How many times have you cursed Google after you’ve found out that…
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Skyworth enters the US market, launches new OLED and mini LED TVs
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Skyworth, a Chinese TV manufacturer and Google’s long-time partner for Android TVs…
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TCL USB Cam announced for its Android and Google TVs
Bringing video calls to your living room
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Google has reduced its commission for TV, Auto, Tablet and Smartwatch app developers
In an announcement today, Google has announced that its new Play Media…
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Google Stadia will support even more Android TV devices later this month
Google Stadia is one of the best cloud gaming services on the…
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Amazon Music arrives on Google TV and Android TV
It’s been almost two years since the official YouTube app made its way back to Amazon’s Fire TV platform, and a pledge was made to bring the Prime Video app to Chromecast and Android TV as well. Of course, it was the YouTube ( and YouTube TV) vs Prime Video rivalry that kept the two platforms away from Amazon and Google’s hardware, with the average consumer losing from the tussle between the two titans. Well, it took two years for the ‘cordial relations’ between the two companies to get warm enough that they can turn their attention to audio after warring over video. Today, the Amazon Music app was finally made available on Google TV and Android TV.
Available in US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia
Starting today, if you own Google’s latest Chromecast with Google TV or an Android TV machine, you can download the Amazon Music app on it. Amazon Music’s services are available both across free and paid tiers. The free, ad-supported tier will give access to a select few playlists and thousands of stations, while a Prime subscription removes ads and gives you access to a library of 2 million songs. There is also an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription tier, which offers access to a much larger library of 70 million songs.
If you’re a Prime subscriber, Amazon Music Unlimited will cost you $7.99 per month, while non-Prime members will have to shell out $9.99 for the service on a monthly basis. However, if you’re not particularly a fan of Amazon’s music service, you can always switch to Spotify or Tidal apps on your Android TV and Google TV. And if you got a YouTube Premium subscription, you can reap the benefit of YouTube Music, which also has its own app optimized for Android TV.
There are both free (ad-supported) and paid tiers of the music streaming service
For now, users based in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia will be able to blast music via Amazon Music on their Android TV or Google TV device, or through set-top boxes, game consoles and speakers connected to it. Google’s TV platform landed another high-profile service earlier this month in the form of Apple TV+.
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TikTok arrives on Android TV because doom-scrolling deserves a giant screen
TikTok now has an Android TV app. Yes, if you needed more reason to waste time watching videos of cats raising hell or some dude on his skateboard drinking cranberry juice on a much larger screen, you’re in luck. The TikTok for Android TV app is currently live on the Play Store and is available to install on smart TVs. However, the availability appears to be region locked at the time of writing this. But this is not TikTok’s first large-screen adventure, as Samsung smart TVs landed the short-form video-sharing app back in December last year.
You can watch TikTok videos on your smart TV even without logging in
So, coming back to TikTok’s arrival on Android TVs, it claims to offer a ‘personalized video feed based on what you watch, like and share.’ As per a Reddit thread, some users encountered a region unavailability error when they tried to log in to their TikTok account. A few others mentioned that the app won’t work in the US or South-East Asian countries, and doesn’t work with a Xiaomi Mi Box S or NVIDIA Shield. However, Android Police claims that they got in working in the UK.
The folks over at EFTM were also able to get the TikTok app working on an Android TV by sideloading the APK in Australia, as the official Play Store install doesn’t appear to be working for users Down Under. Also, it appears that you don’t necessarily have to log-in for watching TikTok videos. However, there is an option to log-in to your TikTok account by scanning a QR code if you want to primarily watch videos posted by the accounts you follow.
The log-in process via QR code scanning pretty simple. No password needed!
EFTM’s report adds that videos do not loop by default and play in portrait orientation, just like they would do on the mobile app. Clicking right skips to the next video, while clicking the down button opens the likes and comments section. Pressing the down button twice brings up the categories section. While watching a video, information such as view count and title appear on the left side, while music details sit below.
Once you install the TikTok for Android TV app, it will appear under the My Apps section on your Android TV. When the app launches on your smart TV for the first time, you can choose between the ‘Watch Now’ option to start watching random curated videos without having to log in to your TikTok account, and a ‘Log In’ button below it. You can download the TikTok for Android TV app from the Play Store or sideload the APK here.
