Going forward, only YouTube Premium subscribers can get early access to experimental YouTube features. Google previously picked users at random to beta test features before rolling them out to a wider audience.
YouTube’s experimental features page has been updated to reflect the change (via AndroidCentral). “For a limited time, Premium members can try out new features that we’re working on,” the page says. “Share your feedback to help us build a better YouTube.”
YouTube Premium is a monthly subscription that features an ad-free experience, the ability to download videos, background play, and YouTube Music Premium. You can sign up for a one-month free trial, but then it costs $11.99 per month after that.
It’s unclear why Google moved experimental features to YouTube Premium. Perhaps Google is doing it as a way to entice people to sign up for the service. Or perhaps people weren’t testing YouTube’s experimental features often enough, and the company decided subscribers would be more likely to test them out.
There are only three experimental features live right now, including the ability to search for videos in Chrome via voice and watch videos on the home screen on iOS 14. These experimental features are available until October 20th, 2020. Another experimental feature lets you filter topics on your home screen in 3 new languages: Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Google previously made YouTube Premium and YouTube Music prepaid plans available in India around this time last year.
Happy Tuesday! I’m counting down the days to Prime Day, which is a week from today. You might be wondering if Prime Day is a fun set of days for a Deals Guru such as myself. My response is that famous Curb your Enthusiasm gif and an empty bank account. So instead of giving you a straight answer, I’ll be looking at this round-up of Galaxy Note 20 covers and cases as I wonder if the flagship will see a deeper discount next week.
Today’s top tech deals include half off the Echo Show 5 as an early Prime Day deals, a discount on the Surface Pro 7 bundle, and more!
Garmin Vivoactive 4S, 20% Off
It can be hard to stay motivated to exercise, but one thing that I round helped me a lot is a smartwatch. I love looking at data, for one, and pleasing the robot motivator in my various apps always felt nice too. Today at Amazon, you can pick up the Garmin Vivoactive 4S for $280, $70 off the MSRP. This watch tracks everything from steps to energy levels to how stressed you are, allowed you to download songs and hook up Bluetooth headphones for easy listening, and plenty more. If you’re looking to really get into fitness and tracking, you can’t go wrong with this watch.
Track it all and then some with the Garmin Vivoactive 4S. Only $270 at Amazon, you can track all your fitness activities, phone notifications, and things you never thought you needed to know. Grab one today!
Prime Day is a week from today, but why wait to take advantage of the deals? If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can pick up an Echo Show 5 for half off at $45. This handy smart home device can read you the time, connect to a wide variety of apps, and allow you to check in on cameras around the house all with a simple command. If you’re leaning into the smart home life, the Echo Show should definitely be on your to-buy list.
Get your smart home set up even better with the Echo Show 5. Control the smart cameras around the house, get step by step cooking instructions, and plenty more. It's currently only $45 for Amazon Prime members!
One of the most common buys during the holiday shopping season is a new TV. That’s great, but a good TV needs a good sound system to truly be spectacular. Grab the Samsung soundbar and subwoofer combo for just $270 at Walmart, and you’ll be well on your way to a great home theater setup.
Get a sound system your new TV deserves. With the Samsung soundbar and subwoofer, you can have quality sound without breaking the bank... and without your neighbors complaining about the noise.
Surface Pro 7 + Type Cover Bundle Starting At $599
For productivity, it’s almost easier to recommend a high-end tablet over an actual laptop. With a keyboard cover and the right specs, tablets are easier and lighter to carry around, have touch screen functionality, and more than many laptops do not. At the Microsoft Store, you can get yourself a Surface Pro 7 with a keyboard cover starting at $599. The base specs come with 4GB RAM and 128 GB, but you can expand those before checking out if needed.
Need to be productive anywhere you go? The Surface Pro 7 is light and can do anything you need. Starting at $599, you can customize the bundle to give the device more power, if needed!
Ready to step into the world of foldable phones? Do it for cheaper by getting the Motorola Razr 5G for $200 less, bringing the unlocked phone’s total to $1,200. This foldable flip phone is globally unlocked, and used with any 4G network in and out of the US. You can also use the Razr on 5G networks, if they’re available with your carrier!
Join the foldable phone life today with the Razr 5G, currently $200 off at Amazon. While this model was created for the US, it's globally unlocked so you should be able to use it with any plan.
Back in 2018, Google introduced the Cloud Anchors API in ARCore, which made it possible for users to share the same AR content across devices. Starting today, Google is making Cloud Anchors more widely available for developers with ARCore 1.20, allowing more apps to create AR content that can persist over a period of time.
