Alphabet enhances YouTube integration with Android TV feature

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Alphabet enhances YouTube integration with Android TV feature
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Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has just made watching YouTube on Android TV even cooler and more interactive! They’ve added a new feature to the YouTube app that shows a fun little animation when you check out a video’s details.

Now, when you’re flipping through videos on your TV, you’ll see the YouTube channel’s name, how many comments the video has, and a handy “Learn more about this video” message pops up with a cute animation.

This doesn’t get in the way of watching your favorite videos in full-screen, so you can enjoy a seamless viewing experience. With this update, Alphabet is hoping that even more people will start using YouTube on their Android TVs.

Expanding YouTube’s Capabilities

The YouTube platform is getting more and more user-friendly and packed with features. Now, not only can you get fun animations when exploring video details on Android TV, but YouTube Music has introduced a cool update for song search on Android devices. A new dedicated button makes finding your favorite tunes quicker by just tapping the search icon on the top right corner of the app.

But that’s not all Alphabet is up to. The company has also entered an exciting partnership with Peloton Interactive. If you’re a Peloton All-Access member, you can now stream top TV content right from your Peloton Bike, Peloton Row, or Peloton Tread. It’s a game-changer for workout entertainment!

In a move to empower creators, Google has unveiled YouTube Create. This mobile app is a one-stop shop for producing high-quality videos with ease, offering AI-powered tools for editing, captioning, voiceovers, filters, and even royalty-free music.

YouTube’s innovation doesn’t stop there. Creating professional-looking content is easier than ever with new AI-powered features like Dream Screen for flawless video backgrounds and rapid editing tools. Plus, Alphabet’s commitment to live music fans continues with its Coachella streaming partnership in 2024, featuring a multi-view experience that lets you watch up to four live stages at once on the YouTube app. It’s clear Alphabet is pushing the boundaries to make YouTube a versatile and immersive platform for all its users.

Alphabet’s Financial Horizon: A Glimpse into 2030

Looking ahead, Alphabet‘s financial future appears bright, especially with the booming video streaming market. According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, this market is on track to hit a staggering $1.9 trillion by 2030, growing at an incredible annual rate of 19.3% from 2023 to 2030. This growth spells good news for Alphabet, as YouTube’s strong subscriber base is set to further solidify its Google Services segment. This segment has been a primary engine of growth for Alphabet, pushing its shares up by 10.5% since the start of the year, outperforming the 9.2% growth seen in the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector.

The surge in Alphabet’s share price is a reflection of the company’s robust financial health and its potential for future growth. The Google Services segment’s continued expansion is expected to play a crucial role in bolstering Alphabet’s overall financial performance in the coming years. Financial experts are optimistic, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alphabet’s total revenues in 2024 projecting an 11.7% increase year-over-year, reaching $286.48 billion. Furthermore, earnings predictions for 2024 have been adjusted upwards, now standing at $6.78 per share—an increase that underscores the positive momentum surrounding Alphabet.

As Alphabet strides forward, its diverse portfolio of projects and innovations, including those on YouTube, are setting the stage for sustained growth. This expansion not only reinforces Alphabet’s dominant position in the tech world but also aligns perfectly with the evolving digital landscape, where video streaming and content creation are becoming increasingly central.

And for those who enjoy tech as much as they do leisure, it’s interesting to note how seamlessly technology integrates into our lives, even allowing for pastimes like to play casino games in New Jersey, merging entertainment with innovation.

The Takeaway: YouTube and Alphabet

In conclusion, all the cool updates and partnerships YouTube has announced are super exciting! They’re not just about watching videos anymore; YouTube is becoming a place where you can listen to music, get fit with Peloton, and even make your videos with some awesome AI tools.

Alphabet, the big company that owns YouTube, is working hard to make YouTube even more popular around the world. By doing so, they’re also making sure that they’ll keep being one of the top names in videos online, which is pretty cool for them.

And it’s not just Alphabet that’s doing well. Companies like Applied Materials and Dell Technologies are rocking it, too, with their stock prices going up a lot this year. Tech companies, in general, are having a great time and growing a lot, which is great news for people who are into tech stuff.

