a we know, those are the official names. Our big Pixel 2 reveal is here followed by our big Pixel 2 XL reveal here. Pixel 2: This will be the smaller of the two and is made by HTC, though like last year's Pixel, neither phone will have manufacturer branding outside of Google's. The Pixel 2, at least according to earlier reports, will feature a 5-inch 1080p display, dual front-facing speakers, Snapdragon 835 processor, water and dust resistance that will be match industry levels, 4GB RAM, 64GB or 128GB storage, squeezy side gestures, 12MP rear camera, and at least Android 8.0, but it might be Android 8.1. The chances of either Pixel 2 having a headphone jack is slim. According to information we've seen, the Pixel 2 will come in Just Black, Kinda Blue, and Clearly White colorways. The 64GB model will be priced at $649, while the 128GB model will jump to $749. Pixel 2 XL: The Pixel 2 XL is the Pixel 2 made by LG and will be the more modern of the two, thanks to a 6-inch POLED QHD display, similar to the one seen in the LG V30. It'll follow the current trend of smartphones which means it'll have little bezel and an all-display front, unlike the smaller Pixel 2. Outside of the display, it should match the Pixel 2 in terms of specs and features with things like a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 12MP camera, and 64GB or 128GB storage. According to information we've seen, the Pixel 2 XL will come in Black & White or Just Black colorways and cost $849 (64GB) or $949 (128GB). Both phones will be available with financing, plus Google has opened up a trade-in program on the Google Store (details here). If you are trading in an original Pixel or Pixel XL, Google is actually offering you quite a bit of cash, hoping you'll upgrade, it appears. We aren't sure when Google plans to release either phone, but last year, Google opened pre-orders for the original Pixel and Pixel XL immediately after they were announced and then shipped them by October 20. My guess is that they'll do the same through the Google Store. As for carrier partners this time around, we just don't know. Google Store Link: Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL

Pixelbook

The only info the world has on Google's Pixelbook, the new high-end Chromebook made by Google, is the info we gave you a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, it's just not a lot outside of pricing and storage options. Still, this is what we know. The Pixelbook is a follow-up to the original Chromebook Pixel devices that Google once sold. These were ultra-high-end Chromebook devices with price tags to match. They pushed Chromebooks further than previous efforts with touchscreens and premium materials, but also helped usher in things like USB Type-C. With this new Pixelbook, we should see more of the same, but this Chromebook will fold into a tablet as well, plus it'll work with an optional Pixelbook Pen, a digital stylus (pressure sensitive, tilt support, etc.) that'll cost an extra $99. The Pixelbook will ship in a silver colorway, match the Pixel phones in terms of styling, and come in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. We expect pricing (in order) to be $1,199, $1,399, and $1,749. We don't know yet when the Pixelbook will be available for purchase. It has not yet passed through the FCC from what we can tell. Google Store Links: Pixelbook | Pixelbook Pen

Google Home Mini

Outside of the Pixel line of products, Google should show off a new Google Home Mini as well. As the name suggests, this is a smaller, more-affordable Google Home unit that'll allow you to outfit your whole home with Google Assistant without breaking the bank. According to information we've seen, Google Home Mini will come in the three colors above (chalk, coral, and charcoal) and cost $49. These will be wired units and should also provide a similar experience to the bigger Google Home. The new Mini already passed by the FCC, just like both Pixel phones, so it should be ready for order right away once Google announces it. Google Store Link: Google Home Mini

New Google Daydream View

Finally, you should expect a new Daydream View headset to appear on October 4. We know very little about this new VR viewer outside of its price ($99) and new colors (charcoal, coral, and fog). That price is a $20 increase over the original Daydream View, so we're hoping that means an upgraded viewing experience and a more powerful controller. We don't know when the new Daydream View will be available. Google Store Link: Daydream View

Anything else?

That's a good question! These are the five devices we know about and believe will be the major focus for Google during the October 4 event. That doesn't mean Google won't have other surprises in-store. For example, we know nothing about the Android 8.1 update, yet FCC docs show that it could ship on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. That would be something. Also, keep in mind that the Pixel phones from last year shipped with a special Pixel experience that should be here with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL as well. Does that mean a new launcher experience or other specially made apps? It should for sure mean squeezable gestures, but what else has Google cooked up? I'd imagine that Google will spend even more time talking about Google Assistant, just like they did last year. We could get Google Assistant on Chromebooks, plus Google Lens should finally show up too. At this time, we aren't aware of a new Pixel tablet or Chromecast device or a Google-made Android Wear watch.

What are you most excited to see?

Here's a Look at the Polarizing Huawei Mate 10 Pro

Tim — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 08:38:55 +0000

A high quality render of the Mate 10 Pro from Huawei has hit the web, courtesy of @evleaks. After glancing through comments on his tweet, this appears to be one of the most polarizing Android devices in some time, even though it doesn't look all that weird to me. On the backside we have a dual camera system, Leica branded, with a fingerprint reader sitting below that. The front is basically a massive display, with minimal top and bottom bezel. In terms of overall design, that's about it. For those who may think this device is odd looking, I suppose I get where you're coming from. The back appears to have two massive camera sensors, with the circular fingerprint reader below that. It's an odd look with so many circles, but considering those cameras are sure to be killer shooters, you won't find me complaining. You may also not care for the differently colored band that goes across the backside. It's different, but not terrible, right? Huawei is expected to announce the Mate 10 lineup of devices later this month. Thoughts? https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/914427604165447680

Google Assistant is Coming to Chromebooks, According to Google

Kellen — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 07:46:55 +0000

If you head over this morning to the Google Assistant website (and Google Assistant support) that shows an overview of the tool, you'll find a section that lists out the platforms that Google Assistant is available on. The current list includes Google Home, your phone, your Android Wear watch, and your Android TV. It doesn't currently include computers or Chromebooks. However, should you fire up Google Assistant on your phone at this moment and dive into its capabilities, you'll surely find references to Chromebooks as being supported, which is interesting, because they aren't actually supported yet. You can see the reference below, which is just one of many. To find this, you can open up Google Assistant and tap on the Explore button (the blue button in the top right corner of Assistant). From there, scroll through the list of capabilities until you find "Games & Fun." Swipe over in that group and tap on the "Chat with your Assistant" option and you'll get to the page I've included here.

That screenshot says that Google Assistant is "Available on Google Home, Allo, Android 6.0+ phones, Chromebook, and iOS 9.0+ phones." That's pretty specific. It doesn't say the "web" which could be in reference to Allo being on both the web and phones. It doesn't say "desktop" either, as if the Assistant was coming to multiple desktop platforms, like Windows and Mac. It says "Chromebook." So what does this mean? My guess is that it could (and likely does) mean that Google will soon announce Google Assistant support on Chromebooks. And they should! The Google Assistant on Chromebooks adds another powerful tool to their desktop platform and would be a welcomed addition to Chrome OS, which seems to be getting better by the month. Who knows, maybe Google will unveil it with the new Pixelbook later this week, the one that we first unveiled a couple of weeks back? I can't think of a better way to show off your shiny new (and expensive) Chromebook than with your Assistant powering many of its available moves. // Tech Chat | 9to5Google

Weekly Recap: Next Week is Gonna be Intense

Tim — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 15:46:35 +0000

Pixel 2 Day is upon us, next week to be exact, with the event kicking off on October 4. Kellen will be at the event, ready to bring us all of the news Google has in store. Oh my, how exciting! While we wait for that to happen, let's go over what took place this week, shall we? This week, we took a look at the Nanoleaf Aurora lighting system, found out that the LG V30 will launch in the US soon, Google Assistant arrived for NVIDIA's SHIELD TV, and Amazon announced a whole new lineup of Echo devices. It was a busy week, y'all. Here are the stories from this week that you don't want to miss!

Review: Nanoleaf Aurora lighting system.
Here are 5 reasons the Galaxy Note 8 is worth buying.
Google Home with screen said to be in the works.
Pixel 2 XL: Here's the latest report of features for the Pixel 2 XL.
LG V30/Pixel 2 XL: Here's how the LG V30 compares to other flagship devices.
Essential reported to have sold only 5,000 devices.
Amazon announces a whole bunch of new Echo devices.
Assistant: Google Assistant arrives for Android TV, SHIELD TV.
Google Store's trade-in program is quite generous.
V30: LG V30 arrives next week!
Sprint scores an exclusive on the LG V30+.
Here's how Google Assistant works in headphones.
Galaxy S8 Active is headed to T-Mobile, according to report.
Nougat: Moto X Pure Edition actually received Nougat!

Have a great weekend, folks!

