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All Posts by Jerry Hildenbrand

Amazon, get ready for all the scrutiny you never wanted

13 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 13 May 2017 6:14 pm
It's easy to see every mistake now, Amazon. Welcome to the big leagues, Amazon. After just three days of people being able to use Alexa Calling and Messaging on the Echos we already have, you've met the first of many public rebukings when it comes to user privacy. And there will probably be plenty more. The internet loves it when the big guy makes a mistake. Amazon has always been one of...

Open up in this weekend's comments thread

43 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 13 May 2017 12:00 pm
Sit back, relax and chat about stuff because it's the weekend! It's that time again. Time to talk about stuff, any kind of stuff, because it's the weekend and talking about stuff while chilling on the deck or whatever you're doing right now is the best time to do it. We're all getting ready to head to Google I/O in just a couple days, so this weekend isn't as lazy as most. We'll make up for it...

How Google's Project Treble will help fix one of Android's oldest problems

33 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 12 May 2017 4:12 pm
How Google can build one update that works everywhere. In March 2016, when the Android N developer preview was released, we noticed something was different. With Android Marshmallow, Google had inserted a new partitioning structure that included a vendor partition. This held some files that had previously lived in the "regular" core OS folders in the system partition, as well as some files...

Here's what we want to see at Google I/O 2017 [Roundtable]

18 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 12 May 2017 2:35 pm
Here's what we want Google to show us at I/O 2017. Google I/O 2017 is just a few days away and we're excited. If you've ever been to I/O you know that it's three days where the future of Android, Chrome and just about everything Google does gets talked about and shown off. While it's primarily a developer conference, seeing that future and getting a hands-on demo of it has everyone looking...

Best Unlimited Data Plan

58 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 12 May 2017 8:00 am
Unlimited plans are back, but which one is the best? All four major U.S. carriers offer an unlimited data plan again. After years of hearing how they were unable to provide unlimited data to every customer and maintain the quality of service they wanted, new technology and a more competitive market means an 180-degree turnaround was in order and here we are. We've previously written about how...

These are the Chromebooks that can run Android apps from Google Play

Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 11 May 2017 2:00 pm
Android on Chrome
Android — and 1,000,000+ apps — on your Chromebook is awesome. Updated May 2017: New products have been moved to the stable branch from AOpen and Samsung. But not every Chromebook is going to get updated to have Google Play and Android apps. And most of the ones that will are in a long testing process. We all hate waiting. And we all hate updates that break things. Google and the people who...

Portal Home Wi-Fi System review: Life in the fast lane is great if you're ready for it

5 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 11 May 2017 12:00 pm
Portal offers DFS "fast lane" technology, whether we're ready for it or not. Portal promises something different when it comes to Wi-Fi. It advertises this difference as being able to bring "fast lanes" to the devices you connect to your router so the connection is, well, faster. It can do this by using wireless channels normally reserved for radar systems in the unlicensed 5Ghz spectrum. Don'...

Most Secure Android Phone

Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 11 May 2017 10:00 am
Google Pixel
Update, May 2017: The BlackBerry KEYone makes its appearance on the list. Best overall Best for typing Best for simplicity Best overall Google Pixel See at Google See at Verizon The Google Pixel is the most secure Android phone you can buy, and one of the most secure phones of any available today. Without disabling any security protections, the Pixel and Pixel XL are updated to keep...

Owlchemy Labs is now part of Google's VR family

0 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 10 May 2017 5:18 pm
It's not a Job Simulation: The VR magicians at Owlchemy Labs are now part of Google. Google and Owlchemy Labs have announced that they are joining forces and that means awesome things for fans of VR. Owlchemy Labs are the folks who brought us Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality to the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, two great VR experiences that blend all things fun (and funny)...

How to make a backup of any app installed on your phone

11 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 9 May 2017 1:00 pm
Finding old versions of apps can be tough, but backing them up yourself isn't! While most of the time we're all looking for the best ways to back up the data from our apps and games, it can be pretty handy to back up the app itself, too. Unless an app is pulled for security reasons, when you download an app from Google Play you'll always be able to download the latest version from the store....

