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We saw recently what our favorite teardown guy – JerryRigEverything – did to a Vivo X20 Plus UD . His durability tests are very popular on YouTube, and although the Vivo phone survived the initial tests, the screen actually cracked and died on the last test. For those of you who are not familiar, the Vivo X20 Plus UD is the only phone in the market with an in-screen fingerprint sensor, hence the curiousity behind this particular unit. So the Vivo X20 Plus UD not having survived the durability test, our tester did what he did best – doing a teardown of the unit to see how the in-screen fingerprint sensor works. A bit of information on that – the sensor was developed for Vivo by Synaptics, and it works pretty much like a photographic sensor as well – detecting the ridges of your fingerprint through the LED display to detect fingerprint data. See the video below. VIDEO One thing we can say, that if the in-screen fingerprint sensor stops working on your Vivo X20 Plus UD,

It's almost perfect. Almost. I'm a huge fan of Android Auto. Actually, I'm a huge fan of anything that gets folks' phones out of their fat fingers while flying down the highway. Or at stoplights. Anywhere, really. And the good news is we have more options than ever. A car mount and Bluetooth are OK. Apple's CarPlay isn't too awful. But Android Auto is what all infotainment systems should strive to be. It's easy to use. It looks nice. And most important is that it doesn't just make it impractical to use your phone while driving — it mostly makes it so you don't even want to touch the thing. But all is not perfect in Google's implementation of a car mode. So as we enter into a new year of hardware and services — knowing full well that things on the horizon are liable to change our views as they come into focus — let's take a look at what's working, and what needs improvement. Android Auto is the safest — and ea

Mobile gambling has taken on a life of its own in recent times, with more people than ever before choosing to play on their mobiles. From classical casino gambling like roulette and blackjack to more modern games like slots, players can now simply whip out their mobile and play for real money – anytime, anywhere. [...] The post Gambling Apps are now available in the Google Play Store – But How will this affect the Casino Industry? appeared first on AndroidHive .

Samsung Galaxy S9 Is More Durable Than the Galaxy S8 Posted by Rajesh Pandey on Feb 28, 2018 in Samsung Galaxy S9 Despite looking almost identical to its predecessor, Samsung has made minor yet significant changes to the Galaxy S9 which should make it more durable than the Galaxy S8 . Firstly, while the Galaxy S8 used an AL 6013 aluminum on its edges, the Galaxy S9 makes use of a stronger AL 7003 high-strength aluminum that does not deform as easily. Additionally, the metal rim on the Galaxy S9 is 0.2mm thicker than that of the S8. Combined with the strengthened aluminum, the metal on the S9 transfers 1.2 times less shock to the glass around it upon impact from a drop. Additionally, Samsung has also used a thicker glass at the front and rear of the Galaxy S9 which should make it prone to shattering upon impact from a drop. All the above changes are going to be hardly noticeable to anyone even for someone coming from the Galaxy S8. However, combined, the

Reaching a settlement with Uber earlier this month, Waymo's latest technological milestone is driving 1 million miles in under 3 months for a grand total of 5 million. Meanwhile, the Alphabet division has released a 360 degree video that shows what its vehicles are seeing in real-time. Nintendo Switch Waymo hit its last million mile mark last November in under 6 months . The latest milestone impressively cuts that time required in half. For comparison, the first million miles took 6 years to complete. The company notes that it's driving more and learning faster in increasingly diverse conditions. We've now test driven in 25 U.S. cities, gaining experience in different weather conditions and terrains: from the snowy streets of Michigan , to the steep hills of San Francisco , to the desert conditions of Greater Phoenix. To mark this accomplishment, and amidst a public ad campaign , the company has released the Waymo 360° experience.

If you own a Samsung phone from Verizon, there is a good chance it picked-up an update this week. The Galaxy Note 8, Note 5, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and S6 Edge+ are all seeing security patches. Additionally, the Moto Z Play from Big Red was updated too. The Samsung phones were all bumped up to February's security patch, while the Z Play just now found December's. All of the new software builds to be on the lookout for can be found below: Galaxy Note 8 : NMF26X.N950USQS3BRB1 Galaxy Note 5 : NRD90M.N920VVRS3CRB2 Galaxy S6 : NRD90M.G920VVRS4DRB1 Galaxy S6 Edge : NRD90M.G925VVRS4DRB1 Galaxy S6 Edge+ : NRD90M.G928VVRS3CRB2 Moto Z Play : NDNS26.118-23-12-7-1 // Verizon  [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] Bunch of Verizon Samsung Phones Grabbed Updates This Week is a post from: Droid Life

Editor's Note: You've probably seen the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini critiqued from every direction by adults, but we were wondering what a kid thinks of these new, ubiquitous smart speakers and their virtual assistants. So we asked Verge transportation editor Tamara Warren's son, Benicio, to give us his take. (You might remember Benicio's reviews of the Nintendo Switch , the Parrot Mambo and Tynker , and the Tesla Model X . ) Enjoy! — Dan Seifert I recently got the Amazon Alexa Echo Dot and Google Home Mini to review. These machines can do many things to help you in your home when you feel like being lazy and not getting out of bed. Both companies made these great home assistants, and I wanted to look at the similarities and differences. The first thing you have to do is set them up with an iPhone or whatever screen you use to download apps. I set both of the machines up in my bedroom. It was easier to set up the Google Home Mini because you only ne

