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After launching in India, Google Search 'people cards' are now rolling out in Africa
For those of you who want to have a bigger presence in Google Search
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We're all familiar with the "knowledge panels" that pop up in Google when a famous person's name is searched, but Google has been working on something like this, which it calls "people cards," for us regular people. We first learned about this back in February, when Google published some support pages (that it quickly took down), but the feature officially launched in India in August and is now coming to some African countries as well.
V-MODA Crossfade 2 Wireless Codex Edition headphones are $250 ($100 off) on Amazon
Some pretty neat-lookin' cans
V-MODA isn't one of the best-known audio brands out there, but it has a reputation of combining excellent build quality with great sound. Its current premium wireless headphone offering, the Crossfade 2 Wireless Codex Edition (what a mouthful), is currently discounted on Amazon from 9.99 to 9.99.We've reviewed the Crossfade 2 Wireless before, but the Codex Edition improves upon that with updated audio codec compatibility. Qualcomm aptX, AAC, and SBC are supported, meaning that you should get very high-quality audio with low latency on any device it's connected to. These headphones come with thick memory foam pads, simultaneous two-device pairing, a 14-hour battery life, and a built-in mic.
One UI 2.5 starts rolling out to the Galaxy Note9, S9, A71, and A51
Following broader availability for the S10 and Note10 lines
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- One UI 2.5 is now rolling out to to Exynos-powered Note10 and Note10+ models (SM-N970F and SM-N975F, respectively) in Germany, per XDA. The 5G variant of the Note10+ (SM-N976B) is receiving the update in Switzerland. As with the S10 updates, these Note10 updates include the September security patch.
The One UI 2.5 software made its debut a couple of weeks ago alongside the Galaxy Note20, Z Flip 5G, and Tab S7 lineup. It's already made its way to the Galaxy S20, and now it's the older Galaxy S10's turn. The unlocked model in Germany is up first, and it includes a ton of new stuff.
Nest Hello's spooky Halloween sounds are back, this time for Canada as well
Time to get in the holiday spirit
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It's almost Halloween again, and you know what that means: the option for spooky seasonal sounds from your Nest Hello doorbell. There's no better way to get in the spirit than some scary noises yourself every time someone's at your front door.
YouTube Studio hits 100 million Play Store installs
There must be a lot of laser-focused YouTube creators out there
The YouTube Studio app is the latest to reach the 100-million Play Store install milestone. Given that YouTube Studio was built for creators who want to check on their YouTube channels while on the move, it seems that there are a lot of dedicated creators on the platform.
OnePlus 8T teardown by JerryRigEverything reveals two batteries and thermal paste galore
His initial durability test showed no obvious problems
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A new phone debut typically means another new JerryRigEverything torture test, and that's indeed the case with the OnePlus 8T. Zack from JerryRigEverything has already taken some picks and blades to OnePlus's latest flagship, and it fares about as well as one would expect.
BMW is finally rolling out the Android Auto update over the air
It'll start reaching the US in around two weeks
BMW was one of the last automakers to add Android Auto to its vehicles, and owners with compatible cars still have to go to the dealer to get the update. That's changing soon, though; BMW has just announced that an over-the-air update will start rolling out "over the coming weeks."
New Google Sheets Smart Fill feature aims to make your spreadsheets less tedious to fill out
The rollout begins today
Nobody likes making spreadsheets, so Google is introducing Smart Fill for Google Sheets to help ease the pain. It basically checks previous columns for patterns, offering options to autofill the entirety of the next column based on what it thinks you'll want.
The Pixel 5's camera APK is available, but you may not be able to install it
Some have no issues with the install, but others aren't so lucky
Now that the newest Pixel phones are out, people are, predictably, trying to install APKs pulled from them onto their older devices. We now have the Google Camera 8 APK uploaded to APK Mirror, but installation stories seem to be a mixed bag.
The OnePlus 8T was announced today, and T-Mobile is the only carrier that will sell it in the US. This time around, T-Mobile's model gets a "+" stuck to the end of the name. It turns out that the T-Mobile model will come with IP68 certification, something that the unlocked model does not boast.
Samsung is now rolling out the September security patch to multiple T-Mobile phones
A continuously updated roundup of all Samsung phones with this month's patch
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Samsung has been pretty quick to update their devices with the latest security patches in the past couple of years, and it looks like not much is going to change for the month of September. The company is continuing to update its lineup of phones from the past few years, starting with the Exynos Galaxy Note9.