Using your phone on the job site: 5 apps for the hard worker

5 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 9 May 2017 10:00 am
Work smarter with these five apps designed for the job site. Android appeals to people from all walks of life. Your butcher, the young person at the register at Taco Bell, and all sorts of people you meet every day have an Android phone. That's because a modern phone is totally a multi-tool and there's an Android phone to fit everyone. There are apps to fit everyone, too. We're going to have...

Amazon's touchscreen Echo will go up for pre-order May 9 for $229

25 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 May 2017 11:49 pm
The next Echo introduces a new way to interact with Alexa. Update: We now have more details on Amazon's touchscreen-enabled Echo, courtesy of AFTVNews. The device will be called the Echo Show, and will retail for $229 on June 28. Pre-orders kick off from tomorrow, May 9, in the U.S. Original story follows: People have been saying that the new Amazon Echo will have a touchscreen and let you...

Chrome for Android makes it easier to download a web page and read it offline

3 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 May 2017 4:46 pm
Saving a local copy of a web article just got better in Chrome for Android. Did you know you can long press on a link in Chrome for Android and you have the option to save it so you can read it offline? If you said no, it's probably because it was one of those features nobody mentions and is mostly hidden. Google is changing that in the newest version of Chrome for Android. Last year, we...

Google's 'Andromeda' looks to be hiding in plain sight

26 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 May 2017 3:30 pm
Fuchsia and Andromeda are certainly a thing, but it's still not clear exactly where they will fit into Google's plans. Update May 8, 2017: The Hotfix blog has a look at the UI in its current state and Google shows us what Flutter apps will look like. If you were to take the time to build the Flutter-based interface that's available for Fuchsia right now, you'd have a pretty good look at the...

Running out of space on your Chromebook? Try these tips

33 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 May 2017 10:00 am
Chromebook
16GB isn't a lot of space. You might need a way to add more. Updated May 4, 2017: This article was updated remove references to old models and address Android apps as a storage issue. While Chromebooks are mostly cloud-centric machines, there are still quite a few offline packaged apps available. Sometimes, when you have a lot of those installed alongside media like music, video, and pictures...

Android 7.0 is now available for the U.S. unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7 edge [Updated: OTA rolling out]

61 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 May 2017 9:46 am
The phone that time (and Samsung) forgot finally gets a Nougat update. Update, May 8: According to several users on Reddit and elsewhere, the Nougat update is rolling out over-the-air to most unlocked Galaxy S7 users, which is a bonus for those not wanting to mess with Smart Switch. Everyone was happy when Samsung decided to sell a factory unlocked Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge last year. First-...

Why you should care about Android malware and the importance of security patches

71 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 6 May 2017 6:27 pm
Android is secure, but your phone probably isn't. 3.5 million pieces of malware in 2017 means that matters. When you're king of the hill you are a target for everyone and everything. Sometimes that's great — LG's G6 is an awesome phone that wants to compete with the Galaxy S8 because the GS8 will be the king of the Android hill. Other times it's not, and security company G Data takes a look at...

Get chatty in this weekend's comments thread!

65 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 6 May 2017 12:00 pm
Sit back, relax and chat about stuff because it's the weekend! I 💖weekends. I know I'm not alone here. Even if you work Saturday and Sunday or both, you gotta love it when the boss isn't around to keep you from pressing buttons and doing things and everything is just a bit relaxed. And if your weekend is on different days because you're busting your butt today and tomorrow (shout out to servers...

Spotify has a new feature that lets you scan a barcode and play a song and it's pretty f'ing cool!

10 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 5 May 2017 4:28 pm
This is how you go viral. In February, Spotify removed its in-app messaging feature, which instantly made it harder to share a song with a friend. What they have now totally makes up for it. According to Techcrunch, more details are coming Monday May 8, but a feature that lets you scan a special barcode and instantly play a song is live and it's pretty glorious. Each song has a unique code...

How to fix a slow Android phone

Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 5 May 2017 2:00 pm
Galaxy S7 edge
Make your Android fast again — it is possible Updated May 4, 2017 to make sure these tricks work with the latest and greatest Androids! We've all been there. You have a fancy, new, highly complex Android device that can do everything from checking your email to surfing the web to controlling your microwave so your popcorn doesn't burn. It's shiny and screaming fast while doing all the things...

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