ZTE’s U.S. technology ban could leave it without access to Android

ZTE could be banned from using Google’s Android operating system as a result of announcement made on Monday, April 16 that banned it from using U.S. technology for the next seven years.

The ban came following allegations that the Chinese company knowingly made false statements to U.S. officials regarding its sale of American technology to Iran. While ZTE chose to settle with the U.S. government over the issue, it emerged that the company had lied to officials about the disciplinary actions taken against staff, even going so far as to reward some employees for illegal actions. As a result, it is now illegal to sell or supply U.S.-based technology to ZTE — and critically for the Chinese company, that could include the Android operating system.

This is an especially large issue for ZTE — if you’re not using an Apple iPhone as your daily driver, then chances are you’re using an Android device. Android powers a staggeringly huge portion of the mobile market, with some sources putting the Google OS’s market share at almost three-quarters of the market, with most of the rest being dominated by Apple’s iOS. If ZTE were to lose access to the Android operating system, it would give the firm very few options in operating systems, with mobile operating systems outside iOS and Android taking up less than 1.5-percent of the market. One option for ZTE might be to reach out to Samsung for the Tizen operating system — but that OS is limited in apps and reach.

In contrast, while the impact on ZTE of this ban would be crippling, the blow to Google would be fairly minimal. While still a manufacturer with respectable sales numbers, ZTE is far from being a major player within the Android ecosphere, and the loss of ZTE’s presence wouldn’t even scratch Google’s mighty visage. Bloomberg reports that ZTE’s lawyers are currently in talks with Google officials regarding the ban and how to proceed going forward. ZTE has stated that it is assessing the full range of implications this decision has on the company. We have reached out to Google for comment.

Suspicion towards Chinese tech companies like ZTE and Huawei has intensified as of late, with the U.K. recently announcing that ZTE phones could pose a risk to national security, while both companies have been singled out as risky by U.S. intelligence agencies, and this is likely the reason why many U.S. carriers and sellers have cut ties with Huawei.

Editors’ Recommendations

• American companies are banned from selling to Chinese smartphone maker ZTE
• ZTE and Huawei respond to intelligence agency warnings over security risks
• Huawei to refocus its efforts on other markets in the face of U.S. roadblocks
• Xiaomi plans to launch its smartphones in the U.S. by the end of 2018
• Report: Best Buy has broken ties with Huawei and will no longer sell its phones

France is making its own WhatsApp clone in response to surveillance fears

prykhodov/123rf.com

France is building its own alternative to WhatsApp for French government officials, after concerns that foreign agents could use other services to spy on communications.

The messaging app is being built using free-to-use code from the internet, and will be heavily encrypted. The data centers will be located in France itself, where the French government can assure their safety and take steps to bolster its defenses wherever needed. Around 20 French government officials are currently testing the app, according to a French spokeswoman, and the aim is to have use of the service mandatory for all government employees by the summer.

While a large portion of modern messaging apps use end-to-end encryption to secure conversations from outside agents, there has been a rising tide of opposition from governments who feel they should be allowed access to certain messages in order to better protect national interests. Brazil took on chat giant WhatsApp over encryption in 2016, while another chat service, Telegram, has recently been banned in Russia because of the developers’ refusal to allow access to chat logs.

This particular case is likely much more relevant to France’s interests, as President Emmanuel Macron is apparently very fond of the chat app. While encryption has stayed secure on most chat apps, it’s clear that France isn’t willing to bet its data safety on that status quo.

“We need to find a way to have an encrypted messaging service that is not encrypted by the United States or Russia,” the spokeswoman said. “You start thinking about the potential breaches that could happen, as we saw with Facebook, so we should take the lead.”

Also likely to be central to the development of the new app are the growing concerns of data safety following the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. WhatsApp has been owned by the social media giant since 2014, and the scandal has heavily impacted Facebook’s reputation for security. The data-based scandal became so serious, of course, that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was summoned to testify before the U.S. Congress. WhatsApp also has a checkered past when it comes to data security, with hackers having accessed sensitive data, and having broken into private group conversations.