LG V30 Lets Us Know How the Pixel 2 XL Will Compare to Other Flagships

Kellen — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 14:35:16 +0000

The LG V30 will finally go on sale in the US next week, but at almost the same exact time, we'll get our first official look at Google's new Pixel 2 XL. That's worth noting since the Pixel 2 XL is a phone we believe to be similar in specs and design to LG's latest. And we believe that because we know LG made the Pixel 2 XL and is thought to have used the same 6-inch POLED display. So we thought since the V30 is ultimately the closest thing to a Pixel 2 XL brother, you might wonder how it compares to the rest of the big Android flagships of the moment. Below, you'll see the LG V30 up against the Pixel XL, Nexus 6P, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, as well as the Essential Phone. Up top, you can also see how the V30 compares to the Pixel. This is a basic size comparison, but visually it should help most of you figure out how big the Pixel 2 XL is when in your hand, assuming you own one of the phones featured here. What I find fascinating is how small these phones are starting to become, thanks to the big displays with little bezel. Remember, the LG V30 has a 6-inch QHD POLED display, yet it's almost the same size as the regular Pixel, which has a 5-inch display. But that difference only becomes more comical when you put it up against the Pixel XL (5.5-inch) and Nexus 6P (5.7-inch). Boy, have we come a long way in terms of phone design. So if you were looking to see how the Pixel 2 XL compares to your phone or others on the market, we've basically given that to you below.

LG V30 vs. Pixel XL

LG V30 vs. Nexus 6P

LG V30 vs. Galaxy S8

LG V30 vs. Galaxy S8+

LG V30 vs. Essential Phone

We'll be at Google's October 4 event to bring you that fresh, fresh coverage. You'll be able to watch it at this link. Cheers Daryl!

Nanoleaf Aurora is a Dope Lighting System, Works With Alexa and Google Assistant

Tim — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 12:05:50 +0000

There is no shortage of "smart" lighting systems on the market these days, but from what I can tell, there are a few that stand well above the rest. I recently set up a Nanoleaf Aurora system in my office, and let me tell you, it's magical. If you're unfamiliar, the Aurora system is made up of triangular LED panels that attach to each other, easily mountable to your wall via accompanied Command strips. You can make basically any shape you want, bend it around corners, and really let your imagination flow freely when setting it up. Just looking through Nanoleaf's Instagram page really inspired me. Once everything is installed, there is a single app to control the colors and effects you see, but what's killer about Nanoleaf's product, it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. With support for those services, you can control the system via your voice. For example, "Hey Alexa, Turn on Aurora," and your lights will turn on. You can also set up commands for setting different lighting effects, too. Instructions on how to set up your voice commands are found on Nanoleaf's website (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa). Here's my Droid Life Doge shape, killin' the game.

Nanoleaf App

There is a single app controlling the system, downloadable for both iOS and Android. Inside, you pair your Aurora or any other Nanoleaf fixture to your WiFi, then get to work on creating scenes for your system, which is pretty straightforward. You can choose colors based on a certain palette or can work with a color wheel, customizing each individual panel to how you want it.

The app is where you program the desired effects, too. You will find options such as Flow, Wheel, Burst, and Fade, as well as preset color choices for you to play with. If you like a certain aspect of a preset, but want to change the colors, you can long press on any preset to edit it. You can grab the app by following the link below. Play Link

Aurora Rhythm

Rhythm is an accessory launched just this week for the Aurora system, and basically, it works like magic. It's a simple extension you plug into your installed system, which turns any sound/music playing in a room into an insane light show for your enjoyment. There's no programming needed to set it up. Once plugged in, press the single button it has and you're good to go.

Inside of the Nanoleaf app you can program scenes for Rhythm, just in case you don't want a constant barrage of different colors. You can set a wave or ripple effect, then also program the colors which are shown. If you have your lights set up in a particular order, and not just a dog shape like I have, you can get some crazy looking effects.

Pricing

The entry package for Aurora consists of 9 LED panels, with the price varying at retailers. Amazon has it on Prime for just $180, while Best Buy has it for $188. Additional panels can be purchased in 3-packs, priced at $60 a pop. This means that if you want a really big design to go up, it's a pricey system. From my experience, the 9 panels that the starter kit has is sufficient, but I would like to recreate the DL logo on my wall, which means I'll probably need to pick up just a few more panels to make it look right. That's another thing, though. Because the box comes with Command strips, please be careful when removing this system from your wall to make new shapes or move it to another room. Depending on your room's paint, these strips are strong enough to take the paint with it. Just be extremely careful during the removal process -- slow and steady. As for the Rhythm accessory, it is priced at $50, available via Nanoleaf's store. Purchase Links: Amazon | Best Buy | Rhythm via Nanoleaf

Thanks to Nanoleaf for providing this system for me to review.

Google Home With Screen Reportedly in Works to Compete With Amazon's Echo Show

Kellen — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 10:59:44 +0000

The Amazon Echo Show, Amazon's touchscreen-equipped speaker assistant, is a product that is probably ahead of its time. What I mean here is that the Echo Show has promise, it's just not fully baked to get the most out of its screen, even as Amazon's Alexa continues to get more and more powerful. Google, according to a report out of TechCrunch, is planning to enter this touchscreen speaker assistant arena, likely because it wants to enter before Amazon figures it out and potentially thinks it can offer a better experience with the Google Assistant behind a display. Think of it as a Google Home with a screen. TechCrunch cites multiples sources as familiar with the product, which is codenamed "Manhattan." They are under the impression that this device has a 7-inch screen, similar to that of Amazon's Echo Show, that it will have access to YouTube, Google Photos, video calling, and of course, Google Assistant. It'll also act as a smart home hub to control your smart home goodies, like thermostats and lights, just like the Google Home currently does via voice command. The report suggests a mid-2018 launch for Google, though that could change now that Amazon has unveiled a range of new Echo devices that'll arrive in the coming weeks. Amazon already has the Echo Show, but added a smaller, nightstand-ready Echo Spot this week as well. I think it's safe to say that Amazon has a major head start on all competitors, so it should be exciting to see if anyone can catch-up or offer a better experience. Does the idea of a touchscreen Google Home interest you at all? // TechCrunch

HTC's 'Green is Good' Week is Back, $100 Off U11 ($549) and $300 Off U Ultra ($449)

Tim — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 10:10:43 +0000

Kicking off next Monday, October 2, then ending Sunday (October 8), HTC fans can score great deals on the company's lineup of smartphones and accessories. Not only will deals be available, but HTC will also be hosting giveaways throughout the week, giving you a chance to score free Vive VR systems, phones, and other prizes. While the deals have been listed below, let me give you an overview. HTC is offering the U11 at $100 off, bringing the price to $549. You can also find the U Ultra for $300 off, bringing the price to $449, or the Bolt for $200 off, bringing it down to $400. Not bad at all. If you purchase a device, you can score 50% off accessories, as well as cases priced at $10 for your brand new device. Here's the complete rundown.

Deals

HTC U11 - $100 off (final price $549) + free HTC gift pack
HTC U Ultra - $300 off (final price $449)
HTC Bolt - $200 off (final price $400)
50% off accessories with purchase of a device
$10 cases for select devices

If any of this sounds good to you, follow the link below on October 2 and have at it. For those not interested in spending money and would rather leave it to chance, you can sign up for HTC's sweepstakes right here. HTC Link

Sprint Scores Exclusive on LG V30+, Offers BOGO Deal Starting October 13

Tim — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 08:53:18 +0000

US buyers interested in the V30+ from LG will only find it at Sprint, with the company announcing an exclusive on the device this morning. While carrier exclusives are never the best thing for consumers, the V30+ doesn't offer all too much over the standard model. Compared to the standard V30, it comes with double the amount of onboard storage, 128GB, as well as "a higher quality sound experience for music and video enjoyment." This sound experience comes in the form of LG QuadPlay earbuds, included in the box. For pricing, Sprint states that the phone will cost $38/month with Sprint Flex and $0 down. New customers save $30 when they purchase the phone online, while existing customers save $30 when they upgrade online. Even better, the carrier will offer a BOGO deal when a customer enters a lease agreement with Sprint Flex at the $38/month price. V30+ wanters, October 13 at Sprint is the day. // Sprint

These Videos Show How Google Assistant Works in Headphones

Kellen — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 08:26:54 +0000

Google Assistant in headphones is probably pretty cool, especially for those who wear headphones all day. The official Assistant integration in the new Bose QuietComfort 35 IIs has some added benefits over the standard Bluetooth pairing of headphones, which we talked about here. But for those who need more of a visual explanation of this integration and why it may be worth having in your next set of cans, Google's got that for you in the form of support videos. In these clips, Google walks through the basics for accessing Google Assistant, the types of actions you can complete, how the interactions between notifications and the headphones differs from the standard Bluetooth connection, etc. Again, I don't know that this is $350-worthy, but if we see this arrive in more headphones that are more accessible to all of us, it could be a great addition. Anyone pick-up the QC 35 IIs? If so, how are they?

