Articles by Brandon Lee

If you haven’t tried Todoist, put it on your list of things to do.

What you need to know

Task management app Todoist is rolling out integration with Google Assistant.
Users will able able to inquire about tasks, add new tasks, and mark off finished tasks.
iOS users will have access to the new integration via the Google Assistant app

Google Assistant is already pretty handy when it comes to helping around the house. Sure it won’t do your laundry or pick up your groceries, but it’s pretty good at reminding you to do those things yourself. Users of Todoist, one of the best to-do apps available, already know the importance of keeping your daily tasks on hand at all times. That’s why Todoist is taking things a step further by rolling out improved integration with Google Assistant.

With the improvements, users have more ways of taking advantage of Todoist capabilities through Google Assistant. To get started, simply say “Hey Google, let me talk to Todoist,” or “Ask Todoist…” and …

The deal will give us more anime than we can handle, and that’s a good thing.

What you need to know

Sony has announced that it is acquiring Crunchyroll for $1.175B in cash.
The deal comes months after AT&T was first reported to be scouting potential buyers for Crunchyroll.
Funimation and Crunchyroll have partnered in the past, and not both brands will become one.

It’s been rumored for some time that Sony was interested in purchasing Crunchyroll, but today it’s been confirmed that a deal is indeed happening. AT&T’s WarnerMedia, which owns Crunchyroll, has agreed to sell the streaming service to Funimation Global Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Group. How much is Crunchyroll’s vast category of anime worth? $1.175 billion in cash, according to a Sony press release:

Together with Crunchyroll, we will create the best possible experience for fans and greater opportunity for creators, producers, and publishers in Japan and elsewhere. Funi…

Do your part by aiding important medical research that could help future generations.

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Google Health Studies seeks to crowdsource information for medical research.
Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School have teamed up for the first study available on the app.
Identifying information will remain private and stays on the device.

The importance of one’s physical and even mental health can’t be stressed anymore this year as COVID-19 surges and lockdowns are put back into effect. Google and Apple have even teamed up for a contact tracing API that’s being rolled out in various regions.

Meanwhile, companies like Pfizer and Moderna have managed to quickly develop vaccines, the result of tireless research into how the virus functions and how it affects those who become exposed. Research such as this focuses a lot on statistics; who is more vulnerable? How are certain groups reacting? How are the different regions being affected? Demographics like this…

President Trump is set to exact his revenge on social media companies.

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The U.S. Senate has just confirmed President Trump’s pick will take a chair as the new FCC commissioner.
Nathan Simington’s appointment comes at a critical time during the aftermath of the presidential election, as both Trump and current FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, prepare their exits.
Simington is a supporter of Trump’s plan to repeal Section 230 protections for social media companies.

President Donald Trump is not a fan of social networks right now. Amid failing efforts to discount election results in several states, the president and supporters have been facing strong moderation on social media due to misinformation about election fraud. Now, with his FCC nominee’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Trump is readying his attack.

Republican nominee, Nathan Simington, won a majority vote to replace Commissioner Michael O’Reilly. The appointment draws controversy as it comes only a month bef…

Does it really matter if we stop getting charging adapters with our new phones?

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Documents suggest that some regions may not have the charging adapter bundled with Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones next year.
Samsung has reportedly been mulling this decision since the summer.
The move comes after Samsung teased Apple about not including the adapter with its iPhones this year.

There’s been a treasure trove of leaks on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S21 lineup, including live images, concept renders, and more recently a leaked video promo. So far, most leaks have focused largely on the sexy design and curious new camera stove, while noting that these phones might be more important for Samsung’s lineup than previously thought. But a new leak seems to confirm what we all feared might come to pass.

On what seems to be just another Tuesday, Samsung is reportedly going to follow in Apple’s footsteps and stop bundling the. Documents obtained from Brazil’s National Telecommun…

What you need to know

Waze adds Amazon Music to its in-app music controls.
Setup just takes a few steps, and users gain easy access to their songs and curated playlists.
Google owns Waze, but Google Maps does not support Amazon Music integration as of writing.

