Articles by Jeramy Johnson

Let’s face it, living in the Android world is fantastic. Android users have many options when choosing the devices and software customizations that truly make our devices personal and unique. We often get these features years before other platforms do, if they ever do at all. However, one area that has been a pain point has been messaging and video chatting with our Apple-loving friends. Even though there are loads of good alternative apps, these folks still tend to prefer using iMessage and FaceTime. Well, the good news is, we won’t be left off of those FaceTime calls any longer. So let’s jump in and learn how to use FaceTime on an Android phone.

How to use FaceTime on an Android phone

Now, this option is relatively new, having been released by Apple with its iOS 15 update in the fall of 2021, but it works on any of the best Android phones, budget devices, and even Windows PCs. Your Apple friends will have to initiate a video call, but your part as the recipient is pretty easy.
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I’m persistently pining away for another petite Pixel.

We’re firmly in the midst of another busy techtember, that time of year when the biggest names in the game — including Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon — unveil their fancy new devices that will lead the industry forward over the next many months. Of course, one of the events that I’m most looking forward to is the upcoming Google Pixel 6 launch, as it promises to be one of, if not the most significant Pixel event ever.

Make no mistake. I’ll be first among those lining up (virtually, anyway) to get my hands on one of these new phones (I adore that lemon/lime green one!), but I’m a little put off by their sizes. The “regular” Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch display, while the Pixel 6 pro has a massive 6.71-inch display. These are sure to be fantastic for consuming content and productivity purposes, but they’re also likely to be hard on the hands and plenty in the pockets for many people.

The Pixel 4a has been one of my favorite…

The most popular OEM = most popular fitness platform — coincidence?

What you need to know

We polled our readers to learn about which fitness apps they used on their Android phones.
More than one-third of readers said that Samsung Health was their preferred or primary fitness app.
A little over ten percent of readers said they used multiple fitness apps, while the remaining votes were split among nearly a dozen other popular apps.

If you’ve watched any tech keynote or presentation over the past year or so, you probably couldn’t escape the growing focus in the industry on health and wellness. Whether that be new and improved wearables like smartwatches or subscription services like Fitbit Premium or Apple Fitness+, it’s clear that tech companies see health tracking as a big opportunity to serve their customers moving forward. So with that in mind, we wanted to see what apps our readers are using on their phones and wearables to monitor their overall health and fitness.

Samsung …

Better, faster, stronger

What you need to know

Roku announced updates to its lineup of streaming devices, as well as an update to Roku OS 10.5
The All-New Roku Streaming Stick 4K starts at $50, while the Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ starts at $70.
The company also gave the Roku Ultra LT set-top box a spec bump with improvements to the processor, storage, and Wi-Fi range.

Roku has announced several important updates to its product lineup, as well as an improved user experience (UI) with its Roku OS 10.5 rollout. The streaming platform and device manufacturer has unveiled an All-New Roku Streaming Stick 4K and 4K+, spec bumps to its Roku Ultra LT set-top box, and overall platform enhancements to the underlying operating system.

The updated Streaming Stick 4K boots up 30% faster than before and adds Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Wi-Fi speeds up to two times faster than previous models.

The Streaming Stick 4K+ features all of the above but adds the Roku Voice Remote Pro. The Pro version o…

Do you ever try to ask Alexa a question on your Echo speaker from across the room and get frustrated when you can’t hear her response? Whether it’s the noises coming from the TV, people talking, dogs barking, babies crying, or the general commotion of your day-to-day life, sometimes it can be hard to hear her. Thankfully, Amazon has recognized this problem and added a simple toggle that lets Alexa adjust the volume of her responses based on the ambient noise near your Echo device. We’ll show you how simple it is to enable Alexa’s new adaptive volume feature on your Echo devices so that you don’t miss any of her replies or responses in the future.

How to enable Alexa’s adaptive volume feature on an Echo device

Open the Amazon Alexa app on your phone.
Tap on the More menu at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
Scroll down and tap on Settings.