SmartThings Link Dongle for NVIDIA SHIELD is Finally Up for Pre-Order and It's Only $15

Kellen — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 15:38:28 +0000

NVIDIA's SHIELD TV getting its Experience 6.0 update today with Google Assistant is a big deal, no doubt. However, one of the other big features they showed off all the way back at CES for their SHIELD TV unit has taken the next step towards arrival too. Anyone remember the new SmartThings Link dongle that NVIDIA said would allow your SHIELD TV to become a SmartThings Hub for home control? It's up for pre-order! Also, it's only $14.99 right now. Seriously, if you own an NVIDIA SHIELD TV and want a SmartThings Hub experience through it, you should jump on this. At $14.99, you are getting a pre-order discount of $25. With this SmartThings Link attached to the back of your SHIELD TV (via USB port), you'll be able to start setting up your smart home to control things like lights, door locks, and thermostats. You'll also be able to receive alerts for motion in your house, set up routines, and connect who knows how many SmartThings-capable devices. Of course, you'll need to buy all of the products that allow for smart home control. The full list of them can be found here. In case you were wondering, the standard SmartThings Hub costs $99. This SmartThings Link, as far as I can tell, gets you almost all of the same functionality, yet costs just $15 at the moment. Note: This is a pre-order and SmartThings isn't saying exactly when this bad boy will ship.

SmartThings Link

Galaxy S8 Active Headed to T-Mobile, According to Report

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 14:46:45 +0000

According to Venture Beat, the Galaxy S8 Active won't be an exclusive for AT&T forever. As reported, the device will be making its way to T-Mobile at some point, even though there are no specifics on when this will happen. Since the launch of this Samsung lineup, none of these Active-branded phones have been available anywhere other than AT&T, and owners sure do seem to love them. They have great specs, sometimes nearly identical to the standard version but with bigger batteries and robust hardware designs. It's easy to see why some would enjoy them. For the Galaxy S8 Active, it features a shatter resistant 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED Display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, 4000mAh battery (with wireless charging), 12MP f/1.7 Dual Pixel rear camera, 8MP f/1.7 front camera, Bixby, and an outer shell made of military-grade materials that is shatter, dust, and water resistant (MIL-STD-810G). Not bad. The only thing we don't know is when the phone will arrive. Soon? Not-so-soon? No ones know yet, but it is coming, apparently. // Venture Beat

Google's Family Link Now Open to Everyone in US

Kellen — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 14:06:44 +0000

Google's Family Link, a service first introduced in March to help you control your family's Android device usage, is out of its invitation-only phase and now open to all in the US. If you have a device ready for your kid to use, this might be something to consider looking into, especially if you want some extra controls over the amount of use your kid gets with it and the types of content being consumed. To recap, Family Link lets you first create a Google account for your kid. You then get control over that account, so you can control which apps are being installed, see how much time your kids are spending on their devices, set screen time limits, and even remotely lock them for bedtime. Family Link is free to use. To get started, head over to the Family Link site. You can download the Family Link app here.

// Google

BB-8 Arrives in Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, But You'll Need a First Order Squad to Get Him

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 12:51:44 +0000

Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes is always adding new characters, but the latest addition to the game played a major role in 2016's Episode VII: The Force Awakens. That's right, I'm talking about the adorable little "one of a kind" droid known as BB-8. Inside the game, BB-8 is labeled as Droid and Resistance character, making him very viable if those are the types of squads you utilize. For example, if you're running Finn's leader ability with BB-8 and three other Resistance toons, BB-8 can inflict multiple Expose debuffs, which combos with Finn's leader ability to reduce ally cooldowns and gain bonus Turn Meter. That means big damage done to an enemy squad before they ever get a single shot off. Here's how EA explains one of BB-8's signature moves, Illuminated Destiny.

One of BB-8's signature abilities is called, Illuminated Destiny, which removes negative status effects from his allies and grants bonus Turn Meter. This makes BB-8 an excellent character to use in combat missions within the new Territory Battles campaign.

Now, to unlock this character, you will need a First Order squad. We're talking a full 5 character squad, which is Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren, First Order Officer, First Order Stormtrooper, and First Order TIE Pilot. While those requirements will make it difficult to obtain a 7-star BB-8, the good thing is that all of the necessary characters are easily farmable for free-to-play users. That means if you don't already have this squad ready to go, you can farm it and have it ready for the next time this event comes around. Check out the trailer for BB-8 below, and as always, may the Force be with you. Play Link // EA

Nebula Capsule is a Compact Projector With 360° Speaker Powered by Android

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 12:30:14 +0000

The crowdfunding ecosystem has given us a few gems from time to time, but for the most part, we try to stay away from it. There's simply too many horror stories. However, Anker, an established company well known in the electronics industry, has a new product up on Indiegogo, one that we think is actually pretty sweet. Made by Nebula, a branch of Anker, the device is called Capsule. It's a compact pico projector, about the size of a soda can. While pico projectors aren't all that exciting, this one features a 360-degree speaker, Bluetooth connectivity, and comes with Android 7.0+ out of the box. It's a Smart Bluetooth video projector, to sum it up nicely.

According to the Indiegogo listing, "Nebula Capsule delivers up to 2.5 hours of continuous video or 40 hours of non-stop music on a single charge. That's quite a bit of music bumping or video watching. Additionally, Capsule has Quick Charging equipped, meaning it charges quickly once depleted. With Android "Nougat" installed, you simply download your apps, project them, or utilize WiFi connectivity, HDMI input, and USB OTG to connect to virtually any device to display whatever you want. For pricing, all of the cheap early bird specials are gone, but there are still perks available that get you a discount. As of right now, the least expensive is $249, which is 28% off the final price. Shipments are expected to go out in December and it looks like they're shooting for Christmas time. Anker set a goal of $50,000, but backers have already shot way past that with the project sitting at around $140K at this moment. Watch the video below, then follow the link to Indiegogo to learn more. Indiegogo Link

Updates Arrive to Verizon Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, T-Mobile Galaxy S8 and S8+

Kellen — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 10:30:30 +0000

Updates are arriving today for Verizon's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge as well as T-Mobile's Galaxy S8 and S8+. The updates are minor and certainly not Android Oreo or a refresh of Samsung's skin. Instead, they should include security patches, as well as bug fixes. For the Verizon S7 and S7 Edge, we are getting new software builds of G930VVRU4BQH4 and G935VVRU4BQH4, respectively. Verizon says that these updates include the August Android security patch even as we are days from October. Is Samsung finally starting to fall behind these monthly patches? In addition to the security update, Verizon says the updates fix and improve things like WiFi voice calls, S Voice and "OK Google" command recognition, and Knox-related issues. To get the full list of changes, hit up the links at the bottom of this post. As for the T-Mobile Galaxy S8 and S8+, we're getting new software builds of G950USQU1AQHD and G955USQU1AQHD. The only listed changes are "IMS roaming updates" and "Various system improvements." Since these are the first S8 updates from T-Mobile since July, I'd hope they include the latest security patches as well. If you see the updates, let us know which security version you get. To check for updates, head into Settings>System updates on your phones. // T-Mobile [2] | Verizon [2]

Super Mario Run Updated With New Courses, Price Drop to $5

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 10:13:36 +0000

Super Mario Run, one of the most hyped mobile games of all time, received a major update this week that includes new maps, a new character to unlock, plus a drop in its price. The group of new maps is called Remix 10, which consists of randomly generated mini maps. In these maps you collect Rainbow Coins that you can use for other things in the game, and at the end of the new areas, you can unlock Princess Daisy as a playable character. You do not need to own the game to access these maps, but you will need to spend in-game tickets. The big part of this update, though, is the price drop. The game launched for $10, but possibly forever or for at least a limited time, you can buy it for $4.99. That's 50% off, which is pretty sweet. If you've been waiting for a price drop or you need some Princess Daisy in your life, go get it! Play Link Cheers Arie!

Moto X Pure Edition Finally Receiving Its Nougat Update

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 08:58:47 +0000

Owners of the Moto X Pure Edition, your Nougat update has finally arrived. According to users on XDA and reddit, the update to Android 7.0+ is rolling out, only a few months after it began hitting soak test devices. Yeah, sorry about that. With Nougat on your device, you can access better multitasking features, enhanced Doze, a better Settings menu, more control over notifications, and so much more. I know you've been waiting for this update very patiently, so I won't keep you. Go grab it!

