Articles by Derrek Lee

The new Sony WF-1000XM4 launch with a smaller footprint and a big price tag.

What you need to know

The new Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds have launched with a new design and improvements over their predecessor.
The earbuds feature enhanced ANC and High-Resolution Audio Wireless with LDAC support thanks to Sony’s new V1 chip.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 retail for $280 and can be ordered online now.

Roughly two years after the launch of its last flagship wireless earbuds, Sony has finally unveiled the new WF-1000XM4. The earbuds represent a major design change from the Sony WF-1000XM3 while improving many features.

The earbuds and included charging case feature a more compact design than the XM3s. Sony says the buds are 10% smaller, and the case is a whopping 40% smaller. But the size reduction doesn’t come at the expense of premium features or battery life, and that’s largely thanks to Sony’s new V1 Integrated Processor.

The WF-1000XM4 have improved ANC with dual microphones on either earb…

There are some exciting wireless earbuds on the way.

With the promise of exciting new smartphones and smartwatches on the horizon, we can’t forget about the upcoming earbuds. Amazon and Google have already unveiled their latest earbuds, and rumors have already started swirling about new earbuds coming from Sony and Samsung. While nothing is official, some information has emerged to give us an idea of what we might expect. We at Android Central want to know what pair you’re looking forward to getting next!

What are you next wireless earbuds?

Echo Buds (2nd Gen)

The recently released Echo Buds (2nd Gen) have gotten rave reviews since their launch and are perfect for anyone who is ingrained within Amazon’s ecosystem. The design is improved, they offer hands-free Alexa, and they have even upgraded to active noise-cancellation for a much-improved listening experience.

Pixel Buds A-Series

The Google Pixel A series have finally been unveiled, and they’re more or less the same as the …

Walmart employees can use their new Samsung phones at work and home.

What you need to know

Walmart has announced the new Me@Walmart app for employees to complete work tasks.
The company is providing its employees with Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro smartphones for work and personal use.
While clocked in, employees will only be able to use the Me@Walmart app.

Walmart has announced that it is launching a new Me@Walmart app for its associates and will provide new Samsung Galaxy smartphones to more than 740,000 employees.

The Me@Walmart will allow associates to perform daily work tasks such as clocking in, scheduling, and quick communication with push-to-talk. The app even includes voice assistant features with Ask Sam so employees can ask various questions about merchandise or metrics.

Employees will be limited to the Me@Walmart app while clocked in, and it will use geofencing so that employees will only be able to clock in while physically at work.

The capabilities within t…

More users can access YouTube TV without opening a separate app.

What you need to know

Certain Vizio TVs will soon be able to access YouTube TV from the main YouTube app.
The update should be rolling out over the next few days to Vizio models from 2020 onwards.
The change comes after Google and Roku’s very public spat over the terms of YouTube TV.

YouTube TV is now being merged into the main YouTube app on select Visio televisions. The change was announced on the YouTube TV Twitter account on Wednesday.

The change comes only a few weeks after the app was pulled from the Roku Channel Store amid a public spat over the terms of hosting the app on the platform. Google responded by releasing a workaround; rolling YouTube TV into the main YouTube app. It was a move that Roku did not appreciate, calling it the “clear conduct of an unchecked monopolist.”

Google has maintained that its terms for the app are fair and that Roku has “requested exceptions that would break the YouTube exper…

Access to most of the same great content, but you’ll miss out on some newer releases.

What you need to know

HBO Max has launched its cheaper ad-supported tier.
The subscription is available for $10 per month but features several limitations, such as no 4K or downloads.
The new tier should help HBO to better compete with other popular streaming services.

WarnerMedia has launched its more affordable HBO Max subscription plan on Wednesday, roughly a year after the service was initially launched. The new subscription plan costs just $10 per month and features most of the same content from the original $15 tier, although with some differences.

With the cheaper plan, customers will no longer be able to stream 4K content, nor will they have access to same-day theatrical releases, which is one of the main selling points of the pricier plan. That means missing out on upcoming releases like Space Jam: A New Legacy and The Suicide Squad. Customers also won’t be able to download movies o…

Memorial Day is coming up, and the weather might be a little wonky for some.

