Android - page 22

Samsung phones have been bogged-down with bloatware for as long as they’ve been around, but a Chinese consumer protection group is doing more than just complain about it — by suing Samsung and another Chinese vendor, Oppo, for loading their phones with literally dozens of pre-installed apps which are impossible to delete.

The consumer protection group wants to make it illegal for the smartphone industry to include bloatware on devices since it fills us phones’ internal memory and gives customers no choice in the matter.

Plex, the popular media streaming service that makes it easy to access your entire video, music, and photo catalogs from pretty much anywhere, has been hacked.

A server breach this week allowed hackers to gain access to user data — including email addresses, private messages, and forum passwords — but Plex assures us our credit card details are safe.

As a Brit that can’t handle warm weather, the recent heatwave that swept across the U.K. almost killed me. I sat here with my skin sticking to my leather office chair, longing for cool air conditioning that would help me breathe freely again.

But at no point did I stop to consider my poor smartphone.

Smartphones get hot, too — especially when they’re charging — which is why Chevrolet though it would be a great idea to give them their very own air conditioning vent in its 2016 lineup.

Struggling to upload all of your cat snaps to Google Photos? You’re not the only one. A bug has been preventing some users from adding more images to their Photos library after reaching a certain number — but don’t worry; Google is not capping your unlimited storage allowance.

Android apps and games are great on pocket-sized smartphones, but they’re even better on big screens — like the 24-inch monitor sitting on your desk. Don’t believe me? Check out the BlueStacks player, which lets you run almost any title built for Android on your Mac.

Apple Music isn’t available on Android yet — though it is coming — but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Beats 1 radio. Thanks to a new web app, you can tune into the 24/7 worldwide broadcast on Android and other unsupported devices right away.

Samsung has overtaken Apple to regain its lead of the U.S. smartphone market following strong sales of the Galaxy S6. The South Korean company’s latest smartphone became the third best-selling smartphone in its first full month on sale, trailing only the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S5.

Sony is looking to pour billions into its smartphone camera business as it looks to increase production and development of modules for customers like Apple, Samsung, and others. The company’s camera business is already a success, but its production capacity is limited.

OnePlus is putting a fingerprint scanner inside its upcoming OnePlus 2, and it promises to be better than any of the scanners we’ve seen on Android devices so far. So good, in fact, that OnePlus claims it’s “faster than Touch ID” on Apple’s iOS devices.

Google has teamed up with the Federal Railroad Administration to bring rail crossing warnings to Google Maps. Every crossing in the U.S. will be added, and drivers will receive alerts while using turn-by-turn directions in the Maps app.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

The country is talking about the Supreme Court’s historic ruling that gives all citizens the right to marry the person they love, regardless of sexual orientation, and the tech community is stoked. Everyone from Apple CEO Tim Cook to T-Mobile to Uber are coming out in favor of the ruling and love.

Take a look at the celebration party everyone’s having on Twitter:

Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 has beaten out the iPhone 6 and other flagship rivals in a “real-world” performance test. The device came first in six out of nine challenges, which tested for things like Wi-Fi speed, camera load time, gaming performance, and video editing.

If you’re still wondering why everyone’s so excited about the new, do-it-all USB Type-C standard, check out the video below, which shows Apple’s new MacBook being juiced up by a portable battery pack and the OnePlus 2’s new USB-C cable.

Samsung’s samey marketing team is back with another ad for the new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge that again picks on the iPhone. This time, it’s for the lack of wireless charging, which comes built-in on the South Korean company’s latest devices.

We’ve all sent emails to the wrong person accidentally. Sometimes it’s as harmless as inviting your grandma to a drum and bass rave; other times it’s pictures to your boss that no one should see.

But if you use Gmail, those mistakes can quickly be reversed with the awesome “Undo Send” feature — which just made its way to Inbox.

When it comes to cool Android hacks, this one’s got to be up there with the best.

Developer Josh Max has managed to get Google’s mobile platform running on a Texas graphing calculator with about as much power as a kitchen wall clock. It doesn’t just boot up, either; it’s also capable of running apps, like early Android game Lunar Lander.

No matter how robust you believe your smartphone case to be, battering it with a hammer just for the sake of it is never a good idea. One young boy learned this the hard way when he smashed his smartphone to bits in an effort to show friends how strong his case was.

Thanks to iOS and Android, Apple and Google have been locked in a battle with each other for years now.

Which is why it’s all the more ironic that Google would choose to unveil its latest Street View feature by letting users scale Yosemite’s “El Capitan” — the vertical rock formation which just so happens to also be the name of Apple’s next OS X iteration.

Remember Echo, Amazon’s Siri-in-a-tube which was first announced back in November, but until now has only been available on an invitation-only basis?

If the idea of getting hold of Jeff Bezos’ standalone virtual assistant appeals to you, today is your lucky day — as Echo is now available to all U.S. customers for $179.99 via Amazon.com.

Google is hoping to distract you from Apple Music’s impending launch with a new streaming plan that won’t cost you a penny. Available on desktop and mobile platforms, the service lets you enjoy a whole host of curated playlists supported by ads.

Having 4G connectivity when you want to stream music or download a game is awesome, but when 5G gets here, your LTE smartphone will feel like dial-up on Windows 95 all over again.

The new standard, which is officially named “IMT-2020,” can reach speeds of up to 20 Gbps, which is 20 times faster than the 4G we have today. With data that fast, you could download a 25GB Ultra HD movie in just 10 seconds.

Samsung may crank out new smartphone models by the bucket-load, but up until now its flagship Galaxy phones have only arrived at a rate of one generation per year.

That may be about to change, since a new rumor claims that fear of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6s could drive the panicked South Korean tech giant to rush forward its Galaxy S7 — in order to coincide with the expected September launch of Apple’s next-gen handset.

Because rushing products out so as to be able to yell “first” always works out well for you, right Samsung?

If you didn’t back the Pebble Time on Kickstarter and now you want one, you can now pre-order the device from Best Buy. The black, white, and red options are all available, and they’ll be delivered to your door within a month.

Are you rich? Do you live in one of the world’s richest countries? If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, guess what: you probably don’t have an Android phone.

A new report reveals that Android market share worldwide is almost directly correlated to how rich each market is. The richer the market, the lower the market share for Android. iOS market share is also related to wealth, except it’s polar opposite. So if you’re rich or in a rich country, odds are you own an iPhone instead.

When your copying of Apple designs has led to you becoming the world’s most valuable startup, you can afford to loan out a bit of money.

According to a new report, controversial Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is set to take an unusual approach to the mobile payments business by lending users cash — which they can apply for via an app on their handsets.