Samsung Galaxy S10: News, Rumors, Release Date, Specs, and More!

2019 is going to be the year of Samsung.

Samsung’s Galaxy S phones always give us something exciting to look forward to at the beginning of each year, and 2019 officially marks the 10-year anniversary of when the first Galaxy S flagship was released.

Similar to what Apple did with the iPhone X, we’re expecting the Galaxy S10 to be truly special. The Galaxy S9 and S8 were both excellent phones, but in honor of such a big anniversary, Samsung will likely pull out all the stops to release a truly special and jaw-dropping gadget.

If you’re ready to learn more about the Galaxy S10 and find out what we could look forward to next February, here’s everything you need to know.

The latest Galaxy S10 news

July 5, 2018 — Samsung may announce the Galaxy S10 after the Galaxy X

Here’s something we weren’t expecting. According to reliable tipster Ice Universe on Twitter, Samsung will announce the Galaxy S10 during Mobile World Congress 2019 in February. While that isn’t out of the ordinary for Galaxy S phones, what Samsung might do just a month ealrier is.

CES2019：Galaxy XMWC2019：Galaxy S10

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 4, 2018

In January at CES, we’ll officially be introduced to the long-awaited Galaxy X. This is the foldable phone we’ve been hearing about for years, and should this turn out to be true, this would probably allow Samsung to easily dominate the first half of next year.

June 27, 2018 — ISOCELL Plus technology could result in big camera improvements for the S10

Samsung’s long been one of the top players when it comes to smartphone cameras, and on June 27, the company announced its latest innovation in mobile photography — ISOCELL Plus.

ISOCELL Plus can capture considerably more light than Samsung’s traditional ISOCELL sensors (first introduced in 2013), with Samsung touting as much as 15% greater light sensitivity. Perhaps even more impressive, Samsung notes that ISOCELL Plus “also enables image sensors to equip 0.8-micrometer (µm) and smaller-sized pixels without any loss in performance, making it an optimal solution for developing super-resolution cameras with over 20 megapixels.

It’s not explicitly said that ISOCELL Plus will be present on the Galaxy S10, but I’d be surprised if Samsung didn’t include it on next year’s phone.

All the important details

How many versions is Samsung going to launch?

For the past four years, Samsung’s launched two models of its Galaxy S series:

• 2015 — Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
• 2016 — Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge
• 2017 — Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
• 2018 — Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus

With the Galaxy S10 in 2019, Samsung is expected to shake-up its formula by releasing three different models at the same time — codenamed Beyond 1, Beyond 2, and Beyond 3.

Beyond 1 and Beyond 2 will be similar to older S flagships with the former having a flat screen while the other has Samsung’s iconic curved display. Beyond 3 is where Samsung’s putting all the marbles, with things like a larger screen and triple camera system on the back.

When will the Galaxy S10 be released?

Perhaps the biggest question on your mind is “When will I be able to buy the Galaxy S10?”.

Save for the Galaxy S8 that was announced at its own special event, Samsung usually unveils its Galaxy S flagship phones during Mobile World Congress each year.

MWC 2019 is scheduled to take place between February 25 and 28 in Barcelona, and there’s a good chance that’s where we’ll get our first look at the S10. To back up this thought, reliable leaker Ice Universe said on July 5 that the S10 will be unveiled at MWC — just a month before the Galaxy X.

As for when you’ll be able to purchase the S10, it should officially launch around two or three weeks from when it’s announced. Should Samsung decide to reveal the phone during MWC, that’d place it with a launch date of around early-March.

How much will the S10 cost?

When it comes to price, that’s where things could get interesting next year.

Samsung’s only ever released one or two variants of its S flagships at a time, such as the S7/S7 Edge, S8/S8 Plus, etc. However, as noted above, the Galaxy S10 series will likely consist of three different phones.

This could result in vastly different pricing across all models, and depending on how you look at things, that’s either a dream come true or a nightmare.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a starting price of $720, and my guess is that the lowest-end Galaxy S10 will come in with a similar or slightly lower price of around $650-$700. The mid-tier S10 will probably cost a bit less than the S9+ at $800-$820, whereas the highest-end variant may very-well sell for $999.

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How to take a screenshot on the Galaxy Note 8

Learn it now, use it forever.

