In this week’s top stories: Our review of the Pixel 2 XL after using it for a year, a render found in the Android P beta that isn’t meant to resemble the upcoming Pixel 3, and a list of every Google app or service that has been updating to its new Material Theme.
We kicked things off this week with a long-term look at the Pixel 2 XL. You can read the review here, but to sum it up, we’re still very much fans of Google’s smartphone line. Even with the Pixel 3 only a handful of months away, it’s still easy to recommend the Pixel over 2018 flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and LG G7.
Google really has something going for it with smartphone hardware, and while the sales numbers aren’t really catching up yet, I think Google is now one of only a few really serious players in the Android space. While other manufacturers are chasing after very niche markets, making generic phones that follow the herd for following’s sake, or simply hardly selling phones at all, Google seems determined to reach the mainstream with the Pixel lineup.
Next up, we had to dispell a rumor that was floating around several tech blogs this week concerning a render of a phone found in the Android P beta. But despite what many thought, this generic-looking render is not meant to represent the Pixel 3’s design.
So is this a “leak” of the Pixel 3 design? If it is a leak of the Pixel 3 design more than 6 months before its unveil (it’s not), it’s either the most unlikely slip up in Google software release history or a masterful troll that we’ll look back on one day with fond memories. No, I think the answer is more simple: It’s a generic GIF that a leaks site posted two weeks after it was publicly-visible, and one that the rest of the web is just mindlessly blogging about for pageviews.
We also put together a list of Google apps and services that have already been updated with the company’s new Material Theme. We have included Android apps, websites, and web services. Make sure to let us know if you spot any other Google products receive the updated design.
The new design is planned to come to all of Google’s services, apps, and products, including all of its Android apps, iOS apps, popular web apps like Gmail and Google Drive, and more. We’ll keep this list updated over time.
Lastly, this week HTC unveiled the U12+ and Acer announced its Chromebook 13, Spin 13, and Spin 15.
These and the rest of this week’s top stories below:
Android |
- Review: Half a year later, the Google Pixel 2 XL has proven itself a worthy successor
- No, that Android P render isn’t meant to resemble the Pixel 3, but it might anyway
- OnePlus 6 Review Roundup: ‘Flagship Killer’ keeps up with ever-more-premium flagships
- OnePlus 3/3T pick up Face Unlock, May security patch in latest OxygenOS update
- May security patch rolling out now to Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, Note 8 users on T-Mobile, Verizon [Update]
- ‘Trusted Places’ removed from Android’s Smart Lock in latest Play Services update
- The Trusted Places Smart Lock has shown back up in Android
- Leaked internal document reveals Moto Z3 Play specs, Moto Mod bundles, more
- Android Oreo starts rolling out to the Nvidia Shield TV today w/ new UI, remote shortcuts
- Essential cancels development on second phone, company potentially up for sale [Update]
- HTC U12+ goes official w/ Snapdragon 845, Oreo, Edge Sense 2, quad-cameras for $799
- Some people are starting to see ads in the Google Feed
- What do you think about ads placed directly in Google’s operating systems? [Poll]
Accessories |
- Rumors of Samsung switching to Wear OS for the Gear S4 might hold some weight
- Comment: If Samsung actually does adopt Google’s Wear OS, is it even a good idea?
- Acer takes on Pixelbook w/ aluminum, 8th Gen Intel Chromebook 13 & Chromebook Spin 13
- Acer’s new Chromebook Spin 15 is the largest Chrome OS laptop/tablet convertible yet
- Google, LG unveil ‘world’s highest-res’ OLED display for mobile AR & VR w/ 3x PPI of Rift/Vive
- Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro adds a low-power secondary display to the Wear OS smartwatch for 2-day battery life
Apps |
- Real-time Google Lens with redesigned UI begins rolling out [Gallery]
- Full list of Google apps that have adopted Google’s new Material Theme
- Google One app is now available on the Play Store, still not quite live though [Gallery]
- Google Photos now lets you favorite and keep all of your treasured images in one place
- Chrome Canary’s horizontal tab switcher now works just like Android P’s app switcher
- New YouTube Music begins rolling out today w/ Smart search, new desktop app, more
- Hands on: New YouTube Music puts audio first as recommendations front & center [Gallery]
- YouTube Music will gain Play Music’s major features before tentative 2019 migration
- Review: ‘OneTab’ is the perfect extension for managing your Chrome tab chaos
- Google’s ‘Find My Device’ tool updated w/ IMEI information for reporting lost/stolen phones
- Google Maps on iOS now has some cute cars to use in place of the navigation arrow
Google |
- Google Duplex explained: How it works, controversy, and passing the Turing test?
- Google announces Git code management protocol v2 w/ major bandwidth improvements
- On 60 Minutes, Yelp co-founder claims Google will ‘snuff you out’ [Video]
- PSA: Project Fi hit by SMS/MMS outage, fix is underway
- YouTube is experimenting with a ‘personalized order’ of user’s subscription feed
- Talking Schmidt: Google advisor/ former CEO says Elon Musk ‘exactly wrong’ on AI, doesn’t understand benefits
- Google sign-in page updated w/ minor Google Material Theme tweaks
- YouTube’s video messaging feature is now rolling out to users on the web
- Google Home outsold Amazon Echo for the first time in Q1 2018, 3.2 million sold
- Fuchsia Friday: How ad targeting might be a hidden cost of Fuchsia’s structure
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