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When OnePlus announced its latest flagship phone, there were some interesting software features introduced alongside the impressive new hardware. Not all of them will be coming to older OnePlus devices but many of them will, including Zen Mode and the native screen recording function.
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Things are going from bad to worse for Huawei. In the wake of the US Government executive order that restricts US companies from doing business with the Chinese tech company, the repercussions are mounting. Huawei and Honor phones could lose Google services and access to future Android updates and HiSilicon's Kirin chips are also under threat. Now, two major UK carriers have dropped Huawei from their 5G launch plans.
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- The Smart Clock is now up for pre-order at different online retailers: Lenovo.com (ships in 5-7 days), as well as Walmart and B&H (ships June 2).
When the Lenovo Smart Clock was unveiled at CES in January, it was hard not to want one despite the $79.99 price tag. It's a tiny smart display with a 4-inch screen made specifically for your nightstand and it's undeniably adorable. It's been pretty much radio silence since the announcement, however, with only a vague Spring arrival touted. New pages just added to the Lenovo support site suggest we won't have to wait much longer.
Over the last six months or so, Honor has undertaken a rebranding exercise in part to give the impression of a more modern smartphone maker that appeals to a youthful audience and in part to distance itself from parent company Huawei. In view of recent political developments, it’s obviously hugely beneficial for Huawei to have a sub-brand that carries a different name and cachet, although they come as a package as far as Google is concerned and that looks like it could spell trouble for both.
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C by GE already makes white, dimmable smart lights designed specifically to work with Google Home — there's even a starter kit with a Home Mini — but now the company is adding full-color LEDs to the range, along with some additional smart products.
To many observers, OnePlus somewhat betrayed the value proposition its become known for when it announced the 7 Pro since it costs $120 more than the 6T did at launch. The company also unveiled a regular OnePlus 7 model that is essentially an updated 6T but with some meaningful upgrades to justify the phone's existence. Unless you live in the US, that is, where this phone apparently does not exist.
With all the limited-time testing and server-side changes Google makes to its keyboard app, it's tough to figure out what's new, what's not, and what will only be sticking around for a short while before disappearing again. The latest Gboard changelog includes a number of things that may or may not be new, so we sorted through to see what's what.
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After the Google I/O keynote, there was some confusion about how many devices would be getting Android Q Beta 3. A total of 21 was given originally, but that didn't include the newly announced Pixel 3a and 3a XL even though we'd separately been told they were going to get it. That was later confirmed, but they've now been removed.
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If you're looking for an in-depth evaluation of smartphone's display technology, DisplayMate is what you're after. The site tests most smartphones to see if the screens used by OEMs are up to scratch, and it's a useful resource if you want to check the quality of a device before purchasing. The OnePlus 7 Pro won't officially be announced until May 14, but DisplayMate is already impressed.
Alongside an impressive new series of phones, OnePlus also announced the second generation of its Bullets Wireless earbuds at today's launch event. The changes look minimal but we're told the earbuds have been completely redesigned with longer battery life, faster charging, and great sound in mind.
While most of the excitement at today's event has revolved around the stunning OnePlus 7 Pro, the company also announced a model more in line with its previous offerings. Very much an incremental update over the Oneplus 6T (think 6T+ or 6TT), the regular OnePlus 7 features an almost unchanged form factor with updated internals.
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- Some new info on Brydge's release plans has just trickled in, and much as we were expecting, you'll be waiting until spring to pick this hardware up, with a late-April/early-May target for release. Pricing might be a tad steeper than you were hoping for, though, and it sounds like shoppers will be shelling out just under $100 for each unit. Especially if you were hoping to snag both the keyboard and touchpad alike, that gets real expensive, real fast.
Historically, Brydge has released keyboards for iPads and Surface Pros, although we became more familiar with the company thanks to the 'Made for Google' Pixel Slate keyboard it recently produced. Brydge's Google intentions don't stop there, though, as it's now announced the first-ever wireless keyboard and touchpad designed exclusively for Chrome OS.
Since Google Calendar is one of the company's oldest and most ubiquitous products, you might think it would have reached this milestone already. However, it's only now joining the illustrious list of apps that have been installed from Play Store a total of one billion times.
Google's latest attempt at gesture navigation in the third Android Q beta has caused quite a stir. Some commend the decision to finally rip off the superior iOS-style home gesture, while others aren't happy with the new swipe-from-the-side back button. No matter what you think of it, it's here to stay, but the trusty old three-button navigation will be included as an option on all phones going forward.
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Google Podcasts gives us another option for listening to our favorite shows, but it's nowhere near as feature-rich as a lot of other competing services. Like a lot of early-stage Google products, it feels like there's some way to go before it catches up. The ability to listen on the web is a pretty basic feature that's been missing, but now there's a way to force this functionality.
Support for Tenor GIFs was recently added to Google's SMS messaging app, allowing you to easily add a GIF into your chats by tapping on the + and then 'GIF search.' Google really wants to encourage you to use this, it seems, as it's now offering suggestions for GIF searches based on your conversations.
We've already taken a look at one of the new feature flags in the Android Q Beta 1 — a buggy but potentially very useful native screen recording function — but there are several others worth mentioning too. Some of them bring about barely noticeable changes, but a few are actually pretty interesting.
Anker knows a thing or two about charging technology, as evidenced by the high praise we gave the PowerPort PD1 in our recent review. The company's latest product is the first to launch with Power IQ 3.0 tech, combining support for USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0.The PowerPort+ Atom III has two ports, one USB-C and one USB-A, so it's more than capable of charging both your laptop and phone at the same time. The total output tops out at 60W, matching official Apple Macbook chargers but with a 15% smaller package. Like other Anker Atom chargers before it, the III uses highly-efficient GaN (gallium nitride) semiconductors.
You'll be able to purchase the PowerPort+ Atom III from today in the US where you can get it from Amazon for .99. It will launch in the UK at the end of the month for £44.99. It's the first of what will be many products in the Power IQ 3.0 range, so look out for more chargers coming soon.
The third beta of Android Q is in the wild now, and it's a mixed bag so far. There are some good things, like the updated gesture navigation system; and some bad, like the loss of notification snoozing. Certain things are also seeing iterative changes, like the simplified notification alert settings that have appeared in Q Beta 3.
During a Google I/O talk about the current state and future direction of Android TV, Project Lead Anwar Haneef spoke about making the humble TV the heart of the smart home. One of the upcoming improvements he briefly showed off was the long-awaited update to the Play Store app for the platform.