Qualcomm gets a partial iPhone sales ban in Germany

• Qualcomm was granted a second injunction against Apple in Germany.
• The court determined Apple violated one of Qualcomm’s hardware patents.
• The injunction bans sales of iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models in Germany.

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Qualcomm got another decisive win in its patent battle against Apple today, thanks to a ruling from the District Court of Munich. Because of the ruling, Apple must pull iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its store shelves in Germany.

According to the District Court of Munich, Apple infringed on Qualcomm’s intellectual property for power savings in smartphones. The issue seemingly stems from the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, and iPhone X models using chips from Intel and Qorvo. Qualcomm alleges that the chips use ‘envelope tracking’ to preserve battery, a technology that allegedly violates one of the company’s patents.

The court denied Apple a stay of the injunction. The court also determined that Apple is liable for monetary damages in an amount that will be determined later.

Qualcomm executive vice president and general counsel Don Rosenberg commented:

Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions just in the past two weeks have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm’s patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China.

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Apple’s W1 chip: What is it, and why don’t Android users get a bite?

It’s easy to harangue Apple for its gravitation toward proprietary hardware and near criminal prices — which we do — even we have to admit the Cupertino-based company’s W1 chip promotes a seamless Bluetooth audio experience for …

Qualcomm said the injunction will go into effect once the company posts required bonds in a few days. However, Apple told CNBC that the company plans to appeal the ruling. As a result of the imminent appeal, the injunction will not go into immediate effect.

That said, Apple will remove iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from its 15 retail stores in Germany during the appeal process. The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR are unaffected by the ruling.

Apple faced similar injunctions in China that could ban every iPhone from the iPhone 6S through the iPhone X from store shelves. Apple issued a software update in the hopes of addressing the disputed Qualcomm technology. It’s now up to Chinese courts to determine if the update was enough to avoid the sales ban.

The difference between the injunctions in China and Germany is the disputed technology. In China, the disputed Qualcomm technology is entirely software-based. In Germany, the disputed technology is seemingly hardware-based.

As such, the ruling in Germany might be much harder for Apple to solve.

Source: Android Zone

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Galaxy S10 could have a low-light camera feature similar to Google’s Night Sight

Samsung may be getting ready to compete with Night Sight, the excellent low-light camera feature Google introduced on the Pixel 3 and 3 XL. Samsung’s version could even have a somewhat similar label: Bright Night.

That’s according to a new report from XDA-Developers, who have found mentions of “Bright Night” inside the code for the Android 9 Pie-based One UI beta that launched on the Galaxy Note 9. The Samsung Camera APK in the One UI beta included code strings that indicate Bright Night will be able to take multiple shots of the same scene and combine them to get a brighter image overall.

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Here’s what the Google Pixel 3’s Night Sight camera can do

Update (November 14, 2018, 2:22pm ET): Google is officially rolling out a Camera update that brings Night Sight to all Pixel phones.

Original post (October 23, 2018, 2:57pm ET): Night Sight it just one of the swanky new …

It’s possible the new camera feature could make its debut in the upcoming Galaxy S10, but that it could later be released as a camera update for current phones like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9.

Google’s Night Sight mode has certainly raised the bar when it comes to taking excellent pictures in low-light settings, though Google isn’t the only one trying to improve nighttime photography. Huawei’s P20 and Mate 20 phones have their “Night Mode” low-light camera feature, and both OnePlus and Xiaomi have added “Nightscape” and “Night Scene” modes to some of their recent phone releases. Hopefully we’ll learn more about how Samsung will take on this new low-light camera trend in 2019.

Source: Android Zone

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Rome: Total War finally charges into the Google Play Store

Update, December 20 at 3:43 p.m. ET: Feral Interactive has finally launched the long-awaited Android version of Rome: Total War on the Google Play Store.  The historical RTS game will cost you $9.99/10.99 euros/9.99 pounds up front, but thankfully it does not have any in-game ads or purchases. 

Get Rome: Total War at Google Play

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Original article, November 8 at 3:41 a.m. ET: One of the best historical real-time strategy games of all time is finally making its way to Android devices. Rome: Total War, which was first released by its original developer The Creative Assembly for the PC in 2004, will make its Android debut sometime this winter.

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15 best strategy games for Android

Strategy is among the oldest game types in human history. Whether it’s chess, board games, or even some card games, we’ve been playing strategy games since long before there was ever a computer. Strategy games …

Feral Interactive, which released the Mac version in 2010 and launched the iOS version of the same game in 2016, will also handle the duties for the Android port as well. Feral has already issued a warning in its press release (via Droid Gamers) that the Android version of Rome: Total War will only be supported on a limited number of devices.

Rome: Total War was the third game in the Total War series of historical RTS titles from The Creative Assembly. It has since become one of the most critically acclaimed games in the RTS genre, thanks in part to its huge real-time battles that featured hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of units on screen at once. It combines these RTS conflicts with a turn-based campaign map as you try to take over the ancient Roman Empire.

Feral says the Android version will feature intuitive controls made for touch screens, along with a UI that will allow players to successfully wage their campaigns in ancient Rome.

