Top Android Stories of the Week (October 21st)
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.
EarlyBird has recently received a huge update that allows you to subscribe to specific 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 – Android 7.1 Nougat Developer Preview
47 likes – Google has released the first Android 7.1 Nougat developer preview for the owners of the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C. The build is different than that of the Pixel and Pixel C as it does not include Google Assistant system-wide.
#9 – Microsoft Speech Recognition
47 likes – Microsoft has announced that its speech recognition technology can transcribe spoken words as well as humans. The Artificial Intelligence and Research team also announced that the new system features an error rate of 5.9%.
#8 – Google Stock Rises
47 likes – After reviews of the Pixel and Pixel XL were released, Alphabet’s stock rose to an all-time high of $828 per share. Most reviews gave the devices raving marks, and Google’s Rick Osterloh told Bloomberg that Google would continue manufacturing its own hardware on yearly basis.
#7 – Pixel Fingerprint Swipe Notification Gesture
49 likes – The Pixel and Pixel XL feature a unique gesture tied to the fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device. Owners of the devices are able to easily swipe on the sensor and reveal the Notification Shade, however, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X owners are unable to do this. Luckily, there is a new app which enables this feature for non-Pixel devices.
#6 – Google Wallpapers App
49 likes – After releasing the Pixel Launcher application onto the Play Store, Google also released its new Wallpapers application. Unlike Pixel Launcher, the new Wallpapers app is compatible with all devices running at least Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
#5 – Google Clock Update
50 likes – Google has updated its Clock application to version 4.6 and adds app shortcut capabilities for Android 7.1 Nougat. The update also now ensures that any timers are saved even after the device is rebooted.
#4 – Android 7.1 Notification Panel
52 likes – The notification panel in Android 7.1 Nougat now allows you to set 6 shortcuts in the top bar. Previously, in Android 6.0 Marshmallow and Android 7.0 Nougat, you could only set 5 different shortcuts.
#3 – Google Maps Update
53 likes – The latest update to Google Maps now adds a traffic widget to help you keep track of the current status for any upcoming travels. In the APK Teardown, Android Police also found that there may be a new feature in the future which shows you how busy certain destinations are.
#2 – Google Keep Update
56 likes – A new update to Google Keep has introduced a long-awaited feature: the ability to “pin” notes. This feature is rolling out to users in droves, so it will only be a matter of time before it arrives on your devices.
#1 – Android Wear Smartwatches
61 likes – The Google Pixel and Pixel XL are receiving so much high praise that the company may choose to go the same route with 2 new Android Wear smartwatches next year. The report also suggests that Google will be dropping the “Android” portion of its moniker in favor of naming the software, “Wear”.
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!