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Android TV update gives it a Google TV-inspired makeover
Google is giving the old Android TV UI a fresh design makeover via an update that borrows some elements from the Google TV interface which arrived with the new Chromecast late last year. Actually, the new Android TV layout looks a lot like the Google TV design that puts the focus on aggregating content from multiple platforms in one place.
The fresh Android TV interface has a side-scrolling carousel of content at the top that looks a lot cleaner and makes better use of space. The side column with three huge icons on the left has been removed in favor of a horizontal text-based toolbar at the top of the screen. You’ll now the Search tool, and buttons for Home, Discover, and Apps neatly arrange in a single row.
As the name suggests, the Apps section is where you will find all your media consumption applications, while the Discover tab will give you personalized movie and TV show recommendations based on your viewing habits. On the other hand, the Google TV home screen offers a total of six tabs – For You, Live, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library – at the top, alongside the search tool.
The Home tab on the updated Android TV interface is further divided into multiple sections such as a Favorite Apps bar, a Play Next carousel below it, and a separate YouTube section sits underneath it as well. The most noticeable change, however, comes to the Discover section, which essentially does the same thing on Android TV as the For You tab on Google TV.
In the Discover section, you’ll come across a ‘Top picks for you’ section at the top, followed by a ‘Trending TV Shows’ and ‘New movies and shows’ carousels below it. The new look for Android TV will start showing up for users in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, and France starting today, with a wider rollout set to commence in the upcoming weeks.
For the sake of comparison, below is a short video that highlights Google TV’s UI in all its glory:
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Upcoming Chromecast with Google TV has also appeared in new renders
We have more leaks concerning Google devices as we are just ten days away from the next Google event. We recently saw leaked images of the new Google Nest Audio, and now it’s time for the new Google TV enabled Google Chromecast, known as ‘Project Sabrina,’ to get some attention.
The new Google Chromecast with Android TV or Project Sabrina was seen in a couple of new renders. These new images come from the guys over at WinFuture, who also gave us a fresh batch of images for Google’s upcoming smart speaker, which we have been calling the Google Nest Audio. Now, these images let us see some design details of the new Chromecast and its new remote controller.
Sabrina comes with an HDMI dongle, which would help it connect to any external display or TV. We also get to see the ‘G’ logo on what’s the front of the device, the USB-C port, which would deliver power to the device, and what seems to be the reset button on the back. Now, the remote controller gives us more details, as we can see dedicated YouTube, Netflix, and Google Assistant buttons. We can also see the power button, a D-Pad for navigation, the volume control rocker, and it seems that we may also find a programable ‘Favorites’ button in this new Chromecast.
We are also expecting new announcements in the next Google event, as rumors suggest that Android TV will become Google TV with the launch of this new Google Chromecast, and some even claim that the reason behind this is that Google may wish to decouple its TV interface from the Android brand. It would also seem that Google will try to give us more with this device since a report from Protocol explains that:
“Users will be able to install apps for streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ from Google’s Play Store, and the device will be integrated with Google Assistant for voice control. Like other Android TV devices, it will allow users to cast content, and it is expected to support Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service.”
Source 9to5Mac
Via WinFuture
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Google’s upcoming ‘Sabrina’ Android TV dongle could cost just $49.99 as per a retail listing
We’ve seen and heard a lot about Google’s upcoming Android TV dongle codenamed Sabrina via leaks and firmware digging in the past few months. Now, Home Depot appears to have briefly listed the streaming device (via 9toGoogle), revealing an asking price of just $49.99 for its Rock Candy color option.
The listing has since been pulled, but it can still be accessed via this cached version. Additionally, it has also been discovered that the Sabrina Android TV dongle will come in two more colors – Como Blue and Summer Melon. However, information about a launch date is still a mystery as the device was originally rumored to launch alongside the Google Pixel 4a, but that never happened.
Google is testing a dedicated Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for its upcoming Android TV dongle that automatically enables a low-latency mode when it is connected to a compatible smart TV with a native low-latency mode of its own, providing a lag-free gaming experience. A leaked video has shown that the Sabrina Android TV dongle will have a pebble-like design and will plug-in via its USB Type-C connector.