According to Feral Interactive, the following devices officially support Rome: Total War:

• Google Pixel
• Google Pixel XL
• Google Pixel 2
• Google Pixel 2 XL
• Google Pixel 3
• Google Pixel 3 XL
• HTC U12 Plus
• Huawei Nexus 6P
• Huawei Honor 8
• Huawei Mate 10
• Huawei Mate 20
• LG V30+
• Motorola Moto Z2 Force
• Nokia 8
• OnePlus 3T
• OnePlus 5T
• OnePlus 6T
• Razer Phone
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy S8
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• Samsung Galaxy S9
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
• Sony Xperia Z5 Dual
• Sony Xperia XZ1
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
• Xiaomi Mi 6

Devices that run Android 7.0 Nougat or later, have 3GB of RAM, and use the Snapdragon 810, Kirin 950, Exynos 8890, or Helio P20 will not meet the “standard of performance, graphics, or stability required for official support.

Source: Android Zone

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Holiday Deal: Mint Mobile offers 3 months of service for $20

This year for the holidays, Mint Mobile is offering 3 months of service for only $20. That’s $40 less than the normal price for this plan, which includes unlimited talk, unlimited text, and 5GB of LTE data.

Get this deal

Okay, sure. What’s the fine print?

Actually, there’s not much! Here’s the full breakdown:

• This deal began on November 22 and is only here for a limited time — the deal ends January 1, 2019.
• If you decide that Mint isn’t for you at any point during your first week, then you can collect a full refund.
• Cannot combine this offer with any other offers.

No real strings or ‘gotchas.’ Straightforward, high-quality deals are kind of what we’ve come to expect from Mint.

So what exactly is Mint Mobile?

Mint Mobile is a T-Mobile MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). Basically, that just means it piggybacks off T-Mobile’s network and you can use any unlocked smartphone compatible with T-Mobile. Furthermore, if T-Mobile has solid coverage in your area, then you can expect the same coverage from Mint.

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Best prepaid phones (May 2018)

There was a time when prepaid was a carrier status maintained almost exclusively by young people and often the ‘credit challenged’. After all, prepaid phone plans were generally less impressive than carrier plans with too …

Not sure if your phone is compatible with Mint? Click the Bring Your Own Phone link at the top of the page to find out!

What is particularly nice is that Mint Mobile is the only T-Mobile prepaid subsidiary that sells its plans in multiple-month batches.

If you decide to give Mint Mobile a try, you can click the link below to grab 3 months of service for $20. The deal will only be available until January 1, so don’t delay! 

Get this deal

Up next: Get a free Samsung TV when you buy a Galaxy phone on T-Mobile

Source: Android Zone

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Deal: Save 30 percent on Anker’s Soundcore audio products on Amazon

Anker might be best known for its portable chargers, but the company also dabbles in audio with its Soundcore line of products. Four of those products are 30 percent off today as part of Amazon’s featured deals.

The products that received the 30-percent discount are the Soundcore Space NC Wireless, Soundcore Flare+, Soundcore Motion B, and Soundcore Spirit X. The $68.99 Soundcore Space NC Wireless is a pair of noise cancelling headphones that features touch controls, 20 hours of wireless noise-cancelling listening, and 50 hours of wired noise-cancelling listening.

The $69.99 Soundcore Flare+ is a portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers 360-degree 25W sound. The speaker also features LEDs at the bottom, 20 hours of battery life, and IPX7 certification for water immersion up to one meter depth for 30 minutes.

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Best tech gifts for any budget

Christmas is just a week away now! While you’ve probably already finished up most of your shopping, maybe you’re a last-minute buyer – like some of us here at Android Authority. With that in mind, …

The $25.19 Soundcore Motion B is also a portable Bluetooth speaker that features dual drivers and 12W of sound. It also features 12 hours of battery life and the same IPX7 rating as the Soundcore Flare+.

Finally, the $27.99 Soundcore Spirit X is a pair of Bluetooth sports headphones. Each earbud features a 10mm driver and over-ear hooks to keep the earbud in place. The headphones include different-sized ear tips and ear wings in case the pre-installed ones do not fit properly.

You can grab Anker’s four discounted audio products at the links below. The deals end at 11:45PM PST.

Soundcore Space NC Wireless

Soundcore Flare+

Soundcore Motion B

Soundcore Spirit X

Source: Android Zone

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Deal: Final Fantasy games (and Chrono Trigger!) are 50% off on Play Store

Droid Gamers

If you are old enough to have owned a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, you probably remember playing two of the greatest JRPGs of all time: Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III in the United States). Even if you’re not that old, you’ve probably heard of these legendary titles.

Today, Square Enix is offering Android versions of many of its games for 50 percent off — including Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI.

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Chrono Trigger for Android gets update, is a little less awful

Droid Gamers

Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest video games of all time, for any console, of any genre, in any decade. This isn’t just us saying that.It’s practically set in stone by the …

Before you rush off to buy these titles, you should be aware: these are not faithful ports. Downloading Chrono Trigger, for example, will not allow you to play the game as you did on your SNES (or like you do in an emulator). Instead, these are updated versions of the classic games with new graphics, music, and gameplay elements.

Some of these tweaks are very welcome, like the “save anywhere, anytime” function in Chrono Trigger and the sped-up battle system in the early Final Fantasy games (which require a lot of grinding). However, some of these tweaks are not-so-welcome, like clunky controls, bad fonts, and softer, spongey-looking sprites.

That being said, these prices are pretty low and probably make up for any shortcomings. Click the links below to buy a few new games!

• Chrono Trigger — $5
• Final Fantasy — $4
• Final Fantasy II — $4
• Final Fantasy III — $7
• Final Fantasy IV — $7
• Final Fantasy V — $7
• Final Fantasy VI — $7
• Final Fantasy VII — $10
• Final Fantasy IX — $13
• Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions — $7

Click the button below to check out the whole list of Square Enix games on the Google Play Store.

