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Things have been relatively quiet in the Fuchsia scene as of late, but development work has not ceased. Today on Fuchsia Friday, we take another look at Fuchsia's device prototypes as found in its source code, including a brand new one. To recap, earlier this year we looked at three Google "devices" appearing in the source code for the company's upcoming operating system  — that reportedly has ambition to replace Android within 5 years. One of those "devices" is actually an emulator with the codename Machina , and the other two are Gauss and Astro . While Astro's purpose remains elusive, we generally believe Gauss to be a smart speaker. Not much has changed for Gauss, but since June, more work has been done on Astro, revealing additional details about the mysterious device, including its display. Both variants have a 7-inch, 1024×600 resolution screen, which seems surprisingly dated. More on Astro One of the more interesting things I f

Best answer: It depends on your needs, but if you want top speeds in your apartment without running Ethernet cable everywhere, get a mesh network Amazon: Google WiFi three-pack ($300) How your apartment Wi-Fi is now If you live in an apartment — or even close to other houses — you can probably open your phone and see dozens of Wi-Fi networks from your neighbors. Most of those networks use the 2.4Ghz channel, which is designed to travel over long distances. Some closer to you will also be on the 5Ghz channel, which prioritizes speed over distance. Even if you're in the same room as your router, you may notice that you still have trouble connecting to your network. For demanding appliances — like your desktop PC or gaming console — you'd be better off with a wired connection from your router to the device. However, a wired connection in an apartment may be hard to route — and I say this as someone who has proudly taped an Ethernet cable to my ceiling. What a

Xiaomi's Pocophone F1 has been the talk of the town recently with its flagship-tier specs but crazy low price of just $300 . However, when you have a price that low, there are sure to be some omissions, and now it's been discovered that the device lacks support for Widevine L1. The best gifts for Android users Now, if you've never heard of Widevine L1, I wouldn't blame you. Widevine is a DRM module which is popularly used by many apps. There are multiple levels of support for Widevine, with L1 being full support. The Pocophone F1, however, only has Widevine L3 support. This was first spotted by Android Pure (via Android Police) and it essentially means that the Pocophone F1 is slightly limited in what kind of content it can play. In the case of Netflix, it means content can't be played in HD. The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T had the same issue a while back, and the fix required a firmware update that forced users to physically send their p

2018 is clearly the year where the $1000 flagship phone became the norm, but unlike other phones in this price range, Samsung isn't forcing users to compromise on one component or another. Instead they're offering what's easily the most full-featured, well-rounded design of any smartphone, even if you have to pay a significant premium to get it. What in the world is so expensive? Samsung is offering the Galaxy Note 9 in two main models: one version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage for £899/$999/€999, and an upgraded model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for £1099/$1250/€1250. The leap in storage amounts between each model is pretty insane by most accounts, and the likelihood that even power users will ever fill this phone up is pretty small. The S Pen doesn't appear much different from previous years, looking and feeling essentially identical to previous models, but it's inside where Samsung has made some very important changes. While all prev

Only 20 percent of U.S. kids from kindergarten through high school are studying a foreign language, according to the Pew Research Center. That's a frighteningly low number, especially when you consider the professional and cultural benefits that come from knowing a non-native tongue. Right now, you can elevate your education — and yourself — by learning any of more than 130 languages available from uTalk Language Education training. You can get started with a single language study package now for just $19.99 from Android Community Deals. uTalk isn't your standard language learning system either. uTalk's innovative techniques help you learn real world vocabulary and syntax in the world's most widely-spoken languages from your smartphone, tablet or other favorite device. The courses, led by native speakers and highlighted by insightful learning games, help you internalize fundamental words and phrases you can use in everyday situations. As your command of the la

