More than meets the eye? Perhaps less. This picture hides two trying truths: the phone is actually pink in color, and it’s stripped of any-and-all Google services.
Last week, I mustered up my courage for a unique experience: using a Pink Galaxy Note 4. Ironically however, it wasn’t the color that required any form of social preparedness, rather it was the actual OS the phone was running on: Android. But not Android Android.
Great news for those of you who use the Samsung Internet browser: the company has released an update with a bunch of useful features on board.
Among them is a new extension called CloseBy, which provides you with a notification containing info about your surroundings once you approach a Physical Web beacon. To give you an example of how it works, when you get to a bus stop enabled with the Physical Web beacon technology, CloseBy will provide you with a URL you can visit to get more info on bus routes and arrival times.
SteelSeries SteelSeries Arctis 1 WirelessFor under $100, there is not a better wireless gaming headset than the SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless, full stop.
There are a lot of gimmicky gaming headsets these days. You can find headsets with intense surround sound (which admittedly isn’t all that gimmicky anymore), vibrating earpads, customizable LED lights, or an included DAC with separate modes for different devices. Basically, it all boils down to this: if you want a specific feature, something’s got it, and it probably costs too much.
The ASUS ZenWatch was one of the best looking Android Wear smartwatches to be released last year, bringing elegance and class to this category, while also being priced very competitively. We have seen quite a few different smartwatches since then, but ASUS is hoping to recapture some of the magic with a follow-up to the original Zenwatch, while managing to decrease its price point even further.
Given the far more intense competition it faces, is ASUS’ latest smartwatch worthy of a place on your wrist?
The HTC First
It’s fairly likely that at some point in the past, you heard theendless speculation over the mythical “Facebook Phone.” What was it? Who would make it? When would we see it released?
Well, the answers to those questions in order are: a phone, HTC and now. Now that the HTC First is out, the questions change. The first and most important issue is whether or not the phone is actually any good.
TL;DR
Motorola has announced a smartphone launch event for September 9. It will likely introduce the next-generation Razr. The new model is believed to include 5G, a faster processor, and other key improvements. You won’t have to wait much longer to see the next-generation Razr. Motorola has announced a virtual event on September 9 where it will “flip the smartphone experience once again” — a not-so-subtle hint at a sequel to its first folding-screen phone.
True wireless earbuds are becoming more affordable. If you’re after a stylish and affordable pair of buds, the AirSounds Pro earbuds are now available for just $34.99 ($95 off).
The earbuds are a pretty shameless copy of AirPods, but they’re not just built for looks. They feature Bluetooth 5.0 for the clearest audio and the longest-range connectivity.
Enjoy crisp Bluetooth 5.0 audio for up to four hours on a single charge.
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Welcome to Wallpaper Wednesday! In this weekly roundup, we’ll give you a handful of Android wallpapers you can download and use on your phone, tablet, or even your laptop/PC. The images will come from folks here at Android Authority as well as our readers. All are free to use and come without watermarks. File formats are JPG and PNG, and we’ll provide images in both landscape and portrait modes, so they’ll be optimized for various screens.
Kris Carlon / Android Authority
TL;DR
Huawei has confirmed to Android Authority that its deal with Leica has ended. This comes after Xiaomi and Leica announced a partnership today. Xiaomi and Leica announced a long-term partnership earlier today that will see Xiaomi launch an “imaging flagship” phone in July. We wondered what this announcement meant for Leica’s long-standing deal with Huawei, and we now have an answer.
“We can confirm that the cooperation between our two companies ended on 31 March,” a Huawei representative told Android Authority in response to an emailed query.
Water resistance made its return with the Samsung Galaxy S7, which was something that people sorely missed last year with the introduction of Sammy’s revamped design for the Galaxy S6. In a way, that’s exactly what differentiated the Galaxy S6 Active so much, just because it offered that and a few other goodies to make it stand out enough.
For this year’s Active smartphone, it might not seem as interesting because we already know that the water resistant construction is back with the Galaxy S7 – while continuing to stick with the new premium design language.