Square Enix on Google Play

Source: Android Zone

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Report: Google Home still the best by far, but Apple’s HomePod makes progress

• The latest testing from Loup Ventures concludes, once again, that Google Home is by far the best smart speaker.
• The Google Home outperformed all other smart speakers in nearly every metric.
• However, Apple’s HomePod made some big progress this year, so Google’s “best smart speaker” title is by no means assured forever.

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Back in July, research company Loup Ventures posted its annual testing results of the four major virtual assistants: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Microsoft Cortana. Google Assistant topped its competitors in every category except for one.

Now, Loup Ventures just published its comprehensive testing results for smart speakers in 2018, judging the best smart speaker to be the Google Home.

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Google Assistant routines allow you to trigger multiple actions with a single phrase. There are six ready-made routines available, which you can customize to your liking. You can also create custom routines by assigning phrases …

You might be wondering why there are two different tests. Loup Ventures explains that using a virtual assistant on your smartphone is a different experience (and can net you different results) as compared to using a smart speaker. Therefore, determining the best smart speaker should be treated differently than choosing the best virtual assistant.

Although there were some slight differences between the comparisons of smart speakers and comparisons of virtual assistants, both tests conclude Google products to be the most accurate and the most efficient overall. However, Apple’s HomePod smart speaker made some serious progress this year as compared to the last time Loup Ventures determined the best smart speaker of the year, so Google should be on guard.

These results make it very clear that Google Home is the overall best smart speaker, once again.

As with the previous testing of virtual assistants, Loup Ventures asked each smart speaker the same 800 questions, with each question falling into one of five categories:

• Local – Where is the nearest coffee shop?
• Commerce – Can you order me more paper towels?
• Navigation – How do I get to uptown on the bus?
• Information – Who do the Twins play tonight?
• Command – Remind me to call Steve at 2:00 P.M. today.

Google Home answered 86 percent of the questions correctly and understood every single one. Apple’s HomePod correctly answered 75 percent of the questions and misunderstood three, while Amazon’s Echo correctly answered 73 percent and misunderstood eight questions, and Microsoft’s Cortana correctly answered 63 percent and misunderstood five questions.

Check out the chart below to see the breakdown:

Loup Ventures

You can see that Cortana is struggling pretty much across the board and Amazon’s Alexa is not doing too well, either. Remarkably, Amazon’s commerce-centric Echo device is nearly half as good at commerce-related queries as a Google Home (we also saw similar results with the testing of virtual assistants earlier this year).

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Google Home Hub review: This is the Smart Display you should buy

Alongside the new Pixel 3 and Chromecast, Google announced also recently announced the Google Home Hub. The Hub is Google’s first entry into the smart display market, aiming to improve on the smart speaker formula …

However, you’ll see all the way to the right that the Apple HomePod trounces every other smart speaker — including the Google Home — when it comes to command-related queries. This is because, as Loup Ventures puts it, “HomePod’s lead in this category may come from the fact that the HomePod will pass on full SiriKit requests like those regarding messaging, lists, and basically anything other than music to the iOS device paired to the speaker.”

Apple’s HomePod speaker wins the Command round, but it might have won because it isn’t playing fair.

In other words, the HomePod kind of cheats in this category, as asking it a command-related query will use the smartphone to answer, not the speaker itself. However, Google Assistant also didn’t do as well as Apple’s Siri in this category earlier this year, so this is definitely a sore spot which Google should give attention.

For a better idea of how each smart speaker is improving, check out this year’s results as compared to Loup Ventures’ best smart speaker tests from last year:

Loup Ventures

The charts make it very clear that the Apple HomePod has made some significant progress nearly across the board. While the HomePod’s high price and deep integration within the Apple ecosystem will continue to make it hard to recommend for general consumers, it clearly is going to give Google a run for its money if it continues on this path.

What do you think from these results? Are you happy with your current smart speaker setup? Does this make you want to switch teams? Let us know in the comments!

NEXT: Google Home Hub vs Lenovo Smart Display

Source: Android Zone

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The OnePlus 6T’s first Open Beta update is here

• OnePlus announced Open Beta 1 for the OnePlus 6T.
• The company also announced Open Beta 23 and 21 for the OnePlus 5 and 5T, respectively.
• All Open Beta updates are now available for download.

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The OnePlus 6T finally joins the beta software party as OnePlus announced Open Beta 1 for its newest smartphone. This makes the OnePlus 6T the company’s sixth smartphone to enter its Open Beta program.

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Your OnePlus smartphone ships with a skinned version of Android known as OxygenOS. OnePlus is pretty good about issuing updates in a timely manner to its smartphones, even older ones like the OnePlus 3. However, …

Open Beta 1’s changelog isn’t very extensive. That said, the update brings with it the December security patch and other goodies. You can read the changelog below to get a better idea of Open Beta 1:

• System
  • Updated Android security patch to 2018.12
  • Added toast message when parallel apps are unavailable due to data corruption
• Communication
  • Added call history for incoming calls from unknown numbers
  • Optimized UI for Spam messages and calls
• OnePlus Switch
  • Now supports migrating data from iPhone

Keep in mind that the T-Mobile variant of the OnePlus 6T is not eligible for the Open Beta program — only the unlocked model is eligible. Those that have the unlocked model can click the button below to start the download and here to learn how to flash the software.

