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I'll admit it here: I may work at Android Police, but I think Android Wear is terrible.I'm not the type to poke away at a wrist-mounted touchscreen, and the last thing I want is yet another device to charge. So, I've been interested in hybrid smartwatches like the Skagen Connected line for some time. Although I went into this with plenty of optimism, I found the experience to be a bit lacking. The Signatur is an attractive timepiece, but a poor smartwatch. My first foray into wearables was via the original LG G Watch, and it was a mess. I moved over to the Pebble line of devices and much preferred that experience, especially with the Time series. Later I tried the Urbane, but Android Wear just wasn't for me. I don't want a touchscreen, or a power-hungry display, or a ton of apps I'll never use. I prefer something that is simple and attractive, but durable. Something with basic health features that shows me notification content, but that I don't have to charge frequently. Basically, I like smartwatches when they're slightly dumb.On paper, the Skagen Connected Hybrid watches like this Signatur seemed perfect for me, but I ultimately came away a bit disappointed. While I loved the design, materials, and simplicity of the Signatur, in practical use it fell a bit short. Quickly checking notifications is pretty much the reason smartwatches exist, and the limited notification support significantly detracted from what I would otherwise have considered a pleasant experience.Skagen's Signatur Hybrid isn't available at retailers like Amazon (though the similar Hagen model is), but you can buy it directly from Skagen.
Is Amazon's Echo Dot a bit too rich for your blood? If $44 is too much for an Alexa-powered smart speaker, $29.70 might be more to your liking. Right now over at Amazon you can pick up the Eufy Genie Smart Speaker, which includes Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and a 2W speaker in a compact Dot-like package. Although these are usually $34.99, they've been marked down by $5, making them one of the most affordable ways to get Amazon's Alexa in your home.Artem's been playing around with one of these for a while now, and he was very impressed with it. It's a lot louder than Amazon's Echo Dot, and at $30 it's one of the cheapest ways to get Amazon's Alexa in your home. Though it doesn't have all the features that Amazon's first party Alexa devices have, you can use it to play music, answer questions, set calendars, check the weather, and even control your Alexa-compatible smart devices and services.But, there are plenty of reasons to consider Amazon's Echo Dot over the Eufy Genie. The Eufy lacks Bluetooth connectivity — though it can at least take input via 3.5mm. Although Synaptics claimed that 2 mics were enough, it isn't as good at picking up your voice as the Dot. You also can't change the activation word on the Eufy Genie, and the Dot has some features like 5GHz Wi-Fi and "drop in" which the Genie currently lacks. Artem has also experienced a few hiccups with the audio on the Genie, but YMMV.The Dot is relatively inexpensive at $45, but occasionally it does dip down to $40. If that last $10 makes a big difference and you're willing to sacrifice Bluetooth, 5GHz Wi-Fi, and a few Alexa features, then the Eufy Genie, with its much louder speaker, might be more your style. And you can grab one today for just .70.Source: Amazon
A little bit of altruism goes a long way. Earlier today representatives from Google Fi spoke out to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. To make things at least a little bit easier, Fi is applying a $20 service credit to anyone with a billing zip code in an impacted area. It's not a lot, but sometimes every little bit helps.
It's 2017, and we still don't have commercial flying cars, affordable jet-packs, or even automated package delivery. But thanks to HUDWAY, at least one sci-fi mainstay has made its way into the consumer market. Today the company launched a Kickstarter for its newest product, an affordable heads-up display called the HUDWAY Cast.
Since time immemorial, DisplayMate has done a review on the screen of Samsung's upcoming flagship just before launch. Well, it's that time of the year, and they're at it again with Samsung's Note8. As you'd expect, all the numbers look pretty fantastic. But the most shocking by far is the 1,200 nits of brightness that Samsung's latest can spit out. I hope everyone saved their eclipse glasses.
On August 17th, a botnet that would later be named WireX struck the 'net, DDoSing a handful of CDNs and content providers. Cloudflare just revealed the details of the DDoS and the fight against it in a recent blog post. Researchers at the company as well as other affected organizations were able to combat the botnet by determining the source, which was primarily found to be Android devices running malicious applications, some of which were distributed by the Play Store. Google was then notified, and hundreds of offending applications were removed from the Play Store.
Chromebooks aren't just for a quick bit of browsing these days. Some people use them for general productivity, including those of us here at Android Police. So Chrome OS' latest addition to the Canary builds is something we can get excited about. As of a few days back, the Chrome OS Canary builds were updated to add a shortcut to a folder filled with recent-accessed files, making your work a few taps easier. Everyone loves an improved workflow.
We all need a pick-me-up now and then, and so does your phone. So if you've been looking to grab an external battery pack to keep things topped up, right now you have a chance to get one of 30 Tronsmart Presto 10000mAh portable batteries for free. And if a giveaway isn't quite your style, you can still pick one up at a 10% discount on Amazon via our exclusive coupon. Whatever you do, it's a win-win. Tronsmart's Presto 10000mAh battery has some pretty great features for a portable battery, too. It is compatible with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 on both output and input. That way you can charge it up quickly, too. If you've got a Huawei phone like the P10 or the Mate 9, it also supports Huawei's FCP technology for an increased charging rate. It can also pass-through, so as soon as the battery is plugged in to charge, connected devices are also able to start charging. Although it has two high-density lithium polymer battery cells, the size is just under 4" x 6" x 1", fitting easily into a pocket or small bag.
