News: China's Vivo Unveils Time-of-Flight 3D Sensor That Rivals iPhone X's TrueDepth Camera
The spirit of Google's Tango augmented reality platform lives on at Vivo, a China-based company that has developed its own 3D sensor for mobile devices.
Google Services Search Results
How To: 3 New Ways to Save Snapchats Without Getting Caught on Android
When Snapchat first hit it big, people just assumed it'd be used for seedy activities. And while that's not completely true, it's definitely true sometimes. For those moments when you need to take a sneaky screenshot that doesn't notify the sender, Android has plenty of ways to keep your cover from being blown — no root needed.
News: Here's How Shared AR Experiences will work via Google's Cloud Anchors
In the arms race between ARKit and ARCore, Google scored a big win with the announcement of its Cloud Anchors shared AR experiences platform at Google I/O on Tuesday.
Google Maps 101: How to Tweak Voice Navigation Prompts on Android & iPhone for Clearer Spoken Directions
Before starting any drive where you're using Google Maps for directions, it's vital to make sure the app is functioning correctly, specifically, navigation prompts. After initiating turn-by-turn directions on your Android or iPhone, the last thing you want to worry about is Google Maps not audibly telling you where or when to turn, especially in an unfamiliar area.
News: The 4 Best Apps for Private, Encrypted Messaging on Android & iPhone
Smartphones are still "phones," which means communicating with others is usually a primary use. Ranging from a simple "hi" to a more personal conversation and even sharing passwords, our messages should remain private so that only the intended recipient sees their content. While many apps tout end-to-end encryption, not all apps prioritize security and privacy.
News: Kinect Graduates from Gaming to Enterprise with Project Kinect for Azure
Microsoft's Monday keynote introduced the fourth generation of the company's Kinect sensor during Build 2018 in Seattle.
News: Nova Launcher Receives Updated Google Now Page
One of the better additions in the stock Android launcher is the Google Now page. Residing to the left of the home screen, this page presents a host of information based on the user's interests, which Google bases on analyzed data. Recently, the Google Now page design received a makeover which Nova Launcher users can now enjoy.
Google Photos 101: How to Make Your Own GIFs Out of Pictures You've Taken
You really can't beat Google Photos. Not only does it give you free unlimited cloud storage and let you search for almost any object in one of your pictures, but it also packs a few powerful editing tools. Among these is a dead-simple way to create your own animated GIFs out of any set of pictures.
News: Google Researchers Have Developed an Augmented Reality Microscope for Detecting Cancer
Augmented reality might not be able to cure cancer (yet), but when combined with a machine learning algorithm, it can help doctors diagnose the disease.
News: Google's Announcing the Pixel 3 & 3 XL on October 9th — Here's Everything We Know
Update: Google's new Pixel models have been released! Check out our full guides on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL to see all the details, but we'll leave the rumor roundup intact below for posterity.
News: How to See Live & Average Wait Times for Your Favorite Restaurants in Google Maps
Going out to dinner on a Saturday night can be more trouble than it's worth when you find yourself waiting for hours on end just to be seated. Thankfully, Google Maps has some very useful data that can save you from a headache the next time you head out to your favorite restaurant.
How To: Check Your iPhone's Battery Health in iOS 11
Before, the only way to really tell how your iPhone's lithium-ion battery was performing was to use tools such as Geekbench and Battery Life, but now Apple has included some quick battery health checks right into iOS 11.
How To: 5 Tips to Increase Your Productivity Using Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is more than just a home screen replacement. It is a tool which can reshape how users interact with their Android devices. Thanks to a regularly growing feature list, Nova has evolved into more than just a launcher. Now, Nova is an effective way to increase your productivity.
How To: Get the Pixel 2 Launcher with Google Now & the New 'At a Glance' Widget — No Root Needed
Google's Pixel lineup hangs its hat on smooth software and a polished UI. At the core of this experience is the Pixel Launcher, a home screen app that is often imitated, but never perfectly duplicated. That is, until developer AmirZ released the latest version of his Rootless Pixel Launcher port.
