Articles by Derrek Lee

After a couple of years, Google Fi VPN is finally out of beta for Android smartphones.

What you need to know

Google Fi’s VPN service is now out of beta for Android devices and should offer faster connections.
iPhone users will have access to Fi VPN service this Spring.
Google is launching a privacy and security hub for Fi users.

Google is probably the last company you’d expect to help you browse the internet privately, but that’s exactly what it’s allowing you do to with its Fi VPN service. After being in beta for the past couple of years, Google is officially taking its virtual private network out of beta as part of Safer Internet Day and “after listening to your feedback and making performance improvements.”

With the Fi VPN, you’re able to stream, browse and download on an encrypted, private connection — meaning that websites can’t use your IP address to track your location and you’re shielded against hackers, even while you’re using unsecure networks.

Not unlike many o…

Audible is the latest streaming service to integrate with Waze.

What you need to know

Audible has joined the Waze Audio Player Program allowing users to access Audible’s complete library of audiobooks from the Waze app.
Waze will also integrate with the Audible app, giving users upcoming directions while in the app.
This comes not long after Amazon Music was added to the Waze platform, joining a growing list of supported streaming apps.

Audiobook lovers can now rejoice, as Audible has just joined the Waze Audio Player Program. This gives users of both apps the ability to stream their favorite books and podcasts while on the go and adds to Waze’s growing list of services to integrate with the app, including Spotify, YouTube Music, iHeartRadio, and most recently, Amazon Music.

The Waze Audio Player is a great way to keep drivers’ eyes on the road with seamless integration to some of the best streaming music apps on Android. This is a point that Waze Head of Global Partnerships, A…

OnePlus will continue to provide its proprietary charging tech in the box.

What you need to know

The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are tipped to both feature 4,500mAh batteries and 65W wired charging.
Both devices will reportedly come with charging adapters in the box.
No information was given on the OnePlus 9E, but all three OnePlus 9 models will likely be unveiled in March.

The next OnePlus flagship launch approaches, which is evident by the resurgence of leaks that are making their way out. It was recently discovered that at least one of the models will sport a Hasselblad-branded camera system, and now some information has shed some light on the battery situation. Tipster Max Jambor has revealed that both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro will feature 4,500mAh batteries.

9 and 9 Pro pic.twitter.com/PHU385KmL9— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) February 9, 2021

This is the same size that was featured in the OnePlus 8T, so it can be assumed that it’ll feature the same two-cell system with 65W wired charg…

After a couple of years, Google Fi VPN is finally out of beta for Android smartphones.

What you need to know

Google Fi’s VPN service is now out of beta for Android devices and should offer faster connections.
iPhone users will have access to Fi VPN service this Spring.
Google is launching a privacy and security hub for Fi users.

Google is probably the last company you’d expect to help you browse the internet privately, but that’s exactly what it’s allowing you do to with its Fi VPN service. After being in beta for the past couple of years, Google is officially taking its virtual private network out of beta as part of Safer Internet Day and “after listening to your feedback and making performance improvements.”

With the Fi VPN, you’re able to stream, browse and download on an encrypted, private connection — meaning that websites can’t use your IP address to track your location and you’re shielded against hackers, even while you’re using unsecure networks.

Not unlike many o…

Apparently Slack was logging some users’ information in plain text.

What you need to know

Slack is emailing users and them to change their passwords.
Apparently, the company was logging some users’ login information in plain text.
The company states that the problem has already been fixed and that no accounts should be compromised.

Slack, one of the best messaging apps, is emailing some of its users and asking them to change their passwords. According to Android Police, this is legit and not a scam or phishing attempt. They contacted the company about the email and it turns out Slack has logged some users’ login information in plain text, making it visible on their smartphones. Because of this, Slack is asking some users to change their passwords.

We are taking this step as a precaution due to an error that we discovered and there is no evidence of any unauthorized or third-party access to this account…On December 20th, 2020, Slack introduced a bug that caused some version…

Sonos wants you to take its superb audio with you wherever you go.

