Latest Articles
The History of Printing on Android and how the Mopria Alliance made it better
Printing documents from Android devices hasn't always been a cakewalk, but it has come a long way. That's thanks in large part to the Mopria Alliance, which worked with Google to implement core printing technologies in Android 8.0 Oreo.
Prior to the debut of Android 8.0 Oreo's Default Print Service, printing documents on Android was easier said than done. Google's mobile operating system didn't gain native printer support until Android 4.4 KitKat, and with the exception of third-party solutions from the likes of Samsung, setting up a printer required vendor-specific plugins and drivers. But thanks to the Mopria Alliance, a consortium of smartphone and printer manufacturers, Android's compatibility with printers has improved by leaps and bounds. Android Oreo supports an astounding 97 percent of the printers on the market—over 100 million—plus features such as duplex printing, Wi-Fi Direct printing, orientation, and paper size adjustment.
LG G7 ThinQ Hands-on: Improvements where it matters
The LG G7 ThinQ was officially launched today. It's a power-house with a large 6.1" super bright display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, and booming speakers. Oh, and it has a notch. Is the phone worth your attention? Let's find out.
By all accounts, the LG G7 ThinQ has had a troubled history. The Korean company's mobile division intended to launch the flagship at Mobile World Congress 2018 in March, reportedly, but put the breaks on plans after LG chief Jo Seong-jin ordered the team to "[start] from scratch" and find a "strong[er] selling point". For a time, it wasn't clear when the LG G6's successor would see the light of day—after LG posted a whopping 233 billion won ($219 million) quarterly loss in January (the 11th consecutive down quarter), Mr. Senong-jin cryptically told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show that LG would launch smartphones only "when they [were] needed".
Motorola Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, Moto E5 Play, and Moto E5 Plus First Impressions
Lenovo's back again with four new budget smartphones for 2018: the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play. What's changed? Here are our first impressions of the cameras, performance, battery life, software, and more.
Motorola, the Chicago-based subsidiary of Lenovo, stumbled upon a winning strategy with the Moto E and Moto G series. The mid-to-low-tier smartphones remain incredibly popular in developing markets such as India, where the company has shipped more than six million units to date. But they're also a top seller in the U.S., where they're subsidized by prepaid carriers and retailers such as Amazon (for example, as part of Prime Exclusive Smartphones). In a sense, Motorola's merely keeping the wheels in motion with the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, Moto G6 Plus, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play, its 2018 lineup of wallet-friendly devices.
How to Use Google Maps Like a Power User
There's a lot more to the Google Maps app for Android than meets the eye. Learn how to master Google's navigation app with these power user tips and tricks, which include how to save a parking location, how to share a list of places, and how to answer questions about a business.
Google Maps, the navigation app that's preloaded on most Android smartphones (at least, those which comply with Google's Mobile Application Distribution Agreement), is one of the most popular on the planet. It's the go-to source of directions, restaurant recommendations, photos, and business hours for more than a billion users worldwide, and it's no wonder; to maintain its Sterling reputation, Google says it makes "millions" of updates to Google Maps every day.
[Update: Apps Banned] How to Mine Cryptocurrency From Your Phone
Cryptocurrency, or digital coins generated by so-called "miners", are all the rage. Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Monero, Bytecoin, and Zcash, and more are popping up each day. Turns out you can mine a few of them on your smartphone. Here's how.
What do Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin have in common? They're cryptocurrencies -- digital currencies that use cryptography to secure users' holdings, control the creation of new currency units, and facilitate the transfer of existing units from one person or party to another. They're peer-to-peer and completely decentralized: When someone transacts with cryptocurrency, the transaction is broadcast to a network of users, ensuring that the units can't be double spent.
The Best Mods for the Galaxy Note 8
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is a beast of a smartphone, but the stock firmware only scratches the surface of the hardware's potential. Here are the best mods for the Galaxy Note 8, including QHD 60fps video recording, a fix for the deep discharge issue, and more.
It goes without saying that the Galaxy Note 8, the newest in Samsung's long-running device lineup, is one of the best smartphones on the market -- especially if you've got a thing for styluses. The whopping 6.3-inch phablet sports a capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 6GB of RAM, dual 12MP rear cameras, and a 3,300mAh battery that supports both Qi wireless charging and Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging tech. The undoubted highlight is Samsung's S Pen stylus, of course, which can access app shortcuts, translate highlighted text, and even compose memos when the Galaxy Note 8's screen is switched off. But it's not to be outdone by Bixby, Samsung's artificially intelligent assistant that identifies objects in photos (via Bixby Vision), serves up contextually relevant information depending on your location and the time of day, and switches off smart home appliances with a simple voice command.