// XDA | reddit Cheers Marvin!

LG V30 Arrives in the US Next Week (Updated)

Kellen — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 07:28:24 +0000

Here comes the LG V30! I know it seems like this phone was announced forever a go, now that the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8 have both come and gone, but it really has only been about a month. Then again, that was kind of a while ago and the phone is only scheduled to start arriving in the US next week. Both AT&T and T-Mobile gave us dates and pricing today. Verizon gave us a date. At AT&T, the phone can be purchased online on October 5 and then will be in stores the following day, October 6. It'll cost $27 per month for 30 months on AT&T Next ($810 full retail). AT&T is also doing a BOGO deal for the V30 where you'll need to add a line for the second V30 and sign-up for monthly payments on both. I'd imagine that some sort of credit will then pay for the second one, making it free. At T-Mobile, the LG V30 can be pre-ordered on October 5 and will then arrive in stores on October 13. The price for the V30 at T-Mobile is $80 down followed by $30 per month for 24 months ($800 full retail). UPDATE: At Verizon, you can expect the V30 to arrive on October 5. They still haven't given out pricing details, but did say that on October 5, you aren't just looking at pre-order - this is launch day for Big Red. UPDATE 9/29: Sprint finally announced availability (October 13) and also a special agreement. They will be the only carrier to sell the LG V30+. Details here. We'll let you know as soon as Verizon and Sprint chime in with their own launch details.

Buy LG V30:

// AT&T | T-Mobile

Google Assistant Arrives for Android TV Platform, Including NVIDIA SHIELD TV

Tim — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 06:00:17 +0000

The wait is over! After being detailed at CES in January of this year, Google Assistant is rolling out to the Android TV platform. Whether you have a Smart TV powered by Android TV or own an NVIDIA SHIELD TV, you can now utilize the power of Google Assistant right from the big screen in your living room. What does having the Assistant mean for Android TV? Here are some of the things you’ll be able to do:

Play content: “Play Stranger Things on Netflix.”
Discover content: “Search YouTube for Jimmy Kimmel.”
Get answers: “Tell me about Jurassic Park?”
Set the right mood: “Dim the lights.”
Get ready for your day: “How long will it take to get to work?”

Specifically for SHIELD TV owners, operating Google Assistant is very easy. Explained by NVIDIA, "There are two ways to trigger your Google Assistant – by pressing the microphone button on the remote (the SHIELD button on the controller), or with a hands-free command: you can just say, 'Ok Google,' from within shouting distance of the SHIELD controller. SHIELD controller’s built-in microphone and low-power ambient listening capabilities activate your Google Assistant with just your voice." If you own a SHIELD TV, this update is now available. The update is labeled as Experience Upgrade 6.0, so get to downloading and installing! Additionally, Google Assistant will show up to Sony Bravia TVs with Android TV in the "coming months." // Google | NVIDIA

You Can Now Place Outbound Phone Calls to Most Numbers With Your Amazon Echo Devices

Kellen — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 15:39:16 +0000

Along with the various Amazon product unveils today, the company also announced that Amazon Alexa can now place outbound phone calls to most numbers from Amazon Echo devices. Previously, Alexa could only do voice or video calls and messages from Echo device to Echo device or to someone else's Alexa app, but that has now changed. Think of this like Google Home calling in that you say the hotword ("Alexa") followed by a, "Call 503-123-5555." This should also work if you if your contacts have been added to your Alexa app. Once connected, it's like having a speakerphone call with the person on the other end. As for what the call recipient will see, Amazon says that it'll show the phone number you registered in the Alexa app. Should you opt-out of using a number, it'll show as "unknown." I just tried placing a call and my Echo Show nearby says that it can't currently place calls. I'd imagine an update will rollout any minute now, along with an update Alexa app that will include the feature. Amazon has announced calling as if it should be live. Give in a day if it's not working just yet. Additionally, if you pick-up the new Amazon Echo Connect, you'll be able to place calls and receive them. Without an Echo Connect, you'll only be able to place calls, not receive them back. // Amazon

theScore Sports Releases "Biggest Update Ever" and Boy are Users Unhappy

Kellen — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 13:41:55 +0000

Last night, theScore Sports, a sports app that has been one of the best (the best in my opinion) for a number of years now, received its "biggest update ever." The update is also not being received well by its users, with many already looking elsewhere for their sports info. In fact, the Play store listing for the app is now filled with a bunch of 1 and 2-star ratings, all of which are complaining about the new UI. The reviews are so bad right now you'd think theScore's update included a permanent national anthem kneel. So what's wrong with the app now? Obviously, the update being the "biggest update ever" means a whole bunch of changes, mostly to the user interface. Sports people hate changes, like really hate changes. Instead of the traditional slideout navigation menu that allowed you to jump from sport to sport in a hurry that the app used to have, you'll now find a bottom-situated navigation menu with 4 tabs. Those 4 tabs have left people confused and wondering how exactly to get to the info they used to get to. I'm one of the people who is sort of confused, but starting to figure it out...maybe.

Here are a handful of the new reviews since the big update launched:

"Sport news feeds are more drama then football." "Used to be great. But I counted 17/20 news article about kneeling,protesting,politics Score is just as bad as ESPN now. Deleting the app." "Awful layout after update. Glitch and convoluted." "The new update is garbage, it is to confusing and hard to read. The way you had it before the update was awesome and very easy to use. With the update I would like to give it a negative 1000 stars." "Last update is really messy. I don't like the UI at all. It is very hard to get from one leauge to another and navigating inside the app is really bad. Please reverse it to the last version." "The new update is absolutely garbage. The format is terrible. Before it was so easy to glide league to league. Now you have to favorite this, click 5 buttons to get here. Please bring back the old format :(" "Just lowered my rating from 5 to 2 stars due to the poorly designed UI of the new version now. "Top News" no longer is easily and quickly used. And as for the difficulty now in finding/seeing scores, just read the other reviews now. Sad, this was a good app until now. The problem now is not the change itself, but just that the change is bad. Now searching for another sports-info app to use. Running on a Nexus 6P." "Version 6.0.0 is awful. Switching to yahoo sports. I don't like this interface change. Shame on you, what a poorly thought out update. I absolutely hate how I have to constantly switch tabs just to switch leagues now, seriously what idiot thought that was a good idea? Im forces to do more actions now within the app, I'm not pleased about that You should reconsider going back to old layout given all the negative feedback you have received #BRINGBACKTHEMENU"

See what I mean? People are not happy and are mostly confused at how to use the app. Even I complained when I first saw the update back in August (somehow I got a couple of early previews) and then again last night, proclaiming I was going back to ESPN's mostly terrible app. https://twitter.com/iamkellex/status/912890157434527744 If you are in the crowd that fully hates the update, let me try to help you sort it out. I've found that hanging in the "Favorites" tab is the key. Obviously, this brings you all of the info on your favorite teams upfront. However, there is a hidden gem on this page in the top left corner that you may find the most useful - the "Top News" button.

That button gets you into your traditional theScore news feeds, where you can read actual content on the biggest happenings in sports. Initially, I thought this section had disappeared for good and was replaced with the "Discovery" tab, a tab that felt like theScore doing a pivot to video or social media for up-to-the-minute sports drama. And yeah, the "Discovery" tab is hard-to-read and mostly trash. So again, go into the "Top News" section from "Favorites" and I think you'll be much happier.

From there, the app sort of makes sense. The "Scores" tab shows you the latest scores of the day, with the leagues you follow in the order you follow them. You can adjust that order through the "Manage" button at the top right corner of the "Scores" tab or through the "Leagues" tab; I highly suggest you attempt to tweak these. Obviously, the "Leagues" tab will show you a list of the leagues you want to follow while showing you individual sections within each (scores, feed, standings, and leaders) like it always did. The layout is slightly different, but it's all there. And again, the "Discover" tab is mostly just a Twitter and Instagram feed of stuff theScore is hand-picking that they think is entertaining or relevant or "viral" at the moment. Some of it includes live video clips that play within the app, others are links to social media pages and top sports trending-type items. It'll take some getting used to, for sure, but could provide you with quick highlights and other bits of info as they break. While I think I'm not the biggest fan of the update just yet, it may take us all a while to figure out how it works. It's certainly not as simply laid out as the previous version and that may be what is so frustrating to some of us. I'll give it another couple of days before I do re-install ESPN's awful white-laden app. Other theScore users, how is the update treating you? Play Link

Amazon Announces New Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Spot, Echo Connect, and Echo Buttons

Tim — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 12:47:01 +0000

Amazon announced a new Echo device lineup today, consisting of four products: A new Echo with assorted exterior materials, Echo Plus, Echo Spot, Echo Connect, and Echo Buttons.

