Articles about Android

HTC today finally unveils a high-end Android smartphone that you might actually want to buy. It's called the U11 and it comes with pretty much everything you can expect in a flagship in 2017, save for that awkward, tall display that you see on rivals like the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8.

HTC has had quite a few uninspiring devices in recent years, but the U11 represents a departure from that trend. It has the latest and greatest internals, the best camera around, an attractive design, and the latest version of Android. It's like HTC listened to all the complaints and decided to, you know, not screw things up this time around.

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There is a common misconception that iPhone is for wealthy people, while Android is for folks with smaller budgets. While this isn't necessarily true, it is fair to say that Apple does not cater to the super low-end market. For those that don't have a lot of money to spend on a smartphone, Android is absolutely where it's at.

While there are many affordable Android devices, not all of them are of acceptable quality -- some can be horrible. If you want a good balance of power, features, and cost, Lenovo's Moto devices have historically been a smart bet. Today, the company announces two new such phones -- the Moto C and Moto C Plus. Each of them runs Android Nougat.

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While rooting Android does not make it necessarily less secure, some software makers would rather you keep your device stock. Why? Well, because when you gain elevated privileges, which is what rooting enables, you might cause some issues or do some things that run afoul of their rules.

Netflix now seems to have a problem with Android devices that have been rooted and/or have an unlocked bootloader, as it just dropped support for those devices on Google Play.

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OnePlus has enjoyed great success with the OnePlus 3 and 3T -- the flagship killers that pack a real punch for a bargain price -- and this looks set to continue with the follow-up. We already know that the OnePlus 5 is due for release soon (yep, there's no OnePlus 4), and this week more leaks have told us just about everything we could want to know about the specs and price.

Continuing the theme we have become used to with the company, the leaks show that OnePlus is planning to deliver a powerful handset at a knock-down price. An image posted to Slashleaks is very much in line with the specs listed by Geekbuying, where the price is listed as a very tempting $449.99.

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One of the problems with buying an Android smartphone is that there is usually no way to tell just how long it will be supported and how long you'll get Android updates. Unless you have a Google-branded device, it's hit-and-miss when, or indeed if, you'll receive an upgrade to the latest and greatest version of the mobile OS.

With the impending release of Android O, however, Google is trying out a solution to the problem which has led to endless fragmentation of the Android market. Going by the name of Project Treble, the solution sees Google introducing a modular base to Android. It's described as "the biggest change to the low-level system architecture of Android to date" and it should make it quicker, easier and cheaper for device-makers to roll out updates to handsets in future.

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The security of Android has been questioned many times, but the general thinking is that installing apps from Google Play offers a decent level of protection. But research by Check Point shows that this is not the case due to a flaw in permissions.

The permission model used by Google grants apps installed from the Play Store extensive access, and opens up the risk of malware, ransomware and other threats. Google is aware of the problem, but does not plan to address it until the release of Android O, meaning that an unknown number of apps pose a risk to millions of users.

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Offline web browsing is a useful feature, particularly on a smartphone, so it was little surprise when Google added website downloading to the Android version of Chrome. Today the company launches a number of improvements to make the whole process even easier.

The latest update to the app introduces a couple of new ways to download pages for offline viewing. It also provides easier access to the content you have earmarked for offline reading, encouraging more people to make use of the feature.

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Google is preparing to launch the Android O beta, and ahead of this the company has officially closed the Android Nougat beta program. We've already seen a developer preview of Android O, and a second release is due later this month.

But many Pixel and Nexus users are waiting for the Android O beta as the developer preview is not really intended for public consumption. While we're not really any closer to knowing for sure when the new beta program will begin, we're clearly nearing the time that Google will make an announcement.

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OnePlus has confirmed that the successor to the OnePlus 3T is due for release soon. The OnePlus 5 has been rumored and hinted at for a while, but now it is official.

In a slightly unusual move, rather than making a direct announcement about the upcoming flagship killer, OnePlus instead chose to reveal the future launch to the Verge. Beyond "summer," we know nothing about the specifics of the launch but there are plenty of leaks and rumors to go on for the time being.

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Businesses often envision the modern desktop computer as being a boring piece of kit, one that not only costs a lot of money but also doesn’t offer much in terms of innovation.

The reality is slightly different; between dongle PCs, mini and micro PCs as well as all-in-ones, there’s plenty of innovation around if you know where to look.

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Gmail users will now be protected from phishing attacks on their Android phones thanks to a new update from Google. The company is rolling out a new security feature similar to that found in the web version of Gmail, warning people when an email contains a suspicious link.

For now, the update is only rolling out to Android users, and Google has not indicated whether it will make its way to iOS in due course or not. The update comes just shortly after a phishing scam emerged in which recipients were encouraged to click on a link to open files purporting to be stored on Google Docs.

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For many of us, there is no device more important than our smartphone. There is so much valuable data on it -- contacts, business emails, private messages, personal photos and videos, sensitive files and so on -- that you really do not want it to fall into the wrong hands. Some believe it would be impossible to replace, which is why they'd rather have their wallet stolen instead of lose their data.

However, when using a smartphone, security is often an afterthought, which is why so many users fall victim to malware. And that's a shame, because covering your bases is not all that difficult. You can set up a PIN, password or configure the fingerprint sensor and use a dedicated security app to keep your smartphone and the data on it safe. AVG's AntiVirus is a very popular option on Android, thanks to its robust feature set and ease of use.

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I recently bought the all-new iPad 2017 and love it very much. The problem? There aren't many cases for it. While some first-gen iPad Air cases may work with it, that is not a guarantee. Sure, there are some universal cases that leverage elastic straps to accommodate many models, but those are often a poor experience.

Today, Logitech announces an all-new universal keyboard case that actually looks good. Rather than use cheap elastic, the company has come up with some brilliant 4-point adjustable grips. This looks to be a very elegant product that solves a common problem. Of course, it will not work with all tablets, just some models that range from 8.9 to 10 inches. Best of all? The clever case is compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows 10.

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Without trying to sound like a broken record, there's really no future in Windows 10 Mobile. If it wasn't clear years ago, it is crystal clear now. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw a new manufacturer embracing the platform last year, and a niche one at that. That was NuAns with its Neo handset, which is probably the last memorable smartphone released with Windows on board.

A year later the company is unsurprisingly admitting defeat. NuAns is replacing the Neo with the Neo Reloaded, which, you guessed it, runs Android this time around. The smartphone just hit Indiegogo, and you can get one for as little as $355.

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Malware is something of a recurring problem for Android users, and it seems as though Google is fighting a never-ending battle to keep the blight out of the Play Store. The latest large-scale batch to be discovered takes the form of adware known as FalseGuide.

As you may have guessed from the name -- and your own experience of Google Play -- this malware spreads by fooling people into installing apps purporting to be guides to popular games. The apps themselves are fairly innocuous -- and often are guides as they claim to be -- but they then download additional modules which can be used to bombard users with ads.

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