Google's mobile phone group Google Fi just revealed a phone plan called Simply Unlimited. This is a smartphone carrier plan with unlimited data, calls, and text messages for approximately $30 USD (per line, so long as you're signing up three lines). For that price, Google Fi includes unlimited data, calls, and texts in the USA, as well as unlimited data and texting (not calls) in Canada and Mexico.
Apple definitely set a trend when it decided to ditch the wall charger in the iPhone 12 box. Samsung and Xiaomi have already followed in their footsteps and Huawei is expected to do so soon as well. It isn't just the big companies, though, as HMD Global seems to be following the trend. The Nokia X20, one of its new affordable phones, won't be coming with one and it could affect how consumers will see the overall cost of the phone.
Google's smartphone lineup beyond the OG Pixel hasn't exactly been on stable ground. Although it has its fair share of loyal fans, durability problems and inconsistent product strategies may slowly be whittling away at that group. As if to offer some comfort and assurance, Google officially acknowledged the existence and upcoming launch of the Pixel 5a 5G. Now it has unofficially confirmed a key spec that once again throws the product line into chaos.
Android boasts of a more open and more welcoming ecosystem compared to iOS and part of that is its less stringent process in screening apps entering the Google Play Store. Creating a sort of chicken and egg situation, it meant that it would be logistically impossible for Google to manually review each and every app submission that comes its way. Since the beginning, the tech giant has relied on AI and machine learning to detect policy violators and now Google is boasting just how successful that technology has been in protecting Android users last year.
In exploring the latest build of Android 12 before full public launch, the feature we found to have the most potential to impact the everyday average user's future experience was Splash Screens. Developers have included basic splash screens in apps for years, but with what Google calls its "improved app launch experience", every single app will be impacted in some way. This is a by-default system with which apps are opened and closed - and it could be awesome.
The third DP Beta version of Android 12 was released today with a wide array of changes and updates to the operating system for smartphones and tablets. As the software released today is a developer preview, a lot of what's changed is items that've been fixed or modified to better suit the features that've been revealed previously. Today we're looking at the changes or updates made to Android 12 with DP3 that could change the way we use Android devices in the near future.
Today the latest update to Android was released for the perusal of the lucky few able to access it. With Google I/O 2021 on the horizon, it's just about time for Android 12 to take center stage. With Android 12 Developer Preview 3, Google suggests they're focusing on making the operating system "smarter, easier to use, and better performing" with both privacy and security "at the core." This update can be downloaded today.
Android malware isn't exactly new but you might presume they only come from apps downloaded from some shady sources. Anyone following mobile news, however, will probably be aware of how apps on the Google Play Store may turn out to be carriers for such malicious software, sometimes taking weeks or even months before someone discovers them. Such is the case with another batch of such malware-laden apps on Google's officially sanctioned and recommended app store, ones that misuse existing features to make unauthorized purchases.
Although Chrome also has the market share in mobile, the browser market on smartphones is arguably more varied than on desktops. Some smartphone makers even have their own web browser, sometimes based on Chromium as well. Samsung is one of those and its self-named Samsung Internet browser just hit version 14, bringing a new feature for foldable phones as well as a way to make or send money on the Web.
An odd bug last month saw random Android apps crashing left and right for seemingly no reason at all. It was eventually and correctly traced to Android's WebView component and, fortunately, some have also figured out workarounds while waiting for Google to fix it for good. Now the Android maker is taking steps so that the incident won't happen again, even if it does accidentally push a buggy update again.
It was really inevitable, no matter how much the company tried to spin the narrative. Given global conditions and a legal predicament in the US that predated this pandemic, it was only a matter of time before Huawei's mobile business took a big hit. That time has seemingly come this year, at least as far as the first quarter of 2021 is concerned. While the entire smartphone market grew, Huawei found itself pushed out of the top 5 by its own fellow Chinese rivals.
This week the folks at OnePlus released an update to the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. This update included a set of camera improvements that could make all the difference when it comes to the everyday average camera user's snapping experience. This new set of updates also includes the standard April security patch set that should be arriving for the masses throughout the month.