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    Wednesday, September 30, 2020

    Android The Vivo V20 is the first phone to launch with Android 11 out of the box

    Android The Vivo V20 is the first phone to launch with Android 11 out of the box


    The Vivo V20 is the first phone to launch with Android 11 out of the box

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:23 PM PDT

    I used Samsung Dex to see if it could replace my computer. Here are my thoughts after 2 weeks.

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 05:21 AM PDT

    Hey guys,

    When I first learned about Samsung Dex, I got super excited. Could this really be the future of computing? I asked myself that question. And then the reviews came out saying it's not worth it and I never bothered to give it a try.

    About a month ago, while researching the Note 20 Ultra, I came across the improvements Samsung had made over the years. So, I decided to buy a Note 20 Ultra and give Samsung Dex a shot. After using Samsung Dex over the past couple weeks, here are my thoughts.

    edit: I also made a video documenting some of my experience here. I covered all major points in the video, so if you're interested in how I set it up, I'd suggest watching the video (not monetized, so no ads).

    Setting up Samsung Dex

    Setup was incredibly easy. I use a Macbook Pro that only has USB C input, so I had an HDMI to USB C cable laying around. That's all that was needed to start using it. I plugged the cable into my phone and Samsung Dex turned on in a few seconds.

    User Interface and Experience

    Samsung did a pretty good job with the user interface overall. Everything is nicely laid out and the overall feel is very similar to Chrome OS. I was able to connect my Apple mouse and keyboard pretty easily and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a lot of the shortcut keys worked with Samsung Dex. I could adjust the brightness, volume, and playback controls directly from the keyboard.

    In terms of issues, I had a couple. For some reason, the scroll gesture didn't work on my Magic Mouse and I experienced slight lag while typing things. Both things can easily be fixed with a software update I believe.

    I also like that Samsung lets users navigate by using the phone as a trackpad. It worked beautifully and I was quite impressed by the different gesture options Samsung provided.

    Browser

    I work in marketing, so a lot of my time is spent working in Google Docs and Sheets. Samsung did a great job optimizing their browser to provide a desktop like experience. I was able to access the desktop versions of almost all websites I commonly visit without any issues. I was able to use Google Docs without any issues and everything worked well. If you are using dark mode, I'd recommend switching to light mode as dark mode changed white backgrounds to black in the browser.

    To test the functionality further, I completed forms and tried downloading and uploading files using the browser. Everything worked quite nicely and I was able to upload files without any issues in most places. For some reason, Google Drive wouldn't let me drag files to upload, which was an interesting quirk.

    One of the biggest surprises was the number of tabs I could keep open on this thing. I opened 13 tabs while having a couple more apps open in the background and it was able to handle that very easily. None of the tabs refreshed while I was testing this, which is something even my iPad can't do. It really shows the importance of having more RAM in the phone.

    In terms of functionality, I'd say the browser is about 70% there. There were a few things that disappointed me. I wasn't able to play anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime through the browser and the apps didn't work in full screen. I hope Samsung fixes it in a future update. For Dex to really become a computer replacement, Samsung will need to make sure it's able to replicate the experience fully and that includes video content and browser extensions.

    Apps

    While not every app is optimized for Dex, I was pretty happy to see extensive support by developers. Almost all Microsoft and Google apps are optimized for Dex, which was great to see. Also, if an app isn't compatible with the Dex, you can use Dex Labs to resize the windows, which adds a bit of flexibility. It's not perfect, but it bridges the gap somewhat.

    Due to 12gb of RAM, I was able to keep a lot of apps open. It was great to be able to use Spotify in the background while working on some documents.

    One of the things I was very excited to use Dex for was multimedia, so it was a bummer to see that Amazon Prime Video and Netflix weren't optimized for Dex. I couldn't get those app to launch in full screen even with Dex Labs. On the bright side, Google Play Movies worked perfectly. So, if you are looking to watch movies through your phone, I'd suggest downloading your content or watching through Google movies.

    It was also nice to see some games work pretty well on Dex. I tried Asphalt and it worked perfectly even with my Apple Keyboard. You can definitely game on this thing using a controller and have a console like experience.

    Final Thoughts

    I think Samsung really has something special in Dex. It's not perfect by any means, but it's really good and it's something I'd love for them to improve over time. I can truly see this form factor being the future of computing.

    Samsung Dex can't replace a PC/Mac yet, but I'm pretty optimistic that it'll be able to in the future.

    submitted by /u/imzaeem
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    Here’s what the new Chromecast’s Google TV software looks like

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 02:34 PM PDT

    Over a Billion Android Devices No Longer Supported by Security Updates

    Posted: 30 Sep 2020 03:57 AM PDT

    Google Messages app tests categorizing your conversations to reduce text message clutter

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 03:30 PM PDT

    Hey r/Android! Join us on r/GooglePixel tomorrow at 11 am PDT for Google's Launch Night In.

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 03:04 PM PDT

    The new EU law will force companies to let you uninstall pre-loaded apps

    Posted: 30 Sep 2020 04:02 AM PDT

    Separately, Brussels wants large platforms to let users uninstall any pre-installed apps on devices such as smartphones and personal computers, according to the draft, which is in its early stages.

    Finally, no more Facebook and all the other shit that comes along

    Full article

    submitted by /u/Blackbird1251
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    Pixel 5 rear cover is made from 100% recycled Aluminum, Gorilla Glass 6 on the front - Roland Quandt on Twitter

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 08:23 AM PDT

    Google Phone app testing Caller ID announcement and auto-deleting Call Screen transcripts

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 03:28 PM PDT

    Customize More and Connect Better With the Updated Good Lock App

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:42 PM PDT

    Verizon LG Wing available October 15, preorders start October 1, $999.99 retail

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 10:45 AM PDT

    [Jon Prosser] : Late night Pixel 5 leak

    Posted: 30 Sep 2020 02:09 AM PDT

    New Jersey Official COVID-19 contact tracing app live on Google Play

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 04:45 PM PDT

    Google Maps Dark Mode UI

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 07:39 AM PDT

    It seems like Google is rolling out dark mode for normal Maps UI with dedicated option to change the theme according to device's theme.

    Google Maps UI

    Settings Option

    Google Maps Version: 10.51.1

    submitted by /u/BrokenFuckenArm
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    Krita for Android - Second Beta released for 4.4

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 09:32 AM PDT

    Motorola Razr 5G arrives in the US: The cheapest foldable on the market.

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 06:07 AM PDT

    Xperia 5 ii - Five Good, Five Bad, for Sony's New Phone | Juan Bagnell

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 02:29 PM PDT

    OnePlus 8T Pro not coming this year, new Nord phone in the works

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 04:38 AM PDT

    /e/OS redefines the mobile operating system paradigm for a more sustainable world

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 08:36 AM PDT

    Using apps like Facebook in android 10 and 11.

    Posted: 29 Sep 2020 04:37 PM PDT

    Hey,

    I know lots of people don't like using native app like Facebook/Messenger/Instagram due to privacy issue or that it drains more battery but after android 10 and 11, you can pretty much control what these app can use (app permissions) or restrict background battery usage.

    What is your thought on this? will you go back to using Facebook/Messenger with restricted permissions and battery usage or you think it doesn't do enough?

    submitted by /u/limbuhimal
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