Corbin Davenport
Contributing since August, 2015
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3615articles
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About Corbin Davenport
Corbin is a tech journalist and developer who worked at Android Police from 2016 until 2021. Check out his other work at corbin.io.
Latest Articles
Get the Misfit Vapor X smartwatch with Wear OS for as low as $15
You read that right, a smartwatch for $15
The Misfit Vapor X was released last year by Fossil Group, and has most of the bells and whistles you would expect in a modern Wear OS smartwatch. It started off at $280, but right now you can get it for as low as $15. No, you didn't read that wrong.Misfit is currently selling the Vapor X on its online store for $39.99 with a band, or $14.99 for just the watch body. The watch supports traditional 20mm watch bands, so if you already have a compatible band, you can save some money there (though the $15 option doesn't come with the charger). As of the time of writing, all the color options are available. This isn't one of those "super cheap with expensive shipping" deals, either — Misfit is offering free shipping.
Five changes we would make to the OnePlus Nord
OnePlus is off to a good start, but there's room for improvement
After months of rumors, speculation, and a slow drip of information from OnePlus, the Nord budget phone was finally released earlier this month. It's an impressive package for £379/€399, complete with a 5G-capable Snapdragon processor, a 90Hz screen, and 30W fast charging. However, it's not a perfect device — no phone is, after all.
Computers that lack native software for common tasks can be a tough sell sometimes, which is why Google throws in a few perks when you buy a Chromebook. Google recently started including a free year of 100GB Dropbox storage with Chromebooks (on top of the 100GB Google Drive offer that has been around for years), but now there's another promotion — three months of Stadia Pro.
Google Voice will shut down old website on August 11
The new app still won't have the option to add notes to call logs
Google Voice has gone through plenty of changes over the past year. The Android app received a dark mode, Gmail integration and multi-platform call transfer arrived, and Voice can finally function with Google Fi on the same account. Now another transition is on the way, as the original Voice website will be shut down in August.
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Arlo's latest video doorbell had a rough start, with missing support for some must-have features, but it has improved quite a bit since its initial release. Now you can get the Arlo Video Doorbell AVD1001 for just $109.99, a discount of $40 from the original MSRP (and $39 below the current Amazon price).This doorbell has a super-simple setup process, a 180-degree 1536x1536 camera, support for HDR and night vision, and two-way audio (so you can talk to whoever's at your door from your phone). There is a cloud-based subscription for recorded video and motion alerts, but if you have a compatible Arlo SmartHub, you can record footage to a USB drive instead. Check out our full review for all the details.
Get a single Google Wifi router for $70, 3-pack for $175 today only
A new low price on the single
The original Google Wifi system was first released in late 2016, and even though it has been replaced by the slightly-better Nest Wifi, the first-gen system is still an upgrade over many mesh networks available today. Today, Woot is selling both the single and 3-pack models at some of the lowest prices we've seen yet.
Microsoft's Family Safety is now available on Android and iOS
Keep track of family members, no matter what platform they're using
Microsoft announced last month that its new Microsoft 365 subscription service (formerly Office 365) would offer some family-oriented features, like a new 'Family Safety' app that combines screen time data across multiple platforms and provides tracking information. Following two months of a public beta program, Microsoft has today shared that the app is going stable.
Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ specifications appear in Google Play Console
Both tablets will have a Snapdragon 865 Plus and 6GB RAM
There has been a slow drip of information about Samsung's upcoming flagship Android tablets, the Tab S7 and S7+. Earlier this month, reported specifications for the tablets were published by SamMobile, and now we have confirmation of the hardware from none other than Google.
Last year, Chrome OS added support for displaying files from Android cloud storage apps. The feature worked immediately with apps that already used Android's DocumentsProvider API, including OneDrive and Box, but Dropbox didn't support the API at the time. Dropbox has finally added the API, giving it integration with the Chrome OS file manager.
Mozilla has been working on a brand new version of Firefox for Android, nicknamed 'Fenix,' for over a year at this point. The new codebase slowly trickled down from Preview to Beta, and at long last, the aging stable browser is now receiving the update. However, fans of the stable browser might still notice a few features missing.
Cat S62 Pro announced with upgraded thermal cameras and Android 10
Predator vision for your phone
Bullitt Group has been producing smartphones under Caterpillar Inc's brand (yes, the construction equipment company) for a few years now, giving us phones like the infrared-equipped Cat S60. Now the company has returned with another durable Cat phone, the S62 Pro.
