Google Duo now lets you share invite links for group video calls like Zoom

The sudden influx of people working from home and practicing social distancing created a massive demand for video calling apps. Zoom, for better or worse, grabbed a lot of those new users, and other apps have been trying to catch up. Google Duo has been slowly adding features to get on par with the likes of Zoom and a big one is finally going live.

Over the last few months, Google Duo has been adding features to make it better suited for group video calls. They bumped the call size from 4 people to 8 and then to 12. Google has also been working on making it easier to add people to group calls, and now you can do it with a simple invite link.

First discovered in an APK teardown in April, Google has been preparing this feature for a while. The company officially announced it early last month, but it didn’t appear to roll out until a few weeks later. Now, we can finally safely say it’s widely rolling out. I was able to create a group and see the invite link option.

When you create a group in Google Duo, you’ll see a text box with a link that you can easily copy or share directly through another app. Anyone with a Google account can join the group. You do have to create a group first to get the link, but this makes it much easier to send out a message to a group of people rather than selecting them one by one.

Google Duo has quietly become one of the company’s more successful messaging services. It’s very simple when compared to many video calling apps, and it’s easy to invite others since most people already have Google accounts. The invite links feature appears to be live in version 89 of the Android app. Download it from the Play Store link below or from APKMirror to give it a try.

Google Duo - High Quality Video Calls (Free, Google Play) →

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Via: Android Police

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Samsung’s next smartwatch may be called the Galaxy Watch 3, skipping the Galaxy Watch 2 branding

Samsung is heavily invested in its lineup of smartwatches. While smartwatches from many other smartphone OEMs use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear platform and Google’s Wear OS, Samsung uses its in-house Exynos SoCs and Tizen OS designed for wearables. These decisions have made Samsung’s smartwatches competitive with Apple’s offerings, and now Samsung has its sights set on the release of its next smartwatch. We’ve been expecting a successor to the first-generation Galaxy Watch for a while now, but a new certification filing suggests it might be branded as the “Galaxy Watch 3” rather than the Galaxy Watch 2 that we’ve been expecting it to be called.

Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch has already been certified by a handful of regulatory agencies, including the U.S. FCC, the Korean NRRA, and the Thai NBTC, so a launch should happen soon. The latter certification filing is the most interesting one as it reveals the device may be named the Galaxy Watch 3. The device with this marketing name has the model name SM-R855F and is listed in a 41mm size, but there could be other sizes. (Other rumors hint at a 45mm size.) It’s also listed with cellular connectivity (WCDMA/LTE) which is unsurprising as the original Galaxy Watch also came in an LTE model.

Samsung support pages have also gone live in Korea for model names SM-R840 and the SM-R850 (via MySmartPrice), so it’s safe to assume these are models of the Galaxy Watch 3 as well.

As for why Samsung might skip the Galaxy Watch 2 branding, it’s possibly a marketing decision because of the Galaxy Watch Active 2 that was released last year. With the Galaxy Watch 3 possibly being the better, more advanced watch, it’s possible that Samsung doesn’t want the public to perceive it as an inferior product to the Watch Active 2. Samsung is no stranger to skipping numbers sometimes for the sake of marketing: The ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 was actually a successor to the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S20 succeeded the Galaxy S10.

The next Galaxy Watch, whatever it’s called, should be releasing very soon, possibly during the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event during which the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series is also expected to be announced. Earlier leaks of the upcoming Galaxy Watch smartwatch suggest it’ll retain the physical rotating bezel from the first model, have a stainless steel case, Gorilla Glass DX display, 5ATM water resistance, MIL-STD-810G rating for durability, GPS support, and possibly ECG and blood pressure monitoring.

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Google Maps gets new safety features for navigating during a pandemic

You’ve probably heard enough about how we’re living in “unprecedented” and “challenging” times, but it’s true. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, especially when it comes to leaving our homes. Navigating the outside world can be extra complicated these days and Google Maps is adding some new features to help.