With data safety and security becoming increasingly relevant in our modern world, don’t expect France to be the last country to take these sorts of steps.

Editors’ Recommendations

• What does Grindr’s acquisition by a Chinese company mean for users?
• Hackers seize Atlanta’s network system, demand $51,000 in Bitcoin as ransom
• From the doctor to the DMV, blockchain can make governments swift and secure
• Tech companies pledge to not help governments pull off cyberattacks
• Governments are stepping in to regulate social media, but there may be a better way

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review, 7 months later: A great phone that nobody should buy anymore

Samsung’s stylus-toting flagship holds up well but has been entirely replaced by the latest Galaxy S.

The Galaxy S9+ gets all of the focus right now, but we must remember Samsung has another big flagship that was hot stuff just a couple months ago: the Galaxy Note 8. I wrote my review of the Note 8 just over 7 months ago, and since using a couple other big-name flagships and Samsung’s latest, I’ve come back to the Note 8 to see how it stands with some age and a fresh software update to Oreo.

Samsung’s tick-tock release strategy spacing out the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines every year always puts each one in an odd predicament every six months, but in this case it’s extremely pronounced. With the Galaxy S9+ on the scene, the Note 8 has effectively zero addressable market now — here’s why.

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Lots to like

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 What I still love

Look, this is a $950 phone that came out just over half a year ago — it’s still going to feel fresh, modern and capable. And the Note 8 absolutely does. Partially due to the Galaxy S9 launching with a relatively unchanged design language, you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything in that respect with the Note 8 — it’s sleek, simple and beautiful. It’s also surprisingly robust: mine just recently survived a nasty 4-foot drop onto tile with nothing more than a scuff in the frame’s paint.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the Note 8’s hardware is still great. And the display is top-notch.

It also still has a headphone jack, which instantly keeps it relevant to so many people, and also has some fan favorites like wireless charging and an SD card slot. Outside of signing the odd PDF I come across or annotating a screenshot I really haven’t been able to work the S Pen into my Note 8 usage, and I think stylus importance as a whole is regularly overestimated, but of course this is still the absolute best stylus experience on any phone if you need it. Samsung knows it has a certain set of users who will buy each and every Note because they’re tied to the stylus workflow — I just question how big that market is.

The Note 8’s screen is still amazing and a core strength of this phone. I’ve never found a situation in which it wasn’t bright enough to get the job done, and it even manages to get dim enough to not be bothersome at night (with some help from the blue light filter). Not that I expected any, but I don’t see any sort of screen defects like dead pixels, banding, discoloration or burn-in. It’s all great, and this is still a top-of-the-industry display.

But that’s all old news. We know the Note 8’s hardware is great. The big change Note 8 owners have experienced is the update to Android Oreo. Note 8 owners didn’t have to endure a full year before their update like Galaxy S8 owners did, but it still took a while. My expectations were tempered entirely by using the Galaxy S9+, so I knew what to expect — and thankfully, the experience of using a Note 8 on Oreo is near-identical to that of the GS9+.

Oreo is good, and I haven’t experienced bugs or slowdowns like so many previous Samsung updates.

This isn’t a dramatic departure from Nougat, especially considering the Note 8 already had some features not found on the GS8 series, but this still feels modern and is of course the newest software Samsung has to offer. It has all of the same shortcomings of duplicate apps and mountains of settings, but we expected that. Oreo didn’t bring any changes to the S Pen experience, which honestly doesn’t feel like it needs anything changed just for the sake of change, nor did it add some of the superfluous GS9 features like AR Emoji, but I see no huge loss there.

Performance is still great after the Oreo update, and my Note 8 hasn’t fallen back into its pattern of odd slowdowns and general jankiness that I found a couple months in. Samsung’s updates are particularly notorious for dramatically changing performance and arriving with bugs, and so far that hasn’t been the case here.