All this growth and innovation mean that watching videos, listening to music, or even working out on YouTube is going to get even better. And for Alphabet, it means they’ll keep being a big deal in the tech world. Who knows what cool stuff they’ll come up with next?


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WhatsApp working on a favorite feature for contacts and groups

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WhatsApp working on a favorite feature for contacts and groups
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WhatsApp is constantly testing new features, but these don’t always make it to the stable version of the app. One of the most recent new features that WhatsApp is testing is a Favorites tab in the Settings menu.

With the new feature, WhatsApp users will be able to add, reorder, and remove favorited contacts and groups from the app’s settings. The new feature was discovered by WABetaInfo in one of the most recent versions of WhatsApp beta for Android.

The Favorites tool is listed in the Settings menu right under the Account tab and aims to “make it easy to find people and groups that matter most across WhatsApp.”
WhatsApp working on a favorite feature for contacts and groups

Once you start to favorite contacts and populate the Favorites tab, they will be shown on the calls tab for easy access. You will no longer have to search for a certain contact to call since the Favorite tab is just one tap away.

Obviously, if you have lots of contacts that you want to add to the Favorites tab, it will be much easier to group them separately to avoid making very long lists of contacts.

This feature is not yet available on the iOS, and we have no idea when WhatsApp plans to roll out the Favorites tab, but it shouldn’t take too long if nothing goes wrong during testing.

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The Fitbit dashboard is going blank for some users

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The Fitbit dashboard is going blank for some users
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Over the years, Fitbit users have been using the dashboard feature on the website to get a snapshot of their health. However, there’s been a little issue recently. According to a new report, the Fitbit dashboard on the web has been blank for some people. This only stokes fears of Google discontinuing the website.

Right now, you’ll want to take this news with a grain of salt. It deals with a rumor circulating in the tech world. However, neither Google nor Fitbit has confirmed this information officially. So, there may be additional updates to this story.

Fitbit users are finding that the dashboard is blank

When you sign into your Fitbit account, you will see several tabs to help you navigate the website. One is the Dashboard tab. This is the part of the interface that allows you to check out your recent activity with charts and graphs showing information like steps, sleep, diet, Etc. You’ll see information synced from your smartwatch. It’s an all-in-one hub to get a glimpse of your current numbers.

However, some people are logging on to find that the Fitbit dashboard is blank. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if it weren’t for rumors and fear of Google taking down the Fitbit website in order to create an app-only experience. At this point, we don’t know if Google is planning on doing this. However, it is one thing that we’ve been fearing a bit. Something like this actually happened with the Google Fit website a few years ago, as stated by 9To5Google.

One thing that adds fuel to the fire is the banner that you see at the top of the page. It’s one of the classic “Get our app!” messages. The banner reads “Check out our health dashboard in the Fitbit app. Get Fitbit on your device,”. This is followed by the link to get the app from the App Store and the Google Play Store.

This could be a bug

There’s also the possibility that it’s just a hiccup in your browser. In order to get your dashboard back, you can simply clear your cache. Go to the Settings and click on the Privacy and Security button. There, click on the Clear Browsing Data button. Be sure to check the Cache Images and Files box and UNCHECK boxes like Cookies and Other Site Data. You should be able to see the page after that point.


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Samsung Galaxy S23 series part of the Re-Newed program in the US

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Samsung Galaxy S23 series part of the Re-Newed program in the US
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Samsung Galaxy S23 series smartphones are now part of the Certified Re-Newed program in the US. This program, while selling pre-owned devices, still offers a year-long warranty, a brand-new battery, and much more. Samsung chose to include the S23 series devices on Earth Day 2024.

