Author

Justin Duino

I’m a writer for 9to5Google with a background in IT and Android development. While I have a soft spot for stock Android, I’m typically juggling two to three devices at once running both Android and iOS. My previous work can be seen on Phandroid, Android Central, and AndroidMeter. Email me at justin@jaduino.com. Tips are always welcome.

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Google I/O 2017 halts temporarily due to fire, press being evacuated [Update]

Justin Duino May 18 2017 - 4:22 pm PT

Update 6:13pm PT: The Google Developers Twitter account has posted thanking the Mountain View Fire Department for putting out the fire and that no attendees were hurt. Unfortunately, three event staff members were injured and are receiving treatment.

Update 4:40pm PT: The fire appears to have been extinguished. Emergency vehicles are now departing the Shoreline Amphitheatre and attendees are now being allowed back in.

A fire has broken out inside one of the food establishments within Google’s developer conference. As of now, we do not know if anyone was harmed by the fire or how the fire was started but the press lounge was evacuated for everyone’s safety…

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Google’s Seurat tech brought a ‘Rogue One’ scene to life in incredible detail on Daydream VR

Justin Duino May 18 2017 - 2:57 pm PT

One of the main issues with mobile VR such as Daydream or Samsung’s Gear VR is that even the top of the line smartphones just don’t have the processing power required to smoothly render graphically intense visuals. To help with this, Google has created Seurat, a tool that takes full 3D environments and turns them into scenes that can be viewed on mobile VR, all without losing huge amounts of quality…

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Android O focuses on ‘vitals’ for improved security, performance, and battery life

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 7:19 pm PT

As with every new version of Android, we are getting a bunch of new features such as picture-in-picture mode, notification dots, and much more. But what is shaping up to be one of the best new additions with the forthcoming Android O is the company’s focus on the “vitals”…

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Poll

What was your favorite announcement from the first day of Google I/O 2017? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 6:05 pm PT

Today has been a busy day in the world of Google as the company kicked off its annual developer conference with a keynote address. During this presentation, Google unveiled new features coming to Android, Google Assistant, and all sorts of improvements for some of its other apps and services. What was your favorite announcement from day one of Google I/O 2017?

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How to use picture-in-picture with YouTube on Android O Dev Preview 2

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 4:59 pm PT

Today at I/O 2017, Google released the second developer preview of Android O which featured a wide range of new features. One of these is a picture-in-picture mode which currently works with YouTube. Here’s how to get it to work…

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Android 8.0 Oreo

Android O beta introduces a new style of emoji, no more blobs

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 1:21 pm PT

At I/O 17, Google unveiled some pretty cool new features coming to Android O such as notification badges and some changes coming to Google Assistant. One thing they skipped over, though, was a complete redesign of the operating system’s iconic “blob” stock emojis…

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Google Assistant

Keyboard input is finally here for Google Assistant

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 11:01 am PT

Google Assistant Keyboard Input

Google Assistant is getting a bunch of new updates today at Google I/O and one of the most requested features is finally here: keyboard input. Now, instead of only being able to communicate with Assistant with voice, you can also type your queries…

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Audio Factory demonstrates Google’s VR spatial audio engine within Daydream

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 10:33 am PT

Right before the start of I/O 2017, Google published a new Daydream VR application called Audio Factory. Although VR mainly immerses users visually, when paired with proper headphones, this application immerses users in an audio experience…

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Google

Google

Ninth Circuit Appeals Court denies ‘genericide’ of the Google trademark

Justin Duino May 17 2017 - 9:31 am PT

The term “Google” is so widely used that it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary back in 2006. In fact, it’s so ubiquitous that it’s often used simply used as a verb to describe the process of searching for information online. Because of this, Google has been fighting to keep its trademarked name from being genericized. For now, it seems they have been able to keep it…

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Poll

What’s at the top of your Google I/O 2017 wishlist? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 16 2017 - 4:11 pm PT

Google kicks off its annual developer conference tomorrow morning with a keynote address. Based on past keynotes, we know that Google normally lays out the company’s plans for upcoming versions of Android, Chrome OS, and sometimes even previews new projects and hardware products. What do you want to see Google announce tomorrow?

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HTC U11 unveiled with Edge Sense, DxOMark rating of 90, available now for pre-order

Justin Duino May 16 2017 - 1:32 am PT

HTC took to the stage this morning to unveil the company’s latest flagship smartphone: the HTC U11. Although highly leaked, HTC announced that the smartphone has more to offer than previously believed. This includes a higher rated camera than the Google Pixel, Amazon Alexa built-in, and more…

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Will HTC’s ‘Edge Sense’ tech actually be useful, or is it just a pointless gimmick? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 15 2017 - 6:25 pm PT

One of the long-time rumored features of the upcoming HTC U 11 is something that we are now calling “Edge Sense.” Theoretically, the metal frame of the handset will be pressure sensitive and will trigger different actions when squeezed. Do you think this Edge Sense technology will actually be useful?