News: iOS 11.3 Beta Released with Messages on iCloud, New Animoji, Apple Music Videos & More
It's tough to keep pace with Apple lately. As expected, only one day after the public release of iOS 11.2.5, the company released iOS 11.3 to developers. A day after that, Apple pushed it out to public beta testers, too. With new Animoji, more transparent battery information, Apple Music receiving music videos, and more, this update is the one to watch out for.
Google Play Music 101: How to Adjust Music Quality to Save Data While Listening
The nemesis of music streamers is data caps, cell phone or otherwise. Restricting monthly data and forcing users to decide between quantity and quality of music has had audiophiles tearing their hair out since streaming toppled the iPod. While the problem regarding music quality seems difficult to tackle, it's far from impossible.
Dev Report: Tango Is Dead, ARCore Preview 2 Is Here with No Change to the Device List
In a highly exciting but ultimately disappointing turn of events, Google released the ARCore Preview 2 today. While the new preview does bring with it new versions of the application programming interface (API) for the C language, pause and resume functionality, as well as increased accuracy, one thing it seems to be missing is a bigger compatibility list.
News: Android 8.1 Begins Rolling Out to Pixel & Nexus Devices Today
For every cool new thing Android Oreo brought to the table, Android 8.1 adds a bit of polish. After a brief but successful beta period, Google started rolling out the official 8.1 update to its Pixel and Nexus devices today, and it's everything Android 8.0 should have been.
News: The Best Cyber Monday 2017 Deals on Android Games for Your Smartphone
If you're like me, you probably have a wishlist of Android games you'd love to buy, except the high price tags keep you away. A few bucks can feel like a fortune in the Google Play Store — you just can't bring yourself to pay that much. Well, lucky for you, Google Play has some serious discounts this Cyber Monday. There won't be a better time to buy these games, until next year, of course.
Google Play Music 101: Finding & Adding New Music to Your Library
We covered how to upload your library to Google Play Music, but now it's time to delve deeper into the platform. In this article, we'll discuss how to discover new music through a myriad of methods, by using your existing library as a foundation.
News: LG's POLED Issues Are Affecting the Pixel 2 XL
Update 10/23: The hits just keep on coming. We're now seeing reports of a "smearing" effect when scrolling through apps on the Pixel XL 2. We'll expand on that at the bottom of this article, but it's still worth reading the background information on issues with LG's new POLED displays.
How To: 3 Ways to Try the Pixel 2's New 'Motion Photos' on Any Android
Google's new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a new camera mode called "Motion Photos." As the name implies, it's quite similar to Apple's Live Photos feature or HTC's Zoe before it. For every picture you take, a few seconds of video footage from before and after the shot was taken will be embedded in the file, which gives you two ways to relive that moment.
News: Google Developer Days Sheds Some Light on ARCore
During Google Developer Days, taking place now at the ICE Congress Center in Krakow, Poland, an introductory session on ARCore provides some insights on how the platform operates.
News: GE Aviation Pairs Google Glass with Smart Wrench to Improve Process Quality
GE Aviation and their software partner Upskill are seeing success by giving their mechanics smart tools and smart glasses, the latter in the form of Google Glass.
How To: Everything You Need to Disable on Your Galaxy S8 or S8+ for Privacy & Security
Our smartphones are full of personally-identifiable information. So much of what we do with these devices is tracked and recorded to make our experience more streamlined and personalized. For many users, that's a fair trade — but for privacy-minded folks, it's a raw deal.
News: Android 8.0 'Octopus' Could Be a Complete Misdirect
The fourth and final beta version of Android O just made its debut, and the biggest change is what appears to be a new code name. When you access Android 8.0's version number Easter egg, you'll be greeted by ... a cartoon octopus.
News: Google Photos Gets Smart with New AI & Sharing Features
In case Google Photos didn't recognize your face enough, they're now rolling out a new AI feature who uses facial recognition for easy photo sharing.
