This Week in Gaming: Activision Blizzard employees’ walk-out, Annapurna’s showcase, and even more game delays

It’s been a relatively quiet week for gaming news, at least in terms of big game reveals or delays. Instead, we’ve been watching the industry’s biggest scandal unfold, as well as a new stream from Annapurna. In better news, there have been several good game launches this week to keep gamers busy.

Activision Blizzard scandal grows as employees speak out

The lawsuit alleges years of harassment, favoritism, and pay disparity https://t.co/Hysz2h7K3N

— Vulture (@vulture) July 29, 2021

Following last week’s lawsuit from California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing — in which Activision Blizzard was alleged to have a “frat boy” culture behind the scenes that resulted in many of its employees facing harassment, sexism, and unfair pay — employees of the major game publisher have come forward with their own stories of working for Blizzard, and they are no more pretty than the allegations in the original lawsuit.

Activision’s initial response to the lawsuit was defensive, calling it “distorted” and claiming the company’s culture was nothing like what the lawsuit described. Employees have since staged a walk-out in protest over the company’s policies, demanding change. Activision has since hired WilmerHale, a firm with a reputation for union-busting, to review its policies. Stay tuned as the situation unfolds.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are doing well in sales

This might come as a surprise for those of you who are having trouble finding a next-gen console to buy, but they’re selling by the millions. Within a year of having launched, the PlayStation 5 has already sold 10 million consoles. Microsoft has not released sales figures for the Xbox Series X/S (which isn’t new; they stopped releasing figures shortly after the Xbox One launched) but estimates put the number of consoles sold at around 6-7 million units. Both consoles remain sold out almost everywhere.

If you look at the two consoles as being locked in battle, as the two companies have been since time immemorial, then it looks like the PS5 is winning. However, I wouldn’t count the Series consoles out yet. At the moment, we’ve yet to see the effects of the Bethesda purchase, as exclusive games have not yet been released. But it’s probably more constructive to frame this as a win for the gaming industry as a whole, rather than a competition. By the way, the last reported numbers on Nintendo’s Switch put the number of hardware units sold at 84 million.

Yet more games are delayed… but not all for the same reason

If there’s been one thing that’s a consistent feature about 2020/2021 gaming news, it’s game delays. We’ve gotten many of them this week, some more disappointing than others. Kena: Bridge of Spirits, the upcoming Pixaresque adventure game from Ember Lab, was only delayed a month, from August 23 to September 21. Crimson Desert, the open-world fantasy title from the creators of Black Desert, has been delayed to an unspecified date. In many of these cases, the developers cite the continuing pandemic as part of the issue, as they wish to safeguard their employees’ health.

That’s far from the only reason, however. Splitgate, the breakout indie hit that looks like Halo meets Portal, was delayed to late August due to the current servers not being able to handle the game’s popularity. Other deep cuts include Stray, which was delayed to 2022, and SkateBird, which is being pushed to September. Horizon Forbidden West has not been confirmed to be delayed beyond a doubt, but it’s a rumor that’s looking more and more true as time goes on.

Annapurna holds a perfectly acceptable showcase

Let’s end this week on a positive note: The game publisher Annapurna Interactive, which is best known for titles like What Remains of Edith Finch and The Outer Wilds, held a showcase livestream where it showed off its upcoming games. Several of them are games we’ve seen before, such as Stray, and it was good to finally get more information about them. It was a very nice event, especially considering how turbulent the week has been overall.

Other than the aforementioned Stray, several of the games shown at the showcase are scheduled to be out this year (though, given the number of delays — see above — I wouldn’t necessarily count on all of them making it before the year turns). These include Solar Ash, Neon White, The Artful Escape, and the expansion to The Outer Wilds. Other games that don’t have a definite release date include Storyteller, Skin Deep, and A Memoir Blue.

August’s Free Games Via Subscription Services

For this part of the weekly update, we’ll mention the games that have been added to subscription and streaming gaming services. This usually happens en masse at the beginning of the month. Here are the ones announced this week.

