Articles by Derrek Lee

While we’re just two months away from Apple’s WWDC event, Cupertino held a special Spring showcase to feature new products and upgrades. The aptly-named Spring Loaded event saw the launch of products that have long been rumored, as well as some updated hardware featuring Apple’s powerful M1 chip.

We may like to focus on the best Android phones here, but these events are always fun to watch for tech enthusiasts, and it’s a good chance to see what the other side is up to. So here’s a roundup of the things that Apple announced at its Spring Loaded event.

Apple TV

One of the best streaming devices is getting even better thanks to Apple’s A12 Bionic chip. With the upgraded chip, the new Apple TV 4K can now display 4K HDR content at high frame rates, which can boost not only movies and shows but also gaming with Apple Arcade. The device also features a cool trick that uses the camera, proximity sensor, and light sensor to adjust the TV’s color balance.

There’s also a newly designed r…

All eyes are on the Galaxy S21 Ultra in Samsung’s new competition show.

What you need to know

Samsung has partnered with Hulu on a new photography competition show.
Photographers will compete in a series of photography challenges using the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Exposure will stream on Hulu on April 26.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a powerhouse of a smartphone, and Samsung wants you to know it. Thanks to its versatile camera array, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the best Android phones on the market, so Samsung partnered with Hulu to show off just how great the cameras are. Exposure is a competition show that pits eight photographers against each other for a chance to win an exclusive photography contract with Samsung.

The competition will feature a series of challenges that the photographers have to complete, using only the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Each of the show’s six episodes will consist of two challenges each, and each challenge will have a specific theme attached to it. Them…

The Galaxy Watch 4 will need every bit of battery life it can muster.

What you need to know

New details have emerged about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Watch 4.
A report alleges that the smartwatch will feature at least one model with a larger battery capacity.
There are still no details around when to expect Samsung’s next smartwatch.

While Samsung gears up for its next Galaxy Unpacked event, more details have emerged about the company’s alleged Wear OS smartwatch. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has been rumored for some time, although specific details of the device have been pretty scarce. The latest report gives us an idea of what we can expect regarding battery capacity with some good news and some bad news.

According to The Elec (via 9to5Google) the upcoming Galaxy Watch 4 will sport slightly different battery capacities from its predecessors. The 41mm version will reportedly come with a 240mAh battery, slightly down from the 247mAh battery on the same size Samsung Galaxy Watch 3…

Android 12 could finally showcase its hidden recycle bin.

What you need to know

A look into Android 12 has shown that it may finally let users manage deleted files.
The new “trash bin” will allow users to view and remove deleted files from their devices.
The Files by Google app is set to receive a similar feature which could arrive around the same time.

Android 12 is still in early developer preview on phones like the Google Pixel 5, meaning many of its features are either hidden, not ready, or not finalized. Fortunately, there are plenty of developers who dig into the system to look at potential features that are being worked on. The latest look into the Android 12 code (via XDA-Developers) has unveiled that the hidden “trash bin” may finally become more of a thing with this new release.

The trash bin would more or less act similarly to the Recycle Bin in Windows; it would show you all the files that have been “deleted” on your device. The current implementation (below) seems …

The new Nest Hub (Gen 2) already supports the technology behind the new smart home protocol.

What you need to know

Zigbee Alliance has announced that CHIP products should be ready later this year.
Project Connected Home over Internet Protocol seeks to unify IoT devices to make them easier to buy and use.
Some new products like the Nest Hub (Gen 2) will work with the new protocol.

Google, Amazon, Apple, and more than 170 companies have teamed up to make buying smart home appliances less of a hassle, thanks to Project Connected Home over Internet Protocol, or CHIP. The new protocol was announced in 2019 as part of a group managed by Zigbee Alliance and has been in the works for some time. It looks like the wait for the first products may be ending soon, with the first devices expected this year.

In a webinar on Friday, Zigbee Alliance announced that device makers have already begun testing their devices and that the first CHIP-certified products should receive certification befor…

This might make it difficult to get the latest Google Pay rewards.