What you need to know

FCC filings hint that a portable Sonos speaker could be on the way.
The filings describe a device that could feature a design similar to that of the UE Boom.
The device features a rechargeable battery and wireless charging dock.

The Sonos Move is easily one of the best smart speakers on the market right now, with a slick, waterproof design, great sound, and support for Google Assistant and Alexa. But as great as the Sonos Move is, the Bluetooth speaker isn’t exactly portable, as noted in our Sonos Move review, and unfortunately, Sonos’ lineup doesn’t include any portable Bluetooth speakers. That could soon change though, as indicated by a recent FCC filing.

A device with the model number S27 was listed at the FCC (via The Verge), which is highly likely to represent a speaker. Besides the model number, which is similar to the S17 model number of the Sonos Move, a diagram was found on the fil…

The latest redesign for Play Store comes to the settings menu.

What you need to know

New images show a redesign for the Play Store settings.
The new settings menu features expandable sections instead of a full-page of listed options.
This isn’t the only UI change for the Play Store being tested, with earlier leaks showing the removal of the hamburger menu.

Google has been on a redesign spree, with UI changed appearing across its apps, particularly Google Maps which has seen quite a few updates amid the pandemic. Of course, some of these updates are being tested, and not all of them have yet seen the light of day, but it’s always nice to see Google is trying to keep things fresh. The latest images of the Play Store, where you can find all the best Android apps, show UI changes coming to the settings menu that presents a much cleaner look for the app.

It looks like Google is doing away with the current look of the Play Store settings, as spotted by Android Police, which currently…

Users are reporting better support for 4K60 streaming.

What you need to know

Google has released the December 2020 patch for Google TV.
Users on Reddit are reporting better support for 4K60, which was reportedly spotty.
This comes days after Android TV was updated with a new UI to more closely resemble Google TV.

Chromecast with Google TV owners are being treated to an update today, which includes the December patch after one of the best streaming devices skipped out on October and November updates. It comes in at just over 78MB and no changelog was provided, so there doesn’t seem to be much more included than a security patch. Additionally, the remote is also being updated, which you can find by navigating to Settings and Remotes & Accessories.

Interestingly, users on Reddit are reporting that since updating, they’re now gaining support for 4K60 on their TV sets. Chromecast with Google TV has always supported 4K content at 60fps, but it seems support has been spotty, even …

Biden’s pick for Commerce secretary sees “no reason” to remove Huawei from the Entity List.

What you need to know

Gina Raimondo is President Biden’s nominee for Commerce secretary.
Raimondo has suggested no intention to remove Huawei from the Entity List if she’s sworn in.
A spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Raimondo’s statement, calling out the U.S. government’s “oppression” against Chinese companies.

Joe Biden’s presidency is well underway, and he has already taken to his new position by pulling back on many of the policies made during the Trump administration while continuing to appoint new members to his cabinet and other leading positions. One decision he doesn’t seem to be budging on is the ban on companies like Huawei that have been placed on the Entity List for allegations of threats to U.S. security. Biden’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo, has stated (via Bloomberg) that she sees “no reason” to remove the company from the list, s…

The Great Suspender had previously been warned about malware.

What you need to know

The Chrome Webstore has taken down its listing for The Great Suspender after flagging the extension for malware.
The Great Suspender was an extension that reduced memory usage when users had many tabs open on their Chrome browser, which could be resource-heavy.
The extension is being disabled on users’ browsers. This follows claims that the software was sold to a company that used it for malicious purposes.

The Great Suspender is a popular web extension for the Chrome web browser that allows users to put tabs to sleep. It was particularly useful for those of you who tend to keep many tabs open at once, as Chrome is known to be quite resource-heavy. It seems the extension has been disabled from users’ computers and pulled from the Chrome Webstore after being flagged for malware.

The extension has apparently been under some heat since mid-2020 when the developer reportedly sold the software, wit…