Pre-owned Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra now available from Samsung

Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 series last year. In other words, they are fairly new smartphones. The Galaxy S23 series includes the base model S23, the middle variant S23 Plus, and the top-end S23 Ultra. There’s even a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, but it doesn’t appear to be part of the Samsung Certified Re-Newed program yet.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 features a 6.1-inch AMOLED display. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor powers the device, which is paired with up to LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. There’s a 50-megapixel main camera and a 3090mAh battery that supports fast charging.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus has a slightly larger and brighter 6.6-inch AMOLED display. It packs a larger 4700mAh battery and a slightly better camera setup. Needless to mention, it sits perfectly between the S23 and the S23 Ultra.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a significantly better 200MP primary camera. It is miles ahead of the S22 Ultra owing to the faster processor, a longer battery life, and a brighter display. All these enhancements make the S23 Ultra the most expensive smartphone in the S23 series.

The Samsung Certified Re-Newed program reportedly includes the Galaxy S23, the S23 Plus, and the S23 Ultra. Moreover, there’s a substantial discount for customers who are willing to buy a pre-owned Samsung smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is available with either 128GB or 256GB internal storage. However, only the Phantom Black edition is available. Prices start at $619.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus too is limited to the Phantom Black edition. This device, however, is available with 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. Prices start at $769.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the only device that’s available in Phantom Black and Green color options. It is identical to the S23 Plus in terms of internal storage. This top-end model in the S23 series starts at $919 in the Samsung Certified Re-Newed program.

What is the Samsung Certified Re-Newed program?

The Samsung Certified Re-Newed program promises to offer gently used or returned Galaxy devices. Samsung assures smartphones in its program differ significantly from a typical refurbished phone program.

Samsung claims each device that comes in, passes through more than 100 different point checks to ensure quality. The company replaces any worn or faulty components with genuine Samsung parts.

Samsung even replaces the battery inside each smartphone. Moreover, all devices available from the Samsung Certified Re-Newed program have a full one-year warranty, just like brand-new devices. This means buyers needn’t worry about the dreaded green-line issue. Additionally, there’s the Samsung Care+ program available too.

Speaking about the price, a Samsung smartphone from the Certified Re-Newed program costs 20% or less than its brand-new counterpart.


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A Google “Wireless Device” passes through the FCC ahead of Google I/O

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A Google “Wireless Device” passes through the FCC ahead of Google I/O
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A new Google device just got clearance from the FCC. Now, we have already seen the Google Pixel 8a pass through, so it’s unlikely to be that. The FCC only listed this device as a “wireless device” with the model name “G4SKY”.

The listing does show some LTE bands being supported as well as a 2.4GHz WifFi band and Bluetooth. So that kind of gets rid of any Nest device. We have seen the FCC use “wireless devices” for Nest smart speakers and other smart home products in the past. This definitely makes it sound like a new watch, or at least a wearable.

Google’s Pixel Watch and Watch 1 both come in a 4G LTE model, so this does sound pretty similar to that. However, Google does typically launch watches in the fall, and not in the summer. Keep in mind that Google I/O is coming up next month, from Mountain View, California.

Could Google be launching a cheaper Pixel Watch at I/O?

In Google’s Pixel ecosystem, it does indeed already have a Pixel a-series, and a Pixel Buds a-series available. Could Google be preparing to launch a Pixel Watch 2a alongside the Pixel 8a? It’s possible, however, we’ve heard virtually no rumors about this happening. So it doesn’t sound as likely. But what else could it be?

We are expecting to get a new pair of Pixel Buds at Google I/O, but why would those have support for nine LTE bands? That’s the part that is really puzzling here.

Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that not everything we see passes through the FCC ends up going on sale. Over the years, we’ve seen multiple phones get approved by the FCC, only for them to never be heard from again. While this is one of the last steps before launch, it’s still possible it could get scrapped, held off for the fall, or even next year.


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A new leak suggests colors for the Galaxy Z Flip 6

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A new leak suggests colors for the Galaxy Z Flip 6
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Right now, leaks and rumors about Samsung’s next foldable phones are heating up. We expect to see these phones in the flesh within just a few months, and we’re excited to see what changes Samsung will bring to the foldable phone market… if any. Well, thanks to a new leak from noted leaker Ross Young, we may have an idea of the colors for the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Obviously, you’re going to want to take this news cautiously. There’s no guarantee that these will be the exact colors that this phone will come in. Since we are dealing with leaked information, anything could change between now and the official launch.

