Latest Articles
Stadia is now available on iOS thanks to Google's clever workaround
You won't find it in the App Store
It's been over a year since Google launched Stadia, and since then the cloud gaming service has continued releasing new features and rolling out to more countries. Last month, we heard that Stadia might be coming to Apple devices, and now that moment has arrived — although you won't find it via the App Store.
Gaming on the Nest Hub and other smart displays is leveling up with these new releases
Hello Kitty is coming to a smart display near you
Smart displays are good for lots of useful things, but what about when you just want to unwind and relax? Google brought touch-enabled games to smart displays earlier this year, and now the company is releasing an update that's focused on getting more people playing with a newly revamped gaming screen and a selection of new titles.
Samsung thinks it's Pixar now, gives Up the one thing it was missing: SoC product placement
I'd probably give this version of Up two thumbs down
Samsung makes phones, tablets, watches, and more, but did you know it also makes movies? Well, kind of — in a new video promoting Exynos processors, the company plays at being Pixar by recreating Up in some of the strangest ways imaginable. And while there's no adorable wilderness explorer present, there are a lot of musically gifted mutant mascot characters.
YouTube is experimenting with new ways to get you watching Shorts
And it looks like the Chromecast icon might be an indirect casualty
Back when TikTok's fate was still uncertain, YouTube debuted its own quasi-TikTok competitor called Shorts. It's only been a few months since then, but the company is already experimenting with new ways to get more viewers watching Shorts, including potentially replacing the Chromecast icon in the top bar of the app.
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 678 chip delivers a minor speed boost and improved camera performance
It's really not much of an upgrade over the two-year-old Snapdragon 675
Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon 675 back in 2018 as a mid-range chipset focused on providing a great experience for mobile gaming (without costing an arm and a leg). A lot has happened in the last two years, but Qualcomm isn't changing up the formula too much for this new successor apart from some dynamic camera upgrades and minor performance tweaks.
Foam earbud tips from Comply are launching soon for the Pixel Buds
Google didn't include active noise cancelation, but these may be the next best thing
When Google released the next-generation Pixel Buds earlier this year, reactions were mixed. The earbuds came equipped with a lot of neat features, but the basic experience was subpar, with glitchy Bluetooth connections and a fit that couldn't be called the most comfortable in the world. Now a new accessory coming to the Google Store may help alleviate that last concern, as Comply is bringing its fancy foam ear tips to Pixel Buds.
Crank up the tunes with Anker's $50 deal on its groovy, light-up, 20W waterproof speaker ($10 off)
Pump up the volume — and the savings
Some songs just deserve to be blasted poolside at high volumes, and today Amazon is helping make that possible with a deal on Anker's Soundcore Flare 2 speaker. It's a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that pumps out 20W of sound for up to 12 hours on a single charge, and right now it's only $49.99 at Amazon.com — a respectable $10 off.Sure, the Soundcore Flare 2 utilizes modern standards like Bluetooth 5.0 and USB-C charging, but the coolest part about it is the futuristic flare lighting ringing the top and bottom of the unit. Since there are 6 different modes to choose from using the Soundcore app, the mood lighting can reflect the current playlist's vibe perfectly by pulsing to the beat.
St. Nick masks up for Christmas in Google's 2020 Santa Tracker update
Just like all the good little boys and girls
COVID-19 may have thrown a wrench into people's holiday plans, but Google's Santa Tracker is back to keep us company while we're stuck at home. And this year, Google has given it a simple modification that makes it feel very 2020: gifting a pair of purple masks to Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Google is experimenting with Assistant routines that can run at sunrise and sunset
Rise and shine with a little help from Google
Google Assistant is pretty powerful, especially when you start playing around with some of its more advanced customization options. The company has been adding new routines recently, including ones that sense your presence and keep you on track during the workday. Now it looks like Google is working on two new routines called sunset and sunrise.
Samsung's Galaxy S10 may not be the new kid on the block anymore, but it's still an excellent value — especially at this price. Right now, Best Buy has 128GB models of the S10 on sale for just $449.99, a significant savings on a device with a Snapdragon 855 processor, 8GB of RAM, and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.
Amazon's weird Halo band is now available if you want to pay $4/month for fitness tracking
This Halo does not seem very angelic
Fitness trackers have been around for a while now, but Amazon started testing its first fitness-focused wearable earlier this year. It can measure body fat percentage, analyze the tone of your voice, and it's available now for an initial $99.99 along with a $3.99 monthly fee — but the real cost might be your privacy.Halo calculates body fat percentage rather than weight or BMI because Amazon says it's a better indicator of health than those stats alone. But how it goes about computing that might not sit well with some folks: Amazon asks you to strip down to your underwear or other similar skintight clothes and capture photographs of your body in 360° to send to its cloud servers. (Perhaps not the best look for a company run by the guy who got his phone hacked by a Saudi prince.)
