作者彙整: Harish Jonnalagadda

Can’t make it to your Duo video call? You can now send a one-off note.

What you need to know

Google is rolling out a new feature in Duo that lets you send one-off notes when you’re unable to answer a video call.
You get to choose from several background colors, fonts, and brushes.
The feature will roll out globally this week to users on Android and iOS devices.
Similar to calls and video messages, notes are end-to-end encrypted.

Google is making the Duo calling experience that much more personalized by introducing a new notes feature. If you’re unable to answer a video call on the platform, you now get the option to send a one-off note along the lines of “call you later,” or “in a meeting right now.”

What’s interesting is that you get a decent amount of customizability, with eight background colors, six fonts, and three brush strokes to choose from. You can also resize, move, and rotate the text to make your note that much more personal. Here’s a better idea of what the notes … 閱讀全文 →

One of the most requested features in WhatsApp over the last couple of years has been dark mode. It is finally available on Android — you can now manually set dark mode for WhatsApp, or have the app match the system theme automatically. Here’s how you can get started with dark mode on WhatsApp for Android.

Products used in this guide

Take great photos: Google Pixel 3a XL ($429 at Amazon)

How to enable dark mode in WhatsApp for Android

Open WhatsApp from the app drawer or home screen.
Tap the action overflow menu (three vertical dots in the top right corner).
Hit Settings.

Select Chats.
Choose Themes.
In the Choose Theme dialog box, select Dark.
You should see the interface switch to a dark theme.

That’s it! You should now have dark mode set up for the messaging service. Dark mode looks particularly good on WhatsApp because of the green accents that are present throughout the interface, and they bring a bit of visual flair to the app.

Do note that this setting is … 閱讀全文 →

Roh Tae-moon was pivotal to the development of the Galaxy brand, and he’s now overseeing Samsung’s mobile efforts.

What you need to know

Samsung Electronics appoints Roh Tae-moon as new mobile chief.
Roh previously led development of the Galaxy series, and is Samsung’s youngest president.
DJ Koh will continue to oversee the IM business, which includes both the mobile unit and networking hardware.

Samsung is known for routinely switching execs to new roles, and the South Korean brand is now making another management reshuffle. The manufacturer is promoting Roh Tae-moon to oversee its mobile business, with the exec previously leading development of the Galaxy lineup.

Samsung is facing increased competition in the smartphone segment, so it is turning to Roh to “present fresh strategies and revitalize the organization.” Roh served as a development manager in the Galaxy division and was instrumental in Samsung’s recent outsourcing efforts, and at 52 he’s the youngest president at … 閱讀全文 →

A Wear OS smartwatch is a great way to mirror notifications, calls, and texts from your phone to your wrist. There are plenty of great smartwatches available across various price points, and while the underlying hardware is largely the same across all smartwatches, you get to choose from a variety of interesting styles. If you ended up deciding on a Wear OS smartwatch, here’s how you can configure it with your phone.

How to download the Wear OS app from the Play Store

Open Play Store from the app drawer or home screen.
Type Wear OS in the search bar at the top.
Tap Install on the first result (it should be Wear OS by Google Smartwatch).

How to set up a Wear OS smartwatch with your Android phone

After downloading the Wear OS app on your phone, you can begin setup. First, you’ll have to switch on Bluetooth so your phone is able to locate the smartwatch. Then you’ll have to turn on the smartwatch itself and pick your preferred language. After that, you’ll see a prompt to downl… 閱讀全文 →

There’s a reason the Shield TV is the best Android TV box.

There’s no shortage of smart TV platforms, but in our household, we went all-in on Android TV. It started with a Sony 950D back in 2015, and over the last four years, we amassed three additional TVs that ran Android TV out of the box.

The end result is that I didn’t need a standalone Android TV box. I bought a Mi Box S to use with my Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector (the U.S. model comes with Android TV, but not the Chinese variant), but aside from that, there wasn’t a good enough reason to get a device like the Shield TV.

That changed earlier this year when I noticed just how laggy Sony’s Android TV interface has gotten. The TV still gets security updates from time to time, but it is running Marshmallow. And while the Mi Box S is a decent product for under $50, it doesn’t handle 4K content well. That meant I had to look for an alternative, and I inevitably ended up with the Shield TV Pro (2019).