Prime members can get a 512GB PNY PRO Elite microSD card for just $70 ($30 off)
Storage just keeps getting cheaper and cheaper
It wasn't that long ago that PNY was asking $350 for a 512GB microSD card, and not even one as fast as this one. For Prime Day, however, Amazon Prime members can get PNY's highly rated 512GB PRO Elite microSD card for just .99, which is $30 off retail price.This 512GB card carries Class 10, U3, and V30 ratings, meaning it can read and write at speeds of up to 100MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively. It also carries an A2 rating, meaning that it can boot apps quickly with its 4000IOPS read and 2000IOPS minimum read and write speeds. It doesn't get much better than this.
Chamberlain's myQ smart garage door opener is just $17 ($23 off) for Prime members
That's awfully little money for a lot of extra convenience
Many new garage door motors have smart functionality built into them, but if you have an older model that's still kicking and have no plans to replace it anytime soon, Chamberlain's myQ smart garage door opener add-on is just .98 for Amazon Prime members right now.This little gadget will let you open and close your garage door, as well as check if it's open or closed, from an app. Chamberlain says that this smart hub will add smart functionality to all major brands of garage door openers, so long as they were made after 1993 and have standard safety sensors. Amazon likes this product because it can push its Key in-garage delivery service, which it's actually offering a $30 Amazon credit for future Key deliveries with your first one. It's worth noting that myQ Google Assistant integration actually costs $1/month (only if you want to activate it by voice, the app will still work regardless), though there are occasional free promotions.
Many newer cars have wireless charging built in, and pretty much every car nowadays has Bluetooth audio. But for those of us with older cars without those niceties, the iOttie wireless car charger, now discounted by to .99 on Amazon, is one of the only ways to play audio and charge at the same time.This wireless car charger comes with both CD and vent mounts in the box, so you can choose whichever mounting solution works better for you. It wireless charges at up to 10W for Android devices. I'm currently using a regular iOttie mount in my older BMW, and the problem is that my Pixel 4 XL can't simultaneously charge and connect to my aux cable through the USB-C port. Bluetooth solutions for my car are much more expensive, so I just ordered one of these.
Samsung Galaxy Watch hits all-time lows of $169 ($90 off) for 42mm, $189 ($91 off) for 46mm
Fans of the rotating bezel will be pleased
If you're looking for an affordable Samsung smartwatch, but last week's Galaxy Watch Active2 LTE refurb deal didn't tickle your fancy, the Galaxy Watch is currently 9 for a 42mm model and 9 for a 46mm version at Amazon. And yes, this is the one with the cool physical rotating bezel.The Galaxy Watch was released in late 2018. In our review, we found there was lots to like, including the design and build quality, the battery life, the nifty rotating bezel, Samsung's excellent fitness tracking, and its good notification handling. There were a few drawbacks, including the lack of MST for Samsung Pay and the lack of Google Assistant, but at $169, they're a bit easier to overlook.
Huawei sets the date for next week’s Mate 40 unveiling
Less than two weeks until the 10th generation of Mate phones
Huawei is preparing to take the wraps off the Mate 40 lineup, and a date has been set: October 22nd. To continue the hype, the company has just posted a short video to its YouTube channel with the tagline "Unprecedented Power is Coming," which gives us some pretty lofty expectations.
You can now change the car navigation icon in Google Maps, but the options are pretty lame
Let's just say you probably won't end up using them
Google Maps may be getting a new driving mode, but it turns out that the engineers over there are having some fun with more trivial things as well. The Maps app has just added three vehicle icons that you can opt to replace the car navigation icon with, though you likely won't.
Costco members can get a Google Wifi 4-pack for only $230 ($70 off)
It's the new and improved version, too
The Google Wifi system is nearly four years old at this point, but it turns out that a competent home Wi-Fi system from 2016 is still perfectly good to use in 2020, especially with the updates that Wifi has received. Costco is currently offering a Google Wifi 4-pack for just 9.99, with the only caveat being that you have to be a Costco member.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 LTE refurbs are just $175 for 40mm, $195 for 44mm
Some of the best smartwatches out there, now at a great price
For those in the market for a smartwatch to pair with an Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active2 is among the best of the best. Right now, Daily Steals is offering refurbished 40mm LTE and 44mm LTE versions for just $174.99 and $194.99, respectively — just make sure you apply our code to get the full discount.
Google's Assistant Driving Mode may finally be arriving soon
New screenshots reveal that the Maps car mode UI we've seen may actually be part of the driving mode
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- 9to5Google dug through the latest Google app beta, v11.31, and was able to get the setup screen for what looks to be Assistant Driving Mode. The graphic within the screenshots depict a UI that is very, very similar to the ones we've seen above.
Google already has an in-car navigation UI in the form of Android Auto, as well as a future replacement in the form of the Assistant Driving Mode, but it seems to be implementing a very similar concept in Google Maps. We've seen music playback controls show up in Maps navigation before, but never the Android Auto-style buttons and home screen.