In daily use you’d be hard-pressed to find an area where the Galaxy Note 8 was slower than the Galaxy S9+, though perhaps you’d notice small changes in load times and multitasking if you set the two side-by-side for some synthetic testing. I certainly never felt like I was missing out on something when using the Note 8 on Oreo, and happily kept using it even though I could’ve bailed back to the Galaxy S9+ at any moment.

The GS9+ bests the Note 8’s camera overall, but this is still a great pair of shooters.

The Note 8’s cameras may not be top-of-the-line anymore since Samsung really stepped up its game with the Galaxy S9+, but it the older phone still deserves credit for the high overall quality. Extreme low-light shots won’t match the GS9+, but daylight shots, mixed lighting scenes and zoom photos are indistinguishable to my eyes — though it’s worth noting the Oreo update didn’t seem to make any improvement on Live Focus portrait shots. Looking at the great photos I’ve taken with this phone, this is still one of the better cameras available today, even if it’s been bested by Samsung’s latest.

A couple things faded

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 What I don’t like

7 months in, there isn’t too much to complain about with the Galaxy Note 8. Using the Galaxy S9+ the past few weeks has made it even clearer that I can’t stand the fingerprint sensor placement on the Note 8. It’s just downright too hard to reach, and useless for the notification swipe-down gesture. And that extra bit of screen size and its slightly blocky shape make it just that much tougher to handle and use in one hand compared to the latest Galaxy S. But these are things I found after a week of using it.

The Note 8 was never a strong battery performer, but Oreo added an extra question mark.

The only issue I have with the Note 8 that has changed since I first reviewed it is the battery life, which has taken a downward trend since being updated to Oreo. To be clear my battery life wasn’t exactly fantastic before, just merely average — but since grabbing Oreo to my U.S. unlocked model, I’ve had a couple days with very basic usage and under 3 hours of “screen on” time that hit 5% battery in under 12 hours. On Oreo, I’m good for roughly 16-17 hours of usage now no matter what I really do throughout the course of the charge. Anything even slightly intense, like hopping into Android Auto for 20 minutes or streaming video, takes a big chunk out of the battery.

Could this be fixed in a future update? Maybe, but don’t hold your breath.

On one hand it’s not uncommon for new updates to flip some bits incorrectly and cause odd battery drain, but this also isn’t exclusive to my phone. Chatter on Twitter, in our forums and on Reddit points to many Note 8 owners that are seeing battery life drop-offs after the update, all pointing to high “Android System” use as the culprit. There are theories about how to “fix” this, but I’m skeptical considering that my Galaxy S9+ battery life, with a larger battery and the same Oreo software, is also pretty weak. Suffering from the same bug? Perhaps. But it’s just as likely that this is just what a modern Samsung phone with Oreo gets out of a battery of this size.

Surprisingly, the glass back of my Note 8 has held up far better than my Galaxy S8’s has — albeit with months less of use, and more time spent in a case. But it definitely isn’t in mint condition, and as I continue to use it I simply watch its glossy exterior pick up cosmetic damage. Watching these shiny phones gradually pick up scratches with use is just part of the deal now — the best you can say is the Note 8’s body hasn’t aged any worse than expected.

No longer the best

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 7 months later

The Note 8, with the new Oreo software on board, is a really good phone that feels modern and worth the money even in April 2018. The latest software hasn’t slowed down like Nougat did for me, the hardware still looks and feels great, the screen is fantastic, and the cameras are very capable. The only things that really haven’t aged well on the Note 8 are the fingerprint sensor placement and the battery life — complaints we had from Day 1.

The Galaxy S9+ is the best Samsung phone available — only serious stylus users should consider a Note 8.

But the Note 8 doesn’t exist in a vacuum, even in Samsung’s own lineup. And because of that, I can’t come up with any reason why you’d buy the Note 8 today. For as solid and modern as it feels, there isn’t anything the Note 8 does better than the Galaxy S9+, save for the exclusive S Pen — and yet, the GS9+ is less expensive and has its own set of improvements and better features. The Note 8 is still $960 from Verizon, $960 from Sprint, $950 from AT&T and $870 from T-Mobile. That’s too much in a world where the Galaxy S9+ is $50 to $100 less.

