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New Pixel buyers get 3 free months of Stadia Pro, YouTube Premium, Google One, and Play Pass
In some countries, Pixel 5 and 4a 5G purchases come with free pair of Bose QC 35 II ANC headphones
Google's latest smartphones are more affordable than previous Pixel flagships (and most other 5G phones), but the big G is also throwing in some freebies to sweeten the deal. Purchases of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G will come with three-month subscriptions to several Google services, and buyers in some countries can even snag a free set of Bose headphones.
YouTube TV is losing Fox Regional Sports from October 1
An extension took the game into overtime, but the final whistle is about to blow
Back in March, YouTube TV was in danger of losing Fox Regional Sports channels from its service, but a deal was struck with owner Sinclair Broadcast Group that would extend the relationship. Most of its channels remained available long enough to offer regular-season coverage for the NBA, MLB, and NHL, but sadly the extension is coming to an end on October 1
Amazon Prime Day 2020 to take place October 13-14
Prime your wallets for some (un)necessary spending
Amazon has announced the dates for this year's Prime Day event — it'll kick off on Tuesday, October 13 at midnight and run until the end of Wednesday, October 14. The annual shopping extravaganza is Amazon's way of stealing Black Friday's thunder, and the prices are often even better, so the organized among you can get you Christmas shopping done by mid-October.The event is open to Amazon Prime subscribers in various locations across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with Turkey and Brazil joining in the fun for the very first time this time around. In a bid to encourage spending and support small businesses, Amazon is offering $10 credit to members who spend $10 on items sold by select smaller retailers on the site between now and October 13. Products sold by small businesses will also be highlighted during the event via Amazon Live.
Google Assistant's new workday routine could help you be more productive at home
Replace your annoying boss with an annoying voice assistant
Some people will have taken to working from home better than others as we all adjust to the new normal, but it's always good to have a little helping hand. If you're struggling to stay on schedule with your work, or could just do with the occasional moral support, this latest Google Assistant routine feature could be just what you need.
Kurzgesagt and Wait but Why collaborate on beautiful Universe in a Nutshell app
Explore the whole universe and get a sense of its mind-boggling scale
The size of the universe is something us humans have real trouble getting our heads around, but there's a new app that aims to help with that in the most delightful way. Universe in a Nutshell is a joint effort from YouTube channel Kurzgesagt and Tim Urban's Wait but Why, so it's likely to be well worth the $2.99 you'll have to stump up for it on the Play Store.
OnePlus will unveil its next phone on October 14
No mention of a series, so it looks like there won't be a Pro model
OnePlus has announced the date for its next phone launch — the OnePlus 8T will be revealed at a livestreamed event on Wednesday, October 14, at 7AM PST (10AM EST, 3PM BST). It's been rumored that only a single phone will be launched in with 8T branding, and that looks all but confirmed as it's referred to in the singular (rather than series) throughout today's announcement.
Possible Sony Xperia Play 2 prototype surfaces eight years after it was canceled
Much sleeker than the Play 1 and looks like it had a 3D gimmick on board
Gaming phones are commonplace now that mobile gaming has reached a level of maturity, although most half-decent phones can play modern games to a pretty good standard these days anyway. Rewind back to 2011, and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 1 was a unique proposition with its slide-out PlayStation gamepad and stereo speakers. A follow-up was sadly canceled, but it appears as though images of a prototype have surfaced all these years later.
OnePlus Nord owners are reporting random factory resets and data loss
The phones are spontaneously resetting in people's pockets
If you've been on the OnePlus forums recently, you may have seen several worrying reports of Nord devices performing unsolicited factory resets, causing users to lose all of their data in the process. According to some of the affected people, their Nord felt warm in their pockets and when they pulled it out, it was doing a factory reset all by itself.
It looks like the original Google Pixelbook is gone for good
'No longer available' on the Google Store and signs point to this being the end
The original Pixelbook has a good run, but it looks as though Google is no longer making the premium convertible Chromebook. It's now showing as "No longer available" on the Google Store, and when asked about this by Engadget, the company didn't say it would be coming back and instead pointed buyers to the Pixelbook Go.
Waze introduces new features including lane guidance, traffic notifications, and trip suggestions
Carpooling will also be easier to use after a few tweaks
At the Waze On virtual event held yesterday, a few interesting new features for the Google-owned navigation app were announced. Lane guidance, something many users have long been calling for, has been in beta since April and is now graduating to the stable version of the app. Trip suggestions and traffic notifications are among the other additions.
