Articles by Michael Allison

Twitter Blue is a service for Very Online People.

Update, Nov 9 (2:15 p.m. ET): Twitter Blue rolls out to more countries

What you need to know

Twitter’s rumored Blue subscription service has gone live.
It offers a selection of features, including undo tweet, reader mode, and customization.
In its first phase of rollout, it’ll be limited to Australia and Canada.

Twitter today finally launched its rumored Twitter Blue service.

As expected, this is a paid-for Twitter subscription that’ll sit alongside the regular free Twitter service while offering an enhanced experience for customers who want it. It’s initially going live in Australia and Canada from CAD 3.49 or AUD 4.49 per month, respectively. Twitter says this is just the first phase of the rollout as it opts to gain a “deeper understanding” of what customers want.

If you’ve read coverage of Twitter Blue, you’ll already know what to expect. First, Twitter highlights Bookmark Folders. The company already allows you to save tw…

Clubhouse is finally open to everyone.

Update, May 13 (11:30 pm ET) Clubhouse today announced an expansion to Canada and other English speaking countries

Update, May 18 (02:30 pm ET) Clubhouse today confirmed that it would expand worldwide by the end of the week

Update, May 21 (02:00 pm ET) Clubhouse is now available worldwide on Android phones.

Update, July 21 (01:45 pm ET): Clubhouse is no longer invite-only.

What you need to know

Clubhouse is now available in beta on Android.
It’s only available in the U.S. at the moment, with a UK release in the coming days.
The invite-only system will remain for the near future.

After an earlier private beta teased last week, Clubhouse today announced that it would be making its debut on Android after an earlier announcement this year. The app had taken off in the heyday of the pandemic and spawned many imitators but had neglected the Android market for a while. There are a few caveats. This is still a beta, it’s still invite-only, and…

Google’s new Drive apps for the desktop are rolling out now.

What you need to know

Google is now encouraging Google Drive users to use its new Google Drive for Desktop app.
The app replaces the current Backup and Sync app for regular people, as well as the previous Drive client for businesses.
Backup and Sync will stop working in October.

As announced earlier in the year, Google is officially rolling out the new Google Drive for Desktop app. This new app will replace the more consumer-focused Backup and Sync and the Google Drive File Stream for businesses. The File Stream app has already been supplanted by Google Drive for Desktop, but the Backup and Sync app still exists separately. That is set to change.

Writing in a blog post, the Google Workspace team said:

Earlier this year, we announced that we were working towards unifying our two existing Google Drive sync clients – Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream – into a single sync client called Drive for desktop. By d…

The references to Google’s upcoming phones were quickly pulled.

What you need to know

An Android 12 document spotted today referenced the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 XL.
Google has since re-released the form without a reference to the Pixel 6.
The 2021 Pixels are currently expected to be called the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Google is expected to launch at least two new flagship Pixels this year, and a new slip from the company may let us know they are called. Spotted by the folks over at 9to5Google, Google shared a Google Forms link to game developers regarding Pixel-specific optimizations. In said form, one question referenced “Pixel 6, Pixel 6 XL” before quickly pulling it and re-releasing it without the names.

While rumors have pointed to Google calling its 2021 phones the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, there are a few reasons why it may choose otherwise. The company has stuck with XL for its bigger and more powerful phones in the past. This ran from the Pixel (2016) all the way to the …

As always, Verizon is tacking on the UW branding to its stable of 5G phones.

What you need to know

The Motorola One 5G UW Ace is coming to Verizon from July 8.
It will also come with Verizon’s Adaptive Sound to set itself apart from the older model.
The One 5G UW Ace is priced at $300.

Verizon today announced the debut of the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. This is a more affordable version of the previously released Motorola One 5G Ace from earlier in year. As all with all Verizon 5G phones, this will be mmWave capable, hence the UW, or ultra-wideband suffix the company has fixed to the phone’s name. This means that it’ll have the blazing fast speeds users would want from 5G.

As one of the cheap Android phones to launch this year, the Motorola One 5G Ace is a known quantity. Reviewing it in January, we found the Motorola One 5G Ace to be a phone that was less than ace and “challenging to recommend.” It ran smooth and fast with long-lasting battery life, but the camera was lacking, th…

A drop in price makes this expensive phone far more affordable.

