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.
Update: Video of the damage has surfaced on YouTube, see below.
In what is likely to become its first accident to be officially documented as at the fault of Google, one of the Mountain View company’s self-driving cars struck a public transit bus earlier this month while trying to get around a sandbag in the road. According to the accident report filed with the California DMV, the car was “traveling at less than 2 mph” and struck the bus as it passed on its left side…
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
TouchWiz was once a complete mess, believe it or not, but the Android skin got much better with the release of the Galaxy S6 and Samsung’s move to using Android Lollipop. Now, most agree that the skin has gotten even better with the Galaxy S7. Thanks to some screenshots (via XDA) shared by one Daniel Marchena (who was lucky enough to already have his S7 delivered), we now have a detailed look at the modified version of the OS we saw running on the Galaxy S7 last week…
We might have had our first look at Android N late last week, but now it looks like we might already be getting another one. In a tweet from the official Google Maps Twitter account, a Nexus 6P is seemingly shown without an app drawer…
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Remember that great Monotune ad from a couple weeks ago? It was a great little jab at Apple, criticizing the monotony of its devices and praising the beauty that comes with Android phones being different. Now, Google has released an album on Google Play that keeps the joke rolling…
ASUS’ most recent phone entry to launch may be the much-delayed ZenFone Zoom, but it’s definitely not the most popular offering. Last year, at CES, the ASUS ZenFone 2 was basically the equivalent of this year’s Honor 5X. The phone was praised for its more-than-decent specs at a pricepoint that helped usher in the state of the market today. You can now get a few flagship-level phones at a mid-range price. And while the ZenFone 2 wasn’t necessarily a flagship or an amazing phone (terrible software and bloatware held it back), it was a great phone for the price.
Now, ASUS has come out to announce the full list of phones that are getting Android Marshmallow in an upcoming update. And in this update, ASUS says it is planning to ditch at least 3 of its default ASUS-branded apps and replace them with official Google apps as default on the phones…
Compared to the dozens of other Android Wear watches we’ve seen over the last couple of years, the Moto 360 Sport is both different and the same. It’s different because, unlike the more popular classy offerings in the form of the Huawei Watch, the Fossil Q, the Moto 360 (2nd gen.), and others, the Moto 360 was made from the ground up with an active lifestyle in mind. It’s the same, however, in pretty much every other way imaginable…
Expand
Expanding
Close
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/702889076731547648 align=’center’]
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/702534007402196992 align=’center’]
The Chromecast Audio has been out for several months now, but Google has just now released some official cable accessories for the device. Neither of them are particularly special, but they do sport the bright yellow color that you’re probably familiar with if you have seen the aux cable that comes bundled with the device…
Expand
Expanding
Close
After much rumor and speculation floating around over the last couple of days, Sony has now confirmed in a statement that its Z series of flagship smartphones is now dead. The Z line has “reached its culmination,” according to the Japanese company, and it’s now time for a “new chapter and evolution” in its product strategy…
Unboxings are not a new concept at all, but this kind of unboxing just might be. It’s not going to win the award for “most practical and educational,” but it’s hilarious nonetheless. T-Mobile decided that — to emphasize the return of water resistance to the Galaxy S line with the S7 — it should unbox the phone underwater. Completely underwater…
Microsoft’s Garage Projects seem to constantly be coming and going, but the last couple of months have seen more releases than usual. Last month Microsoft released a quirky new alarm clock called “Mimicker Alarm,” and now the maker of the flopped Android competitor Windows Phone has released two more projects: Hub Keyboard, and Sprightly…
Expand
Expanding
Close
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/701784128992243714 align=’center’]
Seiki 42-inch 4K Ultra HD LED HDTV for $299.99 with free shipping (Reg. $400)
This isn’t the first time that Google-owned Waze has brought on a celebrity for its turn-by-turn navigation, but I think most would agree that everyone needs to know about this one. For a limited time, you can choose Morgan Freeman’s iconic voice in Waze, giving you the most soothing “In half a mile, turn right.” you could ever hear…
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/701784128992243714 align=’center’]
![AD_Clear_GS7_728x90[1]](https://9to5google.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/02/ad_clear_gs7_728x901.jpg)
Google made its commitment to RCS (Rich Communications Services) clear last year when the company acquired Jibe, but now things are getting even more serious. The GSM Association today announced that it, more than 15 global mobile operators around the world, and Google, have finally struck a deal to actually make bring RCS to widespread adoption. And Google says that an Android RCS client is in the works, being made in collaboration with several Android OEMs and the aforementioned mobile operators…
Cyanogen has today announced a new platform called “MOD,” giving developers deeper access to the Android operating system and allowing them to take advantage of platform APIs that are otherwise out of reach. Microsoft, for example, has built a Skype mod that allows users to add VoIP calling functionality directly to the Android dialer, as well as a Cortana mod that replaces Google Now on an OS level…
ZTE has today announced that Android 6.0 Marshmallow is now rolling out to the company’s Axon Pro smartphone. While the update may not be bringing any features specifically geared for the Axon Pro, it does bring many of the great features found in the latest version of Google’s mobile OS including Doze, Now on Tap, and more.
Of course it’s recommended that you have a WiFi connection to download this 835 MB update, and you’ll need to head to “Settings” -> “About phone” -> “System updates” -> “System updates” -> “Update Now” after the update has been downloaded. Sadly, ZTE says that this update is only for Axon Pro and that regular Axon owners should “stay tuned”.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow Now Available for Axon Pro
Expand
Expanding
Close
It goes without saying that the Samsung Galaxy S7 (and the S7 edge) and the LG G5 were the two big announcements today at Mobile World Congress 2016 press day, showcasing the best that these two Android OEMs have to offer. Both of these devices were horribly-kept secrets in their own ways, but now that they’re here, which one are you planning to get?
Let us know which one is your pick in the poll below, but first let’s take a look at a few of their differences…
Samsung’s Gear 360 video camera leaked a few weeks ago, and today it’s official. Until now the idea of owning a camera that can capture video and images in a VR-compatible 360-degree format may have been a foreign concept to most, but Samsung is really taking a stab at bringing VR content to the mainstream with this offering….
Don’t get too excited. While HTC does have an “A” line of HTC One smartphones, the above leaked handset renders (via Evan Blass) are actually a refresh of the company’s mid-range Desire line. That’s according to famed leaker LlabTooFeR who told us just a couple of weeks ago that there are two new Desire handsets scheduled to be released before HTC comes out with the “Perfume” HTC One M10 sometime after Mobile World Congress. According to Evan, the above images are of the Desire phone codenamed A16, making it a Desire 5xx phone…
Not more than a couple days after saying that his fans “criticized [themselves] out of any leaks for a while,” (in reference to hateful comments about the LG G5) Evan Blass is on fire once again. Now, he has shared images of a mysterious Sony “Xperia PP10” smartphone (he says that might not be its launch name), as well as Moto Hint-like accessory called the Sony Smart Ear…