About Ryan Whitwam
Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.
Latest Articles
Motorola is gearing up for a new generation of budget smartphones, and they will predictably be called "Moto G7." Over at the FCC, the Moto G7 Play has popped up complete with photos, specs, and more. if you liked the Motorola Power phones, you'll like this. Otherwise, get ready to hate another notch.
Your keyboard probably spends more time up on your screen than most apps, so it's only natural that developers have sought to make it more useful. For example, Gboard has search and translation integration. SwiftKey is still playing catch up when it comes to service integration, but it's taking a big step today with Bing search. Why Bing? Because Microsoft owns SwiftKey.
In case you missed the APK Teardown yesterday, Google has made several new features official in Android Auto today. The message preview and new media UI from the teardown are on the docket, but Google also made some tweaks to media search and group messaging in the car. As always, Google says it has worked to add more convenience features without sacrificing safety. I've been using the updated Android Auto for the last week, and while it's a minor update, there are a few nice additions.
[Update: CM responds, lawyers circle] Evidence points to Cheetah Mobile and Kika Tech engaging in massive click fraud scheme
Read update
- Cheetah Mobile has issued a new statement in regards to these allegations. In it, the company both claims impotency as to being technically able to carry out the fraud as described, and further refutes that advertising income sourced through its internal SDK is a major source of revenue.
I know this is going to be shocking, but Cheetah Mobile may be involved in some very shady dealings. According to app analytics firm Kochava, Cheetah Mobile and an associated company called Kika Tech are using extensive permissions in their Android apps to fraudulently claim commissions for app installs from advertisers. The eight apps detected by Kochava have more than 2 billion downloads in the Play Store and around 700 million active users.
Display notches are, to put it kindly, an inelegant solution to a vexing design problem. How can you get as much screen as possible in a phone while still offering a front-facing camera? Most OEMs are going to notch route, but Huawei is about to try something different: a hole. Huawei is teasing a device believed to be the Nova 4, which could beat Samsung's hole-punch phone to market.
LG reshuffling puts home entertainment president Brian Kwon in charge of mobile division
It's getting on toward the end of the year, and you know what that means. Yes, it's time for LG's semi-annual executive shakeup. As usual, LG's management isn't happy with how the mobile division has done over the last year, so it's putting someone new in charge. That person is Brian Kwon, the current head of LG's home entertainment group.
Dropbox wants to be the heart of your cloud storage experience, and it's making that more feasible with the addition of extensions. With the new Dropbox Extensions, you can open your Dropbox files with various web apps like Pixlr and DocuSign without tedious uploading or copying. There are only a few integrations so far, but more are on the way.
It's been scarcely three months since Sony launched a flagship phone, so clearly, it's getting ready to release another. A new leak purports to show renders of the upcoming Xperia XZ4, which looks like an evolution of the XZ3. The phone has more cameras, more display, but still no headphone jack.
Google is in the midst of transforming its music and video subscription services under the YouTube name, and that includes some small pricing changes. Students can get a deal, though. Google is reportedly announcing student-only pricing for YouTube Music Premium and YouTube Premium today. Both options shave several bucks off the monthly price, and it's even cheaper if you act fast.
Nokia launched the Nokia 7.1 with Android 8.1 Oreo, but it promised a quick update to Android 9 Pie. The timeline has proven to be a little longer than we initially believed, but Pie is now rolling out to the phone. Although, HMD's Juho Sarvikas cautions that some markets will take longer than others to get final approval.
This is the first holiday season with Assistant-powered smart displays on the market, and there are plenty of discounts to be had. Lenovo's smart displays are getting down there, as you can see from the roundup post. However, there's one Lenovo deal that warrants special attention. The 8-inch Smart Display can be yours for $100 with a free smart outlet or light bulb.
Essential Cyber Monday bundle includes a phone, 360 camera, camera case, and Earphones HD for $329
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are as much a way to clear out old stock as they are about big door-buster deals. Shocker: Essential still has some phones to unload. We've seen this device go on mega-sale a few times, but the Cyber Monday bundle is still rather compelling. You can get the phone, 360 camera, and more for $329.
This is not the first year rumors have suggested a cheaper Pixel phone could happen, but this year we have photographic evidence. Just days after the Sargo device code name appeared in an ARcore update, the device itself leaked. Now, there are more photos of the phone. This time, it's next to some other phones you might recognize to give some idea of the size.
There are plenty of options for streaming video on the internet these days, but Hulu remains one of the most popular thanks to its integration with all the major networks. You can get quicker access to new content, but there are more restrictions than, for example, Netflix. This Black Friday, you can give Hulu a shot for an astoundingly low price of just $0.99 per month.
OnePlus Black Friday deals include a free charger with OnePlus 6T purchase and 20-50% off OnePlus 6 and 5T accessories
OnePlus already knocked a few bucks off the price of the OnePlus 6 in advance of Black Friday, but it's not ignoring the traditional day of deals. Today, you can get a free charger with the OnePlus 6T, or you can grab some accessories for the older phones at a steep discount.
[Update: Now live] Arlo adding animal, vehicle, and package detection to Arlo Smart plans
Arlo's cameras didn't have any of the AI-powered features of their wired competitors for a long time, but the company started testing those capabilities in 2017. Arlo Smart finally rolled out earlier this year, but it was missing some of the detection features from the beta. Now, the compnay appears to have worked out the issues and plans to add several more detection capabilities to Arlo Smart soon.
You can get a Bluetooth speaker for almost nothing these days, but the cheap ones tend not to be any good. If you want something with a big battery, water-proofing, and room-filling sound, you still have to spend a pretty penny. The JBL Charge 3 is one of the most well-regarded portable Bluetooth speakers, and it's on sale for $90 most places today.The Charge 3 packs a 6,000mAh battery that's good for 20 hours of playback. The speaker can also charge your phones if you need a little more juice. The Charge 3 supports up to three connected devices to stream music, too. It's water-resistant, so you can safely take it to the pool or beach.
Best Buy has discounted the Fitbit Ionic to $200 ($70 off) and the Versa to $150 ($50 off)
It's a rough time to be interested in wearables to pair with your Android phone. The updated Qualcomm Wear 3100 is still slow to appear in Wear OS devices, and Samsung's Tizen watches are very expensive with poor app support. Then there's Fitbit. These fitness-oriented smartwatches don't have as many features as the others, but they get much better battery life. You pay a bit for the name, but Best Buy has both Fitbit smartwatches discounted right now.
One of the most notable additions to Android 9 Pie was Digital Wellbeing, a feature that can help you track how you use your phone and alter your habits. Most people don't have Pie, but the latest beta update to the Microsoft Launcher has a similar (but more limited) feature. It's called "digital health."
The Home Hub may be Google's flagship Assistant display, but the Lenovo Smart Display has a few features that might make it a better fit for your home. It's usually a little more expensive, but Costco has it on sale for $50 off, bringing it to the same $150 price point as the Home Hub. You will, of course, need a Costco membership.