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The best new movies you can watch at home right now
There's plenty to watch at home these days, and we're rounding up the best (and worst) movies you can stream
Streaming services have taken over as one of the best ways to catch the latest movies. Whether they're making a stop in theaters before rolling out digital rentals or they launch as first-run originals from the likes of Netflix, Apple TV, or HBO; we're rounding up the best titles so you're not left in the dark — until it's time to start the film, that is. Check back each week (usually on Friday) to see the latest additions for movies that are now available to stream, the latest theatrical releases, and movies coming next week.
Lights, camera, controversy: How YouTube has evolved since its launch in 2005
Let's explore all the ups and downs of YouTube over the past 19 years
Remember grainy videos of cats chasing laser pointers or kids twirling staffs Jedi-style? I 'member. We've come a long way. From its birth in a garage back in 2005, when it was a quirky website for sharing home videos with friends, to the global dominance it enjoys today, YouTube's journey has been filled with successes and failures. Let's rewind and follow the growth of this modern-day behemoth and determine if it has ultimately risen to glory... or completely lost its way.
How you can install and play Fortnite on Android
Fortnite may have been kicked from the Play Store, but you can still play the game on Android
Epic Games did a big no-no in 2020 by releasing a Fortnite update that circumvented Google's in-app payments. As a result, Google removed Fortnite's listing from the Play Store. The whole fiasco left players with limited options for regaining access to the official Fortnite app.
The best Clipchamp alternatives
Not everyone is a fan of Microsoft. If you're looking for a Clipchamp alternative, we've got you covered
There are many online video editing tools, and Clipchamp is among the best. Microsoft bought the Australian company in late 2021, and the service became part of Windows. While it is available as an app and works great even on the best budget Android phones, not everyone will be thrilled with the new Microsoft experience. There are alternatives to Clipchamp for desktop and mobile devices.
New and original Android games appear on the Play Store regularly, but sometimes you need a retro game from the '90s and early '00s to settle down with. While other games offer groundbreaking visuals, these rely on their gameplay to provide an engaging experience.
GIFs are animated images. You could say they're a hybrid of videos and photos. You may have sent or received a couple of them while texting on social media. They're one way to spice up conversations and be more expressive when stickers or emojis don't have the energy you want. However, some social apps and media players don't support them. On Instagram, you can only post animated GIFs in comment sections. The best way to work around this setback is to convert them to a video format.
Best phone tripods in 2024
Make shaky videos and unfocused images a thing of the past with a phone tripod.
For years, we relied on hefty cameras for anything related to photography and videography. Then, the smartphone came along, and the tides shifted a bit, allowing us more portability. Of course, that flooded the Internet with shaky-cam videos and fuzzy photos, products of unsteady hands and no real stabilization. Both of those ails, however, are manageable with a smartphone-compatible tripod.
19 best weather widgets available on Android in 2024
Find the best weather widget for your home screen
There are countless weather apps available in the Google Play Store, many of which include homescreen widgets. However, it's often difficult to determine which app offers the best widgets for your needs. The description pages for these apps may list features and functionality, but they often leave out one crucial element: screenshots of the widgets themselves. Without seeing the widgets in action, it's hard to know how they'll look on your favorite Android tablet's home screen and if they'll provide the information you're looking for.
While Google Photos comes baked in on most Androids, some manufacturers like Samsung offer their own gallery apps in addition to the stock photo gallery and editing app. And if you need something more robust than Google and Samsung offers, there are plenty of third-party apps in the Google Play Store.
Skate kickflips onto mobile as EA announces reboot
Don't get too excited, the game will be free-to-play
Electronic Arts is currently working on a new version of Skate, a popular series of extreme sports games developed and published by the company. News about the game has been spreading like wildfire ever since an internal build of the game leaked, and so EA is now out in front of this information trying to set the tone, which is why it just published a YouTube video where the creators hold a roundtable discussing the project, revealing the console and PC game is also in the early stages of development for mobile, with plans to offer crossplay and cross-progression across all platforms.
Some Samsung Galaxy S22 phones developed an A/V sync issue after March update
Here's hoping the April update doesn't break something else
Nothing can drive you up a wall faster than watching a video where the audio doesn't sync up. It's one of those problems that — depending on how serious it is — can give you a headache or make you think you're losing your mind, and that doesn't begin to mention how distracting it is. That's probably how some Samsung Galaxy S22 owners felt in the last couple of weeks as the flagship phone developed an A/V sync issue just after it received its most recent update.SamMobile notes that the synchronization bug began to show up for users with both Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets following the March 2022 update. Reportedly, it's happened in numerous applications, with examples including YouTube and the Chrome browser, and it sounds like using Samsung's own wireless Galaxy Buds even made the problem worse.Based on a look at Samsung's forums, users first reported the problem three weeks ago. One person — who also had the most recent update that allowed for disabling the hated game optimization service (GOS) — said that when playing any videos on their S22 Ultra the audio was consistently off from the video, and it was "much worse" if they were using his Galaxy Buds Pro. More users chimed in, with one stating they'd received a response from Samsung acknowledging the problem and explaining that it was a coding issue.There were a couple of workarounds in threads discussing the sync problem, including one directing users to go to clear their cache for whatever app is currently affected. Once it's cleared through the settings menu, turn off your phone, wait 20 seconds, and turn it back on. Other commenters did report that this solution seemed to work.It's a new month, so hopefully, Samsung's April update will contain an automatic fix for those who are still dealing with it.
