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Showing posts from August, 2018

Firefox will block tracking scripts by default, starting in 2019

Mozilla has always been a strong advocate for internet privacy. More recently, Mozilla has been working on Firefox Focus , a simplified browser that blocks all trackers/cookies and erases browsing data after you close the app. Now the company wants to take privacy a step further, by blocking all tracking scripts by default on the main Firefox browser. "Many of the harms of unchecked data collection are completely opaque to users and experts alike," Mozilla said in a blog post, "only to be revealed piecemeal by  major data breaches . Read More Firefox will block tracking scripts by default, starting in 2019 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2onhokX

ZTE reveals €649 Axon 9 Pro, forgets why people liked the Axon 7

ZTE is now back in business , and today at IFA it revealed its latest Axon flagship phone — which won't be coming to the US. With no Axon 8, ZTE has jumped straight up to the Axon 9 (with a superfluous "Pro" suffix). In its short keynote, the company was adamant that it was striving "once again to improve the impressive sound of Axon," and apparently the best way to do that was by  removing  the Axon 7's high-end analog audio/headphone jack experience. Read More ZTE reveals €649 Axon 9 Pro, forgets why people liked the Axon 7 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2C1Jcox

10 tips and tricks to make the most of your new Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is an expensive phone, but it might also be the one to get right now. After dropping a grand on a new smartphone, you really ought to make sure you're using it to the fullest. Samsung does have a way of cramming features in every nook and cranny, though. You'd need some sort of detailed guide to find all the best stuff, right? Well, that's what you're reading. Read More 10 tips and tricks to make the most of your new Galaxy Note 9 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2C3xGJu

Electrolux smart ovens will work with Google Assistant in early 2019

I personally would never want an oven that is connected to the internet, but if you happen to have a smart oven from Electrolux, here's some good news for you. The company announced today that its smart ovens will soon have Google Assistant support, allowing you to change temperatures or turn the oven on/off with voice commands. "By linking a connected oven to the Google Assistant," Electrolux said, "consumers will receive help with daily functions such as turning their oven on and off, selecting the right cooking program and desired temperature." The company said Assistant support will go live in "early 2019." Source: Electrolux Via: 9to5Google Read More Electrolux smart ovens will work with Google Assistant in early 2019 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2opVsFC

Pocophone F1 lacks support for Widevine L1, HD playback in Netflix and other apps don't work

Xiaomi's Pocophone F1 has already made waves in the smartphone industry for being incredibly affordable; a ~$300 phone with a Snapdragon 845 processor is virtually unheard of. Budget phones are inherently going to have some tradeoffs, and a less-obvious one has been discovered: lack of support for Widevine L1 DRM. Android supports a wide range of DRM modules, including ClearKey, Widevine, Microsoft Playready, and others. Widevine is by far the most popular method, and there are multiple levels; L1 means a device has full Widevine support, while L3 means only partial compatibility. Read More Pocophone F1 lacks support for Widevine L1, HD playback in Netflix and other apps don't work was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2N1j6pX

Google Pixel 3 leaks with notchless 5.5" 1080p display, dual front cameras with variable apertures, and more

The Pixel 3 XL has been leaking left and right , and to put it lightly, people have not been happy with its massive notch. We're finally getting to see the smaller Pixel 3 for the first time, and it looks like this may be the Pixel to get this year for many of you. Historically, the smaller Pixels have had huge bezels, but that's changing with this third generation. The symmetric, unintrusive top and bottom bezels with their dual front-facing speakers make for a non-XL Pixel that is - dare I say it - actually pretty good-looking from the front. Read More Google Pixel 3 leaks with notchless 5.5" 1080p display, dual front cameras with variable apertures, and more was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2NylHoB

Xiaomi releases render of Mi Mix 3 with sliding camera

For nearly two years, the Mi Mix has served as Xiaomi's experimental flagship. The original model was released in late 2016 as a 'concept phone,' and a sequel came out about a year later . The Mi Mix 2S only arrived five months ago , but it looks like Xiaomi is already close to replacing it. Xiaomi's president, Lin Bin, posted the above photo on his Weibo account with a caption about releasing the phone in October. Read More Xiaomi releases render of Mi Mix 3 with sliding camera was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PlOm0n

Ultimate Ears announces $150 BOOM 3 and $200 MEGABOOM 3 Bluetooth speakers with new 'Magic Button'