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The Moto C and Moto C Plus offer barebones specs, big batteries, start under $100

Justin Duino May 15 2017 - 10:23 am PT

Moto C Hero

First leaked last month, Motorola today has unveiled two new budget smartphones: the Moto C and Moto C Plus. Although these are on the new lowest-end of Motorola’s lineup, the Moto C could make for the perfect smartphone for first-time Android users or as a backup burner device…

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Samsung Chromebook Pro now available for pre-order from Amazon

Justin Duino May 14 2017 - 7:04 pm PT

At CES 2017 back in January, we got our first look at the Samsung Chromebook Plus and Pro. Powered by higher specs than the average budget Chromebook, these two premium devices were made to run full Android applications on top of Chrome OS. After a bit of a delay, Samsung has posted the Chromebook Pro on Amazon for pre-order…

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Should Google make OEMs use stock Android instead of letting them skin the OS? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 12 2017 - 6:06 pm PT

One of the biggest problems facing Android is fragmentation. This is brought on by the fact that every smartphone manufacturer installs its own modified version of Android on its devices. This means it takes time and money to update each handset whenever a new version of Android comes out. Do you think Google should require OEMs to use stock Android so that this becomes less of an issue?

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Latest Google Maps update shows you exactly where to turn using Street View images

Justin Duino May 12 2017 - 5:05 pm PT

Google Maps Street View Update

Navigating an unfamiliar city can be difficult, and it can be easy miss a turn even when using apps like Google Maps. An update rolling out today to Google Maps is making it even easier to arrive smoothly at your destination by allowing users to see exactly where to turn and what lane to be in using Street View images…

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Does the Gear S3 w/ Tizen make you more inclined to explore other Tizen products? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 11 2017 - 5:36 pm PT

Today a new report came out that showed that as of Q1 of 2017, Samsung’s Tizen OS now has a larger market share than Google’s Android Wear. Although Tizen is still well below Apple’s 57% market share with watchOS, it does show that a majority of Android users who want to a smartwatch are turning to Samsung. Do you think this amount of popularity will eventually get people to try out other Tizen-powered products?

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How to take a screenshot on the Samsung Galaxy S8

Justin Duino May 11 2017 - 2:53 pm PT

With the removal of Samsung’s trademarked physical home button from the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the procedure for taking a screenshot has slightly changed. Thankfully, Samsung is now using the standard Android method, but the company has also included several other ways to capture sections of your smartphone’s display…

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T-Mobile offering BOGO free deal on Galaxy S8 starting May 12 [Updated]

Justin Duino May 11 2017 - 2:00 pm PT

T-Mobile Uncarrier Next

Update: T-Mobile’s Galaxy BOGO deal is now live on its website. According to the terms of the deal, the first device purchased can actually either be the smaller Galaxy S8 or the larger S8+. However, if you choose the Galaxy S8+ as the secondary “free” smartphone you will end paying $100 for the handset as the promotion only covers the cost of the standard Galaxy S8 with the $750 gift card.

Samsung hit it out of the park with the Galaxy S8 and are fans clamoring to get their hands on the flagship smartphone. Now, according to a leaked internal document on Reddit, T-Mobile will be offering a buy one get one free deal on the Galaxy S8. But, of course, there are a couple of catches…

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Uber now allows you to save custom locations other than home and work

Justin Duino May 10 2017 - 5:18 pm PT

Rolling out today, Uber is making it easier for you to remember destinations other than your home and work addresses with Saved Places. Whether you visit a particular friend or relative’s house, restaurant, or even a park fairly often, it can get annoying trying to remember the exact address when hailing an Uber. Now, these saved locations can be saved as a shortcut…

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Poll
Fuchsia

What do you think of Fuchsia’s UI so far? [Poll]

Justin Duino May 8 2017 - 6:29 pm PT

Fuchsia early Armadillo demo

Today, we got a first look at a brand new operating system that Google has been building called Fuchsia. Although we do not know what Google plans to do with this new OS, the pre-alpha build does give us a quick peek into how it may work one day when completed. What do you think of Fuchsia’s user interface so far?

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Google Wallpapers adds new ‘Art’ and ‘Solid Colors’ categories

Justin Duino May 6 2017 - 6:36 am PT

Several days ago, the Google Wallpapers application received an update which brought with it a bunch of new wallpapers. With no official word from Google about these changes, we just figured that Google was refreshing and adding to the images made available to users. Shortly after, Google has pushed out another server-side update that has added two new wallpaper categories: Art and Solid Colors.

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How to take, locate, and share screenshots on the BlackBerry Keyone

Justin Duino May 6 2017 - 3:45 am PT

One of the core functionalities of any smartphone, including the BlackBerry Keyone, is taking a screenshot. Thankfully, BlackBerry decided to stick with the normal Android method when taking a screenshot, using a combination of the power and volume buttons…

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How to assign an action or app to the BlackBerry Keyone’s convenience key

Justin Duino May 6 2017 - 2:49 am PT

As an added convenience, TCL has added an additional hardware button to the right side of the BlackBerry Keyone. Called the Convenience key, that button can be programmed to launch an app, quickly call someone in your phonebook, or even send a quick text message.

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