On March 27, Huawei is hosting an event where the company is expected to announce not just one, but three new smartphones.
As is typical with this sort of thing, Huawei is going to announce one new handset and two variants. The Huawei P20 will be the middle device in this new lineup, with the P20 Lite...
Here are 34 temporarily free and 11 on-sale apps for your Wednesday
Welcome back to your thrice-weekly app sales. MWC is starting to wind down, which makes the smallish list today (though larger than Monday's) feel appropriate. There isn't much of true note below, but some of you may find something you like. Have fun.
Free
Apps
Phoenix for VK $0.99 -> Free; 1...
Google Play Games v5.5 adds Arcade tab to help you find your next game [APK Download]
When an update to Play Games v5.3 came out with a redesigned look back in November, it was missing one big element: Discovery. Users could check out their achievements, browse games they own, and even play some brand new mini-games, but there was barely anything in the app to help you find new games....
Amazon to purchase smart doorbell company Ring for over a billion dollars
Amazon will soon be purchasing Ring, a company that sells smartphone-connected doorbells with video cameras built in. This deal is reportedly going to cost Amazon over $1 billion.
The acquisition makes perfect sense for both companies. Amazon generally allows acquired companies to continue operating...
ASUS announces the ZenFone 5 series with an iPhone X lookalike flagship
ASUS has announced the new ZenFone 5 series at Mobile World Congress 2018. The lineup ranges from flagships to a budget device with a high capacity battery. But the flagships are noteworthy, and not only for the right reasons.
The ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z are similar phones that use the exact same...
Samsung may drop the ‘S’ branding for next year’s flagship
Now that the Samsung Galaxy S9 has launched, we can look forward to the next flagship from the company. Obviously because we can’t be content with the current offerings that aren’t even on the market yet. But what will it be called?
We don’t know, but it may not be called the Galaxy S10. Samsung...
Google Play Music updated with lockscreen album art toggle
Google Play Music for Android has been updated to v8.7 and the biggest change is not that big at all. Nonetheless, it’s a feature many have been asking for, and it should make our customizable, beautiful Android experience just a little better.
The new app version adds a toggle for the album art replacing...
AT&T debuts new Unlimited Plus Enhanced and Unlimited Choice Enhanced plans
AT&T has decided 2018 is the right time to make some changes to its unlimited plan offerings and has introduced two new changes today which will go live on March 1.
Today, AT&T announced Unlimited Plus Enhanced and Unlimited Choice Enhanced plans. The Unlimited Plus Enhanced will cost $80 per...
Rayark International's rhythm game 'Cytus II' is available for pre-registration
Cytus II has been officially available since January of this year for iOS, but as always Android will get the game sometime later. It's at least reassuring to know that the sequel to the largely popular rhythm-based game Cytus is finally coming to to the Play Store. Well, that is if today's pre-registration...
Samsung plans to launch Bixby 2.0 with Galaxy Note 9
It has been several months since Samsung announced Bixby 2.0. At the time, it wasn’t known when Samsung planned on launching the big upgrade to the digital assistant/interface, but we have a launch window now, thanks to ZDNet and comments made by Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh.
According to the chief executive,...
PlayStation Video for Android v3 adds Chromecast support
Sony's PlayStation Video for Android service is another option in a sea of content consumption choices. PS Video is great for those who live their lives in the PlayStation game consoles, with an Android companion app to keep things going while you're away from your PS4 (or PS3).
If you subscribe to...
Bandai Namco's free-to-play fighting game 'Tekken Mobile' has been officially released
Well, how about that? It would appear that Tekken Mobile has come out of soft-launch today to finally release for the majority of Play Store users. It is, of course, a fighting game, but more along the lines of the mobile version of Injustice 2 than anything previously found in the Tekken franchise....
24 new and notable Android games from the last week (2/21/18 - 2/27/18)
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android games that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous week or so.
Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.
Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find...
