The latest Android 14 beta includes a handy tweak to the At a Glance widget
Swipe between pages directly from the lock screen
Among the myriad benefits of owning a Pixel smartphone is access to exclusive features like At a Glance — Google's dedicated lock screen and home screen widget — offering quick access to information on local weather, package deliveries, doorbells, upcoming events, and several other metrics. In its current form on Android 13, the At a Glance home screen widget provides swipeable pages when there is more than one alert pending in the stack. But users are unable to do so with the Always On Display (AOD) enabled or from the lock screen. But that seems to be changing now, at least with Android 14 Beta 4, with the At a Glance lock screen widget gaining swipeable cards, denoted with dots when there's more than one alert pending.
Green bubbles rejoice: WhatsApp preps its own spin on Apple's Memoji
Animated avatars are coming to WhatsApp
Despite being slow to roll out certain features when compared to services like Telegram, WhatsApp continues to be one of the world's most popular instant messaging apps. We often come across under-development features being tested by the Meta-owned chat app courtesy of beta releases. Last week, it was revealed that the company enhancing the discoverability of stickers by linking them to their corresponding emoji. WhatsApp now appears to be working on another visual feature, as per the good folks at WABetaInfo, taking a cue from Apple's popular Memoji feature for iPhones.
This 4-year-old phone just received 2 more years of software support
As the Fairphone 3 gets Android 13 this week, the company announced it will get updates until mid-2026
Netherlands-based Fairphone is known for its repair-friendly smartphone lineup, with the company also launching a pair of headphones in May, relying on the same repairability promise. In a world where smartphones reach their end-of-life status quickly, Fairphone's devices, like the Fairphone 3, have been the pleasant exception. The manufacturer had promised five years of software support from when this smartphone was launched in mid-2019. While this meant that software updates would stop in the middle of 2024, the company has now surprised device owners by saying it plans to provide an additional two years of software coverage.
Amazon keeps Prime Day going with remarkable deals on the Fire tablet series
Save big on both standard and kids versions of the Fire tablet series
Amazon's annual shopping holiday is starting to wrap up, but before it does, you're going to want to check out the ton of deals and discounts still left on some of the best electronics out there, including tablets. The retailer's lineup of Fire tablets gets some big discounts for Amazon Prime Day, with deals on powerful tablets like the Fire Max 11 and the more affordable Fire HD 8.
Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series hit a new all-time low for Prime Day
The savings are so good you’ll want to hear them for yourself
Although it isn't the latest set of earbuds on the scene, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series is ideal for people on a budget, and it has the right hardware to back up its price tag. This Prime Day, these affordable earbuds by Google have dropped to their lowest price ever, costing only $60. We've seen the price come down to as low as $80 in the past month, but this one certainly takes the cake in terms of savings. Much like some of the best earbud deals for Prime Day, this one is exclusive to Prime subscribers.
This Prime Day deal on the Fitbit Versa 4 is the best we've seen this season
Track your fitness on a budget
We've officially entered day two of the Amazon Prime Day shopping festivities, with innumerable discounts on several categories of products. Google-owned Fitbit is world-renowned for its fitness hardware, such as the Sense 2 and Versa 4, both refreshed last year. The latter can now be picked up for just $140, courtesy of this Prime-exclusive deal on Amazon. While this isn't the cheapest price on the Versa 4 in its lifetime, we're unlikely to see this extremely capable smartwatch going for any lower this shopping season.
The super-affordable OnePlus Nord N200 5G is a better deal than ever this Prime Day
Save nearly 30% on this OnePlus midranger
This Amazon Prime Day has been immensely busy, with deals on practically every tech item imaginable. Smartphones, in particular, are massively popular during any shopping sale. Conversely, this means that some of the best phone deals may be the first to run out of stock. Thankfully, there are more deals on the way, with budget and midrange phones also getting their prices slashed for the annual shopping holiday. One such device, the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, is now going for a smooth $58 discount over at Amazon, down from the original price of $200, which means the phone is available today for $142.
The Nest Doorbell with battery is getting a massive price cut for Prime Day
Pick up one of the best doorbell cameras on the cheap this shopping holiday
Smart home cameras are available in abundance today. A quick gander at any of the reputed online retail marketplaces will pull up several options, often leading to confusion, particularly since every product is marketed as the best in its respective category. But as far as doorbell cameras go, not many come close to the functionality provided by Google's 2nd gen Nest Doorbell. Amazon is knocking $60 off this doorbell's original price on the occasion of Prime Day.
The TicWatch E3 is available for an unmissable price this Prime Day
Save 35% on this already affordable Wear OS smartwatch
Wear OS is the platform of choice if you own an Android smartphone. Smartwatches, like the Google Pixel Watch, are heavy on your wallet. But there are some cheaper alternatives in the market if you're willing to make some sacrifices. The TicWatch E3 fits this criterion, though it's somewhat expensive at the $200 MSRP. Thankfully, this budget smartwatch is now on sale with a 35% discount for Amazon Prime Day, bringing its cost down to just $130. While it's not the lowest price we've seen on the wearable, it's certainly one of the more exciting offers this shopping season.