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Google is bringing Duo video calls to Android TVs
Google recently announced Chromecast support for its Meet video calling platform. In a bid to make video calls even more easily accessible beyond just meeting rooms, Google is bringing Duo to Android TVs. Moving in that direction, Google is starting a beta program for Duo video calling on Android TV in the coming weeks.
Google Duo on Android TVs will support both one-on-one and group video calls. And in case a smart TV doesn’t have a built-in camera, users can still experience video calls by plugging in a USB camera. This will definitely come in handy for users who own a low-end smart TV that lacks a camera, but now have the flexibility to plug in an external camera and experience video calls on a larger screen.
While Duo is yet to arrive on Android TV, you can already run it on a smart display such as Google’s own Nest Hub line-up to make video calls. The expansion of Duo’s capabilities to Android TVs is an interesting move, as Google is reportedly planning to pull the plugs on Duo in order to focus on a single video calling platform, the revitalized Google Meet.
Source: Google Blog
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NBC has launched Peacock TV on Android, Chromecast and Android TV
NBC has launched Peacock TV, a new streaming service that is now available on Google’s platform, which includes Chromecast, Android TV, and Android devices.
Peacock TV launches with tons of content for its users, in any of its three available tiers. The base tier is entirely free, but it comes with ads and a limited library for viewing. The second tier comes at $4.99, and it can be an interesting upgrade for users who want a larger library. However, this second tier will also show you ads. The third and most expensive tier is priced at $9.99 and lets you unlock even more content, with fewer ads than the previous options.
You can already download the Peacock TV app to start streaming on your Android device, and maybe the best part is that NBC will give Android users a 3-month trial period on the service’s 4.99 tier. The service will be free between today, July 15, and October 15, 2020. Unfortunately, this new streaming service won’t be available for Roku or Android Fire TVs in the near future.
Source 9to5Google
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Pocketnow Daily: Apple Silicon Mac Roadmap: CRAZIER than We Thought! (video)
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Samsung Galaxy S20 series, Apple’s Mac mini and more devices are on sale today
Deals. Let’s start today off with the Galaxy S20 Series on Amazon. The S20+ and the S20 Ultra are getting $200 discounts, meaning you can get the S20+ for $999 if you go for the 128GB variant and you can find the S20 Ultra for $1199 for the same 128GB variant. The iPad Mini has a $50 discount for both the Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular variants, leaving the Wi-Fi only256GB variant for $499 and the Wi-Fi + Cellular for $629. B&H also has the 2018 Mac Mini for $300 off, leaving that at $2399 for the Intel Core i7, 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. We have more deals in the links in the description.
Here’s everything we saw today during Apple’s WWDC 2020
A couple of days ago we gave you some tidbits of features that weren’t exactly talked about at WWDC but are coming with the new updates and now we have some more. For example, you remember the start up chime on the Mac? Well, it’s coming back with the Big Sur update. Speaking of things coming back, Apple is reviving the Game Center on both iOS and the macOS with a new update. iOS14 is also able to detect hand and body motion to provide new features like fitness performance tracking or use emoji overlays on different scenarios. A new privacy feature let’s you give limited access to apps that ask to permission to access your Photos or other files. Let us know if you want more of these updates.
Android 11 sheds more light on Google’s upcoming Android TV dongle
Lately we’ve been getting some leaks of Google’s upcoming dongle codenamed Sabrina. Sabrina would be Google’s first Android TV dongle since the Nexus Player. Now, Google just dropped a new Android 11 Developer Preview, exclusive for this dongle. In it we have some files that make reference to Sabrina along with a new video with instructions on how to reboot it. It looks exactly like the leaked video we got from XDA where the G Logo is in the center instead of the bottom like on the case of the Chromecast Ultra. Rumors hint to this device being launched along with Android 11 so we could get it at the Pixel 5 Event.
OnePlus is making a documentary film about the journey behind creating a new phone
OnePlus has been teasing their new phone in a… different way. Let’s just say they’re taking the crown for making it unique again, cause if you remember, they were pretty much first at launching a phone with an invitation system back in the day. Today, well, first we saw their new Instagram account and now, they just put out a teaser for a 4-part documentary detailing how they made the phone. At least we think, cause the teaser seems to be more about how OnePlus came to be in the early days. The first part will apparently premiere on June 30 and it consists of different interviews and the whole creative process, but it’s not entirely clear if it’s about the OnePlus One, or this new phone that might be coming, but it’s the story of a six month process. The name for the phone isn’t completely clear yet but if you search Nord on Amazon, it lands on a OnePlus teaser. We hope we’ll get more from this documentary ahead of the July launch.
