Articles by Derrek Lee

This is the first update for the Surface Duo since November 2020.

What you need to know

The Microsoft Surface Duo gets a few usability improvements with the January update.
The update improves speaker audio quality as well as touch stability and adds a new calling feature.
The new patch should be rolling out to unlocked Surface Duo owners now and comes in at 576MB.

Owners of the Microsoft Surface Duo may be pleased to know that the device is receiving the latest January update. The company seemed to skip out on its monthly update in December, so hopefully this latest one marks a return to form. Not only does it come with the December and January Android security patches, but it also comes with a few improvements that should improve some aspects of the device.

Notably, the update looks to improve speaker quality as well as touch stability, the last of which was one of several gripes Daniel Bader had in his Microsoft Surface Duo review. Here’s the list of improvements that this u…

Google Maps is helping electric vehicles find efficient ways to top up on a trip.

What you need to know

An update to Google Maps makes it easier to find charging stations for electric vehicles while on a trip.
The update lets EV owners quickly view accepted payment methods for charging stations.
Volvo and Polestar vehicles will are currently the only EVs with Google Maps built-in.

When going on long road trips, you should always make sure to have one of the best travel chargers on you. But owners of electric vehicles have another charging problem to worry about, and “range anxiety” can still be an issue for many people who fear a lack of access to available charging stations. Google Maps is hoping to address this in its latest update coming to select EVs.

In the new update, Google Maps will make it easier for EVs that support Android Auto. to map out a route without having to worry about reaching a charging station. Using new routing algorithms developed by Google’s AI team, EV…

Good Lock continues to make our lives better.

What you need to know

SoundAssistant is a Good Lock app that now allows users to fix their Bluetooth audio.
The module utilizes a metronome slider to help sync audio with video and reduce lag.
The update should be rolling out to users on One UI 3.0, with extra features available for devices on One UI 3.1.

Bluetooth has improved a lot over the years, but that doesn’t mean the standard is perfect, and some old problems still seem to creep up every once in a while, even for some of the best wireless earbuds. One problem that Bluetooth still faces, perhaps now to a lesser degree, is the lag between audio and video that can make the viewing experience fairly bothersome. Fortunately, as Samsung continues updating its Good Lock apps for One UI 3.0, one new feature is giving Galaxy owners a way to fix this annoying lag.

A user on Reddit noted one of the new features that have been added to the SoundAssistant app dubbed “Bluetooth Metronom…

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 is still missing out on one feature in the U.S.

What you need to know

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 finally gain blood pressure monitoring outside Korea.
The feature will roll out soon to Galaxy Watch owners in Europe, along with ECG readings.
The new health readings will also be available to users in Chile, UAE, and Indonesia.

Last year, Samsung announced blood pressure monitoring was being made available to its Galaxy smartwatches through a software update, but until today it had only been made available in the company’s home country. Now thanks to regulatory approval, the feature has received its CE-marking, making it available to use in countries in the EU.

Blood pressure monitoring is achieved on the Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 and Active 2 using the on-device heart rate sensors. For accurate readings, users must initially calibrate the feature with a traditional blood pressure cuff. Afterward, users can simply tap “Measure” to take a reading …

Visible’s Android smartphones finally have access to Verizon’s 5G network, with a few caveats.

What you need to know

Android devices on Visible now support 5G through Verizon’s network, at no extra cost to its subscribers.
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 models are the only supported Android phones for the 5G network, joining the Apple iPhone 12.
5G speeds on Visible are capped at just 200Mbps, which is much less than the 900Mbps+ that Verizon’s 5G speeds claim to hit.

Visible is the low-cost, pre-paid MVNO carrier that utilizes Verizon’s network in order to serve its subscribers. The benefit is that Visible is able to offer customers a single, low-cost service plan for just $40 a month, not even taking promotions or discounts into account, making it one of the best prepaid plans around. Visible previously only had access to Verizon’s LTE network, stating that it would offer 5G at some point in the future. As noted by 9to5Google the iPhone 12 previously supported the network, and now and V…

The Exynos 2100 puts up a good fight against the Snapdragon 888 in this Galaxy S21 Ultra speed test.