The nice thing about the Cloud Anchors API is that it’s cross-platform, so developers can create experiences that can be shared between iOS and Android devices. That means an iPhone user can collaborate on an AR experience with someone who owns the new Pixel 5. Back in 2018, Google highlighted the AR app “Just a Line” that made it possible for users to draw in a 3D space with other people.
In a blog post announcing the new feature, Google highlights a handful of apps that take advantage of the Cloud Anchors API. One of them is MARK, a social platform that lets people leave AR messages in real-world locations. You can essentially tag famous landmarks, but only friends and family can see what you wrote.
Google highlights some other apps, too, many of which utilize AR for education purposes. REWILD Our Planet, for example, features AR content that allows users to venture into earth’s unique habitats and interact with endangered wildlife. There’s also SJ Labs, which uses Cloud Anchors to help railway passengers find their way in Sweden, and Lowe’s Persistent View, which will let users design their home in AR with the help of an expert.
Over the last few months, Google has put much more focus on AR experiences, recently introducing new Live View features in Google Maps. With persistent Cloud Anchors in ARCore 1.20, developers will now have more powerful tools to create next-level AR experiences.
The new mesh router looks a lot like the Google WiFi of old, featuring the same puck design that was launched in 2016. It features dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, support for WPA3 encryption, and up to 1,500 square feet of coverage per mesh point. It also comes equipped with a quad-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of eMMC storage, and two Ethernet ports.
While the new mesh router largely looks the same, Google made some subtle changes to the design. For one, 49% of its plastic weight is now made of recycled material, and the Google logo has been embossed on the top. There’s also now a reset button on the bottom and a barrel jack adapter for power.
Compared to the Nest Wifi, the new Google Wifi doesn’t double as a Google Assistant smart speaker. It also features the same hardware for the main router and mesh points, whereas the Nest Wifi offers a dedicated router and points. The Nest Wifi also offers more coverage, making it the better option for larger spaces.
Rumors of a revamped Google Wifi mesh router have been circulating for a few weeks now, so today’s quiet launch is no surprise. No matter which system you go with, they’re compatible with each other, so you can get a Google Wifi router and then add a Nest Wifi point down the line.
At $99 — or $199 for a three pack — the new Google Wifi will go nicely with Google’s nest Nest Audio speaker and updated Chromecast with Google TV. You can purchase the product now from the Google Store.
Back in August, ASUS opened up an Android 11 beta program for the ZenFone 6. The smartphone received its first Android 11 beta build a month later, which bundled a number of improvements to ASUS’ own ZenUI skin. Now, the ASUS ZenFone 6, or the ASUS 6Z as it is called in India, is getting another update through the beta channel. The changelog is particularly interesting for T-Mobile users in the U.S., as the new build finally brings in official support of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) on the carrier network to the phone.
Besides compatibility with T-Mobile’s VoLTE service, the update with version number 18.0610.2009.63 also optimizes the stability of the stock camera app. ASUS has also fixed minor bugs introduced in the initial Android 11 build, such as the broken Portrait mode and non-working FM Radio. You can find the full changelog of this Android 11 beta build for the ZenFone 6 below:
Improved system stability
Fixed “Ok Google” function
Enabled TMO US VoLTE
Optimized camera stability
Fixed Amazon HDR Display issue
Fixed FM-Radio not working issue
Fixed issue where switching to Portrait mode cause Camera function to not work
Thanks to ASUS ZenTalk Community user Averan for the screenshot!
The update appears to be rolling out to existing beta users at the moment, albeit we have yet to spot the download link of the firmware package.
Almost two years ago, a little-known Chinese company named Royole grabbed tech headlines by launching the “world’s first foldable phone,” beating Samsung and Huawei to the market by months. The resulting product wasn’t very good, but for an upstart display panel maker making its first foray into the world of smartphones, the Royole FlexPai was at least interesting and noteworthy.
The company’s back with a sequel, the aptly named FlexPai 2, and I’ve been testing it for the past couple of days. Since the first FlexPai was launched, we’ve seen plenty of foldable devices launched so can Royole really compete with major competition like the Galaxy Z Fold 2, Huawei Mate XS, and more? Let’s find out!
Royole FlexPai 2: Specifications
Specification
Royole FlexPai 2
Dimensions & Weight
186.2 x 133.8 x 6.3 mm (unfolded)
89.4 x 133.8 x 12.8 (folded)
339g
Display
7.8-inch, 1920 x 1440, 4:3 aspect ratio (unfolded)
5.5-inch, 1440 x 900, 16:10 aspect ratio (folded, front)
5.4-inch, 1440 x 810, 16:9 aspect ratio (folded, back)
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865:
1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz
Note: I received the Royole FlexPai 2 from Royole on October 4 and used it briefly for this hands-on ahead of our full review. Royole did not have any input into this article.