Anyone who has had a Note 8 for months can still feel proud of it. In the past 7 months, the smartphone world hasn’t advanced beyond it. It feels fast, modern, powerful, feature-packed and capable. But for anyone looking to buy a big, expensive smartphone today, the Galaxy S9+ is Samsung’s sole front-runner — and unless you know you need a stylus, there’s no reason to buy the Note 8.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy S8+
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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Is the Pixel 2 a good phone for former iPhone users?

Our forum members sure do think so.

Switching from iOS to Android (or vice-versa) is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience. Checking out a new mobile operating system often requires a big learning curve, but for some people, it’s one of the best decisions you can make after using the same OS for years on end.

One of our newer members to the Android Central forums is currently using an iPhone 6S, and they’re thinking about upgrading to the iPhone 8 Plus or making the jump to the Google Pixel 2 XL.

A decision like this isn’t made lightly, and a lot of our other members were quick to respond with their thoughts on the matter. Here are some of the top responses.

DesertTwang
04-17-2018 06:54 AM

“

I, too, made the switch from an iPhone 6, and got the Pixel 2. I was nervous as well about making the switch, especially after my last Android experience, which was horrible (Galaxy S3). But ever since I’ve had my Pixel 2, I love my smartphone again and never once looked back.

If you, like me, already are using a bunch of Google apps and services, the integration is pretty amazing. Fur…

Reply

LeoRex
04-17-2018 07:32 AM

“

I’ve been using Google’s phones since the Nexus 5 and personally will not get phones from other marks for my personal use… I’ve dealt with Samsung’s and LG’s and I’m done with the headaches…

That being said, there really isn’t a ton to distinguish between the pixel 2 and the 8+ to be honest… Both are excellent phones to use… Fast, reliable, etc.

The Pixel’s camera is universally…

Reply

ajb1965
04-17-2018 04:33 PM

“

I have the 2XL and the iPhone X. I am writing this right now on my Pixel 2 XL. nuff said 🙂

I also had the iPhone 8 plus before the X. I can say that the cameras on both phones are amazing, but I prefer the XL shots over the iPhone. I do a lot of outdoor photography and I tend to get a lot of blue dot lense flair from the X. indoors they are about equal.

No quality issues with mine….

Reply

cbreze
04-17-2018 12:42 PM

“

I think both are excellent phones. I have one of each and find it harder and harder to stick with the iPhone and find myself using the P2 for longer and longer periods of time. Since both are excellent devices it boils down to which OS I want to be using and Android wins as it is so much more flexible which equates to a better experience overall. The iPhone is in a drawer and has assumed back up…

Reply

There’s plenty more to say on this subject, so we’d now love to hear from you – Do you think the Pixel 2 is a good upgrade from the iPhone 6S?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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ZTE banned from using U.S.-based hardware or software in its products [Update]

In other words, ZTE’s smartphone business in the United States may be coming to an end.

Updated 4/18/18 – Things just got even worse for ZTE. According to someone familiar with the matter at hand, ZTE’s access to using Android on its mobile devices may be revoked. Alphabet is reportedly in talks with ZTE about the impact of the ban that was announced on Monday, and while a decision on this front hasn’t been met yet, this isn’t a good position for ZTE to be in.

The United States government has been heavily targeting China-based technology companies throughout all of 2018, and the latest move from the Department of Commerce is a particularly large blow against ZTE. On April 16, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. issued a Denial Order against the company that essentially kills its smartphone business in the U.S.

Per the order –

[ZTE] may not, directly or indirectly, participate in any way in any transaction involving any commodity, software or technology exported or to be exported from the United States.

According to the Ross, Jr., the order is being issued in response to ZTE illegally sending telecommunications equipment to North Korea and Iran. ZTE agreed to a criminal and civil fine of $1.19 billion in 2017, and in addition to this, said it would fire four of its executives and either reprimand or cut back bonuses of 35 other workers. ZTE did fire the four execs, but it failed to institute any punishment for those 35 employees.

