Corbin Davenport
Contributing since August, 2015
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3615articles
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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
I bought a Barnes & Noble Nook in 2020, and I didn't expect it to be this good
The book retailer is still putting up a strong fight against Amazon's Kindle readers
Amazon has dominated the e-reader industry for so long that most of its competitors have either become niche products or faded out of existence entirely. I'd forgive you for thinking Kindles were the only e-readers sold in the United States, but not only is Barnes & Noble still around, but the company continues to release new Nook readers. And I bought one.
Xbox Cloud Gaming will expand beyond Android next year
Microsoft says iOS and PC support is on the way
Microsoft's cloud gaming service left beta in September with 172 games, and the catalog has only continued to expand since then. Android is currently the only supported platform, but Microsoft just confirmed that iOS and PC support will arrive in Spring 2021.
Google has been working on an updated version of the Chrome extension API, named 'Manifest V3,' for over two years at this point. After extension developers rallied against some of the proposed changes, Google went back to the drawing board, and now the final documentation for Manifest V3 is available to developers.
Google Play Books doesn't come up much in the news these days, but the service is still kicking, even offering the occasional hot deal every now and then. As of today, Play Books is 10 years old, marking a decade of bringing reading (and listening) pleasure to millions.
Apple Music now available on Google Assistant smart speakers
It's the fifth music service to be fully supported on Assistant devices
You can already play any content with Chromecast support on Google Assistant smart speakers, like the Nest Audio or Lenovo Smart Clock Essential, but you need a phone or tablet nearby to start the process. Some services offer full integration with Assistant, allowing you to ask for specific artists or songs using only your speaker, and now Apple Music is joining in.
Get the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 wireless earbuds for just $60 ($40 off)
USB Type-C, 7-hour battery life, and Qi charging all in one package
Anker is probably best known for its chargers and cables, but the company produces tons of other products, including wireless earbuds. We gave the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 earbuds an 8.5/10 in our review, and now you can get them for just $59.99 at Best Buy — a savings of $40 from the original price.
It has been about two weeks since Chrome 87 was released across all platforms, and right on schedule, Chrome 88 has graduated to the Beta Channel. This release doesn't have many new changes by default, but there are plenty of features lurking under the surface. Without further ado, let's get into it!
Razer's new earbuds have active noise cancellation and low-latency Gaming Mode
The Hammerhead True Wireless Pro earbuds start at $199
Razer's first foray into fully-wireless earbuds came last year, with the release of the Hammerhead True Wireless. It was a decent first attempt, but there was plenty of room for improvement. Now Razer has released an upgraded model, taking design cues from Apple's AirPods Pro and adding must-have features like active noise cancellation.
Google Home app now includes shameless advertisements for Sling TV
Love to see ads when I'm trying to fix my Chromecast
Google is primarily an advertising company, so perhaps it's not too surprising that somewhat-intrusive ads are starting to creep into some of the company's services. From Google Assistant to the Discover Feed, the core Android experience feels as commercialized as ever, and now the Google Home app is next to receive unwanted advertisements.
Fossil Gen 5 smartwatches now ship with Facer app already installed
Plus a 30-day free trial to Facer Premium
Almost since the platform's inception, Facer has been one of the best third-party apps on Wear OS. It allows users to create and share watch faces with no programming knowledge, and now it will come installed by default on some of Fossil's smartwatches.
Warner Bros. will release new movies simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max
Matrix 4, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Dune, and others will debut on Max
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to many public venues closing or operating at reduced capacity, including movie theaters. Some studios have experimented with releasing films on streaming services instead of theatrical releases, occasionally causing fights with theater companies, and now Warner Bros. has announced all of its 2021 films will be released on HBO Max at the same time as they debut in theaters.
Samsung Internet 13 changes detailed: new privacy-focused features and UI enhancements galore (APK Download)
The beta got rolling back in October
Read update
Samsung Internet is one of the best browsers for Android, as it combines the Chromium web engine with a customizable interface and limited extensions support. After the last major update arrived in June, a new version began rolling out last month with design changes, new features, and a core engine upgrade — and now Samsung is announcing the full list of what users can expect to see in the update.
Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) review: You should probably buy a Chromecast
Amazon fixes the Fire Stick's performance issues, but the software is still not great
Amazon has been producing Fire TV streaming sticks for several years now, but most of them have been mediocre at best. That’s what you’d expect for the bargain-basement price Amazon is charging. The cheapest 1080p-only Sticks have used bottom-of-the-barrel processors, making them unbearably-slow compared to a Chromecast or Roku, though the upgraded hardware in the Fire TV 4K isn't nearly as bad.For the first time in four years, Amazon has updated the internal hardware for the cheapest 1080p Fire TV Stick, finally giving it the performance boost it so badly needed. However, the software is still frustrating to use, even if it does offer some features not offered by the Fire TV Stick's competitors.
Wyze wants to sell you a $20 Apple Watch clone
The Wyze Watch is now available for pre-order
Smart home company Wyze has been rapidly expanding its product lineup over the past few months, with new internet-connected sprinklers, vacuums, thermostats, and third-gen Wyze Cams. Wyze released its first wearable device last year, the unimpressive Wyze Band, and now the company is working on a full-blown smartwatch.
The TicWatch Pro 3 with LTE is now available in the UK, Spain, and Germany
As part of an exclusive partnership with Vodafone
Read update
Qualcomm revealed two new wearable chipsets back in June, the Snapdragon Wear 4100 and 4100+. The new chips are a significant upgrade over Qualcomm's previous designs, with up to 85% faster performance and improved battery optimization, but there hasn't been a Wear OS smartwatch yet that utilizes the newer chipsets. That's finally changing, as Mobvoi has announced the first Wear OS watch with the Wear 4100.The TicWatch Pro 3 is a significant upgrade over the original model from 2018 and the minor refresh from earlier this year. The previous model was one of the largest Wear OS watches available, and not everyone is a fan of bulkier watches, so Mobvoi has trimmed it down a bit with the Pro 3. The new model is slightly smaller and thinner, but still packs a larger battery — from 415 to 577mAh. Mobvoi says the TicWatch Pro 3 can last up to 72 hours of use with Wear OS (with some features off, most likely). Just like the original model, there's an Essential Mode that shuts off Wear OS and switches to an analog display, which extends battery life to 45 days.
Samsung debuts limited-edition 'Mystic Red' Galaxy Note20 and 'Mystic White' Z Flip 5G
The designs are only available from Samsung.com
Many phone manufacturers come out with special color variants of their phones in the months following their initial releases, as an easy way to boost sales. OnePlus has done this several times now, Google released a special blue Pixel 4a earlier this month, and now Samsung has new designs available for two of its flagship phones.
Google Fit removes advanced weight training tracking on Wear OS
Fit on Wear OS can't track reps anymore
Google Fit doesn't receive as much attention as it should, but Google gave it a massive redesign earlier this month. The update improved sleep tracking and changed the interface to better match Google's other applications, but it seems there was at least one feature lost in the transition: advanced weight training tracking.
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro get November security patches with latest OxygenOS update
The update also includes plenty of smaller fixes
OnePlus has updated several of its phones over the past few days, including the 6/6T, T-Mobile 8T, and 7T/7/7 Pro. Now it's time for the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro to get its monthly security patches, though they come nearly a month after Pixels and Samsung phones.
Get an Acer Chromebook 715 for just $279 ($100 off) right now
Core i3 processor, 1080p 15-inch screen, and 128GB storage
Acer produces some of the best Chromebooks around, such as the Spin 713 and the Spin 311. The Chromebook 715 is one of the company's entry-level options, which has now dropped to an ultra-low price of $279.00 at Walmart. That discount is advertised as $271 off, but price history shows it's more like $100 off.
MicroSD cards can come in handy with a wide range of devices: phones, tablets, Chromebooks, cameras, Nintendo Switch consoles, and so on. It doesn't hurt to keep a few cards around for when one of your devices needs a bit more room, and now you can get 64GB and 128GB cards together for just $23.98 on Amazon.The bundle on sale has one 64GB card and one 128GB card. Both of the microSD cards are A1-rated, which means they can function with Android's adoptable storage feature, through performance still won't be nearly as fast as internal storage on most Android devices. Each card also comes with its own adapter, so you can use them with devices using a standard SD card slot, like most dedicated cameras.