OnePlus 6T Open Beta 1

In related news, the OnePlus 5 and 5T received Open Beta 23 and 21, respectively. You can check out the changelog below to see what the Open Beta updates include:

• System
  • Updated Android security patch to 2018.12
  • Fixed issues with custom accent color not getting applied every second try
  • Optimizations for Face Unlock
• Launcher
  • Fixed UI issues with scroller in the app drawer
  • Improved color adaptation for the navigation bar

A commenter on OnePlus’ forums noted that the Open Beta updates also optimized navigation gestures, removed excessive padding on the left and right of the status bar, improved animations, and certified the devices for Play Store use. The updates also fixed an issue with Netflix randomly crashing.

The updates are the first ones since the OnePlus 5 and 5T received their Android 9 Pie beta updates. There’s still no word on when both phones will receive the stable build of Android 9 Pie.

You can grab Open Beta 23 and 21 for the OnePlus 5 and 5T at the links below. These links are direct downloads, so keep that in mind before you click them.

OnePlus 5 Open Beta 23

OnePlus 5T Open Beta 21

Source: Android Zone

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Samsung will limit how long you can use free themes (Update: Backtracked)

Update, December 20, 2018 (11:23 AM ET): Although we reported last month about Samsung’s intention to limit free Galaxy Themes to a 14-day period, it appears Samsung has backtracked, via SamMobile. In the latest versions of Android 9 Pie beta (skinned over with Samsung’s new One UI), there is no longer any mention of the 14-day limit for free themes.

Now, this doesn’t mean Samsung won’t bring the 14-day limit back, nor does it mean Samsung won’t introduce the time limit when the stable version of Pie rolls out to Galaxy devices. However, it does mean that, at least for now, there won’t be a time limit for free themes.

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Original Article, November 15, 2018 (02:32 PM ET): Android 9 Pie for Samsung devices hasn’t come around yet, but it’s only a matter of time before stable builds start rolling out. In fact, beta builds are already here for the company’s 2018 flagships: the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus.

While you might be excited for some Pie goodness to land on your Samsung phone, there will apparently be at least one downside included with the upgrade: a 14-day time limit on the use of free Samsung themes.

We found out about this policy change from a pop-up notification which appeared in the Samsung Themes Store on our Galaxy S9 running Android 8.0 Oreo. Below is the text in full:

Greetings from the Samsung Themes management team. We hereby inform you that the free theme service policy is scheduled to be changed starting with Android OS 9.0 (P OS). Free themes will be usable for fourteen days once applied and the Home screen will automatically change to the default TouchWiz theme (no theme theme) when the usage period ends. Before the Home screen is changed to the default theme, we will provide two prior notifications to help you change the theme beforehand. First notification: A pop-up one day prior to the expiration of the 14-day usage period. Second notification: A pop-up 10 minutes prior to the automatic change to the default theme. We also provide suggested themes along with the notifications in order to help you easily change your theme. We want to thank our users for your support and concern and also our designers for their efforts in registering the products. We ask for your understanding as we have changed the policy in order to help our designers continue to create high quality products and also to provide stable and satisfactory services for you.

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Android 9 Pie update tracker: What we know so far (Updated December 18)

The next major version of Android, Android 9.0 Pie, has already made its way to the Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL. Google announced this official Android 9.0 update on August …

It appears free themes will stop being “free” and start being more like trial themes with Android 9 Pie. You’ll install a free theme and enjoy it for a little under two weeks. Then you’ll get some pop-ups warning you that you’re about to revert to the default theme (which Samsung still refers to as TouchWiz, hilariously enough) and then boom: your free theme is gone.

The notification doesn’t say whether or not you’ll be able to just reapply the free theme and then get another two weeks with it, but we’ll go ahead and assume that won’t be possible. Instead, what Samsung really wants you to do is buy a theme, something that it continuously pushes onto its users.

Samsung’s newest iteration of its Android skin — known as One UI — is rolling out now in a beta build for select devices in select countries. Once we have it, we’ll test out how this new theme policy will work.

NEXT: Check out One UI: A newer, rounder take on the Samsung Experience

Source: Android Zone

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Microsoft intern claims Google tried to sabotage Edge browser, Google issues denial

• A former Microsoft intern claims that Google introduced minor code into YouTube in an effort to sabotage the Microsoft Edge browser.
• Google just issued a statement denying the validity of the claim.
• This isn’t the first time someone has alleged that Google purposely gives other browsers disadvantages.

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Earlier this week, Joshua Bakita, a former software engineering intern at Microsoft, posted a comment to Hacker News which lays out a stunning allegation: that Google allegedly tweaked YouTube code in order to hinder other browsers’ use of YouTube content, specifically Microsoft Edge.

According to Bakita, Google introduced “a hidden empty div” over YouTube videos, which caused no effect in Chrome browsers but caused the Edge browser’s hardware acceleration fast-path to malfunction. The result of this hidden code made YouTube videos display faster and more efficiently in Google Chrome than in Microsoft Edge.

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Google working on Chrome fix for sites that hinder your ability to go back

It’s likely happened to everyone at some point: you’re browsing the internet and come across a site you don’t want to be on. Your first instinct is to hit the Back button, but when you …

Bakita points to this alleged coding trick as an example of Google’s playing dirty to keep Chrome on top and other browsers struggling. He also says it is one example of why Microsoft is overhauling the Edge browser and re-building it with Chromium as its base, which will make it work more like Google Chrome.

Today, via The Verge, a YouTube spokesperson issued a formal statement on the matter, categorically denying Bakita’s allegations. The statement is here:

“YouTube does not add code designed to defeat optimizations in other browsers, and works quickly to fix bugs when they’re discovered. We regularly engage with other browser vendors through standards bodies, the Web Platform Tests project, the open-source Chromium project and more to improve browser interoperability.”