Being able to take a screenshot is one of the core competencies of using a smartphone. With the Galaxy Note 8 a screenshot becomes even more crucial, with its S Pen giving you all sorts of options for marking it up. Going a step further, the phone actually gives you a few different ways to capture a screenshot, whether you want to grab a small section of the screen, the whole screen, or even more than what you currently see. Here’s how to do every kind of screenshot on the Note 8.

How to take a one-page screenshot

Taking a single screenshot of your entire screen is simple enough. Samsung gives you two ways to do it.

Screenshot using a key combination

Open the content you wish to screenshot.
At the same time, press and hold both the power button and volume down button for two seconds.
You’ll see the screen flash, and the screenshot will briefly appear on the screen.
The screenshot will be instantly shareable, but also remain in your notifications and Gallery for sharing later.

Screenshot using a palm swipe

Open the content you wish to screenshot.
Place your hand vertically along the left or right edge of your Note 8, and swipe in from that edge with your hand touching the screen.

• If this method doesn’t work, check Settings > Advanced features to enable “Palm swipe to capture.”

You’ll see the screen flash, and the screenshot will briefly appear on the screen.
The screenshot will be instantly shareable, but also remain in your notifications and Gallery for sharing later.

Capture more

No matter how you initiate your screenshot, after capturing you’ll briefly see a set of options at the bottom of the screen, including “scroll capture.” This “scroll capture” button makes the phone scroll through the content shown on your screen and take multiple screenshots, which are automatically stitched together into one long screen showing everything together. This is particularly useful for capturing a full webpage, a set of directions or a long restaurant menu online.

Just tap “scroll capture” as many times as you want, and as soon as you’re done you can share, edit or save the screenshot just like any other.

Take a screenshot with the S Pen and Screen Write

If you’re inclined to take a screenshot and then get to work on it with your S Pen, you can do just that.

Open the content you wish to take a screenshot of.
Take out the S Pen to launch Air Command, tap on Screen Write.
The screen will flash and capture a single screenshot.
You’re now instantly taken to an editing pane, where you can write on the screen with the S Pen.
In the top toolbar, you’ll see options to change the color of your pen, enable an eraser and undo/redo your strokes.
When finished, tap Crop, Share or Save to complete your work.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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Everything that’s new in the OxygenOS Open Beta

Wondering what’s new in the latest Open Beta? You’re in the right place.

There are a lot of reasons to like OnePlus phones, but one aspect that’s remained since the beginning is the excellent software experience they offer. All OnePlus phones now run OxygenOS, and if you want to test out new software features before anyone else, you can sign up for the OxygenOS Open Beta.

OnePlus updates the Open Beta quite frequently, with each new version including bug fixes, security patches, and feature galore.

To make sure you never miss a beat, here’s everything new in the beta right now.

July 3, 2018 — Project Treble and a new UI come to the OnePlus 5 and 5T!

Open Beta 13 and 11 for the OnePlus 5 and 5T is rolling out to users now, and it certainly sounds like one of the most exciting upgrades we’ve seen in a while.

Right off the bat, this Open Beta brings Project Treble support to both phones. This is the new update system from Google that allows for much faster turnaound times with new software, so it’s great to see that it’s making an appearance with the 5 series.

OnePlus highlights a “brand new user interface” that changes the appearance of the Phone app, settings, power menu, and more. The UI is still recognizable as OxygenOS, but the subtle visual improvements are a welcome touch. Even more exciting, there are now considerably more pre-made accent colors to choose from and you can finally customize your own colors to your exact liking.

Here are some of the other goodies you’ll find:

• Improved search tags in the app drawer.
• A “New installs” category tag in the app drawer.
• Improved app list for hidden space and toolbox.
• Optimized log for the contacts page (Phone app).
• Brand new design + improved user experience for the Weather app and all forecasts are now integrated under a single interface leading to a fully immersive experience.

As always, Open Beta 13 and 11 are rolling out to users incrementally right now and will expand to everyone enrolled in the beta over the next few days.

June 13, 2018 — OnePlus 5/5T and 3/3T get June 2018 Android security patch and camera enhancements

There’s a new Open Beta in town for the OnePlus 5, 5T, 3, and 3T! Here’s what you need to know!

For all four phones, you’ll get the June 2018 Android security patch and bug fixes for the OnePlus Switch app.

Specifically for the 5 and 5T, there’s “camera clarity improvement and optimizations to reduce ‘oil painting effect.’”

How do you install the Open Beta?

If you’ve got a OnePlus phone, enrolling in the Open Beta is fairly simple.

