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Google included a nifty (but not original) camera feature with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL called Motion Photos. When you snap a photo, each one has a short video clip attached. These are uploaded to Google Photos along with the still image, but what if you don't want everyone seeing those? Google Photos has an option to trim them out.
All the Pixel 2 XL units in the wild so far have been black—Google had those ready to ship first, for whatever reason. Those who were smitten with the white/black Pixel had to wait for their panda phone to ship a few weeks later. It looks like the first round of pandas has gone out, but some other orders are getting mysteriously delayed.
The Pixel 2 XL was the source of some drama over the last few days, with people calling the display out for being substandard in terms of color and possibly prone to burn-in. Google pledged to investigate these claims, and it has posted its findings. On the topic of color, some changes are coming. However, Google says burn-in isn't really an issue.
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The Pixel 2 and 2 XL include a number of small tweaks that other 8.0 devices, even the OG Pixels, don't have. For example, the home screen's theme changes based on your wallpaper. We already knew that was coming to more phones in 8.1, and there's another theme feature from the Pixel 2 that's in 8.1 as well. Accent colors are pulled from your wallpaper for the notification and power menu shadows.
Android 8.0 introduced some big changes to notifications, but not all of them have been well received. The "running in the background" notification could be annoying if you always have something like a VPN active. We covered a way to get rid of that notification with a third-party app, but the Android 8.1 dev preview makes it possible to hide it without installing anything else.
There aren't as many tablet options as there once were. Consumers don't buy tablets like they used to, but Samsung can still afford to dabble in Android slates on occasion. Today, it's reviving an old name for a new device. The new Galaxy Tab A is set to launch in a few days, and it clocks in at a reasonable $229.99. You won't get particularly powerful hardware for that price, though.
Logitech's Circle cameras have a few new tricks today, but they're tricks we've seen before. Alphabet subsidiary Nest took the stage at the recent Google hardware event to show off some new features that plug into the Google ecosystem. It demoed the ability to stream camera feeds to a Chromecast device, and now Logitech can do the same with Circle. That certainly didn't take long.
Google is rolling out a dev preview for Android 8.1 today, and already we're noticing some tweaks from the Pixel 2 appearing in the new build for everyone to enjoy. Case in point, the Pixel 2's unusual power menu redesign is in the developer preview, indicating it'll come to all devices with Android 8.1. Google even kept the somewhat busted bug report button.
Google launched the new Pixel phones with Android 8.0, which is what last year's Pixel's have been running since the update. A new version of Oreo is on the way, though, and you can try it right now. Google has launched a developer preview for Android 8.1. As usual, it's supported on recent Google devices and can be installed in two ways.
There is a dearth of full-featured real-time strategy games on Android, but Bugbyte has been offering some of the few good ones with its Battlevoid series. The last title, Battlevoid: Harbinger, launched on Android a few years ago. Now, it's time for an even deeper and more engaging RTS experience with Battlevoid: Sector Siege. It's available today in the Play Store.
It seems like you can't turn around without BLU releasing another budget-oriented unlocked phone. The VIVO line is BLU's slightly more "premium" product family, and the latest addition to it packs some interesting hardware. The BLU VIVO 8L has similar internals to other BLU devices, but the front-facing camera packs a whopping 20MP of resolution.The VIVO 8L is an unlocked GSM/LTE (1/2/3/4/7/12/17/28) phone with Android 7.0 on board. It runs on a MediaTek 6753 octa-core chip with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The 5.3-inch LCD is only 720p, despite the listing calling out "Full HD." The built-in 4,000mAh battery should keep it running for ages at that resolution, though. The phone even comes with a "reverse charging" dongle so you can power other devices with it. Presumably, the necessity of a dongle means it's microUSB instead of Type-C.
The rear camera is 13MP, but the front one eclipses it with a 20MP resolution. There's also a front-facing flash, which BLU says is calibrated to a temperature of 5500k for natural skin tones.The BLU VIVO 8L is already on sale today via Amazon. The regular price is $199.99, but it's on sale for $50 off as a launch special.Source: PR Newswire
Google Assistant is more than a way to control your lights or find out how many miles are in a league (it's 3.45 miles). There are also some neat little games and bots with which to interact. Today, Google has rolled out more than 50 new games and activities for families with kids. Maybe just kids at heart, too.
The Kindle app has been on Android since the early days, and it's been some time since Amazon gave it a fresh coat of paint. The busted old interface is on the way out today. A new Kindle app is rolling out with an updated look and some new features. Although, not everyone is happy with the new app.
Fresh off the acquisition of its Pixel team by Google, HTC has announced interest-free financing on purchases from HTC.com. That means you can grab HTC's latest devices and pay nothing up front. Instead, you pay a little bit every month until the device is zeroed out. There are a few caveats, but this'll make HTC's phones much easier to buy.
Cerberus has been one of the most popular device security apps over the years, and the developers are now looking to protect more than your phone. Persona is a "personal safety" app that can instantly share your location in the event of an emergency. This service is included with Cerberus, so subscribers are already set as soon as the app goes live.
Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has managed to turn its simple photo sharing and messaging platform into a genuine cultural phenomenon. However, it may have gotten a bit carried away with a quirky piece of hardware announced late last year. Snapchat Spectacles let you take Snapchat pics and video without touching your phone. There was early hype, but the company allegedly mistook a fad for continuing interest.
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Google makes updated Android builds available for its devices every month, and the time has come for October's downloads to go live for Google's new phones. You can grab the system images or OTA files for Nexus and Pixel devices, but not all of them are actually October patches. Google's latest and greatest phones are still only on the September security patch.
Shipping delays on Pixel phones are nothing new. It took months for Google to get out from under the backlog for the original Pixel. This time, the white models seem to be in particularly short supply. Several people who ordered the smaller Pixel 2 in white are getting notices from Google that their orders have been pushed back by a month, but they are getting a small token of apology from Google.
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Having a single WiFi access point in your home is so 2015. You can step into the modern era of WiFi with a mesh router today at a sizable discount. Rakuten has Google Wifi 3-packs on sale for $239.99. That's $50 off the usual price.
Google is taking accessories more seriously this year with the "Made for Google" program. Products bearing this label have been designed by a certified Google partner to work with devices like the Pixel phones, Pixelbook, and more. If only there was some handy website that showed you all the accessories in the program. Oh hey, that's a thing now.