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  • It’s Back! Spectrum TV App Is on Roku

    It’s Back! Spectrum TV App Is on Roku

    Good news for Spectrum and Roku customers, as the Spectrum TV app is once again on the streaming platform.

    Spectrum’s TV app was pulled form Roku’s platform in December, a casualty of the kind of carriage disputes that are common in the streaming TV industry. Existing users could continuing using the app, but new users had no way of signing up or gaining access to it.

    The two companies have come to an agreement, as the app is now once again on Roku.

    “We’re delighted to share that you can now access the Spectrum TV app through your Roku device,” reads Roku’s announcement. “You can now stream Spectrum’s full lineup of live and on demand content by using your existing Charter broadband subscription or by signing up for an account through your Roku device.”

  • Google May Be Preparing a Foldable Pixel Phone

    Google May Be Preparing a Foldable Pixel Phone

    Google’s Pixel lineup of smartphones has never been among the most popular, but a foldable model may be poised to change that.

    Foldable phones are considered to be the next evolution of the smartphone. Smaller models can be carried discreetly much easier, and then unfold into a standard-sized smartphone. Large models, such as a current large smartphone, can be unfolded into a small tablet-sized device.

    Samsung has been the leader in foldable smartphones — at least until now. Google is preparing to enter the market with its own foldable version of the Pixel, if rumors are to be believed.

    The latest Android 12 beta makes reference to four Pixel models: Oriole, Raven, Passport and Slider. Oriole and Raven are the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, according to GizChina and BGR. The “Passport” model, however, is rumored to be a foldable pixel, eventually being named the Google Pixel Fold.

    If the rumors are correct, a foldable Pixel may be just what Google needs to be a serious contender in the market.

  • Have Google Fi? Get $400 Off a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

    Have Google Fi? Get $400 Off a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G

    Google Fi customers, both new and existing, can get $400 off a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G.

    Samsung has been firmly in the lead when it comes to flip phones. While the first generations had some issues, recent models have been winning high praise.

    Google is giving Google Fi customers $400 off a Galaxy Z Flip3, a significant savings from its $999 price. The company outlined some of the details on its site:

    Get up to $400 in savings plus $150 Samsung.com credit with the purchase and activation of a Samsung Z Flip 3 5G from fi.google.com. You will receive the $400 savings in Google Fi bill credit. New Fi customers must transfer (port-in) your number to Fi from your current carrier to be eligible. Users who pre-order and purchase a device by 8/26/21 will also receive $150 in Samsung.com credit if they register in the Shop Samsung app between 8/25/21 and 9/26/21. The Samsung.com credit is valid through 11/9/21.

  • Twitter Reverses Design Update After Reports of Headaches and Eye Strain

    Twitter Reverses Design Update After Reports of Headaches and Eye Strain

    Twitter is reversing design changes after users reported eye strain and headaches as a result of the new look.

    The social media platform rolled out a new font and updated look, but some users were immediately impacted by it — and not in a good way. Headaches and eye strain were reported among people with sensory sensitivities, astigmatism and dyslexia.

    Twitter announced it was reversing the changes in an effort to alleviate the problem.

    It remains to be seen if the rollback is permanent and will apply to all, or if the company will offer users a choice between the old and new look.

  • 5G Fairphone 4 On the Horizon

    5G Fairphone 4 On the Horizon

    A 5G-equipped Fairphone, the Fairphone 4, is on the horizon, marking the next generation of the sustainable smartphone.

    The Fairphone aims to be a smartphone built with more sustainable and responsible parts and labor sourcing. The phone is designed to be easily serviced and repaired, unlike many of the top smartphones on the market.

    According to Android Authority, a “Fairphone 4 5G” was recently certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This would seem to indicate the phone is weeks, or possibly months, away. The filing also indicated the phone will run Android 11 and be powered by a Qualcomm processor.

    The revelations is good news for fans of Fairphone and responsibly sourced technology.

  • HBO Max Will Revamp Smart TV Apps to Fix Issues

    HBO Max Will Revamp Smart TV Apps to Fix Issues

    HBO Max is preparing to revamp its smart TV apps in a bid to fix issues that have plagued the platform.

    HBO Max has quickly become a powerhouse in the streaming TV industry, but that hasn’t translated into a reliable experience for customers. The service has been plagued with issues, from glitchy playback controls to broken subtitles to sluggish performance.

    According to Vulture, a WarnerMedia exec has said the problems are partly the result of rapid expansion, combined with adding an ad-supported tier. As any programmer will attest, adding a major new layer to any platform inevitably opens the door to new bugs and issues creeping in. Add in international expansion to 39 new markets, and the problem gets worse.