Amazon Echo

The new Echo (pictured above) is much like the last Echo, featuring Alexa and the ability to add skills, but comes in a smaller shell and in a variety of exterior materials. Customers can choose between Silver, Walnut, Oak, Sandstone, Light Gray, and Charcoal colorings. Essentially, if you want an Echo that matches the room your Echo will be placed, this is now doable without the need for buying a 3rd-party skin. Amazon also details that the new Echo features, "Amazon’s second generation far-field technology, which features better wake word processing, improved beamforming technology, and enhanced noise cancellation. The Echo far-field technology works to detect the wake word from across the room even in the noisiest parts of your home." The new Echo is priced at $99, with release scheduled for late October. Amazon Link

Echo Plus

At this morning's event, Amazon also unveiled the Echo Plus, which is essentially a souped up Echo. Amazon explains that Echo Plus is more of a smart home hub, one that can connect to multiple wireless protocols to set up and manage connected home gadgets. Also equipped with Amazon's 2nd-generation far-field microphones, the Echo Plus supports Dolby sound, as well as Alexa Routines, which allows you to automate a series of customizable actions using a single voice command of your choice.

Say, “Alexa, good night,” and Alexa will turn off the lights, lock the door, and turn off the TV. You can also create Routines based on the time of day – for example, you can create a Routine that has Alexa turn on the kitchen lights, start the coffee maker, and read the weather forecast at 6 a.m. every weekday and at 9 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday.

The Echo Plus is priced at $149 and comes with a Philips Hue smart bulb in each box. Pre-orders start today with shipments starting late October. Amazon Link

Echo Spot

The new Echo I might be most interested in is Echo Spot, a small ball-like device with a 2.5" display. Think of it like a smaller Echo Show, capable of showing videos, your in-home security cam footage and weather forecasts, as well as playing music. Echo Spot is also equipped with the 2nd-generation far-field mix technology, plus all of the features you expect from a standard Echo. You can enable skills, utilize its built-in camera to make calls, and much more. Echo Spot can also connect directly to speakers using a 3.5mm stereo cable or Bluetooth to add voice control to your home stereo system. The Echo Spot is available for pre-order today, priced at $139, with shipments starting in December. Amazon Link

Echo Connect

Amazon also introduced Echo Connect, an Alexa-powered accessory that turns your existing Echo into a, "high quality, hands-free speakerphone for your home phone line." To sum it up, Echo Connect works with your existing home phone service (landline or VoIP). When connected, without ever needing to press a single button, you can ask Alexa to call anybody from your contact list. When you call, they will see your home phone number as the caller ID. When someone you know calls your home phone, Alexa will announce their name from your contacts list, then just ask Alexa to answer the call to start the conversation. According to Amazon, setup is incredibly easy -- simply connect it to your home WiFi network and home phone jack or VoIP adapter, and use the Alexa app on your mobile phone to set up Echo Connect. The Echo Connect is available for pre-order starting today at $34.99, with launch set for mid-December. Amazon Link

Echo Buttons

Last up are Echo Buttons, devices specifically made for playing games, which fall under a new category called Amazon Gadgets. Using these Echo Buttons and Alexa, users can play interactive games such as "Sounds Fun" with Mike Epps, "Buzzer Beater Basketball Trivia" with Karl-Anthony Towns, "Fourth Down Football Trivia" with Philip Rivers, and "Full Count Baseball Trivia" with Buster Posey. Echo Buttons will come in a two-pack, priced at $19.99, and will arrive in time for the holidays in the US, UK, and Germany. As explained by Amazon, "Echo Buttons are the first of many Alexa Gadgets, a new collection of accessories that enable fun and playful Alexa experiences." You can sign up for updates on Amazon Gadgets and Echo Buttons by following the link below. Amazon Link // Amazon [2]

Amazon Announces New Fire TV 4K Dongle With Alexa Remote for Just $69.99

Kellen — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 12:22:13 +0000

Amazon had itself a heck of day today, and one that came as a surprise. Not only did they just unveil a handful of new Echo devices with Alexa on board, they showed off their new Fire TV 4K unit that packs 40% more power than the previous gen Fire TV Stick, yet in a similar sized body. It's also ready for Alexa and comes with an Alexa remote for just $69.99. This new Fire TV 4K is very much in the dongle category of streaming units. In fact, it looks like the latest Chromecast devices, only in the shape of a mini Fire TV box and plugs into the back of your TV via HDMI. It supports 4K (at 60 fps) and HDR programming, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. The little beast is powered by a quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 8GB storage, and 802.11ac WiFi. Like other Fire TV units, you'll have access to Netflix, Hulu, ESPN apps, Playstation Vue, Sling TV, DIRECTV NOW, Amazon Video, and the rest of your favorite services. Thanks to the Alexa remote integration, you'll be able to command your Fire TV 4K to do all sorts of things, like watch your favorite programming and control your smart home. This is very much the upgrade to the Fire TV Stick in all the right places. The new Fire TV 4K is up for pre-order right now at $69.99. It ships on October 25.

Buy Amazon Fire TV 4K

// Amazon

Report: Pixel 2 XL Features Stereo Speakers, Music Recognition and Portrait Mode

Tim — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 10:51:20 +0000

According to the latest intel posted by XDA, the Pixel 2 XL will indeed come with a few previously rumored features, including dual stereo speakers, a portrait mode for the rear-facing camera, as well as an auto music recognition service. Let's break this all down, shall we? As previously noted by reports, neither the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL will have a 3.5mm headphone jack, so the inclusion of stereo speakers is welcomed. It is reported that the speakers will be on the frontside of the device, not the bottom, backside, or anything like that. Moving on, the rear-facing camera is said to sport a new "Portrait" mode, capable of focusing on a subject, then lightly blurring the background. This is similar to Samsung's Live Focus or Apple's own Portrait mode. As for this music recognition feature, apparently, when music is playing in the background of wherever you are, the phone will be able to recognize it, then share details on it via your lock screen. This may worry a few privacy-centric people, but it is reported you can disable it. Another feature seemingly confirmed that we already knew about is the "squeezy" sides of the device, allowing users to quickly access Google Assistant. According to XDA's source, the Pixel 2 XL does indeed have this, as well as a revamped Pixel Launcher application. We are coming up on October 4, which we're very happy about. // XDA

Essential Estimated to Have Sold Just 5,000 Units

Tim — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 09:11:54 +0000

According to estimates from BayStreet Research, the Essential Phone is getting creamed on the open market. In total, Essential is reported to have sold only 5,000 units of its premium Android handset, well under any reasonable target the company may have set for itself. We could sit here and go over exactly why Essential may be struggling to sell phones, but that could take some time. Instead, let me give you a recap of the events so far, and maybe that will help put things into perspective. In late May, Andy Rubin announced his new startup's Essential Phone. The hype was real, with this phone sporting an insanely attractive hardware design, as well as being teased with a completely barebones, stock Android OS experience. At that time, Rubin said he would not have launched reservations unless the phone was about 30 days out from launch. Well, fast forward all the way to August and the device was finally able to be purchased. Even though the device was teased in three colors, only black was made available and is still the only color you can purchase. Once shipments actually arrived in customer hands, as well as reviewers, things weren't looking too good. Reviewers, including us, found that the software was insanely buggy, which is just inexcusable when the device is running stock Android, plus the camera experience left a whole lot to be desired. Couple these issues with a $700 price tag and you're asking for trouble. As of right now, Essential still only has one carrier partner, Sprint, who isn't exactly the best carrier to have an exclusive device on. Add all of this together and you have a phone that just doesn't sit right with phone buyers. For being its first go around, I'd chalk this all up as a learning experience for Essential. If anything, these missteps make me excited for the next iteration of the Essential Phone. // Fierce Wireless

Google Store Trade-In Program Will Give You Up to $410 for a Pixel XL, $360 for Pixel

Kellen — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 08:20:57 +0000

Shortly after Google launched their device trade-in program for Project Fi and the Google Store last week, we all noticed that the Pixel and Pixel XL were not listed as devices eligible to be traded in. This week, that changed and both are now listed, giving us an idea as to how much Google will give us as we consider upgrading to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in a few days. For the regular Pixel with 32GB and in working condition, Google will give you up to $350. If you own the 128GB model, your phone will fetch up to $360. For the Pixel XL under those same circumstances, you are looking at $400 for 32GB models and $410 for 128GB models. Now, those are the prices if your phone turns on and has a display free of cracks. Should your phone have issues, the price will drop.