Amazon Music may not be the first or even second thing to come to most people’s minds when they want to stream music, but that surely doesn’t mean no one uses it. That’s why Waze has teamed up with Amazon to integrate the app into its music controls, adding to its collection of supported streaming apps.

As a refresher, users need only to click on the music icon on the top right of the navigation app, which will open up a drawer of installed streaming apps. If you have Amazon Music, select the icon and Waze will prompt you to connect the apps. Clicking accept will complete the connection. If nothing is currently playing on Amazon Music, there will be a button that will open the app so you can browse through your music, or u…

Get ready for the return of Space Zoom!

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A leaked slide unveils Samsung’s plans to develop a 600MP camera sensor.
Samsung has to address the size of the module, which would take up a large amount of space and protrude too far out of the back panel.
In the meantime, Oppo is working on a modular camera that could be detached from a smartphone.

Samsung has been pushing the resolution front this year, with the 108MP camera modules introduced in its high-end Galaxy S20 and Note20 models. While the first iteration may not have panned out too well, that hasn’t stopped Samsung from wanting to push the envelope further. It’s been tipped that Samsung is planning to increase camera resolution by nearly six times that of its current flagships!

Samsung is really doing 600MP sensors! pic.twitter.com/vGgsfxsGGh— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 5, 2020

For a while, Samsung has been tipped to be working on a smartphone camera with a whopping 600MP resolution. The …

The base OnePlus 9 model will step up its ultra-wide sensor with a higher resolution.

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New details of the OnePlus 9 suggest a 48MP Sony IMX main camera sensor.
A 48MP ultra-wide sensor will accompany the main sensor, with a third unknown sensor.
A live image reportedly shows the triple camera module up-close in a green color variant.

As the year nears its end, rumors of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are beginning to ramp up. Recent CAD renders revealed some details of the OnePlus 9, with a design that shares elements from the OnePlus 8T and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 series smartphones. A triple camera setup was shown protruding from the rear, but details of those cameras remained elusive. Now we may have an idea of what those cameras are packing.

According to a report from 91mobiles, the OnePlus 9 could feature a 48MP main sensor that would achieve a 12MP output. The source claims that the sensor could be Sony’s IMX689 which is also featured on the OnePlus 8 Pro, …

Let’s hope we can still find the app in a sea of colorful icons.

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A user on Reddit noticed a new name and icon for the Phone by Google app.
The application could be named Google Call, with a four-color icon.
No official change has been made yet, but we could hear something soon if Google’s cadence is any idication.

Like it or not, Google seems to be sticking with its new colorful icon scheme. In an attempt to unify its applications, Google recently rebranded a many of them, including its Workspace apps, giving several of them new colorful icons that totally aren’t confusing and everyone seems to love. There are a few stragglers still holding onto their older icons, but it seems Google isn’t done with its sweep as a new icon and name has just been spotted for the Phone by Google app.

A Reddit user spotted an ad online that features the name Google Call, highlighting the app’s caller ID feature. The ad still includes the name Phone by Google at the bottom, so…

Lenovo won’t be giving the 2021 Moto G Stylus much of a fighting chance.

What you need to know

Evan Blass has received details of the Moto G Stylus for 2021.
The specs point to an almost unchanged smartphone from the 2020 model.
The smartphone is known internally by the codename “Minsk”.

When it comes to stylus-equipped smartphones, Samsung’s Galaxy Note is usually first to come to mind. LG’s Stylo series is fairly popular as a low-cost alternative, and Lenovo has joined the fun with its own Moto G Stylus (pictured above). Released earlier this year, the G Stylus was more of a low-cost contender to LG’s Stylo offering than any reputable competition for Samsung. And while it may not have been among the best cheap smartphones out on the market right now, apparently Lenovo is gearing up for its sequel.

Tipster Evan Blass shared some details on what will be the 2021 model Moto G Stylus (XT2115), although they don’t point to any significant upgrades. In fact, the specs seem largely …