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Google releases an AdMob mobile app for Android
Google has released an AdMob Android app on the Google Play Store, which allows you to see your dashboard right from your phone.
If you're an Android app developer whose app(s) have in-app ads implemented as a revenue source, then you'll know how important it is to keep track of your earnings. Google's AdMob mobile advertising platform easily lets developers monetize their apps with in-app advertisements. Recently, Google released a mobile client for AdMob on the Google Play Store (via 9to5Google).
Google's first feature drop for the Pixel Buds adds attention alerts, bass boost, and transcribe mode
The new, second-gen Google Pixel Buds are getting their first feature drop, packing features such as attention alerts, bass boost, and more.
The second-generation Pixel Buds from Google are truly wireless earbuds that pack a ton of features at a price of $179. Just like Google Pixel smartphones, the Google Pixel Buds are getting "feature drops" that add a bevy of new features and improvements. The first of such "feature drops" is here for the second-gen Pixel Buds, as announced in a Google blog post, and they bring some substantial improvements.
[Update 2: More colors] This is our first look at the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition)
The Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) is apparently coming soon as the Lite edition of the Galaxy S20, and we now have some clues about what it might look like.
The Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra launched earlier this year right before COVID-19 shut everything down, and Samsung is about to follow-up with the new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in just 2 days from now. A few weeks before the big Galaxy S20 announcement in February, Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 Lite and the Galaxy Note10 Lite, two devices that were oddities in Samsung's typical launch cycle. The S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite were both more affordable versions of their flagship counterparts, and it seems that Samsung may be set to repeat this strategy with the Galaxy S20. Thanks to renowned leaker Evan Blass, we now have our first look at the Galaxy S20 "Fan Edition".
The Galaxy Note 20 doesn't ship with AKG earbuds in the US, but you can ask for them
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 doesn't come with AKG earbuds in the box in North America, but you can still get a free pair of USB-C earbuds by asking.
It looks like a new trend in late 2020 is to ship phones with less stuff in the box. The Apple iPhone 12 is rumored to ship without a charger or wired earbuds in the box, and rumors also point to Samsung considering ditching the charger in the box of a future Galaxy smartphone. We haven't heard rumors of Samsung ditching wired earbuds in the box just yet, which would be a marked departure from the current norm as Samsung Galaxy flagships typically come with high-quality wired earbuds tuned by AKG. However, Samsung's new Galaxy Note 20 series, comprised of the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, don't come with AKG earbuds in North America.
[Update 2: August 11th Beta] Microsoft xCloud launches September 15th on Android with over 100 Xbox games
Microsoft xCloud goes live on Android on September 15th with over 100 Xbox games. You'll need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Don't own a powerful PC or a newer console? No problem: Thanks to cloud game streaming services, you don't have to dish out hundreds of dollars to enjoy the best that the gaming industry has to offer. For example, NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud gaming service lets you play Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding with DLSS 2.0 enabled while Google's Stadia cloud gaming service offers arguably the lowest latency and highest quality for its selection of games. Microsoft's competing Project xCloud, which offers up a range of popular Xbox titles, has been in preview for a few months but will soon launch for everyone later this year.
Xiaomi is rebuilding MIUI for India without any of its banned apps
Xiaomi has announced that they will be rebuilding MIUI for the Indian market in order to comply with Indian laws, removing all apps that have been banned.
In case you're out of the loop with what's going on with India and China relations right now, the two countries are not on the best of terms right now due to a border dispute. While tensions are high, the Indian government made a move to initially ban 59 Chinese apps and services followed by 47 more apps from being used in the country, citing national security and privacy concerns. Since some of the apps that have been banned are made by Xiaomi, the company has scrambled to update its MIUI software to comply with the ban.
[Update: Wear OS Shutdown] Google Play Music is shutting down for everyone in October
Google Play Music will no longer be available for everyone in October as part of the company's push for people to adopt YouTube Music.
For those of you who still love and use Google Play Music, I'm sure you've heard of this news by now...but Google is killing off the service and replacing it with YouTube Music. Since YouTube Music launched in 2018, both it and Play Music have coexisted even though Play Music was no longer in active development. Google slowly added new features to YouTube Music to convince people to migrate from Play Music, and more recently, introduced a migration tool to transfer your songs, albums, and playlists. The goal was to get people to fully migrate to YouTube Music so that Google can shut down Play Music. That day will soon arrive: Google Play Music is shutting down for everyone by December 2020.
Today's OnePlus Day deals include free Bullets Wireless Z with a OnePlus 8 or 8 Pro purchase
Today's OnePlus Day deals include free Bullets Wireless Z with the purchase of an OnePlus 8 or an OnePlus 8 Pro. Check it out!
