Articles by Michael Allison

Google steadily improves on the new Google TV experience.

What you need to know

Google is improving how its recommendations work on Google TV as it begins taking user preference into account.
It’s only available on TVs and not the Google TV app on mobile.
You’ll be able to try it when it finishes rolling out across the U.S. this week.

If there’s one thing Google is good at, it’s recommending you stuff. Whether it’s stuff to watch on YouTube, stuff to listen to with YouTube Music, improvements to your photos, etc., the company is good at its shtick.

For owners of the Chromecast with Google TV, the company is expanding how its recommendations systems work to the new device with a new feature coming this week.

The Google TV team announced via blog post:

Starting this week, you can help train Google TV on the big screen to give you better recommendations by sharing your preferences. In Settings, click “Content Preferences” and quickly rate a series of movies and shows to insta…

Samsung phones now go up to 11.

What you need to know

Samsung today announced the rollout of Android 11 and One UI 3.0.
It’s coming this week to the Galaxy S20 line.
In the coming weeks, it’ll hit other flagships including te the Note 20, S10, and even the A-series.

Samsung may have skipped the S11 this year, but Android 11 is rolling out right on schedule. The company today announced the release of Android 11 and One UI 3.0 to its flagship phones following a short beta testing period.

Today, it’ll come to the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra in Europe, the U.S., and Korea. We’ve already seen it rolling out on Verizon devices this week, so that checks out.

In the coming weeks, users of the Galaxy Note 20, Z Fold 2, Z Flip, Note 10, Fold, and S10 families will get the update as well, while Galaxy A-series phones should have it before July 2021.

Dr. TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics said:

The launch of One UI 3 is just the…

One UI 3.0 is here too, of course.

What you need to know

Samsung is rolling out Android 11 with One UI 3.0 to Verizon Galaxy S20 phones.
This includes the base S20 model as well as the Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is not included at this time.

Samsung is now rolling out Android 11 to some Galaxy S20 models just a few months after the update launched on Pixel and OnePlus phones. The update was always expected to arrive in December, but few thought it would come on the literal first week of the month.

It is hitting Verizon phones first, and the carrier has already published release notes for the update. This first round of releases includes all of the S20 launch models — the S20, the S20 Plus, and the S20 Ultra. The S20 FE is not being updated at this time.

As it’s Android 11, we already know what to expect. Samsung phones will now have the bubbles, the improved privacy settings, and the new notifications categories Android 11 users have been enjoying since September. Th…

OnePlus 8T owners can now help shape the direction of OxygenOS.

What you need to know

OnePlus now has a closed beta program for OxygenOS testers.
The program is open to 200 testers, and you’ll need to have a OnePlus 8T to join.
Interested users will also need to have been active on OnePlus’s community forums before applying.

OnePlus is opening up its OxygenOS closed beta program to new testers this week. This will let select members of the OnePlus community share their feedback with OnePlus staff in early stages of development, allowing not just for bug hunts, but also shaping the product that’ll ship at the end of the test period.

Announcing the program, OnePlus said:

The Closed Beta Group is the closest group to OnePlus staff. This group is made up of an elite crew of OnePlus community members. This group needs absolute secrecy, as testers will often get builds and features weeks or even months before they are released to the public. Given this, you are required to sign a…

The Samsung Galaxy Note line is on its way out.

What you need to know

The Galaxy Note 20 is reported to be the last Galaxy Note.
Samsung plans to refocus on foldables like the Z Flip and Z Fold families in 2021.
The company is also planning to ship the S21 Ultra with an S-Pen.

Samsung has been rumored to be dropping the Galaxy Note line for a while now, but now concrete reports of this have swirled to an unignorable crescendo. Reuters today confirmed earlier reports that the company would be discontinuing the Note line with the Note 20 being the last phone one.

In line wiith our current thinking, Reuters reports that Samsung will instead refocus its efforts on the foldable Z line, while the Galaxy S21 will ship with support for the S-Pen.

While previously unthinkable, the Note 20’s demise means a different thing in 2020 than it would have in 2016. Now, with Samsung shipping phones like the S20 Ultra and large screened phones being common, the rationale for selling a discrete b…

A cinema you can visit from your couch.

What you need to know

Google Maps in the UK now hides codes for free classic movies.
Google is adding new movies every three days from November 25 till December 7.
The codes are limited, so you may miss out if you don’t act fast.

