Tag: Nexus

If you are a Google Pixel or Nexus 5X/6P user, there is a minor update to the Google Camera app rolling out for you.  The update, version 4.3 for those keeping score at home, fundamentally brings one feature to the table:  The ability to silence the shutter sound.  This may not seem like a big deal but it is something many other camera apps have offered for a long time and when you are in a museum or other quiet place, having the shutter sound fire off each time you take a photo can be a bit annoying.

This new setting is found in Settings>General in the app under “camera sounds”.  Toggle this off and there will be no more sounds from the app.  Keep in mind, this also means that the self timer feature will also go silent too.  It completely shuts the sounds off in the app.

It looks like the Nexus name is dying a death.  Reports are suggesting that Google is going to be hosting an event on October 4th, at which we will see the new HTC-built Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL announced.  Those phones are currently under their code names of Marlin and Sailfish respectively.  The new naming convention will mean that across all hardware types – phones, tablets and Chromebooks – there is one name to remember and will likely have some sort of suffix designation for the model.

What is interesting is that the name “Pixel” has been associated with Google as being the designer of the product.  Take the Pixel C or the Pixel Chromebook as an example.  While Google may not have built those devices, they had a very heavy hand in their design.  Is that the case for the Pixel and Pixel XL phones?  leaked mock-ups suggest no.  The Marlin (Pixel) device looks strikingly like the HTC built One A9.  While it may have different innards, outward appearances don’t suggest Google did the design.

Great news and yet another reason to pick up a Nexus phone.  The Nexus team at Google has announced that Wi-Fi Assistant is coming to all Nexus phones in the coming weeks.  Wi-Fi Assistant to this point has been exclusive to Project Fi users which allows their devices to automatically connect to Google approved Wi-Fi hotspots securely and without any user intervention.  It is a huge benefit to Fi frankly as it saves on data plan usage.  It will connect your phone to Wi-Fi without you even knowing it.  Now all Nexus owners will benefit from the feature.

With the new Nexus phones from HTC coming later this year, there is already a fair amount of anticipation of what these two phones, code named Marlin and Sailfish, will bring.  But, for those who like wallpapers, the papers for these two new phones have already been leaked.  Thanks to the team over at Android Police, you can now download 15 new wallpapers for your devices today.  There is a nice mix of themes in them – aquatic, wildlife and fractals – and all look pretty darn spiffy.  I have re-posted the wallpapers here and you can see all of them after the break.  However, you can download from the original source here if you want to do so.

Android N is nearly upon us and the question that everyone wants to know is if their phone or tablet will see the update.  For their part, Google has clearly outlined which Nexus devices will get updates and for how long after it is no longer for sale.  While the definition has been roughly outlined and discussed by Google, to this point there has never been a document outlining which devices will get updates and when those updates will stop.  That, thanks to a post in the Google Support pages, has been formally defined.

I began tech writing back in 1998 and over the course of those 18 years I have reviewed well over 100 different phones, tablets, PCs, Chromebooks and the like.  When it comes to phones, I’m a bit jaded admittedly.  I tend to not get caught up in all the hype of new phones or even phones that are a few months old because, let’s face it, the next new phone is on its way.  That is certainly the case for the Nexus 6P.  The Huawei built Nexus phone has been out since September of last year and you can almost certainly bet that its replacement will be here about that time this year.  But of all the phones I have used over the course of my tech writing, the Nexus 6P may be the most complete package to date.  It is shockingly good on almost every level.  Here are some of my initial thoughts on it as I prep for a larger, detailed review later this month.