Yet another leak suggests a 108MP camera on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra More
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G specs leaked online
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 appears in new render
We have multiple leaks for Samsung’s upcoming Unpacked Event. Let’s start with the Z Flip 5G which just went through certification so we got some updated specs. According to this certification it’ll bring the Snapdragon 865 clocked at 3.09GHz, a 6.7in AMOLED display, dual batteries rated at 2500 mAh + 704 mAh and the usual specs from the previous Z Flip. Moving on, we have some new renders of the Galaxy Watch 3 from Mr. Evan Blass himself. Apparently this is the 45mm variant on a 22mm black leather band. We hadn’t really gotten a lot of leaks when it came to design for this Watch. Finally, we have some alleged Note 20+ case leaks that show off the new camera array and pretty much confirm the dimensions we’re expecting and, a very reliable tipster on Twitter just confirmed that it will bring a 108MP main camera. Another report also claimed that the Note 20+ or Ultra will reach 50x hybrid zoom with a 13MP periscope lens and will ditch the ToF for laser autofocus, it will also bring a 12MP ultra wide.
Story of the day:
Supply chain sources claim the iPhone 12 will launch in September
Apple’s first ARM-based Macs will be a MacBook Pro and a redesigned iMac
And finally, the hottest news today have to do with Apple’s roadmap, which includes iPhones, and also the possibility that Apple Silicon computers are not gonna be products to frown upon. Starting with iPhone there’s been numerous reports that this year’s iPhones will be delayed for obvious reasons but, the analyst that once predicted there wouldn’t be delays is now confirming it. According to him, the supply chain has gone back to normality on an impressive level, way ahead of the expectations and the report claims that this may put Apple in a position where they will be able to launch the new iPhones in their typical mid to late September frame. Now, Ming Chi Kuo did report a couple of months ago that we still might get a delay due to the mmWave variants so we still might get all the phones announced in September but not launched at the same time. Speaking of Kuo, he put out a report a couple of days ago where he said the Apple Silicon plans are kind of epic. Apple plans to launch the redesigned iMac in Q4 of this year. He says that this will be one of the first two ARM Macs that Cupertino plans to release in the fall with the second one being a 13in MacBook Pro. In the meantime, Kuo expects Apple to refresh the current Intel based iMac in Q3 but it is unclear if that model will feature the new design.
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Android TV may soon be able to recognize your exact voice
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A new feature has been spotted in the teardown of Google Search app v4.2 for Android TV. The future update can bring deeper integration of the Google Assistant, including the Voice Match feature.
The said feature is said to maintain separate profiles for each user who share the same Assistant devices like smart displays and speakers in a household. When you come the Assistant a command, it will use Voice Match to respond to you with personalized results and help.
With Voice Match, multiple users can use the Google Assistant, which will provide results specifically for them. As of now, triggering the voice assistant on Android TV will only personalize the results according to the user that is signed in. The new feature could be announced alongside the new dongle soon.
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Google testing low-latency gaming mode for its upcoming ‘Sabrina’ Android TV dongle
Earlier this month, we had our first look at the renders of Google’s upcoming Android TV streaming dongle that is codenamed ‘Sabrina‘. Now, fresh information extracted from the firmware files by XDA-Developers indicates that the upcoming device might also support a dedicated low-latency mode for gaming.
Within a pre-installed system application called “SabrinaService”, there is a reference to a feature called “allm.” ALLM stands for Auto Low Latency Mode and it is an HDMI 2.1 feature that allows a gaming console, PC, or other devices to automatically enter a low-latency mode in order to provide a lag-free and uninterrupted experience for gaming, video conferencing and other scenarios.
To describe it in simple words, the Sabrina Android TV dongle will automatically enable a low-latency mode when it is connected to a compatible smart TV with a native low-latency mode of its own. And now that Google Stadia can be installed on an Android TV (sideloading it, not officially), it appears that Google’s upcoming streaming device might be the first to come with Stadia support.
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