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Abuse has always been a problem on the internet. In most cases, attackers can retain full anonymity, and never face the consequences of their actions. This is especially common on social media, but Instagram is trying to stay one step ahead. Starting today, a new option in the Instagram settings allows users to hide offensive or inappropriate comments.
The Twitch Android app has always been good enough for watching streams, but now it's even better. Earlier today, Twitch announced a major new update for the Android and iOS apps, with a brand new interface and a few notable new features. Twitch says the new app should be available to everyone by early July, but we have the APK, because ain't nobody got time for dat.
If you're not familiar with Android Things OS, it's a lightweight version of Android designed to run on Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The first Developer Preview was released last year, and there have been a few updates since then. Now Google has released the first preview of Android Things Console, which makes managing a fleet of Android Things devices significantly easier.
Six years is a long time, especially in the technology world. When Google+ was launched on this day in 2011, the Nexus S was still pretty new, Google Reader was still around (RIP), and we were mourning the loss of Google Buzz. Here we are, six years later, and the site is still kicking - though perhaps to a lesser extent than Google initially hoped for.
The Google News & Weather app for Android has been updated semi-regularly since it was re-branded in 2014. But during that time, the desktop site remained mostly unchanged. Today Google took the wraps off a brand new Google News site, which not only has a fresh coat of Material Design, but also adds some major new functionality.
After months of rumors, leaks, and hype, the OnePlus 5 was released earlier this month to mostly-positive reviews. However, the numerous missteps OnePlus has taken over the past years have put into question if the phone is worth the $479 asking price. Yesterday, OnePlus hosted an AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on Reddit to discuss the phone, but the end result wasn't pretty.
Sony's latest phone, the Xperia XZ Premium, launched in the United States last week. As the name implies, it's a rather expensive phone ($799.99), but offers a few unique features like a camera capable of recording 960FPS slow-motion video. Sony has now added the phone to its Open Devices program, making it easy for developers to build AOSP for the device.
Android Auto is pretty cool, but the requirement of an expensive headunit for your car (or a new car that shipped with Android Auto support) set the barrier of entry pretty high. Thankfully, Google added the ability to use the Android Auto interface on your phone last year. Still, if you want the full Android Auto experience, a compatible Sony head unit is currently $398 ($100 off) from select sites.The Sony XAV-AX100 has a 6.4" LCD display, Bluetooth compatibility, and an AM/FM tuner. It also fully works with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so if you switch away from Android devices at some point (or you're already rocking an iPhone), it won't become useless.The sale appears to be live on several sites, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Newegg. Let us know in the comments if you see it anywhere else.Source: Sony XAV-AX100 - Amazon, Newegg, Best Buy, Walmart
Samsung is far from the best company when it comes to product names (remember the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch?). In a similar vein, there are actually two tablets called the Galaxy Tab S2 - one released in 2015 with an Exynos processor, and another in 2016 with a Snapdragon chip. Verizon's Snapdragon model already received an Android 7.0 update, and now it's the Exynos model's turn.
Just like any other carrier, Project Fi has some problems. Only a handful of devices are supported, there's no unlimited plan, and data is expensive unless you keep your usage down. Another common complaint is that you couldn't sign up for Project Fi with a G Suite account, but today Google has addressed that.
Back in February, T-Mobile announced that it would begin using unassigned portions of the 5GHz spectrum to offer more bandwidth and coverage to its customers. The company called this 'LTE-U,' and said that it would start rolling out to customers in the spring. Well, it's a bit past spring, but we're now starting to see LTE-U go live in select cities.
There are already plenty of color options for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, including Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Arctic Silver, Maple Gold, and Coral Blue. That's an awful lot of colors to choose from, but if you wanted a pink phone, you were unfortunately out of luck. Samsung has announced a new color of the S8+, named "Rose Pink," but it will only be available in Taiwan (for now).
Earlier this year, HMD Global started production of Android phones with the Nokia brand. The Nokia 6 was revealed in January, and the Nokia 6 and 3 were announced the next month. The phones have been well-received, and HMD seems dedicated to quick updates. Unfortunately, none of them have been (officially) available in the United States.
One of the headline features of Android O is picture-in-picture video support across all devices. The feature has been part of Android TV since Nougat, but starting with O, it works on phones and tablets too. A handful of applications have already added support for the feature, including VLC, Duo, and Play Movies - now it's Chrome's turn.
If there's one thing that Motorola consistently does well, it's budget phones. All three variants of the Moto G4 - the normal, Plus, and Play - were some of the best inexpensive phones on the market last year. Now that the Moto G5 is out, we've seen the G4 Play drop to $100 on occasion, and now it has happened again.
Until recently, it almost seemed like most phone manufacturers were skipping Android 7.1 in favor of the upcoming Android O release. Thankfully, we've seen several manufacturers start to push 7.1 updates to at least some of their devices, and Sony's Xperia X and X Compact phones are up next.
It makes sense that mainstream flip phones, at least in the United States, have gone the way of the dodo. Smartphones have become incredibly cheap over the past few years, and usually offer more functionality than a comparable flip/candy bar phone. Samsung still releases them in its home base of South Korea, but they usually run Android.
Facebook, for better or for worse, remains one of the primary ways people communicate with each other online. So it should come as no surprise that India, with somewhere around 450 million internet users, is one of Facebook's primary markets. Today the company announced that a test pilot program has begun in India, focusing on increased control over user profile pictures.
One of the main downsides to using a custom launcher was that you couldn't have an easily-accessible Google Now pane. While your feed is just a swipe away on the Google Now and Pixel Launchers, other applications were barred from using it due to API restrictions. That is, until the developer of Nova Launcher found a way around it by creating the 'Nova Google Companion.'
As great as LineageOS and other ROMs are, they wouldn't be possible without a custom recovery available for the device. TWRP is usually pretty quick to support new devices, with older phones and tablets being added to the list frequently too. Since our last post, TWRP has added support for 17 more devices, including the LeEco Le Pro 3 and Xiaomi Mi 6.