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Finding stock firmware for phones can be a pain, but Chainfire is here to help. He's launched a new website at firmware.mobi, where you can find official firmware for a variety of devices. It also simplifies the process of using CF-Auto-Root, if that's your goal.
T-Mobile is all in on unlimited data plans—you can't even buy a traditional capped plan anymore. Oh, there are still limits, of course, but Tmo isn't alone there. However, T-Mobile is making one of its unlimited limits a bit less irksome. Unlimited users now have to use more data before the network starts slowing them down.
Most Google apps are constantly getting small updates, but Snapseed tends to get fewer updates with more stuff in each one. Today, Google is rolling out Snapseed v2.18. It's a strange version number to choose for such a major update (the last one was 2.17). You get a new, lighter interface with a bottom bar to access all the app's editing tools. There are still a lot of sliders, though.
Google launched the Daydream View headset last year alongside the Pixel. For a time, it was only the Pixel that had support for Google's VR. There are a few more phones now, and there's about to be a revamped VR headset, according to a leak from DroidLife. See above for the new Daydream View, which looks a lot like the old one.
A merger between Sprint and T-Mobile has been rumored for years at this point, and a new report from CNBC claims there two are indeed still at it. An announcement may be a few weeks out, or it may not happen at all, but CNBC reports that the current framework would see T-Mobile and its parent company Deutsche Telekom emerge as the majority owner of the combined carrier.
Selling tablets isn't as easy as it was a few years ago, but Amazon has seen success with its low-cost, media-focused Fire tablets. The company didn't update the 10-inch Fire in the last generation, but today it's bringing the largest of its tablets into 2017 with a better display, more storage, and more color options.Amazon's lack of a naming scheme can make it difficult to keep its product generations straight, but this is the 7th generation HD 10. There was no 6th generation version, so the one that was on sale until today was a 5th gen piece of hardware. The updated tablet has a few notable advantages. For one, the display is 1920x1200 rather than 1280x800. That's a big step up for watching video, although Amazon repeatedly calls it a 1080p display. It's higher resolution than 1080p, but I suppose "1080p" is something more people understand.
Fossil announced two new Android Wear smartwatches a few months ago, but they weren't supposed to be out until September 24th. Pre-orders for the Q Venture and Q Explorist popped up last month, and now most of the models appear to be on sale a bit early. You can get the watches from Fossil or at eBags.
Your emails are about to get a little more actionable thanks to a new feature rolling out to Gmail and Inbox. In the coming days, emails will begin automatically highlighting addresses, phone numbers, and contacts with links. You don't have to do anything other than sit back and wait for the change to take effect.
Samsung launched Bixby on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus earlier this year, but the presence of a physical button on the phone for Bixby has rubbed some users the wrong way. There have been a few methods to block or redirect the Bixby button to other apps, but Samsung has insisted that the Bixby button is for Bixby. In a new update, you can finally disable the button, but you can't point it to another app.
Various US banks added support for money transfers via Zelle over the last few months, but support is far from universal. Zelle is now available to just about anyone in the US with its new mobile app. If you've got a debit card, odds are you can use Zelle to send money.
Action Launcher developer Chris Lacy has seemingly made it his goal to get as many Oreo features as possible working in his launcher. We've already got notification dots and free access to the Pixel-style features of the app. Now, Action Launcher v28 (previously in beta) is rolling out with support for a new companion app—an icon pack. This isn't just any icon pack, though. It's all adaptive icons.
Samsung's latest phone is a spendy piece of hardware. While it's essentially a Galaxy S8 Plus with a stylus, that still means it's a great phone. The phone is available unlocked and from all the major US carriers, and everyone is offering deals to entice you—the deals are important when the phone costs almost $1,000. So, let's break it all down so you can figure out how many piggy banks you'll have to bust open to gather the necessary funds.
Google's YouTube TV streaming service has been rolling out slowly (very slowly) since earlier this year. After debuting in a handful of markets in late spring, it has rolled out to a dozen or so more cities every month or two. Today, Google has announced another raft of eight YouTube TV markets.
Jaybird has made plenty of Bluetooth earbuds over the years, including the excellent Jaybird X3 earbuds from last year. Today, the company has announced a pair of new products. It's updating the Jaybird Freedom (which I wasn't as keen on) with the Freedom 2. It's also getting into this completely wireless earbud game with the Jaybird Run.
We're all here because we use and like Android, but maybe you've been a little curious and you're thinking of trying out the new iPhone X for a bit. Well, make sure your iOS adventure doesn't last too long. It turns out Google won't keep your Android backups forever. In fact, it only gives you about two months.
The Nexus 6P is one of those phones that had high initial quality, but it hasn't withstood the test of time very well. This phone has been plagued by battery issues that cause it to randomly shut off. Those who bought their phones from the Google Store have reported success not only with getting the phone replaced, but replaced with a Pixel XL.
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Google is still working on getting the September security patches out the door, but it has posted a security bulletin detailing the changes. Several of the flaws noted in the bulletin are part of an enormous Bluetooth vulnerability discovered by Armis Labs, which bills itself as an IoT security firm. The "BlueBorne" attack exposes billions of Android devices to complete takeover by hackers, but it's not only Android. The same flaw exists in Windows, Linux, and some versions of iOS.
If you've spent any amount of time in one of Target's 1,800 US stores, it's likely you've seen an employee using a dressed-up iPod Touch to look up stock info. It's been that way since 2014, but the retailer is now switching to Android for all its essential sales floor activities. These aren't any devices you've ever seen, though. Target is using an enterprise-oriented Zebra TC51.
We like to make fun of Samsung (and most other OEMs) for being slow to roll out new versions of Android. It's true that Google puts everyone else to shame when it comes to big updates, but Samsung has been doing much better when it comes to security updates. Case in point: the Galaxy S5 on Verizon just got a security patch more than three years after it first launched in April of 2014.
There are myriad ways to set reminders tied to your Google account, although Google Home is notably not one of them. But I digress; it looks like Chrome has joined Home in not supporting reminders. Until recently, you could set reminders just by typing them into the desktop Chrome search box. Google seems to have broken this feature, but it's still listed on the support page.