Design and hardware
Much has been said about how much the Galaxy Z Fold 2 improved over the first Fold. Well, I think FlexPai 2’s improvement over the first version could be even larger. Now, that’s not to say the Royole FlexPai 2’s hardware is better than the Fold 2’s – spoiler alert: it’s not – but rather the FlexPai 1 was quite a bit worse than the original Fold 1, so Royole had more room to improve.
I mean, just look at the photos below. The original FlexPai left a half-inch gap when folded, while the FlexPai 2’s hinge folds completely flat — noticeably more so than the Fold 2’s too. The FlexPai 1’s hinge was also covered in this weird kevlar fabric and held together by screws. The FlexPai 2’s hinge appears seamless — although I must say, it looks very similar to the Huawei Mate X’s hinge.
The hinge feels very sturdy, requiring a bit of force to unfold. It can stay open at various angles just like the Fold 2, too. When opened, the device is thin at 6.8mm, but not quite Microsoft Duo thin. When folded, the FlexPai 2’s thickness increases to 12.8mm.
The matte glass body with aluminum chassis gives it a sturdy construction, but at 339g and with measuring 89.4mm across horizontally in folded form, the FlexPai 2 is a bit wide and awkward to hold with one hand.
The FlexPai 2 has the same fundamental design as Huawei’s foldable: its large bendy screen folds backward/outwards so that when it’s closed in phone form the screen wraps around both front and back. This means the flexible plastic OLED screen is always exposed, which leaves me paranoid when handling the phone out-and-about in the real world.
I am of the belief that the supposed fragility of folding phones has been overblown
To be fair, I am of the belief that the supposed fragility of folding phones has been overblown; I used the Huawei Mate X and Mate XS as my daily drivers for a combined six to seven weeks and neither phone suffered any noticeable damage other than barely visible micro-scratches. Then again, I didn’t drop those devices, and six weeks is not quite long-term use.
The Royole FlexPai 2’s screen when fully opened is a 7.8-inch, 4:3 screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1440. It’s a solid-looking panel with enough brightness for outdoor use, but just like the displays of the FlexPai 1 or the first Fold, the screen feels very plasticky. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Z Flip have a display that Samsung markets as “ultra-thin glass,” and while the degree to which it really is glass has been up for debate, it does feel undeniably harder and less mushy than the screen of the FlexPai 2.
When the Royole FlexPai 2 is folded, the front side shows a 5.5-inch, 16:10 display, while the backside is a 5.4-inch, 16:9 panel. The difference in screen dimensions is due to the backside also accommodating a quad-camera module.
The four cameras consist of a 64MP, f/1.9, 1/1.72″ main camera; a 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera; 8MP telephoto; and a 32MP portrait lens designed for selfies. As there is a screen on both sides of the device, the main camera system doubles as the selfie camera system too.
Under the hood is a Snapdragon 865, with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, paired with 256GB or 512GB storage. There’s a 4450 mAh battery that, from my limited testing so far, seems just enough to get through a typical 12-hour day.
Software: No Core GMS … I think
The FlexPai 2, unsurprisingly for a phone only sold in China right now, does not ship with Google apps. But unlike most other brands like Xiaomi or Vivo, in which Google apps can be side-loaded easily, it’s been trickier on the FlexPai 2. Within Royole’s native app store is a popular “Google Services Installer” that I’ve used successfully used on a dozen Chinese phones in the past. The app can successfully install Google Services Frameworks and Google Play store, but the latter will not load.
I initially chalked this up to Royole not having signed the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA), which basically means Royole did not pay Google a fee. This prevents Royole from installing a “stub” version of core Google apps for easy side-loading the way even China-only version of Xiaomi or Oppo phones can.
I thought the Royole FlexPai 2 simply won’t run any core Google apps the way post-entity list Huawei phones cannot. But to my surprise, YouTube loaded without issues. This should not be possible on a phone without support for Google’s frameworks (like post-entity list Huawei phones). Google Maps run fine too. But Google Docs, like the Play Store, won’t load. I’ll experiment further and see if I can indeed load core Google services. Other apps most of the world use, like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, all work fine, because they are not GMS-reliant.
The Royole FlexPai 2 runs a version of Android 10 named “Water OS.” Now in version 2, it’s behaved relatively smoothly thus far, most notably when transitioning from folded smartphone mode to unfolded tablet mode. I haven’t encountered many hiccups when doing trickier things like folding and unfolding the phone or rotating orientation.