You’ll need to manually download the latest available version for your device from OnePlus’s website and sideload it, but once you do this, any future versions will be sent to you as over-the-air updates.

Harish wrote up a step-by-step guide walking you through the whole process, and I highly recommend checking it out to ensure nothing goes haywire.

How to install the OxygenOS Open Beta on your OnePlus phone

What phones are supported?

Right now, the list of phones supported by the OxygenOS Open Beta include:

• OnePlus 3
• OnePlus 3T
• OnePlus 5
• OnePlus 5T

The Open Beta isn’t available for the OnePlus 6 quite yet, but that should be changing in the very near future.

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

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How to allow extensions in Incognito mode on your Chromebook and why you want to

Sometimes being incognito just isn’t enough.

Chrome’s Incognito mode is a great thing. It won’t hide who you are on the internet but it does keep all traces of the websites you’ve visited out of your Google account and local browser storage.

Sometimes, you want to keep those cookies and trackers from being stuck to you and your account. Reasons range from looking at porn to using a computer on someone else’s account to sneaking around the five per month limit at some major news outlets. All reasons are valid if it’s what you want (or need) to do.

You can take this one step further if you need to by adding some necessary extensions to incognito mode. Your Chromebook is pretty safe from malicious things actually being installed, but things like web beacons and trackers can still try to keep tabs on you. And even Incognito mode can’t stop the piss-poor ads that end up getting put everywhere. But extensions can. Here’s how easy it is to do.

More: Best Chrome apps and extensions

You don’t need to install anything special or enable any settings or flags to run extensions in Incognito mode. You just need to have them installed and trust that the people who developed the extensions themselves aren’t collecting data they shouldn’t be. Google is pretty tough on the latter, and extensions you get from the Chrome Web Store are limited to the data they actually need.

To enable an extension in Incognito mode:

• Open the extensions page by entering chrome://extensions/ in the Chrome omnibar.
• Find the extension you want to enable in incognito mode.
• Check the box that says Allow in incognito.

Be mindful of the warning — an extension can store data from an incognito browsing session even if the browser itself can’t. This data might also have a trail of where you visited and the things you clicked on. It won’t have any data about who you are, what your Google account is, or anything else that can personally identify you.

More: Best Chrome extensions to protect your online privacy and security

Once you’re done, the next incognito session you open (control + shift + n opens a new incognito window) will have the extensions you selected active. Now your private browsing can have the same features as your normal browsing.

Update July 2018: Added links for the latest extensions you might want to use when browsing in incognito mode.

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Foxconn Expected to Assemble Bulk of 2018 iPhones

Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will assemble the majority of Apple’s widely rumored trio of new iPhones expected to launch in 2018, according to the Taipei Times, citing research from Fubon Securities.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai, will reportedly assemble all of the second-generation iPhone X, 90 percent of the so-called iPhone X Plus, and 75 percent of an all-new, lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone.

Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron is said to fulfill the remaining orders:

Hon Hai has been selected to assemble the bulk of the new iPhones, including all of the premium 5.8-inch OLED model and 90 percent of the 6.5-inch OLED phones, as well as 75 percent of the 6.1-inch LCD model, with the remainder given to Pegatron, the report said.

Wistron, another Taiwanese manufacturer, will not assemble any of the new 2018 iPhones, according to the report.

Fubon Securities predicts that the 6.1-inch iPhone will be priced around $799 in the United States, and use nearly all of the same materials as the iPhone 8 Plus, at an estimated cost of $275 to Apple.

Last month, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said all three new iPhones will be both announced and made available to order this September. In a previous research note, he indicated that Apple has resolved the manufacturing challenges that resulted in the iPhone X’s delayed launch and supply shortage.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: Foxconn, Wistron, Pegatron
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Ming-Chi Kuo Says 2018 iPhone Lineup Will Have New Colors, Including Gold, Red, Blue, and Orange

Apple is widely rumored to release a trio of new iPhones in 2018, including a second-generation iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch version dubbed the iPhone X Plus, and an all-new 6.1-inch model with some iPhone X features, but not all, at a lower price point of around $600 to $700 in the United States.

While the current iPhone X is limited to Space Gray and Silver, well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes at least two of the new iPhone models in the 2018 lineup will be available in additional colors.

In a research note with TF Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the second-generation iPhone X will be available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, while the 6.1-inch model is said to come in a wide array of colors, including red, blue, orange, gray, and white.

