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The quick and anonymous nature of the internet makes it easy to lob threats at one another. It almost goes without saying you shouldn't do that, but what if Twitter thinks you did anyway? You appeal, and now it's easier to do that from the app.
Google's long-delayed John Legend Assistant voice made an unexpected appearance last week, but Google insisted it was a bug. Well, that claim is a bit more suspect now that we know Mr. Legend is coming to your phone and speakers this very day. According to Google, John Legend will be available for select Assistant interactions starting today.
The great thing about YouTube is that it made it easy for absolutely anyone to upload and share video with the world. The terrible thing about YouTube is that it made it easy for absolutely anyone to upload and share video with the world. YouTube is crawling with sketchy content that promotes toxic ideas and conspiracy theories, and it has only started addressing that. A new report from Bloomberg claims that YouTube spent years pretending the problem didn't exist for one reason: clicks.
No, this is not an April Fool—Essential is still updating the Essential Phone with remarkable speed. The phone, which launched in 2017, is getting its April OTA update at the same time as Google's phones. There are some minor tweaks to functionality, but this is mostly about security patches.
You can still get a single router if that's your speed, but most manufacturers have started pushing mesh systems. TP-Link has a few, and you can add another one to the list today. The budget-oriented Deco M4 comes with three AC1200 hubs and support for smart home automation for $179.99.The Deco M4 is a dual-band mesh system that runs on 2.4GHz and 5GHz. You can also choose to add a wired gigabit connection to each hub for dedicated backhaul. If you don't do that, you'll lose a little bandwidth to the connection between the mesh units. TP-Link says the Deco M4 can accommodate up to 100 devices while covering 5,500 square feet.Some of the more expensive Deco kits have enhanced capabilities including tri-band wireless and integrated Zigbee radios. However, $180 for three AC1200 mesh hubs is not a bad deal. The Deco M4 has integrated support for Amazon Alexa as well as IFTTT. So, you can use either service to make tweaks to your network performance. There is, of course, an app for setup and management, too. The Deco M4 goes on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers today.
No one wants wires on their Bluetooth earbuds anymore, but that adds substantially to the cost. Don't fret, though. The Jaybird Run earbuds are on sale today, and they offer some great features for just $119.99.The Run came out in 2017, but they're still the flagship true wireless product from Jaybird. The recently released Run XT are almost identical and not worth the added cost. These are sport-oriented earbuds, so they come with multiple fins and tip combos to ensure they stay put in your ear.
A lot of Google products have "fallen off of a truck" in the last couple of years, leading to leaks ahead of official announcements. This time, Google seems to have leaked its own unannounced product: the Nest Hub Max. The Google Store's connected home page has been updated with a description of this new smart display, which features a Nest camera and 10-inch HD screen.
Usually, Google bundles up new features in big app updates that you can sideload, but it's increasingly common for new features to just show up after a server-side switch gets flipped. That's the case today with Duo. The way you select contacts is different, and you can do different things with them.
As you may have noticed, Android Police and a lot of other sites around the internet use Disqus as a comment platform. It's easier for everyone to have a system that works across sites, but we're also at the mercy of Disqus. You're about to notice a change in the comments, and we don't like it any more than you do.
The internet is a rough-and-tumble place, full of sketchy characters who would love to dig through your online accounts. The best way to prevent that is with 2-step verification (also called 2-factor authentication), and Google is making it easier to use that on Google G Suite accounts. The browser UI is getting an update, and support for Bluetooth security keys is expanding.
Motorola started the trend of cheap phones that aren't junk with the original Moto G back in 2013. That was the first time you could buy a phone for a couple hundred bucks that would get you through a day without making you want to hurl it through the nearest window. The success of that phone led other OEMs to target lower prices, and the battle rages to this day. However, Motorola has moved the Moto G a bit more up-market. Each successive generation has been a little more expensive, but some premium smartphone features are still missing.That brings us to the Moto G7, which launched recently at $299. It's the most expensive Moto G update yet, and it makes some improvements over the last-gen devices. Some of those updates are valuable, and others won't matter one way or the other. I like using the Moto G7; it's fast, attractive, and the software is clean. However, it doesn't offer enough to completely justify the $300 price tag. That's a problem for the G-series, which has traditionally offered incredible bang for your buck.
Samsung has stood firm against the trend of removing headphone jacks from smartphones, but it might be on the verge of ditching some other important pieces of its next flagship device. Rumors point to the Galaxy Note 10 as one of Samsung's first buttonless phones with no physical volume or power buttons. One potential upside: no Bixby button, either.
Home security cameras are common these days, but they're often spendy. Wyze made waves a while back by offering a basic but effective security camera for just $20. The Wyze cam is now getting some company in the form of a home sensor system that also costs $20.
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Google announced a lot of things at I/O last year, many of which had to do with Assistant and Google Home. One promise it hasn't yet lived up to is the ability to make your Google Home sound like singer-songwriter John Legend. It looks like that voice option is starting to roll out, but only in a very limited fashion.
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Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch Active alongside the Galaxy S10 a few weeks back, and it said the Watch Active would be its first smartwatch with blood pressure monitoring. However, the device has been on sale for weeks, and owners report there's still no blood pressure monitoring. Samsung, meanwhile, remains silent on the issue.
Speakers are no longer just ways to listen to music; they're often home to helpful AI personalities like Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart speakers are big business these days, and market analysis firm Canalys has a new report that shows just how big. According to Canalys, Google, Xiaomi, and Alibaba all saw massive worth in smart speakers in 2018 vs. 2017. Amazon, however, saw a more modest rise.
Wireless charging is officially "a thing" again now that Apple made it cool. Even Google is back on wireless charging with the Pixel 3, although it has its own fast wireless charging standard. Wireless charging may also be coming to Chrome OS, according to a new commit in the open source code.
Samsung launched the Note 7 in 2016, but the phone was on sale for less than two months before repeated issues with battery fires resulted in its cancelation. The phone came back in 2017 as the Note FE (Fan Edition) in select markets. Even though Samsung would probably prefer to forget this whole incident ever happened, it's still pushing a Pie update today.
LG's update performance as of late has been less than stellar. Despite the formation of a "Software Upgrade Center" several years back, the company is still slow to get new versions of Android out the door. The V40 is still waiting on that Pie update, but it shouldn't be long now. LG has released the Pie-based kernel source for the V40 and LG G8.
The Arlo Ultra 4k cameras initially launched at Best Buy early this year, but the company seemed to pull back following reports of widespread problems. Today, Arlo Ultra returns to Best Buy, and it launches for the first time at Amazon. It's gotten several firmware updates over the past few weeks that should address the issues that plagued the launch.The Arlo Ultra is still a fully wireless camera system like past Arlos, but the resolution is 4K, and there's a new hub with smart home capabilities. Early purchasers reported a lot of reliability problems with Arlo Ultra, but it looks like the company has tried to get that all sorted out in a series of updates. Here's the most recent firmware changelog.