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
The first 5G networks should begin appearing later this year, but AT&T is already rushing to call its network "5G." The so-called 5G Evolution is faster than the current version of LTE, but it's not really 5G. Today, the carrier has rolled out its pseudo-5G in 117 new markets, bringing the total count to 141.
The war on bezels has been hard-fought, and smartphone makers like Samsung, OnePlus, and Google have made steady progress in their quest to minimize wasted space. The masses have cheered the heroes on as they endeavor to end bezels, but you have to be careful what you wish for. Device makers are now trending toward display notches to shave off what little bezel is left, but not all of them are doing it very well. In fact, some display notches are little more than lazy iPhone clones. That does not mean display notches can't be done well on Android, but we don't have all the pieces of the puzzle yet.
Verizon has long had a parental control service called FamilyBase, but today that is going away. In its place, Verizon is rolling out Smart Family. It works on both iOS and Android to allow parents to track device location, filter content, and more. The service comes with a monthly fee, but it does look quite comprehensive.
Alexa has gobs of skills from companies large and small. Do you have a skill, though? Probably not, but you can in just a few minutes with the new Alexa Blueprints. You can create custom quizzes, FAQs for houseguests, and tell your kids interactive stories.
Motorola is about due for some new phones, and they're probably not far off now. You can tell because some new devices just showed up in a changelog for the Moto Voice app. The app now includes support for new features on the Moto G6 and G6 Plus. Oops.
Razer already has kernel source and factory images available for the Razer Phone Oreo update
The Razer Phone is one of the few devices that caters to developers and enthusiasts with an unlockable bootloader, factory images, and so on. It was stuck on Nougat until recently, though. Razer just started pushing the Oreo 8.1 update, but you don't have to wait on the OTA. There are already factory images available for download, and the kernel source is out.
Razer's first smartphone came out last year, and no surprise, it was marketed as a "gaming" phone. I don't know how you have a gaming phone without RGB LEDs, but I digress. If you've been on the fence about the Razer Phone, now may be the time to pick it up thanks to the new $100 discount. That drops the price to $599.99.
Google Home tips have started appearing on Chromecast, and not everyone's happy about it
Google has been working toward making the Chromecast home screen a bit more useful with features like weather and YouTube searches. Now, something new is showing up: Google Home tips. Although, some people prefer to think of these as "ads," and they are not pleased.
Casio's new PRO TREK Wear OS watch has a slightly lower price and a flat tire display
Wear OS devices aren't exactly flying off the shelves, but that hasn't stopped Casio from announcing a new one. The new PRO TREK WSD-F20A has the same rugged design and flat tire display as Casio's other Wear device. It's a little cheaper than other Casio wearables, but it's still costly overall at $400.
Google and Sprint got together in 2011 to offer a fully integrated Google Voice experience on the carrier. You could place calls with your Sprint number but have all the benefits of Google Voice like call forwarding to multiple numbers, voicemail transcriptions, call recording, and so on. Then, Google forgot Google Voice existed for a few years. The Sprint integration worked even after Google relaunched Voice in 2017, but now it's shutting down. As of June 1st, Voice integration on Sprint is no more.
Android version stats for April 2018 show Oreo sitting at less than 5% after another modest gain
Things must be busy at the Googleplex right now. That's the only reason I can think that Google couldn't get someone to dump the latest platform distribution data online for the last six weeks. The last time we had fresh numbers was the beginning of February, but Google has just issued an out-of-cycle dashboard update with new numbers. There are no surprises here—Oreo is still growing (slowly) and old versions of Android are shrinking (slowly).
