About the Author
Ben is a tech geek with a soft spot for Android, Pixel/Nexus in particular. Constantly switching between devices that literally surround him, he can be found reviewing the latest smartphones on the 9to5Google YouTube channel and writing up the latest news. Ben also started a small publication called YourTechExplained, which still runs today. You can get in touch with him over on Twitter or by Email.
Today
GOOG: 922.24
Francisco Franco’s Gratus app updated w/ major performance improvements, custom colors, and more
Last month well-known developer Francisco Franco debuted his latest creation to the world, Gratus. The simple app designed to let you remember what you are grateful for launched with a gorgeous material design look and a handful of features, and today it’s getting its first major update.
YouTube is likely the Google product with the most frequent set of changes. Over the past several months, the company has been testing a series of new features for its mobile and desktop experiences, and today they are all launching alongside a refreshed logo.
Yesterday
GOOG: 913.81
Earlier this month, Google quietly added support for picture-in-picture on Google Maps, at least in a beta version of the app. In the time since, Oreo has officially started rolling out and now, the app’s new functionality has finally been pushed to the stable version.
Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone is an impressive piece of hardware for a first-generation product built by a startup, but even the father of Android himself hasn’t gotten this device to market without its fair share of issues. Early buyers have been voicing concerns about their pre-orders for several days now, but it seems that orders are finally on their way.
Google temporarily broke the internet in parts of Japan with a simple error
Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes they can have major repercussions. When you deal with the internet, a small error can affect a lot of people, and that recently happened in Japan. A small mistake by Google led to major internet outages in half of the country.
One of Samsung’s strongest aspects on any smartphone is the display, and the company has led in this area for a few years. That’s thanks to the incredible OLED panels found on Samsung’s flagships, and they seem to keep getting better and better. The Galaxy S8 blew us away earlier this year, but now the Galaxy Note 8 is taking the crown.
August 25
GOOG: 915.89
You can now cast content from CBS All Access to your TV using Google Home
One of the best features of Google Home is its ability to throw content to a nearby screen or speaker from a selection of different services. Back at I/O, Google revealed that more services would pick up this functionality, and that’s starting today with CBS All Access.
The Essential Phone is just about to ship to early customers, and there’s a lot that’s good about the first product from Andy Rubin’s startup. Early reviews have been glowing overall, but the camera has been disappointing for most. I’ve spent the past couple of days using the Essential Phone as my daily driver in preparation for my full review, and I’ve been testing out the camera quite a bit. Is it actually as bad as everyone has been saying? Well…
Monument Valley 2 dropping iOS exclusivity, available soon on Android
One of the most popular games to hit mobile in the past few years has been Monument Valley, and fans were excited to see a sequel finally debut earlier this year. Unfortunately, that new game launched exclusively on iOS as part of WWDC, leaving Android users waiting. Now, Monument Valley 2 is finally heading to Android devices.
August 24
GOOG: 921.28
Yesterday saw the debut of Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy Note 8. Following a successful launch with the Galaxy S8 earlier this year and the massive consequences of the Galaxy Note 7 last year, Samsung had a lot riding on this launch.
We’ve already given you the details on this launch as well as our first impressions, but now let’s take a look at some of the smaller details you might have missed…
August 23
GOOG: 927.00
After last year’s disastrous release of the Note 7, Samsung is back with the launch of the Galaxy Note 8. It’s a big deal for Samsung and the company has a lot riding on it, but does it live up to the hype? Here are our first impressions.
Just over a year ago, it wasn’t an unreasonable thought that there would never be another Note smartphone on the market. With devices “exploding” around the world, it was a disaster for the company that had lasting effects. However, Samsung bounced back with the release of the Galaxy S8 earlier this year, and now the Galaxy Note 8 has gone official.
August 22
GOOG: 924.69
Talking with Google’s Sagar Kamdar, Android Product Manager, about Android O [Video]
Yesterday Google hosted an event in New York City, during the nation’s solar eclipse no less, where it finally unveiled the name of Android 8.0. Following the Oreo statue’s reveal, we had the chance to spend a few minutes talking with Sagar Kamdar, an Android Product Manager from Google.
Google shows off the creation of Android Oreo’s statue in new behind-the-scenes video
Android O’s name, Oreo, wasn’t really a surprise for anyone, but it was still exciting to see the company unveil the statue and name. While the Oreo statue in Mountain View is pretty standard to the rest of the family, the one in New York was special, and in a new video, the company shows off how it was created and unveiled.
After months of teasing, I was finally able to spend some quality time with the first product from Andy Rubin’s startup, the Essential Phone. With major releases like the Note 8, LG V30, and Pixel 2 right around the corner, does this phone actually deserve your attention? Even after just spending a few minutes with it, I can confidently say it absolutely does…
August 20
GOOG: 910.67
Samsung is set to debut the Galaxy Note 8 in just a few days, and the company is putting a lot on the line with its latest launch. Recently, in preparation for the launch, Samsung has posted two new teaser videos for the phone.
Inbox for Android now has an ‘all inboxes’ view for keeping tabs on multiple accounts
Google’s Inbox app is a fantastic way to keep track of your emails, but it does lack quite a few core features from Google’s standard Gmail application. Now, Google is quietly adding a new view to Inbox for Android which lets users see all of their email accounts in a single view.
ASUS Chromebook C302CA pops up on Amazon with upgraded Core m5 processor
2017’s crop of Chromebooks have been pretty great, and one of the best models available has been the ASUS C302CA convertible. The slightly more powerful Chromebook is an excellent offering across the board, and now an upgraded model is finally becoming available.
August 18
GOOG: 910.67
After finally going on sale yesterday, the first reviews have dropped on the first phone from Andy Rubin’s startup, the Essential Phone. The bezel-less device indeed suffered delays (and weathered hype for other devices), but the remaining question is the tried-and-true: Is it actually worth buying? We’ll answer that ourselves soon, but in the meantime, here’s what others are saying…
While Google has yet to officially confirm the name of the upcoming version of Android, Android O, it’s been widely speculated that it will be Oreo. After all, there aren’t many other desserts that start with an O, so it makes sense that Google would pick it. Today, in a since-deleted teaser posted on Google+, the company basically confirmed that this is true.
