CES 2017 August 31
Google officially announced the Play Store’s Material Theme in August 2019, while a dark mode came that October. Since then, pages like “Manage apps & devices,” settings, and navigation have been significantly revamped. A Material You redesign with Dynamic Color is what’s next for the Google Play Store, and here’s an early look.
CES 2017 January 9, 2017
Nvidia’s Shield TV has been one of the best Android TV devices in recent memory and at CES 2017 it has gotten a massive update. It has new hardware, an updated OS with built-in Google Assistant, and an amazing new accessory that all turns it into the technology of our dreams.
CES 2017 January 7, 2017
One thing that the Google Assistant has that puts other voice assistants to shame is the fact that you can have a contextual conversation with it. With information from previous questions or commands, Assistant can make the conversation feel more natural, but it’s not perfect, especially on certain devices. It looks like the Nvidia Shield will have a leg up on some other Assistant-supported devices, however.
If you’ve been following our coverage this week, you know that CES 2017 has already brought the introduction of countless new phones, laptops, accessories, and more. In the Google realm, that means we’ve seen plenty of new Android phones, Chromebooks, wearables, and more.
But CES is always a matter of finding the diamonds in the rough. There are always some impressive announcements, but the vast majority of things we’ve seen this week have been either mundane or old news. That’s why we’ve done the work for you.
Follow after the break to get a peek at our picks for the best Android, Chrome and Google-related products that debuted at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show…
CES 2017 January 6, 2017
ZTE took to the stage at CES 2017 to announce two new devices coming to the US market. The first is a phone we’ve seen previously released in Asia, Europe, and Mexico and that is the Blade V8 Pro. The second is a device that ZTE crowdsourced called the Hawkeye. Both devices are fairly inexpensive and come unlocked — but are either of them worth your time?
Update 1/9: TP-Link has reached out to clarify that Google Home integration is expected in Q2 of 2017, not February.
Google Home’s portfolio of supported products has slowly been growing since its release, but several major players still aren’t supported. That’s soon to change, though, with the addition of Actions on Google. Today at CES 2017, we were able to confirm that TP-Link products will be supported by Google Home in the coming weeks, and got a chance to see them in action…
CES 2017 hasn’t had a ton of exciting announcements in the arena of Android Wear, but one of two big reveals is New Balance’s long-awaited Android Wear smartwatch, the RunIQ.
Android Wear has made its way to quite a few styles of smartwatches, but few have been as, striking as those from Casio. The Casio WSD-F10 rugged smartwatch certainly turned heads at last year’s CES and for 2017, Casio has refreshed that watch with a few key additions.
Cute thermal printer turns your smartphone content into Post-It-style sticky notes
I may live a paperless life myself, but not everyone does. If you’re someone who prefers physical reminders of things you need to do, the Mangoslab Nemonic may be for you: it’s a small thermal printer that can print anything on your Android phone onto a sticky note.
CES 2017 January 5, 2017
There’s not a ton to get excited about at CES 2017, but two devices we’ve been eager to check out are the ASUS Chromebook Flip 2 and the Samsung Chromebook Pro & Plus. Today, we’ve finally been able to lay our hands on Samsung’s latest Chromebook option.
Last year, Google announced that many upcoming Android devices would support the Daydream VR platform. At CES, Asus announced the Daydream-ready ZenFone AR and ZTE noted that support was coming to the Axon 7 with Nougat. Today, Google announced the addition of Huawei’s Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro, as well as the first third-party Daydream viewer.
JVC, Pioneer, Alpine & Kenwood announce new aftermarket Android Auto in-dash units
CES 2017 has officially kicked into full gear ahead of the show opening to the public this weekend, and today we get a look at the latest aftermarket in-dash entertainment systems that support the Android Auto platform. Announcements at the show include new products from JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer, and Alpine. Head below for all the details.
T-Mobile’s CEO John Legere took the stage at CES 2017 today to share the latest Uncarrier news. T-Mobile has announced they are going “All in” on their T-Mobile ONE plans. This means that starting on January 22, new customers will only be able to choose the ONE plan. Additionally, the carrier will be including all fees and taxes into the price of your T-Mobile ONE plan.