An excerpt from the note:

We expect the demands for the new 6.5″ OLED iPhone will be better than iPhone X because of similar or lower price but with larger display, dual-sim dual-standby (DSDS), and three possible casing colors (black, white and gold).

The new 6.1″ LCD iPhone is expected to boost better-replacement demands than iPhone 8/8s did due to being equipped with full-screen, Face ID, selling price lower than $700 USD, DSDS and five possible casing colors (grey, white, blue, red, and orange).

The current iPhone X was already expected to come in gold, but Kuo previously said Apple faced manufacturing challenges with the color, likely related to difficulties anodizing the stainless steel frame to be gold.

We know that Apple did at least prototype a gold iPhone X, as seen in regulatory photos it was required to submit to the FCC prior to the device launching last year. The photos were filed in September 2017, but weren’t visible until April 2018, when Apple’s confidentiality period expired.

It’s reasonable to assume that Apple has figured out how to mass produce the iPhone X in gold, so there is little reason to doubt this rumor.

In terms of the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone, it also makes sense that it could be available in a rainbow of colors like one of its lower-priced siblings of the past, the plastic-backed iPhone 5c. The red finish would likely be part of the (PRODUCT)RED initiative supporting the elimination of HIV/AIDS.

Kuo has a respectable track record in terms of outlining Apple’s future plans. This is his third Apple-focused research note with TF Securities, where he began working earlier this year after a long stint at KGI Securities.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: Ming-Chi Kuo, TF International Securities
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CanguRo the transforming robot wants to take you places and be your buddy

CanguRo takes its name from the Italian word for kangaroo, but this particular robot prefers to roll than hop.

Unveiled this week in Japan, the three-wheeler is part autonomous assistant and part self-driving mobility vehicle.

It’s the creation of Shunji Yamanaka from the University of Tokyo and Takayuki Furuta of the Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo) at Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan Trends reports.

As an assistant, CanguRo can follow you around, carrying heavy loads such as shopping to your home. But if your legs get tired and you’d prefer not to walk, a tap on the accompanying app will prompt the robot to quickly transform into a mobility vehicle that’ll transport you to your destination at a gentle speed of 6.2 mph (10 kmh).

Although it can drive autonomously using mapping and positioning data as well as image recognition technology, manual control is also possible, with the rider able to control the speed with a throttle, and the direction by leaning left or right. While in manual mode, a smart-stop feature will take over if a hazard is detected up ahead.

“With this machine, we aim to realize a complete fusion of robot technology and mobility,” Furuta told the Japan Times at the unveiling event this week.

CanguRo is still being developed — the team is currently working on giving it speech capabilities to offer the user a much more personal experience. Indeed, judging by the kind of friendly looks CanguRo receives from the lad in the video (above), turning the machine into a kind of robot buddy appears central to future development work.

The video shows CanguRo tootling along with the guy, who then hops on for a leisurely ride to nowhere in particular. Next, he tries out its autonomous mode by using the app to send it by itself to another location a short distance away. The video ends with the guy riding CanguRo in a sports hall filled with lots of bouncing basketballs. No, we’re not sure what that has to do with a mobility vehicle, either.

A growing number of companies are looking into the idea of developing small robot transporters, with Honda, for example, recently unveiling several concept designs. Among them is the awkwardly named 3E-B18, a single-seat mobility vehicle for casual use in indoor or outdoor spaces, while the 3E-C18 (it doesn’t get any better, does it) is a small-sized, wheel-based electric machine that also includes a small cargo space.

If you like the look of CanguRo and you happen to be in Los Angeles over the summer, you’ll be able to catch it in action at Japan House, an exhibition center showcasing Japanese products and culture.

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Watch as the U.K.’s defense secretary gets ‘heckled’ by Siri during a speech

Apple’s digital assistant left a leading member of the U.K. government red-faced on Tuesday after it unexpectedly piped up during a speech he was giving to lawmakers in the British parliament.

Perhaps a little too keen to offer help, Siri interrupted a statement that defense secretary Gavin Williamson was giving to the House of Commons about the situation in Syria.

Evidently keeping his phone in always-listening mode, Apple’s digital assistant should really only have responded upon hearing “Hey, Siri.” But, with his iPhone in his pocket, it seems the word “Syria” prompted the assistant to spring into action.