This week during MWC 2018, ASUS unveiled not one but two iPhone X clones which are expected to hit the market with affordable price-tags. ASUS' flagship, the ZenFone 5Z includes a powerful Snapdragon 845 and will start at only $499. Which means OnePlus is in for some direct competition. Obviously, we expect the Chinese company to retaliate …with its own iPhone X-inspired offering. Indeed, according to a pair of leaked images from the Chinese blogosphere, OnePlus is hard at work trying to replicate the Notch. OnePlus 6 could turn out to be iPhone X look alike Note that the device shown in the pictures (allegedly the OnePlus 6) is only a prototype, so the final product could end up looking a lot differently. Like it's the case with these leaks, the blogger who posted these images has subsequently deleted them. Yet the folks at ITHome spotted them before they were taken down. Looking at the images, we notice the phone appears to have a glass back, indicative o

Yesterday, we reported on a rather interesting find , regarding the memory configuration of Sony's latest flagship pair. Today, the plot thickens even further. Apparently, the US, UK and Canada listings for the bigger Xperia XZ2 all quote 6GB of RAM. Once again, that is 2GB more than the standard international version gets. The original scoop pertained to regional XZ2 and XZ2 Compact units for Hong Kong and Taiwan. We went over a total of four listing to confirm both phones would get the higher RAM loadout. However, while doing a follow-up sanity check on the matter today, it seems the XZ2 Compact variants have been bumped back down to 4GB in the original sources. So, to recap, the way we see things currently, it seems the XZ2 Compact will get 4GB of RAM in every market. While the Xperia XZ2 is still listed with 6GB in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as the US, UK and Canada. Effectively leaving EU fans at a disadvantage. However, since it took less than 24 hours for on

Customization is king in the world of Android. For those who have ever tried on a Google Daydream , you know that while it is a solid idea, it has some comfort issues. The area and your face lets in a lot of light and the strap isn't very secure, and although the additional over-the-head strap does help with that a little, it can press on your face in ways and playing for long periods does create a lot of fatigue. At $99, the Google View is also at the expensive end of mobile VR, so I set out to see what alternatives there are. More: Russell Holly's Daydream View 2017 review The software is key What makes the Daydream View worth having is not the hardware itself but the Daydream software and the list of apps that come with it. With the addition of the Daydream controller, the Daydream app is leagues better than the cardboard apps available, so I wanted to make sure we could use the Daydream app in our alternatives. There is really only one way to do that, howe

Former Tottenham Hotspur soccer player Ledley King looked slightly sheepish as he pulled down the massive red curtain to reveal a new phone, and not just because it got stuck on a hook. And who could blame him? Behind the curtain was a picture of Tottenham's star lineup, including current Premier League top goalscorer Harry Kane with a pained expression on his face and an uncannily familiar phone in his hand. Above Kane's head read the slogan: "Android Oreo Notch Display". That's right: the notch is now a selling point. Kane's supposed phone, the Leagoo S9 Pro, is just one of a tide of iPhone X clones that have swept through Mobile World Congress this week, often from little-known Chinese manufacturers competing to get products out as fast as possible. Oukitel. Doogee. Blackview. UleFone. OtOt. Ila. The list goes on — and it's starting to include names more familiar to Western audiences. Asus' new Zenfone 5 takes obvious notch inspiration fr

It's been a while since Google first talked about Android Go at last year's I/O , but the first phones are finally appearing. There are several Go devices making their debut here at Mobile World Congress, and we've spent some time using one and talking to Google about what consumers can expect from Android Go. I was relieved to see how full-featured Go phones are. This isn't Android Lite; it's Android with some smart optimizations. Google recently updated its Go branding, and we're supposed to call it "Android Oreo Go Edition." Some Googlers have told me that decision came about because the company wants to make it clear that Go is not a fork of Android. This is still Android, and that's clear from the moment you pick up an Android Go phone. The home screen will probably look and work just like any other Android phone. Most Go devices will use a mostly stock launcher, but there's nothing stopping OEMs from using a custom one. You ca

As MWC begins to wind down, one of the key talking points has been 5G (much like CES). For us in the United States, the competition and race between the carriers will feel a little familiar. AT&T and T-Mobile have already announced their 5G plans, and Sprint is getting in on the action, too. Starting in April, the yellow carrier will have 5G towers available in Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Atlanta, Houston, and Washington, D.C. will get the 5G treatment, or what Sprint calls Massive MIMO, later this year. Sprint's Massive MIMO technology (band 41) will supposedly boast speeds up to ten times that of LTE, which should help with network congestion (insert jokes about Sprint and its network here). With the rollout, the carrier will deploy 64T64R radios on its towers, which are capable of split-mode, i.e. offering LTE and 5G on the same radio. Sprint is particularly proud of its spectrum holdings, claiming that it is uniquely positioned to offer both LTE and

Here is a quick yet detailed guide on how to enter Samsung Galaxy S9 recovery mode. As the Galaxy S9 starts making its way to users and developers, many new users would be asking how to enter the recovery mode, which is built-in, on the new flagship? There are no physical navigation buttons on the front of the Galaxy S9 so in order to access the recovery mode, we need to make use of the side buttons. Further, even if your phone is brand new, learning how to access the recovery partition can come in handy later on, like when [...] Read More The post Samsung Galaxy S9: How to Enter Recovery Mode appeared first on Team Android .