Xiaomi reveals white variant of its Mi Mix ceramic-bodied smartphone
At an event today at CES 2017, Xiaomi has announced that the Mi Mix smartphone it first showed off back in October will now be available in a sleek new white variant.
iHeartRadio integration with Google Home is coming ‘soon’
Google Home is one of our favorite products of 2016, and as we go into 2017, we’re only expecting it to get better. That includes integrations with more new services, such as popular radio streaming service iHeartRadio, which has announced that it will be coming to Google Home.
Google’s Chromecast is one of the most popular products the company makes, as well as being one of our personal favorites. The simple and easy experience of casting content from your device is smooth and fun, but in some cases, it’s nice to use the features built-in to your TV.
This week at CES 2017, ASUS has unveiled two new Android smartphones — the ASUS Zenfone AR and the ASUS Zenfone 3 Zoom. Following the company’s press conference, we had the opportunity to try out the company’s latest devices and so far, they may potentially be the best of CES this year.
A company you’ve probably never heard of, Mighty Cast, has today announced a pair of interesting new wearable devices at CES 2017. The Nex Evolution doesn’t have a full display, but rather opts for five small tappable buttons called “Mods” that can be customized to do almost anything using the companion app and light up to provide phone notifications. And the second device is being made in partnership with Niantic for Ingress, the sibling of the wildly popular Pokemon Go game.
CES 2017 January 4, 2017
Two months after its initial debut, Huawei has just announced that its current flagship smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9, is coming to the United States on January 6th…
Update: The new Nvidia Shield TV is now available online at Amazon and Nvidia’s online store for $200 (or $300 for the Pro).
Already available on the Pixel and Home, Google Assistant will soon come to Android TV. A new SHIELD TV shown off at NVIDIA’s CES event was the first device to demo these capabilities, but the Assistant will come to most current set-top boxes and television sets running Android.
Announced last CES with availability originally slated for 2016, New Balance’s first Android Wear smartwatch has finally been made available. The fitness-focussed RunIQ sports GPS and a heart rate sensor with exercise software from Strava.
At CES 2017, ZTE provided updates on when Android 7.0 Nougat would arrive for the well regarded Axon 7 and more details about their bid to crowdsource a smartphone. The company also launched the affordable dual-camera Blade V8 Pro in the US market.
Today at CES 2017, Samsung unveiled its long-awaited Chromebook Pro alongside the previously unheard of Samsung Chromebook Plus. Both Chromebooks are designed specifically with Google Play in mind, as being the first Chromebooks ever with support for a stylus.
Hulu sets itself apart from DirecTV Now as it secures CBS for upcoming live TV service
Hulu announced today that it has signed a new agreement with CBS to carry content from America’s most-watched broadcast network including both on-demand and live programming. This news comes about a month after DirecTV Now launched without the major network, although CBS CEO Les Moonves has alluded that they’ll be able to figure something out.
Leaked by Qualcomm earlier in the week, Asus has officially announced the ZenFone AR at CES 2017. Notable for being the first device to be both Tango-enabled and Daydream-ready, it was announced alongside the camera focussed ZenFone 3 Zoom.
As previously rumored, LG has unveiled 4 new smartphones at CES 2017 this week including the LG K4, K8, and K10, as well as the new LG Stylo 3. All of these devices offer slightly different mid-range experiences, and most even include Android Nougat out of the box.
Casio’s ultra-rugged WSD-F20 is the first new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch, available in April
With the WSD-F10 last CES, Casio started the wave of rugged smartwatches running Android Wear. This year, the company is releasing a successor (via Digital Trends, now pulled) with minor design tweaks, a new low-power GPS sensor, and more offline functionality. More importantly, the WSD-F20 will run Android Wear 2.0 when it’s released in April.
It’s been an interesting ride for BlackBerry over the years as the company has moved out of the public spotlight over the past several years. Last month TCL announced a new partnership to build BlackBerry phones, and at a closed press event at CES 2017, the company has now revealed what is in store for BlackBerry, including giving us an early look at some unreleased hardware.