According to the YouTube spokesperson, the “hidden empty div” code Bakita suggests was sabotage was actually simply a bug, which has now been fixed.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time someone has claimed that Google stacks the deck in favor of Chrome. Earlier this year, a Mozilla program manager claimed YouTube code created a page load bottleneck for Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, resulting in five-fold speed deprecation in non-Chrome browsers. The Mozilla employee pointed to a Firefox extension which circumvented the problem.

What do you think? Is Google playing dirty in the browser wars, or are these isolated incidents of bugs blown out of proportion? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

NEXT: Chrome for Android’s ‘Sneak Peek’ loads a link without leaving current tab

Source: Android Zone

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Moto G7 series renders leak: Here’s what the four handsets may look like

Droid Shout

Motorola is tipped to launch its next round of Moto G phones in the coming months, and we might now have a look at them. Droid Shout picked up the renders and they potentially show off four G models: the Moto G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power, and G7 Play.

The G7 and G7 Plus would apparently come with a waterdrop notch, while the G7 Play and G7 Power would have a wider (and in the G7 Play’s case, ultra-wide) notch. It also appears Power and Play would feature vertically-mounted dual rear camera sensors while the standard and Plus models would have a horizontal camera setup.

A dual rear camera setup on the G7 Play could be an upgrade over the G6 Play’s single rear camera. However, Motorola has previously used housings that give the impression of a dual camera setup on the likes of the single camera Moto E5 Plus and Play. We could be looking at single camera setups on the Power and Play, after all.

Droid Shout

The regular G and G7 Plus once again appear to be the more ‘premium’ handsets, while the less-angular Play and Power would likely be less expensive variants.

Editor’s Pick

Motorola One and Moto X4 get Android Pie in the U.S.

The international Motorola One variant received its Android 9 Pie update a few weeks ago. Now, device owners in the U.S. can get their hands on Google’s latest Android update this week. Better yet, Android 9 …

Previous rumors suggested the Moto G7 would pack a 6-inch, Full HD+ display with 64GB of internal storage. A dual 16MP + 5MP camera setup is tipped for the rear, while it’s also said to house a 3,500mAh battery. You can expect the Plus variant to have a larger display, the Power variant to have a larger battery, and the Play variant to be slightly less powerful.

The Moto G6 series appeared in May this year and the G5s arrived in April 2017. Based on those timelines, it could be that we still have some months to wait before the G7 series launches, despite the rumors.

As for the source, we don’t know much about Droid Shout so should treat the renders cautiously. With that being said, we have seen the Moto G7 Plus render once before, from a different source, and it is identical to the one above (save for the color), which suggests it’s legit.

Source: Android Zone

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How to Optimize Your WordPress Robots.txt for SEO

Recently one of our readers asked us for tips on how to optimize the robots.txt file to improve SEO. Robots.txt file tells search engines how to crawl your website which makes it an incredibly powerful SEO tool. In this article, we will show you how to create a perfect robots.txt file for SEO.

What is robots.txt file?

Robots.txt is a text file that website owners can create to tell search engine bots how to crawl and index pages on their site.

It is typically stored in the root directory also known as the main folder of your website. The basic format for a robots.txt file looks like this:

User-agent: [user-agent name]
Disallow: [URL string not to be crawled]

User-agent: [user-agent name]
Allow: [URL string to be crawled]


Sitemap: [URL of your XML Sitemap]

You can have multiple lines of instructions to allow or disallow specific URLs and add multiple sitemaps. If you do not disallow a URL, then search engine bots assume that they are allowed to crawl it.

Here is what a robots.txt example file can look like:

User-Agent: *
Allow: /wp-content/uploads/
Disallow: /wp-content/plugins/
Disallow: /wp-admin/

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml

In the above robots.txt example, we have allowed search engines to crawl and index files in our WordPress uploads folder.

After that, we have disallowed search bots from crawling and indexing plugins and WordPress admin folders.

Lastly, we have provided the URL of our XML sitemap.

Do You Need a Robots.txt File for Your WordPress Site?

If you don’t have a robots.txt file, then search engines will still crawl and index your website. However, you will not be able to tell search engines which pages or folders they should not crawl.

This will not have much of an impact when you’re first starting a blog and do not have a lot of content.

However as your website grows and you have a lot of content, then you would likely want to have better control over how your website is crawled and indexed.

Here is why.

Search bots have a crawl quota for each website.

This means that they crawl a certain number of pages during a crawl session. If they don’t finish crawling all pages on your site, then they will come back and resume crawl in the next session.

This can slow down your website indexing rate.

You can fix this by disallowing search bots from attempting to crawl unnecessary pages like your WordPress admin pages, plugin files, and themes folder.

By disallowing unnecessary pages, you save your crawl quota. This helps search engines crawl even more pages on your site and index them as quickly as possible.

Another good reason to use robots.txt file is when you want to stop search engines from indexing a post or page on your website.

It is not the safest way to hide content from the general public, but it will help you prevent them from appearing in search results.

What Does an Ideal Robots.txt File Should Look Like?

Many popular blogs use a very simple robots.txt file. Their content may vary, depending on the needs of the specific site:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
 
Sitemap: http://www.example.com/post-sitemap.xml
Sitemap: http://www.example.com/page-sitemap.xml

This robots.txt file allows all bots to index all content and provides them a link to the website’s XML sitemaps.

