It’s no secret that Samsung is staring down the barrel of a tough year in 2016. Even though the company is one of the biggest names in the electronics industry, two of their main games – high-end smartphones and smartphone components – are experiencing a worldwide dip that is only expected to get more intense. Not one to take their knocks lying down, Samsung is attempting to innovate their way into new avenues to stay relevant in the tech field.
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Great gaming laptops don’t have to be expensive. Whether you have a tight budget or can’t bear to spend thousands of dollars, there are a plethora of budget gaming laptops that will suit your needs.
What is “cheap,” though? Of course, the answer is relative, but we believe anything at around $1,000 or less can be considered affordable in the world of gaming laptops. We’ll stick to those price points, but there are some great options for less than a grand, just in case you feel like that much money is a bit too much.
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Google seems to have started a testing program for the Wear OS companion app on the Play Store. You can now sign-up to test beta versions of the app. However, the request is taking a long time to process. Google seems to be opening up a preview for its Wear OS app on the Play Store. First noticed by 9to5Google, the Wear OS by Google Smartwatch app on the Play Store now offers a beta sign-up.
Razer Phone 3 prototype discovered in Taobao
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What appears to be a Razer Phone 3 prototype has appeared in the Taobao marketplace. It includes a new camera array and screen, but a familiar design. Don’t count on this becoming a finished product. Razer hasn’t had a phone on the market since 2018’s Razer Phone 2, but that isn’t silencing talk about a third model.
XDA reports that a merchant on China’s Taobao marketplace briefly listed (and has since pulled) what looked like a Razer Phone 3 prototype.
NPR podcasts might not have the same level of prestige as BBC podcasts from across the pond, but there are still a number of great shows from the American non-profit media organization. Some, like the longstanding interview show Fresh Air, are simple adaptations of radio programs, while others are brand new programs for the growing podcast format.
Read also: Best podcasts to fill your feed in 2020
You might expect NPR podcasts to be news and education-focused, but there are also shows about pop culture, comedy, true crime, and more.
Jon Fingas / Android Authority
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Dropbox has made its password protection and secure file Vault available to everyone. You’ll need a paid Dropbox Plus or Professional account to use them, though. Computer backup is available for free. Dropbox can now be a cloud repository for much of your sensitive data — if you’re willing to pay for some of it, at least. The cloud storage service has rolled out Passwords, Vault, and computer backup features that were previously available only in beta form.
An Android fan took to reddit and imgur to post three handy infographics detailing the most important features of three prominent custom Android ROMs, including CyanogenMod, Paranoid Android and AOKP.
Whether you like a stock Android experience, a default user interface from an Android device manufacturer or a custom ROM, you certainly should check out these three ROMs to see what they have to offer.
That said, in the following images (credit: reddit user wamen_noodles) , you’ll be able to see the different and similar features between CyanogenMod 10.
Update (1/14): It was originally reported that Chen Xudong, SVP of Lenovo, said in an interview that all Moto-branded devices launched in 2016 would come to market with embedded fingerprint sensors. However, thanks to a recent statement sent to Android Authority from Motorola, we now have some clarification regarding the original comments:
Xudong was referring to products specific to the China market. We’ll share more information about our 2016 products at a later time.
A data company called M Science gave PC Mag some research-based information on how 5G smartphones are doing so far in the United States. Although the report shows that 5G phones are doing pretty well right now, a side-effect of the report is suggesting just how poor Samsung Galaxy S20 sales could be.
The reports suggest that Samsung Galaxy S20 sales are about 50% lower than those for the Samsung Galaxy S10 series when you compare the first seven weeks of sales for the two smartphone lines.
Flagship smartphones are full of neat, unique, and increasingly powerful camera features, be it Google’s HDR+, LG’s wide-angle shooting option, or super slow motion video capture. Huawei hopes to catch your attention with its new Hybrid Zoom technology, one of the new camera features tucked into its latest P20 and P20 Pro flagships.
Huawei’s Hybrid Zoom technology isn’t brand new. It has appeared in a number of the company’s high-end smartphones, like the Mate 9, P10, and Mate 10 Pro.