Public transit is one area of navigation that has been impacted the most. Google Maps will not show relevant alerts from local transit agencies so you can prepare accordingly. For example, you can see if government mandates have suspended services or if you’re required to wear a mask. These public transit alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

For those people who primarily navigate in cars, there will be alerts in Google Maps for COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions along your route. This can come into play when crossing borders or driving to medical facilities. These alerts will ask you to double check restrictions so you can avoid being turned away and wasting time. Alerts for medical facilities will be available this week in Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, South Korea, and the U.S., and testing center alerts will be available in the U.S.

Google is gathering the information for these alerts from local, state, and federal government websites. The company is also working with other agencies around the worth to gather more helpful information.

Next up is crowd predictions, which is something Google Maps introduced last summer. These predictions help people get an idea of how crowded a bus or train may be, which is an important consideration to make nowadays. Google is making it easier for people to contribute “crowdedness” information, which makes the data more accurate for everyone. People can now see live data for how busy a train or bus may be, similar to how Maps does it for restaurants. Google will only surface this insight when they have enough data to meet privacy thresholds.

The world is changing and it’s good to see Google Maps is adapting to it.

Maps - Navigate & Explore (Free, Google Play) →

Source: Google

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Motorola One Fusion+ is a mid-range Android smartphone with a 16MP pop-up camera

There is a lot to love about Motorola smartphones. Their software builds are pretty clean if not outright stock Android (on Android One models), pack decent hardware for the price, and sometimes even push the envelope—just look at the Motorola Edge devices with their curved “waterfall” displays. What really carries Motorola, though, is the brand’s selection of budget and mid-range smartphones. Now, the Lenovo-owned brand is launching yet another mid-range smartphone: the Motorola One Fusion+. Although Motorola published a product page for this device, they have not made a formal announcement as the device is not actually available for purchase yet.

Perhaps the most interesting bit about the Motorola One Fusion+ is the display. It is a 6.5″ IPS TFT LCD panel at 2340×1080 resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and 60Hz refresh rate. There’s no display notch or hole-punch cutout, though, as the 16MP front camera is housed in a pop-up component. Pop-up cameras are not a new technology and are also not even new for Motorola—the company previously launched the Motorola One Hyper with a pop-up camera at the end of last year—but they’ve recently fallen out of favor among smartphone manufacturers. Thus, it’s nice to see its use in this device as it allows users to have a truly “full-screen” experience.

Specification-wise, the Motorola One Fusion+ seems like a decent mid-range smartphone. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage (expandable via a microSD card slot), and runs Android 10 out-of-the-box (given Motorola’s update track record, don’t expect a lot of software updates, though). The One Fusion+ also has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as well as a quad rear camera setup with a 64MP sensor leading the pack alongside an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor, 5MP macro sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. Other noteworthy specifications include a 5,000mAh battery (with support for 15W charging) which should be able to provide plenty of juice throughout your day and even more, a single loudspeaker, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a dedicated Google Assistant button, and 2 microphones.

The Motorola One Fusion+ has dimensions of 162.9 x 76.9 x 9.6mm and weighs 210g. Its body is plastic and comes in “Moonlight White” and “Twilight Blue” colors. It is not available for purchase at the moment, but it should become available very soon. GSMArena reports that the phone will be available in Europe later this month for €300. You can check out the listing at Motorola’s website right here to know more.

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Google Play Store adds a dedicated section for “premium” Chromebook-compatible games

Last month, we saw something that’s pretty rare: an Android app built with Chrome OS in mind. Android apps are seen as sort of a “last resort” solution for Chromebooks if you can’t find a web app to do the job. They aren’t designed for desktop interfaces and can often not work very well in that environment. However, it looks like Google is hoping to change that with a new section in the Play Store.

