Paul Fidalgo
Contributing since December, 2017
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47articles
About Paul Fidalgo
Paul is an actor, director, musician, and communications professional. He has a master's degree in political management from George Washington University, which isn't getting a lot of use. His work has been published at outlets including CNN.com, Skeptical Inquirer, Dark Mountain, Friendly Atheist, and in a few posts featured by Medium that even Ev Williams said he liked. Paul was once the host of the podcast Point of Inquiry, which was cool. His personal blog is Near-Earth Object. He is a dad. He lives in Maine, which is fine.
Latest Articles
I wanted so much more for Chrome OS. But when Google announces the expected "Pixelbook Go" on October 15, I expect to be left wishing for something that will simply never be.
There sure are a lot of gadgets around. Consumers today own laptops, desktops, tablets, televisions, e-readers, smartphones, smartwatches, smart speakers, smart displays, smart TVs, and smart everything-elses in myriad combinations. If you’re economically fortunate enough, you might own at least one of each of these categories of products, and for some categories, probably more than one.
Tech destroys the walls between our personal and work lives—I'm fighting to rebuild them
I am weirdly zealous about separating my work life from my personal life. My sanity, such as it is, depends upon not having anxieties about my job bleed into my home life, and keeping the chaos and distractions of my personal, family, and creative life from disrupting my work time. After over a decade of almost exclusively working from home, I’ve put a lot of thought and effort into how I can configure the various components of my Google-powered digital life in a way that is efficient and deliberate rather than stressful and schizophrenic.
When it comes to brand loyalty, Apple has won a special place in people’s hearts. But now Samsung is experimenting with a new initiative that may win a place in consumers’ stomachs.
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- Responding to a request for comment, a Google spokesperson provided links to Google's current content and developer policies, noting that apps or developers which violate these policies are subject to bans or suspension from the Play Store.
Alex Jones is officially not welcome on Facebook anymore. He and his far-right, conspiracy-obsessed outlet Infowars, along with a handful of other extremists, were banned on the social network earlier this month. Jones’s YouTube channels had been taken down months before, his podcast can’t currently be heard on either Apple’s or Google’s podcast services, and you won’t find his Infowars app on the iOS App Store.
In 2016, Jeff Bezos said of Amazon’s streaming video offerings, “When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes.” This was his way of explaining how the enormous amount of money and resources Amazon was pouring into its original prestige programming could lure customers into the warm embrace of its retail business. But until now, we had to take Bezos’s assertion on faith. I mean, he is the richest man in the world, after all. He must know something. Well, thanks to a scoop by Reuters, we now have a more concrete idea of what Prime Video really means for Amazon’s bottom line: 5 million new customers.
Lenovo's Mirage Solo Daydream headset and VR camera both available for pre-order, shipping May 11
Way back at CES in January, Lenovo and Google announced they had partnered on two new virtual reality hardware products, but gave no indication as to a release date. But thanks to two listings at B&H Photo, the cat is out of the bag...and you can record the cat as it emerges from that bag in glorious 4K virtual reality starting on May 11.The two devices, based on Google's new video format VR180, are the Mirage Solo, the first Daydream headset that doesn't require a connected smartphone, and the Mirage Camera, an "aim and shoot" VR camera. During CES they were positioned as "simple and designed for anyone to use," provided that this "everyone" is ready to pony up $399 for the Mirage Solo headset and $299 for the Mirage Camera. Here's the teaser video for the headset provided by Lenovo during CES.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMy7uiDDAPg[/EMBED_YT]B&H lists the devices' availability as "expected" on May 11, but that seems a pretty solid date when one considers that Google I/O goes from May 8-10. Attendees on their way home from Mountain View can go right ahead and drop $700 on some sweet new consumer tech.Both devices are available for pre-order from B&H right now. Amazon also has listings for both products, but still classifies them as "currently unavailable."Source: Droid Life
The Federal Communications Commission wants you to know that it is fighting on the side of the average American consumer, and not just devoted to appeasing the likes of Comcast and Verizon, by taking on the existentially crucial issue of scammy phone calls. Sort of. Like, they're thinking about it.
