Joe Hindy / Android Authority
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are all the rage right now. It’s kind of like a spin on the modern art scene. You buy and collect original pieces of digital artwork. You can then sell them later if you want to. It’s a bit like collecting baseball cards. Some are very expensive and others really aren’t. However, there is always the thrill of owning an original piece of work.
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The Redmi 9 Activ has launched in India. This is simply the Redmi 9 with more RAM in the top-end model. We heard murmurings of a Redmi 9 Activ earlier this month, suggesting that the Xiaomi sub-brand was working on another model in its Redmi 9 series. Now, Redmi has made it official by launching the phone in India today.
Those expecting a more durable version of the Redmi 9 will be disappointed though, as this isn’t like Samsung launching Active phones that are more durable than their typical devices.
Grab your clean Turtle School Gi and start charging your Ki! It’s time to jump into the crazy world of martial arts, power levels, and space monkeys with Dragon Ball Legends. Bandai Namco’s new card-based battle game is now available worldwide via the Google Play Store and is free to download for all budding Super Saiyans with Android phones and tablets (and on iOS devices via the App Store).
Most Android smartphones these days feature a 5- to 12-megapixel camera, bundled into one neat package with advanced camera features. Compared to Apple’s iPhone, Android is opensource and allows users to tweak the basic camera settings to satisfy any user.
When it comes to HDR-quality photos, the secret lies in the software itself because it is the one responsible for making your shots crystal clear with HD characteristics. As we explore the Google Play Store, we’ve managed to stumble upon loads of apps that cater primarily to enhancing images.
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The latest version of the popular BlueStacks Android emulator has been released for PC. BlueStacks 4 delivers an exponential leap in performance over the previous version and Android flagships. Owners of old laptops should also see a performance boost due to the updated emulator. BlueStacks is probably the most popular Android emulator out there, allowing PC owners to run Android apps and games on their desktop or laptop.
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At Google I/O 2022, Google launched the newest Pixel: the Google Pixel 6a. As expected, the phone looks like a Pixel 6 but cuts out some features to keep the price low. You’ll be able to pre-order the phone on July 21 for $449. Today is the first day of Google I/O 2022. Over the past two years, Google has kept I/O free of smartphone announcements, with the original Google Pixel 3a being the last phone we saw at the event.
Google HomeThe Google Home was good for its time, and still is, but some may find it hard to justify this smart speaker when the Nest Audio is available for the same price. If you're in love with the design, sure, the Google Home still works well, but you'll get a better value with the newer Nest Audio.
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Voice assistant services have infiltrated nearly every aspect of technology, but it has profoundly been more prevalent in smartphones.
Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
Update (May 30, 2022): A spokesperson for Google India issued the following statement to Android Authority, following the publication of this story:
We are aware that some businesses are abusing our anti-spam policies to send promotional messages to users in India. We are disabling this feature in India while we work with the industry to improve the experience for users.
We have also updated this article to clarify that this is impacting users in India, and not globally.
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
Rumors about a Signal hack are untrue. The messaging platform has stated that it’s a target of a coordinated misinformation campaign. The service is still perfectly safe to use. Secure messaging platform Signal has taken to Twitter to announce that it has not been compromised. Rumors bout the service being hacked are false. It also said that the app has seen an uptick in usage across Eastern Europe at the back of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Lily Katz / Android Authority
This year was supposed to end our long struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the continued spread of the virus and its numerous variants, we were left to hold out on getting things back to normal. That said, the continued pandemic meant many people had time on their hands to both create and listen to podcasts, and on that front, 2021 did not disappoint. This is Android Authority’s list of the best podcasts of 2021.