The Google Play Store on Chrome OS is now showing a new section for “Premium” games for Chromebooks. The new section has a description that reads “We’ve picked the games that play well on Chromebooks,” indicating this is a curated selection from Google. The page isn’t live for everyone yet, but I was able to see it on my Chromebook. Here is the list of games in the section:

• Bridge Constructor Portal
• Cultist Simulator
• Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition
• The Enchanted Worlds
• Game Dev Tycoon
• Gorogoa
• Incredibox
• Project Highrise
• SimplePlanes – Flight Simulator

Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from playing just about any Android game on your Chromebook. The idea with this new section in the Play Store is these games are better suited to a Chrome OS device. These games might work better with a mouse and keyboard compared to other games that rely more on touch input.

As mentioned, the Play Store section is available to every yet and it appears to be a server-side switch. Hopefully, this section is a sign of Google putting more emphasis on developers who are creating apps and games for Chrome OS devices. Android apps are a great addition to Chromebooks, but a lot of them simply don’t work well. It’s great to see the ones that do brought to the forefront.

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Via: Chrome Unboxed

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Unlock Lifetime Protection with This Highly-Rated VPN for Under $35

If you know anything about digital privacy, you already understand the importance of using a VPN. The choice of services is vast, but one name keeps on rising: Hola VPN.

This VPN service has over 210 million users in 190 countries around the world. What’s more, it boasts a stellar score of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1 million ratings on the Google Play Store plus 4.9 out of 5 stars from over 300,000 reviews on the Chrome Web Store. On a special price drop, you can currently get a lifetime Plus subscription for just $34.99 over at the XDA Developers Depot.

Billed as the world’s fastest unblocker, Hola VPN offers impressive speed and a huge selection of servers. Using this app, you can bypass local restrictions on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, HBO, ITV, Channel 4, Amazon, and many other sites, so you can watch your favorite content wherever you are. With unlimited traffic, you can stream as much as you like. 

To help keep your connection private, Hola VPN disguises your IP address and applies strong encryption. This also means you can avoid censorship, and safely use public Wi-Fi networks that are choice stomping grounds for hackers and cybercriminals.

One account covers up to five devices, with apps and extensions available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, smart TVs, and Apple TV. Plus subscribers get 24/7 customer support, and you can even choose your preferred VPN protocol.

Lifetime service is worth $717 —  but for a limited time, you can pick up a subscription for just $34.99.

Prices subject to change

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TCL brings televisions with Android TV to the U.S. starting at $129

Android TV looks to be headed toward the spotlight once again. We recently obtained exclusive images of Google’s upcoming Android TV dongle, which would be the company’s first hardware for the platform in 6 years. In other Android TV-related news, TCL is finally bringing their televisions to the U.S. market.

TCL already sells smart Roku TVs in the U.S., but its Android TV offerings have only been available in other markets such as Europe. Now, the company is bringing a pair of televisions with Android TV built-in to the U.S. market. The TVs have identical designs and start at just $129.99.

Firs up is the low-end TCL 32-inch 3-Series. This TV has a 31.5-inch 720p LED display with direct backlight. It supports Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and has a speaker output of 10W. There are 2 HDMI ports (with HDMI ARC) and 1 USB 2.0 port. For connectivity, it supports single-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet.

The second model is the TCL 40-inch 3-Series. This TV has a slightly higher-end display that’s 39.5-inches, LED, and 1080p with direct backlight. It also supports Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and the speaker output is 16W. It has 2 HDMI ports (with HDMI ARC) and 1 USB 2.0 port. The TV also supports single-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet.

The remote that comes with both models includes a Google Assistant button, a keyboard button, and shortcuts to Netflix and YouTube. As mentioned, these are Android TV devices, so they include all the goodies associated with the platform. That means Google Assistant access, Chromecast functionality, and a plethora of streaming apps to choose from. The TCL 32-inch model costs $129.99, while the 40-inch model costs $199.99. Both are available right now from Best Buy.

TCL 32-inch 3-Series | TCL 40-inch 3-Series

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Source: TCL

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