Save up to 57% on Amazon's Fire TV streaming devices this Prime Day
Options include the premium Fire TV Cube and the budget-ranged Fire TV Stick Lite
Rated among some of the best streaming devices in the business, Amazon's range of Fire TV products can significantly revamp your home streaming setup, requiring just minutes of setup. With Amazon Prime Day this week, the retailer has significantly cut down the prices of some of its streaming devices, including the super-advanced Fire TV Cube and the Fire TV Stick Lite for the budget conscious. Of course, there are plenty of other deals to trick out your smart home setup, but if streaming is your focus, you can't go wrong with these deals.
This Prime Day deal makes it a perfect time to grab some cheap AirPods
An excellent gift for friends and family invested in the Apple ecosystem
With Amazon Prime Day officially here, there's not going to be a shortage of excellent deals on some of the most sought-after items out there. The retailer's own series of Fire tablets and Echo speakers have gone on sale as part of early Prime Day deals, and more are on the way. Apple products are traditionally known to be on the expensive side — which has almost become part of the brand's appeal for a few years now — but this shopping season, Amazon is slashing $40 on these earbuds, making this deal hard to miss.
Snag one of Samsung's best budget tablets for nearly $100 for Prime Day
Get one of Samsung's best budget tablets on the cheap this shopping holiday
The Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup includes some high-end beasts, as well as their affordable counterparts. The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is rated among the best budget tablets in the industry today, and with good reason. It combines an affordable price tag with the essential tools required to use it for work or some light gaming. With Prime Day 2023 officially here, this budget tablet is now getting a 34% discount, bringing the cost down to just $105 on Amazon.
Our favorite Sony headphones are down to an all-time low for Prime Day
At under $330, some of Sony’s best ANC headphones are worth picking up today
Amazon's annual Prime Day shopping festival is officially underway, and we're already seeing some ridiculous deals on items that usually don't receive this treatment. Audio deals, in particular, are immensely popular on Prime Day, given that some products, like Sony's top-of-the-line WH-1000XM5, aren't always on sale. But that's changing now, with Amazon currently offering these high-end ANC headphones with a $72 discount on the asking price. While we've seen deals on these headphones before, this is the cheapest yet.
The Amazon Echo Auto (2022) gets a much-awaited discount before Prime Day
Save $20 on this recently updated car accessory
Amazon's annual shopping festival is here and there are deals to pick up on practically every product category. The company's own Echo-branded devices and Fire tablets are selling with some steep discounts for Prime Day, and we can now add a handy automobile accessory to the list. Refreshed just recently, the 2nd Amazon Echo Auto is now on sale for only $35 from the online retailer, down from its original sticker price of $55.
As the default messaging app on some of the best Android phones, Google Messages is crucial for everyday communication. It can handle both conventional SMS/MMS and the more refined RCS standard, making it suitable to connect with practically anyone with a phone number. In its bid to improve user experience, Messages has received advanced AI features like Magic Compose in beta, helping users jot down quick replies. The chat app is now picking up animated emoji, albeit with some restrictions.
Latest Google Play Store update gives you more reasons to spend money on games
The feature was previously limited to the web version of the Play Store
Google's Monthly System updates for Android are designed to improve user experience with the addition of new features. These updates are generally limited to routine patches for the Android system, Play Store, and Play Services. The July 2023 System Update, on the other hand, has contained more than just bug fixes, with an upcoming Google Wallet feature being detailed in the changelog and then disappearing mysteriously, only for a Google spokesperson to confirm its arrival later. Another addition has caught our eye among the list of changes, specifically related to the improved visibility of new offers and promos for games on the Play Store's homepage.
Pass sharing is coming to Google Wallet at long last
The service is finally catching up to Apple Wallet
Announced in 2022, Google Wallet is a neat way to organize all your important passes and cards, replacing Google Pay in some regions. One of the upcoming additions to the app would allow customers in Brazil to make payments on Wallet using a QR code, effectively enabling payments on devices without NFC capabilities, similar to how the current Google Pay app functions in India. The app is now on the brink of picking up another handy feature that lets users share passes stored in Wallet with their friends and family.
Although Samsung continues to be at the forefront of foldable smartphones with devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, rival manufacturers have ramped up their efforts in producing competing products, with the Google Pixel Fold being the most recent example. While companies like Vivo and Tecno already have book-style foldables in the market, we've also learned pretty early on about OnePlus joining the fray with the V Fold. New reporting now suggests that this may not be the device's official name. Instead, the company could end up calling its first-ever foldable the OnePlus Open.
Samsung's duo of Galaxy Watch 6 wearables have leaked again
This time via the Google Play supported devices list
The mid-year Samsung Unpacked event will occur sometime later this month, with July 26 being rumored to be the possible launch date. Among the plethora of devices expected to debut at the hardware event are the Galaxy Watch 6 and its Classic sibling, which is rumored to bring back the rotating bezel after skipping a generation. A leak by 9to5Google, further fleshed out by Pricebaba, has unearthed additional details on Samsung's upcoming wearables just weeks ahead of the Samsung event.
Google Meet's Q&As and polls are coming to live streams
The feature was originally limited to traditional Meet calls
Google's ecosystem of Workspace apps offers something for everyone. There's Docs for documents, Sheets for spreadsheets, Slides for presentations, and Google Meet serving as the go-to video calling/conferencing solution regardless of the size of your organization. Back in October, the service picked up a nifty Q&A and polls option, letting participants of a Meet call ask questions or respond to polls from a convenient box on the right-hand side of the screen. Polls and Q&As are now making it to Meet live streams, nearly a year after they were enabled for standard Meet calls.