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Google's efforts generally have a US-centric slant, but not always. Users can now set popular Korean streaming service Bugs Music as the default music provider for Google Assistant. To change your default music provider, go to Settings in the Google app, tap Settings again under the Google Assistant heading, scroll down to Services, and tap Music. Bugs is listed in the "More music services" section.
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- Earlier this week, Skype v8.30.0.50 started heading out to users, bringing read receipts to the main Skype release. If that's more information than you're comfortable sharing, while enabled by default, you're still able to opt out of the feature, preventing other users from knowing whether or not you've seen their messages. And much like before when availability was limited to Insiders, both sender and recipient will have to be running a version of Skype on their device that supports this mode.
In-conversation read receipts are either a useful way to keep track of text-based communication or a hindrance in ignoring people, depending on who you ask. They're finally coming to Skype — but only in its Insider Preview beta build. Now when someone reads a message in either one-on-one or group conversations, their avatar will appear underneath it.
The rollout of Google One was complicated. The service was announced and the app made available for download in May. Emails went out saying that the service was available to everyone in the US in the middle of August, but that still wasn't the case by the end of the month. Now, Google is trying to make amends by sending some users affected by the messy launch $5 Google Play credits.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei recently confirmed that the company's forthcoming 6T won't have a headphone jack. It'll include an adapter in the box, but what kind of self-respecting company would OnePlus be if it didn't also sell you a solution? Enter the Type-C Bullets, a new pair of wired earbuds that'll plug right into the new phone's only remaining port.
The OnePlus 6T won't have a headphone jack, OnePlus CEO Carl Pei confirmed in an interview with TechRadar. The reason Pei gave is one we've heard before: saving space inside the device. That saved space, in this case, will be occupied by a larger battery and an in-display fingerprint reader.
Spotify has solved a problem you've probably never encountered. Until recently, the limit on the number of tracks you could download for offline listening was 3,333 each on up to three computers, tablets, or phones. That seems like plenty to me, but now you can store significantly more music for Wi-Fi-free playback: up to 10,000 tracks per device on up to five devices.
SMS is garbage, but here in the US, it's ubiquitous. Rich Communication Services messaging — RCS for short — is a fan favorite candidate to replace it. The hope is that, eventually, everybody will be able to text everybody else in a way that doesn't suck. Google and Samsung announced today that they're working together to that end, collaborating to make sure each company's RCS platform (and messaging app) plays nice with the other.
Ultimate Ears' Megablast speaker, by all accounts, sounds great. It's pricey, though, at an MSRP of $299.99. Back in April, we saw it going for $190, which was its lowest-ever price up to that point. Right now, it's even cheaper than that: just $175 on Amazon.In his review, Richard praised the Megablast's sound quality and sheer volume, noting that the speaker can get "absurdly loud" at full blast. It's also water resistant (IP67), and works as either a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi smart speaker, with Amazon Alexa built in — reviews are generally pretty cool on the software experience, though.The speaker is rather handsome as well, with a cylindrical design that pumps sound in all directions. It comes in some fun colors like Blue Steel and Merlot, but unfortunately, this price only applies to the Graphite Black model (other colors are below MSRP, too, but not by this much). Still, they all sound the same. Head over to Amazon now to grab yours.Source: Amazon
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Google introduced a program today that will allow developers to integrate Google Photos into their services. The program includes an API that lets third-party services use some of the features Google Photos offers, such as the platform's powerful search functionality.
Google got in the headphone dongle business when the Pixel 2 infamously axed the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack after Google made a big to-do about Apple's recent iPhone's doing the same thing in its reveal of the original Pixel the preceding year. The company has now quietly refreshed its headphone adapter, with its listing on the Google Store claiming the improved dongle provides 53 percent lower latency and 38 percent longer playback time than its predecessor.
While personal blogs aren't really the thing they once were, Google believes they "add to the vitality of the web." To that end, the company has introduced Blog Compass, a new platform for managing blogs. The app is currently only available as a beta in India, but it could come to more regions depending on its popularity and user feedback.
Wouldn't life be just a little simpler if you could plug your phone right into the wall with just a USB cable? Actually, you can. If you're about that kind of convenience, here's a deal for you: Topgreener's dual USB-C wall outlet is currently $27.99 on Amazon, down from its historical price of $34.99 — a hearty discount of $7.You can get an even deeper discount if you opt for a two- or four-pack, which are $53.58 and $105.57, respectively. Each outlet sports two USB ports and comes with swappable face plates to match your wall color. The ports on the outlets each put out 15 watts, which should charge your devices at a respectable rate. It's probably not quite as much juice as the charger that came with your phone — the Pixel 2's charger, for example, is 18 watts — but it ought to be close. Just don't expect to top up your MacBook Pro while you're editing video.Amazon doesn't show the new lower price as a sale, but it's lower than what Topgreener is charging for the outlets on its own website. If you're a handy type with a lot of USB-C gadgets plugging up your outlets, jump on this one.Source: Amazon
Modular smartphones haven't taken off the way we'd hoped they would back before Project Ara got canned. Motorola hasn't yet given up on the dream of an à la carte future, though, and for a limited time, you can snag a free Alexa smart speaker mod when you buy a Moto Z3 Play.The Z3 Play costs $499.99 (give or take), and on its own, the mod — an extended battery/Alexa speaker combo — is going for $112.49 just about everywhere right now, so it's certainly a nice incentive from a financial point of view. All the better if you're already invested in Amazon's virtual assistant.
Anker is known for having generally solid products at reasonable prices. It's no surprise, then, that its Zolo brand produced a very competent pair of fully wireless earbuds in the Liberty+. They're already a fine deal at their normal price of $150, and right now, you can snag a pair for just $99.99 on Amazon.The Liberty+ sound pretty nice and maintain a surprisingly strong connection. They last about three hours on a charge, and their included charging case can top them up an impressive 10 times over (that "48-hour battery life" the listing touts is for the buds and the case, and it's a bit of a stretch).
On August 2, Apple became the first US company to reach a total market capitalization of $1 trillion. Now, just a month and change later, Amazon has done the same — however briefly. The online retail behemoth's stock hit a new high of $2,049.50 per share around 11:30 a.m., Eastern time this morning, momentarily nudging its market cap over the trillion-dollar line.
Text translation seems like an obvious feature for a phone keyboard. It eliminates the hassle of having to swap between apps, copying and pasting when you want to say something in a language you don't speak (however infrequent that need may be). SwiftKey seems to agree, as the latest update of the keyboard's Beta version comes with Microsoft Translator integration.
Google Photos is, for many, a life-changing product. It stores and organizes every photo you take in relatively high quality for free (or in original quality for free, if you're a Pixel user). There's still something to be said for printed photos, though, which makes the photo books Google offers a neat proposition. And now, residents of Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain are able to take advantage.
Progressive Web Apps (or PWAs) are fancy web-based applications that can mimic some of the functionality of native apps while taking up minimal storage space on your device. Because they're so small, they're pretty great alternatives to installing apps you'd use infrequently. Discovering which services you use have PWAs can be tricky, though — and that's where Appscope comes in.
The Huawei Mate 20 Lite was leaked in graphic detail earlier this month, exposing a big battery, four cameras, and a notched display. Huawei officially unveiled the device today, confirming many of the previously rumored details — plus a buzzy and entirely unsurprising focus on AI.
Huawei's P20 is known for being available in some refreshingly funky color schemes. It launched in a few different colors, including the eye-catching Twilight variant, which has a color-changing finish that shifts from blue to purple to green depending on the lighting. Now, the P20 is getting four new non-traditional finishes: two more iridescent models, and two sporting leather.