Google has been ramping up the Linux environment on Chrome OS lately, with features like microphone support and USB connections. For those of you who spend a lot of time in the command-line Terminal, Chrome OS 84 has updated the app with new themes and customization options.
Get the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite for $320 ($30 off), its lowest price yet
Samsung's strongest iPad competitor yet gets even cheaper
Samsung is one of the few companies that still produce quality Android tablets. The new Tab S6 Lite isn't quite high-end, but it still strikes a good balance between features and price, if buying an iPad is completely out of the question. Its already reasonable price fell $20 to $330 just last week, and now it's down another $10 to a very appealing $320. The 128GB version is $30 off, too.The Tab S6 Lite has a mid-range Exynos 9611 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage (with microSD expansion), a 7,040mAh battery, and Android 10/One UI 2.1. The main selling point is that an S Pen is included, so you can draw (or just use it as a pointer, like me) without purchasing anything extra. Unlike the full Tab S6, the screen is an IPS LCD, not an AMOLED panel.
OnePlus was one of the first manufacturers to release a phone outside of Asia with a 90Hz screen, starting with the OnePlus 7 Pro. The new technology (new to phones, anyway) provides smoother animations, and perhaps more importantly, more responsive gameplay. If you're looking for games that take full advantage of the advanced display on the OnePlus Nord, you've come to the right place.
Chrome 84 was released a little over a month ago, and now Chrome 85 has graduated to the Beta Channel. This release mostly focuses on under-the-hood features and new APIs for developers to use, but there are still a few interesting changes worth noting. Let's take a look!
If your T-Mobile phone doesn't have VoLTE, you could get kicked off the network soon
Metro by T-Mobile will also be affected, along with MVNOs like Google Fi, Mint, and Ting (Update: T-Mobile statement)
According to internal T-Mobile documents obtained by Android Police, the carrier plans to fast track the shutdown of its 3G voice network, forcing some customers to buy new phones or leave the network in a matter months. Most carriers have already shut down their legacy 2G networks, so the frequencies can be re-used for LTE and 5G, and 3G's expiration date is now quickly approaching. AT&T started warning customers this week that phones without 4G voice calling would no longer work starting in 2022, and it now appears T-Mobile will be following suit with an even more aggressive timeline.
OnePlus started its history in the smartphone industry by offering a good phone, the OnePlus One, at a great price. Fast forward to today, and the company's brand and reputation are strong enough that OnePlus can sell phones at flagship prices without anyone batting an eye — Samsung's Galaxy S20+ has repeatedly been on sale for only $50 more than the 9 OnePlus 8 Pro.For the first time in years, OnePlus has produced a mid-range Android phone at an incredibly competitive price. The OnePlus Nord has a decent Snapdragon processor, 128GB of storage, 8GB RAM, and a 90Hz screen all for just £379 (€399—and remember, that includes tax, unlike advertised US prices). Extended reviews of the phone haven't been published yet, but at least on paper, the Nord certainly looks impressive.Sadly, OnePlus has given no real indication that the Nord will be officially released in the United States, or anywhere else in North America. The phone is squarely targeted at European and Indian markets, where cheap unlocked devices are more popular than the expensive carrier-subsidized phones that dominate America. Even the most expensive flagship phones can end up only costing $30-50/month from carrier stores in the United States, and that's without the subsidies and trade-in deals that often show up days after a phone's release.
Google already throws in a few perks with the purchase of Chromebooks, like three months of Disney+ or copies of Doom I and II, but now there's an extra bonus. If you've bought a Chromebook recently, you might be able to get 100GB of free Dropbox storage for 12 months.
EU raises concerns Google could abuse Fitbit data to improve Google Search
Acquisition could get held up by a probe
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Google set out to acquire fitness company Fitbit in November of last year, but the deal hasn't gone through all the required regulatory approvals yet. There have been concerns that the acquisition could lead to reduced competition and Google extending its apparatus of data-collecting for targeted advertisements, and now advocacy groups around the world are urging governments to closely investigate the deal.
How to find out if your T-Mobile phone has VoLTE support
T-Mobile will shut out all incompatible devices next year
T-Mobile will stop activating phones on its network that don't support Voice over LTE (VoLTE) starting on August 4th of this year, and existing phones that aren't compatible will completely stop working on T-Mobile sometime in January 2021. The move doesn't give customers much time to replace their devices, especially if they're using a flagship phone and don't want to use something slower.