Michael Crider
Contributing since December, 2013
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3608articles
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About Michael Crider
Michael is a born Texan and a former graphic designer. He's been covering technology in general and Android in particular since 2011. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order. He wrote a novel called Good Intentions: A Supervillain Story, and it's available on Amazon.
Latest Articles
YouTube gets official video downloads on the web, saving you from using some very sketchy sites
For Premium members only, of course, and only for a limited time
Downloading content for playback later is most useful on mobile, where your connection quality is determined by your location. But there are plenty of us whose home connection isn't so great either, or who prefer to play back media on laptops that are likewise limited by location. To that end, YouTube is now testing downloaded video on the desktop for Premium subscribers.
Google Maps for Android Auto suddenly remembers that some countries drive on the left
This seems like it should have already been a thing
Despite having a worldwide presence, Google can often be depressingly myopic when it comes to thinking of other countries. Case in point: Android Auto has been around for six years, and only now is Google thinking about optimizing Maps for countries where people drive on the left (with a car's steering wheel on the right), representing more than a billion people.
Google's new Material You weather widgets are the good kind of weird
Hopefully they'll show up around the same time as the Pixel 6
A week ago we got our first glimpse at new weather widgets set to debut in the standard Google search app, hidden deep within the files of a bet APK. They weren't all that impressive, coming in just one shape and light and dark variants. Today more eye-catching variants have appeared, this time conforming to the Material You design language of Android 12.
India's Google antitrust complaint is a familiar refrain
Sky blue, sun rose in the east, Google's got a fresh antitrust complaint
Google's international antitrust woes continue. This time it's a federal regulatory agency in India giving the company some expensive trouble: the Competition Commission of India found that Google is engaging in "anti-competitive, unfair, and restrictive trade practices" in the mobile phone market and related areas. The report concludes that Google violated five different sections of India's Competition Act of 2002.
Microsoft Surface Duo 2 stops by the FCC before its debut later this week
This time the phone is more of, you know, a phone
Microsoft has a press event scheduled for this Wednesday, September 22nd. The Surface Duo 2 is expected to attend, among other less mobile Surface-branded hardware. In apparent preparation for a rapid release, the successor to the unique dual-screen folding phone stopped by the Federal Communications Commission for the usual round of testing and certification.
A new Pixel foldable prototype is reportedly codenamed 'Jumbojack'
It's the second codename for a folding Google phone we've heard so far
We've been hearing that Google is working on a folding phone for over two years now, and we're starting to see some evidence that it might just make it to a real device. Earlier today a leak indicated that an upcoming "bump" version of Android has code made specifically for foldables. Just a few hours later there's leaked news of a codename for a new Pixel device: "Jumbojack." That's different from the previously-leaked Google foldable, "Passport."
Chrome might be borrowing yet another feature from Microsoft Edge
The browser could soon show you contextual info on the site you're visiting
Have you ever browsed around a site and wondered, "what's the deal with this place?" According to a couple of tweaks to Chrome Canary, it looks like the browser will soon be able to answer that question with a quick click. It's a feature that was spotted in canary builds of Microsoft Edge recently, also based on the Chromium project.
Acer's ultra-portable Spin 311 Chromebook for just $155 is basically an impulse buy
It's a little bit of laptop for a little bit of money
Hey, you. You need a computer? Not, like, a big computer. Or a powerful one. A little bitty one, maybe just good enough for checking your email and watching some junk on YouTube? Then check out the Acer Spin 311: it's just 11.6 inches, powered by a MediaTek processor, and it practically has "just good enough for checking your email and watching some junk on YouTube" written on the lid. (Not literally, though. That'd be silly.) Today Walmart is selling it for almost half off, and it wasn't that pricey to begin with! You can get a not-quite-disposable Chromebook for just $155, with free shipping.
Pixel 6 Pro leak shows it'll be the fastest-charging Google phone ever
Just remember to bring your own charger along
Phones are getting bigger. The Pixel 6 Pro, for example, will have a massive 6.7-inch screen, the largest of any Google-branded phone yet. Naturally as those screens get bigger and processors get more powerful, the batteries have to get bigger to keep pace (helped along with more internal volume, of course). According to the latest Pixel 6 leak, the Pro will have fast charging at up to 33 watts.
Google Pay adds dozens of new banks in 9 countries
Plus user-to-user money transfers in Singapore
Google's unstoppable march continues: the company just won't rest until every financial institution on the planet can use the Google Pay mobile payment system. Over the last few weeks we've been cataloging additional banks added to Google's various support pages, and there's been a notable uptick in new entries. That's especially true for Switzerland, where more than eighty banks added Google Pay compatibility last week.