Scroll down and tap on Voice Responses in the Alexa Preferences section.
Tap to toggle on Adaptive Volume.

You can also enable o…

What’s the rush?

What you need to know

This past Friday, Apple opened preorders for its latest devices, including the iPhone 13 series.
Over the weekend, we asked our readers if they had preordered any of the new products themselves.
More than half responded that they hadn’t yet, while fewer than a third said they had.

This past week, Apple held its annual September event where it hyped up its latest products, including the iPhone 13 series, the iPad mini 6, and the Apple Watch Series 7. But, judging by the scuttlebutt across the interwebs, most people seemed underwhelmed by what Apple announced this time around.

Following its usual cycle, Apple took down its virtual storefront in the early morning hours on Friday and then reopened it, allowing preorders on its new products. By all accounts, the preorder period was a massive success for Apple, as many reported reduced stock and a website that was overburdened by online ordering. And because many of our readers use Apple product…

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?

What you need to know

Earlier this week, we asked our readers if they typically purchased some sort of insurance when they bought a new phone.
Just over two-thirds indicated that they didn’t do so, calling it a scam to collect more money from customers.
Around 22% said they always got a protection plan, while 10% said they occasionally would purchase one.

There was quite a bit of buzz about high-end phones this week. First, we reported on why Samsung is discontinuing its Premier Service for foldables, and then we learned all about Apple’s fancy new iPhones. So with this background, we decided to ask our readers if they typically opted to purchase an extended protection plan of some kind with their new phones. We left the question open-ended as to whether that insurance is from the manufacturer, their carrier, or a third party.

As someone who regularly drops his phones (or sees his vindictive cats swat them off the sofa or end table), I almost al…

Making the e-reader experience even easier.

What you need to know

Amazon has announced that it will begin updating the user interface on its most recent Kindle e-reader models over the coming weeks and months.
Key updates include a revised home screen, new navigation gestures, and an improved library experience.
These updates will be available on 7th and 8th Gen Kindle devices.

Amazon is a company that has built its business on the back of books. It has grown from a company that began selling books over the internet over 25 years ago to become the driving force behind the idea of downloading and reading books on digital devices like the Kindle.

Its Kindle e-readers are by far and away the most popular of their kind, and even though it’s been quite some time since they last saw a hardware refresh, Amazon has announced a major new user interface (UI) refresh for its most recent Kindle devices.

Starting in September, owners of late-model Kindles will begin to see a new navigati…

Best answer: It depends on the size of your house, but three or four well-placed Echo speakers should give you decent coverage with Alexa assistance. The choice now comes down to where you think you’ll best use Alexa. The most popular areas would be in the bedroom, living room, and kitchen.

The original, upgraded: Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
Just in time: Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (4th Gen)
From every angle: Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen)

Finding the right Echo products for the rooms in your home

Just how many Amazon Echoes do you need in your home? Deciding on the best Alexa speaker to get, along with how many, are tough questions to answer since every house is different, and everyone has a unique preference. There are many Alexa-compatible devices that you can choose to make your home a truly smart home. An Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is a great place to start because it’s Amazon’s best-sounding speaker for the price. From there, either an Echo Dot with Clock (4th Gen) or an Echo Show 10 …

If you’ve tried out Fitbit’s subscription service, Fitbit Premium, but don’t feel like it provided enough value to you, we’ll show you how to cancel Fitbit Premium. You can then apply those savings toward another tracker, explore options from other providers, or perhaps sign on with a personal fitness instructor.

How to cancel Fitbit Premium on the web

In your browser of choice, log in to your account at coach.fitbit.com.
Click on your name at the top right of the page.

Scroll down and click on Settings.
Scroll further down and click on Subscriptions and Payments.

Here you can click on your plan and cancel it, effective the end of its term.

If you are still within your free trial period, you will follow the same steps listed above.

Note that if your free trial has expired, all sales are final and non-refundable. So if you signed up for a month-to-month plan, you’d only be out the $9.99 for one month if you missed the cut-off date to cancel before you’re charged (as long as…