Pick up Nvidia's 4K Shield TV Pro for just $180 from Amazon ($20 off)
One of the best Android TV experiences around
Your TV is only as good as the streaming dongle attached or built into it. NVIDIA's Shield TV Pro is a great way to upgrade your current setup. It comes with plenty of essential features like Chromecast support and Assistant integration, as well as premium extras such as 4K AI Upscaling and Dolby Vision. Normally retailing for $199.99, Amazon currently has the streaming device on sale for $179.99 — a cool $20 discount.The Shield TV Pro delivers on the streaming standards with access to 4K HDR content from thousands of games and apps via the Play Store. It can run almost anything you can throw at it thanks to Nvidia's Tegra X1+ chip coupled with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. The included voice remote has backlit buttons, an IR blaster, and a built-in remote control locator that ensures it'll never get lost.
There are a lot of solid smartwatch options on the market these days, but Samsung's offerings are some of the best options for Android users. The Galaxy Watch3 is the company's newest product, complete with a sleek design, wireless charging, and an ECG sensor. And right now, every model of the wearable is on sale for $110 off on Amazon, with prices starting at $289.99 for the 41mm version.The Galaxy Watch3 features excellent battery life that lasts easily through a full day of use. And since it works with reverse wireless charging on newer Galaxy phones, topping it up can be as easy as placing it on the back of your phone. Samsung packed a number of helpful health tracking features into the watch, like automatic sleep tracking and the ability to monitor your stress levels.
Google Pay adds support for 34 new banks in 26 countries
Google is banking on the continued success of NFC payments
The Google Pay team has been busy launching a brand-new app, but they've also found time to keep expanding the list of supported banks. These financial institutions let you add their credit and debit cards to Google Pay for quick and easy NFC payments. Google added 24 banks back in October, and now the company has tacked on an additional 34, in 26 countries around the globe.
Google built a rig with dozens of cameras and hundreds of LED lights to make Portrait Lighting possible on Pixels
It's not mad science
Google produces some of the best still photography with its Pixel phones, but its method is more than just magic. Instead, it's the result of hard technical labor and lots of machine learning models. When Google introduced a refined portrait mode on the Pixel 3, it utilized a wacky 5-phone case to train its ML models — but the rig the company created to enable its new Portrait Light mode might be even wilder.
Power up with this 61W USB-C PD charging brick for just $20 ($4 off)
Maximum power in a size that's mini
A charging cable is only as good as the brick it's connected to. RAVPower's USB-C charger utilizes gallium nitride technology to maximize charging speed and efficiency while minimizing the physical space required. It's slim, powerful, and right now at Amazon, it's available for only $19.99 when you use an on-page coupon.This charging brick from RAVPower may be compact, but its diminutive size doesn't lessen its power-giving abilities. It can output up to 61 watts of pure power, enough to fully charge a 13” MacBook Pro in under two hours. Since it's a USB-C PD 3.0 charger, it's fully compatible with a wide variety of devices from laptops, to tablets, to smartphones.
Todoist launches new Google Assistant integration to make keeping up with to-do lists easier than ever
It supports Todoist's Quick Add syntax
As voice assistants get smarter, everyday tasks become easier to accomplish. Now Todoist is introducing a completely revamped version of its Todoist for Google Assistant integration which promises to make keeping up with to-do lists faster with help from advanced voice commands.
Pick up a pair of Sony's fitness-focused ANC earbuds for $130 ($18 off)
Up to 9 hours of battery on a single charge
Active noise cancellation is always nice to have, but it comes in especially handy in situations like workouts where focus is essential. Sony's WF-SP800N are a pair of fitness-focused earbuds that offer ANC capabilities and some of the longest battery life around. And right now, Amazon has them on sale for $129.99 — a solid $18.01 discount.When we reviewed the WF-SP800N earlier this year, we concluded that they offered "almost everything you could ask for in a pair of gym earbuds." That praise is due to their nice sound, adequate ANC performance, and super long longevity. These buds get up to 9 hours on a single charge — and that's with ANC enabled!
Ads on the web come in all shapes and sizes. Google introduced the aptly named "link ads" back around 2007, but tastes evolve over time. Now Google is moving on in favor of something more modern, so say your goodbyes — link ads are soon to be a thing of the past.
Surveillance companies are using mobile ads to obtain scarily accurate location data
"Wow," says the surveillance agent assigned to watch me, "he sure doesn't move around much."
As people become more conscious of the importance of data privacy, dominoes are beginning to fall. Earlier this week, we learned that the company behind the X-Mode SDK had been caught selling customer location data to government contractors. Now a new report claims that overseas surveillance vendors are siphoning location data from smartphones with the help of mobile advertising tools.