As the UK remains under lockdown, traveling to the cinema is a no go. Google is launching a mobile cinema that brings the cinema experience to the palm of your hand. As a bonus, this also serves to highlight the fast download speeds that 5G offers — if you’re in an area with coverage of course.

Google explained its “mobile cinema” as follows:

Because it’s the season of giving, we have our own gift for you: If you’re in the U.K., you can download classic films, such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” or “Monty Python’s Life of Brian,” all from a unique Google Map, now until Dec. 10. Transport yourself to a world of nostalgia by searching the map for symbols that represent the films in relevant locations. If …

Google’s Pixels are getting more affordable in the US this Black Friday. The company is advertising a deal on its homepage where you can get the Pixel 4a 5G from just $199 if you trade in an eligible phone. A chart from 9to5Google shows just how much Google has increased the value of trade-ups for the Pixel to facilitate this deal.

If you’re upgrading from an older Pixel, you’ll get a lot out of this. Should you have a Pixel 3, 3XL, 4, or 4 XL, Google will give you from $300 to $320 and take that off the Pixel 4a’s $499 asking price depending on how much storage you have. Naturally, while you may not want to sidegrade from a Pixel 4 to a 4a 5G, it’s a different case for those with an older Pixel 3. Coming to the end of its life, the dual-camera, larger battery, and much more modern design in the 4a 5G represents a substantial upgrade.

You’re also able to trade in the Pixel 2 and 2 XL for up to $240 off. It’s also a good deal for owners of those, considering that both phones won’t b…

Lenovo’s newest 5G phone is coming to India.

What you need to know

The Moto G 5G is coming to India next week.
It’s expected to retail at or around ₹26, 400 when it launches.
Lenovo says the smartphone will come to more markets in Latin America and the Middle East shortly.

Lenovo launched the Moto G 5G last month in Europe as its most accessible 5G phone. Now, it’s bringing that handset to the Indian market as the retailer Flipkart (via PocketNow) announces a November 30th launch.

The Moto G 5G is the more toned-down version of the Moto G 5G Plus that launched earlier in the year. It’s a little weaker with a Snapdragon 750G where the G Plus has a Snapdragon 765, a triple camera where the G Plus has a quad-camera, and a 60Hz screen where the Plus has the smoother 90Hz. These are compromises that come with the price, and Lenovo’s probably expecting you to pay a little more if you value those.

The Moto G 5G will be coming to Flipkart next week, though pricing for the market has…

Black Friday often features price drops for some of our favorite gadgets, and Amazon isn’t one to be left out. There are many Fire tablets that’ll be on sale this weekend, but the bigger Fire HD 10 is getting in on the action with the meatiest discounts.

With its Black Friday discount, you’ll be able to shave $70 off the Fire HD 10’s asking price, giving you almost 50% off depending on which SKU you’re getting. That means you can apply it to the cheapest ad-supported 32GB model and pick it up for $79.99 (down from $149.99), or you can grab the highest-end 64GB model and snag it for $134.99 (down from $204.99). As we said, it’s a good deal that makes a good device more attractive.

Amazon Fire HD 10 | $70 off

The Fire HD 10 is a content consumers dream tablet. These price cuts make it more accessible to big tablet fans, especially when you consider the most expensive model now costs less than the cheapest model would normally.

See at Amazon

The company’s Fire tablets are excel…

Beta testers usually expect bugs, but there’s a limit.

What you need to know

Samsung started rolling out One UI 3.0 to beta testers.
However, a new bug has emerged which breaks the lockscreen for the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Samsung has since pulled the update while it works on a fix.

Samsung just started rolling out betas of One UI 3.0 and Android 11 to its flagship phones, but it’s been forced to halt the Galaxy Z Fold 2’s rollout due to a serious bug.

As spotted by Tizen Help, the beta update breaks the Fold 2 lockscreen and prevents users from unlocking the phone. This issue presents itself whether you’re using a pin, a password, or biometrics.

Samsung has now pulled the release because well, it’s pretty show-stopping. Not being able to use your phone at all isn’t ideal even for a beta program. The company will probably implement and roll out a fix soon given the severity of the bug — a comment by a representative on the company’s official forum already says as much.

Samsung’s …