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[Update: Bolt available now] The Anker Roav Bolt and JBL Link Drive are car chargers that double as Google Assistant speakers
The Anker Roav Bolt and JBL Link Drive are Google Assistant-enabled car chargers. These devices act essentially like Google Home speakers in your car.
Many new cars are equipped with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay these days, but there are still tons of cars on the road without any smart systems built-in. There's a big market right now for people who want to add smarts to their old car. As mentioned by Google along with the flurry of Assistant updates, Anker and JBL have announced car chargers that put Google Assistant in the co-pilot seat.
[Update: Rolling Out] Samsung Bixby 2.0 will bring back support for Google apps
At CES, Samsung announced that Bixby will add support for controlling Google apps. Samsung Bixby 2.0 is available for the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9/S9+.
It's CES week, and that means lots of new product launches and lots of software announcements. Samsung has made some pretty big announcements like support for iTunes and AirPlay 2 on their Spring 2019 series Samsung TVs. During their keynote address, they also talked a lot about their virtual assistant, Bixby. One of the notable announcements is that Google apps will once again be supported Samsung Bixby 2.0.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Benchmarks: Comparing the CPU, GPU, and AI Performance with the Kirin 980 and Snapdragon 845
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 offers substantial CPU, GPU, and AI improvements over the Snapdragon 845, but how does it compare to the Kirin 980?
2018 was an exciting year for smartphone enthusiasts. We saw the beginnings of nearly bezel-less designs, multi-camera innovations, computational photography techniques to make handheld long exposure practical, ridiculously fast wired charging, the reintroduction of wireless charging into the mainstream, and so much more. Android smartphones have so many features to differentiate them, but they're all still powered by chipsets from either Qualcomm, HiSilicon, Samsung, or MediaTek. Most Android flagships in 2018 were powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, but in 2019 they'll mostly be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. Although the new Qualcomm mobile platform was announced back in December during the Snapdragon Tech Summit, Qualcomm waited until CES 2019 last week to let us benchmark the Snapdragon 855.
Honor View 20 Hands-on: Honor's Latest Flagship has a Striking Design, Speedy Kirin 980 Chipset, and 48MP Camera
Honor's latest flagship Android smartphone, the Honor View 20, packs a Kirin 980, 48MP camera, 3D ToF camera, and a unique, striking design. We go hands-on.
In 2018, nearly 3,100 Android devices were certified by Google. With so many new Android smartphones in the market, it's become increasingly difficult for device makers to differentiate their products from the competition. We've watched as the industry has moved towards bezel-less displays by incorporating display cutouts (notches), but near the end of 2018, we've seen companies experiment with slider mechanisms and in-display cameras. For example, Honor, Huawei's sub-brand that sells products online, unveiled the Magic 2 in late October and View 20 in late December. The Honor Magic 2 is the company's latest experimental, nearly bezel-less smartphone with a slider camera mechanism, while the Honor View 20 has a punch hole in-display camera. Unlike the Magic 2, the Honor View 20 will be sold outside of China. We had the opportunity to check out the View 20 at CES 2019 ahead of its global launch. Here's what we think of Honor's View 20 flagship Android smartphone.
VLC for Android will soon support casting to Apple TVs via Airplay
VLC is at CES this week and it has been revealed they are working on their Android app gaining support for Airplay for Apple TVs.
VLC Media player has been with us for nearly two decades and it has gone through a lot since its inception. It was (and still is for some people) the go-to media player for desktop operating systems, but it took them a while until they were released on Android. Since its launch on the platform back in 2014, VLC has gained more success as it grew into the fully featured media player that it is today. The company is at CES this week and it has been revealed they are working on their Android app gaining support for Airplay.
HiSense announces new 4K ULED 65" and 75" Android TV models
Hisense announced three 4K Android TV models showcasing ULED displays which enhance traditional LED-backlit LCD panels with Quantum Dot technology
We've all heard of plasma (RIP), LCD, and OLED displays, but HiSense introduced something many may not be familiar with. The company announced three 4K ULED displays among its Android TV lineup at CES 2019. Not to be confused with OLED, ULED has been defined as an LCD display with LED backlights that also employs quantum dot technology to improve its color gamut and allow granular control of the display.
Google wants to set minimum hardware requirements for Android TV devices
Google wants to impose minimum hardware requirements on future Android TV devices that are launched, citing performance as a concern.
The Android TV market has somewhat stagnated, largely because of the fact that there's not a whole lot you can do with one. They can stream TV shows, movies, and do some of the things that regular Android smartphones can do, but there's not a whole lot of reason to upgrade once you have one, especially if it's a somewhat recent model. Companies do like to put out low-end Android TV devices, however, which may suffer performance issues.
HiSense U30 shows up with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 675, Samsung's 48MP camera sensor, and an O-Infinity punch hole display
A new smartphone from HiSense was at CES 2019 and it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675, Samsung's 48MP camera, and an O-Infinity punch hole display.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is all about companies showing off their visions for the future of technology. Chinese electronics company HiSense is at this year's event with a range of new television products, but they also brought some of their new smartphones to the show floor. I caught a glimpse at one of their upcoming smartphones, the HiSense U30, and was drawn to the device. The U30 is one of the few smartphones with a display hole (or punch hole, whatever you want to call it) for its front-facing camera. Unlike the Huawei Nova 4, Samsung Galaxy A8s, and Honor View 20, which all had multiple social media teasers and official launch events, the HiSense U30 was just sitting there at a table at CES. Before I show you what it looks like in more detail, here's a broad overview of its specifications.
[Update: Hands-on] Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite is coming to the US with a 10.1" screen, stylus, and quad speakers
The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite is a mid-range tablet that was launched last year. Announced at CES 2019, it's now coming to the US.
At the 2018 Mobile World Congress, Huawei announced the Huawei MediaPad M5 series of tablets, which aim to provide a high-end experience in tablet form. In September later that year, Huawei unveiled the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite, a mid-range tablet which aimed to be even more affordable than the standard M5 lineup. The MediaPad M5 Lite features a 10.1-inch display, a stylus, and quad speakers for around €300. At CES 2019, Huawei has announced that this tablet will be available in the United States from retailers such as Amazon and Newegg from the end of January. The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset and has 3GB of RAM at a price of $299. Given that the tablet market is rather stale across the globe, this is one of the few modern options from a big brand.
[Update: Hands-on] The 2019 Alcatel 1X and 1C are TCL's latest budget Android smartphones
The 2019 Alcatel 1X and the Alcatel 1C are TCL's newest budget Android smartphones, with specifications to match their pricing.
TCL, the exclusive licenser of Alcatel handsets, has announced the 2019 Alcatel 1X and the Alcatel 1C at CES 2019. Both are budget handsets aimed at North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa that intend to launch in Q1 of 2019. They feature low-end specifications for a low price, though you certainly won't be doing much heavy processing at all on them.
Lenovo announces a Google Assistant Smart Clock and Amazon Alexa Smart Tabs
The Smart Clock is a smaller alternative to the Google Home Hub, while the Smart Tabs are dockable tablets with Amazon Alexa built-in.
Lenovo was one of the first companies to release a Google Assistant Smart Display. They beat Google to the punch with the Lenovo Smart Display in July. Now, at CES 2019, Lenovo has announced a new batch of Google Assistant and Alexa-enabled smart devices. The Lenovo Smart Clock is a smaller alternative to the Google Home Hub, while the Smart Tabs are dockable tablets with Amazon Alexa built-in.
Honor 8X is launching soon in a new Phantom Blue color
To spark up some attention for the Honor 8X, the company will soon be launching this smartphone in a new color that they're calling Phantom Blue.
Last September, Honor held a launch event in China to officially announce two new mid-range smartphones, the Honor 8X and the Honor 8X Max. They seemed to have everything you would expect from a mid-range smartphone in 2018, including the display notch, a dual rear-camera setup, and impressively big displays for the price point. To spark up some more attention for the regular Honor 8X, the company will soon be launching this smartphone in a new color that they're calling Phantom Blue.
The TicWatch E2 and TicWatch S2 are two swim-ready Wear OS smartwatches
Mobvoi has announced follow-ups to last year's TicWatch E and S, named the TicWatch E2 and TicWatch S2, they offer minimal updates.
Mobvoi is a company created by former Google employees that creates smartwatches and audio products. Last year, they released the TicWatch E, TicWatch S, TicWatch Pro, and TicWatch C2 with Wear OS. The TicWatch S and E were the company's first Wear OS devices and they were offered at very competitive price points. Mobvoi has announced follow-ups to these watches, named the TicWatch E2 and TicWatch S2.
The Cosmo Communicator is the next clamshell PDA from Planet Computers that can run Android Pie and dual boot Linux
The Cosmo Communicator is a clamshell PDA from Planet Computers, and it runs Android Pie and can dual-boot Linux. Check it out here!
You'd be forgiven if you hadn't heard of Planet Computers, given that the company has only released one Android device to date - the Gemini. It wasn't your typical Android smartphone though, instead, it was a Personal Digital Assistant or a "PDA." PDAs from the likes of Apple and Microsoft were once predicted to take over market share from the commercial desktop market, but that didn't go quite as planned. Even still, there's certainly a place for them in the world, and Planet Computers has been showing off the Cosmo Communicator at CES 2019, a clamshell PDA that can run Android Pie and dual-boot different distributions of Linux. It's the successor to the Gemini, but it's more or less an entirely different device.