For WordPress sites, we recommend the following rules in the robots.txt file:

User-Agent: *
Allow: /wp-content/uploads/
Disallow: /wp-content/plugins/
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /readme.html
Disallow: /refer/

Sitemap: http://www.example.com/post-sitemap.xml
Sitemap: http://www.example.com/page-sitemap.xml

This tell search bots to index all WordPress images and files. It disallows search bots from indexing WordPress plugin files, WordPress admin area, the WordPress readme file, and affiliate links.

By adding sitemaps to robots.txt file, you make it easy for Google bots to find all the pages on your site.

Now that you know what an ideal robots.txt file look like, let’s take a look at how you can create a robots.txt file in WordPress.

How to Create a Robots.txt File in WordPress?

There are two ways to create a robots.txt file in WordPress. You can choose the method that works best for you.

Method 1: Editing Robots.txt File Using Yoast SEO

If you are using the Yoast SEO plugin, then it comes with a robots.txt file generator.

You can use it to create and edit a robots.txt file directly from your WordPress admin area.

Simply go to SEO » Tools page in your WordPress admin and click on the File Editor link.

On the next page, Yoast SEO page will show your existing robots.txt file.

If you don’t have a robots.txt file, then Yoast SEO will generate a robots.txt file for you.

By default, Yoast SEO’s robots.txt file generator will add the following rules to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

It is important that you delete this text because it blocks all search engines from crawling your website.

After deleting the default text, you can go ahead and add your own robots.txt rules. We recommend using the ideal robots.txt format we shared above.

Once you’re done, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save robots.txt file’ button to store your changes.

Method 2. Edit Robots.txt file Manually Using FTP

For this method, you will need to use an FTP client to edit robots.txt file.

Simply connect to your WordPress hosting account using an FTP client.

Once inside, you will be able to see the robots.txt file in your website’s root folder.

If you don’t see one, then you likely don’t have a robots.txt file. In that case, you can just go ahead and create one.

Robots.txt is a plain text file, which means you can download it to your computer and edit it using any plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit.

After saving your changes, you can upload it back to your website’s root folder.

How to Test Your Robots.txt File?

Once you have created your robots.txt file, it’s always a good idea to test it using a robots.txt tester tool.

There are many robots.txt tester tools out there, but we recommend using the one inside Google Search Console.

Simply login to your Google Search Console account, and then switch to the old Google search console website.

This will take you to the old Google Search Console interface. From here you need to launch the robots.txt tester tool located under ‘Crawl’ menu.

The tool will automatically fetch your website’s robots.txt file and highlight the errors and warnings if it found any.

Final Thoughts

The goal of optimizing your robots.txt file is to prevent search engines from crawling pages that are not publicly available. For example, pages in your wp-plugins folder or pages in your WordPress admin folder.

A common myth among SEO experts is that blocking WordPress category, tags, and archive pages will improve crawl rate and result in faster indexing and higher rankings.

This is not true. It’s also against Google’s webmaster guidelines.

We recommend that you follow the above robots.txt format to create a robots.txt file for your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to optimize your WordPress robots.txt file for SEO. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide and the best WordPress SEO tools to grow your website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Optimize Your WordPress Robots.txt for SEO appeared first on WPBeginner.

Source: Wordpres

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Chrome for Android’s ‘Sneak Peek’ loads a link without leaving current tab

When you tap and hold on a link in Chrome for Android, you can either open it in a new tab or an incognito tab. Chrome Canary and Chrome Dev now have a third way to open those links: ‘Sneak Peek.’

Spotted by Android Police, Sneak Peek loads a link as an overlay at the bottom of the page. You can swipe up on it to expand it further, though it won’t cover the entire page. Once expanded, the overlay behaves like any other tab — you can swipe through the opened link, copy and paste, and more.

Android Police

You can swipe down on the overlay to bring it back to the bottom, or swipe down even further to close it. There is also an X button on the top right that closes the overlay, regardless of whether the overlay is expanded or minimized.

Editor’s Pick

15 best Android browsers of 2018!

Web browsers are one of the most important apps on any device. Having the right features and performance while browsing the web can literally change your entire experience. Finding the right one can be difficult …

Unfortunately, you can’t expand the overlay into its own tab. Google might include the functionality in a future update, since Sneak Peek is currently in testing.

Either way, Sneak Peek is a great feature for those that want to check out links and not want to open a new tab to do so. If you want to test it out in Chrome Canary or Chrome Dev, access the flag chrome://flags/#enable-ephemeral-tab and set it to Enabled.

Chrome Canary

Chrome Dev

Source: Android Zone

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T-Mobile reportedly delays ‘groundbreaking’ TV service until 2019

T-Mobile announced plans to launch a “disruptive” pay TV service back in December 2017, targeting a vague 2018 release window. There are just over two weeks left in the year though, so we can’t be surprised to hear that the carrier is reportedly delaying the launch until 2019.

According to Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the situation,” the project is more complex than initially expected. The sources told the outlet that T-Mobile was faced with either launching a bog-standard streaming platform to watch cable channels and other content, or to wait until next year to launch a  more “groundbreaking” service.

At the time of its initial announcement, T-Mobile confirmed that it acquired cable TV firm Layer3 TV to help with the launch of the upcoming service. Layer3, which offers cable TV services in several U.S. cities, holds its own programming rights. But sources told Bloomberg that the carrier’s attempt to gain mobile distribution rights was “highly complex.”