Pixel

Pixel XL

I'm no expert on trade-ins, but those prices don't seem bad at all to me. Samsung, for example, is only offering up to $300 for a Pixel or Pixel XL in its Note 8 trade-in program. You can buy a refurbished (used) Pixel or Pixel XL for around $350 or $400 today as well. Google sure seems to be giving you more than market value for their own phones. Assuming these trade-in prices stick through Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL orders, you could pay pretty affordable prices if you are willing to part with your original Pixel or XL. Remember, we gave you Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL pricing last week, so we already can do some simple math with these numbers:

Buy Pixel 2 (64GB), trade-in Pixel (32GB): $649 (Pixel 2) - $350 (Pixel) = $299
Buy Pixel 2 XL (64GB), trade-in Pixel XL (32GB): $849 (Pixel 2 XL) - $400 (Pixel XL) = $449

Ummm, yeah, those seem like decent prices. // Google Store

DEAL: Get a Google Pixel for Just $349 From Woot, Pixel XL for $399

Kellen — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 07:55:30 +0000

The new Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be announced next week and the phones will likely be everything an Android nerd could ask for. Well, outside of the price, since neither will fall into the budget realm of Nexus years past. Should you still need that Pixel experience without breaking the bank, Woot has you covered in today's big daily deal. Until they sell out, Woot will sell you a regular Google Pixel for as little as $349.99 with 32GB storage or $399.99 with 128GB of storage. If you want the Pixel XL, you are looking at $399.99 or $449.99 for 32GB or 128GB, respectively. Those are pretty damn good prices, especially for the XL. For 32GB, that's close to $400 off. Now, these phones are "refurbished," so they aren't new. You are probably also wondering if either would be worth buying? I'd say, yes, assuming your budget is around the $400 mark. By all means, the Pixel and Pixel XL will still be well-running, always-up-to-date phones for the next year at the least. They also still have incredible cameras and software experiences. You likely won't find this experience in a budget phone that costs $400.

Woot Deal Link

Twitter Tests New 280 Character Limit

Kellen — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 14:51:53 +0000

Twitter's 140 character limit may be coming to end and I'm not sure how I feel about it. The company made the announcement today via blog post, where they laid out reasoning for a possible expansion from 140 characters in a Tweet to 280 characters. Why would they do that, you ask? Because their data shows that as people run into the 140 character limit and can't put together a message they are happy with, they just don't tweet. Actually, they find that to be a problem in languages like English, which by all means is a difficult one to properly convey a 140 character message in as you rant from your keyboard warrior sports podium. Languages like Japanese run into this issue far less. Twitter's data shows that 0.4% of Tweets sent in Japanese arrive at the 140 character limit, whereas 9% of those in English do. That's a pretty big difference. To start, the company says it will expand a small group of users to a 280 character limit in Tweets. They'll look like the image below.

Again, I'm still not sure how I feel about this. There is something poetic or challenging or perfect about 140 characters at this point. 140 characters is Twitter. Doubling that takes a piece of all of that a way, right? I don't know. You tell me. // Twitter

5 Reasons the Galaxy Note 8 is Worth Buying

Tim — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:56:02 +0000

So you've already read our Galaxy Note 8 written review and watched our video review, but are still on the fence about picking up a Galaxy Note 8? Well, maybe these 5 reasons will help sway you, because there's a whole lot to like about the Galaxy Note 8. In this post, we'll talk about what makes the Galaxy Note 8 stand out in an increasingly crowded premium Android smartphone market, such as its dual camera system, insanely gorgeous hardware design, specs that are out of this world, and how the Grace UX isn't nearly as bad as Samsung haters say it is. Here are five reasons we think the Galaxy Note 8 is a good buy.

1. It Has Everything

If you judge smartphones by the specs they have, then the Galaxy Note 8 should already be at the top of your list. Here, I'll name a few, just to get the ball rolling. The Note 8 has a 6.3" Infinity QHD+ Super AMOLED display, wireless charging, NFC/MST, fingerprint reader, facial recognition, iris scanner, expandable storage, Snapdragon 835 processor, 6GB RAM, dual rear-facing cameras with OIS, Bluetooth 5.0, S Pen, IP68 water and dust resistance, and the list goes on. Seriously, if you were designing your own dream phone with realistic expectations for under $1,000, you'd probably create the Galaxy Note 8. Take all of these specs and toss them into a gorgeous, all glass and metal body and you have a legit flagship smartphone that can go up against anything else on the market. Considering the Galaxy Note 7 was taken off the market prematurely due to the recall, I don't think ex-owners and Samsung fans in general could've hoped for anything better this time around. In my review, I called this the best Note device Samsung has produced to date, and I still stand by those words 100%.

2. Dual Camera System + OIS is Beast

Smartphone cameras are all pretty stellar these days, but Samsung upped the bar this year, providing dual rear shooters, both with optical image stabilization (OIS). For Android, this was a first, and from my findings with this device during my review period, it killed. This phone is exceptional in low lighting, when other phones would blow an image's lighting to poo due to sensitive sensors. Like past years, the cameras handle assorted colors well, too, such as reds, purples, and greens. This is handy when you're shooting landscapes or getting in close for a macro of a flower. With the secondary sensor, which is telephoto, you can zoom in on objects without losing a ton of detail, which can be helpful for wildlife shots, such as that cute squirrel that keeps terrorizing your dogs in the backyard. I've gone over the camera and its capabilities in my full review, so if you haven't already, check that out and see a few of the sample shots I posted. Sample Shots

3. Grace UX, Give It a Try

Over the years of blogging about Android, I've heard countless people say, "TouchWiz sucks" or something along those lines. My friends, believe me when I tell you, Samsung's custom skin that runs atop Android is not like it was back then. It's been tweaked and refined heavily, almost to the point where I don't have any real issues with it. Do I prefer stock Android still? Yes, but that's because I'm a very minimal kinda guy and don't need half of the features Samsung offers inside this skin, but others may benefit greatly from their inclusion. My point is, don't let this phone's skin be the thing that is deterring you. It shouldn't be. While at first you may feel overwhelmed by all of the different settings you can play with and enable, just know that after a few days, you'll know everything that's in there and be a real Note master. And luckily for you, we make videos specifically to help you discover all of the good stuff.

4. Hardware Design

If you checked out Kellen's video review, I don't share his exact sentiments regarding the size and feel of this phone. Yes, if you're coming from something smaller, the Note 8's size can take a bit of getting used to, but once you are used to it, it's kinda hard to go back to anything smaller. You have this massive display and rounded edges for easy holding/gripping, with a body covered in soft glass. I think it's a real delight to hold, use, and look at throughout the day. Is this phone an accident prone-person's worst nightmare? You better believe it, but what glass-encased phone isn't going to shatter upon dropping it? It's just the way things are, and you know, they do make cases to help protect your device. At the end of the day, I'll gladly use a fragile phone that looks amazing over an ugly device any day of the week, because considering how often I'm looking at it and holding it, I want it to look good. I want others to ask me what it is and get a little jelly that all they have is an old busted iPhone. That's fun for me and it's the feeling I get when I pull out the Note 8 in my group of iPhone-loving friends. Even if you don't want something this big, you can get basically the same thing in a smaller Galaxy S8 package, which is also a great phone that we've covered countless times.

5. Future-Proof

Remember some of those specs I talked about earlier? Like facial recognition, iris scanning, NFC/MST, and Bluetooth 5.0? Well, because this phone comes equipped with all of that, you can rest assured that your phone will go on supporting the latest trends in mobile technology for a solid period of time. Because Apple just made facial recognition "cool" with the iPhone X, you can sleep comfortably knowing that your phone is capable of the exact same thing, but even goes a step further -- iris scanning. Once you see your favorite banking apps support iris scanners, you'll know that the Galaxy Note 8 was a solid investment. Another great piece of tech in this device that gets overlooked often is the inclusion of MST (magnetic secure transmission). Mobile payments are all the rage right now, but every phone that isn't a Samsung flagship lacks MST and access to Samsung Pay. With this on your phone, not only can you utilize an NFC reader, but virtually all credit/debit card readers in America with this touch-less technology. It makes your payment possibilities much more consistent and adds yet another reason to leave your plastic at home when you hit the town.

Buy the Galaxy Note 8

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint
Best Buy
Samsung

Considering another phone? Feel free to take a look back at 5 reasons to buy other phones, like the LG G6, Pixel, or Galaxy S8 in previous installments of this ongoing series.

