Stephen is Growth Director at 9to5. You can find his current work at 9to5Mac, 9to5Google 9to5Toys, Electrek, 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.
Google has today announced the Pixel and Pixel XL, its first purely self-branded smartphones and the company’s attempt to put all of the power of its services in one sleek package. While perhaps not remarkable by themselves, the phones are part of Google’s big push into consumer hardware today which also includes Google Home, Google WiFi, Daydream View, and more…
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We already knew pretty much everything there is to know about Xiaomi’s new Mi Box Android TV thanks in part to one Walmart that accidentally put it on the shelves early, but now you can officially get one for yourself. Announced back at Google I/O 2016, the Mi Box is now available on Xiaomi’s official website for — yes, you guessed it — $69…
Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, but that means it powers more underpowered devices than any other. Especially in the developing world, there are huge numbers of people who prefer — and need — less-capable, lightweight, and not-data-hungry versions of the apps that many of us take for granted.
That’s why Facebook today launched Messenger Lite, a basic version of Facebook Messenger made for those with Android devices more than a few years old (or with less capable specs)…
According to Google’s Android SVP Hiroshi Lockheimer, the company’s upcoming October 4th event — which, yes, is just a few days away now — is going to be something to go down in the Googley history books. According to him, “8 years from now we’ll be talking about Oct 4, 2016.” That comes in a tweet where he reflects on the fact that 8 years ago, Google announced the very first version of Android.
We announced the 1st version of Android 8 years ago today. I have a feeling 8 years from now we'll be talking about Oct 4, 2016.
— Hiroshi Lockheimer (@lockheimer) September 24, 2016
So Google thinks this event is going to be a big deal, and with such strong words coming straight from the mouth of Android’s SVP, we’re inclined to believe it. But what is Google planning to announce? We know almost for a fact that they’re planning some consumer-facing “Made by Google” smartphones, but what else could the Mountain View company have up its sleeve for next week?…
We’ve seen renders galore of the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL over the last couple months, but a few more can’t hurt, right? The latest images try to paint what is probably the best picture yet of what the phones might realistically look like in a natural setting, and they look pretty nice…
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I tried the HTC Vive for the first time last year, and one of the most memorable parts of that first dive into VR was Google’s Tilt Brush. Basically, it’s a VR version of “paint” that lets you doodle in 3D space and create insanely cool virtual worlds of pretty much anything you can imagine. It’s magical.
Now it appears that Google is set to make the experience even better, allowing multiple Tilt Brush players to create together in real time…
Huawei over the last day or two has begun sending out press invites to an event scheduled for November 3rd in Munich, Germany. While we don’t know for sure what the Chinese company has planned for that date, we would place all our bets on the Huawei Mate 9 — which might actually come to the US…
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Google has today announced Google Cloud, the new name for all of the company’s cloud offerings. This includes Google Cloud Platform, Maps and Machine Learning APIs, the newly-rebranded “G Suite,” as well as the Chrome and Android devices that give users access. But Google is also today announcing advancements across its cloud and enterprise offerings…
Chinese company LeEco has big plans for the United States, and today the company has sent out invitations to an event set for October 19th where they’ll tell us all about them…
Last night we first got word that Google was sending out some last minute invites to its October 4th press event, and now we can definitely say that the Mountain View company is opening up its big announcement to some of the public. Or perhaps not the “public,” but rather — so far, at least — some non-press that are close to Google…
Just four days ago we told you that Google’s Allo had passed 1 million downloads on the Google Play Store, and now it appears — based on the app’s Play Store listing — that the messaging app has surpassed 5 million.
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It looks like the faucet of Google leaks is opening even wider this morning, and the latest leak is a full-size official-looking render of the previously-leaked Chromecast Ultra straight from the man Evan Blass himself. As you can see above, it looks a lot like the current Chromecast…
We’ve learned from multiple sources that Google plans to launch its forthcoming Andromeda Android/Chrome OS hybrid OS on two devices: a Huawei Nexus tablet and a “convertible laptop”. The latter device was just reported on by Android Police, and we can independently confirm that this device is planned. Our sources say, however, that a Huawei Nexus — yes, a Nexus — is also planned…
Google’s self-driving cars are no stranger to accidents, but rarely are the autonomous cars at fault and rarely do those accidents cause any significant damage. Today, it seems, may be an exception for the latter case, with one of the Mountain View company’s Lexus self-driving vehicles sustaining major damage in an accident involving a commercial van…
It seems that the stream of cheap and capable Android phones is never going to end. Today, it continues with the launch of the BLU Life One X2, a well-specced but wholly unremarkable Android handset that comes at a price that just about sort-of makes it a notable entry…
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It appears today is the day that all prices are leaking. Just after finding out about the Google WiFi and its $129 price, Google Home’s $129 price, and the $69 price of the 4K “Chromecast Ultra,” we now have our first clue of the price of Xiaomi’s previously-announced Mi Box Android TV. According to someone who spotted one of the shelf at Walmart, it will run for $69…
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We already know that Google is planning a whole slew of hardware products for its October 4th event, but now we know of one more: Google WiFi. This little white box — purportedly similar in size to the Amazon Echo Dot — will apparently cost $129 and allow you to connect multiple Google Wifi access points within your home to easily create one big WiFi network…
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According to a press release from Samsung, the company has now exchanged half of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 units:
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. announced today that about half of all recalled Galaxy Note7 phones sold in the U.S. have been exchanged through Samsung’s voluntary recall. Additionally, 90 percent of Galaxy Note7 owners have been opting to receive the new Galaxy Note7 since the phones became widely available on Wednesday, September 21.
Now ex-Director of Product Management for Google’s Cloud Platform Greg DeMichillie has departed the Mountain View company to head back to Adobe to serve as its Head of Developer Platform & Ecosystem. This is a move back to Adobe because, before his time at Google, DeMichillie was at the creative, marketing, and document software company as a Director of Product Management between 2008 and 2012…