Ultimate Ears' BOOM speakers have always been their bread and butter. The company introduced the BLAST line earlier this year, though it hasn't been particularly successful. A 4-month old speaker that launched at $230 shouldn't be selling for $65 , but I digress. UE is going back to basics with the BOOM 3 and MEGABOOM 3, which are priced at $149.99 and $199.99, respectively. On the outside, Ultimate Ears has given both speakers a mild refresh with new two-tone fabric options and even larger crucifix-shaped buttons, but the basic design is still signature UE. Read More Ultimate Ears announces $150 BOOM 3 and $200 MEGABOOM 3 Bluetooth speakers with new 'Magic Button' was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PW8iZ4

Lenovo Smart Home Essentials is the company's first steps in creating its own connected ecosystem

Lenovo Smart Home Essentials is the company's new product line for the connected home. It's starting off humbly with a camera, a wall plug, and a light bulb — consequently, I feel like there should be a joke here, but I'm drawing a blank. These will be compatible with both Alexa and Assistant right out of the gate, too.  Everything is setup using the Lenovo Link app, which manages all applicable devices. Read More Lenovo Smart Home Essentials is the company's first steps in creating its own connected ecosystem was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2NvcPjf

Lenovo announces premium Yoga Chromebook and two budget models

Lenovo has made plenty of Chromebooks in the past, but just about all of them have been low-end models. The market for premium Chrome OS devices has really taken off over the past year, and just yesterday, Dell announced its first high-end Chromebook . Lenovo just unveiled three new Chrome OS laptops, including the first Yoga-branded Chromebook. Lenovo Yoga Chromebook Previous Next First up is Lenovo's first premium Chromebook, the Yoga Chromebook. Read More Lenovo announces premium Yoga Chromebook and two budget models was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2MYZdjx

[Bonus Round] BIOK, ColorFold, Aqua Moto Racing 2, Wheely World, Thunderbirds Are Go: International Rescue, Hungry Dragon, and Star Trek Trexels II

Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a competent indie puzzler, a minimal ribbon folding game, a fantastic wave racer, a goofy endless runner, a Thunderbirds Are Go licensed action game, a medieval twist on the Hungry Shark series, and a Star Trek: The next Generation space exploration RPG. Read More [Bonus Round] BIOK, ColorFold, Aqua Moto Racing 2, Wheely World, Thunderbirds Are Go: International Rescue, Hungry Dragon, and Star Trek Trexels II was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PnQ8OP

Your Google Assistant is bilingual starting today — at least, for any pair of six specific languages

Update  1 : 2018/08/30 10:30am PDT The article was updated to reflect that Google Now had bilingual support many years ago (when it was a thing). Google's Assistant has been making great strides in both functionality and speech recognition since its original release in the far off year of 2016. In fact, Google says that it has  improved so much that, starting today, it can recognize two different languages interchangeably. Your Google Home is now bilingual, something no other digital assistant can do — at least, since Google's  other assistant, Google Now. But there is a caveat: it supports only two languages among a list of six. Read More Your Google Assistant is bilingual starting today — at least, for any pair of six specific languages was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2LLbNOM

More Assistant-triggered visualizations are coming to Chromecast, plus per-device casting defaults for Google Home

Update  1 : 2018/08/30 10:47am PDT The per-device media defaults seem to be an old feature, so far as we can tell, though this is the first time Google has formally announced them. It even Back at I/O 2017, Google showed off what it called "contextual visual responses." Put simply, they were visual feedback for Assistant-based queries on your Chromecast. Earlier this year, we spotted the first of these in the wild for weather, and next up was YouTube . Read More More Assistant-triggered visualizations are coming to Chromecast, plus per-device casting defaults for Google Home was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2ws5SZR

Marshall Voice smart speakers with Amazon Alexa launching October 2, Google Assistant versions coming later this year

Marshall, famed maker of guitar amps and, more recently, cutesy Bluetooth speakers that resemble guitar amps, has announced that it's got a slew of new devices on the horizon. The lineup includes refreshes of both its Acton and Stanmore speakers that will each include support for Amazon Alexa, coming October 2 — with versions sporting the Google Assistant coming later this year. The Acton II and Stanmore II mark Marshall's debut in the smart speaker market. Read More Marshall Voice smart speakers with Amazon Alexa launching October 2, Google Assistant versions coming later this year was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2wvtk7T