What you need to know

Microsoft’s Surface Duo has dropped in price to $410.
This is part of a one-day sale at Woot, with the deal slicing the price of the Surface in half.
Customers can buy up to 10 each while supplies last.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo has just gotten one of its biggest price drops to date with a today only Woot sale offering the Surface-branded foldable for just $410. That’s more than $1000 off its original selling price and $500 from the $999 selling price it dropped to earlier this year.

It currently sells for just over $600 at Amazon, so this deal represents a $200 savings. In this price bracket, you’re looking at phones like the $349 Google Pixel 4a, making the Surface Duo a tempting grab and one of the best cheap Android phones, at least for the duration of this sale.

Microsoft’s Surface Duo has had a troubled run. It launched with a high price, with relatively outdated specs, and to the soft b…

Disney Plus offers popular MCU shows like Wandavision and Loki alongside classic Disney sitcoms and movies.

What you need to know

Amazon is offering a free six-month trial of Disney+ to Music Unlimited customers.
The deal excludes current Disney+ subscribers.
Aside from that, current Music Unlimited subscribers can get only 3 months.

Amazon and Disney are partnering to offer a deal to Music Unlimited customers that’ll allow you to watch up to six months of Disney+ for free. The new promotion goes into effect starting today.

As with promotions like these, there are conditions attached. If you’re outside the U.S. and Canada, you won’t be able to take advantage of it, likewise if you’re a current subscriber to Disney+. If you’re a new user of Amazon Music Unlimited, you get the full free 6 months. If you’re a current subscriber or lapsed one, Amazon will offer you 3 months.

Writing in a blog post, the Amazon explained:

Amazon Music Unlimited already offers customers access to…

Smart home devices especially need robust privacy and security tools by their very nature.

What you need to know

Google today shared new security commitments for Nest-branded devices.
The company promised to continue investments in security research, as well as ship future Nest devices with adherence to third-party security standards.
It also promised to roll out updates to Nest devices for up to 5 years from launch.

Google today announced that it would be supporting Nest-branded devices like the Nest Mini, Nest Audio, and Nest Thermostat for up to 5 years after launch as the company commits to tightening up security for the smart home line. The move was accompanied by several additional commitments Google made to owners of Nest products as it attempted to shed light on how it was keeping users safe.

Ryan Campbell, Product Manager at Google Nest, said in a blog post:

Our new security commitments include standards Google has long held as well as updates that are specific to …

Google will now warn you when a news subject is rapidly evolving.

What you need to know

Google is rolling out a new feature that alert users when results for their search term are in flux.
This will be most visible on searches for breaking news topics.
The company will roll this out first in the U.S., though an international expansion is planned in the coming months.

A new Google Search tweak will let users in the U.S. know when their search results will be prone to fluctuation, the company announced this week. Now, when users are performing a search on the web or the best Android phones, they could be met with a notice warning that “results are changing quickly.”

This will be applied to topics such as breaking news, where the known facts can change rapidly as sources gain more understanding.

Google’s Danny Sullivan, a liaison for Search, explained in a blog post:

[W]e’ve trained our systems to detect when a topic is rapidly evolving and a range of sources hasn’t yet weigh…

You knew this was coming.

What you need to know

Instagram is finally bringing ads to Reels after testing them in a number of regions.
Ads in Reels will appear in any part of the app that takes you to the Reels viewer.
They’ll also be formatted to act as regular Reels, with users having the option to like, comment, and share them as they would any other Reel.

After testing ads in Reels in select markets briefly, Instagram this week announced that it would finally be rolling them out globally. Ads were tested in in Australia, Brazil, Germany, and India. Much like Stories and the Instagram Feed, ads will provide another revenue stream for the billion-user social network.

As with ads in the other formats, what will appear in Reels will look just like any other Reel. Ads will loop up to 30 seconds. Users can also comment or share Reels ads, just like any other Reel. If you’ve used TikTok, this is not dissimilar to how ads on that platform also appear.

Facebook will place ads anywhe…