Articles by Michael Allison

Chrome OS is finally a real boy now.

What you need to know

Google is adding a recycle bin to Chrome OS.
The new feature, known as “trash” will let users retrieve deleted files.
It’s currently being tested in Canary builds of the operating system.

Chrome OS just got better for people who have visual impairments with its last update, and now Google’s next feature additions are focused on common user tools. The company is preparing to add a screen recorder tool to the operating system, a light and dark theme setting, and most recently — a recycle bin — known as ‘trash’ in Chrome.

The change had been in testing for the past few weeks under a “#files-trash” feature flag in Canary as per 9to5Google. Once enabled, you’ll be able to see a new Trash folder under “My Files” — albeit hidden in its current form.

If you’ve used Windows or macOS, you’ll already know of the concept of the recycle bin, a space to store files that you’ve “deleted” with the option to retrieve them late…

The UK is also pulling Huawei from its networks as soon as 2025.

What you need to know

Sweden has joined other countries in limiting Huawei’s access to its 5G networks.
The country has also asked that Huawei equipment be removed from critical telecoms equipment by 2025.
The new order also bars ZTE from operating in the country.

Huawei continues to face difficulty as European countries back away from using its services for their nascent 5G networks.

This week, it was Sweden who chose to restrict Huawei and ZTE from its 5G network, citing advice from the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Security Service.

“New installations and new implementation of central functions for the radio use in the frequency bands must not be carried out with products from the suppliers Huawei or ZTE,” the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority stated, adding, “If existing infrastructure for central functions is to be used to provide services in the concerned frequency bands, products from Huawei and ZT…

There are catches, many of which limit the number of people that can make use of this offer.

What you need to know

Google has now made YouTube Premium a perk of purchasing Chromebooks.
You’ll get a free three-month trial if you purchase and redeem on an eligible Chromebook.
You can’t redeem this offer if you’ve ever tried YouTube Premium or Google Play Music in the past.

Google often offers Chromebook buyers what it calls “perks”, extra offers to sweeten the deal. Aside from rewarding you for buying a Chromebook, these are often trials for Google apps and services, luring you deeper into the ecosystem if you enjoy the experience.

A new one the company has just added is a three-month YouTube Premium offer. Buy a Chromebook, and you’ll get a three month trial of YouTube Premium. Love it? You’ll probably end up sticking around.

Of course, there are restrictions. You’re going to be allowed to claim it if you’re a current YouTube Premium subscriber, nor one that’s every tried YouTu…

One UI 2.5 made its appearance on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. It’s now coming to older flagships as Samsung now promises up to 3 major updates.

Samsung has updated One UI, its own opinionated take on Google’s Android software, version 2.5. The update first made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, and now the company has committed this update bringing it to at least three generations of past flagships.

What’s new in One UI 2.5

Samsung first released One UI 2.5 on the Note 20. It bundles in updates to many of Samsung’s core apps including the Notes app, wireless Samsung DeX, and Reminders. Notes become far more powerful, allowing users to bookmark sections of audio recordings and edit PDF documents. Samsung’s also added syncing so that you can keep your notes in sync across all your devices.

DeX also becomes a lot more powerful with wireless DeX support. Now you can use any compatible smart TV and instantly create a larger workspace while using your Galaxy ph…

OnePlus also announced the OnePlus 8T at its online event.

What you need to know

OnePlus today launched a new pair of wireless earbuds, the OnePlus Buds Z.
Bluetooth 5.0 support and Dolby atmos bring powerful connectivity and audio features.
These earbuds are billed as being long-lasting, offering up to 20 hours of battery life.
They’ll set you back $45.99 when they launch on November 2nd in the U.S.

OnePlus today announced the Buds Z, a new pair of true wireless earbuds. Alongside the OnePlus 8T, this makes up the company’s fall 2020 hardware lineup.

OnePlus is continuing its strategy of undercutting competitors in the true wireless buds space by offering high-quality at a low price with this being priced at $45.99 when they launch on November 2nd. It’ll come in two colors of white and gray, with additional silicone tips at different sizes included in the box to ensure it fits a wide range of people.

