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Razer obviously isn't known for its smartphones. But with the company's recent acquisition of Nextbit, many of us have been eagerly awaiting a potential Razer smartphone of sorts. Just two weeks ago, a picture of the alleged Razer device leaked showing off its dual cameras. Now, a mobile carrier in the UK has leaked a product page for the Razer Phone, and potato photo aside, it's mighty interesting.
Oh Google, you and your server-side tests. You cause so many people to have different interfaces on their Google apps and create mass confusion, yet we still love you. This latest server-side test involving the overflow menu popup in the Google app appears to be rolling out to many more people now, and it's overall a nice change.
Sony Xperia phones aren't particularly popular here in the US, but perhaps a price drop on one of its latest phones, the XZs, may change that just a little bit. Multiple retailers are currently offering this 960fps slow motion-capable device for $499.99, a full $100 off its MSRP.The XZs is a refreshed version of the XZ, and its main selling point is its 19MP 'Motion Eye' camera that is capable of 960fps super slow motion video. Other specs include a 5.2" 1080p display, a Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 13MP front-facing camera, and a 2900mAh battery. It's also IP68 water-resistant and supports dual SIMs. It comes in three colors: Black, Ice Blue, and Warm Silver.If you're interested, you have quite a few retailers to choose from. Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, and Jet are all offering the XZs in all three color variants for $499.99. You can find the links here:Source: Amazon (Black), (Ice Blue), (Warm Silver), B&H (Black), (Ice Blue), (Warm Silver), Best Buy (Black), (Ice Blue), (Warm Silver), Jet (Black), (Ice Blue), (Warm Silver)
Restart functionality has been in many Android skins for years, but Google only officially introduced it to stock Android last year with Android 7.1. However, the pop-up that appeared when you hit the restart button still showed the default text for a shut-down instead of 'Restarting...', which is much more logical. Android 8.1 Oreo fixes this issue, and brings a splash of color to both the shut-down and restart screens to go with the new power menu design.
These days, a lot of phones come with some form of ambient/always-on displays. Samsung, Motorola, LG, and Google all have phones with a variant of this feature, and it can really come in handy if you just need to check something in a pinch. But while Google has updated its Ambient Display with 8.1 Oreo, it's still missing one crucial feature: battery level. However, you can help push Google to add it by starring this issue in its Issue Tracker.
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For the circumstances in which Android Auto is used, you'd think that Google would pay extra attention in getting everything just right. But with issues in just the past few months regarding Maps, the Ok Google command, and Play Music, it's clear that that's not the case. Our latest Android Auto issues come from owners of Google's brand-new Pixel 2 XL.
Like many flagship phones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL aren't cheap. But while companies like Samsung and Apple try to make you feel a little better about your $700-1000 purchase by including a pair of earphones in the box, Google doesn't. However, some seemingly preproduction packaging that one guy got inside his Verizon Pixel 2's box indicates that Google had at least been seriously considering it.
I don't know about you guys, but when I watch TV shows and movies, I keep my eyes peeled for what technology the characters use, what cars are in the background, and so on. Recently, a Really Blue Pixel was spotted in an episode of Will & Grace. And in this week's episode of Modern Family, we noticed a beauty to behold: a panda Pixel 2 XL.
By now, all of you are familiar with the issues people are having with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, namely with the display. Google's VP of Product Management, Mario Queiroz, has just issued a statement saying that all Pixel 2 phones will be upgraded to two-year warranties for added peace of mind.
Chances are that you've already read about Google's comments on the Pixel 2 XL's display, namely the burn-in and color vividness issues. But in that initial post, the blue tint that many Pixel 2 XL screens are being plagued with was not mentioned. Seang Chau, VP of engineering at Google, is saying that this blue shift is normal. However, owners are not taking to this response too kindly.
The picture-in-picture feature was first introduced to Android with the O developer previews, but it didn't get off to a great start, namely because crucial apps like YouTube didn't support it properly. Netflix was one of those apps, but Android 8.1 has added official support for Netflix PiP.
There's a reason we here at AP have a dedicated Verizon hero with devilish features grafted on: the company consistently makes changes that are unfair to its customers. After limiting video quality to 480p and 720p depending on the tier of unlimited plan back in August, Verizon has now brought full-quality streams back - for an extra $10 per month.
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- If you don't like the padding and you're handy with ADB, the guys over at XDA have made a guide showing how to disable it. To adjust the rounded corners, use this command (26.0 is the default for the 2 XL, and 0 for the 2):
Google had rounded status bar icons in its phones' marketing materials for the Pixel, though the devices came with regular, squared-off icons in reality. But with the introduction of 8.1, we're finally getting legitimately rounded icons in the status bar, even if the change is extremely hard to notice. There's also now padding on the left and right sides of the status bar icons, regardless of whether it's necessary for your particular device.
Those of you who are fans of darker themes on software won't be happy with this change we've discovered in the Android 8.1 Oreo developer preview: toast messages now have a lighter, inverted theme. This was likely done in order to match the rest of the much whiter user interface, which the gray toasts didn't really go with.
Canceled Pixel 2 'muskie' by HTC appears in AOSP, had 3830mAh battery and Pixel Visual Core on board
It's been a while since this news was relevant, but the Pixel XL's successor was initially codenamed 'muskie.' However, we learned that muskie was shelved in favor of 'taimen,' which is the Pixel 2 XL we have today. But XDA has done some digging and discovered some interesting specs that muskie would have had. Among these is a massive 3830mAh battery, which is pretty interesting.
In the past couple of years, many apps have traded small search icons for full-width search bars. The Google Play Store is a prime example of this, and it makes hitting the search button much easier. To my eye, it improves the appearance of the app as well, but that's subjective. The Android 8.1 Oreo developer preview has brought the top-mounted search bar to all devices, marking another Pixel 2-exclusive lost.
Not all of us are huge fans of iOS, but there's one thing that Apple's mobile operating system gets very right: Bluetooth battery levels. This feature made its formal Android debut on the Pixel 2, and it's now coming to all Android devices with the Android 8.1 developer preview. It also brings the battery level to Quick Settings, which will definitely come in handy.
Android Oreo marks the second time that Google's struck a brand deal with a candy company to name the newest version of Android, and Google isn't going to let that go to waste. 8.1 Oreo brings a new Easter egg of - you guessed it - an Oreo, but it retains the freaky movable octopus as well.
The Android 8.1 Oreo developer preview dropped today, and with it come some new features that we've been discovering. One of the more prominent changes we've spotted so far is to the navigation bar while it's in the Settings app. On both Pixel and Nexus devices, the soft keys get a few aesthetic tweaks that modernize the software's look just a little bit.
A couple of months back, MetroPCS offered two unlimited LTE lines for $75. That was already a pretty great deal, but today Metro announced an even better one: four unlimited lines for a stunningly low $100. And for every line you port in, Metro will give you a free phone.