ZTE made false statements to the U.S. Government when they were originally caught and put on the Entity List, made false statements during the reprieve it was given, and made false statements again during its probation.

Going back to the Denial Order itself, this has the potential for huge repercussions against ZTE. For starters, it prevents the ZTE from buying hardware components from companies like Qualcomm and Intel. Secondly, and perhaps even more damning, also makes it impossible for Google to license any of Android’s apps/services to ZTE.

Shortly after the order was issued, the National Cyber Security Centre also reached out to the United Kingdom’s telecom entities saying that using any services or equipment provided by ZTE would be a national security risk.

Per Dr. Ian Levy, the Centre’s technical director –

It is entirely appropriate and part of NCSC’s duty to highlight potential risks to the UK’s national security and provide advice based on our technical expertise. NCSC assess that the national security risks arising from the use of ZTE equipment or services within the context of the existing UK telecommunications infrastructure cannot be mitigated

Where in the world does ZTE go from here? The company may still have a chance at redeeming itself in the UK, but as far as the U.S. goes, that’s a much different story. A ban of this magnitude is effectively a death sentence for ZTE’s US smartphone operations, so this could very well be an end of an era.

No matter where you live in the world, what’s your take on all this?

ZTE’s apparently making a phone with two notches because of course they are

Amazon made a lightweight browser for India, and it’s fantastic

Amazon’s lightweight web browser is designed for low-powered devices.

Amazon introduced the Kindle Lite app late last month, offering a similar experience as the full-fledged Kindle client for a fraction of the size. Now, the retailer has rolled out a lightweight web browser dubbed Internet, which comes in at just 2MB and takes up just 26MB of storage space on your phone.

One of the key highlights with Amazon’s browser is a private mode, which is essentially the same thing as Chrome’s incognito mode. The homepage has a trending news section that refreshes every few minutes, with stories ranging from entertainment to sports (with a focus on cricket updates), and current events.

The homepage also has links to popular sites, including Amazon, Cricbuzz, Facebook, BookMyShow, and Twitter. Local handset maker Intex’s site is also listed here for whatever reason, and it’s likely Amazon has inked a deal with the manufacturer to pre-install its browser on Intex’s phones.

The browser comes with a download manager as well (a must-have for markets like India), and while the default search engine is Bing, you can change it to Google from the settings. The URL for the Play Store listing suggests the codename for the browser is Garuda, who in Hindu mythology is considered to be the god of flight (he’s also associated with speed, which is what Amazon is going for here).

Amazon’s lightweight browser is perfect for entry-level devices.

As for the browser’s performance, it obviously runs fine on devices like the Nokia 7 Plus, and it was just as fluid on the few entry-level phones I tested it on. It truly shines on low-powered hardware, and it would’ve been the ideal browser for the likes of Nokia 1, HMD’s first Android Go phone. However, the browser isn’t compatible with Android Go just yet, and hopefully that will change once it officially launches.

The browser went live sometime last month, and it has over a hundred installs — likely from Amazon employees dogfooding the app. TechCrunch spotted the listing yesterday, and it’s likely we’ll see Amazon make a formal announcement very soon. For what it’s worth, Amazon undertook the same strategy with the Kindle Lite app: it was available for download on the Play Store for several weeks before the retailer officially announced it.

With the launch of Kindle Lite and now a lightweight browser, Amazon is expanding its ecosystem efforts in India. The Amazon Prime subscription in India is the best deal in e-commerce today, with an annual membership costing just $15 (₹999) in the country.

Prime subscribers also get unlimited access to Prime Video, and Amazon recently rolled out Amazon Music in the country, giving customers the ability to stream millions of songs for free. With its foot firmly in the door when it comes to music and video streaming, it now looks like Amazon is set to increase its presence in India by introducing lightweight apps tailored for budget phones.

Download Amazon Internet from the Play Store (free)

The future of Android TV is less hardware, more YouTube TV

Take the Chromecast and make it smarter, maybe with a remote control for those in need.

