Chromebooks are finally getting a much-needed video player redesign

Chromebooks have always had a basic video player that’s never been particularly intuitive to use. Google has seemingly finally realized this fact and is introducing a very welcome redesign.

According to Android Police, Google is testing an improved video player design that features floating controls that are far easier to understand and use, especially on touch displays. The new video player appears to be in testing on Chrome OS Canary version 91.0.4463.0, and must be enabled via the Media App Video flag (chrome://flags/#media-app-video).

The old video player interface compared to the new video player interface. Images via Android Police.

As Android Police notes, the current video player experience is based around Chrome’s HTML5-based video plugin, while the new solution more closely matches the Media app that’s also used for image viewing. The floating box is a more compact way to present the controls and are easier to access in one spot, rather than spreading out different settings across the bottom of the screen. The floating box includes controls for play/pause, scrubbing, volume, full-screen, and skip forward/backward buttons.

For something that’s being tested, the new solution on Chromebooks looks far better than what’s available now. But just because something is being tested doesn’t mean it will be introduced in a stable build. But we’re already salivating at the possibility of this changed being made on a permanent basis.

Android Police said that the new video player’s overflow menu on Chromebooks features controls for PiP and looping options, along with evidence that users will be able to load .vtf subtitles.

It can be the small changes that wind up making the most significant difference, such as the addition of a calendar widget. Chances are most people didn’t even realize they wanted a video player redesign on Chromebooks. But now that we’ve seen what it looks like, it can’t get here quick enough. We’ll let you know when the feature officially rolls out for everyone.

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Amazon Android app just got redesigned with new bottom bar navigation

If you regularly use the Amazon Android app, you’ve probably noticed that it’s… not great. People have long complained about the app’s design, but thankfully important changes have been introduced that improve the overall experience.

Amazon has apparently released an update to its Android app (via Droid-Life) that introduces a bottom navigation bar. The bar includes quick links to home, your profile, shopping cart, and a menu for your orders, lists, account information, and more. The update more closely matches what’s already available on iOS.

Droid-Life also points out that the Amazon Android app also includes a font change — or a change to the font size — which you can see in various parts of the app. Overall, the app looks a lot cleaner, and arrives after Amazon changed the Android app’s icon.

Images via Droid-Life

Additionally, the Amazon Android app also feature pages that are more on-brand for Whole Foods and Fresh. Now, when you navigate to those pages, you’ll see designs that more closely match the brands, including color schemes, logos, etc. In other words, it’s more obvious when you’re not navigating the regular Amazon storefront.

People have been begging Amazon to make changes to its Android app, and those prayers have finally been answered. It’s a welcome change and makes the app look a lot nicer, which should in turn make it easier for consumers to buy things.

I’ve been using the updated look of the Amazon app on iOS for a while now. It does take some getting used to, but it’s ultimately an improvement. Having quick access to the Whole Foods page makes it easy to scan a barcode that helps me save on groceries.

It’s unclear at this point of this is a server-side update or not. In any case, just make sure you have the latest version of the Amazon Android app and you should see it in no time.

Amazon Shopping - Search, Find, Ship, and Save (Free, Google Play) →

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LG will reportedly announce closure of smartphone business on April 5

LG has struggled to maintain prominence in the competitive mobile market. As a result, the company is reportedly preparing to announce that it will shutter is smartphone business.

According to The Korea Times, LG will announce that it will pull out of the smartphone market on April 5 after failing to turn a profit these past few years.

“LG Electronics appears to have decided to pull out of its money-losing smartphone business and entered into a transition process to relocate its mobile communications employees to other business units,” The Korea Times said.

LG has suffered operating losses since 2015, and despite churning out some truly innovative devices, the company hasn’t been able to turn its mobile business around. The company attempted to find a buyer, allegedly entertaining interest from Volkswagen and Vietnam’s Vingroup JSC, but the talks seemingly didn’t pan out.

As recently as January, an LG spokesperson said the company wasn’t shutting down its mobile business. And, in fact, there were reports LG was working on new devices for this year, even teasing a rollable smartphone a few months back. The LG Rollable, as it was tentatively called, was expected to offer a “unique resizable screen” that was capable of transforming.

If LG is indeed shuttering its mobile business, it means whatever it had planned for 2021 has been scrapped. LG’s absence from the Android market would be a huge loss for the industry, because the company has come up with a lot of great ideas. LG also helped create legendary phones like the Nexus 5 and Pixel 2 XL.

“All we can say is that every possibility is open,” a company spokesperson told The Korea Times. “Although we cannot confirm that right now, we will announce the specific direction of our mobile communications business.”

For now, we’ll wait for official confirmation from LG about its future mobile plans. Today is April 1, which is tricky when reporting on major news. With an announcement allegedly coming on April 5, it won’t be much longer before we know one way or the other.

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Android 12’s recents panel adds helpful translate suggestions

Google appears to finally be adding a translate button in the recents panel on Android, making it easy to quickly translate text. The button has appeared in the latest Android 12 Developer Preview, although it’s unclear if this feature is actually tied to Android 12 and not just Device Personalization Services and/or the Pixel Launcher.

Android Police was first to spot the translate feature in the recents panel.

“If there’s some information on your screen that’s in a language you don’t understand, you can quickly translate it from the overview/recents screen (swipe up from the bottom and hold),” Android Police said. “A small button will appear with a Lens icon that reads ‘Translate.’”

Images via Android Police

This feature was actually expected to appear in the December 2020 Pixel Feature Drop, but it has been missing in action despite being mentioned in the original changelog. That’s why we mentioned we weren’t sure if this was part of the Android 12 Developer Preview or simply a coincidence since it was hinted at already. We’re not sure why it would only be appearing in the latest Android 12 Developer Preview.

