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June 18, 2021

šŸ‘‹ Morning! Juneteenth is now a holiday! Tomorrow! That said, itā€™s a Saturday this year and a Sunday next year, so bring on Monday, June 19, 2023!

Find My sanity
how to find a lost phone find my device app google pixel 4 xl

Hereā€™s something likely useful, definitely predictable, and a little bit sad too ā€” more on the last point below.

Android phones might be getting their own ā€œFind Myā€ network, just like iPhones:

  • XDA Developers decoded some data in the latest Google Play Services version that rolled out in the beta channel. The strings pulled out of the code describe a ā€œFind My Device Networkā€ service that ā€œallows your phone to help locate your and other peopleā€™s devices.ā€
  • Thatā€™s great because there are three billion Android devices, and the ā€œFind My Deviceā€ feature is limited for now: it can find devices that are signed into the userā€™s Google account.
  • At least once or twice a week I ask my Google Home Mini (aka Nest Home) ā€œFind my phoneā€ and my Pixel 4a 5G loudly and happily trills away until I track it down.
  • Now it seems the ā€œFind My Device Network,ā€ could help other Android users find their phones, in a big, new network.
  • We donā€™t know if this is an Android 12 inclusion or still a separate app, but weā€™ve asked Google for more information.

We really, really could use some kind of shared technology here:

  • The sad thing is that this becomes an Apple vs Android fight. I canā€™t find your iPhone or your luggage with an AirTag using my Android, and you canā€™t find my Pixel with your iPhone.
  • Surely itā€™d be better if iPhones could find Android devices, Androids could find iPhones (and AirTags), and we could all just ā€¦help each other.
  • Itā€™s worth partially crediting third parties like Tile which did offer cross-platform finding, though only for its Bluetooth trackers.
  • But a system-level approach should go further because losing things (or having them stolen) is no fun at all.Ā 
  • Of course, Appleā€™s approach is to defer to its aggressive walled ecosystem approach, and maybe offer minor concessions over time.
  • Can we just all get along, so we donā€™t lose our stuff?
Roundup

šŸ’ø Thieves realize stealing bank account info from phones is better than reselling the device (Android Authority).

šŸ‘‰ Samsungā€™s first Fan Edition tablet lands in India with Android 11, big battery (Android Authority).

šŸ“ Also, Samsungā€™s future foldables could feature quirky rotating camerasā€¦ that may be genuinely a nice innovation (Android Authority).

šŸ”§ US lawmakers propose 25% tax credit to incentivize domestic chip production (Engadget).

šŸš« Following lawsuits, Snapchat pulls its speed filter (TechCrunch).

šŸŽ® You can sign up to test Sonyā€™s PS5 beta software before ā€˜majorā€™ update coming soon (Gizmodo).

šŸ„½ Welp: Facebook will start putting ads in Oculus Quest apps. Three big questions here: what about hardware sensor data usage, how does this affect VR development, and doesnā€™t this just add to Big Tech concerns? (The Verge).

šŸ“† Interesting: Microsoft is now holding a second, separate event for Windows developers on June 24 (OnMSFT).

šŸŽ¶ Porsche has a new system to pipe in ā€œcustom, original music,ā€ depending on the ā€œacceleration, speed and centrifugal forces in the car.ā€ Hopefully, when youā€™re in traffic, itā€™s very soothingā€¦ (Engadget).

šŸ›°ļø GPS III has had a long journey, but with a fifth new-generation satellite in place, the constellation is getting much, much better (Wired).

šŸŒŒ The center of the Milky Way might not be a Black Hole after all, but a massive amount of dark matter (Popular Mechanics).

šŸ“¦ ā€œWho is seen as a ā€˜bad guyā€™ in history but was actually ok?ā€ (r/askreddit).

Friday Fun

Ok ok stay calm but the Tamagotchi is back! In smartwatch form!

For its 25th anniversary (oh no, Iā€™m old) the Tamagotchi Smart wearable is here as fresh attempt to revive the old Tamagotchi world of 1996-1997. Once again youā€™ll be able to feed it, or, um, forget to feed, your digital buddy.

  • The device itself has a big color display with touch, voice controls (for waking it or cheering it up), functions like a pedometer and clock, and you can connect to friendā€™s devices too.
  • But the main thing is the Tamagotchi itself, and there are adorable/somewhat scary little new characters, new outfits, ways for your Tamagotchis to hang out together, and the touchscreen lets you pet and even tickle your Tamagotchi.
  • Anyway, Itā€™ll cost 6,380 yen (~$60), and you can also purchase additional ā€œsmart cardsā€ for 1,100 yen (about $10) that you can insert into the device, which sounds like physical DLC. These cards allow you to add characters and items.
  • Crucially, itā€™s Japan-only for now (launching with a Japanese singing girl band, NiziU) and coming in Novemberā€” thereā€™s no word on a wider release.

Have a great weekend,
Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor.

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