It’s not always the outside that’s important, on the inside, you’ll find Blu…

It’s a decent tablet but you’re very much getting what you pay for with this one.

What you need to know

TCL’s Tab 10 Mid is now available on Verizon as the TCL Tab 8.
The specs are more or less the same, the RAM is dropped to 3GB from 4GB on the regular Mid.
It’ll set you back $199 if you’re buying it outright, or $8.33 for a 2 year plan.

TCL’s newest tablet is perfect to throw to your kids. Available on Verizon for $199 (via 9to5Google), the Tab 8 is a rebadged version of the TCL Tab 10 Mid announced earlier in the summer.

The Tab 10 Mid comes with an 8-inch FHD display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 processor with 4GB of RAM, and a 5,500 mAh battery with 18W fast charging. That’s the same as on this with the exception of the RAM, which drops to 3GB. The tablet also includes an 8MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and 32GB of built in storage with microSD support of up to 256GB. It’ll come with Android 10 on board, and there’s a built-in kids mode.

The small changes here and ther…

HCL has made changes aimed at frustrating these unionized workers, including changing policies around breaks, vacations, and leave without consultation.

What you need to know

Google contractor HCL has been accused of taking retaliatory action against Pittsburgh employees who unionized last year.
The company has gone as far as to offshore jobs to take work away from contractors.
Google has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the complaint.

Google contractor HCL has been accused of taking retaliatory action against employees who had unionized in Pittsburgh.

The National Labor Relations Board filed a formal complaint against the company on Thursday, citing repeated instances of this behavior.

The New York Times reports:

According to the complaint, managers at the company interrogated workers about the organizing activities of their colleagues, told them that promotions and wages were being delayed because of the union campaign, and threatened to enforce work rules more str…

TikTok has been banned in other countries for a variety of reasons, Pakistan is the first to ban it over content.

What you need to know

TikTok is now banned in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Tekecommication Authority says that this is down to the nature of the “immoral” content found on TikTok.
The app has also been banned in India and faces pressure in the U.S.

TikTok is another Chinese-affiliated tech name that’s not having a very good year. The app has been banned from India, is facing off a ban in the U.S., and now it’s been kicked out of Pakistan as well.

The Pakistani Telecommunication Authority issued the following statement on Twitter, announcing the ban:

In view of a number of complaints from different segments of the society against immoral/indecent content on the video sharing application TikTok, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued instructions for blocking of the application. Keeping in view the complaints and nature of the content being consistently p…

Google also continues bringing incognito mode to more and more of its apps and services.

What you need to know

Google is rolling out a new highly-visible critical alerts feature that will notify you of a serious security breach that could affect your Google account.
They’ll be visible from any Google app and resistant to spoofing as it won’t be done over the relatively insecure email medium.
Google is also adding a guest mode to the assistant.

Google is rolling out two new security features for Google account holders. One is relatively light, the other is more serious and impactful.

Starting with the first, incognito mode started as a Chrome feature for people who didn’t want Google or their browser to store information about their session for whatever reason. The company has since then extended it to apps like YouTube and Google Maps. In the coming weeks, a version of it’ll be coming to the Google Assistant as a new Guest mode.

Google’s Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, Vice President of …

Google already added @mentions support to Google Docs comments, now it’s bringing it to the main app.

What you need to know

Google is bringing @mentions support to the main Google Docs app.
It previously added the feature to the comments section found in Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
Google also has @mentions support in Google Chat.

Google is bringing the now nearly ubiquitous @mentions feature, popular with social media apps, to the Google Docs app.

You’ll now be able to @mention a member of your team to learn more information about them and gain access to quick actions like sending an email.

The Google Workspace team explained the change:

When another user is mentioned, you can hover over their name for information about them and suggested actions like adding that person to Contacts or reaching out via email. This is the same information you see today when hovering over a user’s name in other Google Workspace apps, such as Gmail or Calendar.

The last two Workspace apps to …