MyNBA2K19 companion app is out ahead of NBA 2K19 release

Another year, another 2K companion app slash collectible NBA themed card game. That's right, the console and PC release of NBA 2K19 is just around the corner, so in preparation for the release, 2K has published the MyNBA2K19 companion app on the Play Store. The thing is, it's not just a companion app for an AAA sports game, as it also offers a collectible card battling game that you can play on any compatible Android device. Read More MyNBA2K19 companion app is out ahead of NBA 2K19 release was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PgElBJ

Snapchat 10.40 beta adds an adaptive icon and starts implementing notification channels [APK Download]

Not to be outdone by its closest competitor, Instagram , Snapchat has rolled out an update to its app on the beta channel that adds two important Android Oreo features: adaptive icons and notification channels. If you install the latest v10.40 beta of Snapchat, you'll find that the icon is now adaptive (properly executed, no white dinner plate background) and changes along with the rest of your icons to take a round, square, squircle, or teardrop shape. Read More Snapchat 10.40 beta adds an adaptive icon and starts implementing notification channels [APK Download] was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PS4fgi

The BlackBerry Key2 LE is official, starts at $399

Earlier this month, we shared images of TCL's upcoming BlackBerry device , the Key2 LE. It appeared to be a slightly cheaper version of the Key2 that was released earlier this year , and now the phone has been officially announced. As we suspected, the Key2 LE is a less-expensive version of the Key2 with minor reductions in specifications. It has a Snapdragon 636 instead of a 660, 4GB of RAM instead of 6GB, and a 3,000mAh battery instead of a 3,500mAh unit. Read More The BlackBerry Key2 LE is official, starts at $399 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2wuwKsa

Google Assistant routines are rolling out in more languages in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, and the UK

Google Assistant's routines rolled out in March , then gained customization and scheduling a few months later, but in the time since, routines have always been an English (US) feature. If your Google Home or Assistant on your phone was set to any other language, or any other variant of English, you had to make do with the old  My Day feature for a morning routine and not much more. In the past day, however, routines have started popping up left and right for users in several countries. Read More Google Assistant routines are rolling out in more languages in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, and the UK was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2wrMtbt

Sony reveals new Google Assistant-enabled WH-1000XM3 headphones and smart speakers

It was only around a year ago that the general public first began hearing about Google Assistant-enabled headphones (codenamed "Bisto" ). In short order, that ecosystem has expanded and now there are several products on the market that feature the voice assistant, including the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, JBL Everest 110GA, and Sony WH-1000XM2. At IFA today, Sony announced its second generation of noise-cancelling Google Assistant-enabled headphones, the WH-1000XM3, plus two speakers that also feature's Google's AI helper, the SRS-XB501g and SRSXB01, and the voice assistant-enabled WF-SP900 wireless sports earbuds. Read More Sony reveals new Google Assistant-enabled WH-1000XM3 headphones and smart speakers was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets https://ift.tt/2PlZsmm

aptX Adaptive takes Bluetooth audio up another level

A more in-depth article originally appeared on our sister site,  SoundGuys.com At IFA in Berlin, Qualcomm unveiled its latest Bluetooth audio codec for smartphones and headphones: aptX Adaptive. This isn’t the 24-bit/96kHz codec from Qualcomm that some have been clamoring for, but don’t be disheartened. aptX Adaptive sets out to solve a number of the biggest issues in the Bluetooth audio space and could be the codec we’ve been waiting for if it works as well as promised. Headphone jacks are quickly disappearing from many smartphones , so handsets and headphones are in need of a codec that works well not just for high-quality music, but increasingly for voice calls, video, and gaming too. aptX Adaptive steps in to support all of these use cases, along with ensuring a consistent connection even in crowded radio environments. What’s new with aptX Adaptive As the name suggests, aptX Adaptive is an adjustable codec. Rather than being set at a locked bitrate like aptX Classic , Low Lat

Android 8.0 Oreo update tracker: August 31, 2018

Welcome to our Android 8.0 Oreo update tracker . Following its public release in August 2017, Oreo is steadily finding its way to more and more Android smartphones. Google has been working to reduce fragmentation and ensure that more devices receive the latest Android version in a timely fashion. It’s still a work in progress though; the Android 8.0 Oreo update is still far from widespread, as the Android version distribution figures show . You’re probably wondering “When will my phone get Oreo?” This tracker will help with that question. We’re collecting all the information we can find on the rollout of Android 8, including past OTAs and upcoming releases. Without further ado, here’s what we know so far about the Android 8.0 Oreo update. Android 9 Pie is here! Check out our Android Pie update tracker What’s new in Android 8.0 Oreo? We have all the features here Android Wear update tracker Got Oreo? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to par