Towards the end of last month, Google announced some new features for its Snapshot Assistant interface which bring it closer to what we always hoped Google Now would become. Among the new capabilities was a birthday reminder, said to be coming soon to English-speaking markets along with a notification so that you can't miss it. These appear to be functional now, so keep an eye out for them.
Google has eliminated its carbon footprint, plans to be completely carbon-free by 2030
CEO Sundar Pichai outlines the company's sustainability commitments for the next decade
When it went carbon neutral in 2007, Google cemented its place at the top of the tree when it comes to major global companies and sustainability. It has also been matching its energy use with 100% renewables since 2017 — of which it is the largest corporate purchaser — and runs the cleanest global cloud infrastructure. CEO Sundar Pichai is as committed to the cause as ever: he's announced that Google's carbon legacy has been eliminated and that it plans to be entirely carbon-free by 2030.
Google's Pixel plans get even more confusing as images of Pixel 5s surface (Update: More images)
The plot thickens
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It's no secret that Google's 2020 smartphone lineup has been considerably affected by the Covid-19 pandemic — the Pixel 4a was originally supposed to launch in May at Google I/O, but that event was canceled and the release was pushed back to August. This latest Pixel leak shows an engineering sample of a phone that the firmware calls the Pixel 5s, but before you get excited about the prospect of a new Pixel we didn't already know about, it's likely this is just the Pixel 5.
Mimestream is a new native Gmail app for Mac that almost nails the experience
Looks just like Apple Mail, (mostly) functions just like Gmail
There are quite a few apps in the Mac App Store that claim to offer a native Gmail experience, but none quite manages to encapsulate the experience well enough, at least the ones I've tried. Unlike most others, a new app called Mimestream isn't just a web wrapper and it uses the Gmail API instead of the IMAP protocol, making it faster and more stable. It's currently in beta and it looks like it could be worth a shot.
Google Duo is now available on Android TV, but it only half works
You won't even find it in the launcher yet
At the end of last month, Google announced that Duo would be coming to the slightly bigger screen in "the coming weeks." Sure enough, the video calling app is now available on Android TV — you can install it remotely from Google Play on the web or in the Play Store app on your device itself — but it's not fully functional just yet.
Create moving wallpapers with Wonderland, Samsung's latest Good Lock app (APK download)
Galaxy customization gets curiouser and curiouser
Samsung's Good Lock suite of customization apps are a fantastic way of personalizing your Galaxy phone, but the company isn't content with simply updating the modules that already exist. A few days ago, Pentastic was introduced for S Pen UI customizations, and now Samsung is back with another new app. Wonderland all about wallpaper creation themed around Lewis Carroll's Alice and her various adventures.
Xiaomi announces Poco X3 NFC, the first phone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 732G gaming chip
It's got a huge 6.67-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling
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During a livestreamed launch event today, Xiaomi unveiled the latest in its affordable range of Poco phones. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G, the Poco X3 NFC is a mid-ranger that features an Adreno 618 Elite Gaming GPU with liquid cooling for the mobile gamers out there. An impressive spec sheet is coupled with a remarkably low price as the base model costs just €229 (£199).
Withings ScanWatch now available in Europe after receiving CE clearance
It will come to the US later this year once it gets FDA approval
ScanWatch is the latest in a range of hybrid smartwatches from French health and fitness company Withings. First announced at CES back in January, ScanWatch is finally going on sale after some pandemic-induced delays. It's now received the CE marking in Europe that clinically validates the detection of atrial fibrillation (Afib) and overnight breathing disturbances. FDA approval and a US launch are expected later this year.
(Update: More info) Former Essential staff have started a new company called OSOM Products
Expect some 'innovative' and 'wild' hardware from a team of past Essential employees
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After launching one of the most hyped Android phones in recent years, Essential came to a sad end in the wake of the Andy Rubin controversy. The company still has a cult following and many are still using the Essential PH-1 despite the fact that it's no longer being supported. Those users will be excited to learn that a bunch of former employees are now part of a new company called OSOM Products, founded by Essential's head of R&D Jason Keats.
Samsung's new Pentastic Good Lock app lets you customize Galaxy Note's S Pen UI and features (APK download)
Change the look, sound, and functionality of your S Pen with ease
Samsung's Good Lock modules are a popular way of customizing Galaxy devices, and a new one for the Note series is sure to be just as well received. Pentastic lets you personalize the look of the various UI functions relating to the lineup's iconic S Pen, including the Air Command menu, pointer, and more.