This week, on our weekly news roundup: lots of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users report various small issues with their devices, Samsung sues their brand ambassador for 1.6 million dollars, and more!
You've probably heard about Android One before - which is basically a stock version of Android without custom skins like MIUI, Samsung Experience, etc. But, what about Android Go?People often confuse Android One and Android Go. Both of them are supposed to be more lightweight than what you would normally find installed on most smartphones.The difference is that Android Go isn't just a stock version of Android - it's tweaked to work with very underpowered hardware. This opens a whole new world of opportunities for budget smartphones.Blu Vivo Go is the first device that will come with the Go version of Android Pie. It's an incredibly low priced smartphone with an incredibly low price.It hasn't officially been announced yet but our sources say that it will be announced soon. Other than that, it's going to be available from Amazon starting somewhere in the next month at the price of $90!The question is: how will it perform with Android Go? Because if you can get decent performance with specs like these, then this is truly a game changer for the budget category.Speaking of specs, let's take a look at the specifications, shall we?
Andy Rubin is known as the father of Android. After all, he was the one who created and sold Android to Google in 2005 for the massive amount of $50 million.He kept on working on Google until 2014 until he left to start "an incubator for startups interested in building technology-hardware products." However, it looks like there was a lot more behind his departure than what we originally thought.Apparently, Mr. Rubin was having an extramarital relationship with one of his co-workers. That co-worker said that Mr. Rubin coerced her into performing oral sex in a hotel back in 2013.Google investigated and discovered that this was indeed true. Larry Page who was the CEO of Google back then requested a resignation letter from Mr. Rubin. And that's how the father of Android left Google.Now, with all of that being said, Google could just let him go without giving him anything in return. However, they let him go with 90 million dollars that would be paid in "small" amounts over the period of 48 months.And it's not just about Rubin. Over the past couple of years, Google has fired 48 people with 13 of them being senior managers over sexual harassment cases. It's a crazy world, ain't it?
Samsung almost always gives us multiple color options to pick from. So, it really wouldn't surprise us if the Galaxy S10 were to come in multiple colors and that's exactly what the rumors are saying.Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be available in black, grey, blue, red, purple, and gold. Though, chances are that some of us won't be able to get at least a couple of those colors due to market availability. After all, we've seen this happen before with older devices.But, at the end of the day, we suppose that it's possible to simply import the color of your choice from another state or country. Just do keep in mind that in that case, you may have to deal with extra import charges and taxes.Other than that, take this information about the color options with a grain of salt. These are still nothing more but rumors and we won't know for sure if they are true or not until the official announcement from Samsung.Numerous sources mention that the Galaxy S10 will be officially announced somewhere in February. Guess that all we can do right now is wait - and talk about rumors - and leaks. Let's just say that patience has never been our greatest virtue, alright?
This is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 - the world's first smartphone with 10 gigs of RAM. It features a magnetic sliding mechanism which hides the front-facing cameras without the small motor that the Vivo Nex has.Thanks to this new design, the sliding mechanism has a lifespan of more than 300,000 slides. It's much more likely that your battery will die multiple times over before the sliding mechanism gives up on you.Other than that and its incredible screen to body ratio, there's really nothing else that's noteworthy. And the 10 gigabytes of RAM, of course.In order to cover vulnerabilities, Google releases security patches for the Android ecosystem on a monthly basis. For various reasons that are unknown to us, most manufacturers do take a while to deliver these updates on their devices.The longer that you take to install a security update, the longer that your phone will be exposed to security issues. And with most manufacturers taking their time to deliver these updates, it's no surprise that Android is not as secure as other operating systems.According to The Verge, Google's contract with their Android partners now requires them to keep any popular device updated for at least 2 years. Furthermore, at least four security updates must be delivered in the time period of one year.Have you noticed the catch? The contract mentions "popular" Android devices. In other words, for this contract to apply, at least 100,000 users must have activated the device in question.Furthermore, this only applies to phones that were released after the 31st of July 2018. In other words, nothing much changed for those who use an unpopular or old device.As for the phones that this applies to - if the manufacturer fails to follow the above-mentioned rules, then they won't be able to release another Android device. That was mentioned in Google's licensing agreement for the EU and will likely apply to the rest of the world as well.