Regardless, it’s a useful feature that will help users quickly translate websites and other documents. Android Police notes that Google may have flipped a server-side switch for a limited number of people, which is why we’re suddenly seeing it now. The website wasn’t able to duplicate the feature on other devices running Android 11 or 12.

When the December 2020 Pixel Feature Drop landed, Google said the contextual translation feature would work with the Pixel 3 and later, so it should work for plenty of people. The implementation of the translate feature will hopefully be the start of more Lens-related features to appear contextually throughout Android. Recently, Google Photos received deeper Google Lens integration, allowing users to easily copy text, search, and more right from the Photos app.

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Microsoft Surface Headphones drop to $106 in this sale on Woot

Microsoft’s first Surface Headphones are being offered at a great price for just one day, so you better jump on it now before it’s too late. The company’s premium wireless headphones launched for $249, but today’s deal at Woot drops the price to just $106 — that’s over 50 percent off. Since the Surface Headphones 2 were released, however, the original model can more commonly be found for $140 depending on where you look.

When the original Surface Headphones were released, the wireless headphones were praised by consumers and reviewers alike. They offer a comfortable, lightweight design, and deliver a high-profile sound for an immersive experience. The headphones may be a few years old, but don’t let that sway you from checking them out, whether you need headphones for gaming or your next Zoom meeting.

The Surface Headphones offer active noise cancellation technology, which can be adjusted, and they offer easy access to Cortana. The voice controls let you easily stream music, set up reminders, and more, and you can also adjust the volume, skips tracks, and mute your mic. The headphones can also sense when you take them off, automatically pausing whatever you’re listening to.

Microsoft claims the Surface Headphones features a battery that can last up to 15 hours on a full charge. With Cortana turned off, you can get a few extra hours of battery, and you can also get about an hour of extra battery life by charging the headphones for five minutes. So long as your close to an outlet, the Surface Headphones should stay juiced up.

If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can take an additional 10 percent off the sale price when you use the Woot app. The offer is only valid today, so if you’re looking for a new pair of wireless headphones, this is the deal for you.

Microsoft Surface Headphones

Microsoft's Surface Headphones offer adjustable noise cancellation, up to 15 hours of battery life, and convenient touch controls.

See at Woot

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Samsung Galaxy Fold and Galaxy S9 receive updates with April 2021 security patches

Another month is in the books which means it’s time for a new Android security patch update. Unsurprisingly, Samsung is leading the race, as the company has already delivered the April 2021 security patches to a bunch of Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z Fold 2, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S10, and more. Now the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy S9 lineup are getting the same treatment.

Samsung Galaxy S9 XDA Forums || Samsung Galaxy S9+ XDA Forums

Samsung Galaxy Fold XDA Forums

Tagged with the version number G96xFXXUFFUC6, the new firmware for the Galaxy S9 series is intended for the Exynos 9810-powered global variants of the regular S9 (model number SM-G960F) and the S9+ (model number SM-G965F). The OTA is currently rolling out in the DBT region, which is the Korean OEM’s internal code for Germany. For the Galaxy Fold, it’s the 4G variant (model number SM-F900F) that’s getting the update in the form of software version F900FXXU4EUCF in France.

We have yet to locate the complete changelog for these builds, but the software version numbers are sufficient to conclude that there are some additional improvements apart from the obvious bump in the Android security patch level. The bootloader version, however, remains unchanged in both cases, which means a software-based downgrade is theoretically possible.

If you own a Galaxy Fold or a Galaxy S9/S9+ and reside in the aforementioned regions, keep an eye out for the OTA notification. As is usually the case with staged software rollouts, however, it might take several days before the update is rolled out to everyone so don’t worry if you’re not seeing any update prompt on your device just yet. You can also manually check for the update by heading to Settings > Software updates, or just bite the bullet and directly download the new firmware package for your phone from the company’s update server using tools like Samsung Firmware Downloader.

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Source: SamMobile (1, 2)

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Motorola One Hyper and LG G7 One receive stable Android 11 update

Ever since Google rolled out the first stable Android 11 build for its Pixel devices back in September last year, several OEMs have followed suit and released the update to some of their flagship and mid-range devices. However, there are still many devices for which the update hasn’t rolled out yet — particularly some legacy models where updates are not as much of a priority as they are on newer devices. This, however, doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily going to be left behind. Now, two smartphones from Motorola and LG — the Motorola One Hyper and the LG G7 One respectively — are getting updates to Android 11.

Motorola One Hyper

Launched back in December 2019, the Motorola One Hyper is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The smartphone has now started receiving its stable Android 11 update in Brazil in the form of software version RPF31.Q1-21-20. The new build brings all the new features introduced in Android 11 and bumps the security patch level (SPL) to March 2021.

Motorola One Hyper XDA Forums

LG G7 One

The LG G7 One is the Korean company’s first and so-far only device in the Android One program. The device launched with Android 8.1 on board, but later received updates to Android 9 Pie and Android 10. Despite LG’s smartphone division has been reduced to a shell of its former self, it’s good to see that the OEM still managed to deliver the official Android 11 update for the LG G7 One.

Bearing version number Q910UM40b, the new software bumps up the Android security patch level on the LG G7 One to March 2021. The update seems to be rolling out globally with reports from users in Canada first getting the OTA. Open the Settings app and mash that “Check for updates” button to see if it’s available for you!

LG G7 One XDA Forums

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Thanks to Telegram user Victor_Rav_Def and XDA Member truefluke for the screenshots!

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