Emogi, Google Partner to Launch Animated Sticker Pack for Gboard

Tim — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:58:39 +0000

Sticker lovers, rejoice. Emogi announced a partnership with Google this week, launching an animated sticker pack designed specifically for users of Gboard. To utilize, you'll download the Emogi for Gboard app, then have access to thousands of stickers usable inside of Google's keyboard app. There is no specific number of stickers inside this pack, but it's listed as "thousands." Stickers inside not only match a feeling or emotion you're after, but the app describes, "the hottest content from your favorite entertainers, brands, and cultural moments." I will say, I couldn't find any Left Shark stickers, so, your search results may vary. Once you have the linked app downloaded, to access the stickers, tap on the "smiley" face icon on Gboard, then tap on the sticker button. You'll see the Emogi icon selected, then feel free to search through and find a sticker you want to use. Have at it, sticker peeps. Play Link // Emogi

Plex News Brings Customizable Video News Straight to Your Media Library

Tim — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 08:49:15 +0000

If you were thinking there wasn't already enough ways to consume news, Plex and its latest announcement has you covered. Introducing Plex News, a customizable feed of news from worldwide sources, distributed directly through your existing Plex account. To sum this up, Plex News is a video newsfeed, customizable to the topics you care about using Plex's "advanced AI." There is a growing number of partners offering news via this platform, but a few of the big names include CNN, CNET, Financial Times, CBS, Euronews, plus local news sources for over 80% of markets in the US.

Keep in mind, all of this news is accessible from the same place you keep your stored movies, TV shows, and whatever else you keep on Plex. Basically, Plex is offering yet another reason to never need another media app in your entire life. What's also great, this feature is available to all Plex users, no Plex Media Server setup required. If you don't use Plex, just sign up for an account, download the app to a supported device, then get to watching. Plex News will be rolling out to all users over the next 48 hours, starting with Plex Pass subscribers, and is supported on Android TV, NVIDIA SHIELD boxes, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Android devices, and iOS. Play Link // Plex

Amazon Prime Gets NFL Thursday Night Games Starting This Week

Kellen — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 08:25:31 +0000

Amazon and the NFL linked up this year to show Thursday night football games on Amazon Prime as they are played. That's a pretty big deal for cord cutters who are Amazon Prime members and want live football action, but also because it brings even more eyes to Amazon's Prime Video service. Adding the biggest sport in the US is a pretty great way to expand your video offering. Amazon didn't have rights or access or something to the first three weeks of the season, but will kick-off their Amazon Prime Video coverage this Thursday, September 28, with the Bears vs. Packers. From this week on, they'll show the rest of the Thursday night games as well, outside of weeks 9 and 12. Thursday night games switch between CBS and NBC, so depending on the week, you'll have a different channel and different broadcasting crew from either network. To watch, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime member (sign-up for a free trial). Once you've done that, you can watch through the link below come Thursday night or by downloading the Amazon Prime Video app (link below).

Watch Thursday NFL on Amazon Prime

Other Links:

LG Expands Google Assistant Support to 87 of Their WiFi Appliances

Kellen — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 07:45:23 +0000

Back at the end of August at IFA, Google announced that the Google Assistant was weeks away from showing up inside almost all of the electronics you own or will soon own. From new speakers and headphones to appliances, Google Assistant wants to be the technology that can control your life. LG signed-up out of the gate and announced this morning that they are bringing Assistant support to 87 of their WiFi connected smart home appliances. We initially thought that only a couple of LG vacuums and washing machines would gain Google Assistant support to start, but that's not at all the case. LG said that their smart home washing machines and dryers, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, vacuums, air purifiers, etc. are all ready for control via the Assistant. With this support, you'll be able to ask the Assistant to check on time remaining in wash cycles, tell refrigerators to make more ice, turn off ovens or ranges, adjust air conditioners, and check air quality levels from purifiers. All of the initial setup is apparently done through the LG SmartThinQ app. If you own a bunch of LG smart appliances, this is a pretty huge jump in Assistant support. // LG

DEAL: Samsung Discounts Wireless Chargers, Gear 360, Gear VR, and More

Kellen — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:36:53 +0000

When you think about tech accessory deals, I think it's safe to say that most of us run to Amazon or Best Buy to check prices first. For years, those two have had some of the better deal round-ups on the stuff we love. But let's not forget that Samsung's own website often hosts their own deals that give you ever better prices. Outside of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8 deals we highlight, some of their accessory prices are about the best you'll find too. For example, right now, you can get the newest version of the Samsung Gear 360 camera for $63 off, dropping its $230 price tag to $167. You'll also find the newest Gear VR with Controller for $93.99 ($36 off). If you need other options, like wireless charger deals (iPhone 8 homies), Samsung's two newest are both $10 off at the moment, including the convertible option. Finally, Note 8 owners, should you lose that S Pen and need another, Samsung has replacement S Pens discounted by $20 at the moment.

Samsung Accessory Links:

Gear 360 (new version) - $167.24 ($63 off)
Gear VR with Controller - $93.99 ($36 off)
Fast Wireless Charger Convertible - $79.99 ($10 off)
Fast Wireless Charging Stand - $49.99 ($10 off)
Replacement S Pen - $59.99 ($20 off)
All Samsung Accessory Deals

Reminders Feature for Google Home Rolling Out Today, According to Google (Updated!)

Tim — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 14:04:52 +0000

According to a support page on the official Google Support website, as well as a Google support representative I spoke with today, Reminders support is rolling out today for Google Home owners. Since launch, we've been surprised at how long it has taken Google to roll this functionality out, but at this year's Google I/O, the company assured everyone that it was coming. Well, a few months later and apparently it's finally ready. To use it, you'll simply speak the command, "Ok Google, set a reminder...," then you can say basically anything. You can remind yourself to take your meds, take out the trash, or anything else. Here's exactly what Google Home will do when a reminder is set.

When it's time for your reminder your Google Assistant on Google Home will:

Say "I have a reminder for [name]" and the LED light on Google Home will flash. Then a single white light on Google Home will remain on for 10 minutes.

Hear the reminder by using one of these voice commands:

"Ok Google, what's up?"

"Ok, Google, what are my notifications?"

"Ok Google, what are my reminders?"

After your Assistant reads your reminder, it will be marked as read.

According to the support rep I spoke with, if your Google Home says it still doesn't support Reminders, go ahead and give it a reboot. That should get it working. If not, remain patient as the feature has just started rolling out. It's about darn time, Google! UPDATE: They are live! Just ask your Google Home to set a reminder for something and it'll add that reminder to your list of reminders in the Google App, while also reminding you through Home when the time comes. // Google Support

Google Gives Nexus 6P and 5X Owners Two Extra Months of Security Patches

Kellen — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 11:39:32 +0000

Who knows why, but Google just extended the security update life of the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. According to their dedicated support page that shows the schedule of guaranteed updates for both Nexus and Pixel devices, the 6P and 5X will now receive an extra two months worth of security patches. Previously, Google set the end date for both the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X at September 2018, or three years from the time that each device first became available on the Google Store. This morning, that date changed to November 2018, giving both phones an additional couple of months of security. Google hasn't updated their Android versions months for the 6P or 5X, so you still shouldn't expect many big updates past the Android Oreo update you just got. However, an extra couple of months of security support is never something you'll see us complain about. // Google Support

DEAL: Grab a 5500mAh Galaxy S8+ Battery Case for Just $24 With This Coupon Code

Tim — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 11:28:36 +0000

For a limited time through Amazon, Galaxy S8+ owners can pick up a 5,500mAh battery case for just $23.99, down from its usual price of $29.99 with the help of a coupon code. For those who are on the go a lot, a battery case can be extremely beneficial. For example, if you need to leave the office, you can throw your phone in the battery case and make sure your phone is getting juiced up while out and about, or it can be very useful if your commute to and from work is extra long. You can't really argue against more battery life, so if you have the Galaxy S8+, $24 for this case isn't bad at all. To apply the discount, simply add the case linked below to your Amazon cart, proceed to checkout, then input the coupon code listed below. You'll save $6 instantly. Have at it. Amazon Link (Coupon code: 52HLDVC5)

Verizon HTC One M9 Receiving Update to Nougat

Tim — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 10:08:04 +0000

It's a big day for remaining HTC One M9 owners on Verizon, as the company has begun rolling out Nougat to owners, labeled as build number 4.49.605.11. If you own this device and gave up on the possibility of ever seeing this update, I wouldn't blame you. The unlocked model of this phone received Android 7.0 in December of last year, so the wait has been long. In June, 2016, HTC confirmed this phone would receive Nougat, but didn't specify that it would take more than a year for it to come. The update not only brings Nougat, with its multi-window support and improved Settings menu, but the security patch is listed as August, 2017, so your security is now also current. Go grab that update, M9 owners on Verizon! // Verizon

Verizon's Wear24 Android Wear Watch Dies After Just 3 Months (Updated)

Kellen — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 09:27:36 +0000

Verizon's own Android Wear-powered smartwatch, the Wear24, has seemingly, already been discontinued after just 3 months and change of being available. The Wear24 is "no longer available" from Big Red. I can't think of many devices in history with such a short life, even if this watch went through delays and wasn't exactly the most hyped. As many of you know, this watch was announced in February, at the same time as LG's two new watches, the Watch Sport and Watch Style. At the time, we suggested the Wear24 might be the best of the three, thanks to a decent price tag, slimmer body and design over the Watch Sport, and NFC on board for Android Pay usage. But after a couple of delays, followed by a launch in May that was accompanied by bad news surrounding a worthless NFC chip that did not allow for Android Pay payments, the watch hasn't been talked about much. Why has the watch already been killed by Verizon? That's tough to say, but the reviews for it certainly might give us some insight there. The Wear24 has 37 reviews and a 2.4 (out of 5) customer rating. That's pretty horrendous, with most suggesting that the speaker volume is so low and awful that the watch's main selling point (it's supposed ability to make calls over LTE) isn't even worth using. A lot of reviewers also noted the buggy software, poor connectivity, and the numerous exchanges they had to go through before jumping to another smartwatch.