This is Ksenia Sobchak. She is a television host, journalist, and a politician. Samsung hired her to promote their products. The contract that she signed clearly mentioned that she must be using Samsung's products on the public.However, she was seen at least a couple of times using an iPhone and we all know that Apple is one of Samsung's biggest competitors. So, Samsung noticed that she was using an Apple device - thus violating the contract - and proceeded to sue her for 1.6 million dollars.That happened at least a couple of days ago and we still don't have any news on what happened since then. Is she going to pay? Will she find an excuse or some backdoor to get out of this situation?We'll keep you updated if we find out anything else about this. Because 1.6 million dollars is somewhat of a hefty price for sure.Over the past few days, lots of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users have reported numerous issues that are ranging from RAM management issues and poor scratch resistance to even speaker problems.Regarding that last statement, lots of people are saying that the bottom speaker of the Pixel 3 XL seems to be producing some sort of buzzing noise. That buzzing seems to appear mostly on mid-range frequencies and at a low volume.There is no clear indication of what causes this issue. Some say that the speaker will start buzzing randomly and disappear just as randomly while others say that it only appears when they play any kind of sound.No matter the case, this should be unacceptable. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are not made by some unknown company - they are made by Google. Not to mention that they are not exactly cheap either.Hopefully, this is something that's fixable with a software update. But, to be honest, we highly doubt it.Feel like we forgot something important? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!Like what you see? Then don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive the latest news, reviews, listicles, apps, games, devices, and more!
The first Android Pie Go edition phone is almost here
You've probably heard about Android One before - which is basically a stock version of Android without custom skins like MIUI, Samsung Experience, etc. But, what about Android Go?People often confuse Android One and Android Go. Both of them are supposed to be more lightweight than what you would normally find installed on most smartphones.The difference is that Android Go isn't just a stock version of Android - it's tweaked to work with very underpowered hardware. This opens a whole new world of opportunities for budget smartphones.Blu Vivo Go is the first device that will come with the Go version of Android Pie. It's an incredibly low priced smartphone with an incredibly low price.It hasn't officially been announced yet but our sources say that it will be announced soon. Other than that, it's going to be available from Amazon starting somewhere in the next month at the price of $90!The question is: how will it perform with Android Go? Because if you can get decent performance with specs like these, then this is truly a game changer for the budget category.Speaking of specs, let's take a look at the specifications, shall we?Specifications
- OS: Android Pie Go
- Chipset: MediaTek 6739
- CPU: 1,5 GHz quad-core
- GPU: IMG GE8100
- RAM and storage: 1 gigabyte of RAM and 16 gigs of storage with microSD card support
- Display: 1440 x 720 at 6 inches
- Cameras: rear: dual 8 + 8 MP/Front: VGA
- Battery: 2,600 mAh
The backstory of Andy Rubin's departure gets revealed
Andy Rubin is known as the father of Android. After all, he was the one who created and sold Android to Google in 2005 for the massive amount of $50 million.He kept on working on Google until 2014 until he left to start "an incubator for startups interested in building technology-hardware products." However, it looks like there was a lot more behind his departure than what we originally thought.Apparently, Mr. Rubin was having an extramarital relationship with one of his co-workers. That co-worker said that Mr. Rubin coerced her into performing oral sex in a hotel back in 2013.Google investigated and discovered that this was indeed true. Larry Page who was the CEO of Google back then requested a resignation letter from Mr. Rubin. And that's how the father of Android left Google.Now, with all of that being said, Google could just let him go without giving him anything in return. However, they let him go with 90 million dollars that would be paid in "small" amounts over the period of 48 months.And it's not just about Rubin. Over the past couple of years, Google has fired 48 people with 13 of them being senior managers over sexual harassment cases. It's a crazy world, ain't it?Rumors say that the Galaxy S10 will have 6 color options
