TCL is only on its second major release cycle for self-branded Android smartphones, but it’s clear the company is becoming a major player in the mid-range and entry-level markets. That’s an area where Android updates are often sorely neglected, and unfortunately, TCL isn’t exactly breaking down any walls with its 20-series devices.
Speaking to 9to5Google this week, TCL confirmed its…
Google introduced the Android App Bundle format in May of 2018 at I/O as part of its modern development push. The AAB standard will become the default for new applications published to the Play Store this August.
To bring these benefits to more users and focus on modern…
Asus ZenFone 8 series starts at $599 w/ Pixel 5 size, Snapdragon 888 [Update: Now available]
June 30, 2021
With LG calling it quits, there’s room for smaller brands to make an impact on the smartphone market. Asus today unveiled its latest attempt at the mainstream smartphone market with the ZenFone 8 series, a pair of flagship-tier smartphones with affordable prices and a…
Google requiring Chrome Web Store devs to enable 2FA, combine repetitive extensions, more
June 30, 2021
Google today announced the latest set of policy changes to limit extensions abuse and improve security of the Chrome Web Store. This includes requiring 2FA for Chrome Web Store developers and cracking down on deceptive installations.
Similar to the Play Console for Android apps just yesterday, Chrome Web Store developers need to enable 2-Step Verification (2SV or 2FA) on their Google Accounts…
Android updates are a point of contention for many devices, but Samsung has been stepping up in a big way across the board. Now, the company has confirmed that Galaxy Enterprise devices will get a whopping five years of security updates, putting them at the top of the class…
Android TV has a new budget champion in the incredibly affordable $30 Walmart “onn” box, but details on what HDR formats the device supports have been unknown to date. Now, we’ve got answers.
The listing for Walmart’s Android TV box touts 4K support but is absent…
Google Chrome to offer ‘HTTPS-Only Mode’
June 30, 2021
For years now, Google has been one of the biggest proponents of using a more secure HTTPS connection everywhere possible. Google’s latest optional push, “HTTPS-Only Mode,” would make older HTTP websites inaccessible in Chrome.
HTTPS was once a marker of a website’s safety and a security measure reserved only for websites with things that needed special protection like financial…
With Chat serving as a key part of the integrated Gmail experience, Google lets users quickly specify their activity status. In addition to the existing availability options, you’re now able to set a custom status in Gmail and Chat on the web.
This month’s announcement…
Carrier caught injecting ‘SMS AD’ into Google verification code message [Update: Comment]
June 30, 2021
SMS is widely regarded as an insecure form of two-factor authentication, and another example of this has just emerged. A carrier looks to be injecting ads into the Google verification code used to sign in to services like Gmail.
Update 6/29: Google issued the following…
Samsung’s AMD partnership allegedly beats even Apple in GPU performance in leaked benchmark
June 30, 2021
It’s no secret that the chips in Apple’s iPhones far outclass even the best Android options, but the gap may be closing in at least one area. According to a new leak, the Samsung Exynos chip that packs an AMD GPU is making big strides when it comes to GPU performance.
Ice Universe, a known Samsung leaker with a fairly solid track record, today posted a screenshot to Twitter, which is from a…