News: Pixel 2 May Resemble Samsung's S8 More Than the Original Pixel
The latest trend in smartphone design is all about the display. Manufacturers want larger screens with smaller bezels. The rumors are heating up about Google's next big release, the Pixel 2, and with that, we may have a clue that shows us Google is hopping on the display train.
How To: Turn Your Galaxy S8 into a Google Pixel
There's no debating that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are top contenders for the most beautifully designed handsets of 2017, but the same can't be said for their TouchWiz interface, which has been met with lukewarm reception at best.
News: Google Maps Will Now Tell You if There's On-Site Parking at Your Destination
There's nothing worse than driving up to your destination only to discover that there isn't a parking spot in sight — but thankfully, Google Maps will soon have you covered.
News: Google's Family Link Just Got a Lot More Useful
Last month, Google introduced the Family Link app. This app, much needed in a world where the average age of kids first getting a smartphone is just over 10 years old, allows parents to set some limits on their children's phone usage. However, the app premiered with one caveat: Both the parent and the child had to have an Android phone. Now, Google has updated the app so it works on iOS devices.
News: New Google Chrome Update Lets You Scroll Through Websites Without Fear of Page Jumps
Chrome version 56 is here to help you stop accidentally clicking ads when you're scrolling or tapping a link in a webpage on your phone. That's right, annoying page jumps while a site's still loading will finally come to an end with this new update.
News: Chrysaor Malware Found on Android Devices—Here's What You Should Know & How to Protect Yourself
Chrysaor, a zero-day spyware believed to have been created by the Israeli "cyber war" group NSO, is an even greater threat to Android phones than it ever was to iOS.
News: Google & Top Android Partners Sign Groundbreaking Patent Peace Deal
Google and eight top Android partners have just signed the Android Networked Cross-License, nicknamed PAX. On the surface, this looks to be a peace treaty of sorts that could end several patent wars.
News: Here's How Much Top Driverless Engineers Get Paid at Waymo & Uber
Autonomous vehicles, aka self-driving cars, are not yet available to the public (at least not ones SAE Level 3 and higher). However, this doesn't make the jobs any less in demand. In fact, if you meet the right qualifications, you could make a lot of money in this industry.
News: The Fake Review Saga Continues—Gmail & Messenger Latest in Google Play's 5-Star Spam
Earlier last week, there were a number of fake five-star WhatsApp reviews to be found on the Google Play Store. Now, Gmail, Chrome, Messenger, and Firefox are all the latest victims to be saturated in five-star spam that wrongly refers to the word "game" in reference to non-game apps.
News: Chrome for iOS Updated to Add a 'Read Later' Feature
Google just pushed out an update to Chrome for iOS, with the main change being a new feature called "Read Later". Read Later is a nifty little feature that allows you to download and save web pages that you can read even if you're offline. Being a subway rider in NYC, I know very well how annoying the lack of an internet connection can be when traveling, which makes this feature all the more handy.
News: Google's March Security Update Breaks Android Pay on Some Pixel & Nexus Devices
Google's monthly Android security updates are generally welcome—at the very least, they provide a feeling of security that our device is now somewhat safer than it was 30 days ago. Vulnerability patches, slight enhancements to performance, and overall bug fixes are generally included in the monthly OTAs, but as it turns out, they're not always for the better.
News: Google Just Made It Easier to Flash Images & Sideload Updates on Your Android Device
Anyone who's ever flashed factory images to manually update an Android phone knows how tedious the process can be. Unlocking the bootloader and flashing Android firmware requires the use of ADB and Fastboot—but, like getting a whole pizza pie when all you wanted was a slice, users in the past had to download the entire Android Studio development package or SDK in order to get the two utilities.
News: Nexus 6P Bootloop Nightmare Turns Your Phone into a Fancy Paperweight
The Huawei Nexus 6P was released a little over a year ago, but despite doing moderately well in sales, the device has had more than its fair share of issues. When first released, there were numerous reception and memory management difficulties that left users extremely frustrated, though, those problems were solved with updates pushed by Google.