Editor’s Pick

10 best TV apps and Live TV apps for Android

The way we watch TV is evolving. TV subscriptions are no longer entirely necessary. There are now a variety of ways to watch TV right on your mobile devices. That includes a new wave of …

It’s unclear what exactly we should expect from the product when it actually launches, but T-Mobile has previously revealed that its LTE network will play a major role. And when you combine the LTE emphasis with mobile distribution rights, it certainly seems like mobile streaming will be a massive focus.

One potential route would be for T-Mobile to offer a la carte offerings, allowing consumers to pick and choose their channels. Alternatively, its service could simply offer a much cheaper price than the competition — and without lengthy contracts. The carrier could zero-rate this service over its own network, via its Binge-On initiative. In any event, we’ll likely need to wait until 2019 for more details regarding this service.

What would you like to see from T-Mobile’s TV service? Give us your thoughts below!

READ: What is RCS messaging and why is it important?

Source: Android Zone

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Google Pixel 3 fingerprint gesture issues causing headaches for some users

One of the best reasons to get a phone with a rear fingerprint scanner is the ability to swipe on the scanner to view your notifications. The Google Pixel 3 indeed offers this gesture, but it looks like the functionality is causing problems for some folks.

Numerous Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL owners have chimed on Google’s Issue Tracker forum and a reddit thread (h/t: Twitter user @DavePilotG2) to confirm that the feature doesn’t work as intended.

More specifically, the users note that swiping down on the scanner to view notifications is inconsistent and takes a few tries to actually work. Several users have also compared the function to earlier Pixel models, finding that the older models were more reliable.

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Here’s how Google made portrait mode on the Pixel 3 even better

Google has detailed one of the major photography accomplishments it achieved on the Pixel 3 on its AI blog. In the post published yesterday, Google discussed how it improved portrait mode between the Pixel 2 …

Users have also been sharing a few workarounds, noting that either using your fingertip or swiping slowly might increase the odds of the feature working. Another mooted workaround was to swipe from just above the fingerprint scanner to activate the notification shade. Strangely, one user noted that they used a fingerprint gesture app from the Play Store to fix the issue.

It’s unclear just how widespread the problem is, but plenty of users have noted the issue on the forum and in the reddit thread. We’ve also contacted Google to find out what they’re doing about the problem, and will update the story if/when we receive a response.

Is your Pixel 3 suffering from this same problem or any other bugs? Sound off in the comments section!

NEXT: 5 smartphones with a whopping 10GB of RAM

Source: Android Zone

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Deal: Google Play Store wraps up 2018 with deals on apps, games, books, and more

In a little less than two weeks, 2019 will be upon us. Before that happens, however, Google has unveiled a slew of year-end deals on the Play Store.

Editor’s Pick

15 best Android apps of 2018!

Here it is ladies and gentlemen. The crème de la crème. The Android apps that stand alone at the top of the pantheon. These apps have become ubiquitous with Android and if you’re looking for …

This doesn’t mean that other apps and games won’t hold their own holiday deals — these just seem to be those that Google will actively promote. Cytus II, for example, is 50 percent off through December 26.

From now through January 2, the Play Store will offer the following deals:

• Apps: Google Play’s top subscription apps, including streaming services HBO and Starz, image editing app Picsart, and music streaming service TuneIn, are offering big discounts for first-time users.
• Games: Over the span of two weeks, you can end the year with a high score by using the deep discounts, value-added bundles, and special Holiday content offered on top freemium games.
  • Week one games include Clash Royale, Pokémon Go, Final Fantasy XV, Empires & Puzzles, and Lineage 2.
  • Week two games include Candy Crush Friends Saga, PUBG Mobile, Marvel Contest of Champions, and Summoners War.
• Movies: Rental deals include Crazy Rich Asians, The Meg, and Adrift. Purchase deals include John Wick and The Predator.
• TV: Google Play users can catch up on their favorite TV series for a small cost with top TV seasons at $15 or less and select episodes for only 99 cents. Titles include Doctor Who season 11, Legion season 2, and Game of Thrones season 1.
• Books: Deals for the bookworm will be available for up to 80 percent off of both ebooks and audiobooks for top sellers. For those who love to listen, audiobooks include Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan, and Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover.

Are you picking any of these up? Let us know!

Source: Android Zone

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Android Pie finally pushed to Nokia 8, Sirocco next in line for update

• HMD Global has officially launched Android Pie on the Nokia 8.
• The update is missing several features, such as Digital Wellbeing and Adaptive Battery.
• The company also confirmed that the Nokia 8 Sirocco is “next in line” for an update.

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HMD Global has taken its time to bring a stable version of Android Pie to the Nokia 8, but the company has finally confirmed that it’s pushing out the update to users.

Chief product officer Juho Sarvikas shared the news on Twitter, saying the phased roll-out kicked off yesterday (December 19). The news means owners of the 2017 flagship finally have a stable version of Pie, over four months after the update was first made available. The Essential Phone, this is not.

Enjoy the festivities with another fresh piece of from us – this time on Nokia 8! Phased roll out of #Android 9 Pie for #Nokia8 starts today.

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) December 19, 2018

Oddly enough, users note that the update is lacking features like Digital Wellbeing, Adaptive Battery, and App Actions. So it looks like you’re pretty much getting a watered-down version of Pie. It’s a real shame, because the whole point of a major Android update is to receive new features, isn’t it?

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Here are the best high-end smartphones that won’t break the bank

Between Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, and other brands, it seems like many manufacturers are confidently balancing features and price, delivering cheap flagships in the process. This is the most impressive year yet for these kinds of …

Nevertheless, Nokia Power User confirmed that Adaptive Battery was in testing and will be available in future builds (tentatively set for a January/February launch window). HMD Global also told the outlet that Digital Wellbeing and App Actions were meant for Android One and Pixel devices only. Nevertheless, the Finnish company is apparently working with Google to potentially bring it to the handset.