FCC officially publishes net neutrality repeal, opening the door for challenges in the courts and Senate [Update]
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- And they're off! The Hill reports that 23 Democratic state attorneys general are jointly suing over the FCC's action, with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman leading the effort.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published its final rules gutting net neutrality today. But like most phone announcements these days, there were no real surprises. We all knew what was coming.
In a first, global smartphone sales declined in Q4 2017 as market reaches saturation
It was bound to happen eventually. Global smartphone sales have fallen year-over-year for the first time since 2004. Research firm Gartner reports that industry-wide, sales in the fourth quarter of 2017 dropped 5.6% from the same time period in 2016.
[Update: Ajit Pai responds] White House security document proposes a nationalized 5G wireless network
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- Here it is, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's response, and it's not a surprise:
Billions of devices, from phones and tablets to self-driving cars and connected dishwashers, are thirstily awaiting the rise of 5G wireless connectivity, and the big wireless carriers are scrambling to bring these powerful new networks to market. According to documents obtained by Axios, however, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile might be nudged out of the race to 5G—not by an industry competitor, but by the U.S. government.
Hi folks, this is Paul, one of the newer writers here at Android Police. I have to begin my meet-the-new-guy post by acknowledging just how cool it is that I'm writing for this site, one that I have long admired as just about the smartest and most comprehensive site of its kind. Admittedly, I haven't been able to give as much time to the site as I had hoped when they first brought me on, but I'm having so much fun contributing what I'm able, and I intend to keep at it as long as they'll have me.I started writing for Android Police in the middle of last December, and perhaps no one was more surprised to find my byline here than me. I'm a stage actor and director, a musician and songwriter, an essayist and wanna-be academic, and I currently work in nonprofit and political communications and host my employer's podcast. I know nothing about programming or software development, though I did once successfully make a little stick figure guy jump up and down by copying dozens of lines of code from the manual that came with my family's VIC-20. I've never rooted or flashed or modded, and I more or less consider computer technology to be based on magic. Who better to write here?The thing is, as much as I am perplexed by the inner-workings of all these devices, I have always been enamored of them. From the time of my first computer to today, I've been fascinated by the story of technology as much as its products. And that story has never been more important than it is today. I love obsessing over hardware design choices, the impact of the addition of new features (or the removal of them), the overlap of politics and technology, how our devices and platforms are changing journalism and the humanities, what the rapid pace of change is doing to our ape-brains, and all the other big questions that just keep coming at us.I've been a full-fledged Android user since 2014 after about a decade of being an Apple devotee. I had frankly gotten bored with Apple's lack of choices and insistent hand-holding, and the Android hardware space was positively blossoming with intriguing ideas and designs. I had owned a first-generation Nexus 7 for a while, but it wasn't yet enough to pull me away from iOS entirely. But when I saw all that was going on with Lollipop and Material Design, I decided to make the switch, starting with a Nexus 5.I loved that damn phone so much. It was fast, it felt great in the hand, the screen was so sharp, and the interface was wonderfully fluid. But the battery life was awful and the camera was garbage (I have two small and fast-moving kids that the Nexus camera could not hope to keep up with), so I had to embark on a quest that led to my trying out several models. Over the next couple years, I became a little manic about buying and selling phones, trying to find The Perfect Device—a hopeless quest, really.Other than the Nexus 5, devices I have particularly loved were LG's G3 and G4 (with which I experienced no looping of boots), as well as the Nexus 6 and the Note 5, both of which replaced tablets for me for a while. The device I owned the longest was probably the Galaxy S7, mainly because I was stuck on a payment plan. It was indeed a great device while it remained fast, but that didn't last past a year. (My wife's S7 is so slow you have to wonder if it got switched with a fake.)Today, I am the one guy who has an HTC U11, and I love it, with some reservations. Yes, I got the red one, and that was the correct thing to do. I might write a piece in the near future extolling the U11's virtues and, of course, railing against its faults. But, importantly, it is very red.I admit I miss certain things about iOS, mostly regarding Apple's mad devotion to its AppleCare customers. Once having had the most minor of problems with an iPad Pro, I chatted online with a specialist, and the next day I had a replacement unit. Dizzying. I have, however, grown weary of my aging MacBook Pro. I'm not interested in the current generation of MacBooks' crap keyboards that feel like you're slapping paper, and I'm sorely tempted by that Pixelbook.I think my favorite tech purchase without a screen on it has to be my Sony MDR-1000X noise-canceling headphones, which I bought refurbished. As someone who loves to be absorbed in music, as an autistic with big sensory issues, and as a dad with LOUD children, disappearing into these comfy cans is just about the best self-care I ever allowed myself. I also love Kindles, and I am trying very hard not to throw money at the new Oasis.As for Android Police the organization, I can't say enough good things. Everyone has been more than generous with their time and help, which I continue to need more often than I'd like. I'm going to keep trying to improve, and I hope my fairly novel background adds interesting new dimensions to the great work being done here.
