Mobile

Pixel Buds A-Series officially launched in the US and Canada last week after being announced at the start of June. The 2nd-gen Pixel Buds are now completely “out of stock” in those two countries in a possible sign that Google has discontinued the headphones. Update 7/19: While the 2nd-generation Pixel Buds have been out of stock in the US and Canada since last month, Google is only now…

Google’s next Android homescreen widget is a dedicated shortcut to Chrome’s Dino Run game, matching the iOS widget. In the last few months, Google has been putting a new emphasis on Android homescreen widgets, no doubt in response to widgets being a hallmark feature of iOS 14. In fact, Google themselves offered some widgets on iOS that were not available on Android, and the Android apps have…

Google has been working on an in-app browser for Search on Android for quite sometime now. After being widely rolled out to the beta channel for the past few months, it has disappeared and reverted to Chrome Custom Tabs. Update 7/19: Over the weekend, a server-side update on Google app 12.27 curiously restored Chrome Custom Tabs and that change has persisted with the latest 12.28 beta. Update…

A new report today from analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) details that Apple and Google are nearing parity in terms of new smartphone buyers in the United States. According to the data, Android and iOS each accounted for 50% of new smartphone activations during the second calendar quarter of 2021. “CIRP estimates for customers that acquired a new phone in the year ending…