Google releases first beta of its 'Flutter' UI framework
Developing for both Android and iOS usually involves working with two codebases, two UI frameworks, and two different design languages. There have been a few efforts over the years to remedy this problem, but they usually result in apps that don't work well and don't look particularly native. Google...
Google Clips now on sale for $249
Google introduced its Clips stand-alone camera Clips back in October of last year. The device uses machine learning and more to snap motion photos all on its own, letting you set Clips down and have it handle the hard work of capturing memorable moments.
In January, Clips actually went up...
T-Mobile will begin building its 5G network in 30 cities this year
Back in May of last year, T-Mobile was already talking about its plans to implement its 5G network across the United States. It’s a wide-ranging plan that involves multiple steps, but one the wireless carrier believes will be implemented for its customers by 2019.
Today, during Mobile World Congress...
YouTube Music v2.21 prepares to add streaming audio quality settings for Wi-Fi and Cellular, possibly first step toward absorbing Play Music [APK Teardown]
It's no mystery that YouTube will be absorbing Google Play Music – that much we've known since July – but seven months later and we still don't really know any details outside of some rumors about a rebranding to YouTube Remix. The latest update to the YouTube Music app might shed a little bit...
Samsung’s Bixby speaker will arrive in the second half of 2018
Samsung‘s smart speaker, which will have the company’s digital assistant Bixby on board, was first reported on way back in July of last year. Not long after that, another report suggested the company wasn’t making such a device after all.
By the time December rolled around, though, Samsung was ready...
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 700 series platform
For those who like specifics, you can typically tell what “level” a phone is at in the mass market depending on the series number of the Qualcomm processor under the hood.
For the entry-level handsets, there is probably a Snapdragon 200 or 400 series processor inside. Within the mid-range, most devices...
Sprint reveals first wave of 5G-ready markets
Earlier this year, Sprint revised its 5G network rollout to announce that it would be ready in the first half of 2019 rather than the later part of the year. To get there, the Now Network has to work with a steady release schedule that will build up to 5G wireless services for subscribers.
That...
Amazon adds AR view to help you see products in your environment before you buy them
Visualizing furniture and products before buying them is one of the most reasonable uses of AR technology. Lots of buyers have difficulty imagining how things would fit in their home; when we were furnishing our apartment, we used tape on the floor to denote the limits of most things we had our eyes...
[Hands-on] Chromer becomes Lynket with plenty of additions for version 2.0
The idea behind Chromer, when it first launched, was that it would open all links you clicked on in a Chrome Custom Tab. At the time, not many apps had implemented Custom Tabs so Chromer avoided their built-in browsers, and it also saved your device from having to open the full Chrome browser while...
Samsung Connect app rebranded to 'SmartThings'
We've known for a while that Samsung is consolidating its 40+ smart home apps into the SmartThings app, and the company confirmed yesterday that the revamped app is coming next month. Now it appears the Samsung Connect application, which is one of many being folded into SmartThings, has itself been...
Google Clips app pops up on the Play Store ahead of the camera being delivered to anyone
Google's interesting little Clips camera still hasn't been arrived at anyone's doorstep since its announcement alongside the Pixel 2 back in October, but the company has just published its companion app to the Play Store. Clips went up for sale late last month, though delivery dates were slated for...
Essential Phone camera app updated with Tiny Planet feature
Having a snap on 360-degree camera is awesome, but we missed the Tiny Planet feature we used to play with when Google released its 360-degree panorama feature many years ago. Luckily there are third party apps to turn your 360-degree image into a tiny planet.
Essential saw this void in the feature...
Nokia announces Nokia Pro camera app for devices with Carl Zeiss optics
Nokia used to be famous for its smartphone cameras. The high end Lumia series of devices had some of the best smartphone cameras on the market, and the company introduced a full manual mode before any of the major companies did. Of course, the golden age of Nokia is over, but the company is making...
