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The Gear VR is the cheapest route to virtual reality, assuming you already have a compatible Samsung phone. Today, it's even cheaper. The previous-gen Gear VR is available on Amazon for just $60, down from the regular price of $100.Since this is the old model, it won't work with the Note7 because of its USB Type-C connector. It will work just fine with the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S7, and Galaxy S7 Edge. The Oculus VR environment is already on those phones, so just plug in and you're all set.
The next time you do a search on your phone, you may notice something unusual—the search history drop down has a new look. Well, it's new for some people. It's more compact with search terms in a series of blocks. This appears to be the default for a few users, but everyone can try it with a little keyboard trickery.
Google updated the Photos app a few months ago to add proper support for burst images, and it looks like the web version has now done the same. We're not sure when this happened, but the change seems to have gone mostly unnoticed. So, we're just letting you know.
Microsoft has long since abandoned the strategy of keeping its apps and services confined to its own platform. Windows Phone didn't really work out, so it's not like there's another option. Microsoft's Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps are getting a nice update today on Android that makes them better at handling shared content. PowerPoint also gets some UI tweaks.
Google has been testing Cast support in Hangouts for over a year, with the most recent sighting back in July. The feature never rolled out widely or was officially acknowledged by Google, until now. Casting directly to Hangouts is coming to everyone soon thanks to full Google Cast integration with Chrome on the desktop.
Do you have 5-10 seconds to spare? Google would like you to spend that time getting something done in its new Crowdsource app. You can apply your human sensibilities to translation and text transcription, and in return you get a sense of satisfaction. Yep, that's it.
T-Mobile tweaks upcoming T-Mobile One plan with faster hotspot speeds, HD video day passes, and more
T-Mobile has caught a lot of flak since it announced the new T-Mobile One plan, which it promotes as unlimited. There are a surprising number of limits, though. To counter the criticism, T-Mobile has announced a few changes to One, but some of those changes are simply opportunities to give T-Mobile more money for features you already have.
Do you fancy yourself a designer? Well, you might be able to get your art included in an upcoming collection of Android Wear watch faces. Google is working with Paper Magazine to get design ideas from the internet. Interested? You've only got a few weeks to get your submission in.
The Android update news this week has been all Nougat all the time. But what of the lowly Samsung Galaxy S5? AT&T is rolling out an update during Nougat week, but it's only Android 6.0 Marshmallow. I mean, not that Marshmallow is bad, but running just a little late, aren't you AT&T?
Many of us have spent the last five years hoping beyond hope that Google Fiber would be deployed on our home turf. Fiber has been expanding little by little, but the costs are still astronomical. Alphabet CEO Larry Page has reportedly gotten fed up with Google Fiber burning through cash. He's demanded Fiber chief Craig Barratt cut his staff to 500 from 1,000 and reduce the cost of acquiring new customers to one-tenth of current levels.
One of the benefits of Google's Nexus devices is that you can flash full factory images if something goes wrong. Google makes these files available for download each time a new OTA update rolls out, and the first few devices now have Nougat images. This could be just what you need to get your device back on a stock build of Android in a single step.
It would appear that Google is rolling out yet another tweak to the YouTube app's interface. This time, there's a new layout and a slick animation when you expand the video description. This is also where you'll find most of the video actions now.
If you are one of the small number of people who use Google's Device Assist app, I have some bad news. Support for the app is being dropped effective immediately. Users are being notified of the app's demise via a "detected issue" card that directs them to Google's online tips site instead.
Sony released the Xperia X series earlier this year with a few different screen sizes. However, none of them were "Compact" variants like Sony has offered for the last few years. Now, @evleaks has dropped a render of the supposed Xperia X Compact on Twitter. It certainly looks legit, and it turns out Sony's own website might have outed this device along with the Xperia XZ.
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Samsung announced the pink gold (or as I like to call it "shiny pink") version of the Galaxy S7 back in April, but that was only for international models. Now, the pink gold version of the phone is finally coming to the US. It will be exclusive to Best Buy, though.
We've seen some renders of the upcoming LG V20 already, but there's a new one floating around the internet now courtesy of Evan @evleaks Blass. This image looks more official than the last ones, and the design of the chin looks less modular than before. Perhaps this is evidence LG isn't looking to continue that particular boondoggle.
A few years ago, Samsung was not known for making phones that looked nice. Oh, Samsung made popular phones, but no one swooned over them. That started to change after the sour reception Samsung got with the Galaxy S5. It began taking risks with materials and designs, and it made some bad phones in the process. However, here we are with the Galaxy Note7, a device that represents the culmination of Samsung's design refinements over the years. Samsung is clearly proud of what it has on offer with this phone, but you'll pay handsomely to get your hands on it. Can a phone be good enough to justify an $850 price tag in 2016? Let's find out.
Project Fi users have been able to enjoy access to Google's WiFi Assistant feature since Google launched its MVNO, but soon all Nexus owners will be able to get in on the fun. That means you can connect automatically to open WiFi hotspots via Google's secure VPN. There are some geographical restrictions, of course.
Multiple mobile analytics firms have weighed in on the state of Pokémon Go, and the news could be better. Usage is down from its peak in mid-July, which you'd expect for any product that explodes like Pokémon Go. However, the trend continues to be downward for Niantic as daily active users, downloads, and time spent in the app continue to decline.
There's a new version of Drive rolling out, and it's the last one for users of ICS. It's been a good run, but it may be time to give your Android 4.0 device the boot now that there will be no further Drive app updates. I mean, there were dozens of reasons to do that before, but surely this is the final straw. In addition to ending support for ICS, you'll be able to give Google money for more storage from the app and never miss a document comment again.