+101 - Vote for the best Android Applications

• The LG G7 will have an extra-tall 6.1-inch display that gets really, really bright
  

  More than meets the eye.

  In its way, LG is the most leak-friendly company in the world, mainly because as its phones meander towards a public announcement, it peppers the media with teases and press releases meant to keep the hoards satisfied.

  To that end, the company has announced that the LG G7 ThinQ will have a 6.1-inch IPS LCD display that goes up to 1000 nits, which makes it the brightest panel using that technology we’ve seen to date. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and S9 series can go beyond 1,000 nits, but only when in bright sunlight and can’t be specified by the user.

  These screenshots prove that you’ll be able to disable the LG G7’s notch through software.

  The G7’s display will also be taller than its predecessor’s, the LG G6, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio — identical to the iPhone X — which accommodates the notch portion of the screen without sacrificing additional real estate. According to a pair of screenshots provided to Android Central, it appears you’ll be a…

• Google Play Music might be killed off this year in favor of YouTube Remix
  

  Users are said to be forced off Play Music by the end of the year.

  Right now, the state of Google’s music streaming services is a bit of a mess. Google Play Music is the company’s most notable player, but you can also listen to tunes and watch music videos via YouTube Red. If you’re on mobile, you can separately download the YouTube Music app that also comes with a Play Music/YouTube Red subscription. This jumble of services isn’t the easiest to understand, and to fix this, Google might replace them with YouTube Remix.

  This is a rumor that first popped up back in December, but according to a new report from Droid Life, it’s said that Google will shut down Play Music following the launch of YouTube Remix. It’s unknown how quickly the domino effect will happen, but users will reportedly be forced off of Play Music by the end of the year.

  It’s unclear at this time if playlists, liked songs, and saved local files will transfer over to YouTube Remix, but I’ve got to imagine Google’s go…

• Google is turning its pistol emoji into a squirt gun
  

  

  A few years ago, Apple was the first big emoji designer to stop rendering the “pistol” emoji as a real gun. It went from a revolver to a green squirt gun, and other companies have just started coming around. Twitter and Samsung already made the change, and now it’s Google’s turn. Say goodbye to the revolver and hello to the super soaker.

  Google has updated its Noto Color Emoji repository on GitHub with the new emoji.

  Read More

  Google is turning its pistol emoji into a squirt gun was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

• Instagram finally lets you download your photos, gets batch uploading in Stories
  

  Instagram has just announced improvements to Stories which will be coming to the Android and iOS apps soon. Instagram Stories, which have become increasing popular on the platform, replicate the ephemerality of Snapchat by having photos and videos exp…

• 22 new and notable Android games from the last week (4/18/18 – 4/24/18)
  

  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.
  Look…

• Instagram’s ‘Data Download’ lets you save all your content offline
  

  Available now on desktop, coming soon to Android and iOS apps.

  Earlier this month, Instagram announced that it was working on a tool to allow users to download and save offline copies of their data. Today, that tool is being launched as Data Download.

  Data Download is rolling out to Instagram now, with access currently available on the web and coming soon to the Android and iOS apps. You’ll find Data Download within your privacy settings, and after requesting your info, it’ll be compiled and delivered within a matter of hours/days.

  Once your data is ready to go, you’ll have offline copies of your photos, videos, any stories you’ve archived, comments, direct messages, and your profile info.

  Why is Instagram just now releasing something like this? While Data Download should have been in place a while ago, it also ensures that Instagram is in compliance with the European Union’s new GDPR privacy law that’ll officially go live on May 25, 2018.

  If you want to check out Data Downloa…

• Six months later, Google Lens still isn’t great
  

  I know it’s a preview, but I want to use this every day.

  For a company aimed at being the knowledge graph of the entire planet, image-based AI services are an obvious thing for Google to want to get right. And for anyone using Google Photos over the last couple of years, you know there have been huge strides made in enhancing these capabilities. Facial and object recognition in Google Photos, can be incredible, and there’s a lot of good that can come from using these features in the real world. Being able to offer a camera with the ability to rapidly identify storefronts and street signs to visually impaired people alone is incredible.

  Google Lens is headed in the right direction, but it’s clearly not ready for daily use just yet.

  As a Google Pixel owner, I’ve had access to Lens for six months now. This beta period for Lens has been a little clumsy, which is to be expected. I point Lens at an unusual book a friend of mine had, and instead of telling me where I can buy that book …

• This popular TP-Link smart plug is back down to its lowest price ever
  

  Lowest barrier of entry for you to start your smart home is right here.

  The TP-Link smart plug is down to $19.99 on Amazon, which is a match for its lowest price. It normally sells for closer to $30. The mini version, which takes up less space, is available for just a few dollars more if you’d prefer it.

  This is one of the easiest ways to start adding smart home elements to your appliances. It needs no hub and comes with a free app. So all you have to do is plug it in, connect it to your Wi-Fi, download the free app, and you can turn whatever you’ve plugged into it on and off with your phone.

  If you do already have an Echo Dot or something similar, you can connect it to that easily to enable voice control. The smart plug has 4.3 stars based on more than 18,000 user reviews.

  See on Amazon
  …

• Best AT&T Phones in 2018
  

  Best overall
  Best phablet
  Best for video
  Most durable

  Best overall

  Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+

  See Galaxy S9 at AT&T
  See Galaxy S9+ at AT&T

  We’ve officially arrived at our beautiful, bezel-less future, and the Galaxy S9 is a near-perfect example of what constitutes as innovative smartphone design. The curved glass looks and feels unlike anything else, and Samsung managed to pull off a nearly edge-to-edge display without resorting to a notch. The good news, too, is that despite the Galaxy S9’s slimmer design, there’s still a headphone jack.

  Inside, the Galaxy S9 sports the latest processor and enough RAM to fuel you through marathon multitasking sessions. You can choose between the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 with a 3000mAh battery or 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ with a 3500mAh battery.

  Bottom line: The Galaxy S9 is the best Android phone for most people, with some of the best specs and cameras on the market.

  One more thing: Though beautiful, the curved glass design is very fragile — …

• Flipboard revamps its technology category with more curated content, private team magazines, and more
  

  

  According to Flipboard, the technology category is one of its most-read sections. So, it’s giving the tech feed a redesign with new features and more content. It’s rolling out now to everyone with a personal magazine in the technology category.

  A major part of the new tech section is the content Flipboard presents. There will be more curation by the editorial staff, including podcasts, long-form articles, and regular stories from the likes of The Wirecutter and TechCrunch.

  Read More

  Flipboard revamps its technology category with more curated content, private team magazines, and more was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

View our blog archives »