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Google promises to replace some Nest cameras for free if they're stolen
Try this one weird trick to get a free second Nest Cam — and go to jail for fraud
According to a support page (spotted by AP alum/Ars Technica editor Ron Amadeo), Google will replace the new battery-powered Nest Cam and the newer and older Nest Doorbells if they are stolen. Google reserves the right to say "no" if things seem sketchy, and you have a few hoops to jump through, but it should make sure you aren't out $180 if someone absconds with your new camera or doorbell.
Reuters has reported that Tencent has pulled PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds from the Chinese marketplace. In an effort to retain its lucrative player base in China the studio has shifted focus to a similar title with an anti-terrorism-theme called Game for Peace. Luckily for Tencent, Game for Peace was approved for monetization in China last month.
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has been noted to have reception issues on several carriers. The problem seems to be worse on Sprint, where not only the S10+, but also the S10 and S10e are having problems with LTE. Software updates having failed to fix the problem, the carrier will now replace affected phones.
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- According to a redditor who chatted with a support rep, Project Fi is no longer offering the Moto X4 Android One as a replacement. I called in again to confirm this, and I was told that the Moto X4 replacement offer was only temporary while the Nexus 5X refurbs were out of stock. Now that these refurbished 5Xes are available again, that option has gone away.
By now, you're all probably familiar with the Nexus 5X and its tendency to bootloop. This has caused some major headaches, especially to those Nexus 5X owners on Project Fi who purchased Device Protection (formerly known as Nexus Protect). However, Project Fi support is now offering the Moto X4 Android One as replacements for faulty 5Xes, which makes a lot more sense than a paltry $53 check.
Belkin is one of the most established mobile tech accessory companies out there, but that doesn't mean it's not privy to making mistakes. About seven months back, charger wizards Nathan K and Benson Leung, along with XDA forums member mtucker, discovered a fault with Belkin's $44.99 F7U004 27W USB-PD car charger. Unfortunately, it's taken until now for Belkin to release a revised model, and the process to get one seems rather interesting.
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- The Verge reports Verizon and T-Mobile are also now allowing customers to exchange their "safe" Note7 replacement devices. That means all four major carriers have elected to do so.
The Galaxy Note7's tendency to explode and its subsequent recall have been well-publicized, but it appears that the issue wasn't completely fixed. Following the explosion of a revised Galaxy Note7 on a (not yet in the air) Southwest Airlines flight, American carriers AT&T and Sprint are permitting any concerned customers to exchange their 'safe' replacement Galaxy Note7s for any other smartphones they have available.
As you probably already know, the Galaxy Note7 hasn't exactly had a great launch, thanks to its tendency to explode. As a result, Samsung was forced to quickly redesign and produce millions of Note7s to send to owners with affected models. The Korean company prioritized replacements for owners with defective Note7s, and new sales were reported to restart on October 21st. However, things are moving more quickly than that; T-Mobile will resume sales on October 5th.
Some Pixel C owners have had a rough time with Google's flagship tablet. Problems first started appearing last month, when the scheduled over-the-air update for May (plus some Android N preview builds that had already been available) started causing semi-random reboots, usually when the tablet had gone into its low-power mode running on battery. The June update failed to fix the problem, as did the fourth version of the Android N developer preview.
So, Twitter. Hi. It's been a while. Are you people still completely screwing both the developers and the users that helped to make your platform a household name? Yeah? I kind of thought you'd get your heads out of your asses at this point, but I guess not. Since your stupid, stupid, stupid policies have killed yet another quality Twitter app for Android, ostensibly so you can continue to push your entirely mediocre first-party solution, it's time for us to look for another one.
In 2014, HTC rolled out the HTC Advantage, which offered a free cracked screen replacement, two years of updates, and up to 50GB of Google Drive storage space. Today, the company is going a step further. It has announced Uh-Oh Protection, which will provide one free replacement phone in the event of a cracked screen, water damage, or a carrier switch within the first twelve months after purchase.
Sometimes old stuff is too old. It's sad, but companies don't have unlimited resources, and they can't provide new software updates and service forever. That's especially true of smaller companies like Dropcam (though it's technically owned by Nest, which is technically owned by Google, so I'm not sure if it qualifies as a "small" company anymore). But instead of simply leaving owners of older hardware in the dust, or compromising on new features for the always-on home monitoring service, Dropcam has decided to simply upgrade the old models for free. Neat!
When Samsung and LG began selling their Android Wear watches, it seems they made a small oversight: the only way to get the proprietary POGO pin charging docks was to buy the watch. That left customers who had lost or damaged the chargers with no way to get their devices charged again. LG made good on the problem by adding a G Watch Charger to the Play Store back in August, and now Samsung has followed up for the Gear Live as well.
For some of us, breaking a smartphone is unimaginable. For others, it's only a matter of time. Either way, it could pay to have your ducks in a row. Samsung has introduced a new device replacement plan, and since no less than 107% of the world's phones were made by the manufacturer, a good number of people could benefit from this. But it won't come cheap.
If you follow developer Jack Underwood (or myself) on Google+, you're probably aware that Today Calendar, a calendar replacement that has traditionally put streamlined, pleasing design at the center of its mission, is undergoing a full redesign in anticipation of Android's L release and inspired by Google's new design guidelines.
Developer Klinker Apps, the folks behind the Talon Twitter client and the EvolveSMS messaging app, have just released Blur, a free launcher replacement that takes the approach introduced by the Google Now Launcher and opens it up to other apps. With Blur, any app that adds on support for the launcher can have its own dedicated page that rests right on a person's homescreen. In practice, this means users can swipe to the left to access their Twitter feed, text messages, a basic calculator, or a dedicated Google Now page that the Klinker brothers MacGyvered to imitate the GNL. More pages are hopefully on the way.
Update: The update is now live in the Store – find it by hitting the widget at the end of the post.
Google Voice is a great service burdened by a lack of support, integration, and easy way to sign up (unless you're on Sprint, of course). Those who do decide to jump the hurdles and either get a brand new number—or port their existing one to Google—will find themselves in an uncomfortable paradise. On the one hand, you can text from your desktop, tablet, or phone completely for free which is awesome. On the other hand, you have to use the Google Voice app, which is not that great. 'Messaging + Google Voice', however aims to alleviate that problem a bit.
There are no shortage of keyboard replacements on the market. Between SwiftKey, Swype, and the various manufacturer-skinned versions, you can't help but have three or four options on your phone. Today's latest entrant, iKnowU, still manages to stand out with the ability to predict entire phrases and highlighting of the next letters it thinks you're going to type. Pretty impressive.
SwiftKey 3 Is Now The Top Paid App In The Play Store, Company Is Unfazed By Google's Fancy New Keyboard
Swiftkey 3 recently arrived on the Play Store, and not too long afterwards, the company has posted a statement on its blog letting us know that the app
Swiftkey 3 recently arrived on the Play Store, and not too long afterwards, the company has posted a statement on its blog letting us know that the app is currently the best-selling paid app on the Play Store. Not too bad, SwiftKey! Of course, the biggest challenge is ahead, as Google announced yesterday that, from Jelly Bean onwards, the default Android keyboard will attempt to predict your next word. Which smacks just a little of SwiftKey's pitch.