Articles by Derrek Lee

What you need to know

LG has released a new smartphone integration app for Windows PCs.
The application functions similarly to Microsoft’s Your Phone app for Windows.
For now, the application only works on LG’s 2021 Gram laptops.

Amid rumors of the company contemplating its exit from the smartphone industry, LG has just released a new smartphone and PC integration application. Spotted by Softpedia, Virtoo is an app developed by Screenovate Technologies that allows PC users to perform a number of smartphone tasks straight from their computer, similar to how Microsoft’s Your Phone app functions.

LG Virtoo seems available to download on any PC, Android device, and even iOS devices. The app allows basic smartphone functions such as texting and calling from your PC, but you can also mirror your device display on your PC and view your notifications… at least in theory. Reviews in the Microsoft store seem to indicate that LG Virtoo does not function, at least on most PCs, whic…

Android TV users will finally get a taste of the new Google TV experience.

What you need to know

Google is introducing a new update for Android TV that brings it closer to Google TV.
The updated UI introduces a Discover tab and updated home screen.
Google still hopes to update Android TV sets with the new Google TV experience in the future.

While companies prepare to launch the first TV sets with Google TV preinstalled, the message around which Android TV devices will receive the update has been a mixed bag. TCL and Sony are currently the only TV manufacturers planning to introduce Google TV sets this year, but neither has exactly committed to bringing the new experience to older models. Google has decided to take matters into its own hands and is introducing an update for Android TV that can only be described as a half-step towards Google TV.

The new update overhauls the home screen so that it more closely resembles Google TV. Gone is the large, sectioned-off side navigation…

Bigscreen is introducing Black Cinema as a new movie category to celebrate Black History Month.

What you need to know

Bigscreen’s newest movie category celebrates Black films.
Users can watch 14 ad-supported films for free with friends, along with live broadcasts of Selma.
Available films include Night Catches Us, The Long Walk Home, Southside With You, and more.

Bigscreen is celebrating Black History Month by introducing a new Black Cinema category, which is a collection of films now available to users “to commemorate the accomplishments of African Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” The films are now available on-demand through PlutoTV and include the following:

Night Catches Us
The Long Walk Home
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth
St. Louis Superman
Silverain
Sincerely, Brenda
For Ahkeem
Muhammad Ali Life of a Legend
Cover
I Am Not Your Negro
Southside With You
Jackie Brown
Broken Ceiling
Mandela

Additionally, Bigscreen is hosting live screenings of Selma throu…

If you live a multi-OS lifestyle, this new iCloud Chrome extension will make your life easier.

What you need to know

Apple has just released an iCloud extension for the Chrome web browser.
iCloud Passwords will sync passwords made with iCloud Keychain for use in Chrome.
The extension will also allow new passwords created in Chrome to sync back to iCloud.

When Apple and Google play nice, it benefits everyone. The latest example of this is the new extension that Apple just released for the Chrome web browser. With iCloud Password, Apple makes it easy for users who switch between desktop operating systems to keep their passwords synced, regardless of whether they’re using a Mac, Chromebook, or PC.

The extension will suggest passwords within the Chrome web browser that are synced from the iCloud Keychain. This way, you won’t have to go digging in your Mac or iPhone in order to log onto a website on your PC or Chromebook; it’ll automatically be suggested as an option when you’re p…

LG’s mobile division continues to lose money at an alarming rate, with no sign of stopping.

What you need to know

LG just posted its Q4 2020 financial earnings, and they don’t paint a pretty picture.
The company lost over $750 million in profits throughout 2020.
LG continues to contemplate exiting the smartphone market.

Rumors have been swirling around the possibility of LG exiting the smartphone market after years of unprofitable results. While the company previously denied that this was the case, recent reports suggest that the company has been looking for buyers and may have found one. Meanwhile, the company’s most recent earnings report has just been released, and things don’t look any better for LG.

While LG reported a 5% increase in YoY sales, the company still saw its smartphone sales fall 9% from the previous quarter which it blames on a shortage of 4G chips. Operating profit also dropped nearly 18% from the previous quarter, and more than 16% for the calendar year, amo…

GrapheneOS is an open-source OS with Android app compatibility.