As Williamson addressed lawmakers, Siri got back to the defense secretary with its findings, with the response picked up by the Commons’ microphones: “I found something on the web for Syria, Syrian Democratic Forces supported by coalition … ”

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson ‘heckled’ by Siri at the despatch box https://t.co/CQlxXm5KAa pic.twitter.com/RFHDK91lL1

— ITV News (@itvnews) July 3, 2018

Speaker John Bercow was quick to respond, describing the unusual happening as a “very rum business” (an archaic term for “odd”) as the defense secretary scrambled to switch off his iPhone.

“I do apologize for that,” a sheepish-looking Williamson said, adding, “It is very rare that you are heckled by your own mobile phone.”

He then asked the Speaker if could proceed, “without the help and support of Siri.”

Williamson later tweeted that the gaff was “one of the pitfalls of having a new iPhone … I must ask my 13-year-old daughter how to use it!”

But some people questioned whether it was wise for a defense secretary to be going around with a phone that had voice recognition software switched on all the time.

A source close to Williamson later insisted that having Siri switched on did not pose a security risk, adding that defense secretary did not take the phone into confidential or sensitive meetings.

A similar though more serious incident occurred in May when Amazon’s Alexa assistant mistakenly recorded a couple’s private conversation and sent it to someone on their contact list.

Always listening?

In a piece about whether our smartphones are indeed listening to us the all of the time, Digital Trends’ Simon Hill points out how “the internet is rife with anecdotal stories about digital eavesdropping,” noting that “many people feel that conversations they’ve had within earshot of their phones have been used to tailor advertising.”

Both Apple and Google keep recordings of users’ conversations with their respective digital assistants, though Apple deletes files after two years and says it only uses them to improve the product.

To see your Google history, log in to your account and type history.google.com/history into your browser’s address bar. You’ll see all of your activity on Google’s various services, among them Chrome, Search, and YouTube. Tap Filter by date & product at the top, choose Voice & Audio, and select Search. Any voice searches you’ve made on Google will be listed, and you can even play them back.

Want to prevent your phone from always listening for the keyword — whether “OK Google” or “Hey Siri” — that activates its assistant? On Android, go to Settings > Google > Search & Now > Voice and turn off “OK Google” detection. For iPhone, go to Settings > Siri & Search and toggle “Listen for Hey Siri” to off.

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What is dual 4G LTE, and why should you care?

Dual 4G LTE lets you use two 4G connections on your phone.

Dual SIM connectivity is a must-have in Asian markets, particularly India, where cellular plans are extremely affordable. The arrival of Jio has catalyzed the market like never before, with the entire industry reducing rates to stay competitive. For instance, my Airtel plan currently costs ₹499 ($7.30) for three months, and I get 2GB of 4G data per day, unlimited calls, and 100 texts a day. That comes out to ₹166 per month ($2.4) for 60GB of 4G data.

Jio is just as affordable, with the carrier offering 1.5GB of 4G data per day, 100 daily texts, and unlimited calls for 3 months at just ₹449 ($6.55). The carrier also includes free subscription to its slate of digital content services with each plan.

I used cellular plans as the preface of this story as it gives context into the current state of the Indian telecommunications sector, and it also allows me to segue into the crux of the post: dual SIM connectivity.

With the country offering some of the lowest cellular data rates anywhere in the world, dual SIM usage has skyrocketed over the course of the last year, particularly following the launch of Jio. The carrier gave away free data for the first six months of operation in a bid to attract customers, and the strategy worked: Jio now has over 190 million subscribers, and is the world’s largest data network.

Dual 4G LTE enables 4G connectivity on both SIM cards.

Until last year, most phones that came with dual SIM card slots offered 4G connectivity on just one SIM card, with the secondary defaulting to either 3G or 2G speeds. But that wouldn’t work with Jio, as the carrier doesn’t have any 3G or 2G spectrum, solely relying on 4G connectivity.

Therefore, chip makers like Qualcomm and MediaTek demoed dual 4G LTE last year, and the feature is now a mainstay on phones sold in 2018. As the name suggests, dual 4G LTE enables 4G connectivity on both SIM cards, allowing you to switch between two 4G networks seamlessly.

Dual 4G VoLTE is a subset of the feature, and it allows you to make HD calls from either SIM. So if you have two SIM cards and both facilitate VoLTE, you can choose from either carrier before making a call. Dual 4G LTE relies on Dual SIM Dual Standby, which uses a single transceiver but lets both SIMs be active, facilitating better battery life.