Got a Nokia 8 Sirocco and wondering when it will get Android Pie? Well, Sarvikas told a user that the curved device was “next in line” after the standard Nokia 8. There’s no word on an actual release window, but hopefully this means the launch date isn’t far away.

Hi! We care a lot for Sirocco. One of the device I frequently use and I’ve been testing the Pie build. Sirocco will follow after Nokia 8, next in line.

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) December 20, 2018

We’ve contacted HMD Global’s representatives to confirm the Nokia 8’s Android Pie features. We’ll update the story if/when we receive a response.

Would you take an Android update with a few missing features if it meant getting the update sooner? Give us your thoughts in the comments section!

NEXT: There’s something very fishy about this alleged OnePlus phone leak

Source: Android Zone

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Deal: Save up to 75 percent off select games as part of Nvidia Shield Holiday Game Sale

The Nvidia Shield TV has gained a reputation as arguably the best Android TV box on the market right now. A big part of this appeal is due to the variety of exclusive games on offer, so we’re glad to see the company slash these prices today.

The company is discounting 30 games by up to 75 percent as part of the Nvidia Shield Holiday Game Sale. And there are quite a few excellent picks to be had here. Some of the biggest discounts apply to Borderlands 2 (75 percent), Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (75 percent), and Riptide GP: Renegade (66 percent). You can check out the full list below.

• Borderlands 2 (75 percent)
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (75 percent)
• Ticket to Ride (60 percent)
• Jackbox Party Pack 5 (30 percent)
• Alto’s Adventure TV (50 percent)
• Caterzillar (50 percent)
• Puddle + (65 percent)
• Teslagrad (58 percent)
• Snowboard Party Pro (50 percent)
• Snowboard Party: World Tour Pro (50 percent)
• Riptide GP: Renegade (66 percent)
• This War of Mine (50 percent)
• Battle Supremacy (50 percent)
• Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty! (50 percent)
• Fossil Hunters (50 percent)

• Party Hard (50 percent)
• Ashworld (50 percent)
• Kona (70 percent)
• The Talos Principle (50 percent)
• Suzy Cube (50 percent)
• Chameleon Run (50 percent)
• Death Road to Canada (50 percent)
• realMyst (50 percent)
• Riven: The Sequel To Myst (50 percent)
• Meganoid (50 percent)
• Heroes of Loot 2 (50 percent)
• Space Grunts (50 percent)
• Crashlands (50 percent)
• Hotline Miami 1 (50 percent)
• Hotline Miami 2 (50 percent)

Nvidia says that the sale periods could vary by publisher, so you might need to wait a while if your desired game isn’t discounted just yet. The sale is expected to end on December 26.

We would’ve also liked to see a few more high-profile Nvidia Shield titles go on sale, such as Half Life 2, Tomb Raider, and Portal. Nevertheless, you’re bound to find a game or two worth buying on this list.

NEXT: 15 best Android apps released in 2018

Source: Android Zone

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Heimdal Thor offers ultimate online protection for $15 per year



Don’t worry, the Heimdal Thor video above is safe to watch, but you’re right to be cautious about where you click. 

Cybercrime is rife right now. Everyone’s under attack, from dating sites to governments. Cyber attacks can be extremely lucrative, so the criminals are becoming more sophisticated every day.

Luckily, antivirus and antimalware software is getting more sophisticated too. Heimdal Thor Premium Home Antivirus might be the best example, scooping Antimalware Solution of the Year at the 2018 Computing Security Awards.

Thor Foresight closes your vulnerabilities with multiple security layers

Heimdal Thor combines two elite cybersecurity products to provide the most comprehensive anti-virus and threat prevention suite on the market. It uses next-generation machine learning techniques to prevent threats, and eradicate any virus already calling your laptop home.

The advanced system might be complex, but using it certainly isn’t. It’s easy to install and doesn’t hog processing power. It’s part of the festive sale at Tech Deals this week, and we can even save you a little extra with our promo code.

Heimdal Thor Antivirus at a glance:

• Stop ransomware, data leakage, viruses, APTs, exploits, and other advanced online threats.
• Browse online without fear of ransomware, cryptojacking, and other malware strains.
• Eliminate vulnerabilities in your system and protect the valuable data that makes up your digital life.
• Seamlessly install and patch other software so your entire system is always updated and secure.
• Block malware before it reaches your PC.
• Continuously monitor your PC for potentially malicious files.

A five-year subscription to the premium service is usually over $450, but right now at Tech Deals, it’s on promotion for $89.95. You can save a further 15 percent by using the festive promo code MERRY15 at the checkout.

That works out to just $76.46, or a little over $15 per year for next level protection.

Sound good? The deal ends this weekend, so head on over to Tech Deals via the link below to sign up. That link is safe too, by the way.

Get protected!

The AAPicks team writes about things we think you’ll like, and we may see a share of revenue from any purchases made through affiliate links. To see all our hottest deals, head over to the AAPICKS HUB.

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Looking for a new phone or plan? Start here with the Android Authority Plan Tool:

This smart tool lets you filter plans by phone, price, data tiers, and regional availability. Stop overpaying for cell service you hate and a phone that you’re tired of. Use our Compare Phones & Plans tool to fully customize your mobile experience and painlessly transition from one carrier to another!

Source: Android Zone

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