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A Google Maps listing includes a smattering of info about a location, but it's the reviews that can really help you get a feel for a place. Now, you can examine those reviews more closely in Google Maps. Upon opening the reviews, you'll see a new search bar to filter reviews with keywords of your choosing.
You know what time it is—that's right, it's time for Pixel patches. After a rough end to 2019, Google's Pixel team has now managed to get the first two patches of 2020 out the door on time. All Pixel phones aside from the first-gen devices now have February 2020 patches available on the Google dev pages.
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- Over the weekend, Gylt and Metro Exodus officially became free for Stadia Pro subscribers. To claim these games, head over to the Stadia store on Chrome or the Stadia app, navigate to the Pro games section, and add the two newest entries to your collection. With the addition of fresh freebies, Stadia also scrubbed Rise of the Tomb Raider and Samurai Shodown from the list, returning them to full price for new Pro subscribers.
Google's Stadia game streaming service has gotten a bit of a slow start, but Google has tried to keep founders happy with free and discounted games. And it's sticking with that strategy. There are new discounts and freebies today, although the free games won't be live until February 1st.
Android Auto is designed to limit distractions, so it won't ping you with every notification on your phone. It can still be enough to get annoying, though. Google is finally addressing that with the option to silence notifications in Android Auto.
LG is in a tough spot. The overall company is doing very well, having just finished its most successful year ever. However, the company's mobile division is just burning money, and earnings there are moving in the wrong direction after LG pledged to turn a profit on smartphones within a year.
A lot of smart home gadgets are little more than internet-connected versions of the "dumb" things we already had, but Google's Nest thermostats push the envelope with features like automatic scheduling, geofencing, and various weather-aware energy-saving options. Now, Google is testing a feature that could warn you before a small issue in your HVAC system becomes a major emergency. It's rolling out now, and you probably already have it enabled.
Who can you go to when your phone starts misbehaving? Most people would pester the device maker or carrier, but maybe Google could be of some assistance. The official Android Twitter account now promises to answer questions on the social network tagged with #AndroidHelp. Naturally, people are using it to complain about updates.
Nvidia has rolled out a huge number of updates to its Shield Android TV boxes even after launching new versions, and it's not stopping now. Shield Experience 8.0.2 is available, and it adds support for that fancy new remote you can finally buy. That's not all—there's also improved NAS DVR functionality and new apps.
We're just a few weeks out from Samsung's next big unveiling, but there's not much left to unveil. It's too late—we've seen everything. After a few rounds of CAD-based renders, we now have official press renders of the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. This phone will have top-of-the-line hardware, including a periscope camera with Space Zoom.
People like getting software updates, at least most of the time. Many Samsung users have been dismayed that upgrading to Android 10 and One UI 2.0 meant giving up the Good Lock customization suite. These dark days are nearly over—Samsung says that Good Lock 2020 will roll out on February 3rd.
Wine has been giving users of Unix-like platforms access to Windows software for many, many years. The open source project just added support for Android back in 2018 with the v3.0 update and continued that with Wine v4.0 last year. Now, Wine v5.0 is available on multiple platforms including Android.
Google's hardware division usually throws one or two fun colors in with the usual mix of black, white, and silver devices. However, the fun colors don't always launch at the same time as the boring tones. That was the case with the Pixelbook Go, which launched late last year. Now, you can finally get the "Not Pink" variant of Google's new laptop, but it's not available in the base configuration.
Google launched Stadia late last year for those who bought the Founder's Edition bundle, and not much has changed since then. You still need to buy a spendy Pro bundle to unlock access to the game streaming service, and the feature set is limited. However, Google says it has big plans for Staia in Q1 2020. Many of the promised features will bulk up web support, but you'll also be able to play on more phones.
Yahoo was an internet heavyweight during the early years of the internet—before Google, of course. Today, Yahoo is a shell of its former self as a subsidiary of Verizon with no real search product of its own. It's trying to build one, though. The company's new One Search is available on the web and via an Android app. It's just Bing with some added features, but Yahoo promises it's really secure.
The first Android Auto-equipped head units and vehicles started rolling out almost five years ago, but the Play Store client has just now hit 100 million downloads. It joins the likes of Google Home, Files, and others that have recently reached nine digits. While the app's future might be uncertain, it's still chugging along.
LG hasn't turned a profit on smartphones for years, but it says that will change by 2021. No really, for real this time. The promise comes from LG Electronics CEO Kwon Bong-seok, who addressed the company's mobile struggles during a press conference at CES. Bong-seok didn't offer any specifics on how LG would do this, but it sounds like we might be in for some weird phones.
Wacom's new $400 drawing tablet connects to Android devices, requires silly dongles
The company's new Wacom One drawing tablet is its cheapest yet
Your options for stylus input on Android are limited to clunky capacitive wands and the S Pen on a handful of Samsung devices. If you don't mind adding an external display and a bunch of cables, Wacom has another option. The company's new $400 Wacom One drawing tablet is its cheapest yet, and it's the first to have Android support.
Lenovo unveils new Smart Tab M10 with Assistant Ambient Mode and a giant 21.5-inch smart photo frame
Lenovo doesn't have any new Assistant smart displays to show off at CES this year, but there are some displays with smarts. The company has unveiled a new version of its Assistant Ambient Mode tablet, the Smart Tab M10. Plus, there's a gigantic photo frame. That's what you've always wanted, right?
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Asus doesn't have the best track record for updating its phones, but it was really making an effort earlier this year with it rolled out an Android 9 beta for the Zenfone 4. Unfortunately, Asus' resolve has faded, and there won't be a final Pie update. It says the Zenfone 4 will continue to get Oreo maintenance updates. You know... if you still believe Asus.
There are certain constants in the world. Tides go in, tides go out. Sunrise, sunset. Google is fast with updates, and Samsung is slow. If you want proof we live in strange times, look no further than the January 2020 Android security patch. Samsung has started rolling it out, and Google... not so much.