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Google shows the Pixel Buds A some love on its homepage

  It's not every day Google advertises on its homepage but that changed today with their newest product on full display. Clicking the link takes you right to the Google Store Pixel Buds A page where you can learn more about the product or purchase them if you are so inclined. Putting the Buds A in such a prominent position tells me Google is confident in the device and wants (needs) visibility by as many potential buyers as possible. I like the move and hope Google does more of this in the future. Link(s) Pixel Buds A

The Pixel Buds Google would like for you to forget and most likely have

  I received my Pixel Buds A this week and have been enjoying much more than I thought I would. More on my experience in a future blog post. Having the new Buds A made me want to revisit the OG Pixel Buds from 2017. For what it's worth the OG buds was an underrated and a solid product for me.  There were some design cues borrowed from the OG buds that are alive and well with the 2020 and 2021 Pixel Buds and Buds A. The outer circular design of the earbuds is genius along with the swipe gestures for volume and taps for play and pause. The OG buds also featured the fast pair capability that it later improved and enhanced. Then there was the headlining translation feature that I never used but it was there. It wasn’t all good though. The case was somewhat of a nightmare. Wrapping the cord around the inner part of the case was not ideal and proved not to be reliable. There was also the issue of having to push down the buds into the case to make sure the leads on the case and the buds t

Google App Spotlight | At a Glance Widget

  I live in the desert and it gets really hot out here in the summer. Recently, I was presented with the above pictured excessive heat warning on the Always On Display and home screen of my Pixel 5. I quickly appreciated this feature and was able to plan my day from there as checking my smartphone is one of the first things I do in the morning. Yes, I am one of those people. Generally, you are presented with the day and date with the current weather status for the area you happen to be in. This information updates throughout the day keeping you up to date with what you may have going on. You can also tap on the date to open the calendar app or tap on the weather to open up the weather app that's not really an app. The At a Glance Widget is dynamic and displays timely relevant information. Other information can be displayed in this space ranging from calendar events to reminders and even the aforementioned severe weather alerts. The concept of having relevant information displayed a

Super early impressions on the Pixel Buds A

  I’ve been using the Pixel Buds A for about 24hrs and I have some thoughts. I will upfront say that I do like them but miss some features that are available in the more premium Pixel Buds from 2020. It's very early with me using the Buds A so I will be holding off on any future plans after I use them for a while. Things I noticed Sound - sound is good but is not as good as the OG Pixel Buds. Bass is just okay and does not hit as hard or deep as the current offering. The buds A are tuned differently and lean more on the highs and mids. The Buds A seem to work better for podcasts than music. Hopefully with me breaking them in will help with improving the sound. Mic - mic quality is solid and I can not tell a discernible difference between the Buds A and the Pixel Buds. My voice comes through nice and loud and just sounds natural. Google is underrated when it comes to mic quality when compared to other brands. Connectivity - Google made some changes and now Bluetooth streams into bot

First look | Pixel Buds A

  My Pixel Buds were just delivered and I was eager to give them a quick spin. Above are my current Pixel Buds pictured alongside the new A-Series buds. Right off the back, I noticed that the box is a bit smaller. Once I got the box and got them paired to my Pixel 5 I noticed that the weight of the A-Series feels quite a bit lighter. Too bad there's no case available for them yet. At least on the Google Store. From there, I tried them on and the fit is really similar to the OG Pixel Buds. Actually, I think they feel lighter and prefer the fit, so far. Music sounds very similar to the Pixel Buds. Rich sound comes to mind with details in the mids and highs. Bass is on par with the Pixel Buds too. If there is one area where the Pixel Buds beat out the A-Series buds is with the richness of the details. Mids seem just a bit louder and clearer but not by much. I may just need to break them, I only spent about an hour with them. I’ll report back soon but will say that I believe Google has

Google delivers a feature drop but for devices running Android

  Today, Google announced six new features will be coming this summer to devices running Android. Now, if you know Google these features will roll out over time and will be hitting Android devices over the coming days, weeks, and months. Hopefully, the pace of the roll-out is not too long as there are some pretty cool things they mentioned in their blog post. More details on the announcement below. 1. Android Earthquake Alerts System is rolling out globally Last year, we embarked on a mission to build the world’s largest earthquake detection network, based on technology built into Android devices. With this free system, people in affected areas can get alerts seconds before an earthquake hits, giving you advance notice in case you need to seek safety. We recently launched the Android Earthquake Alerts System in New Zealand and Greece. Today, we’re introducing the Android Earthquake Alerts System in Turkey, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbek

Chrome OS Feature Spotlight | Tote

  Google has a way of coming out with features you didn't know you needed. Well, Google has done it again with Tote. Tote is a new feature Google released earlier this year in March when Chrome OS turned 10 years old. Google describes Tote as a new holding space that makes it easy for you to find the right file fast. You’ll have quick access to recent downloads, recent screen captures, and any files that you’ve decided to pin. Tote will pop up on your Shelf as soon as you take a screen capture, download a file or pin a file. It's been only a few months but Tote has proven to be very useful and helpful for me. It allows me to keep things organized and quickly access files I may need for a project I am working on. You can also pin items to the Tote for those times you may need to grab often. Speaking of grabbing. You can click and drag items from the Tote to a document you’re working on or to an area to upload a file. I mean this thing is genius.  Tote can hold all types of files

The awesome Samsung Tab S7 for Android enthusiasts

  So, I ve been using the Samsung Tab S7 for nearly 6 months now and I really like it. The display and build quality exceeded my expectations. The software experience is good but will go in detail later in the blog post. Can't say enough good things about this tablet but more on that as we go on.  I usually steer clear of premium tablets but wanted something that worked well in the Android sphere. There is no Google offering so I tried a few before settling on the Tab S7. First there was the Onn/Walmart tablet. Super cheap and man did it look and perform that way. Then there were a couple of Lenovo tablets but I ran into an issue with both where certain streaming apps did not work properly. A black screen would play instead of video. From there, I broaden my Android tablet search with my willingness to spend more money. Next tablet I tried was the Samsung S6 Lite and found this tablet to meet most of my needs. The performance was a little underwhelming but was good with it overall.