Get Pixel 2 Features On Any Android
You don't have to shell out for a new phone to get some of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL's best features. Here's how to make any Android phone feel like a Pixel 2.
The Google Pixel 2 is a fantastic smartphone by any measure. It's got a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip, premium materials, and one of the best smartphone cameras around. But as it turns out, you don't need to shell out for a new phone to get some of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL's best features.
Always-listening Hotword Recognition without power drain may soon come to Android apps with TrulyHandsfree
The newest version of Sensory's TrulyHandsFree, a cross-platform voice recognition suite for iOS and Android, boasts dramatically reduced power consumption.
Ever wonder how smartphones such as the Huawei Mate 9 respond to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant commands ("Alexa", "OK, Google") even when the screen is switched off and locked? It's thanks to a hardware component called a DSP, or digital signal processor, a dedicated audio chip that handles low-power, always-on phrase detection (and other tasks). It's core to popular voice assistants' functionality. Silicon Valley-based company Sensory says its software-based alternative, TrulyHandsfree, gives DSPs a run for their money.
How to see what hidden APIs apps are using in Android P
Android P restricts apps from accessing hidden APIs and non-SDK interfaces. Using Logcat, it's easy to see what non-SDK APIs that apps are using in the new release of Android.
In late February, we spotted commits in the Android Open Source Code suggesting that Google would restrict applications from accessing undocumented/hidden APIs in the Android software development kit (SDK). The search giant later confirmed those changes; in Android P, API restrictions have expanded to cover Java language interfaces of the SDK, starting with rarely-used interfaces and eventually broadening to other non-SDK methods and fields. The first Android P Developer Preview shows warnings when apps are using non-SDK interfaces, but it isn't obvious what hidden APIs are being accessed. Luckily, Logcat makes it easier.
ARM Introduces the Mali-G52/G31 GPUs and the Mali-D51 Display and Mali-V52 Video Processors
ARM, the British holding company that licenses chipset designs to companies around the globe, announced four new designs: Mali-G52/G31 GPUs, the Mali-D51 DPU, and the Mali-V52 video processor.
ARM, which was acquired by Softbank in 2016, is a British holding company that develops and licenses the system-on-chip (SoC) architectures in billions of smartphones, set-top boxes, and Internet of Things (IoT) gizmos. Its technologies form the foundation of SoCs from Samsung, MediaTek, and HiSilicon, and those partners and others have shipped more than 125 billion chips to date. (ARM expects that number to reach 200 billion by 2021.)
How Dirac Enhances the Sound Quality of OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Huawei devices
We spoke with Erik Rudolphi, General Manager of Mobile at Swedish Audio firm Dirac, to find out how the company enhances the sound quality of smartphone from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, and Huawei.
You might not have ever heard of Dirac, but if you've used a Xiaomi, OPPO, Huawei, or OnePlus phone in recent years, chances are you've heard their software in action. The Swedish audio firm works with an increasing number of device makers to optimize the sound quality of smartphone loudspeakers and headphone outputs.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Hands On: More of the same, but with a bit more polish
Samsung didn't swing for the fences with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ — they played it safe. That said, there's enough new here to warrant a look.
If there were any doubts that Samsung had lost its touch, the South Korean company quelled them at Mobile World Congress 2018… mostly. On Sunday, the smartphone maker formally announced the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the newest phones in its storied Galaxy series. Both have lightning-fast processors in Samsung’s Exynos 9810 or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 (depending on the model), industry-first variable f/1.5 + f/2.4 aperture rear cameras, professionally-tuned stereo speakers, and new software features such as AR Emoji, Samsung’s take on the Apple’s Animoji.
HMD Global Announces Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, new Nokia 6, and Nokia 1 Android Go Phone
HMD Global announced a slew of new smartphones at MWC 2018, including the Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus, a new Nokia 6, the entry-level Nokia 1 Android Go smartphone, and the 8110 Reloaded. Here's everything you need to know.