A leak reveals potential names for the colors of the Galaxy Z Flip 6

Right now, the future of Samsung’s Galaxy foldables is a bit uncertain, as we are following rumors about a potential FE version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and/or an ultra model. However, that does not mean that we can’t follow rumors about the good old Flip phone.

In an X post, Ross Young said that we should expect some new colors in addition to the previously leaked colors. The previously leaked colors include Light Blue, Light Green, Silver, and Yellow. In the leak, he says that those colors will still remain. However, he mentioned that Samsung could name the Light Green color Mint and the Silver color Silver Shadow. He also added some other lower-volume colors which are called Crafted Black, Peach, and white.

At this point, we don’t have any visuals of how these colors will look, but many of us can imagine how they will look. At this point, we don’t have an inkling as to when the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event is going to happen. However, we expect it to be in the summer.

Since Samsung revamped the appearance of its Galaxy Z Flip phone line last year, we don’t expect the company to bring forth any notable visual changes this year around. In any case, it will still be exciting to see if Samsung offers any surprises.


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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 will have the same storage sizes as Fold 5

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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 will have the same storage sizes as Fold 5
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Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 later this year, and we’re starting to get a better picture of what to expect from Samsung this year.

According to Ross Young, who has a pretty impressive track record with leaks, Samsung will be offering the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage variants this year. That’s the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 will also use the same storage sizes, at 256GB and 512GB.

This isn’t a surprise. The Galaxy Z Fold has always started at 256GB of storage or more. And we’ve yet to see a mainstream phone launch with more than 1TB of storage yet.

Galaxy Z Fold 6 will come in 5 colors

Young also stated that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is coming in five colors this year. As previously reported, there’s Dark Blue, Light Pink, and Silver. However, Dark Blue is now being called Navy, and Silver is now being called Silver Shadow.

He also tweeted that there are two low-volume colors in Crafted Black and White. These are likely going to be two of the Samsung.com exclusive colors that the company tends to do. We will also likely see a few more colors available for the Samsung.com exclusive, as Samsung tends to use around three or four colors, and typically, they are a bit brighter than just black and white.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 6 in July, alongside the Flip 6, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Tab S10 and possibly some new Galaxy Buds as well. So we’ve got a few more months of leaks and rumors to go until it is announced. Ross Young od DSCC is typically pretty accurate, and this is because he focuses on the display industry, and well these phones use displays. So he’s able to get additional info from that. While things could change, most of this is likely set in stone.


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There will be at least 8 variants of the Samsung Galaxy Ring

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There will be at least 8 variants of the Samsung Galaxy Ring
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Samsung first unveiled the Galaxy Ring at the Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event in January alongside the Galaxy S24 series. This is the first product of its ‘Q Series’. While the product isn’t here yet, the details are slowly but surely getting public. We reported last month that the company was planning to produce less than half a million units of the Galaxy Ring in the first batch. It seems that Samsung is taking calculated steps for this new wearable.

When Samsung showed off the Galaxy Ring to the general public at MWC, they confirmed that the product will come in three different colors – platinum silver, ceramic black, and gold and a total of nine different sizes.

The model numbers of the Galaxy Ring variants seemingly correspond to the US ring sizes 5 to 13

The model number of all the variants of the Galaxy Ring starts with SM-Q5. The latest report from the Galaxy Club claims that Samsung is working on eight different variants of the Galaxy Ring. These are – SM-Q500, SM-Q501, SM-Q502, SM-Q505, SM-Q506, SM-Q507, SM-Q508, and SM-Q509. It seems that the model numbers mentioned more or less correspond to the US ring sizes 5 to 13. SM-Q500 is the smallest and SM-Q509 is the largest. Two logical models – the SM-Q503 and SM-Q504 aren’t mentioned in the report. It could be possible that at least one of them exists, as there will be a total of 9 sizes. However, that variant has not been spotted yet.

Samsung could launch the Galaxy Ring with the next generation foldable, the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6, at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event which is generally held in late July or August. However, a rumor spotted by Galaxy Club claims that Samsung may hold the event relatively early in the summer this time. If this is true, Samsung could start shipping the product to users as soon as August.

