Starting next month, even if you pay for Twitch Prime you will see ads
One of the incentives to pay for a service -- from Spotify through Duolingo to YouTube Premium -- is the pleasure of an ad-free experience. Advertising exists in the free versions to help pay for the services, so it only seems fair that those who decide to pay a monthly fee aren't pestered by ads.
Twitch doesn't agree. Starting next month, even if you pay for a Twitch Prime subscription you will still be subjected to ads. The reason? Money, of course.
How to unsend email in Gmail for Android
The ability to "unsend" emails has arrived in Gmail for Android -- for some people at least. The feature is already available on iOS and on the web version of Gmail, but now some Android users are finding that they have the option available on their phones too.
Google has not made any sort of announcement about the rollout of the feature, and it seems as though it could be a server-side update rather than a new version of the app. But if you're one of the lucky ones, here's how to make use of this handy option.
Logitech G PRO Wireless Gaming Mouse is designed for esport professionals
Speed, accuracy and weight are all important factors when it comes to gaming mice, and this is something Logitech has taken into account over the two years it spent designing and building the Logitech G PRO Wireless Gaming Mouse.
Using LIGHTSPEED wireless technology, Logitech says that it is able to offer a lag-free gaming experience -- something which is generally not possible with a wireless mouse. Logitech is keen to point out that more than 50 professional gamers were involved in the design of this ambidextrous mouse and claims it is "the only wireless solution that provides pro grade performance and is actively used in tournament play by top professionals".
Logitech's MX Vertical is a freaky-looking first for the company
Logitech has announced its first ever vertical mouse. Appropriately named the MX Vertical, the device is described as the company's "most advanced ergonomic mouse".
Available in any color you want, so long as that color is black, the MX Vertical has been designed to eliminate wrist pain by enabling you to use it with what Logitech says is "a natural handshake position". Oh... and it looks a bit weird.
Google confirms it misleadingly tracks your location even with Location History disabled -- but it's not changing that
Call it bad wording, call it blatant lying, call it what you like -- Google was recently found to have been misleading people about what disabling Location History on their phones actually meant. Many people understandably thought that turning off this setting would prevent Google from tracking and recording their location. They were wrong
But despite the upset caused by this revelation, Google is not backing down. Rather than changing the behavior of the setting so it did what people would expect it to do, the company has instead chosen to simply update its help pages to make it clear how misleading it is being.
Now you can send auto-expiring emails from Gmail on your mobile
With the recent update to Gmail, Google added a number of features to its email service. One of the new features is Confidential Mode which allows for the sending of auto-expiring messages -- although, as we have previously noted, it's not perfect by any means.
Available on the web version of Gmail for a number of weeks now, the feature is finally rolling out to iOS and Android users.
WhatsApp now lets you backup to Google Drive without using any of your cloud storage quota
Facebook and Google have struck a deal that benefits WhatsApp users. Starting later in the year, users will be able to store WhatsApp backups on Google Drive without using up any of their storage space.
The new arrangement means that WhatsApp users now essential have unlimited storage space available to them free of charge. But the company has also issued a warning that people need to take action if they want to avoid backups being deleted.
Kids are dying because of their parents' obsessive phone use
Although it is the children of today who have never known a world in which mobile phones do not exist, it is the parents of these children that are causing serious problems -- and not just by using phones while driving.
The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) has warned that children are dying because of their parents' phone usage. The organization says that rather than keeping an eye on their kids as they swim, parents are "fixated by their smartphones" and fail to notice when their youngsters get into trouble.
How to backup your computer to the cloud with OneDrive folder protection
Previously only available to OneDrive for Business users, Microsoft is now rolling out OneDrive folder protection to everyone.
Also referred to as "known folder move" -- and rather copying the Backup and sync app from Google -- OneDrive folder protection makes it possible to back up your important files and folders to the cloud. Here's how to get started.
If you want to record calls in Android 9 Pie, you'll need to root your phone
Recording phone calls is dodgy territory legally speaking, but whether you choose to do it depends on where you are in the world, and whether you're concerned about complying with the law. Since Marshmallow, Google has made it difficult to record calls on Android phones by killing the recording API, but this has not stopped third party developers finding ways around it.
But with Android 9 Pie, Google has made it impossible for apps such as Call Recorder - ACR and BoldBeast Android Call Recorder to be used to record calls. Unless, that is, you're willing -- or able -- to root your handset.
How to enable Chrome's secret Emoji Context Menu to make it easier to type emoji
The likes of Duolingo have made it easier than ever to learn French, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew or whatever other tongue tickles your fancy, but the language of the internet is -- arguably -- emoji. On your mobile phone, these handy little characters are easy to type, but less so on your computer.
To make things a little easier, Google Chrome now has a hidden Emoji Context Menu that you can enable. Once activated, this menu can be used to access an emoji picker to add emoji to text fields. Here's how to enable it.
Twitter is killing push notifications for third party apps -- here's what you need to do
Starting tomorrow -- Thursday, August 16 -- Twitter is disabling push notifications for third party clients. If you use the likes of Twitterific, Fenix or Plume, this could mean you miss out on important messages as Twitter clamps down on what third party tools are able to do.
Twitter has long had a tempestuous relationship with app developers, including its frankly bizarre token limit which effectively restricts the number of users any app can ever attract. This latest move is billed as a part of a security drive, but it's one that will impact a large number of people. There is something you can do to ensure you get Twitter notifications on your iPhone or Android handset, but it's not ideal.
Need a rugged Oreo smartphone without (too many) compromises? Try the Poptel P10
As Samsung, Apple and even the likes of OnePlus push out flagship smartphones with ever-larger price tags, it's little wonder that people are increasingly seeking out cheaper alternatives. Where there's demand, supply follows, so there's no end of choice when it comes to handsets that pack a punch without breaking the bank.
It's possible -- probable, even -- that you've not heard of Poptel, but the Poptel P10 is a phone that's worthy of a second look. No, it's not a flagship-killer. No, it's not anything even approaching a competitor for the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy Note9. But it is a highly capable dual-SIM phone which is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, that boasts good looks, a slim design, and a pair of decent cameras.
Turkey to boycott US electronics as Trump implements ZTE and Huawei ban
Donald Trump has signed the Defense Authorization Act into law which imposes a watered-down ban on ZTE and Huawei products by the US government and IT contractors. The ban also covers a number of other Chinese telecoms manufacturers.
There has been much to-ing and fro-ing about whether these sanctions would actually be introduced, but now and for the next two years they will be in place -- something Huawei denounces as "ineffective, misguided, and unconstitutional". But while this latest bill signing sees Trump wielding his power, the president will be unimpressed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan -- the president of Turkey -- saying his country will boycott US electronics.
The Alldocube X is a low-cost 'Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 killer'
The big news from Samsung recently was the launch of the Galaxy Note9 smartphone, but the company also launched an Android tablet in the form of the Galaxy Tab S4. Starting at $649, the tablet may be beyond the reach of many people, but the Alldocube X is a cheap alternative.
This 10.5-inch Super AMOLED tablet started life as an Indiegogo campaign, and it was 180 percent funded in just 24 hours. Priced at $269 and due for release in October, the Alldocube X is billed as a 'Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 killer' -- but can it live up to this incredibly bold claim?