Keep in mind that Verizon didn't actually make this watch. Instead, they contracted it out to Quanta, an ODM (original device manufacturer), and then branded it as an exclusive device of their own. The fact that the Wear24 is no longer for sale at Verizon isn't a good sign for Android Wear and LTE. Remember, the LG Watch Sport was cancelled at Verizon days after the Wear24 launched, leaving LTE-hungry Android customers with few options unless they were ready to go with a Samsung watch or the not-exactly-new or worry-free LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE. We've reached out to Verizon for comment on the situation and will update this should we hear back. UPDATE: Yep, the Wear24 has been discontinued, Verizon confirms to us. Cheers Michael!

Pre-Order the LG V30, Get the 'New' Daydream View VR Headset

Tim — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 08:57:50 +0000

According to a screenshot that has circulated via reddit, those who pre-order an LG V30 in the US (whenever pre-orders take place), will receive a free Daydream View. It is clarified in the text that we're talking about the "new" Daydream View, the one we leaked not so long ago, not the View from last year. If you're curious what's so "new" about the Daydream View, we aren't quite sure. Aside from a slightly changed look, at least from the renders we leaked, there is little known about what changes with the headset. The only thing we know almost for certain right now is that it comes with a higher $99 price. Thankfully, we'll learn everything about it on October 4 at Google's event. While the image below shows what looks to be the model from last year, we're assuming LG could not create a promotional image using the unannounced Daydream View, so just imagine it's the new headset and not the old one. While this is all great news, we're still awaiting official word from LG as to when this device will actually be available for order in the US. With new Pixel devices coming and the iPhone X on the horizon, LG needs to step up their game if they don't want this device to get lost in the noise. Does this seal the deal for you? // reddit

Levi's Commuter Trucker Jacket With Jacquard Arrives This Week

Kellen — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:39:26 +0000

The Levi's Commuter Trucker Jacket that is powered by Google's ~~Project~~ Jacquard technology, finally goes on sale this week after a couple of years worth of work. It'll still cost $350, but that may just have to be the price you pay for the combination of fashion and future tech. For those not familiar, the Levi's Commuter Trucker Jacket is a connected jacket. I wouldn't say so in a super nerdy, you-don't-want-to-wear-this kind of way, though, but more in a handy, I'm-busy-and-need-connectivity-as-I-commute kind of way. The jacket features Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, along with a touchable portion of fabric on the jacket's left sleeve. That touchable area allows you to swipe or tap to change songs on your playlist, get next directions, hear notifications, etc. It'll also send you subtle vibrations as notifications roll in. For help with the Commuter or if you are curious how all of this tech works, check out Google's dedicated support site for it. Since this is a jacket, you are probably wondering if you can wash it - the answer is yes. There is a snap tag on the jacket that allows for the Bluetooth connection, but removing that then allows you to clean this jacket as you would any other. It is a denim jacket first and foremost. The Commuter from Levi's goes on sale tomorrow, September 27, at select shops before rolling out more widely online on October 2. All of the purchase spots can be found below.

Available for purchase at the following shops starting 09/27.

Fred Segal, West Hollywood, 8500 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Kinfolk, Brooklyn, 90 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Concepts, Cambridge, MA, 37 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Available online and at the following Levi’s stores starting 10/02.

Online at levi.com

Levi's Market St., SF, 815 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Levi's Santa Monica, 1409 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Levi's Michigan Ave, Chicago, 600 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Levi's NYC Meatpacking, 414 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014

Buy Levi's Commuter Jacket

// Google

Weekly Recap: Leak All the Google Things

Tim — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 15:46:06 +0000

That's a wrap on a crazy and fun week. If you somehow missed it, we took over the Interwebz on Tuesday, posting up info and pictures of what we think is everything Google is set to announce on October 4. It was good times. We also published our video review of the Galaxy Note 8, learned that Google has signed a $1.1 billion agreement with HTC for smartphone engineers and licensing, Nest announced a whole lotta new products, and the iPhone 8 took over the DxOMark smartphone camera rankings. Here's the stuff you definitely don't want to miss from this week.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Unlocked Essential Phone Now Available at Best Buy With In-Store Availability

Kellen — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:30:46 +0000

The unlocked Essential Phone is now available for purchase at Best Buy. The pre-order period is done and you can order one with quick shipping or head into your local Best Buy to pick it up. In fact, I'm seeing several stores in the Portland area have them in-stock for immediate pick-up, so if you are interested, be sure to give your closest shop a shout. Should you? Well, that's depends on what you need in a smartphone. Do you want what I would consider to be the best hardware in the business with a unique display setup and stock Android? If yep, then by all means, go for it. If you need the best camera or best performing phone around, then I don't know that this is the phone for you. It's also $700, so, there's that. Be sure to watch our Essential Phone review below for the full details. As a reminder, this phones works on all major US carriers, including Verizon. Best Buy Link

Oh Yeah, Google Leak Recap

Kellen — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 12:15:08 +0000

On this episode of the Droid Life Show, boy do we have a ton of Android stuff to cover. As you know, we revealed what may be all of Google's new products that are scheduled to be announced on October 4. From the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, to the new Google Home Mini, Pixelbook, and refreshed Daydream View, we showed it all to you this week and want to talk about it. After that, it's on to the Moto X4 Android One phone for Project Fi, Google picking up HTC talent for $1.1B, all of the new Nest products that were announced, and if/when the LG V30 might launch. Big show! We’ll be live at 1:00PM Pacific (4:00PM Eastern)! If you miss us live, you can always subscribe through the variety of links below.

RIP, Slow Android Update Rollouts: Mashing "Check for Update" Button Now Worth Doing Again

Kellen — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 11:26:33 +0000

Back in 2013, now-former Android engineer Dan Morrill explained to us that mashing the "check for update" button in Android was a waste of your time. Fast forward to today and things have changed for the better, according to Googler Elliott Hughes, as long as you have the latest Google Play Services. The "check for update" button now works as you want it to! At the time, Morrill explained Google's gradual rollout of Android updates and the fact that within the first 24-48 hours, only about 1% of devices would ever see an update. So even though we might have told you that a new update had started rolling out, hammering on that "check for update" button every hour or few minutes wouldn't ever do anything if the 1% had already been filled. He also explained that tapping the "check for update" button the first time was actually doing something (like rolling the dice), but subsequent taps were a waste if you missed out until the next batch (like say the next 25% of the rollout) was scheduled to start. Unfortunately, if you weren't a part of that group either, or didn't tap the button in time, you'd again miss out until the next batch. Starting now, though, that all changes as Google has tweaked the "check for update" button to flag the action as "user-initiated" and will let you bypass those 1% or 25% limitations. In other words, if an update is ready to rollout, even if it's in the early stages, you hammering the "check for update" button will send you the update. That's huge news! Here is what Hughes said:

One thing I haven't seen the tech press notice is that the button in Settings to check for an update actually works now. If you're running a current Google Play Services, you shouldn't need to sideload an OTA or flash a system image just because you're impatient... How does this interact with the gradual rollouts of new releases, you ask? When a device checks in because you've specifically asked it to, we flag that this is user-initiated and so you're not subject to the usual limitations. So even if we're at 1% rollout and 1% of users already have the update, if you manually check you'll still be offered it, even though a background check at the same time wouldn't.

I should mention that this is more than likely just for Google products, like Pixel or Nexus devices. Your Galaxy S8 or LG G6 or HTC U11 probably still function very differently. Hammer away! // +Elliott Hughes