As the screen is quite tall when unfolded and in landscape orientation, the extra vertical space makes it a good typing machine — there’s still plenty of room left even factoring in the on-screen keyboard.
Royole FlexPai 2 has two methods to handle multi-tasking. The first, which can only be used in the unfolded tablet form, is similar to the Galaxy Fold (both 1 & 2), meaning you can run up to three apps at once in a split-screen view.
The second way is in the way the FlexPai 2 handles the front and back screen when folded in phone mode. Essentially, each screen behaves like its own homescreen, and each screen can run its own app. For example, I can have Instagram running on the front screen, and WhatsApp running on the back screen. I can flip the device back and forth to quickly jump between those two apps.
Cameras
The camera system on the Royole FlexPai 2, at least from early testing, is solid but unremarkable. It’s worth noting that I’m testing a pre-production unit of the FlexPai 2 running non-final software, so the camera performance here may improve when retail units hit the streets.
The main lens actually produces detailed shots with punchy colors, but focusing is slow. The ultra-wide-angle camera is suffering from major color science issues right now as it has an overly warm shift that is jarring when viewed next to a 1X shot, and the telephoto camera is fine at 2X or 3X zoom but suffers beyond that. That final fourth camera is meant for selfies, and it’s okay, with decent bokeh effect and face detection. See the samples for yourself.
Other than the clearly broken color science of the ultra-wide lens, there are no major flaws with the camera. And for those wondering — the watermark can be turned off in settings.
Unfortunately for Royole, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 raised the bar too high
Other than the fact it can’t properly run Google services, I had no real gripes with the FlexPai 2 in a vacuum. I admire the efforts Royole has put in to improve hardware by this much in just a generation. The first FlexPai feels like a toy or prototype next to FlexPai 2. I genuinely enjoyed constantly jumping between two apps just flipping over the phone to the other side, and the way the hinge folds completely flat is very satisfying.
Unfortunately for Royole, Samsung raised the bar too high with the Galaxy Z Fold 2
However, I have two major issues (and I’m not including the Google stuff since it would be an easy fix if Royole ever tries to sell this outside China). The first is durability concerns: I mentioned this earlier already, but I am just not comfortable with the most expensive, important, and fragile part of the phone being exposed on three sides of the device. I prefer Samsung’s approach, in which the flexible bendy screen is covered when not in use.
The second problem is the Galaxy Z Fold 2 has set the bar too high. As I covered in my review, I love the thing and consider it a virtual lock for my phone of the year. Whether it’s camera performance, display refresh rate and texture, or in-hand feel the Galaxy Z Fold 2 tops the FlexPai 2.
The Royole FlexPai 2 is, however, $500 cheaper (it retails for 9,998 Chinese yuan, which is around $1,480), so this chunk of savings could even the playing field a bit for consumers. But ultimately, I think this phone is for collectors, enthusiasts, or someone who just likes supporting upstart smaller brands.
Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers around for both desktop and mobile devices, hovering around at 65% market share at any point in time. Chrome has a lot of focus on user security, and one of the newest features arriving to the browser on Android and iOS is the ability to spot compromised passwords within passwords saved on Chrome, and then offer users advice on how to fix them.
Improved Password Security
Google is rolling out improved password security on Google Chrome for Android and for iOS devices, promoting the same feature that we have seen previously in the Canary branch. The browser already offers the ability to save your passwords in an encrypted format. Google will now leverage this feature to offer the ability to crosscheck saved credentials against lists of credentials that are known to be compromised. Google claims that usernames and passwords are sent to the company using a special form of encryption, so even Google cannot derive your username or password from this encrypted copy. Once a compromised password has been spotted, Chrome will offer users an option to directly go to the right “change password” form.
Other improvements coming in Google Chrome 86
While compromised password checking rolls out today, Google also has a few more security-focused improvements in store for Chrome 86 release:
Chrome’s Safety Check feature will also be coming to mobile, making it easier for users to check for compromised passwords, enabling Safe Browsing, and checking whether the version of Chrome the user is running is up to date or not.
Chrome on iOS will also get the ability to autofill saved login details into other apps and browsers. This will be preceded with biometric authentication.
Enhanced Safe Browsing will be making its way to Android. Users can choose to be proactively protected against phishing, malware, and other dangerous sites by sharing real-time data with Google’s Safe Browsing service.
Mixed form warnings are coming to desktop and Android, warning users before submitting a non-secure form that is embedded in an HTTPS page. It will also block or warn on insecure downloads initiated by secure pages, but limiting itself currently to commonly abused file types. In the future, secure pages will only be able to initiate secure downloads of any type.