Ford, Toyota, and more form alliance to prevent Google and Apple from taking over the in-car experience
A report from Bloomberg today takes note that Ford and Toyota have joined forces with four other automakers and some electronics suppliers to form the SmartDeviceLink Consortium. The alliance has shared its main goal of creating more choice for connecting smartphones with vehicles, which in turn could create some friction with Google, Apple, and their visions for integrating and controlling the user interface inside of cars.
Honor promises Android Nougat for the Honor 6X within the next couple of months
At CES 2017 Honor announced the 6X which is the company’s budget device that features mid-tier specs and a $249 price tag. Unfortunately, though, the public’s first reaction to the phone was rather negative mainly because of several aspects of the handset that are a bit outdated. The biggest of which is the fact that Honor is shipping the 6X to customers still running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Thankfully, Honor does promise to update the phone to Nougat (EMUI 5.0) sometime in the second quarter…
CES 2017 January 3, 2017
At CES 2017, Honor announced its latest budget-friendly device — the Honor 6X. This phone is the successor to last year’s 5X and brings with it some features like a dual-camera setup as seen previously on the Honor 8. While it does share some similarities, the Honor 6X is lacking in specs, software, and hardware…
Last year Honor helped change the game in terms of hardware on budget devices with the Honor 5X, but it wasn’t a perfect device. It lacked a bit in terms of specifications, and the pre-loaded software didn’t help matters. Now, Honor is bringing the successor to that device, the Honor 6X, to the United States.
With one of the first keynotes of CES 2017, Qualcomm has officially launched the Snapdragon 835. Slated for this year’s wave of Android devices, users can expect a 20% jump in various CPU tasks, increased energy efficiency, and support for Quick Charge 4.0.
As CES 2017 kicks off today, ASUS has just made the ASUS Chromebook Flip 2 (C302) official. The final specs match up pretty closely with previous leaks, but with some surprising and welcome new additions.
Nest Protect now integrates with GE appliances to detect cooking fires and shut off
First released in 2014, with a second generation available a year later, the Nest Protect is a smart fire alarm that works well with an ecosystem of third-party smart home devices. At CES 2017, GE announced a new integration that allows Nest Protect to detect fires in appliances, take measures, and quickly alert homeowners.
Acer debuts the education-focused rugged Chromebook N7 at CES 2017
CES 2017 is going into full swing this week, and at the show we’re expecting quite a few exciting new product announcements. To help kick things off, Acer has just debuted a brand new Chromebook, the Chromebook N7.
Hyundai has today announced at CES 2017 that its Blue Link-equipped vehicles will soon be compatible with Google Assistant. This new feature will allow owners of new Hyundai vehicles to control various functions their cars with voice commands via Google Home…
Last year, Android TV came to Italy in form of a digital decoder from internet VOD provider TIMvision. At CES 2017, Dish TV is using Google’s large screened OS to to power the AirTV Player, a single streaming device that combines local over-the-air channels, on-demand streaming, and other internet video services.
Three months ago Blackberry announced that it would be no longer making their own hardware. This meant that TCL Communications would be producing future Blackberry handsets. A month later, the company’s CEO went on the record to state that they had one more device coming out “soon” that would feature a keyboard.
Images of this upcoming device codenamed “Mercury” leaked several weeks ago and now Blackberry is teasing us with a 4-second video of the phone ahead of its announcement at CES 2017… expand full story
CES 2017 January 2, 2017
Qualcomm has inadvertently published a press release today about the yet-to-be-announced ASUS ZenFone AR. Billed as the world’s first device to be both Tango-enabled and Daydream-ready, it is powered by the Snapdragon 821.
This follows a leak yesterday that revealed the majority of specs and performance details for the forthcoming Snapdragon 835, and a tweet earlier today from ASUS suggesting that it will launch a phone with the new SoC…
We already know that ASUS has a smartphone or two planned for CES this week, but now — just a couple days before its scheduled press event — the Taiwanese company has come out with a tweet suggesting that at least one device will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835. That chipset is also expected to be fully detailed in an announcement this week.
CES 2017 January 1, 2017
Believe it or not, CES 2017 is just two days away. As we prepare to hit the show floor and bring you coverage of all the latest products, it’s also a good time to take a look at what we can probably expect to see related to Android and Chrome OS products we’ll probably be seeing at the show.
