Posts From Brandon Russell

Brandon Russell
Brandon Russell

Brandon's love of technology can be traced back to his childhood, when he would obsessively watch Back to the Future. Since then he's followed the industry and its many innovations, from handheld consoles to powerful smartphones. He's still waiting on a hoverboard.

Turn the OnePlus Nord’s hole punch into a battery indicator with Energy Ring

Turn the OnePlus Nord’s hole punch into a battery indicator with Energy Ring

August 8, 2020
Energy Ring is a great app on Android that adds a configurable ring around your device’s front-facing hole-punch camera. It allows users to quickly see their phone’s remaining battery life, making it a nice quality-of-life improvement. We've covered it several times in the past, and that's because the developer keeps updating the app with support...
Download the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 wallpapers!

Download the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 wallpapers!

August 7, 2020
Samsung this week announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, both of which you can pre-order now ahead of an official release on Friday, August 21. As you’d expect, Samsung’s new flagships feature high-end specs, S Pen stylus support, and a handful of new wallpapers, which you can download now. XDA Forums: Samsung Galaxy...
Samsung’s first Galaxy Watch 3 update brings blood oxygen monitoring and other features

Samsung’s first Galaxy Watch 3 update brings blood oxygen monitoring and other features

August 7, 2020
After announcing the Galaxy Watch 3 earlier this week, Samsung has already rolled out the first major update for the new smartwatch. The new update enables blood oxygen monitoring among other new features. According to SamMobile, the OTA update, which is roughly 80MB in size and can be installed through the Galaxy Wearable app, is among...
Google Pixel 4a is one of the best selling unlocked smartphones on Amazon and Best Buy in the U.S.

Google Pixel 4a is one of the best selling unlocked smartphones on Amazon and Best Buy in the U.S.

August 7, 2020
The Google Pixel 4a’s launch may have come later than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the late launch doesn't seem to have diminished excitement for the new mid-range Pixel phone. In the last 24 hours, Google’s new smartphone has shuffled between the #1 and #2 spot for the best-selling unlocked smartphone on both...
TeamViewer’s QuickSupport App now supports remote control for many Xiaomi, OPPO, and Pixel devices

TeamViewer’s QuickSupport App now supports remote control for many Xiaomi, OPPO, and Pixel devices

August 6, 2020
With social distancing rules in place, it’s probably been a while since you were able to troubleshoot your relative’s tech issues in person. And with many businesses closed down, it can be that much harder to find the support you’re looking for. Thankfully, TeamViewer’s QuickSupport app makes it easy to troubleshoot issues from afar. And...
NVIDIA adds Into the Breach, Just Cause 2, and 6 more games to its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service

NVIDIA adds Into the Breach, Just Cause 2, and 6 more games to its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service

August 6, 2020
Looking for something new to play this week? NVIDIA on Thursday announced the latest weekly additions to its GeForce Now cloud gaming service. This week's additions include 8 new games to the service. The full list of new games in NVIDIA GeForce NOW is as follows:Othercide Superhot: Mind Control Delete Ho Tu Lo Shu: The...
The European LG Velvet can now be bootloader unlocked

The European LG Velvet can now be bootloader unlocked

August 6, 2020
Do you fancy flashing a GSI, custom ROM, or custom kernel on your LG Velvet? Well, you'll have to either wait for development to pick up on our forums or start porting AOSP yourself, but now that the Velvet can be bootloader unlocked, you can get started with the latter. LG this week updated its supported...
Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones unveiled with multi-device connection, DSEE Extreme, and more

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones unveiled with multi-device connection, DSEE Extreme, and more

August 6, 2020
When Sony released its WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling headphones in 2018, critics lauded them for their comfort, design, and audio quality. Now, Sony is releasing its sequel, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, and they feature a number of improvements that fans of the previous generation headphones will love. According to Sony, the WH-1000XM4 features the “best ever noise...
Google has discontinued the Pixel 4 and 4 XL less than 1 year after launch

Google has discontinued the Pixel 4 and 4 XL less than 1 year after launch

August 6, 2020
The shelf life of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL has already expired, Google confirmed on Thursday. The search giant said the Google Store has sold through its inventory, with no plans to replenish stock. In a statement to The Verge, Google said consumers can still find last year’s flagship at third-party retailers, but if you...
Android TV’s new Cast Connect library will enable remote control support for casted videos

Android TV’s new Cast Connect library will enable remote control support for casted videos

August 6, 2020
Casting video content to your Android TV device will hopefully feel more native in the near future thanks to the introduction of Cast Connect. As pointed out by Twitter user Android TV Guide, this new feature will have the benefit of making it possible to use your remote control for casted videos. A Google developer page...
[Update: Confirmed] OnePlus phones may finally get an always-on display with Android 11-based OxygenOS 11

[Update: Confirmed] OnePlus phones may finally get an always-on display with Android 11-based OxygenOS 11

August 6, 2020
Earlier this year, OnePlus finally committed to bring an always-on display feature to OxygenOS. Now, with the stable release of Android 11 coming in September for Pixel phones, OnePlus is teasing that they will introduce an AOD feature in the company's OxygenOS 11 update. OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau teased the feature with a cheeky...
Google is testing a slick new weather tile design on Wear OS smartwatches

Google is testing a slick new weather tile design on Wear OS smartwatches

August 5, 2020
Google appears to be testing a slick new weather tile design on Wear OS smartwatches. An image of the new design was shared on Reddit's /r/WearOS subreddit by user ThatCC. The new UI is very minimal, making it really easy to understand at a glance. It features a glyph of the current weather, the temperature, and...