Americans, your wait for LG's G3 is (nearly) over. T-Mobile has become the first big US carrier to take pre-orders for the 2K-capable Android smartphone, and now expects the device to hit retail shops on July 16th. Be prepared to fork over a lot of...
The HTC One (M8) has been a hit with critics: Our own Brad Molen calls it "a great smartphone that does a lot of fantastic things," while Laptop Magazine goes so far as to say it's "the best Android phone on the market." But now that the M8 has hit...
I’ve been looking at my phone a lot less recently. Normally, no buzz in my pocket can go un-checked, no news alert or Snapchat unseen. But thanks to these watches I’ve been wearing, my phone spends a lot more time in my bag. I can just flick my wrist to see what’s going on.
Smartwatches have become a thing. They’re a thing because Google says so, because it just released Android Wear and unleashed a torrent of wrist-bound devices. As a result, we’re being forced to consider an important...
Pretty much everybody I know hates their inbox.
It's not just email either, though it tends to take the brunt of everybody's anger. There are dozens of apps sending us hundreds of notifications; managing all that incoming information is a genuine hassle. Looking at the notification center on our phones, it's hard not to imagine some harried, 1930s office worker. His tie is loosened, sleeves rolled up, sweat beading on his forehead underneath a green visor as he looks at the metal tray...
Not everyone can justify splurging on a powerhouse phone like the Galaxy S5, and Samsung clearly knows it -- the tech firm just unveiled four Android KitKat handsets for frugal types. The Galaxy Core II (shown here) is the standout of the bunch,...
A bug in the Android KeyStore left an estimated 86 percent of Android phones vulnerable to major security breaches, according to an advisory IBM researchers published last week.
Paranoid? Or just privacy conscious? Well, the Blackphone is an Android handset that promises to keep your secrets safe, and now you can buy one for $630.
If you missed our coverage during Mobile World Congress, then here's what you need to know about Blackphone: it's a mid-spec Android smartphone that comes pre-subscribed to (and pre-installed with) a bunch of privacy and anti-surveillance services,...Two years ago, Google bought Quickoffice. Since, it's made it free, ensured it only worked with Google Drive, and then rolled all of its features into Google Drive. And now? It's being retired: from next week, you'll be unable to download or install it. So long, Quickoffice.
This week, we went hands-on with Google's Android L developer preview and Android wear, watched the US Supreme Court rule against Aereo, learned how to escape the clutches of the internet and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last...
When Android Wear, Android Auto and Android TV launch this fall, they'll solve a problem that has plagued Android since day one: an inconsistent user experience across devices. Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham points out that unlike Android phones from different manufacturers that sport ugly custom UIs, launchers and interacting with Android on different smartwatches was exactly the same. In fact, Google's engineering director, David Burke, told Cunningham that with Wear, Auto and TV, the underlying software and interfaces will be controlled by Google, not the OEMs.
You'd better get used to the interfaces you saw for Android Auto, Wear and TV at the Google I/O conference this past week -- you're going to be seeing them a lot. Google tells Ars Technica that it will maintain sole (official) control over the...
This week's edition of Feedback Loop is nearly all Google. We dish on Android "L," debate whether smartwatches are even useful, wonder if Android TV will save smart televisions, fondly remember our friend Aereo and talk about the games we've picked...
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Google's Grand Plans: A...
Welcome back to The Weekender. Every Saturday morning, The Verge will give you something to do. This is where you'll get the best of what we’ve written this week, but also a reason to get up and actually do something with your life — even if that something is dreaming of the far off places you might go.
Here's a collection of some of our favorite pieces that you may have missed, along with a snapshot of the things you should be doing with your days off. Have a look.
Today, we take an in-depth look at taxi-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft, explore the world of Android Wear, ponder the evolution of Second Life and investigate Aaron Swartz's path from internet activist to martyr. Read on for Engadget's news...
We made it to the weekend! It's time for you to relax—and for your smartphone to get near-constant use. Load it up with these, our favorite apps of the week.
Google announced its plan to take on the billions of TV viewers in the world with a groundbreaking product that would blur the lines between internet and broadcast -- four years ago. Executives from Dish Network, Best Buy, Sony, Logitech, Sony and...
If the first crop of Android Wear smartwatches falls just outside of your price range, don't fret -- ASUS may soon come to your rescue. TechCrunch claims that the Taiwanese firm is developing Google-powered wristwear with a target price between $99...
Remember Facebook Home? The Android homescreen replacement that Facebook hoped would change the way we interacted with our phones -- and the titanic social network -- from now on? The one that tragically failed to catch on with the Android-using...
Amazon's Gold Box is stuffed full of Sony flash storage today, including (drumroll) a rarely-discounted 16GB Vita memory card for $25. Beyond the Vita though, you'll find SD cards, Android-compatible flash drives, and more, so be sure to check out the complete list. [Amazon]
Android, iOS and even Windows 8 users have had access to Adobe's mobile version of Photoshop for quite some time, while Windows Phone owners were excluded from the party. That changed today after Adobe pushed the slick photo-editing app to the...
Whoever said "nothing in life is free" obviously doesn't have Amazon's Appstore installed on their Android device. The software marketplace already offers a different paid app for free each day, but for today and tomorrow only, it's upped the number...
Today, we take a look at the Android L Developer preview, compare the three faces of Android Wear, evaluate a $1,000 bread-making robot and dive into the hyper-connected world of Google. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours....
Google is making some big changes to Android for its so-called “L release” this fall, and starting today, it’s giving interested developers the chance to take an early look at it. Naturally, we wanted to try it out too, so we got the preview running on a Nexus 5 to see what it’s like.