Which phones have dual 4G LTE?

Most phones launched in 2018 offer dual 4G LTE as standard, with Qualcomm baking the feature into its current-gen Snapdragon 600 series and above — the Snapdragon 636, 660, 835, and 845 all offer the feature. MediaTek likewise offers dual 4G LTE in the Helio P60, and HiSilicon’s Kirin 970 also supports the feature, as does Samsung’s latest-gen Exynos chipsets.

Phones running any of the chipsets mentioned above can leverage dual 4G LTE, but here’s a quick list of some of the more popular models available in the market today:

• OnePlus 6
• Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1
• Honor 10
• Huawei P20 Pro
• Honor View 10
• OPPO F7
• OPPO Realme 1

Samsung and Nokia retroactively enabled the feature via an OTA update on the Galaxy S9 and the Nokia 7 Plus, but that only works in a scenario where the chipset supports dual 4G LTE. So it isn’t possible to roll out the feature to an older phone unless it meets the requisite hardware needs.

Best Dual-SIM Android Phones in 2018

Google Assistant: Everything you need to know

There’s a lot going on with the Google Assistant — let’s break down the important stuff.

In May 2016, we got our very first taste of the Google Assistant with the debut of Allo. The Assistant was a big draw to Allo at the time, with Google marketing it as a helpful bot that could make restaurant reservations, search the web, and more within your conversations.

Since then, the Assistant has gained heaps of new features and expanded to smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more. Google’s shown no interest in slowing down development for the Assistant, meaning that it’s likely here for the long-haul.

Whether this is your first encounter with it or you just need a quick refresher, here’s everything you need to know about the Google Assistant.

June 26, 2018 — All Google Home speakers now support Spanish

While users have been able to talk to Assistant in Spanish on their phones, we’re just now getting the ability to do the same on Google Home speakers.

Now, users in the United States, Spain, Mexico and other countries can choose to speak to Google Assistant in Spanish. If you want to change what language Google Home uses, open the Home app on your phone. The tap Settings -> Preferences -> Español.

All Google Home Speakers now support Spanish

June 12, 2018 — Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once

It can get old trying to ask multiple questions to our smart speakers — “What’s the weather” and “How’s my schedule” — but nowGoogle Home can understand up to three commands. Now, you can get your calendar, find out the weather and start playing music by only saying “Okay Google” once.

Another new feature is support for Multiple Actions. So now, instead of asking, “What’s the weather in New York and the weather in San Francisco?”, you can ask, “What’s the weather in New York and San Francisco?” This is a subtle change, but it makes conversing with Google Assistant much more like conversing with a human.

Google Home can now handle up to three commands at once

May 9, 2018 — Google announced a heap of new features at I/O

To little surprise, the Google Assistant was the star of the show for a good chunk of I/O’s opening keynote this year.

A lot of new features were announced for the Assistant, including new voices, the ability to ask follow-up questions without having to say “Hey, Google” each time, and an option for making your own custom Routines.

However, the most exciting thing was a system called Google Duplex. With this, the Assistant can call businesses and make appointments/reservations on your behalf. It’s wickedly cool and definitely one of the wildest things to come out of this year’s conference.

What’s new in Google Home and Assistant at Google I/O 2018

Google Now paved the way for Google Assistant

The Google Now page compared to the new Google Feed.

Before there was the Google Assistant, we had Google Now. Google Now was introduced to the world all the way back in 2012, offering contextual info through the Google Now page and helpful answers to random questions with an “OK Google” voice command.

A lot of what made Google Now so great can still be found in the Google Assistant today, with the exception of the Google Now page. The Google Now page used to be home to cards showcasing the weather, information on packages that had shipped from online orders, boarding passes, and more. It’s since been replaced by the Google Feed – a collection of news stories Google thinks you’ll be interested in – and it’s definitely the biggest departure between the two services.

The Google Assistant as a whole is still more powerful than Google Now ever was, but long-time Android users like myself are still mourning the loss of that Now page. RIP, old friend.

Read more: Google Now is being left to wither and die as Google Assistant takes the focus

It’s available on just about everything

In just a few short years, the Google Assistant’s gone from being exclusive to a now-failed chat app to being integrated into just about anything you can think of.

You’ll find Google Assistant built right into most Android phones, it’s the star of the show for the Google Home lineup, and it’s even making its way into sound bars.