Leave it to Finnish company HMD Global, which just came off a wildly successful year (it sold 70 million smartphones in 2017), to unveil a new Android Go smartphone, a feature phone, three new flagships, and a first-of-its-kind Android One partnership with Google.
TCL Announces Alcatel 5 and Alcatel 3 Series Phones, 1T Series Tablets, and an Android Go Phone
Alcatel took the wraps off a bevy of new devices at Mobile World Congress 2018. The lineup includes the Alcatel 5 and Alcatel 3 Series smartphones, the 1T 10 and 1T 7 tablets, and the Alcatel 1X, an Android Oreo (Go edition) phone.
On the eve of Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, Chinese smartphone maker TCL took the wraps off a menagerie of new devices on Saturday. In addition to the Alcatel 5, Alcatel 3, and Alcatel 1 Series smartphones that the company teased at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in January, it also unveiled two Android tables, the 1T 10 and 1T7, and an Android Oreo (Go edition) smartphone, the Alcatel 1X.
Android P will also Prevent Idle Background Apps from Recording you via Microphone
Android P will limit idle background apps' access to the microphone. It's a privacy-focused feature with the goal of preventing malicious apps from listening in on your conversations.
The next major version of Android, Android P, might be weeks away, but each passing day brings new breadcrumbs. One of the focuses of Android P appears to be protecting user privacy. Yesterday, we wrote about how Android P will impose limitations on "idle" background apps that request access to the camera. Following up on that, we also discovered an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) commit merged that same day that prevents idle background apps from accessing the microphone.
Google Pay Rolls Out Globally, Replaces Android Pay and Google Wallet
Google Pay, Google's umbrella brand for its digital payments platforms, is rolling out globally. It replaces Android Pay and Google Wallet in the US.
In January, Google announced Google Pay, an umbrella brand for its mobile and web payments platforms. It brings all of the search giant's services under one roof, and on Tuesday, Google kicked off the global rollout
A Boon for Privacy: Android P will Prevent Idle Background Apps from Accessing the Camera
Android P, the next major version of Android, will impose limits on idling background apps that request camera access. This is a boon for privacy as it means apps can't take pictures of you without you knowing!
Android P, the next major version of Android, could be weeks away from an official unveiling, and although its core user-facing features are still unknown to us, we are discovering many little tidbits thanks to Android's open source nature. We know that it'll let carriers hide signal strength and define how they're displayed in the status bar, for example, and we've uncovered evidence that Google may remove developer access to undocumented and hidden APIs. Bloomberg reported earlier this month that the next version of Android will support phones with "multiple screens" and "foldable displays", and we also found signs of that the update would support a call recording tone feature.
Microsoft's Photos Companion App Lets You Quickly Transfer Pics from your Phone to a Windows 10 PC
Microsoft's new Photos Companion app makes transferring photos from a phone to a Windows 10 PC quick and easy -- as long as the two devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Here's how to do it.
Back in November 2017, we wrote about an in-development Microsoft app for iOS and Android that let users quickly transfer pics and videos to a Windows 10 PC. Now, Microsoft Garage, Microsoft's skunkworks lab for experimental mobile apps, has released it publicly. It's called Photos Companion, and it's available for iOS and Android devices starting today.
[Hands On] Google Dialer's Floating Bubble Goes Live in v17 with a Fresh Coat of Paint
The Google Dialer's previously hidden floating bubble menu has gotten a fresh coat of paint, and is now available in version 17 of the app. You can install it now!
The Google Dialer, for folks who aren't familiar, is a customized version of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) phone app with a few extra features. Compatible Nexus and Pixel devices get Google Duo video call integration, real-time spam protection, caller ID, call blocking, visual voicemail (with transcription support on some carriers), and a local directory feature that shows search results for phone numbers that aren't in your contact list. Especially nifty is a floating button that lets you mute your phone's microphone, end calls, and toggle speakerphone while you're in another app, but the feature was hidden from view by default—until now.
Google's Material Design UI is Getting Revamped with New Colors, Iconography, and a Focus on Touch
New commits in the Chromium Gerrit appear to reference "Material Design 2", which might be a new and improved version of Google's Material Design language.
Material Design, the unified design language that launched alongside Android Lollipop, features flat, pastel color palettes, depth, soft lighting, and realistic physics. It's meant to mimic the tactility of real-world objects without resorting to skeuomorphism; Google describes it as a synthesis of "classic principles" with "[the] innovation and possibility" of technology.