Android

If you haven't heard from HTC in a while, don't you worry. The company isn't out of the game, at least not yet. It may not have any new phone of note to announce but it has recently dropped word and hints that it's still pretty much alive, even going as far promising another niche blockchain phone. But even as it does that, it has seemingly retreated from some key Chinese stores, casting doubt on its long-term survival.

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Samsung just recently announced two new camera sensors from its rather young ISOCELL brand. One of them was a 64 megapixel image sensor that seemed to be clearly aimed to one-up Sony's 48 megapixel IMX586. Naturally, it seemed to be a perfect fit for the premium flagship that Samsung still has to announce later this year. According to one leak source, however, that will not be the case, putting Samsung's commitment to mobile photography into question.

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There are several luxuries that we expect of phones today. We expect them to have multiple cameras and a full, bezel-less screen. We also usually expect our phones to be waterproof, indicated by an IP rating. The IP rating, which stands for Ingress Protection, is an international standard for how well-sealed a device’s electrical parts are from the elements like dirt, dust and moisture. It even includes intrusion of our hands and fingers.

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Humanity’s obsession over edge-to-edge bezels, triple cameras and future-proofed specs has brought about the inevitable, to quote Thanos. But instead of an evil purple sociopath, this inevitable response to our pursuit of smartphone excellence comes in the form of the $399 Google Pixel 3a.

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The Black Shark 2 is a gaming phone made by a Xiaomi associated brand. This device is marketed as a 'gaming phone' which means, here, that it's able to play even the most daunting and graphics-intensive mobile games with relative ease - AND that it has bright, shiny lights. It's not unlike what you'd find in your everyday average gamer-made PC, what with all the LEDs and liquid cooling and whatnot. But is it worth the cash?

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Back in March, we caught wind of a small-scale Google test that surfaced individual podcast episodes in Search results. Today, that Google Podcasts functionality is rolling out to Search on both desktop and iOS. This, importantly, is a way for iOS users to tap into Google Podcasts, as the company still hasn't launched the official app for that particular platform.

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Today we're in the midst of the Pokemon GO Detective Pikachu movie celebration event. To celebrate this movie, Niantic released an update to Pokemon GO that'll last approximately one week. In this event, we'll see Detective Pikachu movie Pokemon in raid battles, catch XP doubled, and special limited Field Research. We've also got a brand new limited-edition Detective Pikachu to catch, and both Shiny Aipom and Ambipom!

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For the first time, Google has offered a more affordable version of its flagship smartphone. Of course, it's somewhat late to that trend. Last year, Apple launched the iPhone XR and just a few months ago Samsung did a similar thing with the Galaxy S10e. Naturally, the Google Pixel 3a is being compared with the Galaxy S10e but which "cheaper" flagship should Android users gravitate towards? Here's a short guide to help you make that decision.

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There may have been a great deal of rejoicing when Google announced that the Pixel 3a and even the Pixel 3 would no longer be a Verizon exclusive. Unfortunately, that might not mean that they will all be treated equal. Even as early as now, one fine print is coming to light after the rejoicing has died down. It turns out, T-Mobile won't be supporting RCS on Google's Pixel phones, casting both the carrier as well as the fledgling messaging system in a very negative light.

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The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL were everything we expected them to be from leaks. That said, there were also some disappointing details we took for granted, like IP rating and wireless charging. While those are mostly seen as a downside, they also come with some advantages. As iFixit finds out, they make it a lot easier to open up the phones and repair them.

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Fuchsia isn't exactly a total secret. It has been spotted numerous times, partially thanks to its open source nature. But while Google hasn't taken pains to hide this third operating system, it also hasn't said much about it. Perhaps for the first time in a long while and in the biggest way possible, Fuchsia's existence and goal has been confirmed by a high-ranking Google official. And not just any Google exec but the very man who heads Android and Chrome OS, the two platforms Fuchsia is expected to unify or replace.

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For a long time, Android has supported encrypting the user's data through storage encryption. While the common way to protect data, encryption does come with a processing cost that only certain hardware is capable of. That's why Google hasn't strictly enforced storage encryption on Android devices that don't have the hardware necessary to make that painless and smooth. That changes in Android Q, however, thanks to a new technology that will let any and all such devices perform encryption no sweat.

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