Table of contents for 73 in Android Advisor

Google has fully cancelled its I/O conference three weeks after it cancelled the physical elements of the annual developer and press meet up. The company was planning to potentially run online workshops and webinars for developers and press, but it has decided to scrap the whole event in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. Google’s statement reads: “Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities – and in line with recent ‘shelter in place’ orders by the local Bay Area counties – we sadly will not be holding I/O in any capacity this year. “Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. Please know that…

TCL isn’t exactly a household name when it comes to smartphones, but the BlackBerry and Palm phone maker is looking to change that in 2020. Ahead of the launch of its own phones later this year, the firm is piquing our curiosity with a couple of wild concept phones that make the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr look like old news. To be clear, these are concepts in every sense of the word. They have no names, no specs and no chance of being sold anytime soon. The models we saw were basically movie props with few working parts, but they’re certainly intriguing. And if they’re an indication of what TCL has in store for future phones, it won’t be an unknown name for very long. While we’re…

Price: £899 from fave.co/2JfWxdR The global population may be staying indoors to help quell the spread of COVID-19, but for some companies the show must go on. In Huawei’s case, that means the launch of its new flagship P40 Series smartphones. Despite the name, the Huawei P40 Pro is no longer the head honcho of the P-Series family, that title now falls to the new Galaxy S20 Ultra-rivalling Huawei P40 Pro+. That said, it’s still fair to look at the P40 Pro as the direct successor to Huawei’s best phone of 2019, the Huawei P30 Pro. The phone itself doubles down on the hardware that made the P30 Pro so great, namely with an enhanced camera that retains its predecessor’s 5x optical zoom, a decently capacious 4,200mAh battery with even…

If you’ve already bought your Galaxy S20 (£799 from fave.co/3dzmmTV, you’ve surely transferred over your apps, set up the home screen, and picked just the right wallpaper to show off your big beautiful screen. But there are a few settings you might have missed that will make your S20 experience that much better. Here are 10 toggles, tweaks, and settings you need to learn: 1. Use every megapixel in your photos The S20 Ultra has the largest sensor ever crammed into a Galaxy phone: a whopping 108Mp. But you won’t take 108Mp pictures by default. Instead, Samsung uses pixel binning to bring the resolution down to 12Mp and cram more detail into a smaller shot. If you want to use all 108Mp (or the full 64Mp in the S20+),…

Google has pushed out the second developer preview for Android 11 fave.co/2UuTMdO the next Android operating system version. It adds new 5G APIs for compatible devices, improvements to Google’s excellent call screening feature and angle detection for foldables. The latter hints that developers are keen to build apps that react to the angle that foldables, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, can be adjusted to in order to build new functionality. It will also very likely come in handy for apps on Microsoft’s dual screen Surface Duo device, which is due out in a few months. Also added in the new build are network APIs, foreground services updates for the camera and mic variable refresh rate support and lots of other technical background process things that normal people rightly…

Price: £1,199 from fave.co/2QGiCWY I feel like I need to give Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra two scores. If I’m reviewing it solely on the merits of its components and what it can do, it’s easily a five-star device, with only the smallest of perceptible flaws. The 6.9in display is remarkably bright and incredibly smooth when the 120Hz refresh rate is switched on, and the 40Mp hole-punch selfie camera is much more discreet than it was on the S10. The RAM, storage and processor are all the fastest you can get in a smartphone, and the 5,000mAh battery both lasts all day and fills up incredibly quickly. And yes, the 100x Space Zoom camera is cooler than any other telephoto lens I’ve used. But if I were to score the Galaxy…

If you’re a worker in the UK, Europe or basically anywhere right now, there’s a good chance that you’re going to be working from home for a while. The coronavirus has affected businesses and workers all over the world, and many people are suddenly forced to transition from their offices to their bedrooms and still get work done. We know, it’s not easy. While your phone can be tucked away in your bag or a pocket during work hours, it can become the most pivotal piece of your workflow – if you take the right steps. Set up reminders When you’re in the office, you don’t need to remind yourself to stand, take bathroom breaks, eat lunch, or end your shift. But at home, it’s easy to completely lose track…

Voice-activated assistants like Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa have been around for a few years now, but they’re still kind of gimmicky – they’re not exactly J.A.R.V.I.S.-level A.I.s. But Google Home might be more useful than you realize, especially if you’re only using it to verbally start your Spotify playlists and occasionally settle a family argument when nobody has their phone handy. There are plenty of ways to use Google Home for entertainment, information, or as a tool for being productive and learning new skills. If you’re going to lace your home with Google devices, you might as well make them work for you. Note: Android users can configure third-party apps in the Google Home app fave.co/2UD1PW5, but iOS users will need to download the separate Google Assistant app. Most…

Yes, you can still walk into a store and buy a BlackBerry in 2020, but those days may soon be over given a recent announcement from BlackBerry phone maker TCL. The firm says that as of 31 August 2020, it “will no longer be selling BlackBerry-branded mobile devices… (and) has no further rights to design, manufacture or sell any new BlackBerry mobile devices.” That’s pretty much a death blow to the company’s slim hopes of mounting a revival. If you own a BlackBerry KeyOne or Key2, TCL says it will continue to provide support for phones through August 2022, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for an Android 10 update anytime soon. Granted, TCL’s investment in BlackBerry was always an uphill struggle. When it announced it was licensing the brand…

Price: £179 from fave.co/2WFZlbV There’s an abundance of choice among Motorola smartphones in 2020. The Lenovo-owned company might be headlined by the new Razr and budget staple G line, but there are plenty of other options. Among the most interesting is the One range, affordable handsets which focus on a specific feature in order maximize its impact. The Motorola One Macro puts emphasis on, you guessed it, macro photography. Few phones focus heavily on extreme close-up shots, so it’s a sure-fire way to stand out from the crowd. But is it able to deliver the complete smartphone experience that Motorola users demand? Design I’m really impressed by the design of the Motorola One Macro. Despite having a plastic back, it looks and feels like a premium device. This choice of…

Why does Microsoft think you need the Windows 10 Your Phone app? Because it preserves the most important functions of a phone: access to your photos, messages, notifications, calls and even your phone’s home screen – without the need to remove your phone from your pocket. That might sound ridiculous, but think again: once you pull your phone from your pocket, you’re instantly lost in messages, email, Instagram – all of these distracting from your focus and flow while working on your PC. Theoretically, you could refuse to open Outlook on your PC and use your phone instead. But you don’t, right? Because the PC is much more convenient – and, in certain situations, playing with your phone is also quite rude. Your Phone’s functionality is essentially complete, but the…