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News: Opera's Android Browser Just Got Native Ad-Blocking
Opera's web browser for Android, Opera Mini, now comes with integrated ad-blocking technology for a less cluttered browsing experience. More importantly, it decreases the amount of data being loaded, which Opera claims increases webpage loading times by 40 percent. This is in addition to the 90 percent data reduction from Opera Mini's compression technology.
Deal Alert: Unlocked Nextbit Robin $100 Off for a Limited Time
The Nextbit Robin, the world's first cloud-oriented smartphone, is on sale at Amazon for $299 plus tax, a savings of $100. You'll have to act quick though, as the deal only runs through May 10th while supplies last. Nextbit Robin, an unlocked SIM phone, was just updated last week, and now runs Android Marshmallow 6.0.1. It also has a unique storage system, with 100 GB of cloud space, as well as 32 GB of built-in storage. You can snag it in midnight or mint colors. Amazon Prime members will al...
News: Samsung's Galaxy Note 6 May Let You Scan Your Eye to Unlock
Samsung's next Galaxy Note smartphone is expected to contain some nifty new additions that the company hopes will give it the long desired edge it has been seeking over Apple. One of those features that might make the difference? An iris scanner, which could make it the first major smartphone on the market to have that technology included.
News: Leak Shows Us BlackBerry's Next Android Phones
Images of BlackBerry's two upcoming Android phones have surfaced. Reportedly named "Hamburg" and "Rome," keeping with the company's tradition of using cities as code names for its devices, the images come from BlackBerry Central founder Dylan Habkirk (via Times News UK/GSMArena).
News: HTC to Make This Year's Nexus Devices
HTC is developing the latest Nexus phones for Google, according to a recent tweet from Evan Blass, a well-known phone leaker. Blass reported that the new Nexus phones will run Android N, and are being referred to as the M1 and S1. Android Police backed up Blass's tweet and added that a source told them the new handsets will be named "Marlin" and "Sailfish."
News: Samsung's Amazing Music-Making Tool Soundcamp Is Coming to All Androids
Soon all Android users will be able to use Samsung's cool Soundcamp app to write and record music. The announcement was made at the Samsung Developer Conference 2016, stating that the app, which was released last year for Samsung devices only, will become available to all phones and tablets running Android 5.0 or higher very soon.
News: Nextbit Robin, the Phone That Never Runs of Out Space, Now Available for Everyone
The world's first cloud-oriented smartphone, Nextbit Robin, is now available to the masses via Amazon with free one-day shipping for Prime members.
News: New Apps Let You Sign into Bank of America, Chase, & State Farm with Your Fingerprint
Applications are finally beginning to make use of Android 6.0's fingerprint authentication, letting users access sensitive information without having to enter (or unsafely store) complicated passwords on their phones.
News: Sony Brings Android N to Xperia Z3 Phones—Will Other Manufacturers Follow?
It's been known for a while that Google was opening up their Android N preview to OEMs, but we didn't think any manufacturers would actually take advantage. Well, we were wrong. Sony had just announced that Xperia Z3 owners will be able to install and run the N preview build. This is the first time a major manufacturer has offered Android previews on their phones. The preview build is only available for Xperia Z3's international models (D6603 and D6653), so those of you with T-Mobile's US var...
News: This Is What 3D Touch Actions Might Look Like on Android
Launcher shortcuts, which let you skip directly to a specific function on an app when you open it, first appeared in a recent Android N preview build, and now we're getting a look at how the feature might look in action.
News: Google's Newest Nexus Phones Return to Record Low Prices (With Freebies!)
A handful of retailers have put the newest Nexus smartphones on sale again, so you're in luck if you missed out on picking one up during the discount period last month. Actually, you might be better off since some retailers are giving away freebies with some models, too.
News: Get Up to 2 GB of Free Data from Verizon Just for Using Android Pay
If you tend to go over your data allotment each month, or are constantly afraid you will, Verizon Wireless is giving you chance to relax a little bit with up to 2 GB free data for two months.
