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We've been hearing about T-Mobile's alleged home TV service for ages, but today is the big day. The revamped Layer3 is launching in a few days as TVision in eight markets. It will feature more than 150 channels, streamed directly to your home. T-Mobile says it wants to disrupt the cable industry with TVision, but this does sound a whole lot like a traditional cable service.
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Last summer, the VLC developers got fed up with Huawei and took drastic action. In a firey tweet, the VideoLAN team declared that Huawei's aggressive background task management was causing issues, so VLC was blocking those phones from downloading the app in the Play Store. It seemed like a bit of an overreaction, but the block has now been lifted.
Google was among the first companies to embrace wireless charging in the days of plastic flagship phones, but it ditched the feature when metal became trendy. Now that the Pixel 3 and 3XL are glass, wireless charging is in again. Google even unveiled its own fancy wireless charger alongside the 2018 Pixels. However, those phones only fast charge wirelessly with Google's custom technology. Google sought to cool tempers over the Pixel Stand's $80 price tag by pointing out that other companies would license its custom fast charging standard. Belkin was the first, and still only, company to do so.
Google launched the first Pixel phones in 2016, and these are still pretty capable phones to this day. You can use them to test Android Q, and the camera experience is still best-in-class. You can pick up a new Pixel XL for $250 right now on Woot.
The Galaxy S10 is an excellent phone, but it's not without its faults. In fact, one of the headlining features isn't so good. Samsung's ultrasonic in-display sensor is often slow and inaccurate, and it's attempting to address that with a new firmware patch rolling out to devices. It's unclear if the sensor is actually any better, but at least Samsung is trying.
Acer has unveiled a pair of new Chromebooks in New York today. Both devices have anodized aluminum frames and STD-810G. The style and feature set of the Chromebook 714 (above) and 715 are clearly aimed at businesses. The larger of the two even sports an honest-to-goodness number pad.
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The debut of Call Screen on the Pixel 3 and 3 XL late last year was a magical moment. The deluge of robocalls shows no sign of slowing, but Call Screen gives you a way to reclaim a little sanity. The feature was exclusive to Pixels at launch, but now some Motorola phones will have it, too.
Most people reading this have learned not to implicitly trust the things that appear on Facebook, but not everyone is so cautious. The social network has been using a strategy called "remove, reduce, and inform" since 2016 to deal with false and misleading news. Today, Facebook says it's adding new policies to each of those three areas. Surely, this time it'll have the problem licked. Right? Right?!
Verizon flipped the switch on its 5G network last week, a few days earlier than it previously promised. This is the first commercial 5G network in the US that you can actually use (AT&T doesn't count), although you'll need the Moto Z3 and the pricey 5G Moto Mod. Carriers will spend the next several months hitting you over the head with 5G marketing, but is it all hype? I had a chance to take Verizon's millimeter wave 5G network for a spin, and it did work better than I expected in some ways. However, it's a long, long way from being a good experience.
AT&T was, by some measures, the first carrier to roll out 5G wireless services in late 2018. However, it still only has a single 5G device, a $500 Netgear hotspot you probably won't be allowed to buy. The carrier is rolling its 5G ghost town in seven more cities today, bringing its total to 19.
Most Assistant speakers are tied to a power outlet, but the JBL Link 10 can go where you go. It debuted at a rather hefty $150, but the price has since dropped to around $80. Now, you can get a Link 10 for even less cash, as long as you're cool with a refurb. The speaker is on eBay for $49.99.
There are numerous options for automating your digital life, but there's one fewer today. Stringify, which was purchased by Comcast in 2017, is closing its virtual doors in June. The company isn't technically shutting down, but it will focus on developing technology as part of Comcast. That means no more consumer automation app or service.
It's rare that we come across a phone we suggest you 100% do not buy under any circumstances, but the titanium Red Hydrogen One earns that distinction. Red delayed the launch of the titanium phone last year, but now you can buy it for $1,600. You shouldn't, though.
Samsung's annual Galaxy S release has included multiple devices in recent years, but the Galaxy Note has been monolithic. According to a report from ETNews, the Note 10 could take some lessons from the Galaxy S10. Samsung may release four different models, two 4G LTE and two 5G.
We all want to avoid a Terminator-style future where the machines have conquered humanity, but how do you do that? This is just one of the problems Google's Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) was supposed to help answer. It won't, though. Following some very public drama, Google has decided to dissolve the board and look for a different approach.
We're just a few weeks out from Google I/O, but Google is already planning its next developer party with the Android Dev Summit. While I/O is technically a developer-focused event, it's also become a major showcase for consumer-facing products. The Android Dev Summit will be all about Android without the glitz and glamor of I/O, and it's happening on October 23-24 this year.
Imagine you've just finished composing a detailed and helpful email, and it's time to add a subject. How can you effectively sum up this masterpiece of electronic communication? So... "Hey" it is. Subjects can be hard, but Gmail will start filling those in for you with Smart Compose soon.
HMD unveiled the Nokia 7.1 toward the end of last year, but the company also ventured into accessories with the Nokia Pro Wireless Earphones and True Wireless Earbuds. At the time, HMD said these devices would not launch in the US at all. Sad, but not unexpected. However, they've now popped up for sale at several retailers.
You might recall the massive failure that was Facebook Home, but one part of that disaster became an integral part of the Messenger app: chat heads. In Android Q Beta 2, Google has unveiled a framework to make chat head-like functionality part of Android. It could be more than that eventually, but it doesn't appear to do much of anything right now.
It has been less than a month since Google released the first Android Q beta, and it's already time for Beta 2. The new version is rolling out today to Pixel phones, and it brings some notable changes. Developers will be dealing with some privacy-focused permission changes, and everyone will be equal parts interested and perplexed by "Bubbles."