Fitbit has shown a commitment to smartwatches that few other companies have. It launched the Ionic late last year and pushed a number of major software updates to it. Now, the Fitbit Versa is available for purchase. It's Fitbit's second true smartwatch, and I like it better than the first one. It's also cheaper than the last watch at $200.The Versa is a bit more compact than the Ionic, and the design is nicer overall in spite of the Apple Watch vibe. If you've used a Fitbit tracker of some sort, you get all the advanced fitness features of those devices in the Versa. It can monitor your heart rate, detect exercise, and track steps. Then there are the smartwatch-y things like custom watch faces, apps, and notifications. It runs FitbitOS 2.0, which will have quick reply messaging and female health tracking next month.The Versa doesn't have GPS or NFC (for Fitbit Pay), but there's a special edition version of the watch for $30 more that adds the NFC back. The standard version is $199.95 and comes in silver, black, or rose gold. Only the standard black model is available for immediate shipping (it's still another week or two for the others). You can get it on Amazon or direct from Fitbit.Source: Amazon, Fitbit
Nokia kicked off 2018 by announcing a revamped version of the Nokia 6, which is creatively called the Nokia 6 (2018). Last we heard, the new Nokia 6 was supposed to launch in the US this May, but there are listings up today on Amazon and Walmart for the US version of the phone. It can be yours for about $270.The Nokia 6 (2018) is a mid-range phone, but it's a step up from last year's version. Rather than the underpowered Snapdragon 430, the new Nokia 6 has a Snapdragon 630. You also get a 5.5-inch 1080p LCD, an aluminum frame, 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, and a 16MP camera. The fingerprint sensor has moved to the back this year, and it uses on-screen navigation buttons. This phone runs Android 8.1, and it's an Android One device in accordance with Nokia/HMD's new policy. That should mean fast, clean software and shorter waits for updates.The Amazon listing is a third-party seller, but the device is a US variant. The Walmart page is not a third-party. Both are priced around $270 (a little more on Walmart right now). Interestingly, the two retail listings so far both call this phone the Nokia 6.1. We've reached out to HMD to find out if this is the real name in the US, as well as what other retailers will sell the phone.Source: Amazon, WalmartThanks: Paul Martin
It used to cost an arm and a leg (and several other body parts) to get a 4K TV, but prices have come down as they tend to do. In some cases, they're a lot lower. It just so happens that Android TV has found its way into some TVs as well. You can pick up the Sony 49-inch Android TV for $798 right now. That's $150 less than usual.The TV in question (XBR49X900E) has 4K resolution and HDR support. It's one of Netflix's recommended TVs, too. It has 4.2 stars on Amazon, and Rtings gave it an 8.2/10. With the built-in Android TV software, you can access content from apps in the Play Store, and you don't have to worry about plugging in another device.This same TV was available from Dell recently with a $300 gift card. This discount is technically not as attractive in terms of total value. However, it's a straight price reduction. It usually costs around $950 (originally $1,200 MSRP) and now it's about $800. It's on sale at several retailers including Amazon and Best Buy. The Best Buy listing is technically a few bucks more expensive, but you can pick it up in many stores.Source: Amazon, Best Buy, B&H
Telegram is a service for sending messages while remaining anonymous. That's something with which Russia has taken issue, and it just banned the service over it. However, Telegram may also be gaining in popularity because it's an easy way to share pirated content. The Outline spoke with several Telegram channel admins who say Telegram seems uninterested in policing the files users upload.
Google unveiled Android Auto way back at I/O in 2014, but it didn't reach vehicles until May of 2015 when Hyundai added it to the Sonata. If you looked at Android Auto from 2015 and compared it to the current version, you'd see precious few differences. Google has been slow to improve Auto, but at least we got wireless projection. That tells us Google is still working on Android Auto, but it's still missing some features we've wanted ever since we got our first glimpse at Google's infotainment platform. Here are four features we still want to see in Android Auto.
Look at you, playing games on a phone that was not specifically designed for gamers. How can you expect to compete in PUBG or the upcoming Fortnite when your phone doesn't have any sick green accents or liquid cooling? Well, Xiaomi is here with a phone to improve your gaming skills. The previously rumored Black Shark gaming phone is official, and it's coming to China on April 20th.
Nest app updated with support for temperature sensors, additional Hello options, and more
Nest has launched several new pieces of hardware this year including the Hello and Cam IQ Outdoor. We're still waiting on the promised temperature sensor, though. It shouldn't be long now—Nest has updated its app with support for that device, and it also added some new features for the Nest Hello and Secure.
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Amazon announced in late February that it was acquiring Ring, the maker of the Ring Video Doorbell and other devices. The deal was reportedly valued at $1 billion, and Amazon says it's already done. To mark this occasion, Amazon has permanently dropped the price of the Ring Video Doorbell to just $99.99.Before the acquisition, the doorbell had an MSRP of $200, but it was usually on sale for around $140. This is a good time to drop the price, too. Nest just launched the Nest Hello video doorbell, and it's priced at a whopping $229. The new Ring price makes it a very attractive alternative at less than half the price.Ring will continue to operate as an independent company, but it's backed by Amazon money now. That probably has something to do with the price drop. Amazon can afford to lose a little on doorbells to get people in the door, so to speak. Ring also makes a home security system and other security cameras.
HTC might not have seen the greatest sales from the HTC 10 when it launched back in 2016, but you have to hand it to the company for maintaining support. The 10 went from Marshmallow, to Nougat, and now to Oreo. The Verizon variant is the latest version to get the update, but it might take some time to hit all devices.