TL;DR
Vivo has officially launched its camera-centric X70 series. The range-topping Vivo X70 Pro Plus brings a new quad-camera setup, the Snapdragon 888 Plus, and water resistance to the table. The X70 Pro and X70, meanwhile, pack smaller displays and the Dimensity 1200 SoC with prices starting under $600. After weeks of teasers and leaks, Vivo’s freshest range-topping smartphone series is now official. The new Vivo X70 series builds on the X60 series‘ focus on photography and introduces a refreshed design and upgraded internals.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K MaxThe Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a subtle but welcome upgrade to Amazon's top media streaming stick, packing extra RAM, a faster processor, and all of the high-end streaming options you can ask for. It's immediately the best Fire TV Stick on the market, just as long as your TV and home Wi-Fi can keep up.
Manufacturers use a simple trick to denote something as the best or most powerful — they add “Max” to the name.
David Imel / Android Authority
TL;DR
Google has detailed the reasons for last month’s spate of Android app crashes. A WebView configuration issue was the root cause. Google plans to improve its WebView and Chrome rollout measures to mitigate future issues. It’s been nearly a month since Android users faced random app crashes, thanks to an Android System WebView issue. Now, Google has finally issued details on how and why this key Android system process brought the OS to its knees.
Get ready to add a new term to your Android geek lingo, because HTC wants you to forget about megapixels and instead drool over the “ultrapixels” of its new M7 smartphone.
Ok, let’s back up a little. Megapixel literally means “million of pixels”, which is pretty straightforward. So, what’s HTC’s new ultrapixel? Are there more pixels in an ultrapixel than in an old-fashioned megapixel?
The new term actually refers to a type of sensor, which features three layers of pixels, each of a 4.
Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
This past summer, Google’s Sameer Samat stood on stage at Google I/O and revealed the next major version of Wear OS. “It’s the biggest update to Wear OS, ever,” he said.
Indeed, combining operating systems with a company like Samsung means big things for the platform. Samsung’s Tizen-based smartwatches have consistently outperformed Wear OS watches in market share, so it’s no small thing that Samsung dropped its homegrown OS in favor of Google’s.
T-Mobile has been aggressively expanding its network in the last few years. If you’ve turned on a television recently, you’ve probably seen a commercial telling you so. Part of that expansion is T-Mobile’s push into using band 12 (700 MHz) and band 71 (600 MHz). These lower frequency bands can pass through walls and structures easier giving users better indoor coverage.
T-Mobile and Qualcomm team up to show the power of gigabit LTE
Olive Union
TL;DR
Olive Union’s new Olive Pro earbuds aim to blur lines between true wireless buds and hearing aids. They’re designed to amplify and clarify voices, but still provide an enjoyable experience for music. The crowdfunded buds are available through a $149 pledge ahead of an expected early 2021 release. If you’re hard of hearing but still want earbuds to soundtrack your life, you might have a viable option.
Some forum-goers say the phone heats up in seconds while using the camera app. A few have also reported disappointing battery life of about 3.5-4 hours of screen-on time. Several users also note that they’re using 4G versions, suggesting that over-heating isn’t due to 5G connectivity.
Additionally, a Twitter user recently demonstrated how their Exynos Galaxy S20 Ultra continues to exhibit problems with auto-focus.
The video posted by @pegasaie (h/t: WCCFTech) apparently shows the Galaxy S20 Ultra struggling to focus on an object right in front of the camera lens.
Honor has launched its new flagship smartphone, the View 20, in Europe. The handset, which was first revealed in December in China, is among the first Android phones to include a punch hole-style notch and a 48MP camera. Here’s a quick look at its specs.
Most of the attention is on that inconspicuous cutout at the top-left of its Full HD display, but the View 20 is no one-trick pony. The handset also includes a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor which can help map 3D objects in the real world — something which has significant implications for AR/VR (you can read more on TOF tech here).
Credit: Sumit Dagar
Smartphones and the internet are together making the world a more equal, well informed, and overall better place to live in. With the two technologies put together, almost anyone can gather information, start a company and harness the internet to benefit them in ways that were once unimaginable. But for the visually impaired the power of a smartphone is much more difficult to enjoy.
Although smartphones currently have accessibility features like talkback to help the visually impaired, these features pale in comparison to the capability that simple books currently have in Braille.