Samsung almost always gives us multiple color options to pick from. So, it really wouldn't surprise us if the Galaxy S10 were to come in multiple colors and that's exactly what the rumors are saying.Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be available in black, grey, blue, red, purple, and gold. Though, chances are that some of us won't be able to get at least a couple of those colors due to market availability. After all, we've seen this happen before with older devices.But, at the end of the day, we suppose that it's possible to simply import the color of your choice from another state or country. Just do keep in mind that in that case, you may have to deal with extra import charges and taxes.Other than that, take this information about the color options with a grain of salt. These are still nothing more but rumors and we won't know for sure if they are true or not until the official announcement from Samsung.Numerous sources mention that the Galaxy S10 will be officially announced somewhere in February. Guess that all we can do right now is wait - and talk about rumors - and leaks. Let's just say that patience has never been our greatest virtue, alright?Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 officially revealed
This is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 - the world's first smartphone with 10 gigs of RAM. It features a magnetic sliding mechanism which hides the front-facing cameras without the small motor that the Vivo Nex has.Thanks to this new design, the sliding mechanism has a lifespan of more than 300,000 slides. It's much more likely that your battery will die multiple times over before the sliding mechanism gives up on you.Other than that and its incredible screen to body ratio, there's really nothing else that's noteworthy. And the 10 gigabytes of RAM, of course.Specifications
- OS: Android 8.1
- Chipset: Snapdragon 845
- CPU: Octa-core with 4 Kryo Gold 385 cores at 2.8 GHz and 4 Kryo Silver 385 cores at 1.7 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 630
- RAM and storage: 6 gigs of RAM and 128 gigs of storage, 8 gigs of RAM and 256 gigs of storage, or 10 gigs of RAM and 512 gigs of storage
- Display: FHD+ AMOLED display at 6.4 inches
- Camera: rear: dual setup at 12+12 MP/front: 24 + 2 MP
- Battery: 3200 mAh
Google forces Android manufacturers to deliver security updates for at least 2 years
In order to cover vulnerabilities, Google releases security patches for the Android ecosystem on a monthly basis. For various reasons that are unknown to us, most manufacturers do take a while to deliver these updates on their devices.The longer that you take to install a security update, the longer that your phone will be exposed to security issues. And with most manufacturers taking their time to deliver these updates, it's no surprise that Android is not as secure as other operating systems.According to The Verge, Google's contract with their Android partners now requires them to keep any popular device updated for at least 2 years. Furthermore, at least four security updates must be delivered in the time period of one year.Have you noticed the catch? The contract mentions "popular" Android devices. In other words, for this contract to apply, at least 100,000 users must have activated the device in question.Furthermore, this only applies to phones that were released after the 31st of July 2018. In other words, nothing much changed for those who use an unpopular or old device.As for the phones that this applies to - if the manufacturer fails to follow the above-mentioned rules, then they won't be able to release another Android device. That was mentioned in Google's licensing agreement for the EU and will likely apply to the rest of the world as well.Samsung sues their brand ambassador
This is Ksenia Sobchak. She is a television host, journalist, and a politician. Samsung hired her to promote their products. The contract that she signed clearly mentioned that she must be using Samsung's products on the public.However, she was seen at least a couple of times using an iPhone and we all know that Apple is one of Samsung's biggest competitors. So, Samsung noticed that she was using an Apple device - thus violating the contract - and proceeded to sue her for 1.6 million dollars.That happened at least a couple of days ago and we still don't have any news on what happened since then. Is she going to pay? Will she find an excuse or some backdoor to get out of this situation?We'll keep you updated if we find out anything else about this. Because 1.6 million dollars is somewhat of a hefty price for sure.The Pixel 3 XL seems to be full of issues
Over the past few days, lots of Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users have reported numerous issues that are ranging from RAM management issues and poor scratch resistance to even speaker problems.Regarding that last statement, lots of people are saying that the bottom speaker of the Pixel 3 XL seems to be producing some sort of buzzing noise. That buzzing seems to appear mostly on mid-range frequencies and at a low volume.There is no clear indication of what causes this issue. Some say that the speaker will start buzzing randomly and disappear just as randomly while others say that it only appears when they play any kind of sound.No matter the case, this should be unacceptable. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are not made by some unknown company - they are made by Google. Not to mention that they are not exactly cheap either.Hopefully, this is something that's fixable with a software update. But, to be honest, we highly doubt it.Feel like we forgot something important? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!Like what you see? Then don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive the latest news, reviews, listicles, apps, games, devices, and more!