    As Vulture points out, the biggest blame, however, lies with the origins of the app itself. Rather than being built from the ground up, HBO Max is essentially a reworked, heavily modified version of older HBO apps, such as HBO Go and HBO Now. The legacy code has contributed significantly to the existing problems.

    The WarnerMedia exec said the company is looking to rectify these issues by rolling out a completely new app, one built from the ground up. It’s a safe bet that’s just what is needed to address the issues and ensure the user experience matches the platform’s impressive content offerings.

  • Lookout TikTok: Reddit Adds TikTok-Style Video Feed to iOS App

    Lookout TikTok: Reddit Adds TikTok-Style Video Feed to iOS App

    Reddit has added a TikTok-style video feed its iOS app, the latest social media company to emulate the popular platform.

    TikTok is one of the most popular and fastest-growing social media platforms, driven by its short, viral videos that have made stars and fortunes. Other platforms have sought to cash in on the trend, and Reddit is the latest to do so.

    According to TechCrunch, Reddit has added a video feed button to its iOS app, just to the right of the search bar. While the company has been experimenting with this feature for some time, this marks an increased effort to make the feed much more prominent than it has been in the past. 

    “Reddit’s mission is to bring community and belonging to everyone in the world, and subsequently, Reddit’s video team’s mission is to bring community through video,” a Reddit spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Over the course of the last year, our goal was to build a unified video player, and re-envision the player interface to match what users (new and old) expect when it comes to an in-app video player — especially commenting, viewing, engaging and discovering new content and communities through video.”

  • ITC Judge Finds Goole Infringed Sonos’ Patents in Preliminary Ruling

    ITC Judge Finds Goole Infringed Sonos’ Patents in Preliminary Ruling

    A judge has dealt Google a major blow in a preliminary ruling, finding the company infringed Sonos’ patents.

    The International Trade Commission (ITC) judge sided with Sonos, in a suit the company brought against Google over its smart speaker patents. Sonos accused Google of abusing the partnership between the two companies to steal its technology.

    Sonos acknowledged this ruling was merely the opening salvo in what is sure to be a long battle. In a statement to The Verge, a Sonos spokesperson said the ruling “is only a first step in a lengthy battle,” but an “important milestone in the ongoing effort to defend Sonos’ technology against Google.”

    Google is denying any wrongdoing, issuing its own statement to The Verge:

    “We do not use Sonos’ technology, and we compete on the quality of our products and the merits of our ideas. We disagree with this preliminary ruling and will continue to make our case in the upcoming review process.”

    Should the ITC uphold the ruling, Sonos is asking for a sales ban against Pixel phones, Chromecasts and Nest Hubs.

  • Spotify Cancels Plans to Support AirPlay 2

    Spotify Cancels Plans to Support AirPlay 2

    Spotify has cancelled its plans to support AirPlay 2, disappointing Apple fans who use the service.

    AirPlay is Apple’s protocol to stream music or video from an Apple device to a compatible speaker, TV or streaming device. AirPlay 2 has a number of advantages over the original version, including Siri integration, lower latency and multi-room support.

    Unfortunately, despite being available for more than three years, Spotify has no intentions of supporting it anytime soon. In a message posted to the company’s community boards, one of the moderators said the company was looking to support AirPlay 2, but decided not to at this time.

    Hello everyone,

    We’ve discussed this Idea internally and while we are working on supporting AirPlay2 in a proper way, we have decided to close it for now.

    The reason for this is that due to audio driver compatibility issues, this seems like a bigger project that we won’t be able to complete in the foreseeable future.

    Please keep adding your votes and comments here and as soon as we have anything new to share, we’ll check back with an update.

    Despite the competition between the two companies, it’s hard to imagine Spotify is hurting anyone but itself. There are many Apple customers that prefer Spotify, but a lack of integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem is a deal-breaker for some.

  • Xiaomi Is Now the Number One Smartphone Maker

    Xiaomi Is Now the Number One Smartphone Maker

    Just weeks after knocking Apple off as the number two smartphone maker, Xiaomi has now overtaken Samsung for the number one spot.

    Xiaomi has been making major moves in the smartphone industry. The company has benefited significantly from Huawei’s recent misfortunes, as the latter’s smartphone business has been sanctioned into near-oblivion.

    According to Counterpoint Research, that has created an opening for Xiaomi to become the top smartphone maker worldwide.

    “Ever since the decline of Huawei commenced, Xiaomi has been making consistent and aggressive efforts to fill the gap created by this decline,” noted Research Director Tarun Pathak. “The OEM has been expanding in Huawei’s and HONOR’s legacy markets like China, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In June, Xiaomi was further helped by China, Europe and India’s recovery and Samsung’s decline due to supply constraints.”

    Samsung will have its work cut out to regain the top spot moving forward.