Back in early November, gamers who were planning to dole out $499 to get the Wikipad found out that the Android gaming slate has been pushed back to make way for some last-minute improvements. Fast forward to today, the “minor refinement” that the team talked about has turned out quite to be a big one, as the 10.1-inch Wikipad has shrunk in size.
The decision to scrap the 10-inch model for a 7-inch one wasn’t an easy one to make.
TL;DR
Xiaomi will launch the Mi Band 5 in China on June 11. It could soon launch globally as Mi Smart Band 5. Keeping with last year, the India launch could happen later in the year. Xiaomi’s Mi Bands are extremely popular for being the cheap, feature-filled wearables that they are. The newest member in the series — the Mi Band 5 — has been anticipated for a while now and thanks to various rumors and leaks, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from it.
🌞 Good morning! Don’t forget daylight savings begins this weekend for the US ("spring forward, fall back"), and you may need an extra coffee to get through the one hour sleep loss.
March 12, 2021
Phone shortage?
Two weeks ago we talked more about the semiconductor shortage, with a report that semiconductor demand is 30% above supply right now. Foundries are fully loaded, yet we want more gadgets than ever.
Google opened the Area 120 startup combinator last year, which allows its employees to work on their own business ideas. Now, the first product developed at the incubator, called Uptime, has been officially announced. Uptime is a group video messaging app that lets you watch YouTube videos with your friends.
It’s quite simple to use. First, you have to sign up with your Google account and are then presented with the option of checking out a short tutorial that explains how the app works.
At just $35, the Chromecast is an incredibly affordable media streaming device with support for quite a few services including Hulu, Netflix, and Pandora. It might not give you a full Android experience in the way an Android set-top box would, but it’s also considerably cheaper.
The Chromecast is a real game-changer, and for rival devices to compete they’re going to need to up their game. Now it looks like video streaming startup PLAiR is attempting to do just that.
You’ve spent months drooling over the idea of an Android Wear powered smartwatch, pitting the LG G Watch against the Motorola Moto 360 to decide which you would purchase. Along came Google I/O and boom, all of a sudden there is a Samsung smartwatch ready for order alongside the G Watch, and the Moto 360 is still months away, what should you do?
It looks like we are not the only ones that want to help you make the decision, Google has launched the handy Android Wear Help Center to help you get through.
Update: On Twitter, HMD Global chief product officer Juho Sarvikas teased that the Nokia 8810 4G will support WhatsApp.
If WhatsApp comes to the Nokia 8810 4G, it would back up HMD Global’s claim back in MWC 2018 that the company is not “closing the door” on WhatsApp.
The Nokia 8810 4G runs Smart Feature OS, which is based on KaiOS. The software allows the phone to support apps like Google Assistant, Google Search, and Google Maps.
The HTC Droid Incredible 2 surely lived up to its name as one incredible device. And, it will continue to be incredible with the unofficial CyanogenMod 9 that has been released for the phone.
While phone manufacturers are too slow in releasing updates for their older devices, independent developers are blazing fast in porting ICS to many devices–including the HTC Droid Incredible 2. Thanks to XDA Developers member aeroevan, you can now flash Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) on your HTC Droid Incredible 2 via CyanogenMod 9.
While it’s far from being a game, set, and match, Motorola Mobility has scored another win in the patent battle against Apple, and is one step closer to having the iPhone and iPad banned from being sold in the US. From the contested four patent, a US judge has ruled in favor of Motorola for one patent that relates to WiFi technology, and dismissed the other three.
The complaint was filed by Motorola back in October 2010.
Android’s global growth has continued relatively unchecked in recent quarters. While Apple is dealing with back-to-back quarterly declines in iPhone sales amidst investor concerns, the path ahead is looking pretty rosy for Android. All this despite worldwide smartphone trends that indicate a plateauing mobile market.
Galaxy S7 Edge is the world's top-selling Android smartphone so far in 2016
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But the most recent figures from Kantar Worldpanel show iOS scraping out a minimal increase in market share in both the U.