The next version of Google’s mobile software, called Android Q, is going to get a dark mode — officially called dark theme — that turns your white screen to black and black text white, helping make bright screens easier on the eye at night. Dark mode is already popular in apps, and by embracing it as …
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iPhone owners can sue Apple over App Store, Supreme Court rules
iPhone users can sue Apple for allegedly operating a monopoly through its App Store, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. A majority of justices disagreed with Apple’s argument that app buyers aren’t direct customers of Apple. Instead, the court ruled in a 5-4 decision in Apple v. Pepper that the “iPhone owners were direct purchasers who may sue Apple for alleged …
Read More »The drumbeat to break up Facebook gets louder (The 3:59, Ep. 559)
On this podcast, we talk about: Can Facebook be broken up? iPhone owners can sue Apple over App Store. A chat about trust and privacy with Google’s ad chief. Now playing: Watch this: The drumbeat to break up Facebook gets louder (The 3:59,… 5:03 The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought …
Read More »Mobile apps give the blind and visually impaired a new sense of freedom
Ask anyone who was around before smartphones, and they’ll tell you life was different. But for Nutsiri “Earth” Kidkul, who went blind eight years ago, life-changing doesn’t begin to describe the impact of mobile apps. Before specialized apps came along, Kidkul would have to plan and prepare much more for basic tasks like grocery shopping, traveling or reading documents. What’s …
Read More »Wear OS: What’s new and what’s coming soon
At this year’s Google I/O, Google’s smartwatches aren’t invisible like Daydream VR, but they’re definitely laying low. One domed demo space has a number of Wear OS watches running the latest software feature, Tiles, which I had a chance to finally use. But that’s not what things were like last year. A year ago, Google seemed to have big plans …
Read More »Google Maps doesn’t want you walking around in AR
Google’s AR-enabled Maps app was first teased at last year’s I/O, introducing a fox that helped you find your way when you held up your phone to look at the world. Google Maps’ AR walking navigation feature is now available to anyone with a Pixel phone, but the fox is gone. The reason is related to the ways Google is …
Read More »iPhone XR and XS review: Seven months in, what’s good and what’s bad
Since the launch of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR last year, the phone landscape has changed a bit. It’s recently been crowded with much sexier stories: 5G is beginning to rear its head, wild new transforming folding phones are capturing people’s imaginations — even with problems rearing their heads– and there are phones studded with more cameras than you can …
Read More »Google Assistant, Android Q, Google Nest Hub Max: Google’s big plans for the rest of the year
Google has big plans for the second half of 2019 that run from the home to the auto. At its just-concluded Google I/O developer conference, the tech giant unveiled the Google Nest Hub Max, talked about its plans for Lens and AR, showed a more personal side of Google Assistant, debuted cheaper Pixel 3A and 3A XL phones and revealed …
Read More »What would you name Android Q? Google says this one’s ‘hard’
Google released Android Q’s third beta earlier this week at Google I/O, its annual developer conference, but we’re no closer to knowing Google’s plans for its full name. Since 2009, Google has historically named its operating systems after desserts (Android 1.5 Cupcake), but there aren’t many sweet treats starting with Q. Even Wikipedia is at a loss. “We’re superexcited about the desserts,” Sameer Samat, said …
Read More »Google is finally ready to take on the iPhone and Samsung phones
For the first time in three years, Google is ready to solve its Pixel problem. This week, it ended its exclusive carrier relationship with Verizon, which kept Pixel phones out of every other wireless provider’s store, even though you could buy a Pixel to use on any US carrier, through Google’s online store. But now, for the first time ever, …
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