Corbin Davenport
Contributing since August, 2015
-
3615articles
Page 71
About Corbin Davenport
Corbin is a tech journalist and developer who worked at Android Police from 2016 until 2021. Check out his other work at corbin.io.
Latest Articles
When you navigate to a new page in a web browser, the previous page you had open is usually discarded from your computer's memory. There might be cached images and other data left over, but if you press back, your browser has to load most of the page again. Google Chrome's developers are experimenting with a new 'back/forward cache' that would make loading the previous page instant.
Read update
- Heaters were just added to the list of supported device types as well. The documentation reads, "Heaters are similar to thermostats but do not support cooling and may not support setting temperature targets. Heaters may rely on modes, toggles, and fan speed settings."
Google Assistant already works with a wide variety of smart home devices, but every once in a while, new product categories are added. Around a year ago, Google added support for A/C units, kettles, ovens, and more. According to to new developer documentation, Assistant will soon work with smart air fresheners and... fireplaces.
USB 3.1 still isn't incredibly common on consumer electronics, but the USB Implementers Forum is looking to the future. The group has formally announced the new USB 3.2 standard, which not only promises to be twice as fast as USB 3.1 (in some cases), but will also be far more confusing.
Read update
- SamMobile has a series of wallpapers based on these designs. If you have a Galaxy S10, they're worth checking out.
The iPhone X started a trend of companies using dark wallpapers to hide (or at least obscure) screen notches. It has been clear since the first press renders leaked that Samsung is also using this tactic to make the Galaxy S10's hole-punch camera less of an eyesore. But as it turns out, you can actually embrace the hole-punch design, given the right background.
The march of progress never stops. Just a few years ago, it was impressive for phones to offer 128GB of internal storage, and your next smartphone might have much more room. Samsung announced today that it has started mass production of its super-fast 512GB eUFS 3.0 flash memory modules, intended for use in phones and other portable electronics.Samsung's new eUFS 3.0 flash memory technology is twice as fast as the previous generation, promising sequential read speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s and sequential write speeds of 410 MB/s. For context, the read speed is close to what you'd get from a PC NVMe SSD (like the Samsung 970 Evo), while write speeds are similar to SATA-based SSDs (like the Crucial MX500).Samsung will release 128GB and 512GB modules this month, with 1TB and 256GB versions launching in the second half of 2019.
Last year, Google added the ability to select songs, playlists, or albums from Spotify as alarm sounds in its Clock application. Google Clock 6.1 is now rolling out in the Play Store, and it expands on this feature — users can now pick music from Pandora and YouTube Music.
The recent addition of Linux app support to Chromebooks has made the laptops much more useful, especially in the eyes of developers. However, if you needed to wipe or upgrade your Chromebook, there wasn't an easy way to keep your Linux data. Previous code commits hinted at the ability to back up and restore the Linux container, and now that functionality has arrived in the Dev Channel.
Like most phone manufacturers, HTC includes modified versions of stock Android apps on its devices. One of those is HTC Mail, a fairly standard email app with support for multiple services. Strangely, the app has now vanished from the Play Store.
TWRP, short for TeamWin Recovery Project, is the most popular custom recovery available for Android devices. It can flash ROMs, backup and restore your phone, and even repair Android installations. In the two months since we last covered TWRP, the project has added nine more phones to the roster of supported devices.
The Moto G7 series is starting to show up in stores, which means last year's devices are becoming even cheaper. The Moto G6 Play, one of Motorola's lower-end phones from 2018, has now dropped to just $159.99 on Newegg.
Just two days ago, HMD Global announced a slew of new budget phones — the Nokia 4.2, 3.2, and 1 Plus. HMD has already published the modified kernel source code for the Nokia 1 Plus, which in most cases would be exemplary, but there's nothing developers can make with it.
Microsoft has tried for years to stop the rapid market share growth of Chromebooks. First, the company tried to optimize Windows has much as it could, allowing it to (somewhat) run on cheap Atom-based tablets and laptops. Microsoft later released Windows 10 'S', which couldn't run traditional Windows apps. Now it seems the company is going even further, by developing a whole new operating system — Lite OS.According to a report from Petri, Microsoft is working "on an aggressive schedule" to complete Lite OS. Much like Windows 10 S, Lite OS can only run Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and Progressive Web Apps. The above image is a mockup of the main UI, with a launcher that looks similar to Chrome OS's app drawer.The company is allegedly considering adding support for traditional Windows programs (Win32), possibly by running them inside protected containers. Fast performance, ease of use, and low maintenance are the key goals for Lite OS. The report says Microsoft aims to support both x86 and ARM platforms, though it's not clear if retail devices will be made with both.I would certainly like to see Microsoft succeed at making a true alternative to Chrome OS. However, the company will have to be aggressive to make up for lost time — Chromebooks are more popular than ever.Source: Petri
This year's Mobile World Congress has been full of 5G announcements, from Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G to the LG V50 5G ThinQ. We've been hearing talk about a 5G phone from OnePlus for months, and the company finally showed off the device at Mobile World Congress — sort of.
Less than two months ago, Anker announced a wide array of new products at CES. The company is back at MWC with even more devices, including a new USB-PD portable charger, a 10,000mAh battery, and more.The first new product is the PowerPort Atom PD 2, a slightly beefier version of the company's slick PD 1 power brick that we reviewed earlier this month. This model doesn't match the small size of the original version, but it has twice the USB Type-C ports and twice the maximum charging rate (a total of 60W). Anker says it will launch in May, but the price isn't available yet.Next is the PowerCore 10,000mAh PD battery. It's already available for .99 on Amazon, and it's not really anything special — just a decently-sized portable battery with a Type-C port and USB-PD support. Aukey has a similar battery for $16 cheaper.
Foldable phones are so hot right now. Samsung has one, Huawei has one, TCL has one, and now Oppo is working on one. Brian Shen, VP of Oppo, teased the phone on his Weibo account.
Huawei has been under intense scrutiny over the past few months, as companies around the world ban its networking equipment. In most cases, the primary concern is that Huawei could be compelled by the Chinese governments to place 'backdoors' — hidden methods of accessing data — in its products. In an attempt to lessen these fears, Huawei Chairman Liang Hua told reporters that the company wouldn't comply with such a request.
Last year, Google invested $22 million in KaiOS Technologies Inc, a company best known for its KaiOS feature phone operating system. Google Assistant was already available for KaiOS, but now support for actions is on the way. Android Go, the lightweight version of Android that hasn't quite won our hearts, is also joining in on the fun.
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom ROMs available, with somewhere around two million active installations. It typically takes a while for the project to update to newer versions of Android, since development is largely done by maintainers in their spare time. Six months after the public release of Android 9 Pie, it looks like LineageOS is about ready to make the jump — but not before dropping older devices.
LG announced its two flagships for 2019 earlier today — the G8 ThinQ and V50 5G ThinQ. Both devices have their share of interesting features, and if you're wondering where to buy them in the United States, all four major carriers have announced which devices they will offer.
Read update
- In some markets, such as South Korea, the LG G8 will have three cameras.
We've seen leaks and renders of the LG G8 for months now, and the company itself has released a few previews over the past few weeks. Some information has also become public about the next V-series phone, with alleged 5G support. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, LG revealed both of these flagships — the G8 ThinQ and V50 ThinQ.