Android is Google’s open-source mobile operating system; think of it like a public park compared to Apple’s walled garden. It dates back to 2007, and though its dessert-inspired version names were retired in 2019 for a straightforward numbering system, there will always be a special place in our hearts for an OS called “Oreo” and “Ice Cream Sandwich.
The new version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp -- free of in-app purchases -- debuted last December at $9.99 for a limited time.
For those who have been dragging their feet on buying the new Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete for either iOS or Android, that limited time offer runs out before the end of this week. At 1AM ET on January 31st, the game will increase in price to $19.99.
Turns out Google’s photo manager wasn’t able to flip photos from left-to-right — until now. The editing feature has just been added, found within the Crop tools, which cover photo rotation too. For now at least, it’s Android only.
[support.google.com]
Yes, it does look a lot like Apple’s Vision Pro, but that is actually Project Moohan, the Samsung / Google project we tried out last month and saw again recently at Samsung Unpacked.
In this YouTube video, Marques Brownlee shows some views you may not have seen yet of the hardware and what the Android UI looks like for the wearer.
Carl Pei’s upstart tech brand teases a new launch on March 4th, right in the middle of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event. The post hints at what might be the company’s first triple camera on a phone. Earlier this month Pei promised “a landmark smartphone launch” in Q1, but will this be the “flagship” Phone 3, or something else entirely?
A Reddit user spotted that the only available Android image for Pixel 4A phones is this month’s mandatory update Google issued to address unspecified battery problems, reports 9to5Google.
That’s unlike Pixel and Nexus phones before and since, for which Google still offers years of downloadable Android OS images. We’ve asked Google for more information.
The $250 million deal — announced after Samsung’s extended reality headset made its public debut yesterday — includes parts of HTC’s XR headsets and glasses unit, with some of the VIVE engineering team relocating to Google.
Google had previously purchased most of HTC’s smartphone business for $1.1 billion in 2017. HTC Vice President Lu Chia-te says the XR deal isn’t “a buyout nor an exclusive license.”
Google is testing new gaming functionality in its AI-powered search tool for Android phones, as found by Android Authority. It can screenshot a game you’re playing and run the image through a Google search to find tips and guides, which might be more useful if it was paired with more than the unhelpfully vague “Get help with this game” text query.
The change would show a completion date beneath a task in Google’s to-do list app, according to code spotted by Android Authority in a recent build.
The outlet spotted some other tweaks being tested, like buttons for going to a task from the list-reordering screen and a new sort-by-title option.
8
Verge Score
After several attempts, OnePlus made a great high-end phone.
Android Authority spotted references in a recent Google Play Services beta that suggest Google is working to support hearing aids through its Fast Pair standard for quickly connecting things like wireless headphones.
The outlet notes that Google announced last year it would support hearing aids with Bluetooth LE Audio, which is part of Google’s proprietary Fast Pair feature.
[Android Authority]
OnePlus’ new flagship device is already available in China, and now we know when it’s getting a US release. The company has a “Winter Launch Event” scheduled for 10:30AM ET on January 7th — the first day of CES. Guess we won’t have to wait long to get a closer look at that fetching navy vegan leather option!
[www.oneplus.com]
While investigating apps that let livestream viewers pay to watch child abuse, The New York Times reports that it found “more than 80 apps that advertised children” on the Apple and Google app stores.
The livestream apps downloaded from Apple and Google illustrate an even darker aspect of the social media technology boom, particularly for children living in poverty in developing countries. There, with the ease of a smartphone, parents and other adults can connect with pedophiles in the United States and elsewhere who pay to watch — and direct — criminal behavior.
Trigger warning: This Times story includes descriptions of child sexual abuse.
[The New York Times]
The company’s take on Android 15 looks like a major update, with a Dynamic Island-ish feature called the Now Bar and a redesigned camera app UI, along with refreshed widgets and app icons. It’s available starting today to Galaxy S24 owners via the Samsung Members app.
