In this week’s top stories: we help the Google Assistant take Super Saiyan into Dragon Ball Z Easter Egg, check out an upcoming Nova Launcher update early, catalog the best new features from the OnePlus OxygenOS 11.0 update, and more.
The Google Assistant sparked a bit of joy and nostalgia this week when people discovered that the voice AI got an Easter egg theme after Dragon Ball Z. Simply tell your Google Assistant device ‘Go Super Saiyan’, and the assistant will interesting war cry. Make sure you say ‘Hey Goku’ for the full operation to activate the Assistant.
Your assistant will try to call out during the transformation process, but there is a bit of grumbling when it reaches a full power stage. As AP remarks, it’s probably a wink for the first time that Goku Super Saiyan is actually ‘going’ in the anime for the first time, but it’s a neat setback to the show and accompanying manga.
This week we took Damien Wilde time to give an overview of the upcoming rewrite and revamp of Nova Launcher, one of the most popular alternative Android launchers of all time. Although there is still a long way to go before Nova Launcher 7 is ready for the first time, it is exciting to see the progress and improvements that have already been made.
Before the formal announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S21, after almost every aspect of the device leaked online, the packaging of the device made headlines. Following the trend set by Apple, the Galaxy S21 comes in a thin, streamlined box, made possible by the exclusion of the charging brick.
Samsung has also decided to drop some wired earbuds in the holder. However, this is not particularly surprising. Samsung also took the headphones with its Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 out of the box last year. It’s a shame to see how they go, even though many users have switched to real wireless earbuds. The Galaxy S21 is also launched along with the Galaxy Buds Pro, which may also ease the chances for some users.
Pixel 2 owners have bad news this week, as the devices’ ability to upload unlimited photos of original quality to Google Photos ended today, January 16th. Now, all original quality photos uploaded from a Pixel 2 will count towards your Google Account. global storage quota.
This is especially true at the end of the unrestricted compressed storage of Google Photos. From this year, Google Photos will count all uploads in your account, even if they are not original quality.
Pixel 3, the last Google phone with this photo offering, will also lose its free storage advantage over about a year on January 31, 2022.
Although a shiny new flagship phone is launched every year, it’s simply wasteful not to use your older devices properly – or at least recycle them. This week, Samsung announced an effort to allow their older Galaxy phones to come to life as smart accessories like a baby monitor or part of a security system.
Samsung did not go into detail on which devices are eligible for this, or exactly how the software updates will come (whether it is system or just apps). Anyway, there are some neat ideas here, and extending the useful life of electronics is always a good idea. However, it looks like this program will start this year.
The rest of the week’s top stories follow:
Samsung |
Android |
Programs and updates
Chrome / OS |
Google Assistant |
Made by Google |
Stadiums |
Videos |
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