What to expect from the Galaxy Ring

For those unfamiliar with the development, the Galaxy Ring is basically a smaller version of a wearable health-tracking device like the Galaxy Fit 3. It is expected to work alongside the Galaxy Watch devices to provide more accurate and precise information about your health.

The ring is expected to equip various sensors including gyro, heart rate sensors, and more. It will be able to count your steps, measure heart rate, blood oxygen level, amount of movement made during sleep, time it takes you to fall asleep, and more. It is reportedly quite comfortable and is designed to be worn all the time.


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Android 15 could hide unused notification channels

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Android 15 could hide unused notification channels
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Most Android apps create several notification channels when they’re installed. However, there’s no guarantee that you will use every single one of them. As such, Android 15 could potentially hide unused notification channels. This will make customizing the notification experience of your apps just a bit better.

In case you don’t know what notification channels are, they are a way of giving specific notifications for specific reasons. For example, if you are using a social media app, you’re bound to receive different types of notifications. You could receive a notification about a new post, a notification about a like, a notification showing a new DM, Etc.

They allow you to set different notification sounds for each different scenario or silence them altogether. So, if you want to receive all of the notifications about people liking your posts, but you don’t want to receive your DMs, you can set it so.

Android 15 could hide unused notification channels

While having more notification channels does make for a more customized experience, chances are you are not going to be using every single channel. Going back to that social media app, if you don’t use the DM feature, then you’re not going to be using the DM notification channel.

One issue that people deal with is wading through an excessive amount of notification channels. Android engineer Mishaal Rahman pointed to Instagram having upwards of 25 notification channels. You are most likely not receiving 25 different types of notifications from Instagram.

Well, according to the report, Android 15 will hide notification channels that are not being used by an app. When you go to an app’s notification settings, you will only see the ones that are pushing notifications. This will make the screen much less cluttered, and you’ll be able to easily customize the notifications that you receive. In the screenshot below, we see a much cleaner interface on the right side compared to the left side.

Android 15 notification channels

This is such a useful and common-sense feature that we are certain that Google will push it to the public. However, we are not certain when. So, stay tuned for more updates on this story. Also, keep an eye out for other Android 15 headlines here on the site. For example, Android 15 could potentially show your phone’s storage chip health.


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Google releases Android 15 Beta 1.1 with NFC Bug Fixes

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Google releases Android 15 Beta 1.1 with NFC Bug Fixes
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Roughly two weeks after releasing the first public beta for Android 15, Google is now releasing a dot-one update for the first beta. It’s Android 15 Beta 1.1. It’s a minor update as you’d expect, it’s mostly here to squash a few NFC bugs.

Apparently, on the first beta build for Android 15, NFC was super broken, so that should now be fixed in this new update. The first thing listed on the changelog is “fixed various issues with NFC,” and then it goes on to mention other specific issues that Google was tracking related to NFC. Some other bugs were also fixed.

Early reports from Reddit claim that NFC is now working once again, on the beta. At the same time, others are hoping for better battery life. It’s worth mentioning that these betas and developer previews are typically not significantly optimized for battery life. So if you want to run it on your Pixel, keep that in mind.

Google has released this new build, it’s AP31.240322.023, and it is available for the Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. Remember, the Pixel 5a won’t be getting Android 15 this fall, so that’s why it doesn’t have a beta build for it.

Google is planning at least three more major Android 15 Beta releases

Looking at Google’s release timeline for Android 15, it appears that there will be at least three more beta releases coming this Summer. That would be Android 15 Beta 2, Beta 3, and Beta 4 before the final release later this Summer or Fall.

The second beta will most likely be released at Google I/O in May. Typically, that is where Google will give us a little bit more info on the next version of Android. However, last year, Android 14 was barely mentioned at Google I/O. So, we may or may not get a major update next month. We’ll have to wait and see. However, if you are excited about Android 15, you can run the Public Beta on your Pixel device now. Just head over to the Android Public Beta page and enroll your device, to get started.


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