News: The Latest Android N Updates Are Here with Better Emojis, Launcher Shortcuts, & More
The latest Android N preview build was released today, April 13th, and included Emoji Unicode 9.0 support, among other things. The highlight is definitely the emojis, and the new designs are intended to look more realistic than the older, blobbier emojis. The update also allows for skin tone variations and adds new emojis like the face palm, selfie, and the juggler, to name just a few. Get These Emojis Right Now
News: HTC 10 Just Leaked a Day Early—Here's What It Looks Like
It's déjà vu all over again for HTC. A day before they were set to announce their latest flagship smartphone, the HTC 10, a leaked video has surfaced, showcasing the new phone's design and specs. This compounds an earlier leak concerning the name and design of the device.
News: Woah. This Report Suggests Samsung's Folding Phablet Is Coming Next Year
If you think phablets are too big to be smartphones, and not big enough to be tablets, then you're going to love what's coming next.
News: There's an Easter Egg Hiding in Android Just for IT Crowd Geeks
One thing you have to love about Google is their sense of humor. From their annual April Fool's Day pranks to the hidden Flappy Bird mini-game in Android to tons of hidden commands in Hangouts, you can just tell that those smart guys in Mountain View still like to have a little bit of fun with their work.
News: Here's How Much Damage Samsung's Galaxy S7 Can Take
We already know that Samsung's Galaxy S7 is one of the most versatile smartphones ever made, complete with edge-to-edge displays, water resistance, and a huge battery. But what's versatility without durability? How much punishment can the Galaxy S7 take? Let's play a game of Samsung Galaxy S7 Punch-Out!! and see what happens.
News: Make Use of Your Bigger Screen with These 12 Tablet-Ready Apps
Ever since the Google Play Store removed its "Designed for tablets" section, it's been a lot harder to find good, tablet-optimized Android apps. Not that it was all that great to begin with considering that they used to list apps like Facebook and Twitter, which only have oversized phone UIs on tablets, not actual customized UIs.
News: Voice Commands Let You Create & Edit Google Keep Lists Super Fast
If you use Google Keep, you'll be happy to know that you can add items to lists and even start new ones with "OK Google" voice commands on Android, and it works fairly well. (Hat tip to Reddit user rambantu for finding this trick.)
News: Turn Your Android into a Workhorse with These 11 Productivity Apps
When you think of all the fun and games smartphones have to offer, it's easy to forget that they also make a great tool for getting things done. With utilities like document scanners, calendars, to-do lists, office apps, and password managers, that little computer you carry around in your pocket has the potential to increase your productivity levels in all aspects of life.
News: Label Your Favorite Places on Google Maps with Stickers
If you're using an up-to-date version of Google Maps on your Android device, there's a little-known feature you can use to apply stickers to saved places, making them visually easier to find while you're looking at the map.
News: 'Metaphor' Exploit Threatens Millions of Android Devices—Here's How to Stay Safe
The Stagefright exploit, which allowed for malicious code to be embedded in files on your device, is now very real in the form of Metaphor. Developed by software research company NorthBit, Metaphor is their implementation of exploits to the Stagefright library, and when executed, can access and control data on your device.
Name Game: These Are My Best Guesses at What Android N Will Be Called
It's about that time again. Spring weather is here, a new season of Game of Thrones is upon us, and we're getting ready for the next version of Android.
Breaking: Google Releases 'Android N' Preview Build with Lots of Major Changes
We knew it was coming eventually, but this is a bit out of left field—early builds of the next version of Android have been released almost two months ahead of schedule. Android N, as it's being called for now, is already available for the last two generations of Nexus devices, though it's just an early preview build for now.
News: Latest Yahoo Mail App Update Adds Colorful Themes & Features
Yahoo is giving its Mail app for Android a new look with its 5.3 version, giving you eleven color themes you can use to customize its look. In addition to changing the color scheme, there are a few new options rolled in as well:
News: Facebook Messenger App Now Has Material Design
Facebook is finally pushing out the latest version of its Messenger app for Android, complete with a new Material Design user interface.
