About Rita El Khoury
Rita was a Managing Editor at Android Police. Once upon a time, she was a pharmacist as well. Her love story with Android started in 2009 and has been going stronger with every update, device, tip, app, and game. She lives in France, speaks three languages and a half, and watches a lot of TV series.
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- Logitech has started releasing a fix for the issue. You need to fill out a form to request firmware version 4.15.100 to roll to your hub, then wait a bit until you're approved and can install the update. Artem has tried it out and says it fixes the issue for him, though some users say things are better but not completely right just yet. Logitech is still working on improving the experience.
Logitech's Harmony universal remotes are powerful devices that let you throw away the different remotes you have for your entire entertainment center and replace them with just one. However, if you own Sonos speakers, you may have noticed an issue over the past few weeks: your Harmony remote suddenly seems unable to properly control your speaker.
A few days ago, Google announced new features coming to Assistant on Wear OS and now they've started to roll out. We're not sure if this is a server-side update or if it's related to a Google app update on your watch. When I tried Assistant this morning, I saw the old interface, then the Google app on my watch updated to version 8.2.8.25. I tested Assistant immediately after and it was still the same, but one minute later, I had the new interface.
Sharing from one app to another has been a mainstay of Android for years and years. It was one of the features that first drew me to Android: no more copying and pasting, no more having to open Twitter or WhatsApp to send a picture I just saw in my Gallery. Apps could talk to each other and the experience felt cohesive and seamless.
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- Amazon is now saying there are 13000 Alexa-compatible smart home devices from more than 2500 brands. It took less than two months for it to add a thousand new products.
There's no denying that Amazon's Alexa has a leg up on Google's Assistant, both because its smart speakers launched before Google and because Amazon has a huge footing in retail and the best marketing platform ever. Google can only dream of rivaling that. Plus, if you're a company making a smart home product, odds are you're already selling it through Amazon, and the jump from that to adding Alexa compatibility is just a formality at this point. The lead Amazon has taken over Google in the smart home is most apparent when you look at the number of supported devices, and now we have a more accurate picture.
Samsung Pay is clearly one of the company's most successful ventures so far and it keeps on getting better. When you use this mobile payment service to purchase things, not only do you accumulate Samsung Rewards points that you can use later, but you also earn whatever your credit or debit card offers in terms of cash back. Now, one more benefit will be added to the list: some retailers will begin offering cash back awards if you purchase from them, thus compounding the benefits.
Support for the Google Assistant is ramping up from major and minor smart home device makers alike. It was only this January that we reported the Assistant had support for 1500 devices, but now that number has jumped, nay, soared to 5000 devices. Along with that happy threshold comes the news of many other upcoming integrations for our favorite smart home assistant.
DISH has been relatively fast in adopting new Android-related devices and services, from 4K Android TV boxes to Google Assistant support, but it's only now that the cable box provider has decided to support Android TV properly and release its DISH Anywhere app for the platform.
It's a sad state of affairs, but smartphones nowadays are skipping the 3.5mm headset plug for valid, and sometimes not-so-valid, reasons. If your Android phone is following that trend, you have two solutions to listen to music: Bluetooth and USB-C. Today's deals on Libratone might help you save on both of these options.Libratone is discounting its Q Adapt in-ear USB-C earphone by $30 on the Google Store and Amazon, making it $119 instead of $149. Now you may be thinking this is a little too much for a pair of in-ear earbuds, but this one has a USB-C plug, a very comfortable design and fit, excellent build and materials, and 4 levels of Active Noise Cancellation to boot. Richard really liked it when he reviewed it a few months ago, and the discount makes its price a little more palatable.
In this day and age of privacy and security concerns, having strong unique passwords across the different sites and services you use is essential. Remembering them all can be a hassle, if not impossible, so that's why password managers are crucial. I use Enpass and I'm checking out Myki, but depending on your needs, you may find you prefer LastPass or Dashlane among others. We're here to talk about the latter: StackSocial is offering a 50% off discount on a Dashlane premium membership, and you can get another 10% off with a coupon code.
The move from Android Pay, Google Wallet, and Pay with Google to Google Pay hasn't been completely smooth sailing, but the Mountain View giant is slowly getting its footing and transitioning everything from the old brandings to the new one. The latest to make the switch are web payments done either on desktop or on iOS.
Some may argue that Android tablets are dead and useless, but I'll still sit here with my Galaxy Tab S2, my miraculously still-functional Nexus 7 (2013), and shake my head furiously, refusing to accept that truth. I love Android tablets and I have continued to use them daily ever since I bought my first Acer Iconia Tab A100 many, many years ago. They're great for browsing the web and comparison shopping on Amazon and eBay, and they've been an intricate part of my daily job on Android Police as I do most of my editing work on them. That's why I'm super excited to see Samsung still pursuing tablets and getting close to launch a new Galaxy Tab S4.The Galaxy Tab S2 was announced in July of 2015, the Tab S3 followed in February of 2017, so it seems Samsung is sensibly aiming for a year-and-a-half tablet cycle. People are less likely to upgrade a tablet than a phone, so it makes sense. The Tab S4 should fit right in with that release schedule as it just passed the WiFi Alliance certification under the product name SM-T835 (this is probably be the LTE version, the Wi-Fi model should be SM-T830) with Android 8.0 Oreo in tow.There have been some rumors and speculation about the Tab S4 based on some GeekBench spotting, but nothing is certain yet - beside the fact that some company is already trying to sell covers for it on Amazon. It might have a 10.5-inch display with a 16:10 ratio (2560 x 1600), a Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. A release date is not yet known: Samsung could wait until IFA 2018 in September or could possibly launch it outside of any event like it did with the Tab S2.Source: WiFi Alliance (PDF)Via: SamMobile, GalaxyClub.nl
Not all countries are created equal when it comes to the Google Play Store, but now developers in three new countries can start feeling like first class citizens again. If you develop apps or games for Android and you live in Guatemala, Moldova, or Paraguay, today brings some happy news for you. Previously, you were able to register on the Play Console and distribute free apps, but now you can also register for a merchant account and sell paid apps and in-app purchases to get some revenue for your work.