Crunchyroll's library of anime has been added to Google TV search
Google TV has the power of anime and search on its side
If you're a big fan of anime series like Tenchi Muyo, One Piece, and maybe also some stuff that came out this decade (can you tell I don't know a lot about anime?), try searching for it on the nearest Google TV-powered gadget like the new Chromecast. Crunchyroll's library of popular Japanese exports has been added to the OS-wide search function, the better for you to binge.
OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro get the new Hasselblad XPan shooting mode in Oxygen OS 11.2.9.9
The update includes several other camera tweaks, 'optimized wireless charging,' and Android's September security patch
We saw it earlier this week, now you can try it out for yourself. The latest software update for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro just went live, and it's packing the new Hasselblad XPan shooting mode. This camera setting allows the phones' cameras to emulate a famously cool ultra-wide-angle camera in both the photo's aspect ratio and the camera's software interface.
Check out the new Material You interface for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
It won't make your documents prettier, but at least browsing through them will be
As the release of Android 12 creeps closer, Google is spreading out its new Material You design language to all the corners of its software kingdom. As of this weekend, that includes the Android version of Google Docs, and its associated Sheets and Slides tools. We're seeing the staggered rollout come in from multiple sources and tipsters.
Forget about Wyze — grab a pair of Eufy's indoor smart cameras for just $60
No need to worry about that shipping cost
If you're looking for a dirt-cheap option for Wi-Fi cameras, Wyze isn't your only choice. Today Eufy (an Anker sub-brand) is selling a pair of its basic indoor security cameras for just a hair under sixty bucks, a $10 discount on Amazon. These are the C24 models with an updated 2K sensor, a step up on the basic 1080p C22 version.
Your old T-Mobile 3G phone is going to keep working for a little while longer
The shutdown won't happen until the second half of 2022
T-Mobile, could you just pick a set of dates and stick with it, please? A few weeks ago the company's internal documents said it would be shutting down its legacy UMTS 3G network on October 1st, as announced earlier this year. But in a new press release, that date has been moved back for the better part of a year: it's now going out on July 1st, 2022.
The Google Photos Material You makeover is here
But dynamic theming isn't active quite yet
Google's new Material You design language, first debuting with Android 12, is steadily making its way to all the company's other services. Today it's coming to the Google Photos app for at least some users, spreading out subdued pastel hues and rounded interface elements while keeping most of the basic structure the same. So far the changes are appearing primarily for Android 12 devices, but a few users on older Android versions are telling us they're seeing it, too.
Samsung's Android 12-based One UI 4 beta finally lets you use icon packs — here's everything new so far
Icon pack support has been added via Good Lock
If you're rocking a Galaxy S21, S21+, or S21 Ultra, and you want to check out the latest software goodies that Samsung is brewing up, you'll want to get involved with the One UI beta program. Version 4.0 is out to beta testers in the program today, and it has quite a few new changes. Chief among them, at least for owners in the United States, is support for eSIM cards, although this feature isn't working just yet. The feature was available previously in other countries and territories (as well as for the T-Mobile Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra).
Your Fitbit watch can now tell you if you're snoring too much
Just like your significant other!
Snoring is more than an annoyance for whoever sleeps in the same room as you: it can be an indicator of some serious health issues like sleep apnea. That's why Fitbit has been working on adding snoring detection to its suite of sleep monitoring systems. The Google subsidiary has been preparing snoring detection (and the noise level thereof) since the summer at the very least, and it's now rolling out via a software update to the app and devices.
I've been an Android user since the Nexus One, but I have to admit: the recent generations of iPhone have tempted me. Apple's industrial design is amazing as ever, the Magsafe accessory system is innovative and flexible, and the Apple Watch continues to absolutely stomp any wearable alternative. Don't get me wrong — I still love my Pixel 5, and I know I'd miss the hell out of all the sweet customization that Android enables and even encourages. But as a technology journalist, it wouldn't kill me to give the other side of the aisle a try for a while.
Here's our best look yet at the Pixel 6 Pro's design and hardware specs
It's that time of year again
Oh boy, it sure is a great day for people who like mobile phones. Apparently there's some kind of big announcement going on in California, which a few people might be vaguely excited for. But I doubt anyone really cares about that: there are new Pixel 6 leaks to talk about!