Google’s next Pixel devices get codenamed in the Android AOSP gerrit

Google Pixel XL

It doesn’t really say much about the new devices but there might be three new Google-made devices coming out later this year. The rumoured Google Pixel XL replacement, with its codename Muskie, has shown up in the Android AOSP gerrit. Android Police spotted Muskie alongside the other codenames Walleye and Taimen.

Walleye is predicted to be a Pixel-sized smartphone and Taimen is expected to be a bigger smartphone than Muskie. It’s also plausible that Taimen can be a tablet. We really can’t say at this point. But this does point to having three new Google devices coming soon.

Source: Android Authority

Some Google Pixel users reporting microphone issues

Some Google Pixel owners are reporting issues with their smartphone's microphone. Hundreds of users have chimed in saying that their devices are having issues with some of their microphones, rendering audio unusable in some cases even when shooting video.

"The most common problem is a hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec," said Google employee Brian Rakowski. "The other related problems are due to a faulty microphone."

This isn't the first issue that's affected the HTC-built Google Pixel, which had early LTE-disconnection issues with certain carriers. In the case of the microphone issues, these are hardware related, possibly because the Pixel had a short time to get to market.

Google is aware of the issue, it is helping customers get replacements for their faulty devices. Is this issue affecting your Pixel phone?

Source: Engadget

You won’t see any Pixel-branded laptops anytime soon

Looks like we’ve seen the last of the premium Pixel-branded laptops. Let’s clarify, though, that this doesn’t mean the end of Chrome OS or Google’s laptop initiatives. According to Rick Osterloh, senior vice president for Hardware at Google, the company will not use the Pixel brand for laptops in the future. Pixel has been associated recently with Google’s new and well-received line of smartphones, which have, unfortunately, been having some issues with supply and demand recently.

Osterloh says during an interview at Mobile World Congress that there might be new product categories that will carry the Pixel name, though. As TechCrunch points out, if you head to the Google Store, there are no Pixel laptops for sale at the moment. But as Osterloh qualifies, there might be Google-branded laptops in the future still but they “don’t have any plans to discuss at this time.”

New handy Instant Tethering feature for Android comes to Pixel and Nexus devices

One of the things we expect from our gadgets is that they just work. No need to toggle anything, they just have to work. Google is turning that into a reality with its own devices. Called Instant Tethering, the feature will let a select number of devices instantly use the same cellular data connection of a smartphone when it sees that there is a connection and sufficient battery life. At the moment the feature is available to any Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P running Android 7.1.1. All the aforementioned smartphones can serve as the host for another support device as long as it’s signed into the same Google account. You don’t even need to turn on the hotspot anymore or input any passwords, it’ll just work.

And you don’t even have to shut it off, too. When 10 minutes have passed when you last used a device that tethered to your smartphone, it’ll cut off the connection itself. Saving battery is something Google is paying attention, too. While this isn’t the first time tech manufacturers have done this. It’s good we have one more option. And hopefully more tech companies follow suit.

Source: The Verge