We do a lot of Deal Alerts here, but this is a really really good one. Right now over at Daily Steals you can pick up a set of Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Edition 250 Ohm headphones, new and in black, for just $129.99 with our exclusive coupon code. Not only is that $50 cheaper than most places (and $30 cheaper than Amazon's all-time low), but it's the best price online right now, period. In fact, the prices used on eBay are higher. If you've been after some high-impedance headphones, this is a crazy value.
Big news today over on XDA. It would appear that the OMS support added to AOSP made its way into Android 8.0 Oreo, and the enterprising developers at XDA have figured out how to leverage the nascent theming system. That is to say, support for Substratum themes now exists in stock Android as of Oreo, and the Substratum developers have just found a way to leverage that without relying on root, via a bit of privilege escalation and ADB, resulting in an incoming root-less theme management system for phones on stock Oreo, and it could be released within the next week. There are a few drawbacks to the proposed implementation, though.
Today Google had a huge announcement for Indonesia, in which it detailed six new products for the nation that are arriving now or coming soon, as well as milestones and new initiatives for residents of the country. Among the more exciting announcements are support for the Google Assistant in Bahasa Indonesia, the rollout of Google Stations for expanded WiFi internet access, YouTube Go for the country, Waze support for the capital's odd-even license plate policy, and expansion and milestones for Google's programs in the area.
Yesterday the network camera management app tinyCam Monitor PRO was updated to v9, bringing a ton of new features like MP4 recording to FTP servers, 'Webhooks on motion' for motion-detecting automation, and additional support for features in Android 8.0 Oreo such as adaptive icons and PiP, among a tremendous list of changes. To celebrate the occasion, it's even on sale for 50% off at just $1.99.
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ChromeOS development is on fire these days. Just yesterday we got news that we'd have a new setting for closing the lid on a Chromebook. And today we find out that a new automatic Night Light feature is inbound and has just entered the Canary channel. If you've ever used Kindle's Blue Shade, f.lux, or LineageOS' LiveDisplay feature, then you know that this means. If you aren't familiar with any of those, think a red-tinted mode for use at night.
You might be forgiven for overlooking the existence of a phone in the image above. The telltale sheen of curved glass coupled with the tiny bottom bezel are pretty much the only things that give it away. If you do spot it, this might just be your first look at Xiaomi's new Mi Mix 2.
[Update: Name likely Oreo] Google has an Android O event on August 21st to coincide with the eclipse
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- Based on the filename for a video Google recently posted via Google+ (GoogleOreo_Teaser_0817_noDroids (1).mp4), odds are high the next release of Android will be given the name Oreo.
Today it has been revealed that Android O, the next major version of Google's operating system, will be "touching down" (and likely shown off) on August 21st at 2:40 PM ET via a livestreamed event from New York City. The wait is nearly over. In just a few more days those of us with supported devices might even be enjoying the latest and greatest release of Android. But at a minimum, we should know a lot more about it.
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- Images and prices are up for it over at Amazon.de. So far, it looks pretty much identical to the AX100, excluding the addition of a DVD slot above the screen. There's no telling what the prices might be stateside, but those of you in the EU should be able to pick it up for 549€. The release date looks to be set at September 10th.
Sony's Android Auto head units are pretty popular around these parts. And that's for good reason, they present an excellent value for those interested in adding the hardware Android Auto experience to their car. Fortunately for Sony fans everywhere, the company has just announced a new product for its Android Auto lineup, the XAV-AX200.
Those who might need to do some phone repair, like a daughterboard replacement to fix a bad microUSB port, or a battery swap to fix some unfortunate bulge, might be drawn by this particular deal. Over at Massdrop, there is a group-buy together for the iFixit Universal Bit Kit. Originally .95, you can pick up the set for a 30% discount at $69.99 (plus $9 for shipping), if you are willing to wait a bit. Not a bad trade-off.If you're big into mechanical keyboards, like most of us here at Android Police are, then the odds are that you know the name Massdrop. For the unfamiliar, Massdrop is a "group buy" site that organizes periodic bulk purchases from manufacturers, ostensibly to save consumers money. Prices can be hit-or-miss, and there's always the question of delays, but it can sometimes get you a good deal.
Genesis, the new luxury arm of car manufacturer Hyundai, has just announced that its cars will be able to take commands from the Google Assistant. Gone forever are the days of having to wait until you are actually buckled-up to set the thermostat. Now the next time it's a bit warm out, you can let Google know to start your car and turn on the AC.
Our Facebook request for a relationship status with Android might still be unrequited, but Google has made its love for crowd-sourced answers in Maps and Search official. Questions & answers had been in beta for a short time (and even before that, we knew it was coming). But in a blog post on the subject today, Google formally revealed the new feature, stating that it should be rolling out to Maps and Search users soon.
Google bought Waze quite a while back, and though many of us suspected it would quickly be folded into Google Maps, it's remained a separate service for the last five years. Even better, the app has been regularly updated with new features, even including support for Android Auto. But today's update might be one of the most generally useful in recent memory. Now you can request roadside help from other Waze users if you run into trouble driving.