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Stephen Hall

stephenjhall

Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5ToysElectrek, and more. If you want to get in touch, follow me on Twitter. Or, email at stephen (at) 9to5mac (dot) com, or an encrypted email at hallstephenj (at) protonmail (dot) com.

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033: Nest Thermostat E, Google app Podcasts, Google Play Instant | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got my first entry into my Nest Diary with a review of the Nest Thermostat E, Google app’s built-in Podcasts player, and Android Instant Apps for games at GDC.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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Nest Diary: Set up, impressions, and review of the Nest Thermostat E

Before last week, I had very little first-hand experience with smart home products. I guess it really depends on how you define a smart home product, as I’ve had ample time with smart speakers like the Google Home, mesh WiFi systems like the Google Wifi, and plenty of others. But prototypical smart home products, like the Nest Thermostat, Philips Hue bulbs, or the August smart lock, have been mostly foreign to me up to this point. Now, that’s changing.

I figured many readers here are probably in the same boat. You’ve heard of all these products, but maybe you live in an apartment that doesn’t let you make the necessary changes. Or maybe you’ve thought about diving in for a while, but have never been able to justify the costs. Regardless, I thought I’d share my journey with you, starting with the Nest Thermostat E.


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Alphabet Scoop 001: Fun House impressions, Android P nav rumors, Wear OS & a new watch?

9to5google alphabet scoop podcast

This week, we talk all about our Google Fun House impressions, rumors we’ve heard from a source about navigation in Android P, the rebrand of Android Wear as Wear OS and what it might mean, Stephen’s early experiences with a slew of Nest products, a handful of app updates, and much more.

Alphabet Scoop is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, and through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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032: YouTube PiP, Android Auto swipe to unlock, and Fuchsia Friday | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got YouTube picture-in-picture on the web, the ability to unlock your phone while using Android Auto, and Fuchsia Friday.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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031: Wear OS rebrand, Nest products, and Android Messages 3.1 | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got a rebrand of Android Wear as Wear OS,  a couple of Nest announcements including the new Nest Temperature Sensor, and an exclusive Android Messages 3.1 APK Insight.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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030: Wikipedia links on YouTube, AdWords bans crypto, and Maps AR games | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got YouTube plans to add Wikipedia links below conspiracy videos, AdWords bans all cryptocurrency-related ads, and Google Maps powering more Pokemon Go-like games.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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YouTube plans to add Wikipedia links below videos about controversial topics

Today in Austin, Texas at the annual South by Southwest festival, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki announced that Google is planning several moves over the next year to tackle misinformation on the platform. The first of this round of initiatives is called “information cues,” and basically adds links to Wikipedia articles below videos about topics that often the center of debate…


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Take a tour of the Google Assistant Fun House at SXSW without going to Austin [Gallery]

We’re here in Austin at the famed South by Southwest music and film (and “interactive”) festival, and Google once again has a significant presence this year, as expected. Besides its Assistant telephone booths and electric cabs, though, the biggest showcase is the Google Assistant Fun House.

If you’re not as fortunate as us and aren’t in Austin right now (sorry for the not-so humble brag), there’s still a good chance you might want to check out the house. Well, you can. We took dozens of photos (and a couple videos, too!) so you can see everything we saw…


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Alphabet Scoop 000: Android P release week, Galaxy S9 reviews, and Google at SXSW

9to5google alphabet scoop podcast

This week, we talk all about Android P (mostly about its support for “notched” devices…), Samsung Galaxy S9 reviews, Motorola layoffs, a slew of app updates, SXSW, and much more.

Alphabet Scoop will soon be available on Google Play, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, and through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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029: Waymo trucks, Assistant routines, and Fuchsia Friday | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got Waymo officially getting into self-driving trucks, hands-on with Google Assistant’s powerful new Routines feature, and Fuchsia Friday.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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Motorola reportedly cancels the Moto X5, scales back Moto Mod efforts

Following our report yesterday that Motorola is laying off a significant portion of its engineering staff in Chicago, Android Police is now out with some details on what exactly this will mean. Apparently, the company is planning to cancel the Moto X5 entirely, and plans to significantly scale back its efforts to partner with third-party Moto Mod makers…


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028: Galaxy S9 reviews, more Android P, and Android loyalty | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got our roundup of Samsung Galaxy S9 reviews, a whole slew of Android P features, and Android tops iOS in a new loyalty survey.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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Rumors of Motorola layoffs swirl as future of Moto Z line potentially in jeopardy [Updated]

Rumors of significant layoffs at Motorola Mobility in Chicago have begun to swirl this week, with one supposed ex-employee saying that the company has told as much as half of its Chicago workforce that their last day of work will be April 6th. Meanwhile, the maker of a popular Moto Mod for the Moto Z line is also seemingly fearful of the future…


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google nexus 6p

Google drops support for Nexus 5X and 6P in Android P Preview, Pixel C also dropped

It feels like it was just yesterday that I dropped my Nexus 6P on the concrete getting out of my car. On that day in 2016, I put my Nexus 6P to rest — thankfully only for a few weeks before I got my Pixel. But after many deaths it has already endured, Nexus is dying yet again today. The latest major release of Android, Android P, will never be released on the platform.


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026: Google & DoD partnership, Disney in Street View, and Chrome 65 | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got Google partnering with the U.S. military to analyze drone footage with machine learning, Disney parks in Street View, and Chrome 65 for Android.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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025: March Pixel update, Uber wants Waymo back, and Google @ SXSW | 9to5Google Daily

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Today we’ve got the March security patch rolling out to Pixel and Nexus devices, Uber reportedly wants to partner with Waymo, and Google planning an Assistant ‘fun house’ for SXSW.

9to5Google Daily is available on Google PlayiTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.


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