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Jack Dorsey tweeted a link to GrapheneOS, an open-source custom ROM for Android phones.
GrapheneOS is focused on privacy and security and does not feature any Google services, but supports Android apps.
Only Pixel phones as far back as the Pixel 3 are supported.

As Google deals with its ongoing privacy battles, it continues to try and prove that its platform is open and that the company is on the side of the consumers. Just this month, Google was hit with one of many lawsuits, this time targeting its management of the Play Store. Recently, Google came under fire after coming to the rescue of Robinhood, which was bombarded with negative reviews on the Play Store and saw its rating drop to one-star. Google then removed around 100,000 negative reviews of the app, a move that was seen as support of Robinhood’s questionable actions. This makes the timing of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s recent tweet som…

The ZTE Axon 30 Pro 5G will also have an under-display camera.

What you need to know

ZTE posted a teaser for the Axon 30 Pro 5G with what looks to be a silhouette of its camera housing.
Rumors point to the device featuring a 200MP camera and Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.
The camera is reportedly smaller than Samsung’s 108MP sensor but will feature two native pixel-binning modes.

ZTE is one of the companies that try to push camera tech to new heights. The latest experiment with last year’s Axon 20 Pro brought the first commercially available under-display selfie camera on a smartphone, albeit not with the best results. Still, it was a novel feature to put on a smartphone and it brought the smartphone a lot of attention. ZTE seems to be at it again, teasing the next flagship model which will be equipped with the highest resolution camera on a smartphone.

A teaser for the ZTE Axon 30 Pro 5G was spotted on Weibo (via GSM Arena) that was posted by ZTE’s director of the Consumer Experienc…

Do you also like to fall asleep with Netflix on in the background, or are you normal?

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Netflix is testing a timer that will shut the service off after a selected period of time.
Users can set Netflix to turn off after several different time increments, including the end of the current program.
The feature is rolling out to select subscribers globally and may expand to other platforms.

As the global pandemic continues to upend our lives, the time has become but a mere construct, a fleeting memory of how things used to be when there were schedules to follow and gatherings to attend. Now that the majority of us are stuck at home, streaming services have increased in not only subscriber base but also usage. The latest feature from Netflix is for those of you who lose track of time and like to stream shows until they fall asleep.

A timer feature is being introduced for some Netflix users that will automatically shut the app off after a selected period of time….

Not to be outdone by Xiaomi, Motorola shows that it’s working on its own remote wireless charging.

What you need to know

Motorola demoed a work-in-progress remote wireless charging solution.
No details were given about the tech, but devices can charge up to 100cm from the base.
Xiaomi also showed off its first remote wireless charging device.

When wireless charging started appearing on smartphones, it wasn’t very useful. In fact, it was terribly slow, and even now that many companies have improved speeds, you’re still limited because your device has to stay in one place for it to charge. That can make it awkward if you need to use your smartphone while it’s charging, and more of a reason why wired charging still dominated. Well, it seems that the next race in the mobile tech industry is focused around the solution of remote wireless charging, because right after Xiaomi showed off its remote wireless charging demo, Motorola did the very same.

Spotted by XDA-Developers on Weibo, …

Android 11 home controls are coming to devices running One UI 3.1.

What you need to know

Samsung is finally including the power control settings that were introduced with Android 11.
Galaxy devices have so far included their own menu based on Samsung SmartThings.
The new menu can be selected from the Devices section of the quick settings menu.

While Samsung and Google start playing nice again, we’re noticing that more and more of Google’s services are being integrated with Samsung’s. The companies recently announced a closer partnership that involves integrating Google Nest products with Samsung SmartThings, and even the Google Discover Feed being a default option for devices running One UI 3.1. It looks like there’s even more to the story, as it’s been discovered that Samsung is now adopting the power controls from Android 11 in addition to its own.

Unlike on Google Pixel phones, which accesses these controls when pressing the power button, Samsung has moved these controls e…