We’re rapidly approaching that time of year where we hear more about what Google wants the next stage of its platforms to look and feel like. While all eyes are focused on the next flavor of Android on phones and tablets (and maybe even Chromebooks) you can bet Google is going to continue its efforts in the living room. While Google’s Chromecast platform continues to be explosively popular, Android TV has yet to find the same groove.

If Google is going to grow the living room experience into something more than just a phone-controlled platform, I think a combined hardware and software refresh is in order.

A box you hide behind the television

Chromecasts are responsible for a lot of industry firsts, but the one big “feature” you see everywhere now is to dangle a dongle off the HDMI port behind your television so no one can see the wires. The ability to connect a USB cable to a port on your television so it could power the original Chromecast wasn’t recommended, but it was effective as a “set and forget” device. Fast-forward to today, and HDMI dongles from Roku and Amazon are aggressively pushed as alternatives to the ridiculously popular Chromecast family of products.

Just be a really good streaming box I never have to look at or think about, but know it’s there when I need it.

If this works with a Chromecast, why not Android TV? We recently saw news of such a dongle passing through the FCC with a giant G across the body, and I think that’s the right way to go with this platform. For those Android TV users who don’t need 1TB of local storage attached for media or games, a 4K dongle with access to all of the Android TV apps is all you really need. Just be a really good streaming box I never have to look at or think about, but know it’s there when I need it.

I’m one of those people who is perfectly happy to use my phone to control my Chromecast at all times, but I know plenty of people who want a good ol’ fashioned remote control to navigate all of these experiences. Fortunately, the Android TV “lean back” UI is already really good at this. Set up this now-invisible Android TV box so HDMI controls flip to that input when I press a button on the remote, and maybe a separate toggle to flip back to the previous input when I’m done, and I can see a lot of people being very happy with this experience.

But really, what a new Android TV device needs more than anything else is a compelling price tag. For what I use Android TV for, most of these boxes are too expensive. I think the NVidia Shield Android TV player is great for what you get, but I don’t need another game console. With the 4K Chromecast Ultra priced at $70, I think Google could make some real headway with an Android TV box priced at around $80-$90. With Apple’s TV box ringing in at $150 and Amazon’s Fire TV available for $70, Google could own this middle ground with a few extra compelling features. It would also be cool to see Google take a page from Amazon’s playbook and offer a bundle with an HD antenna included for cord cutters, but keeping it all under $100 is the key I think.

Blow me away with software

Google’s “lean back” UI does a great job offering big buttons with easy-to-read text and some great auto-play capabilities, but it’s time for Android TV to become a whole lot smarter than it is right now. If Android TV is going to be seen as a step above the Chromecast, it needs to feel like a unified experience and actually deliver on some of the promises we’ve heard from all of the connected box companies over the years.

I want a single UI for all of the shows I watch across all of these services, something Google gets closer than most to pulling off when set up correctly. Give me the list of shows I am watching, and pull the latest episode from whichever app has it. I don’t need to be taken to the Hulu app to choose from a list of options. I want to turn on my TV, see the next episode of The Flash is ready to watch, and immediately start watching it as soon as I hit play. The “lean back” UI from Google gets close to this already, I’d like to see it get a little smarter to keep the momentum going.

Google has a unique opportunity here to make YouTube TV do some things it can’t do elsewhere.

Any mention of a new Android TV is going to include Google Assistant, and I’m very excited by this. Google’s current efforts to control a Chromecast through Google Home is admirable, but not quite as functional as it could be. Basic things like movies I have rented in Google Play are frequently difficult for Assistant to find, and I want the next wave of Android TV to fix this. With deeper access to the titles and shows I say are important to me, I’d like Assistant to not only be better able to recognize shows when I ask for them but also be able to tell me when I’m not at home and ask what new shows are available.

Finally, I think Google has a unique opportunity here to make YouTube TV do some things it can’t do elsewhere. It would be cool to see YouTube TV interact with an HD Antenna through YouTube TV, and treat this secondary input the same as streaming video from the paid service. If I have access to channels through my HD Antenna that I can’t get on YouTube TV, I would like to be able to watch those channels from everywhere and maybe even have access to Cloud DVR for those channels. It also wouldn’t suck to be able to flag certain Cloud DVR recordings for different family members, maybe with notes attached so when my spouse sits down to watch something there’s a little pop-up from me saying something positive about that episode.

