Amazon and Google are officially friends now: YouTube on Fire TV, Prime Video on Chromecast and Android TV

Way back in December of 2017, Google pulled YouTube off of the Fire TV citing a “lack of reciprocity” by Amazon. Amazon would not carry Chromecast and Google Home products on their store, Prime Video did not support Chromecast, and new Nest devices were being pulled. Consumers were the ones to suffer the most because of these companies’ disagreements. However, Amazon essentially announced yesterday that they and Google are officially friends now. Hooray!

Continue reading “Amazon and Google are officially friends now: YouTube on Fire TV, Prime Video on Chromecast and Android TV”

Google accidentally sent someone ten pink Pixel 3s instead of one

Customer service isn’t every company’s cup of tea, but Google just took it to a whole new level. Reddit user /u/Cheetohz returned a defective white Pixel 3 for a refund. He didn’t receive a full refund, but he ordered a replacement anyway. Instead of sending him one replacement, Google sent him ten—yes, you read that right—ten Pixel 3s.

Continue reading “Google accidentally sent someone ten pink Pixel 3s instead of one”

Google introduces Android search and browser app choices for users in Europe

Last year, the EU had hit Google with a €4.3 billion antitrust fine. One of the reasons was that Google makes Android phone manufacturers install the Google Search app and Chrome as a condition for allowing them to offer access to the Play Store and other Google services. According to the EU, this helped Google’s monopoly over web search. Google did split Android, Chrome, and Search to comply with regulations, but now Google will also start presenting prompts to Android users in Europe with an option to download other search apps and browsers.

Continue reading “Google introduces Android search and browser app choices for users in Europe”

The Play Store’s Material Theme redesign is coming soon, and here’s how it looks

Google has been redesigning its apps one by one to match its new Material Theme. A few months back, Gmail and G Suite received a Material makeover. Now’s the time for the app that really needs it: the Play Store. The redesign isn’t out yet, but 9to5Google was able to forcefully enable it.

Continue reading “The Play Store’s Material Theme redesign is coming soon, and here’s how it looks”

YouTube TV increases its monthly price to $50, adds eight new channels

YouTube TV is YouTube’s own service that offers the streaming of live TV channels including local sports and news. When it first launched, it cost $34.99 a month which then increased to $39.99 in February 2018 (existing subscribers were grandfathered, however). Starting today, YouTube TV’s monthly pricing is increasing to $49.99 for all subscribers and eight new channels are being added.

Continue reading “YouTube TV increases its monthly price to $50, adds eight new channels”

dbrand Grip v2 phone case review

Two years ago, dbrand launched a campaign on Indigogo for a bumper case called Grip. It intended to offer extreme grip and shock protection, but unfortunately, after long-term use, customers reported it falling apart. This year, dbrand came out with the second generation of Grip. This time, they’ve opted for a material that offers less grip but doesn’t fall apart in the long term. Also, it’s not a bumper case but a full body case that you can customize with dbrand’s own skins.

Continue reading “dbrand Grip v2 phone case review”

Pixel 3a and 3a XL show up on the Play Console and Google Store detailing specs

Google just can’t keep a secret anymore. The Pixel 3 and 3 XL had leaked a lot before their announcement. We had known almost everything about the phones from their design to their specs, and this time is no different for Google’s planned budget Pixel devices: the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Make what you want of that name, but recently, they both showed up on the Play Console and the Google Store which could mean we’re getting closer to their launch.

Continue reading “Pixel 3a and 3a XL show up on the Play Console and Google Store detailing specs”

Google releases Android Q Beta 2 with bubbles, Scoped Storage, and more

The first beta of Android Q was released less than a month ago, and today, Google just released Beta 2. This also comes before Google I/O which is likely when the next beta will be announced. The beta is still only available on Pixel phones, Android Studio’s emulator, and as a generic system image (GSI).

Continue reading “Google releases Android Q Beta 2 with bubbles, Scoped Storage, and more”

Google Duplex is rolling out to non-Pixel phones in the US

Google announced Duplex back at I/O 2018. It enables the Google Assistant to call businesses and make reservations or appointments for you. In March, it started widely rolling out to only the Pixel phones and turned out to be pretty reliable too. Now, according to a report from XDA-Developers, Google Duplex is rolling out for iPhones (with the Google Assistant app) and most Android phones in the US.

Continue reading “Google Duplex is rolling out to non-Pixel phones in the US”