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Huawei has been on an upward trajectory for years, but 2018 has been somewhat less successful than Huawei would have liked. After being effectively shut out of the US smartphone market, it launched the Mate 10 Pro as an unlocked device. Now, it's time for Huawei's second flagship launch of the year, and this one probably isn't coming to the US even in an unlocked capacity. The new Huawei P20 Pro has a lot in common with the Mate 10 Pro, but there are several notable upgrades—or downgrades, depending on your perspective.
Getting Android Auto in a vehicle that doesn't already have it can be a pricey proposition. Some head units can cost upward of $1,000, and then you have to pay to get them installed. There's a good deal today, though. You can get the JVC KW-M730BT for just $280. That's the lowest price we've seen so far.This head unit fits in vehicles that have a standard double-DIN dash system. Keep in mind, that's not especially common in new vehicles. The KW-M730BT has a 6.8-inch touchscreen with support for both Android Auto and CarPlay. It also has satellite radio, if you prefer to subscribe to that. There's no CD player or HD radio, though.This head unit is the runner-up in The Wirecutter's Android Auto/CarPlay guide. It gets points for having a large screen and satellite radio, but the main pick (a Sony unit) has physical buttons that the reviewer liked more than the JVC's all-touch approach. However, that Sony unit is substantially more expensive at $400. The KW-M730BT is in stock at Amazon with Prime shipping.Source: Amazon
There's a new smartphone hitting the market, and that means YouTube channel JerryRigEverything is going to get a unit to mess up. The Huawei P20 Pro isn't available officially in the US, but you're looking at the equivalent of at least $1,000 to get your hands on one. Is it going to break after you spend all that dough? Well, that's a big maybe.
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A few years ago, Apple was the first big emoji designer to stop rendering the "pistol" emoji as a real gun. It went from a revolver to a green squirt gun, and other companies have just started coming around. Twitter and Samsung already made the change, and now it's Google's turn. Say goodbye to the revolver and hello to the super soaker.
LG announced the creation of a new division recently that is intended to improve its sluggish smartphone updates. The so-called "Software Upgrade Center" is now set to make its first contribution to LG's smartphones. The company has announced Oreo updates for the G6 will begin on Monday. Don't get too excited, though. It'll take time for all variants to get the update.
Some new updates are rolling out to SwiftKey users today, and there are goodies for both beta and stable channels. If you're using the regular app, get ready for more refinements to the toolbar. Plus, a previously released feature is rolling out to more markets. For beta users, it's all (okay, mostly) about the quick settings.
So you need some more storage in your phone? Well, you're in luck as long as you've got a microSD card slot. The 200GB SanDisk card is on sale today for a mere $56. That's the cheapest we've seen it since the last Black Friday sale.This is a microSD card, and you should be pretty familiar with those by now. I won't bore you with details except to say it has transfer speeds as high as 100MB/s and supports the A1 standard for running apps. It's around $15 cheaper than it was a few days ago and has Prime shipping.This card is part of Amazon's larger Gold Box deals today, which you should check out. There aren't any other mobile-specific things, but there's some good stuff. For example, a GTX 1050 Ti GPU for a non-obscene amount of money. The sales are valid today only.Source: Amazon
You know Google I/O is right around the corner when the official app gets a fresh coat of paint. Yes, today is the day. You can download the new Google I/O app right now and begin reserving seats and adding events to your schedule. It also looks pretty different.
The original Snapchar Spectacles were something of a fad when you could only get them from a handful of vending machines. However, the hype died down when they became generally available. Snap ended up losing money on unsold hardware, but it hasn't given up on Spectacles. The second-gen specs are now available. They cost a bit more, but they include several new features.
Nest launched the Cam IQ last year as its first device with facial recognition, and over time, it's gotten more features like Google Assistant integration. It's a great camera, but the $300 asking price is steep. You can, however, get a solid discount today on Woot. You can save $100 or more, and the camera isn't even a refurb.
LG has waited a bit longer than expected to announce a successor to the G6, but the G7 ThinQ is probably just around the corner. LG has been dropping breadcrumbs in the lead-up to the announcement, and today it's talking about the screen. As previous rumors suggested, it'll be an LCD. However, LG says its "Super Bright Display" technology will offer improved battery life with a brightness of 1,000 nits.
Huawei was expecting to launch the Mate 10 Pro on US carriers this year, but government pressure forced both AT&T and Verizon to drop the deal. Now, the Wall Street Journal reports the government is taking more direct action against the Chinese technology giant. The Department of Justice has opened an official investigation of Huawei that could have wide-ranging implications for its business.
You might have heard the news that Google finally launched the new Gmail today. It's appearing in browsers all over the world as we speak, but another Gmail implementation is getting some new goodies, too. The Gmail app on Android will get snooze functionality as part of this revamp, and it appears the feature is rolling out to phones.
According to Flipboard, the technology category is one of its most-read sections. So, it's giving the tech feed a redesign with new features and more content. It's rolling out now to everyone with a personal magazine in the technology category.
Spotify has a lot of competition in the streaming music space, but today it announced a new feature that could set it apart. Even if you choose not to pay for a premium Spotify subscription, you can now choose specific tracks to stream. Previously, the free version of the service only supported shuffle mode.
Google parent company Alphabet just announced financial results for the first quarter of 2018, and the news is good across the board. The company took in a whopping $31.15 billion over the three-month period ending March 31st, which is a 26% increase of Q1 of 2017. After expenses, Google had $9.4 billion in net income for Q1.
Home security makers are investing big in AI features, and Canary is no exception. After deploying person detection earlier this year, the company has rolled out a new app update that includes refinements to that feature, as well as more control over what your cameras record.
Have you noticed something missing from your notification shade lately? According to an increasingly lengthy support thread on Google's product forums, those handy departure time notifications have mysteriously vanished. Some users have found a Chrome-based workaround, but the root cause remains unknown.
At Mobile World Congress, LG announced a new version of the V30 called the V30S ThinQ, but it wasn't actually new. There were no hardware changes to enable the AI camera features (just more storage and RAM), so there was nothing stopping LG from rolling them out in an update. It did so in Korea last month, and now the same re-branding is coming to Verizon in the latest update.
The official Reddit app has been not so good compared to many of the alternative clients, but it's getting better today. The v3.0 update is in beta, and it adds a number of important features. The app finally has a night mode that won't sear your retinas in a dark room, and it's easier to access/switch accounts. Oh, and you can turn on a "Pony" theme. What more could you want?