All Posts by Alex Dobie | Android Central

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All Posts by Alex Dobie

Samsung Galaxy A5 + A3 launch in the UK: Flagship features come to an affordable price point

10 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 4 Feb 2017 5:00 am
Galaxy A5 + A3
Glass construction, water resistance, and latest Samsung UI arrive in new 4.7 and 5.2-inch handsets. Samsung has unleashed the latest devices in its mid-priced A series on the UK, with the arrival of the 2017 variants of the Galaxy A3 and A5. As in previous years, Samsung has brought a smattering of high-end features to a more affordable price point through the pint-sized 4.7-inch A3, and the...

Best Android 7.0 Nougat features for the Samsung Galaxy S7!

55 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 3 Feb 2017 9:00 am
One of the best Android phones of the past year is getting its biggest software update yet. Android 7.0 Nougat for the Samsung Galaxy S7 overhauls the phone's UI, and adds new features which offer some hints at the direction in which Samsung is heading for the Galaxy S8. A new, lighter UI is joined by a revamped Settings app, redesigned quick settings and a host of other useful...

HTC One M9 gets Nougat in Europe, Turkey, South Africa

1 Comment
Posted by Alex Dobie on 2 Feb 2017 5:43 am
HTC One M9
Other regions to follow for Android 7.0 on HTC's 2015 flagship. HTC's Android 7.0 Nougat update program in Europe hasn't been running entirely smoothly so far, with the OTA for the HTC 10 being pulled shortly after last week's launch. Nevertheless, the company is continuing its Nougat rollout, and today Android 7.0 hits the HTC One M9 in mainland Europe, Turkey and South Africa, according to...

Why the Google Pixel is the best Android phone

114 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 1 Feb 2017 8:00 am
There's no shortage of great Android phones out there — here at Android Central we're often bouncing between different devices as we review new phones. But eventually you've got to pick one winner — the best Android phone overall. And right now, in early 2017, that's the Google Pixel, which shares the honor with its big brother the Pixel XL. We've laid out all the reasons why the...

Pixel 2: A Google phone for the post-bezel generation?

161 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 31 Jan 2017 9:00 am
Pixel XL
The first round of Pixel 2 rumors claim an entirely predictable array of upgrades. What's going to make the next-gen Googlephones exciting? Google's first Pixel phones are barely 3 months old, but already we're starting to hear the first rumors of what the next generation of Pixels will bring. Reports from 9to5 point to (entirely unsurprising) improvements to the camera and CPU, along with a...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 rumored for MWC — specs, price + release date leaks

50 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 31 Jan 2017 4:44 am
Galaxy Tab S2
Snapdragon 820, Nougat and a 9.6-inch display in super-thin chassis. Samsung's high-end Galaxy Tab S range is long overdue a major update — the current generation of Tab S2 slates were announced almost 18 months ago, in August of 2015. Now it appears Samsung may finally have an updated model waiting in the wings, as Korean outlet Naver News reports that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will break...

Let's talk about the Galaxy S8 and weird usability issues

131 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 30 Jan 2017 8:00 am
Seriously? They put the fingerprint scanner there??? The leak of the first live images of the Samsung Galaxy S8 has given us lots to talk about. Despite obvious family traits, the Galaxy S8 represents the biggest design overhaul since the GS6 — with a wacky new, math-defying aspect ratio (18.5:9!), no clicky home button, and talk of the new Bixby AI assistant getting its own special key on the...

OnePlus 3T vs. Pixel XL: Can the 3T rival Google for almost half the price?

105 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 27 Jan 2017 9:00 am
OnePlus 3T vs Pixel XL
In all but a handful of areas, OnePlus's newly refreshed flagship legitimately matches Google's more expensive handset. The Google Pixel XL isn't a cheap phone, nor is it supposed to be. Its competition is the iPhone — and, less directly, Samsung's Galaxy line. Yet the price hike compared to last year's Nexus 5X and 6P leaves the door open to OnePlus. The Chinese upstart has recently upgraded...

Best UK transport apps for Android

18 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 27 Jan 2017 3:00 am
CityMapper
Google Maps offers the best all around experience when you are looking for easy ways to get around the UK. With plenty of options on route and mode, it can help you to get where you need to be as efficiently as possible. Best overall Google Maps See at Play Store Google Maps is pretty much the undisputed master of getting from point A to point B, no matter where you are. Google Maps can...

