Articles by Jeramy Johnson

Middle Show

Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

$130 at Amazon

Pros

The Goldilocks of Echo Show devices
Disable camera and mics with one switch/cover
Significantly cheaper than larger Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)
Big improvements to the chat camera

Cons

Can’t adjust viewing angles without a stand
No Dolby processing built-in

The Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) fits right in the middle of Amazon’s expanding Echo Show product line. Like the smaller Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen), it can fit almost anywhere in the home, but it has a camera on par with the larger Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen).

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Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

$250 at Amazon

Pros

Stunning screen
Rotating display for better viewing angles
Built-in security camera features
Much-improved 13MP camera
Zigbee smart hub built-in

Cons

Most expensive Echo device
Creep factor?
Largest Echo device may take up too much room

With its larger pedestal base and rotating display, the Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) marks a significant shift in form factor a…

If you’re looking for the best smart speaker but don’t know where to start, fear not! We’ve lined up a list of the best smart speakers in various categories to help you decide which one to add to your home. Our best overall choice is the Sonos One (Gen 2) due to its price, performance, and interoperability with multiple platforms.

What are the best smart speakers?

When we talk about the best smart speakers, many minds jump to the Alexa and Amazon’s Echo devices. The voice assistant’s name has practically become synonymous with the category, and yet Amazon wasn’t the first player in this space. Its speakers are also not necessarily the best for every consumer.

Our top pick for the best smart speaker comes from one of, if not the category pioneer — Sonos, and it’s the Sonos One (Gen 2). It’s the perfect size to set on an end table, desk, or bookshelf and can be paired with dozens of other Sonos devices as part of a larger speaker ecosystem. It has a vibrant, room-filling sound for …

WhatsApp is still the glue that holds our social circles together.

What you need to know

On the eve of Facebook’s F8 developer conference, AC readers told us which Facebook apps they could not live without.
The runaway top choice for our readers was WhatsApp.
Instagram was in second place, but not even the regular Facebook app was the last choice.

The virtual Facebook F8 developer conference came and went earlier this week with little fanfare, it seems, but it marked an appropriate time to poll our readers on which Facebook app or service they felt they couldn’t live without. The consensus top choice as the most popular Facebook app — WhatsApp — probably won’t surprise anybody, nor will the second-most-popular selection, Instagram.

The top two choices came in with around 44% and 25% of the votes, respectively. The third choice for most readers was Facebook Messenger with nearly 13%, followed by “Other” with 11%, and the regular Facebook app with less than 5%. Given how popu…

While there is no shortage of standout features on the Samsung Galaxy S21, one of the things that stands out the most about the device from an aesthetic perspective, and that is literally in your face all the time, is its gorgeous screen. Presumably, you’ve decided to pick up a great case to protect the phone from accidental drops or falls, but have you thought about how you’re going to keep the front of the phone free of scratches, nicks, and cracks? Take a look at this roundup of the best Samsung Galaxy S21 screen protectors so that your smartphone stays stunning for months and years to come.

Durable and dependable

ZAGG Invisible Shield GlassFusion+ Screen Protector

Staff Pick

The GlassFusion+ is a hybrid glass solution that covers the screen of your Samsung Galaxy S21 with military strength protection that is nearly unbreakable. It looks and feels like the glass on your screen and delivers clear viewing and fingerprint sensor sensitivity.

$40 at Best Buy

Easy appllic…

Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

Goldilocks zone

$130 at Amazon

Pros

Great compromise size
Much improved camera
Physical cover/off switch for microphones and camera
Similar specs to the larger and more expensive Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Cons

No Dolby processing
Need a stand to adjust viewing angles

The Echo Show 8 has the same 13MP camera and privacy controls as the larger and more expensive Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) but costs nearly half as much. A better camera, better display resolution, and better speakers make this a great buy over the smaller Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen).

Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen)

Bedside buddy

$85 at Amazon

Pros

Compact design to fit anywhere
Physical cover/off switch for microphones and camera
Improved camera over first-generation

Cons

Auto-brightness isn’t well-tuned
If all you want is an Echo with a clock, the Dot with Clock is almost 1/2 the price

The Echo Show 5 (2nd Gen) is an incremental update over the first-generation speaker, bringing an improv…

Taking the temperature of our readers.