Eager to see more at Google I/O

If the FCC teaser we got last week wasn’t enough to assure we’re going to see something Android TV related at Google I/O, the “What’s new with Android TV” session on the first day of the conference seals the deal. As for when we will see these new things out in the real world, who knows! Google may take to the stage and say a new Android TV box is at your local Best Buy right now, like they have done in the past. On the other hand, it could be these new gadgets and the accompanying OS updates are going to be made available alongside the next major Pixel release.

What do you want to see in Android TV? Share you thoughts in the comments!

Huawei will stop focusing on the U.S. following security setbacks

After months of pushback, Huawei’s reached its breaking point.

After months of setbacks over security concerns from the U.S. government, Huawei has finally reached its breaking point. During a meeting in its home of Shenzhen, China, Huawei agreed that it’ll be shifting its focus and resources to other markets outside of the States.

During the meeting, rotating CEO Eric Xu said –

It is beyond myself to clearly explain what is going on between the two countries.

Huawei’s troubles began this January when its plans to launch the Mate 10 Pro on Verizon and AT&T were thwarted after the U.S. determined the company was a national security threat. AT&T was later urged to stop its commercial relationship with Huawei, and in February, the FBI, NSA, and CIA began telling American consumers to not buy Huawei phones.

Huawei’s done fighting with the U.S. government and its mistrust of the company.

Best Buy then succumbed to the pressure in March by announcing it’d stop selling Huawei phones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, and all Honor devices, and while Huawei’s other CEO, Richard Yu, said the company would continue its efforts in the U.S., it looks like the company’s finally had enough.

Along with Huawei, ZTE’s also been faced with just as much pushback in the country. The Department of Commerce issued a seven-year ban on April 16 preventing ZTE from using any hardware or software that’s exported from the U.S., and on April 18, it was reported that Alphabet was considering revoking ZTE’s Android license.

This recent attack on China-based telecommunication companies has been in full force throughout most all of 2018, and it doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon.

Whether you live in the U.S. or somewhere else in the world, what’s your take on this?

Why does the U.S. government mistrust Huawei and not ZTE or Lenovo?

Clean your house, your driveway, and more with this $102 Greenworks 1950 PSI pressure washer

Your cleaning needs more power.

The Greenworks 1950 PSI 13 Amp 1.2 GPM Pressure Washer is down to $101.99 on Amazon. It normally sells for around $182, and this drop is one of the best we’ve ever seen.

This sale is part of Amazon’s Gold Box deal of the day. There are several different attachments for the pressure washer on sale as well, like this $15 25-foot hose attachment. There’s also a smaller pressure washer on sale for $58.12, but it’s more of a backpack than a pushable machine.

The main pressure washer has a heavy-duty 13 Amp induction motor capable of 1950 PSI and 1.2 GPM. It comes with a 25-foot high pressure hose and 35-foot electric cable. It also has soap tanks, 40-degree nozzles, wand, and a low-pressure foam sprayer. Users give it 4.2 stars based on 152 reviews.

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Best Android apps for your Chromebook

An injection of over 1,000,000 Android apps does a great job filling in the holes in Chrome.

A few Chromebooks already have Android apps through Google Play. More are scheduled to get them, and most new Chromebooks will ship with the Play store working from day one. Android app support has also been announced for several Chromeboxes and the Chromebit. It’s a slow process, but it is happening.

Android apps will change how you use your Chromebook. They have already changed things like how much storage is enough or how useful a touchscreen is on a small laptop. They fill a void that many people needed to be filled before they would purchase a Chromebook because they needed support for a particular app or just wanted a bigger selection. Android apps also help when developers that have a Chrome app aren’t offering the same feature set as the Android equivalent. They’ll also expose more people to Chrome OS which will make native Chrome apps even better because developers will need to pay more attention to it. Android apps on Chrome are good no matter how you look at it.

