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Spotify hits a billion Android installations, doubling in just two years
The music platform is leaving its competition in the dust
Spotify wants to be your first, last, and only destination for all things audio. And based on the amount of people using it on Android, it's certainly getting there. Yesterday the app passed the notable 1 billion download mark on the Play Store. Now that Google Play Music has been axed (rest in peace), Spotify is the most downloaded music app on the platform. Notably, Spotify rapidly climbed from the 500 million mark to a billion in just over two years.
One of America's favorite cars is getting a wireless Android Auto option
The 2022 Honda Civic comes with wired Android Auto standard, wireless available as an upgrade
The Honda Civic is one of the most popular vehicles on the planet, and especially in the US and Canada, thanks to its low price, reliability, and immanent practicality. It's also, starting next year, one of the most accessible ways to get wireless Android Auto in a new car. The redesigned 11th-generation model will add wireless Android Auto capability to its upgraded entertainment system.
Google's next Pixel phone could hop on the ultrawide bandwagon with Samsung and Apple
A trusted source says Google is testing UWB support on new hardware
Ultra-wideband support is a hot ticket in the phone world right now. The latest models from both Apple and Samsung support it, allowing them to work with branded tracking devices (the new AirTag and Galaxy SmartTag+, respectively) that can show you where a lost item is with augmented reality, among other things. According to a trusted source, that capability may make its way into future Google hardware.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2 are both getting updated software
It's mostly stability fixes
The state of wearables for Android is kind of lamentable, but Samsung makes some of the best. Today it's rolling out software updates for the Galaxy Watch3 and Watch Active2, the latter of which hasn't seen a software bump since January. Both of them are relatively minor patches to Tizen version 5.5.0.2, released earlier this year.
Mozilla's VPN service is expanding into Europe
France and Germany are first on the list, but it's pricier than elsewhere
Mozilla is trying to set itself apart from Google and Microsoft in the browser space with a focus on privacy and security. Part of that is a new product, Mozilla VPN. It came out of beta last year, but was previously only available in the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Malaysia. It's now up and running in France and Germany as well.
Google Pay can now save you time and money at Safeway grocery stores
Public transit payments are coming to San Francisco and Chicago, too
If Google was a person, it would be really, really into Google Pay right now, in the way of recent religious converts or someone who just got a compliment from their crossfit instructor. In addition to multiple free money promotions for the revitalized version of the app, Google is adding more and more features to it regularly. The latest batch is more built-in coupon support, more compatibility with public transit payments, and better searching through your purchases.
Xiaomi's new fitness tracker is up for pre-order in the US for less than the cost of a video game
And the Mi Smart Band 6 is better for you, anyway
Xiaomi makes some great gear for budget-minded users, but finding it in the western hemisphere can sometimes be a problem. It looks like that won't be an issue for the company's latest fitness tracker. The Mi Smart Band 6, announced precisely one month ago, now has its own listing on Amazon's US store. It's a few cents shy of $60, and it's shipping out on May 18th. The Mi Smart Band 6 packs in quite a lot of value into just sixty bucks. It does the usual 24-7 heart rate monitoring with 50 atmospheres of water resistance, the better to stick with you during a sweaty workout or a shower. But it also has an Sp02 meter, the more advanced variation of a light-emitting sensor that can measure the amount of oxygen in your blood. That's still something of a premium feature — for example, FitBit's entry-level tracker the Inspire 2 doesn't do it, despite its $100 MSRP.Unfortunately, it looks like Amazon is only selling the black silicone band at the moment, and the international model lacks NFC. The merchant claims it's a licensed Xiaomi reseller, though we've only got its word for it.
The Band 6 uses a 1.56" vertical, full-color OLED screen, which it boasts is 40% larger than the last model, while maintaining an impressive two weeks of battery life. The Xiaomi Mi Fit app can measure thirty different fitness activities, track sleep, and forward notifications to your wrist. The app can sync fitness data to Google Fit, too.The Band 5 got serious praise when we reviewed it last year, even if its best feature was its rock-bottom price tag. The new model is $10 more (at least on this listing), but with its more advanced sensor and bigger screen, it seems like a fair bump.Buy: AmazonVia: XDA
Unlike Apple and Samsung, T-Mobile's tracker gadget doesn't need a nearby phone to find your stuff
But you will have to pay for it every month, and charge it up every week
"Mom, can I have an Apple AirTag?" "No, we have an AirTag at home!"
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LG swears that at least some of its current phones will be getting updates, some up to the upcoming Android 12, as it bids the smartphone market goodbye. We can't speak to the likelihood of that outcome (well, we could, but we're being nice), but at least one more current model is getting updated to Android 11. The Verizon version of the LG Velvet is starting to get its Android 11 OTA this weekend.
Google Assistant can now correctly set timers or alarms even after you flub a voice command
The improved recognition system will land first on smart screens and speakers
How often do you use Google Assistant for an alarm or a timer, only to instantly second-guess yourself and mess up the command? Then you have to go back and erase the original one and do it over, all with somewhat awkward voice controls. Google's working on it, using some slick new technology that will make up for your lack of eloquence.
Soon you'll be able teach Assistant to pronounce your friends' names right
The new tool allows users to manually teach Assistant how to say unusual names
If you have a name that's not common in your default language, you know how weird it can be to hear it spoken back in speech-to-text. Google Assistant is a pretty good example of that in action, and of how it's becoming a more common problem as more and more of our tech gains voice powers. But thanks to some recent improvements, Assistant should be better at handling unusual names and spellings in the future.