What you need to know

Android Central readers responded to a poll over the holiday weekend about which weather apps they use on their phones.
The majority of respondents said they used the default weather app pre-installed on their devices.
AccuWeather was the top third-party weather app chosen, and there were a number of popular “write-in” votes as well.

Believe it or not, it’s already June, which means increased temperatures and (hopefully) more time spent out in nature. Given how important things like temperature and precipitation are to our outdoor plans, we thought it might be interesting to poll our readers on what their go-to weather apps are.

When we asked our readers this weekend what their favorite weather app on Android was, the majority of respondents — over 43% — said, “other/whatever is preinstalled on my phone. The most popular third-party app by far was AccuWeather at nearly 38%, which was followed by Today Weather at a…

Best answer: Yes! Amazon’s Fire tablets are great for content consumption, but haven’t previously been built with work in mind. However, the Fire HD 10 Productivity Edition bundle just might be the perfect hybrid option for those on a budget.

Should you buy the Amazon Fire HD 10 Productivity Edition Bundle?

Amazon is arguably the top choice for purchasing an inexpensive, personal tablet for consuming videos, playing games, or entertaining the kiddos. Its popular Fire tablets come in a variety of sizes, and there are even two separate lines of Fire Tablets for kids with longer warranties, more durable cases, and more age-appropriate user interface and content.

The latest edition of the Fire HD 10 now comes in a “Plus” option much like the Fire HD 8 Plus, with more RAM over the base model and the ability to pair with a special wireless charging dock. Not only does this functionality make charging your tablet more convenient, but it also allows you to leave your Fire HD 10 Plus in Sh…

At this price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better Google smartwatch.

In the early fall of 2020, Fitbit held a virtual press briefing where it announced updates to its Versa and Inspire wearables and introduced a new holistic fitness watch in the Fitbit Sense. At Android Central, we were quick to test out the latter two devices and write up our impressions of them, but it took a little while for us to sort out our feelings about the former watch. Even at this later date, when I first endeavored to write this Versa 3 review, I wasn’t sure that it would blow me away. After all, we’d already been calling its predecessor, the Versa 2, our favorite fitness tracker for over a year now. How could the new device be that much better?

The Versa 3 had a little bit of a rocky start for some reviewers, including myself, but after a firmware update with new features and bug fixes, I’ve really been enjoying wearing it on my wrist. It’s comfortable, stylish, and does just about everything…

Resurrecting dead apps

The 2021 Google I/O developer conference has already given us plenty to talk about, try out, and dream about, from Material You to advances in quantum computing. But one surprising thing that has appeared amidst all of these new updates is the ghost of one of our favorite Google services of the past — Google Reader.

Well, sort of. You see, Google’s Chromium blog recently detailed a new option in the Canary channel of Chrome, where users can “follow” websites from the Chrome browser using RSS. Okay, it’s not the same as Google Reader, but there are shades of that former service in this option.

This got us wondering how we’d feel if some of our other favorite canceled Google services of the past were suddenly resurrected.

Which cancelled Google service would you bring back?…

It may not be a Pixel Watch, but it will run Wear (OS).

What you need to know

Google announced a host of updates to its Wear OS platform, including greater Fitbit services integration at I/O 2021.
Fitbit CEO James Park confirmed that the company’s next smartwatch would run the Wear operating system.
Neither Google nor Fitbit provided any specific details on the new watch or launch date.

At the information-dense Google I/O keynote earlier today, we were treated to all manner of updates on Google search, shopping, Maps, and Android 12, but one of the most highly anticipated sections of the presentation was on Wear OS (now referred to simply as Wear).

During the Wear section of the keynote, we learned that Google is developing the latest iteration of its smartwatch platform in conjunction with Samsung. In the process, it is reimagining a number of its most popular apps for smartwatches. Apps like YouTube Music, Google Maps, and even Fitbit will be updated and available to all OEMs…