What you need to know

The Galaxy S21 Ultra performs a speed test with two different chipsets to see how they perform.
Samsung’s Exynos 2100 manages a slightly surprising result in the first half of the test.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888’s GPU puts it ahead, but not by much.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones are about a week out from reaching customers, but despite all that we’ve learned both at the Galaxy Unpacked event and the plethora of leaks leading up to it, there are still plenty of things we don’t know. For example, how do the different chips stack up against each other? Qualcomm and Samsung’s latest chips haven’t exactly reached the masses yet, so the Galaxy S21 series will showcase how these chips perform and whether or not Samsung has made any notable improvements to its in-house chip.

While benchmarks suggest Qualcomm’s chip will perform better, you can’t gauge smartp…

Jessica Rosenworcel is the second woman to be appointed acting chair of the FCC.

What you need to know

President Joe Biden has appointed Jessica Rosenworcel as acting chairwoman for the FCC.
Rosenworcel was first appointed to the FCC in 2012 by the former president, Barack Obama.
There is still one remaining spot for FCC commissioner before much can get done.

Following the resignation of former FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai, President Joe Biden wasted no time in appointing his replacement, just one day after the presidential inauguration. Jessica Rosenworcel is now the acting chair of the FCC, making her the second woman to hold this spot. Prior to this, she sat on as the senior Democratic commissioner after first being appointed to the FCC back in 2012 under the Obama administration.

I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden. I thank the President for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital missio…

Google is preparing to stop uncertified smartphones from using Google Messages.

What you need to know

Code found in the Google Messages app indicates a cutoff date of March 31st for uncertified devices.
Google Messages has begun rolling out end-to-end encryption, and these same protections can’t be ensured for uncertified devices.
This is subject to change, but the code is found in the latest version of Google Messages.

Google is slowly transforming its Messages app into one of the best iMessage alternatives for Android, particularly due to the adoption and rollout of RCS messaging, which adds some new rich messaging features that put it closer to parity to Apple’s iMessage. There’s still work to do though, and Google is currently working to ensure that chats within its Messages app are protected and secure. The latest app teardowns have discovered a firm move from the company as it prepares to kick off uncertified Android devices from using Google Messages.

Discovered by XDA-D…

Signal is experiencing some bugs but promises an update to fix it.

What you need to know

Signal was down for more than 24 hours due to a sudden influx of active users.
The app is now live again, but some users are experiencing error messages.
Signal says there’s an update on the way, but users can fix the error messages.

Signal went into the weekend trying to handle its recent outage that was caused by its servers being overloaded by the recent influx of active users migrating from WhatsApp. The outage lasted for more than 24 hours and which was probably not a good thing for those trying out the app for the first time. Fortunately, Singal was able to fix address the outage and get back online, but now there’s another problem plaguing the app.

Users have reported seeing a string of error messaging in their chats. Android users are getting a “bad encrypted message” notice, while iOS users are seeing “received message was out of sync”. According to Signal, users should not have to…

T-Mobile and Samsung are pulling out all the stops on these Galaxy S21 deals.

What you need to know

T-Mobile customers can get $800 off a new Galaxy S21 when trading in an eligible smartphone.
Customers can also get $200 in Samsung credits when purchasing one of the new smartphones.
The Galaxy S21 smartphones are currently available for pre-order, and officially release on January 29th.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones aren’t even available yet and T-Mobile is already going all-in on the deals. For users pre-ordering one of the new Samsung flagships, T-Mobile is offering up to $800 off if you trade in an eligible device! That means you’ll be getting the Galaxy S21 for free!

Customers can pre-order the new Samsung Galaxy S21 5G today and get it free with eligible trade in. Experience the newest Galaxy phone on the 5G leader in coverage.— T-Mobile (@TMobile) January 14, 2021

Of course, there are some caveats. Fortunately, this deal doesn’t require you to add a new line, bu…