Of course, some apps fill that void better than others. Here is the best of the best when it comes to Android apps for your Chromebook.

The best Chromebooks you can buy

Infinite Painter

If your Chromebook has pen support, you need to try Infinite Painter. Even if you aren’t the artsy type you’ll appreciate just how well it works.

The tools and features you expect are there, layers, filters and effects, transformations, you name it. But what sets Infinite Painter apart are the brushes and how they work with the different paper textures available. We expect things to look and feel different when using different textures and Infinite Painter does it better than anyone else.

Download Infinite Painter (free)

Slack

You might not use Slack, but you probably should. It’s a cross-platform service where you can chat with friends or co-workers with necessary features like private chats (including private group chats) and voice/video calls. You can even program bots for your channel(s). We use it here at Mobile Nations as our primary way to communicate.

And the Android version of the Slack App is great! It’s far better than the native Chrome offering and runs flawlessly in its own resizable window on your desktop. It’s also integrated perfectly and notifications come in the same way all your Chrome notifications do. Slack is the first icon I click when I open the lid on my Chromebook.

Download Slack (free)

Quik

Quik is a great lightweight video editor built for Android phones and tablets. It’s not a replacement for Final Cut Pro X or Sony Vegas or any other professional-level video editing environment nor does it pretend to be. But it is a really easy way to build a very nice video from a bunch of short (or long) clips.

Quik is from GoPro and works great with GoPro footage through the Android app or from the GoPro Plus service. But it can also pull videos from your gallery or Google Photos or Facebook until you hit the 75 clip limit. The editor has automated tools for things like smart cuts and highlights, but you can also do everything by hand. It’s free, so why not check it out?

Download Quik (free)

Pocket Casts

There are ways to manage your podcast feeds via the web or through Chrome, but none of them are half as good as Pocketcasts.

Pocketcasts is one of the best ways to download and listen to the latest episodes from all of your podcasts on Android, and it works the same way on your Chromebook. You can let your list play in the background while you’re doing anything else, and a click in the notification tray brings up media controls if you need to skip ahead or backward. It’s also a good bit cheaper than the web version, though it’s worth just as much.

Download Pocket Casts ($2.99)

Unclouded

Now that you can use the Unclouded app for Android you have a way to access all your stuff in the cloud.

Chromebooks work really well with Google Drive. With a fast connection, it’s just like working in an office where folders are on a central server but integrated into your files, too. If you use Google Drive for all your stuff you’re set. But most of us use other services, too. Unclouded will put Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Mega into its file explorer and you can open, download, upload and whatever just like you were working on a PC with an app from the company.

Just be careful you don’t download everything if you have a Chromebook with limited storage.

Download Unclouded (free)

Firefox

You can’t install another browser built to run on Chrome OS, but you can install one built to run on Android.

You can sync with other devices running Firefox, have the same privacy settings that you have on any other version of Firefox, and can use the same extensions across every installation. You can run the Android version of Firefox full-screen and set things to always serve the desktop page instead of mobile.

Chrome is a great browser. But it’s not the only great browser.

Download Firefox (free)

Microsoft Office

Microsoft may be struggling in mobile, but they rule the roost when it comes to the basic productivity tools we call an office suite.

Google Docs works great for most people. But Microsoft’s offerings for Android do, too. You can install Word, Powerpoint, and Excel for Android on your Chromebook and get the same app you would have on a full-sized Android tablet. Which means they are pretty darn good. In fact, it’s better using them on your Chromebook because you have a keyboard every time you open them. They still backup your documents to the cloud so your files are available from anywhere, and they’re hundreds of dollars less than the versions for Windows or Mac — free.

• Download Microsoft apps (free w/ subscription)

Almost every app in Google Play will run on a Chromebook that has the Play store enabled. Be sure to tell everyone what apps you’re using on your Chromebook that fill your app gap so we all can check them out!

Update, April 2018: Made sure the best apps were featured and added Infinite Painter for Chromebooks with Pen support.

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