A few weeks back, OnePlus started a weekly campaign of deals and discounts on their products for the North American market, which they dubbed "OnePlus Day". Every Wednesday is OnePlus Day, and so, the company unveils new deals every Wednesday. This week's OnePlus Day deals include an accessory coupon worth $150 USD/$200 CAD and free Bullets Wireless Z earphones. Be mindful that all of these deals are only available for today, so if you see a deal you like and you've been sitting on a purchase, act now before it's gone.
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G comes to T-Mobile and Verizon starting at $499
The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G is coming soon to Verizon and T-Mobile with a $499 price tag and mid-range specs. Check it out!
The Galaxy A51 was Samsung's big mid-range hit of 2020. It features an immersive 6.5-inch OLED display with a centered hole-punch camera, quad rear cameras with a 48MP sensor, and a competitive price tag of $399 in the U.S. With the influx of more affordable 5G smartphones, Samsung is adding its own mid-range 5G smartphones to its catalog. Hence, earlier this year, the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G was announced with the same design, display, and cameras, but with added support for 5G connectivity. A few months after its initial announcement, the Galaxy A51 5G will soon become available in the U.S. starting at $499—making it Samsung's cheapest 5G smartphone.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 now supports the Google Phone app and playing HDR video in Netflix
The ASUS ROG Phone 3 now supports Google's official dialer app, Google Phone, as well as FHD HDR playback in Netflix. Read on to know more!
ASUS ROG Phone gaming smartphones are now on their third-generation, and they have often been regarded as the undisputed king of high-spec (or overkill). The ASUS ROG Phone 3 was recently launched along that formula. With an eye-watering 144Hz display (that can even be turned up to 160Hz if that's somehow not enough for you), a beefy Snapdragon 865 Plus processor and very generous amounts of RAM and storage, it's also the undisputed king of ridiculous specifications. This phone is able to handle almost everything you throw at it fairly easily. And for those of you who have purchased this device, you will be glad to know that the phone is getting a few improvements.
[Update: Corroboration] Xiaomi and Qualcomm reportedly collaborating on a new "Game Turbo" GPU tuning feature for the Mi 10 Pro+
Xiaomi and Qualcomm are reportedly collaborating on a "Game Turbo" GPU tuning feature for the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro+.
Smartphones are getting more and more powerful, and as a result, mobile games are becoming more and more demanding. Games such as Fortnite, PUBG, and Call of Duty are available on mobile, for example, and the highest quality settings in these games can really push the GPU of modern devices. Dedicated gaming smartphones like the ASUS ROG Phone 3 push the envelope with killer specifications that can handle every game you throw at them, and they also usually have special gaming modes that let you fine-tune performance settings. But gaming smartphones aren't the only devices with top-tier mobile processing power, and they're also not the only devices to have dedicated gaming modes. Several Xiaomi phones have had a game tuning feature called Game Turbo for some time now, but with the upcoming Mi 10 Pro+, Xiaomi is allegedly collaborating with Qualcomm to introduce a much more powerful iteration of the software.
Huawei Mate 40 leaked renders show massive circular camera bump and waterfall display
The Huawei Mate 40 and Mate 40 Pro are coming soon, and we now have a first-hand look at their designs, cameras, and displays thanks to leaked renders!
Despite many setbacks, Huawei is still pushing forward with new smartphone launches. Last year, the company launched the Huawei Mate 30 series, the first smartphones from the company that, as a direct result of U.S. trade sanctions, didn't ship with Google Mobile Services preloaded. With the Mate 30, Huawei doubled down on packing impressive camera hardware and bleeding-edge features. Earlier this year, they followed up with the Huawei P40 series, a trio of smartphones that packed even more bleeding-edge features like 10X optical zoom and 40W wireless charging (in the Pro+ model). Now, Huawei is gearing up to launch the Huawei Mate 40 lineup, and we have a good understanding of what they'll look like thanks to famed leaker OnLeaks. He partnered with two different publications for his Mate 40 series leaks: HandsetExpert in the case of the Mate 40 and Pricebaba in the case of the Mate 40 Pro.
Google offering 3 months of Disney+/Stadia Pro, 100GB of Dropbox/Google One, and more for Chromebook users
Google is now offering several perks for Chromebook users, such as 3 months of Disney+, 3 months of Stadia Pro, and much more. Check it out!
Chromebooks are some of the best bang for the buck laptops the average consumer can get if all they need is a safe, secure, and speedy PC to browse the web, work on documents on the go, and watch some videos. Chrome OS is no longer as web-centric as it used to be since they added a lot of offline functionality, Android apps, Linux apps, and soon, full-fledged Windows apps. Just in case you're still not completely sold on getting a Chromebook, Google is continuously offering various incentives to get you to dive into the ecosystem, and they all seem pretty awesome.
[Update: Full Removal in 2021] Microsoft is killing its dedicated Cortana voice assistant app for Android and iOS
Cortana, Microsoft's own voice assistant, has been supported on Android and iOS for a while, but come January, support for both platforms will be pulled.
Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are by far the two biggest voice assistant platforms, but there are plenty of other options out there, including Apple's Siri, Samsung's Bixby, and Microsoft's Cortana. Cortana used to be limited to Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system and Microsoft's ecosystem in general, but back in late 2015, the company released apps on iOS and Android to try to catch up with the big two. It looks like Microsoft has decided there's no longer any point in offering a dedicated Cortana mobile app, however, as they've decided to discontinue the app in most markets early next year.
[Update: Now Down] Apple acquires Dark Sky and will shut down the weather app for Android and Wear OS
The popular Dark Sky weather app has been acquired by Apple, and it is now going iOS-exclusive as they shut down the Android and Wear OS apps.
Apple has always been about improving its own ecosystem and growing and improving its "walled garden," but one app from this ecosystem that has not seen a major overhaul in quite some time is its own Weather app. It has not received one since iOS 7 was first released, in fact --- and that was 7 years ago, in 2013. There were some alternatives, however, and one of them included Dark Sky, an alternative weather app for iOS, Android, and Wear OS. Now, the app has been purchased by Apple, as they've shared in a blog post.
Google and Apple announce new privacy and functional improvements to their COVID-19 contact tracing API
Google and Apple's COVID-19 contact tracing API, called Exposure Notifications, is getting a few privacy and functional improvements.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our habits have changed drastically. Social distancing is now the norm because of the sheer amount of asymptomatic people carrying the virus. Knowing who has tested positive and who came into contact with those persons is essential to containing the spread of the virus, and that's why Google and Apple teamed up to create a COVID-19 contact tracing API called Exposure Notification. This API is meant for use in contact tracing applications from public health agencies, and it supports both iOS and Android. Today, Google and Apple announced a few improvements to the API.
Report: Huawei overtook Samsung in Q2 2020 to become the #1 smartphone vendor
Huawei managed to take Samsung's place as the number 1 smartphone manufacturer globally during Q2 2020. Read on to know more!
The Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), which both the Huawei and Honor smartphone brands are part of, has achieved incredible growth in the last few years. The Chinese technology giant is a major player in not only its home market of China but also in certain markets in Europe and other parts of Asia. The company's growth has led them to become the #1 smartphone vendor in the second quarter of this year, finally overtaking Samsung. That's according to a new report by technology analyst firm Canalys.
HMD Global's first 5G smartphone, the Nokia 8.3 5G, is coming to the US this fall
The Nokia 8.3 5G, Nokia's first 5G smartphone, is coming to the US this fall as HMD Global is doubling down in the American market. Read on to know more!
The Nokia 8.3 5G was announced a few months back as HMD Global's highest-end smartphone in 2020 so far (although there are rumors floating around of a Nokia 9.3 PureView in the works, so this could very well change soon). The Nokia 8.3 5G is also the company's first, and so far only, 5G-enabled smartphone. While it's not powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, it does have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which has been the common choice for mid-range smartphones with 5G support throughout the year. Not only this, but HMD Global also claimed that theirs was the first 5G device in the market to be compatible with all 5G bands globally. This device was previously planned for a global release following an announcement at MWC 2020 but plans obviously changed because of COVID-19 (MWC was canceled, the phone's announcement was delayed, etc.) Now, HMD Global has announced that the Nokia 8.3 5G is coming to the United States very soon.
A future OnePlus Nord device is coming to the U.S. this year
A OnePlus Nord-branded device will be coming to the US later this year, as confirmed by Carl Pei. Read on to know more about it!
OnePlus recently took the veils off the OnePlus Nord (our review), a device that broke new ground for OnePlus. Previously, the company had only been releasing phones with mostly flagship specifications, with the exception of a one-off mid-range phone in the form of the OnePlus X in 2015. OnePlus' gradual price hike reached its highest point this year, with the OnePlus 8 Pro reaching a $999 price point, which forced loyal OnePlus users who followed the brand for their price-to-performance ratio to look elsewhere. The OnePlus Nord is the company's first mid-range device since then, but potential U.S. buyers were bummed to know the device was not slated for a release in the States. For now, at least.
Full specs of Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7 leak, revealing QHD 120Hz displays, Snapdragon 865+, and wireless DeX support
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ are coming, packing in all of the might of Samsung's flagship smartphones in a slate setup. Check it out!
There's a notable lack of decent Android tablets. It is a market segment that once flourished several years ago: Google even went so far as to launch a tablet-exclusive version of Android, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, in 2011. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich kept this tablet UI, but it slowly lost favor during the years as Android tablets fell out of fashion. Today, there are barely any decent Android alternatives to tablets such as the iPad or the Microsoft Surface, but Samsung is still keeping up the fight. Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7+ will now try to compete for a place in the tablet market.