Limited Time Only: Google Play Apps & Games on Sale for a Dollar
Now is the time to act if you've been in the market for some must-have Android apps but felt like the price was a little out of your range. The Google Play Store is running a sale so you can pick up some high-quality paid apps—including the popular Nova Launcher Prime and Poweramp Music Player, among many others—for just $0.99 each. While there are quite a few solid apps here you should try—and with a two-hour refund window, why not try them all—here are our favorites you should seriously con...
News: Hilarious MSQRD App Comes to Android (Try It Out Now!)
MSQRD (aka Masquerade), the popular iOS app that lets you put silly faces on top of selfies, is finally making its way over to Android.
News: Leaked Images Show Off the Upcoming HTC 10
Press renders for HTC's latest phone leaked out this morning, and it turns out that it likely won't be called the One M10 as many had expected. Instead, the company seems to be trying to clean up its naming conventions, and the next phone will simply be called HTC 10.
Deal Alert: Get a Free Wireless Charger from Samsung
Samsung is running a promotion to get people interested in using Samsung Pay, and if you sign up now you can get one of their wireless charging pads for free. The promo is only available to new users, but signing up is easy, and you don't even need to make a purchase to receive the charging pad—you just have to add an eligible card to Samsung Pay.
News: Here's When Your Samsung Galaxy Is Getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow
It looks like a lot of Samsung's Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets will be upgraded to Android Marshmallow 6.0 by the start of this summer.
News: Why Samsung & Other Phone Makers Need to Stop Messing with Android
On the list of problems with Android, manufacturer tinkering ranks near the top. Slow or nonexistent updates, poor performance, excessive bloatware apps—all of these things can be attributed to manufacturer skins like TouchWiz or Sense, and none of them are issues with unmodified, Vanilla Android devices like the Nexus series.
News: Microsoft Cancels Plans to Bring Android Apps to Windows Mobile
A little less than a year after announcing "Project Astoria," Microsoft announced Thursday, February 25th, that it will end the "Bridge," which would have brought Android apps to the Windows Store.
News: Night Mode Is Coming to Android!
For years, users have been clamoring for a "dark mode" theme in Android, but it has always seemed like Google is so committed to the white motif from their web services that such an option would never become a reality. But in a stunning turn of events, Google is finally embracing the idea with a night theme that will work in any app, and I'll cover all of the specifics below.
News: Everything You Need to Know About the LG G5 Modular Smartphone
LG got in on the action at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by unveiling its new G5 handset on Sunday, February 21st. It will be the first publicly available modular smartphone by a top tech giant.
Gadget Hacks' Wish List: Features We Want in Android N
Whatever you want to call it for now—Android Nutella, Android Nougat, or Android 7.0—the upcoming "N" release of Android will surely bring in tons of new features and functionality. We know it will be named after a dessert, and we know that Google uses an alphabetical naming system, so something starting with "N" is next in line after Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
News: Leaked Pics of the Upcoming LG G5 & Its 'Magic Slot' Removable Battery
LG is set to launch its G5 handset on February 21st at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. This shouldn't be too much of a surprise, but images of the G5 have now been leaked ahead of the event by Evan Blass (@evleaks). This image shows that the handset will indeed have two lenses on its rear-facing camera so that you can shoot wide-angle 135º photos.
News: Google Streamlines Drive App & Finally Adds Trash Folder
Google is rolling out an update for Google Drive that streamlines the online file storage/sharing app, and finally gives you access to the Trash folder that had only been available on the desktop version.
News: Gmail Introduces Gmailify, a Better Way to Manage Your Non-Gmail Email Accounts
Just about a year ago, Google launched an update to the Gmail app for Android that let you link accounts from other email services to Gmail, allowing you to read and respond to everything in one place.
News: The World's First $4 Android Phone Is Here... Maybe
A little-known company in India is making waves after announcing that it will sell an Android 5.1 Lollipop smartphone for less than $4 (or, more precisely, 251 rupees). The Freedom 251, from Ringing Bells, sounds almost too good to be true. Is that because it is?