Top Android stories of the week (August 19th)
The amount of Android news each week can be overwhelming, but you can follow the best of the best with an app called EarlyBird – News for Android. It includes ALL of the Android news you crave and lets users decide what matters most to them.
Last week, EarlyBird received a BIG UPDATE. You can now subscribe to topics so you never miss stories about your favorite things! Download the app on the Google Play Store or, for desktop users, find related discussion in the Android Forums News section.
Here’s what you picked as your favorite news stories for the week:
#10 – App & Game Sales
42 likes – Every week there are quite a few apps and games that go on sale via the Play Store. This week is no different and the sales include apps such as Backdrops Pro ($0.99) and Battery Widgets Reborn 2016 ($1.49). Some of the games included are Final Fantasy VI ($11.00) and Templar Assault RPG Elite ($0.99).
#9 – Duo Review Simplicity
43 likes – Now that Duo has been released, the reviews have started piling in. The Wall Street Journal published its review of Duo and said that the app is extremely simple to use, but doesn’t have the features needed to make people switch from Skype or Hangouts.
#8 – Google account hacked
43 likes – Quentyn from Phandroid fell victim to a series of hacks over various accounts and tells us the necessary steps that were needed to re-secure those accounts. He also recommends activating two-factor authentication on any services that offer the feature to keep your accounts safe.
#7 – Chrome Google Now Tab
44 likes – Google Chrome Dev was recently updated on the Play Store and features an interesting new take on the “New Tab” web page. With the new update, users can now see various pieces of information from Google Now nestled below the favorite websites section. Apparently this feature is also found within the Chrome Beta app, but it’s not nearly as stable.
#6 – YouTube Video Previews
44 likes – An editor from Polygon found a new feature while browsing YouTube on the desktop. It seems that Google is working on a new feature that allows users to preview YouTube videos before clicking on them. All you need to do is mouse over the video and you will see various clips played in succession.
#5 – Doubled Battery Capacity
45 likes – Battery life seems to be the last sore spot for many smartphone users, as it just never seems to be good enough. Some MIT researchers have claimed to help with this issue as they have discovered a new way to double the capacity of lithium-ion batteries without adding any extra bulk. The researchers also state that this technology could come to our smartphones sometime in the next year.
#4 – HTC Nexus FCC
48 likes – We’re nearing the official release of Google’s next Nexus devices, and there have been plenty of rumors surrounding the Marlin and Sailfish devices. Earlier in the week, two Nexus devices passed through the FCC, but the only pieces of information that were gained from this approval were the manufacturer, HTC, and the ability to be used on all US carriers.
#3 – Duo Review Game Changer
49 likes – Android Police published its full review of Duo after its release, and stated that although the app doesn’t do anything revolutionary, Duo is still extremely simplistic to use. Due to the simplicity, the review states that this will make people want to use video calls more often.
#2 – Android Nougat battery life
50 likes – Android Nougat is expected to be released within the next week or so, but Jerry from Android Central takes a look at how the latest version of Android will provide better performance and battery life. The biggest points coming with Android Nougat are the changes to Project Svelte and Doze Mode to increase the general experience.
#1 – Google Play Charts
52 likes – Trying to find the best apps has been a pain on the Play Store for sometime. Users would have to scroll past all the top games to find good apps, and that caused some “diamonds in the rough” to go unnoticed. Now, it seems that the Play Store has an easier way to discover each separate category by splitting up the top charts between apps and games.
What’s YOUR top news item for the week?
Disagree with the Top 10? Let us know in the comments and vote for yourself everyday by downloading EarlyBird on Google Play!