As phones continue to get better, we're seeing some compelling options at the cheaper end of the market. Companies like Motorola have made a statement by producing very nice devices that can be had for the price of a nice steak dinner with the family. Alcatel, much like Motorola , has plenty of experience making "cheap" but good devices. We're now getting our first look at its newest "flagship" device the Alcatel 7. This isn't a flagship in the normal sense, but it is the best and most expensive phone Alcatel released in 2018. Alcatel sent over its Alcatel 7 for us to take a look at; we've used the device as a daily driver for the last few weeks. During this time, we've been using it on the MetroPCS network since the 7 is a Metro-exclusive device. You can walk into a store right now and pick one up for under $200. Hardware The Alcatel 7 is a bit of a trip down memory lane. While many companies work to put as many so-called premium m

T-Mobile and Sprint's chances of having their proposed mega-merger approved are increasing, Macquarie Research analysts believe. While the process of having such a major consolidation is complicated and affected by a broad range of factors, the fact that giants such as Verizon and Comcast aren't actively opposing the deal are good news for the third- and fourth-largest wireless carrier in the United States, as the industry watchers wrote in their latest note to investors first picked up by FierceWireless. Charter and Comcast are believed to be satisfied with their standing MVNO agreement with Verizon and hence and may even see the T-Mobile and Sprint's merger as an opportunity to remove some of the competition from the market. Some industry watchers previously argued an unconditional consolidation approval would hurt the poorest Americans by eliminating one of the two largest MVNO players in the country, though it could also create an opening for either Charter, Comcast,

Treat your kids to a new tablet. Amazon's Fire Tablets are super popular because of their affordable prices, so when you can save even more on them you shouldn't miss out. The Fire 7 Kids Edition is currently down to just $79.99 from its regular price of $99.99 in your choice of blue, pink, or yellow. If you want something a little bigger, you can grab the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition for $99.99, which is $30 lower than it normally sells for. Both options come with a year of Amazon's FreeTime Unlimited , which is a $119 value. Amazon offers a two-year worry-free guarantee on the tablets, so if your kids happen to break the tablet Amazon will exchange it with no questions asked. The tablets have access to tons of kid-friendly content and media. Unfortunately, they don't have much internal storage, so you'll want to add a microSD card to your purchase so that your kids don't run out of space. See at Amazon #Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #

When using a high-end Android based device it doesn't mean that you won't experience any software related issues. Because Android is an open-source platform that can be easily and quickly tweaked in different ways and by using mostly third-party apps and programs it's quite easy to mess things up within the default Android core system. […] #Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

Sony's newest high-end smartphone, the Xperia XZ3, is among the best handsets announced at IFA 2018 this week. The new device will be available for pre-order in the US starting September 24, and should ship to buyers in October. Like all Sony phones released in recent years, the Xperia XZ3 will be sold only unlocked stateside. But what carriers will it be compatible with? Most of Sony's latest smartphones work only on GSM/LTE operators like AT&T and T-Mobile, with the exceptions this year being the Xperia XZ2 Compact and Xperia XA2 - both officially certified for use on Verizon ... #Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

The Huawei Mate 20   is coming soon , with the company confirming today when we should expect to see the official unveiling. Huawei had plenty to talk about at this year's IFA , including unveiling its newest processor for smartphones and teasing the launch date for its newest flagship handset. The company took a moment to confirm that the Mate 20 will be announced on October 16 and that it will be the first smartphone powered by the Kirin 980 processor. Of course, Huawei didn't actually announce anything about the phone, so we have to rely on what we've heard out of the rumor mill so far. If that pans out, then we should expect to see a 6.3-inch display, a battery that measures in at 4200mAh, and three cameras on the back. We'll know more about the Mate 20 in October when Huawei announces the handset in London. While that's something to look forward to, Huawei did announce the Kirin 980 today. This is Huawei's brand new 7nm system-on-chip (SoC), a

Despite the fact that Huawei has already set some eyes on the future, announcing that it will be announcing the Mate 20 on October 16 in London, the company has also decided to launch the "Lite" version of that handset right now. Continue reading → #Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews

The Xperia XZ3 is Sony's nicest phone in years, but it may not be enough Sony's Xperia XZ3 is better, but still behind most 2018 flagship Android phones. Image: raymond wong/mashable By Raymond Wong 2018-08-31 16:23:27 UTC Every Android phone maker at IFA 2018 seems to be shamelessly copying the iPhone X. Every company except Sony. Rather than look to Apple for inspiration for its latest Xperia XZ3 Android phone, the beleaguered phone maker has instead decided to mimic features Samsung pioneered on its Galaxy smartphones. Sony's new Xperia XZ3 comes a mere six months after it announced the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Back in February, I said the phones were an improvement for Sony (the fingerprint reader was finally activated again on U.S. models), but ultimately still lagged behind the competition as they moved towards shrinking the bezels around the display. The XZ3 doesn't quite fo

Life's view is better when you take it to the edge. For most of us, our phone is an extension of ourselves, and losing or damaging it can almost feel like breaking a finger. But fear not, the protection your new Note 9 deserves is here. With your Galaxy Note 9 either already in your hands or on its way to you, it's up to you to make sure it stays looking fresh. Whitestone provides the first true "Full-screen adhesive" tempered glass screen protector for curved bezel-less phones and they are the premier specialized brand for the high-end market of cellular devices. Thankfully, they have just released one of the most important accessories to keep your device looking just like it did when it first came out of the box. For a long time, plastic or urethane protector have been the main option as screen protectors, but the truth is they don't really give your phone true protection. They are vulnerable to scratches and even can reduce transparency, not to

Dropping the bezels is the stand-out trend of the past year or two in smartphones, but Xiaomi was one of the first to do it a couple of years ago with the Mi Mix . Now, the company is launching a further refinement of that concept and it's easily the smallest bezels we've seen to date. The best gifts for Android users For the most part, eliminating bezels on Android smartphones have resulted in a "chin" or a notch, or in many cases both . Xiaomi's Mi Mix and Mi Mix 2 both slimmed things down while placing the camera at the bottom of the device to avoid a notch and still keep the bezels super slim. With the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, though, the Chinese company appears to be taking no shortcuts in its path to a truly bezel-less device. This time around, the sliding design we first saw on the OPPO Find X is being used to house what looks like two cameras and perhaps another sensor or two. Interestingly, the sliding design here doesn't seem t

BERLIN, Germany—August 31, 2018— In his IFA 2018 keynote titled "The Ultimate Power of Mobile AI", Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Mr. Richard Yu introduced the Kirin 980, the system on a chip (SoC) that will bring about the next evolution of mobile AI. As the world's first commercial SoC manufactured with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturer Company's (TSMC) 7nm process, Kirin 980 combines best-in-class performance, efficiency, connectivity features, and Dual NPU AI processing power. "Last year, we showed the world the potential of On-Device AI with the Kirin 970, and this year, we've designed an all-round powerhouse that not only features outstanding AI capabilities, but also brings cutting-edge raw performance to consumers," said Mr. Yu. "Equipped with all-new CPU, GPU and Dual NPU, the Kirin 980 is the ultimate engine to power next-generation productivity and entertainment applications." Absolute Superiority The cutting edge TSM

On this episode of the Droid Life Show , we're looking back at the past two weeks of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL leaks. Neither phone can stay out of the spotlight, yet we're still at least a month from Google announcing either. It's getting ridiculous at this point. But IFA also went down this week, so we've got new phones from Motorola, LG, Sony, and HTC to talk about, as well as a bunch of new Wear OS watches and a new version of Wear OS. We want to talk about Verizon's unlimited mishap too and why this is going to be a smartphone year to forget. Trivia is back today, and you'll have a chance to win Google Play credit! We'll be live at 10:30AM Pacific (1:30PM Eastern). If you miss us live and/or want the audio version of our podcast, you can subscribe through the various links below. #Google #Android #Smartphones #OS #News @ndrdnws #ndrdnws #AndroidNews