This weekend is Memorial Day in the U.S., so many people will be taking an extra day off. With most employees still working from home, many will take advantage of the holiday to enjoy the outdoors. Unfortunately, not everyone will experience great weather this weekend, which may put a literal damper on some plans. Here in sunny Seattle, we’re expecting some clouds to roll in, which is typical but unfortunate after weeks of sunny weather. However, that’s still nothing compared to what other parts of the U.S. may have to deal with.

1:59am CDT #SPC Day3 Outlook Slight Risk: for southeast new mexico and southwest texas https://t.co/6oEffQUiK1 pic.twitter.com/8j9ZEVnx9Q— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) May 28, 2021

Fortunately, we’ve already put together a list of the best Weather apps on Android to help you plan for your weekend. Google has also brought its cute Weather Frog to its smart home displa…

Nearly a year later, we might finally get a second Wear OS watch with the Snapdragon Wear 4100.

What you need to know

The OPPO Watch 2 is rumored to come equipped with the Snapdragon Wear 4100.
The only smartwatch to feature the latest Qualcomm chip is the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS.
OPPO’s upcoming smartwatch is said to retain the square design of the original.

Rumors of the OPPO Watch 2 have begun to crop up and suggest that the upcoming smartwatch may feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset.

The information leaked online details the rumored smartwatch, showing references in the firmware to the chipset called “msm8937_32go.” According to XDA-Developers, it closely matches the SoC reference found in the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, which is the only smartwatch to date to feature the chipset. Interestingly, the OPPO Watch 2 would be the first smartwatch with the slightly improved 4100+.

Additional information includes the fact that the smartwatch will launch in 42mm and 46mm …

WhatsApp’s new policy change isn’t going well.

Update, May 28 (5:30 p.m. ET): WhatsApp appears to change course for all users

What you need to know

The Indian government has asked WhatsApp to withdraw its controversial privacy policy.
WhatsApp has not complied but has stated that it will not limit access to users that haven’t accepted the new policy.
WhatsApp will continue to remind users about the new policy, even though “the majority of users … have accepted them.”

WhatsApp has stated that it won’t limit user accounts in India for not accepting the privacy policy. The company made the statement (via LiveMint) in response to the Indian government’s request to halt its controversial privacy policy for violating India’s laws.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement that the company is complying with the letter from the Indian government over the new policy while also reiterating that the update doesn’t affect personal messages. “Its purpose is to provide additional inform…

But you can still blame it on your partner.

What you need to know

Fitbit is reportedly working on snore and noise detection.
The feature will use on-device mics to analyze ambient noise and snore-specific sounds.
Users may also be given a “sleep animal” based on how well they sleep.

Fitbit already offers fairly thorough sleep detection, but the company is reportedly working on a new feature that will analyze house noisy your environment is while you sleep.

9to5Google dug into the Fitbit app and spotted Snore & Noise Detect, which would use on-device microphones to detect and analyze sounds while the user is sleeping. It is apparently able to discern between ambient background noise and a person snoring, although it may not be able to tell who is snoring.

The app will then tell the user how frequently they snore while they sleep and how loud the environment was. This could help users who have trouble getting a good night’s rest to better discern ways to improve their sleep….

The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds have something to prove.

Update, May 28 (3:10 p.m. ET): Leaked video shows the earbuds in action

What you need to know

More details about the upcoming Sony WF-1000XM4 have emerged.
The earbuds will reportedly feature up to 24 hours of battery life with ANC on, 36 hours without ANC.
LDAC, Hi-Res Audio, and Precise Voice Pickup will be supported.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 are rumored to retail in Europe “soon” for €280.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are expected to launch soon, and more details of the successor to one to the best wireless earbuds have just been revealed.

According to WinFuture, the upcoming Sony earbuds will feature a whopping 24 hours of total battery life with ANC turned on. That’s eight hours per charge from the case, extending to 12 with ANC turned off and a total of 36 hours.

Those numbers are quite a bit higher than the Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds, which feature fantastic battery life but only manages up to a total of 24 hours. …