Xiaomi teases upcoming Snapdragon 845-powered Mi Mix 2S with Antutu score
The famous Xiaomi Mi Mix series is getting another update, and Xiaomi’s global spokesperson took to Twitter to tease it. Not only did we get another detail about the device, we also got its Antutu benchmark score.
The upcoming device will feature a Snapdragon 845, and if history repeats itself, a nearly...
Google Play Music v8.7 adds option to disable album art on the lock screen [APK Download]
If there was any one common statement to be made about the subjects of music and smartphones, it's that they're both very personal to each of us. In the same way that some people prefer listening to metal, there are also those that insist on a very sparse homescreen. We might listen to EDM just like...
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Android Mat...
BlackBerry Ghost leaks out ahead of launch in India
While TCL and BlackBerry Mobile have been getting the lion’s share of attention when it comes to designing new BlackBerry-branded devices, there are actually two additional companies that have the license to build those handsets, too.
The rules for this situation dictate that some companies can build...
Google announces auto-captions and new chat features for YouTube Live
Google announced a smattering of updates to YouTube Live today, the biggest among them being automatically-generated English captions for live videos. Other touch-ups include location tagging for live videos and improvements to the platform’s live chat.
Live auto-captions will be rolling out in the...
Vivo Apex concept phone features a pop-out selfie cam and more
Concept phones are pretty great, especially the ones directly from the manufacturers that focus on exciting new features for future devices. But today we get to see one from the Shenzhen-based Vivo, which has three new features to showcase.
The Vivo Apex is a concept phone that features a trio of new...
Moto E5 Plus leaks out again with rear fingerprint reader
Back in January, the Moto E5 found its way online long before Motorola intended, showing off a handset with a few refined design elements.
Now a different version of the E5 has surfaced, courtesy of serial leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks). The Moto E5 Plus is in a light blue color scheme with rounded corners,...
Pixel Visual Core update rolling out on Play Store
The 'Visual Core' is a custom chip in the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, designed by Google. Not only does it speed up HDR+ image processing, but it also allows third-party apps to use the technology. Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other apps were updated earlier this month to use the Visual Core, and...
Sony unveils Xperia Ear Duo wireless headphones with Google Assistant
Hot on the heels of announcing two new smartphones, Sony is also showcasing a pair of truly wireless headphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
This new accessory is called the Xperia Ear Duo, and one of its biggest features is the fact that Sony is aiming to bridge the music listening...
Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact now official
Late last week, the newest smartphones from Sony leaked, just days before their official unveiling at Mobile World Congress 2018.
Sure enough, that leak turned out to be spot on. Sony has officially announced its two newest smartphones, the premium flagship Xperia XZ2 and the smaller XZ2 Compact. Both...
Kick off MWC with 19 temporarily free and 16 on-sale apps
MWC is officially here. So while you read about the Galaxy S9 or the Xperia XZ2, take a break to look through today's very small list of app sales. Enjoy the fun, and I'll see you all Wednesday.
Free
Apps
Explore Skye - Visitors Guide $0.99 -> Free; 8 hours
Autoharp for the Blind Pro $0.99 ->...
HAL Laboratory's Android debut 'Part Time UFO' is officially available in the West
HAL Laboratory is best known as the creator of Super Smash Bros. and Kirby's Adventure. Part Time UFO is their first foray onto Android, and oh boy does it look just as charming as their previous console efforts. You get to play the part of an adorable UFO that has just arrived on Earth...
Huawei P20 image leaks, shows off pair of rear cameras
Earlier in February, Huawei let out the word that it was going to announce its newest smartphone on March 27. Since then, the rumor mill has been hard at work showing off that device ahead of the big announcement.
We’ve seen the Huawei P20 and the P20 Plus revealed in renders, and most recently we...
Android Messages adds RCS support for dual SIM phones
A few months ago, Cody discovered in a teardown of Android Messages that the app would start supporting RCS on dual-SIM phones. Up until recently, if you had a device with a dual-SIM slot, you couldn't get the RCS features to work in Messages even if you had only one SIM inserted and it...
