Places and Things

I know that most people are in agreement that Wear OS is trash and the watch options aren’t great, but I’m foolishly still holding out hope that it will one day be good. Because of that foolishness, here is a bit of news: Google Play on Wear OS is now slightly better. from https://www.droid-life.com/2019/11/13/wear-os-gets-a-redesigned-google-play-store/ https://www.droid-life.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Wear-OS-Google-Play.jpg

Android 10 has officially released - no more Android Q beta - and we're diving into the biggest features on our Pixel devices. From dark theme and gestures to privacy controls and smart replies, we've got it here!It's now available for the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, P from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9VrVUoQ0j8 http://img.youtube.com/vi/G9VrVUoQ0j8/maxresdefault.jpg

Millions of shiny new Android smartphones are being purchased with dangerous malware factory-installed, according to Google's own security research team. There have been multiple headlines about the millions of harmful apps being installed from the Play Store, but this is something new. from https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2019/08/10/google-warning-tens-of-millions-of-android-phones-come-preloaded-with-dangerous-malware/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

The Nintendo Switch can now run Android, giving the hybrid game console access to Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, Twitch, a wide array of Android apps, and loads of classic game emulators, of course. Specifically, it’s an unofficial port of LineageOS 15. from https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/29/20746304/android-nintendo-switch-nvidia-shield https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64874619/jbareham_1492_170228_0126.0.0.jpg

According to a report by WinFuture, Qualcomm is planning another new chipset for Wear OS devices, — even though the existing Wear 3100 has barely materialized. from https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/07/09/qualcomm-may-finally-deliver-a-smartwatch-processor-that-doesnt-suck/ http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

When you explicitly tell an Android app, “No, you don’t have permission to track my phone,” you probably expect that it won’t have abilities that let it do that. from https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/8/20686514/android-covert-channel-permissions-data-collection-imei-ssid-location https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64690192/acastro_180507_1777_android_privacy_0002.0.jpg

It’s that time of year again: Google’s published its annual Android Security & Privacy Year in Review, the holistic report detailing the ways the Moutain View company’s made the over two billion devices running Android more secure. from https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/29/google-play-protect-cut-harmful-android-app-installs-by-20-in-2018/ https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/android-pie-logo.jpg?fit=578%2C289&strip=all

"); }; openAppInFrame("applenews:///AALvKqxAkQJyV6fUBdYWYtw");} function getVersionNumber(majorVersion, minorVersion, pointVersion) { return (majorVersion * (1000 * 1000)) + (minorVersion * 1000) + pointVersion; } function isIOS() { var isIos = false; if (curUserAgent. from https://apple.news/AALvKqxAkQJyV6fUBdYWYtw http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png

Major Android mobile apps from companies including Yelp and Duolingo send data that could be used to personally identify you for ad tracking straight to Facebook immediately upon logging in, according to a new report from the London-based UK charity and watchdog group Privacy International (PI). from https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/5/18252397/facebook-android-apps-sending-data-user-privacy-developer-tools-violation https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63188116/acastro_180720_1777_facebook_0001.0.jpg

Google Assistant lives in your home and might have its own button on your phone. Now it's in your Android Messages texting app, too. I got a hands-on demo of how exactly it works, here at MWC 2019 in Barcelona.  from https://www.cnet.com/news/google-put-assistant-into-its-android-texting-app-and-its-pretty-cool-mwc/ https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/img/-DDyf1CmM-r-w2z-7gUmDkUq1Do=/970x0/2019/02/25/7f90a402-ca42-4561-8e2b-cb885557185e/google-assistant-messages-android.jpg

Google Assistant is coming to Android Messages, one in a series of major updates introduced today at the start of Mobile World Congress Barcelona. Contextual integration of Google Assistant will be made available in Android Messages over the course of the coming months. from https://venturebeat.com/2019/02/25/android-messages-gets-google-assistant-suggestions/ https://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_20190108_1031381.jpg?fit=578%2C433&strip=all

It's not just dating and health apps that might be violating your privacy when they send data to Facebook. from https://www.engadget.com/2018/12/30/more-popular-apps-are-sending-data-to-facebook-without-asking/ https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?quality=85&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fimages%2Fdims%3Fcrop%3D4000%252C2670%252C0%252C0%26quality%3D85%26format%3Djpg%26resize%3D1600%252C1068%26image_uri%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fs.yimg.com%252Fos%252Fcreatr-images%252F2018-12%252F22998460-033f-11e9-9fff-e5da1278d4bf%26client%3Da1acac3e1b3290917d92%26signature%3D3d6f9e7db3a95e937c4dad90452f81ba3b0f2cc4&client=amp-blogside-v2&signature=b2e328efb96c6b04a411b4f1fa88974f62b24a2b

It’s no secret that Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup didn’t bring a whole lot to the table in terms of software. from https://bgr.com/2018/12/19/iphone-vs-android-speed-test-xs-max-oneplus-6t/ http://img.youtube.com/vi/yqPXmwUiWWc/0.jpg

Google has changed its approach to software updates. Android 7 Nougat and Android 8 Oreo both went through extensive public betas, so those with compatible phones (Nexus and Pixel devices) could sample the software through its development until it hit final release. from https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/139233-google-pixel-2-and-2-xl-tips-and-tricks-master-your-pure-android-oreo-phone http://img.youtube.com/vi/oKXKDqhB0k0/0.jpg