LG Electronics released its fourth quarter and full-year 2017 financial results this morning, and while the news is mostly very good for the company, its mobile division continues to suffer losses.
If you prefer that your internet searches not be subject to the all-seeing eye in Mountain View, the privacy-focused DuckDuckGo search engine has got you covered (almost literally). Now with a souped-up browser extension and mobile app, DuckDuckGo is expanding its blanket of privacy across the entire web.
If you're looking to pick up a smart speaker with Google Assistant, but would prefer it to be portable and not resemble an air freshener, JBL has some good options for you, and they've each been discounted by $50 at several retailers.
Taking a page from Kindle, Amazon’s Alexa is everywhere—can Google's Assistant catch up?
When Amazon upended the publishing industry with the advent of the Kindle, it also paved the way for an approach to luring consumers into a larger sphere of influence, a strategy that is now being successfully adapted for the new age of smart speakers and digital assistants. Both the Kindle and the Echo provide consumers with valuable services, encouraging them to shop and receive content within Amazon's ecosystem. Most of the experiences of its Kindle and Echo hardware also come in the form of apps or services that appear on other manufacturers' devices without additional charge to the consumer, making that connection even stronger. In each case, it has worked very well so far.
[Deal Alert] Save a few bucks on select Google Home and Chromecast Ultra combos, I guess ($10-$30 off)
Google is offering discounts on particular combinations of its Google Home and Chromecast hardware, but the deals are just kind of okay, and frankly a bit of a letdown with all the big price slashes from the holidays still fresh in our memories.
[Deal Alert] NETGEAR Orbi RBK33 AC2200 home 3-pack WiFi system $299.99 at Amazon ($50 off)
Perhaps you've been frustrated by dead spots in your home WiFi situation, lamenting those rooms that, for you, might as well no longer exist. Instead of shaking your fist, maybe it's time to look at a mesh WiFi system. Amazon has a deal on the NETGEAR Orbi AC2200 3-pack, which has dropped to 9.99.For your three Benjamins you get a WiFi router and two satellite units, which offers up to 5000 square feet of coverage. It all gets configured through the Orbi app, and once it's all set up, you can control it with Alexa.At $299.99, this is $50 off its regular price of $349.99 and even $20 less than when it was a Deal of the Day earlier this summer at $319.99. So grab one of these and rediscover the parts of your home you've probably forgotten about by now. I'm sure they need dusting.Source: Amazon
Until February 1, U.S. customers can get a free Pixelbook Pen with the purchase of a new Pixelbook at the Google Store, Amazon, or Best Buy.Integrated stylus functionality has become one of the big selling points for high-end portable devices, but the big players in this space, Apple, Microsoft, and Google, each charge $99 for their device-specific styluses. That's on top of the many, many hundreds of dollars they already charge for the iPad Pro, Surface, or Pixelbook devices themselves. So this is a risk-free opportunity for would-be stylus slingers to see if they would find such an accessory useful.The Pixelbook had been $100 off not too long ago and recently went back up to its regular retail price starting at $999, but if you intended to buy the pen anyway, this more or less amounts to the same deal.At the Google Store, just add the Pen to your cart and the price is deducted at checkout. Amazon and Best Buy are simply offering the Pixelbook and its pen as a bundle.The Pixelbook Pen is marketed as one of the device's marquee features, though reviews of its usefulness and reliability have been mixed. In his review of the Pixelbook, AP's David Ruddock was not exactly enthusiastic about the pen: