Krita, a popular open-source digital painting app, has finally launched beyond the desktop, arriving on both Chrome OS and Android. These releases are still in the beta period at this time, meaning the software may not function as well as it does on desktop. Despite that, the expansion is a welcomed one that many users have been requesting, enabling Android users to sketch directly on their tablet.
The next major update for WhatsApp will add some real encryption for chat history in iCloud. That's not to say that WhatsApp was necessarily unencrypted in any other way in the past, but this newest update adds a key component to the mix, specifically for iOS user. There's also a QR code element that'll soon - we can only cross our fingers and hope - be added to the system to make the sending of user details faster and simpler.
Google's Pixel 4a is coming, and do you may not be surprised so see that means some great Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL deals as the last of the old stock gets moved off the shelves. Though the Pixel 3a was launched last year, and based off Google's previous-generation flagship, that's not to say it's a phone that should be off your shortlist.
Smartphones have become even more critical than ever before but the rising prices of high-end flagships are giving consumers pause when buying a new one. In the US, the previous quarter proved that the best-selling phone is a mid-ranger and Apple's launch of the new iPhone SE could tip the balance in its favor this quarter. It seems that Samsung will be trying to keep its lead in the US by soon launching the Galaxy A71 5G in the US, including on Verizon's mmWave 5G network.
Almost everything is going wireless these days on mobile, from wireless earphones to wireless charging. One thing that has been around for so long but has remained quite inconvenient is wireless file transfer. Especially these days when people need to keep their distance, transferring files to a person standing next to you needs to be fast and reliable. Some Chinese manufacturers have banded together to make that a standard among their phones and now OnePlus has joined that club.
If Samsung sticks to its schedule despite moving its event completely online, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 20 in about three months. Of course, there's plenty of time for speculation and leaks, though many pieces are already falling into place. One of the latest offers a more complete picture of what the S Pen-toting phablet could look like but one key detail makes us wonder about its accuracy or Samsung's reason for doing such a small but important change.
A series of features that first appeared on the Samsung Galaxy S20 series smartphones will soon see release on the Galaxy Note 9. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 continues to roll as one of the most reliable, solid workhorses on the market as released by Samsung in the last few years. Now, with the One UI 2.1 update, we'll see features like Single Take, a new zoom interface, and both Music Share and Quick Share.
Google Action Blocks was launched as an Android app in May of 2020, but it's the latest round of iPhones and iOS 13 that stands the most to gain. With the latest version of iOS and most iPhones released in the last couple of years, Apple's smartphone ecosystem's become a bit of a new-user nightmare. Based on my experience as resident "looks like he'd be good with computers" tech supporter for several iPhone users Baby Boomer age or older, Google Action Blocks looks like a dream come true.
The Galaxy Note 20 is shaping up to be a curious product, though not all for good reasons. It could bring a few firsts for Samsung, including the first to backtrack from features it introduced in a previous Galaxy S flagship. According to the latest leak, the Galaxy Note 20 will also be the first premium Samsung flagship that will be unveiled completely online instead of its grand and public Unpacked events that it holds in the US twice a year.
Smartphone camera technology has come a long way. We now have sensors that reach 108 million pixels and lenses that can be crammed like a periscope inside a thin body. The one thing that these cameras have trouble with, aside from low-light performance, is stabilization. Optical Image Stabilization, which still isn't common on all camera modules, can only go so far but Vivo might have a rather novel if not unorthodox solution that involves putting a gimbal inside its upcoming Vivo X50.
Up until recently, OnePlus' selection of smartphones per year has been more or less straightforward and simple. That doesn't mean it doesn't diverge from time to time to make special editions of those phones. Its most consistent special edition, however, has been its souped-up McLaren Editions since 2018. Now it seems that it will no longer be the case this year and until further notice now that OnePlus is no longer a partner for McLaren's 2020 F1 season.
Sony is far from done with the smartphone market and, unlike HTC, actually managed to put out a flagship phone this year. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Xperia 1 II will give the likes of the Galaxy S20 a run for their money but at least it exists. Soon, it will also be in the US market based on this first pre-order page that, sadly, makes the phone more of a mystery than ever before.