Australia's anti-competitive beef with Google expands to target the Play Store
The government's report stops short of calling for new legislation, but says that's an option if Google doesn't improve
Google's struggling with an image problem right now. Ever since Epic decided to pull something of a stunt with the in-app purchase systems in Fortnite, the status of both Google and Apple as the gatekeepers of the mobile app world has been called into question. Google is facing regulatory scrutiny in the US, and now it looks like Australia wants to get in on the party.
Google Pay's latest promo gives you $15 for signing up a buddy
There's a maximum of $45 to claim, but you only have a week to get it done
The revitalized Google Pay isn't everyone's cup of tea. But if there's one thing that'll get you to try something new, it's free money. Google hasn't shied away from straight-up paying people to use its service before, and it looks like at least some users will get another chance to cash in. A new promotion is offering $15 in Pay credit to those who sign up a new user via a referral link, with a bonus $5 going to the newbie. That's $10 over the standard promotional rate for you.
Google made almost 18 billion dollars in three months
Alphabet's Q1 2021 earnings report shows it's bringing in just so much freakin' money
It's good to be the Goog, at least if what you want is to make incredible amounts of money. Continuing its trend as the pandemic rolls on, Google and its parent company Alphabet are absolutely coining it. Revenue for the first quarter of 2021 was 55.314 billion US dollars, an increase of an astonishing 34% over last year.
Apple Music now lets you annoy your friends with song lyrics
In version 3.5 you can also search by record label, if that's your Def Jam
For all that we've heard of Apple intentionally keeping Android out of its walled garden, the Apple Music streaming service seems to be a notable exception. Version 3.5 of the app is now rolling out to Android devices on the Play Store with a few interesting additions to its featureset.
Amazon's latest Fire HD 10 tablets are now finally optimized for Zoom
You'll have to pay up for wireless charging or an ad-free experience
Amazon's tablets aren't meant to set the world on Fire, but they're probably some of the most popular on the planet thanks to low price tags and integration with the company's retail empire. It's been about a year and a half since the 10-inch version got an upgrade, but today Amazon is taking pre-orders for the new Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 10 Plus. In terms of physical design, the refreshed Fire HD 10 now places its front-facing camera in a landscape position instead of portrait. It also moves the speakers to the bottom edge, giving the entire package a more conventional design for tablets of this size. Amazon says this is better for video conferencing. It keeps the same 10-inch, 1080p display as the previous model and a similar 2.0GHz octa-core processor, but boosts RAM up to 3GB. That's still on the low side for any Android device these days. Amazon says the body is thinner and lighter, with a stronger aluminosilicate screen that's 10% brighter.Thankfully Amazon kept the USB-C charging added to the last model, which isn't a given with tablets at this price point. Storage is either 32GB or 64GB, plus whatever you can fit in the MicroSD card slot. The 10 HD starts at $149.99 for the 32GB model, coming in black, denim, lavender, and olive color options. Yes, that price is "ad-supported," and it'll cost you $15 to get rid of them.
The HD 10 Plus keeps a more or less identical physical design, but boosts RAM up to a welcome 4GB and adds Qi-compatible wireless charging. Wireless charging is a rare feature on tablets, but Amazon started including it on some premium models last year, because it makes it easy to turn them into Alexa smart displays with the sold-separately dock. Previously the 10-inch tablets needed an adapter case for wireless charging; now it's built-in, like the Fire HD 8 Plus. The Plus model also gets a "premium" soft-touch finish. The Fire HD Plus has the same storage capacity, but that RAM boost is worth it for a $30 price bump.
In addition to the $50 wireless charging dock (made by budget brand favorite Anker), Amazon is also selling both tablets in a "productivity bundle," which comes with a Fintie wireless keyboard and a year of Microsoft 365, starting at $220 for the base model Fire 10 HD. Both tablets are up for pre-order on Amazon now, shipping on May 26th.
Spotify is about to get all up in your Facebook app
A new mini-player will play music and podcasts without leaving Facebook
Spotify and Facebook are two of the biggest players in the mobile software market. But being a streaming music platform and a tool for the slow, screaming destruction of civil society (respectively), they don't have a lot of crossover. That's about to end. This morning Spotify announced that it's going to allow its users to listen to Spotify music and podcasts via a mini-player directly in the Facebook app on Android and iOS.
Samsung's Apple-looking Bluetooth keyboard for DeX is now official
It'll work with just about anything, but using it with Galaxy gadgets unlocks some more functions
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Samsung is introducing a new Bluetooth keyboard designed for those who work on the go. Compatible with your desktop, tablet, phone, and whatever else you can think of, the Smart Keyboard Trio 500 apes recent designs from Apple and Logitech with a triple-device quick switch function, but it’s built from the ground up with the company’s DeX software in mind.Taking a glance at the Trio 500, you might mistake it for an Apple Magic keyboard, or an Anker design built along the same lines. But the function row has a few extra tools included, on top of the usual device one, two, and three switches. It has a function button to activate DeX, the desktop-style interface for Samsung phones and tablets, and three quick app launch functions. Naturally both of those features only work on a Galaxy device compatible with DeX.
Google's ads for this year's Oscars had more emotion than half the nominees
I'm not crying, you're crying
After a string of increasingly weird videos promoting the Pixel phone line, it's almost comforting to see Google return to plucking at your heartstrings. Such is the case with two new Google Search commercials posted to Google's official YouTube channel this weekend, both made for the recent Oscars, and at least one of which aired during the event.
WhatsApp may add a new option for disappearing messages soon
A new 24-hour time limit has been spotted in a test build
Late last year WhatsApp added the option to force your messages to disappear, a la Telegram. At the time the only setting was for the messages to vanish after 7 days, but according to a leak uncovered by some fanatical fans of the platform, that choice will soon be expanding. An upcoming version of the feature with an additional 24-hour option was spotted in development.