Posts From Chris Merriman

Chris Merriman
Chris Merriman

I am the UK News Editor at XDA Developers. I’ve been writing about technology for over a decade for the likes of The Inquirer, where I was Associate Editor, Computer Shopper UK, and IT Pro. I’ve also appeared on Sky News, BBC, Al Jazeera and recently left a long-running weekly tech news spot on TalkRadio UK. My love of technology comes from my family who hail from the pioneering days of Silicon Valley - in fact my Grandfather worked on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. I’ve been using smartphones (and reading XDA) since the HTC Canary in 2003. I’m also a smart home obsessive. You can find me tweeting as @ChrisTheDJ or email me at [email protected]

Acer Halo is a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker with DTS audio

Acer Halo is a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker with DTS audio

October 21, 2020
Acer has joined the smart speaker party with an impressively specced first offering—the Acer Halo. The speaker, which hits American shelves in early 2021, is among the first to offer DTS sound processing at a surprisingly modest price tag, which should give it a competitive advantage over the competition. The Halo promises to offer “high-quality audio...
Acer Chromebook Spin 513 range brings Snapdragon 7c and LTE

Acer Chromebook Spin 513 range brings Snapdragon 7c and LTE

October 21, 2020
Acer has announced the first Chromebook range to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 and Acer Chromebook Enterprise 513 are powered by the Snapdragon 7c Compute platform, which is designed to give some nippy performance in diminutive size, combining the best of mobile and laptop technologies. The Snapdragon 7c is...
OPPO A33 with 90Hz HD+ display, Snapdragon 460 launched in India for ₹11,990 (~$163)

OPPO A33 with 90Hz HD+ display, Snapdragon 460 launched in India for ₹11,990 (~$163)

October 21, 2020
OPPO has announced the launch of its OPPO A33 early-mid-tier handset in India, boasting a combination of stunning display specs with a very ordinary chipset. The 6.5-inch HD+ (1600x720) display clocks in at an impressive 90Hz refresh rate, likely a first in this price range. But for some reason, the Chinese giant has paired it...
YouTube for Android rolls out default video quality settings and removes ability to tap the seek bar to skip

YouTube for Android rolls out default video quality settings and removes ability to tap the seek bar to skip

October 20, 2020
YouTube is in the midst of a number of tweaks ranging from the semi-accidental to the deliberate. Most notably, a change in behavior in the latest Android app has disabled the ability to tap anywhere on the progress bar to advance to that point. Google says that the new behavior is deliberate (via AndroidPolice), bringing Android...
Latest Tasker beta lets you reject calls before they even start ringing

Latest Tasker beta lets you reject calls before they even start ringing

October 20, 2020
João Dias, the developer behind the popular automation app Tasker, has released a new beta version which makes it even easier to screen those robocalls (or your parents, if that's your thing). Tasker 5.11.3 beta is currently rolling out in beta and adds a feature that can stop a caller from connecting with you before...
Chrome OS is finally getting a Trash folder to undelete files

Chrome OS is finally getting a Trash folder to undelete files

October 20, 2020
Google’s Chrome OS is getting a trash folder. While that sounds like a minor detail, ask anyone with a Chromebook and they’ll tell you it’s really quite exciting. Users of other operating systems running the Chrome browser never had this problem as they can use the native Recycle Bin/Trash functionality. Although the vast majority of Chrome...
An LTE version of the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is on the way

An LTE version of the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 is on the way

October 19, 2020
Mobvoi is set to release an LTE version of its well-received flagship smartwatch, the TicWatch Pro 3. The Wear OS-powered device was the first to be powered by Qualcomm’s new wearable SoC, the Snapdragon Wear 4100 (SDM429), and was praised for its reduced profile and improved responsiveness compared to almost every other Google-powered watch. The LTE...
HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G and 3.5mm headphone jack launched in Taiwan

HTC Desire 20+ with Snapdragon 720G and 3.5mm headphone jack launched in Taiwan

October 19, 2020
HTC has announced the new HTC Desire 20+ in Taiwan (via GizmoChina), following up on the launch of the HTC Desire 20 Pro and HTC U20 5G. This new phone is a statement of intent to anyone who had written the brand off. The Desire 20+ is a mid-range handset based around the Qualcomm Snapdragon...
Apple launches new iPad Air with A14 Bionic, now available for pre-order

Apple launches new iPad Air with A14 Bionic, now available for pre-order

October 16, 2020
Apple has announced a new version of the iPad Air. Whilst all the attention this week has been on the iPhone 12 series, Apple has also announced an upgrade to one of its most successful tablets, bringing the same next-generation chipset seen in the phone. The ‘all-new’ iPad Air runs on the A14 Bionic chip, claimed...
Nokia secures $14.1m NASA funding to roll out 4G on the Moon

Nokia secures $14.1m NASA funding to roll out 4G on the Moon

October 16, 2020
Nokia is teaming up with NASA to ensure that the new wave of lunar astronauts will be able to post their experience to their Instagram account if they so desire. The Finnish telecoms company will receive $14.1m funding from the US space agency to build a 4G cellphone network on the moon. The announcement comes...
Google Play Music is no longer available on Smart Speakers

Google Play Music is no longer available on Smart Speakers

October 16, 2020
Google is moving forward with its ‘death by 1000 cuts’ for Google Play Music after the service was removed from Google Assistant-powered smart speakers including the Google Nest Home range, and third-party devices (via ArsTechnica). This means that subscribers will automatically find their speakers set to YouTube Music by default from now on, with the Google...
Huawei Freebuds Studio headphones leak ahead of Mate 40 launch

Huawei Freebuds Studio headphones leak ahead of Mate 40 launch

October 15, 2020
Embattled Chinese tech manufacturer Huawei is set to announce the Freebuds Studio, its first premium over-ear wireless headphones, alongside next week's Mate 40 phone range. Despite the name, the Huawei Freebuds Studio are definitely not earbuds, but rather a high-end pair of Bluetooth headphones, seemingly meant to ape the success of Apple's Beats. Don’t expect a...