Modern genealogy — once a pursuit that required long hours digging through musty old archives or squinting at microfilm — has evolved in some remarkable ways. Advances in DNA analysis boosted Ancestry.com and 23andMe to billion-dollar businesses and changed the way we view our families, personal health, and genetics in general. It was only a matter of time before AI got involved (this is 2022, after all), and now genealogy platform MyHeritage has found a way to use the technology to bring us some straight-up unnerving videos of our reanimated dead relatives.
Google ATAP swears that Soli is actually going to be cool and useful one day
We've got a thing that's called radar love
Google's Advanced Technology and Projects division (ATAP) first announced Soli, its radar-based gesture technology project, almost seven years ago. Although it sounded really promising, the implementations we got never seemed to quite live up to its potential — the Nest Hub (2nd generation), Nest Thermostat, and Pixel 4 all feature Soli tech, but the project has otherwise been low-key. Google apparently isn't done with Soli yet, and a recent ATAP video sure suggests it might be an integral feature in future devices.
Instagram finally puts standalone IGTV app out of its misery
So long IGTV, we never knew what to do with you
Instagram introduced a standalone IGTV app four years ago. Leaning into the popularity of vertical video, the Meta-owned company went all in, promoting IGTV aggressively on its main app with previews and user prompts. By 2020, Insta acknowledged that IGTV wasn't getting a lot of traction. The company tried again the following year by rebranding it Instagram TV. That didn't work out either, and Instagram announced this week that it won't keep supporting the app.
How to choose the right Plex server: PC vs. NAS vs. Shield vs. Raspberry Pi
Some are cheaper, some are better
You can still load discs into a dedicated player like a caveman if you want, but we live in the age of streaming. Almost every piece of media you could ever want is at your fingertips... as long as you can figure out which streaming service it's currently on. If you care about control, you can manage your own media library with Plex, and the first step in that journey is to decide what kind of hardware will run your Plex server. You can just use your PC, but a dedicated piece of hardware like a NAS box is more efficient. What's a movie buff to do?
Rocket League Sideswipe hands-on: A near-perfect bite-sized version of a classic
No kidding, the game is really good
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Below is the original story, first published on March 30, 2021
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When I started reviewing smartphones, there was always something new happening. There were physical keyboards, tablet docks, sliders, flippers, and every hinge conformation you could imagine. Then, everyone settled on the flat glass slab, because let's face it, most of those ideas were terrible. You know what's not terrible? Foldables. I know, I was surprised, too.
Google Nest Cam Battery review: Getting used to disappointment
The monthly subscription is a firm requirement, and even then it has issues
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Google's line of Nest cameras have always offered impressive hardware, but they're expensive and the current lineup is getting a bit long in the tooth. Enter, the new Nest Cam, which features a battery so you can mount it anyplace, even if that location is far away from power. If you're looking for long battery life, this camera has it. The rest of it, not so much.
This guy put a Pixel 6 Pro on a drone so you don't have to
Keep your warranty and just watch this video
It shouldn't be too surprising that the Pixel 6 takes some fantastic photos — even if the telephoto lens on the Pro model leaves something to be desired. Videos are a whole other conversation, of course, and to our surprise, early demonstrations seem promising. Unfortunately, the writers at Android Police are mere mortals — we can't get up in the air to try out capturing video from a birds-eye view. So leave it to a willing tester to tie his Pixel 6 Pro to a drone for some sweet, sweet aerial shots.
The best Android adventure game you never heard of receives a director's cut
A complete overhaul of the 2016 point and click detective game Kathy Rain
Raw Fury has been on a roll with the recent release of its excellent sandbox city builder Townscaper, and today marks the launch of Kathy Rain: Director's Cut. This is a reimagining of the original point and click adventure from 2016, and it offers performance improvements along with additional features. At its core, Kathy Rain is a detective story where you'll hunt down clues surrounding your grandfather's mysterious death. You'll solve puzzles to advance this story as you dig through a mysterious town's secrets. The game was a delight in 2016, and now that it's updated for play on modern devices, it's that much more enthralling, perfect for a Halloween playthrough.