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Google may not be ready to hold an in-person developer conference quite yet, but this year’s Google I/O was full of new developments across all of Google’s products and services. Well, one line of products was missing: hardware. If you were hoping for details on new Pixels, Chromecasts, Stadia consoles or Nest smart home gear, you’ll have to wait. But Google did offer new details on the long-awaited Android 12; enhancements to its core Search, Photos, and Shopping experiences; and reminded us over and over that, yes, it really cares about privacy. There was even a ‘one more thing’ moment in Project Starline. Below are the big announcements from Google I/O 2021. ANDROID 12 One of the more hotly anticipated announcements of Google I/O 2021 was Android 12, the next iteration…

Google updates its Android operating system every year, introducing new features and designs that keep the software in fine fettle, and the new version for 2021 is Android 12. Launching later this year, it will bring about a whole new design language and a host of new privacy features, among other improvements, to Google’s device ecosystem. So, what will appear in Android 12 when it arrives on your phone? Here’s everything Google has revealed. RELEASE DATE The latest version of Android is usually first seen in developer previews in March, then publicly previewed at Google’s I/O event (see page 4), with public beta versions releasing shortly afterwards and the final, full release of the software coming in the autumn. The first developer preview of Android 12 went live on 18 February,…

Price: £329 from fave.co/3gN6dhr The Poco F3 is the first in a brand-new product line for the Xiaomi sub-brand. Described as “The Real Beast” by the company, it’s pitched as a premium alternative to the Poco X3 Pro that launched alongside it. Despite tipping over into mid-range territory, it retains the ultra-competitive pricing we’ve come to associate with Poco phones. The stacked spec sheet suggests Xiaomi is onto a winner here. A Snapdragon 870 chipset, 120Hz AMOLED display and all-glass design are things we’ve come to associate with much more expensive handsets. But does Xiaomi cut any corners to get there, and how well does it stack up to real-world usage? I spent a few weeks with the device to find out. DESIGN The design of the Poco F3 belies its relatively affordable…

Noise-cancelling headphones are one of the most popular types of cans, and for good reason. They block out ambient noise that can distract from you enjoying your favourite tunes. While they’re particularly useful for air travel and daily commutes – especially via public transport – they’re also great at isolating you from at-home noise pollution, whether that be your dog barking, the whir of your computer’s cooling fans, or your neighbour’s lawn mower. Noise cancellation can be accomplished in two ways: through active or passive measures. Our focus here is on the former. The latter isn’t a technology per se; rather, it refers to how much ambient noise a headphone will physically block. Closed-back over-ear headphones and in-ear headphones with memory-foam tips offer the best passive noise cancellation. Headphones with active noise cancellation…

Google’s password manager is getting a few exciting enhancements, the company announced at its I/O conference. Taking the stage, Jen Fitzpatrick, SVP of Core Systems & Experiences, introduced four new features to the Google security service used by half a billion people. The improvements include: Password Imports allows users to bring passwords in from other password managers Deeper Chrome and Android integration allows secure passwords to move from desktop sites to app usage Automatic password alert lets users know if any saved passwords have been compromised in a third-party breach Quick fix feature offers automated help via Google Assistant to change compromised passwords right away Google published a guide on how its automated password changes will work immediately after the announcement – see fave.co/2UhL5XI. When a password has been exposed, users…

As we’ve seen, Google has announced a new version of its mobile operating system – Android 12. Although we’ll have to wait until the autumn for it to be formally released, you can get the Android 12 Beta 2 on a range of phones right now. Google sometimes limits the Android beta to its own Pixel phones, but this year you can get Android 12 Beta 2 on various other devices from the likes of OnePlus, Asus, Xiaomi, and more. The method is a little different, but we’ll explain how to get it on any compatible phone – and which phones support the new beta. Warning: As is always the case with beta software, it’s not advisable to load it onto your main phone as the software could be buggy…

Price: £749 from fave.co/35GNm1l The Vivo X60 Pro is, for now, the only phone in the company’s X60 series available to buy in the UK and western Europe. The follow-up to last year’s X50 Pro – released here as the X51 – is a camera-focused flagship that makes small compromises on its chipset and charging capabilities in order to deliver a top-tier camera and one of the smallest, lightest flagship phone designs I can remember. DESIGN I wrote last year that Vivo is probably making the best looking phones in the industry right now, and that hasn’t changed. The X60 Pro is an absolute looker. My ‘Shimmer Blue’ model is obviously an eye-catcher, reflecting a whole spectrum of colours depending on how it catches the light, but if you prefer something…

Google’s next step in Google Workspace is... a Google workspace: Smart Canvas, an all-in-one digital document that’s designed for collaboration. “For over a decade, we’ve been pushing documents away from just being pieces of paper, and toward collaborative, linked content inspired by the web,” said Javier Soltero, vice president and general manager of Google Workspace, during a presentation at Google’s recent I/O developer conference. Soltero didn’t call out Smart Canvas as a separate app, competing with existing Workspace apps like Docs or Sheets. Instead, he positioned Smart Canvas as more of a conceptual experience, guiding the evolution of working within the Google Workspace apps over time. Some users began comparing Smart Canvas to Notion, a subscription service for macOS that uses the same sort of inclusive design as Google’s own Smart Canvas.…

Price: £299 from fave.co/3d2NvjE The OnePlus Nord CE 5G – the CE stands for Core Edition, fact fans – is an understandably brazen attempt by OnePlus to recreate the success of what it says is one of its best-selling phones ever, last year’s OnePlus Nord. The essentials of last year’s Nord return in broad strokes – the design, the display, the mid-range specs – but with a few concessions made across the board to help the phone hit a lower price point. Sadly, there are too many of those cutbacks, for too slight a price drop, to make the Nord CE the absolute slam-dunk of the original Nord. But by any measure this is a competitive mid-range phone that delivers solid features, an attractive design, and the OnePlus killer app: OxygenOS.…

Price: £699 from fave.co/3zN33BE Asus shocked fans by ditching the Flip camera module synonymous with the ZenFone line on the standard ZenFone 8, deciding instead to offer a more compact smartphone than much of the competition, but the larger ZenFone 8 Flip is here to scratch that flipping itch for 2021. The ZenFone 8 Flip may look familiar, and that’s because it’s near-identical in design (and most other areas) to its predecessor, the ZenFone 7. That may be a disappointment for some but given the smartphone’s limited release in 2020, it makes sense for Asus to upgrade the internals and put it in front of a wider audience. The question is whether the flip camera system is worth the premium compared to its more capable and cheaper sibling? It’s a…