HTC VP of design departing for Google

6 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 26 Jan 2017 7:37 am
Claude Zellweger
Claude Zellweger, who was responsible for the design of the HTC One, HTC 10 and Vive, will join Google's Daydream team. HTC's head of design, Claude Zellweger, has announced that he will be joining the Daydream VR team at Google. Zellweger was responsible for the design of the HTC Vive, as well as phones like the HTC 10, and One M7 (in partnership with Scott Croyle, now of Nextbit).

HTC will have 'another flagship' with Snapdragon 835

28 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 26 Jan 2017 5:26 am
Chialin Chang
HTC smartphone boss strongly suggests the U Ultra won't be the only high-end offering from the Taiwanese firm this year. After HTC announced the U Ultra earlier this month, running a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip, as opposed to the upcoming 835, there's been speculation that the Ultra will be the sole HTC flagship for 2017: An impressive looking phone, to be sure, but one based on a chip soon...

Google I/O 2017: Sticking with Shoreline is a smart move

5 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 25 Jan 2017 4:00 pm
Google IO
I'm heartened that Google hasn't given up on what was a good idea, imperfectly executed. Google I/O will apparently return to Shoreline Amphitheater, a short walk from Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, this May. It'll be the second time Google has hired the concert venue for its developer conference, and that's a significant development because last year's event didn't run entirely...

Which Android phone does Donald Trump use?

400 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 25 Jan 2017 3:31 pm
POTUS's 'old, unsecure Android phone' is probably a Samsung Galaxy S3 — a model from almost five years ago. The New York Times has reported that Donald Trump still tweets from the White House on his "old, unsecured Android phone, to the protests of some of his aides," contradicting earlier reports that the president had turned in the handset in exchange for a "secure, encrypted device approved...

Video: Latest Samsung Galaxy S8 leaks + rumors

21 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 24 Jan 2017 12:00 pm
A new Samsung flagship is inevitably one of the biggest Android launches of the year — and that's especially true this year, as Samsung looks to move on from the Galaxy Note 7 debacle with an all-new flagship. Although we're not expecting the Galaxy S8 to hit until some time after Mobile World Congress, there's already plenty of unconfirmed info floating around online, including...

Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 8 exists, but Galaxy S8 will skip MWC

53 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 23 Jan 2017 10:50 am
Galaxy Note 7
Galaxy S8 launch hinted for 'next 90 days' — but not in Barcelona in late February. In separate interviews, Samsung's mobile chief DJ Koh has revealed the first on-the-record information about firm's next two major smartphone launches. The Galaxy S8 will skip Mobile World Congress at the end of February, as widely rumored, while the Galaxy Note 8 will arrive later this year. The latter point...

Sprint acquires 33% of Tidal, will offer customers exclusive music

30 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 23 Jan 2017 9:41 am
Sprint - Tidal
Carrier partnership comes amid fresh controversy over subscriber numbers. Sprint will acquire a 33% share in music streaming service Tidal, the two companies have announced, as part of a deal that will bring the carrier's customers "unlimited access to exclusive artist content not available anywhere else." "TIDAL and its artists will make exclusive content that will only be available to...

Here's a neat Chrome + multi-window trick you probably didn't know about

18 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 20 Jan 2017 5:00 pm
Chrome multiwindow
It's easy to open links in the opposite window, or juggle Chrome tabs between both viewports. Android 7.0's multi-window feature is great, letting you split your display between two full screen apps. But it comes with a few caveats, including the fact that you generally can't run different instances of the same app in both windows. Google Chrome, however, is smart enough to juggle tabs...

Best Wall Chargers for Android Phones

14 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 20 Jan 2017 11:00 am
Chargers
The best charger for your Android depends on which phone you have. Real talk: Android phone quick-charging standards are kind of a mess. Sure, just about anything which can supply power over USB will juice up your phone to full power, given enough time. But identifying the thing that'll let you charge your phone as fast as possible — even if it's packaged with your phone in the box — isn't...

Android One in the U.S. could signal the rebirth of 'Nexus'

77 Comments
Posted by Alex Dobie on 19 Jan 2017 2:15 pm
Nexus 5X
Glitzier mid-range Android One phones for the U.S. might be 'Nexuses' in all but name. Android One is supposedly coming to the U.S. this summer, according to a report from The Information. On the face of it, that doesn't seem all too exciting. Android One — the range of low-cost phones from less-known brands, aimed at emerging markets — hasn't been a huge success. So who cares about a handful...

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