I used the Shield TV f… 閱讀全文 →

The Mijia Quartz Watch doesn’t look like your average fitness tracker, but it is hiding a lot of smarts.

Xiaomi is known primarily for its phones, but the Chinese brand is the second-largest wearable manufacturer in the world. That’s down to its affordable line of fitness bands under the Mi Band label, but that’s not all Xiaomi makes. It introduced a full-fledged smartwatch last month, and over the years it has launched a few hybrid wearables, like the Mijia Quartz Watch.

As a refresher, Xiaomi uses Mijia branding for devices it sells under its smart home and lifestyle portfolio. These include everything from action and security cameras to razors, desk lights, cordless vacuums, home automation tech, and much more.

Like every other product that Xiaomi makes, affordability is a key trait here. The Mijia Quartz Watch retails for under $50, making it an enticing option if you’re looking for a fitness band disguised as a regular watch.

At a glance

Xiaomi Mijia Quartz Watch

… 閱讀全文 →

Google Duo has transformed into a robust video and audio messaging service.

Google’s messaging strategy has been an unmitigated disaster, with the search giant bouncing from service to service over the years as it tried to take on the likes of WhatsApp. Allo and Duo debuted in 2016 to lofty ambitions, but in typical Google fashion, both services were hobbled from the start. Allo didn’t have SMS integration, and there wasn’t a good enough reason to switch from existing services at the time.

Duo didn’t have any flaws of its own at launch, but convincing anyone to install another app just for video calling was a Sisyphean task. Google ultimately killed off Allo earlier this year, and its messaging efforts are now revolved around Android Messages and the RCS rollout, and Duo.

Duo has largely flown under the radar, but in the last three years, it has picked up a host of updates that make it an excellent video and audio messaging platform. Duo comes pre-installed with every ne… 閱讀全文 →

Samsung’s Galaxy phones are among the most popular in the Android landscape. They come equipped with great displays, tons of features, and Samsung’s custom software experience. It can take a while for new Android updates to make their way to Samsung phones, but once one is available, it’s important to know how to download and install it. Today, we’ll be walking you through how to update the software on your Samsung Galaxy phone to ensure you’re getting the best experience possible.

For Samsung phones running Android 10 / Android Pie

If you have a Galaxy S10, Note 10, or another relatively recent Samsung phone, chances are you’re running Android 10 or Android 9 Pie. If you are, the steps for updating your phone’s software will look like this:

Open Settings from the app drawer or home screen.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Tap Software update.

Tap Download and install to manually initiate an update.
Your phone will connect to the server to see if an OTA update is availabl… 閱讀全文 →

The Galaxy Buds are one of my favorite pairs of true wireless earbuds. They deliver decent sound quality over Bluetooth 5.0 and last for six hours on a full charge, but what I like most about them is the fit. The design isn’t as large as other options in this category, and the Galaxy Buds manage to nestle into the ear canal to form a tight seal, providing great noise isolation.

For Cyber Monday, the Galaxy Buds are down to just $100, $30 off their retail price of $130. That makes them an easy recommendation if you’re looking to pick up a pair of true wireless earbuds.

True wireles bliss

Samsung Galaxy Buds

Samsung’s true wireless earbuds have a lot to offer, including great sound quality backed by a comfortable fit and excellent sound isolation. You also get Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, six hours of battery life, and the splash-proof design makes them ideal for workouts.

$100 $130 $30 off

See at Amazon

Samsung nailed the design of the Galaxy Buds: the true wireless earbud… 閱讀全文 →

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN providers around. It has servers all over the world, your data is automatically encrypted, and it is an ideal option if you’re looking to stream a Netflix catalog from another country or Disney+ from abroad.

For Cyber Monday, ExpressVPN is offering a great promotion that discounts its monthly plan by 49%. The service usually costs $12.5 a month, but you can now get it for just $6.67 a month. That comes out to $99.95 over the course of 15 months, nearly half off what you’d normally pay. The reliability on offer combined with the discount makes it one of the best VPN deals this Cyber Monday.

Safeguard your digital life

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has servers all over the world that deliver a reliable and fast connection regardless of where you live. You also get encryption on all outbound data, 24/7 live chat, and the ability to stream content from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ in countries where they’re not officially available. It’s also ea… 閱讀全文 →