Google has a notebook device design that's different from any produced design already in production. This piece of work was first submitted by Google to the United States PTO in August of 2016, and was just revealed to the public this February. This three-part computing device has one keyboard portion, one display portion, and one base. At first glance, this … Continue reading

A few days ago, the Huawei P20 was leaked with a brand-new design . Many people, myself included, weren't fans of it, especially because of the fingerprint sensor that was crammed into the front bezel. But if you were okay with the rest of the design, perhaps you'll find the P20 Lite more to your liking. This is the Huawei P20 Lite https://t.co/0bTjf1TfeV pic.twitter.com/KB30kexfsf — Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 28, 2018 That's right - the P20 Lite swaps the ugly front-mounted rectangular fingerprint scanner for a circular one out back, leaving the slimmer bottom bezel open to some branding. The phone currently says "Shirley" on the bottom bezel and the back, but that just seems to be Huawei's codename for engineering samples. The notch makes another return, as does the glass-looking back and dual camera array. This time around, though, the text next to the camera says "DUAL LENS hybrid zoom," likely indicating a system simil

After their Unpacked event held in conjunction with MWC 2018, Samsung's chief DJ Koh spent some time with reporters to discuss other aspects of Samsung's business and future plans outside of the Galaxy S9 launch that was the keynote of their press event. In his comments, one topic Koh touched on was the development of […] Come comment on this article: Samsung preparing Bixby 2.0 for release with Galaxy Note 9 Visit TalkAndroid

At MWC 2018 , Google has just released Flutter . What is it, you ask? Well, developing apps that support multiple platforms and for different devices can be a pain for developers. That will entail multiple toolkits and long testing periods. Google aims to change that with the Flutter SDK, now out on beta. Simply put, Flutter is an open-source toolkit that lets developers create native apps for both Android and iOS platforms quickly and easily. Interested? The Flutter SDK was announced at the Google I/O Conference last year, and the mothership has done a lot of improvements on the toolkit since then. The Flutter SDK lets developers code their apps in Dart programming language, and packages them along with a rendering engine, as well as the native code needed to run those apps on Android or iOS. VIDEO Flutter is a developer's dream, because it plays well with a range of IDEs which include Android Studio, Visual Studio Code, and XCode. It also works with around 1,000

Android runs on, well, pretty much everything these days, but much of the world will remember that it got its start on smartphones. That began on the T-Mobile G1, as you all know. But did you know that it wasn't even originally made for phones? Andy Rubin spilled the beans in an interview at Mobile World Congress, noting that Android was actually meant to be run on digital cameras. The work was being done as early as 2004, he says. Eventually, some digital cameras did run Android. It's an interesting revelation, but as his company correctly predicted, consumer-grade digital cameras were being phased out as the popularity of cameras on smartphones took hold. Of course, smartphone cameras couldn't hold a candle to digital cameras back then, but they were still good enough for people who desired to eliminate yet another gadget from their tote bags. Andy Rubin likely couldn't have predicted that Android would explode into popularity just a few years later, but

VIDEO If you're a fan of throwback "feels", then you'll be super stoked to learn that Tamagotchi's are coming back!  My Tamagotchi Forever has landed on the Play Store, but you can't download it just yet. The game will require you to take care of your own Tamagotchi, just like the old days. You'll need to feed it, play mini-games, and evolve it when the time is right. Then, you can share your progress on social media to do some bragging. Bandai Namco made the introduction as a way to celebrate the companies 20th birthday. This is one way to bring folks on board and hit everyone's nostalgia bone. My Tamagotchi Forever launches on iOS and Android on March 15th, but you can pre-register to know as soon as it becomes available to download. If you register through the official Tamagotchi website , you will be entered for a chance to "become the inspiration for a brand new Tamagotchi character". Bandai Namco has released a fun littl

Keep your Essential Phone safe and functional with a quality case! The Essential Phone was the first phone released by Andy Rubin's new company in 2017 and while it didn't blow away the competition it did offer us phone nerds a sleek new alternative. With the price of the phone down to just $450 on Amazon and the recent announcement of three new color styles just released , you might be considering picking up the Essential Phone. If you are, you should also considering getting a case. Do note that the 360-camera accessory will not be compatible with your phone in a case, so that's worth keeping in mind if you find that add-on ( currently available for just $75 ) to be a compelling feature. Incipio DualPro Incipio NGP Pure clear case TUDIA Ceramic Feel case Feitenn Flip Wallet case Poetic Guardian Full-Body case Incipio DualPro Incipio offers a couple case options for the Essential Phone, and what better place to start than with the re