Here’s the full list of devices with Google Assistant

Setting up the Google Assistant is as easy or complex as you want

When you set up a device for the first time that has the Assistant, getting started is pretty simple. Accessing it is just a voice command or tap away depending on what gadget you’re using, but if you want to really fine-tune your experience, Google’s got you covered.

Take a quick dive into your Assistant settings and you’ll find options for just about everything – including your weather preferences, changing the Assistant’s voice, retraining your voice model, picking out preferred news sources, and much more.

How to set up and customize Google Assistant

Google Assistant is available in multiple regions and languages

Of course, a smart voice assistant isn’t any good if you can’t actually use it. Fortunately, Google Assistant will be available in 52 countries —adding 38 countries this year — and 17 languages by the end of 2018.

More: Google Assistant will expand to 38 countries and 17 languages in 2018

Google Home’s the premier way to get the Assistant in your house (at least for now)

It’s great to have the Google Assistant on your phone, but if you want to truly experience just how helpful it can be, you’ll want to consider picking up a Google Home.

Google Home is Google’s line of smart speakers that put the Assistant on full-display, allowing you to control smart devices, ask random questions, set timers, play music, and more by just using your voice.

You can spend as little as $49 for the Google Home Mini, $129 for the original Google Home, or a whopping $399 for the Google Home Max.

However, as great as the Home series is, don’t forget that Smart Displays are just on the horizon.

Announced at CES 2018, Smart Displays are essentially smart speakers with the Google Assistant and a touch screen display that can show you helpful visuals when talking to them. It’s basically Google’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, and we can’t wait to see more from them.

Everything you need to know about Google’s Home speakers

Then again, is an always-listening speaker the right fit for your home?

However, the convenience of a Google Home (or any smart speaker for that matter) does come at the cost of privacy. Speakers like the Google Home are “always listening”, meaning they’re constantly on the lookout for a hot word to know when you’re talking to it (such as “Ok, Google” and “Hey, Google”).

This means the microphone on a Google Home is always active, but it’s not necessarily storing all the audio it hears when it doesn’t detect its hot word.

Most all speakers allow you to restore some privacy by being able to mute the microphone, but if you want to start asking the Assistant questions, you’ll need to unmute it first.

To learn more about these “always listening” speakers, I’ll pass the mic over to Jerry

Big upgrades are coming to the Assistant on Wear OS

Switching gears for a second, the Google Assistant on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is about to get a big upgrade.

In the near future, the Assistant on Wear OS will support Assistant Actions (basically apps for the Assistant) and give you the option to hear its responses through your watch’s speaker or a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones.

Along with this, Google will be adding something called “smart suggestions.” After asking the Assistant for the weather, for example, you’ll see little bubbles for “weather tonight”, “use celsius”, and more so you can continue the conversation with just the tap of your finger. Google Assistant on Android offers something similar, and it’s a great tool to have.

IFTTT supercharges the Assistant’s usefulness

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful online tool that allows you trigger something (that) if a certain event (this) happens. You can connect IFTTT to the Google Assistant to create your own recipes using this formula, and it can allow for some incredibly helpful combinations.

Some of our favorite uses for IFTTT and the Assistant include adding contacts to your Google account, setting your Google Calendar status to Busy for a certain period of time, and much, much more.

Getting started with IFTTT can take some time and patience if you’re new to it, but once you’re all set up and ready to go, it can prove to be a lifesaver.

How to connect Google Home and IFTTT to do amazing things with your connected tech

You’ll get the same experience no matter what devices you use

With so many devices capable of running the Assistant, it’d be easy to think that the experience you get on one gadget would be different from another. This is something that Google struggled with for a while at first, but we’re finally in a position where the Assistant experience you get on a smart speaker, for example, is the same you’ll get on your phone.

There are a handful of features here and there that still create for some discrepency, but for the most part, the Assistant you use on your Pixel 2 is the same one found on Google Home.

Google Home and Google Assistant finally offer the same experience

Google Duplex is actually going to be a thing

Google showed off Duplex — Google Assistant making natural-sounding phone calls on your behalf — at I/O 2018, but quickly noted that it was just an experiment. Flash forward a couple months, and Google announced that certain users have started testing Duplex, and a public release will be here in the next few months. Before you know it, Google Assistant will be able to book hotels, dinner reservations, hair appointments and more without you lifting a finger.

More: What is Google Duplex?

Updated July 2018: Added the Google Duplex and language support sections, as well as links to recent Assistant news.