Update, Apr 16 (3:30pm ET): The issue has reportedly been resolved

Update, Apr 16 (2pm ET): The problem has been identified and a fix is coming soon

What you need to know

Google Pay is apparently kicking off some American Express cardholders.
Many users have attempted to add their cards back, only for them to be removed again.
Google is apparently aware of the issue and is investigating the problem.

Google Pay has apparently been experiencing some odd behavior lately. It seems that some users with American Express cards have been receiving emails informing them that their cards have been removed from the payment app, as reported by Android Police.

There’s no clear indication why this would occur, and many Google Pay users have been discussing the issue on Reddit and Twitter. Apparently, the problem will repeat for some even after re-adding the card to Google Pay, even though the notice clearly states that it…

The Pixel Buds A volume controls are apparently on the chopping block.

What you need to know

The upcoming Pixel Buds A may lose the volume swiping gestures.
Losing swiping controls may be a result of cost-saving measures for cheaper earbuds.
The Pixel Buds A are expected to launch relatively soon.

There’s been some talk of Google’s rumored Pixel Buds A potentially losing a feature. The wireless earbuds were first hinted at last month, and since then, more information has been slowly pouring out about what we might expect. The latest tidbit suggests that Google might be ditching a few features on the new model.

While looking into the latest version of the Pixel Buds app, 9to5Google found references to a “type_two” model, which is likely the Pixel Buds A. Given that references to “type_one” are likely referring to the Google Pixel Buds (2020), it can be inferred that the upcoming model is just an offshoot of last year’s buds. That would make sense since these buds are expected to…

Qualcomm’s CEO-elect answers questions about 5G and more.

What you need to know

Qualcomm President and CEO-elect Cristiano Amon went on Reddit for an AMA session.
Amon answered questions about Qualcomm, its role in 5G, and the effects of the global chip shortage.
These are some of the highlights from questions that he answered.

Qualcomm recently opened the Snapdragon Insiders program as a way to reach out to technology enthusiasts and fans of the company’s products. The program is meant to give members access to perks like contests, event invites, Ask Me Anythings (AMAs), and first dibs on information about new products. Today, the newly appointed Qualcomm CEO, Cristiano Amon, took to Reddit for an AMA discussing Qualcomm’s current and future products.

As expected, many of the questions were focused on 5G, which is understandable now that it’s becoming more commonplace with many of this year’s best Android phones to launch thus far. One question posed was about the role of 5G o…

The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra just got some new powers.

What you need to know

T-Mobile has pushed the March security update to the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
The update also adds official eSIM/Dual SIM Dual Standby capabilities.
Google Pixel phones were previously the only Android phones to support eSIM in the U.S.

The Note line may be on haitus this year, but Sone of the best Samsung phones of 2020 just became more relevant thanks to the latest update that’s being pushed out. T-Mobile customers in the U.S. are receiving a new update to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra that brings the March security update along with the unexpected addition of eSIM support.

Additionally, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also gets Dual SIM Dual Standby support, which allows the device to have two active phone numbers working simultaneously. Not only is this the first Samsung in the U.S. to support eSIM functionality, but it’s also the first Android smartphone in the U.S. besides the Pixel smartphones like the Goo…

The countdown to Google I/O has started.

What you need to know

The Google I/O website now features a countdown to the big day.
Clicking on any of the colored orbs to start a game of Breakout.
Collecting the letters to solve the puzzle will present registered users with a badge.

Google I/O is about a month away, which seems like forever in the tech world. To help you pass the time while you wait, Google has provided a new puzzle game on the conference homepage. Navigating to the site, you’ll be met with a new countdown page with several colored orbs spread across the page. Clicking on one of these will open up a game of Breakout.

Click to start the game and move your mouse around to get rid of the rows of colors orbs. There are some letters hidden in these orbs, and you’ll want to catch those to spell out the hidden word. Once you figure it out, you can enter the term in the Chrome Dev Tools console (Shift+Ctrl+J for Windows/Linux), where you’ll be awarded a badge. It’s easy eno…