Category: How To Guides

AR animals were introduced by Google app just at the time when everyone was forced to stay home due to global pandemic. This feature was introduced in April, Google has added to the available creatures with loads of insects, mammals, birds, fish and various species of dinosaur as well. This latest feature from Google has one thing in common i.e. all of the animals come from Australia.

A wide variety of animals in Australia are very unique and you will not see them anywhere else in the world (excluding zoos). So we can say that this is a chance for the people to see how cute a little wombat will look in your garden. In order to get things started with Google’s Aussie AR animals you need to search for any of the following Google apps on your phone: kangaroo, quokka, koala, wombat, emu, platypus, kookabura or echidna.

You can move other AR animals around in your environment and see what their life size is and you can also hear their sound as well. The feature of sound is still in Android only, for iOS it is coming soon. You can take photos and shoot videos with them and later can share them with your mates

Android is known for its customization but when it comes to Android Auto, it has not allowed for the customization and for self expression since its launch. This is going to be changed very soon as the latest teardown of Android Auto app is indicating that the users will soon be able to select from a wide variety of wallpapers to take the homescreen theming to a whole new level.

The new wallpaper selection that can replace the default option are hidden away at the moment in version 5.8 of Android Auto. There are many new wallpapers which made a varied selection that ranges from abstract gradients to a moody one. The titles include dusk, blobs, warp and wave etc.

It is still not clear if Google will allow the users to select a new wallpaper from their own photo library but it seems that Android Auto will limit the users to the pre-approved images for now. There is still no official timeline on when the new wallpaper options will roll out officially but you can go ahead and download the latest version from Google Play Store.

Sling Media introduced the Slingbox 15 years ago for upgrading the existing TV subscriptions by letting users to stream the programs from the phones, tablets and various other TV sets. It was a a fun till it lasted but now it seems that the usefulness of Slingbox products is ending. The company has announced recently that it is discontinuing the product and the existing Slingboxes will stop working within next two years.

Sling Media is now shutting down the servers that let Slingboxes to run. This infrastructure will go down completely in November 2022 if everything goes according to the plan. Until then, the company will continue to support to the existing users who have got the product under warranty although the devices may loss the functionality as the SlingPlayer app version become more and more outdated.

Since 2005 TV streaming has had many leaps and it is no surprise at all that Slingbox is not going to survive going forward in the market that is being dominated by the some big names like YouTube TV and Sling TV which has no connections with Sling Media. Letting people access the TV they were paying for across multiple devices was anew idea but it is no longer a unique thing. It is quite impressive that Slingboxes have stuck around for a long time.

Google Drive is a good option for storing the files and saving your precious space on your computer but it has never been the most secure option since the Drive does not support encrypting individual files. It is now going to change in the future.

Based on the string that are found in the version 2.20.441.06.40 of the Google Drive, Google has been poised to introduce a feature that will allow the users to encrypt the Drive files which are saved on device. The files can be downloaded and open the encrypted files in the Drive.

Once it is enabled, the encrypted files that are downloaded to the device will appear with the small lock icon which is next to the icon that indicates its availability offline. Toggling of the encryption will delete all documents currently downloaded through the Drive though it is a bit inconvenient but that is what you pay for improved security.

OnePlus has comeback into the budget market earlier this year when the first phone of Nord series was launched. Now the company seems to see lots of opportunities here as it is announced that two new Nord devices last week. Now a new leak has been revealed and another Nord phone is prepped for the launch in 2021.

Nord SE which is code-named as Ebba is a budget device that may offer one of the smallest form factors OnePlus has ever released. Company is also introducing Warp Charge 65 which was introduced on OnePlus 8T is now coming to the budget lineup on Nord SE. It has also been equipped with an AMOLED panel that has upgraded the display from LCD panels.

OnePlus has still not selected any launch date for Nord SE but they are considering a debut after the launch of OnePlus 9 in the spring. Like the original Nord, the SE will be available in Europe and India but not in the USA.

The original Nord was termed as a strong alternative to Apple’s iPhone SE but the leaked information is indicating that OnePlus can go side by side with Apple’s smallest phone. Now it remains to be seen how Nord SE will compare with other hot options in the market.

YouTube Music is an impressive music streaming from Google and yesterday it has got a major upgrade that takes the personalization to new heights. For the seven brand personalized playlists to the tabbed home-screen that provides instant access to the activity based recommendations. With this update getting the music which you need to hear simpler than ever.

The changes that have come on the playlist are greeted well by the users and it is making YouTube Music more attractive when it is compared with it’s alternatives e.g. Spotify. You Mix has been renamed to My Supermix and the users are now able to see up to seven additional mixes that each feature a different selection of music based on what you are looking to hear. These will be very useful when you are not sure what to listen but have got a specific vibe in mind. All the new mixes have become live on Android and web as well. The new mixes are very nice to have and they are not that impressive with the titles distinguished by numbers only and gradient cover art that looks like have no relation to the music contained within. The app has also got an “activity bar” that provides easy access to the four activities which are Focus, Relax, Workout and Commute. By tapping on one of the four activities will bring up the dedicated homepage with the playlists as well as recommendations which are meant to pair well wit selected undertaking.

YouTube Music have go to places before it reaches the feature parity with Google play Music but the updates show the latest music streaming service of Google is continuing to pick up momentum.

OnePlus just recently released the 3^rd open Beta for the 8 and 8 Pro which has brought various bug fixes for the Zen Mode and Ambient Display and also making the Canvas compatible with the newly added always-on Ambient Display. Now a new big has surfaced that selected the data of user from some people who have joined the beta program. Some of the 8 and 8 Pro owners have got the stable build of Oxygen OS instead of the Open Beta 3 which has led to loss of data.

If you see Oxygen OS 11.0.1.1 update pending in place of Open Beta but have not restarted your phone yet to install there is a workaround. You can get KeepData app that prevents you from losing your files which are available on OnePLus Forum. You need to install it, run the application and hit “KEEP DATA” button. After going through this process OnePlus still recommends you to back up the important data on another device or in the cloud before restarting to the update. It is also highly recommended to have a full backup via OnePlus Switch. If you are running the beta buildyou need to double check that it is the Open Beta which you are receiving via OTA and not stable Oxygen OS 11.0.1.1 build.