There are three major changes on the surface of Android’s L preview worth paying attention to: an overall design overhaul, improved notifications, and rethought multitasking. The design changes are, of course,...
How many times have you checked your phone today? If Google's data is correct, your answer is somewhere between zero and 125. This proclivity to check our phone is the foundation upon which Android Wear, the company's wearables platform, is built....
At the end of Google's keynote yesterday, Sundar Pichai announced that all I/O attendees would receive either an LG or Samsung Android Wear device, along with Moto 360 when it becomes available later this summer. But he also offered up an unexpected...
Google unveiled a lot of things at the start of its I/O conference, but there was also a pair of stealthy updates that could make a big difference for cloud storage lovers. To begin with, there's a brand new version of Google Drive for Android that...
"The Ministry of Silly Walks" sketch first aired on Monty Python's Flying Circus all the way back in 1970, but now it's been adapted for a new audience: iPhone and Android gamers. For a total of 99 cents, fans of the troupe can take control of John Cleese and guide him through the streets of London while jumping, gliding, and sliding to avoid endless obstacles along his path. The entire time, Cleese's character walks with the same bizarre and hilarious gait seen in the beloved sketch. The classic Python segment features Cleese as an employee of a fictitious British ministry responsible for developing silly walks through government funding.
Besides doing your best to keep Cleese from smashing into random boxes, flying birds, and other...
There's a new update to the Google Search app that's starting to roll out that lets you say "OK Google" to trigger voice search from anywhere instead of just the homescreen. That is awesome.
The G Watch is minimal. The shape aims to bring Android Wear front and center. "The content floats." The lack of toggles, buttons and periphery is all intentional. "A lack of ornamentation," is how Chul Bae Lee, VP of mobile design puts it. But it...
In the developed world, smartphones are ubiquitous. They’re so common, many device makers have given up on selling non-smartphones entirely. But that’s not the case in the developing world, where consumers are still in transition. This market opportunity has often been referred to as "the next billion," and many companies have made it their priority to focus on it. Research firm IDC reports that in India, smartphone sales have exploded 186 percent in growth in just the last year, with 78 percent of sales coming from devices priced below $200.
Nokia has made the next billion a big part of its business for years, first with the Asha line of phones, and now with its Android-powered Nokia X series. Nokia’s new parent, Microsoft, has also...
They keynote at Google's big developer conference is over, and in its three hours(!) we found out about AndroidTV, Android Auto, and the next big release of Android for you phone. But there was also a ton of rumored stuff that Google didn't announce. Here's what was missing, and our best guesses at why.
After months of teases and previews, including yesterday's demo-mode units at Google's I/O developer conference, we've finally gotten the chance to try out Android Wear for ourselves. It's Google's take on the smartwatch, and that's more than just a way of saying it's an Android smartwatch. Instead, Android Wear is Google through and through, from the look and feel that foreshadows the coming "Material Design" aesthetic of Android to the deep integration with Google Search.
After just a...
Android Wear, Google's new platform for wearables, is fascinating stuff. We got to see a lot of it yesterday, but we didn't get to spend a lot of time with the user interface itself because the watches were on retail mode -- a limited version of the...
"OK Google." That phrase is slowly working its way across Google's mobile and web services, but the touchless control is about to get even better for many Android users. Previously limited to just the homescreen on Android 4.4 KitKat devices and...
Google made much ado about the debut of Android Wear at its I/O conference keynote, and few would doubt that this is a potentially sea-changing move in the wearable space. However, the company didn't do much to address the differences between the...
By releasing a Developer Preview of the next version of Android (only known as "L" for now), Google is walking new ground -- and it's blazing a glorious path that will greatly benefit the platform going forward. Developers and manufacturers will no...
For Android, smartphones and tablets are only the beginning. Google believes that there are so many other categories of hardware that could benefit from its mobile OS, so it announced that it's building extensions of Android onto the TV, car and...
Today, we explore the US Supreme Court's decision to pull the plug on Aereo, take a look at Android Auto, ponder Google's new cardboard VR headset and happily welcome Android device mirroring on the Chromecast. Read on for Engadget's news highlights...
The biggest news to come out of Google's developer-focused I/O conference isn't Android TV or even the several new Android Wear smartwatches; it's that Android is about to become much more than a mobile operating system. It's about to consume your...
Meet Google's answer to Apple's CarPlay: Android Auto. It's a new platform announced today at the annual orgy of software and hardware development known as Google I/O, and it puts the (almost) full power of Android in your car. Why almost? Well,...
Hot on the heels of all the Google I/O announcements today, the good people at Plex have let us know that a new version of is on the way for the newly launched Android TV. Plex for Android TV isn't a rehash of the Google TV app, but a whole new...
Wearables were everywhere today at Google I/O, but there was only one truly new product announced: the Galaxy Live, Samsung's Android Wear-running smartwatch. And we've had a chance to spend a few minutes playing with a demo unit — it's only able to do a few things right now, but we have our best sense yet of what Android Wear hardware and software will look like. This is one of the key devices for Android Wear, one of the watches being given to all attendees of the conference, and at first...
Google’s main event of the year, I/O 2014, was chock full of news: some expected, some decidedly not. The company showed off a colorful and playful new design style for all of its products, as well as a new version of Android, codenamed “L,” that won’t hit until later this year. Google debuted a cheap but elegant Android One phone to court buyers on a budget. Android was everywhere at the developer conference: on smartwatches, in car dashboards, and even on your body with Android Fit, a new...
Wikipedia already has an app, but get ready to meet its replacement. Available on Android starting today, the app's not just an aesthetic refresh; it adds the ability to edit entries directly from your mobile device. For those of us who use Wikipedia...