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There's an update rolling out today for Nova Launcher, and it's a big one. There's some Android 8.1 flair in this version, plus you can have more fun with adaptive icons. As usual, all the new features are optional and highly customizable. That's why you use Nova, right?
Google's TV streaming service is still continuing it slow city-by-city rollout in the US, but those who have access to YouTube TV are getting a nice bonus in the latest build of the app. The new v1.11 update adds picture-in-picture (PiP) support.
The days of flimsy plastic phones are (mostly) behind us, but that doesn't mean all phones are as durable as we might like. That's why the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel takes the time to burn, scratch, and bend new phones. This time, it's the OnePlus 5T's turn, and it proves to be pretty durable.
Verizon tried its hand at selling an Android Wear smartwatch earlier this year, but the $350 Wear24 was a flop and Verizon quietly pulled it after just four months. Perhaps this smartwatch will be more appealing now at a steep discount. The Wear24 has appeared on eBay for just $129.99, less than half the original price. Verizon's loss is your gain.
Anker is best known for making portable battery packs and other charging accessories, but it's been increasingly dabbling in personal audio. The company ran a Kickstarter for some fancy earbuds a few months ago, but those ones aren't for sale yet. You can, however, get the slightly less fancy version right now. The Zolo Liberty Bluetooth earbuds are on sale today for $99.99.These are "completely wireless" earbuds, which means there's no cable connecting the two earbuds. Anker claims 3.5 hours of playback on a charge, but the case for the Zolo Liberty buds is also a battery. That gives you a total of 24 hours of playback without plugging in (it's still microUSB, though). Similar products have the same battery case design, but they don't offer as much juice in them. The Zolo Liberty also include graphene-based drivers, for (apparently) improved sound.These are Bluetooth 4.1 earbuds, but the Liberty+ that were launched on Kickstarter are 5.0. So far, Anker has only had enough units to ship those to backers. They'll be on sale in January for $50 more than the Liberty ($150). They also have a larger battery in the case good for 48 hours of usage. If you don't need those things, the regular Liberty might do the job. They're available on Amazon with Prime shipping.Source: Amazon
The motives of many smartphone makers are somewhat opaque to outside observers, but OnePlus is as transparent as they come. OnePlus iterates its hardware relentlessly to stay on the cutting edge, and it responds to the community in a way most OEMs don't. If the smartphone market is trending someplace, you can bet OnePlus is going to follow, and it'll manage to do it all a little cheaper than the other guys.
It's getting to be the gift giving season, and does it really matter whether that's a gift for yourself or a gift for someone else? It is our position that it does not. T-Mobile customers can now give themselves a gift in the form of a new Galaxy S8 Active, LG V30+, or Revvl Plus. All three of those phones are now live.
One of the easiest ways to add some smarts to your home is to replace your standard thermostat with a fancy new one from a company like Ecobee or Nest. These devices can be pretty spendy, but the Ecobee4 is on sale at various retailers today for $199.99. That's $50 less than the standard price.The Ecobee looks like a small black squircle on your wall. It operates like a regular thermostat if you want to walk up to it and press buttons, but there's also an app that lets you control the Ecobee from anywhere. In addition, it works with Amazon Alexa and just recently gained support for Google Assistant. It also has IFTTT, HomeKit, and SmartThings support.
We live in an era when phones often support a dozen or more LTE bands, making them functional on virtually all carriers. Simply working on a carrier might not be enough anymore. There are advanced network technologies like VoLTE and WiFi calling that require device makers and carriers to collaborate to test and certify phones. The GMSA has taken note of this clunky process, and is now working with its partners to develop an open standard for delivering carrier features to more phones.
Verizon has rolled out some new exclusive devices today, and they won't cost you an arm and a leg. More like a finger—maybe just the tip of one. The Asus ZenFone V Live is available today for $168 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab E launches for $249.99.
The holiday season is upon us, and that means it's time for big deals on this year's crop of smartphones. T-Mobile has an attractive offer starting tomorrow (November 17th) on multiple phones. Just buy one phone, and you can get another from the same manufacturer free. Well, free after rebate.
OnePlus just announced its new flagship phone. The OnePlus 5T comes with a Snapdragon 835, a 6-inch OLED, and... Nougat? Yes, the new phone is still running an old version of Android, but that will change soon-ish. In just a few weeks you could be rocking Oreo on your OnePlus phone, but the final release is still a few months out.
OnePlus is no longer satisfied to launch just one flagship phone each year. Just like last cycle, we're faced with a new OP smartphone that's not entirely new. OnePlus has just unveiled the OnePlus 5T, and it's very much the phone you expected to see. That's not just because of the leaks—we all sort of know what to expect from OnePlus now. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Even with the small price hike, this still seems like a strong competitor.
Vudu might not be the most popular video streaming service, but it's more useful on the SHIELD starting today. The app now has support for Google Assistant commands, and the SHIELD can output HDR video from Vudu. Of course, you'll need to own some HDR content on Vudu first.
Finding Assistant services can be a pain. Unless you're constantly scrolling through all the available options, you're going to miss things. Google is rolling out a number of changes to Assistant that will make it easier to find apps and services. Developers will also have a few new tools at their disposal to build Assistant apps.
Motorola has struggled to come up with compelling Moto Mod accessories, and its latest attempt is a partnership with Polaroid. The new Insta-Share Printer Moto Mod plugs into your Moto Z device so you can print your snapshots instantly on 2x3-inch adhesive sheets. Does that sound vaguely fun? Well, you'll pay $200 for the privilege.The Moto Z camera gains a few new capabilities with this mod attached. You can take Polaroid photos with filters and borders, then print them immediately. However, the prints come out in front of the camera, so that's going to slow you down. You can also print older shots or grab images from Facebook, Instagram and Google Photos. The photos are small, but they're also stickers. I mean, who doesn't like stickers?[EMBED_YT]https://youtu.be/O23ISH8Fd0w[/EMBED_YT]The Insta-Share Printer uses the ZINK inkless paper system from Polaroid's other mobile printers. In fact, this Mod is really just one of Polaroid's existing printers that sticks to the back of your phone. It's twice as expensive, though. The paper is spendy, too. A 20-pack of ZINK paper is $9 on Amazon.The Insta-Share Printer Moto Mod goes on sale at Verizon this week. It'll be exclusive there for a while, but the printer will launch elsewhere at a later date. Motorola is taking pre-orders and will ship them at the end of the month.Source: Motorola
Some Android users have been irked by a mysterious "phantom call" bug in the last few weeks, and we recently tracked down the cause to Skype Lite. No one likes phantom calls. I mean, for one, that's spooky. And second, they steal audio focus. Skype has taken note of the error, and a new version of the app is rolling out with a fix.
A new version of Action Launcher is rolling out today with a couple of cool new features, plus some new device-specific support. If you liked adaptive icons, you'll love adaptive folders. For those of you with the increasingly budget-friendly Essential Phone, you'll be happy to know the launcher works better with that device's unusual display. Want more? Well, there is more.
The Pixel 2 and 2 XL have a nifty always listening music ID feature. You can simply look at your phone and see a "Now Playing" notification that tells you if the phone has heard a popular song. Google doesn't keep a log of the songs you encounter, but you can do that yourself with IFTTT.
Huawei isn't a widely known name in the US market, but that hasn't stopped the Chinese company from becoming the second largest smartphone maker on the planet. As its fortunes have risen, so has the quality of the hardware. Last year's Mate 9 was a reliable phone, and Huawei's revamped Nougat version of Android eliminated many of the pain points from its past devices.