I have dabbled with completely wireless earbuds before (The Dash) and came away loving the idea but not completely convinced that the technology was there yet. But over the past year, brand upon brand has released its own version and I'm ready to give the form factor another try. The one option I've had my eye on is Anker's Zolo Liberty+ that Artem got a couple of months ago and literally could not stop talking about for a few weeks. He praised it so much that I think I nearly made an order right then and there, without reading a single review. But I'm glad I waited because the Liberty+ can now be had for the nicely discounted price of $109.99 with a coupon code.The Zolo Liberty+ is one of a few true wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.0, making it a little future-proof. It has about 3.5hrs of playtime and can go to 48hrs thank to the charging case, which fills up over MicroUSB (sadly). It has a 6mm graphene driver inside, IPX5 sweatproof rating, and comes with 3 different sizes of ear tips and 4 sizes of grip jackets. When David reviewed it, he liked the value it offered for its price. But at $40 less, that value is even better and the price is the lowest we've seen yet (the last time it was $119). To get the discount, you need to apply coupon code LIBERTYZ at checkout on Amazon.
Need some multi-room or smart speakers in your house? Today's your lucky day. JBL has discounts on 5 of its Chromecast speakers, 4 of which happen to also be voice-activated Google Assistant speakers, and the prices are enticing and nearly the lowest we've ever seen across the board. The deal should last until May 12, 2018, so the promo seems to be geared toward Mother's Day gifting.
Joaomgcd's AutoVoice app is one of the most powerful tools you can try on Android for customizing your Google Assistant commands, especially when used in conjunction with Tasker (which he recently acquired as well). Most recently, the app added Google Assistant integration with v3.0, and now v3.5 is kicking that up a notch by letting you customize what you can ask Assistant and what it answers back.
On the Samsung totem pole, the Galaxy A series sits right below the flagship S series, striking a balance between eye-catching design, great features, and mid to high-end specs. The latest device(s) to come from it are the new Galaxy A6 and A6+, which bring a sleek build with metal instead of glass and visible yet well-designed antenna lines.
Getting into home automation and smart home appliances can be a very elitist and expensive endeavor. If you want to take things a little seriously, you need a central hub that talks to your different smart objects and sensors over Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and more, then automates processes between them. You can use it to make the light turn on when you open a door, or the siren sound off when some motion is detected. Hub choices are varied, but the two that keep coming back again and again in the smart home conversation are Wink and Samsung's SmartThings, both with Android apps and Google Assistant/Home integration. Today's deal is about the former.The first generation Wink Hub is down to .99 on Amazon. It's been hovering between and over the past few months, and $24.99 is the lowest price we've seen on it yet. I wouldn't normally recommend the 1st gen hub because it lacks many of the features of the Hub 2 that I reviewed a while ago, but at $25, it's not a bad investment in two situations. One is if you don't have to automate a lot of things and your needs can be met with an older, less capable system. Two is if you want to dip your toes into automation and decide whether you want to pursue it further with better hardware or you're not interested in it at all. Plus, in my experience, the Wink system is easier for newbies to set up and manage than SmartThings. And you can (relatively) quickly transfer your existing sensors and devices from this hub to another one if you later decide to upgrade.With that in mind, the only thing left to consider is that the last time I checked, the first-generation Wink Hub didn't offer local processing. So it's a little slower at executing robots than other hubs because it needs to send the trigger to the server and get the answer back from it before performing an action, and it won't work if your network is down. But again, for $24.99, there's no harm in giving it a try. If you're interested, you can grab it from Amazon at the link below.Source: Amazon
For years now, it's been possible to follow your favorite stocks through Google Now / Feed, or by searching for certain stocks and adding them to your list. However, Assistant currently only understands general questions about stock prices, but doesn't yet know which ones you're interested in. Contrary to regular Google Search which knows what "my stocks" are, Assistant comes up with "I can't do this yet." No bueno. (Yet another symptom of the terrible transition between Google Search and Assistant.) But Google is working on bridging the gap by adding stocks to your Assistant settings.
The Kindle app for Android has received an update with a couple of useful new features inside. In version 8.6.0.62, which began rolling out a few days ago and seems to have now reached everyone, Amazon's ebook reading app will let you pull to refresh your library, easily see your Audible audiobooks, and return a book you had leased.
Up until now, WhatsApp groups hadn't given admins full control over what's happening inside them. Only they could invite and remove members, or promote others to admin status, but they couldn't restrict the option to edit the group's icon, description, and subject (name). Any member, admin or not, was able to change those, which probably resulted in unfortunate circumstances where troublesome or even malicious members messed up with a group's information.