Xbox Games with Gold:

• Darksiders III
• Lost Planet 3
• Garou: Mark of the Wolves
• Yooka-Laylee

PlayStation Plus Free Titles:

• Hunter’s Arena: Legends (PS4, PS5)
• Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville (PS4)
• Tennis World Tour 2 (PS4)

Games released this week:

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

A prequel to the Phoenix Wrightseries, Chronicles follows a Japanese law student who gets entangled in Victorian England's biggest mysteries.

Available on Nintendo Switch

NEO: The World Ends With You

The sequel to the classic The World Ends With You, this RPG takes the series 3D and stars a new cast of characters who must survive the Reaper's Game.

Available on PlayStation 4

Available on Nintendo Switch

Samurai Warriors 5

The latest entry in the Samurai Warriorsseries reboots the fighting game franchise for a new generation.

Available on Xbox One

Available on PlayStation 4

• Tribes of Midgard: PS4/PS5, PC (via Steam)
• The Ascent: Xbox Series X/S, PC (via Steam)

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This week in Chrome OS: GIF Maker coming to Chromebooks

Another week in the books. It was a fairly slow news week for Chrome OS, especially compared to the onslaught last week. There were a couple key hardware announcements, including Samsung’s release of more info on the Galaxy Chromebook Go LTE. We now know that Google is working on a custom GIF maker for Chrome OS. Not something I’m sure anyone asked for, but more features are always nice in any form.

If you like cookies, there was a bit of news this week on Google slowing the roll out of FLoC for tracking user groups online. This isn’t the sexiest news out there, but it’s pretty important if you care about online privacy.

Enough of the appetizers, let’s run down the top stories one-by-one.

GIF maker coming to Chrome OS camera app

The camera app on Chrome OS isn’t exactly a bastion for innovation or new features. Of all the stock apps, the camera probably gets the least attention from Google. If that makes you sad, the good news is that the camera app is getting a new fancy GIF maker in a future Chrome OS release.

Originally spotted by a tipster and published by Android Police, this Chromium Gerrit commit makes it pretty clear that GIFs are coming to Chrome OS very soon. We’re not entirely sure how this feature will work just yet, as the details are pretty limited. However, if you’re on the Canary channel you can keep an eye out for it in a future update.

Obviously, GIFs aren’t the most important feature for getting work done, but there’s nothing wrong with the occasional silly meme. Bringing features likes this to Chrome OS helps Google further attract a wider user base for Chromebooks.

FLoC gets pushed back (sorry, or you’re welcome?)

Google’s Federated Learning of Cohorts – or FLoC – is a transition the company is making to move away from third-party cookies. The idea is that FLoC groups individuals together based on different interest groups for advertising as opposed to targeting them specifically. While this probably sounds pretty good on a personal level, keep in mind that this gives Google an unfair advantage over other publishers.

When FLoC was first introduced, plenty of groups spoke out about the change and it appears Google is reconsidering the timeline and implementation of FLoC as a whole. You can view the updated timeline at privacysandbox.com/timeline. Basically, this means Google isn’t going to roll out their new approach to cookies until late next year. It also appears they may revise the way FLoC works from the ground up to minimize some of the initial criticism.

Galaxy Chromebook Go LTE getting surprise feature

We’ve talked a little bit about the Galaxy Chromebook Go already. It’s a fairly attractive Chromebook targeted at education users, priced at $299 for the WiFi model. In addition, we knew an LTE-enabled variant of this device was coming at some point. This week Samsung posted a video teaser for the LTE version, with a little surprise hidden in there.

If you look at the original specs sheet for the Galaxy Chromebook Go, it does not feature a touch screen. Most everyone then presumed the LTE model would also be a clamshell-only Chromebook. It appears that is not the case, as Samsung’s promotional video for the LTE Chromebook Go shows off children tapping away on the screen. This seems like evidence of a touchscreen on the LTE variant, as I highly doubt Samsung would make such a large advertising gaffe.

We still don’t know the price for the Chromebook Go LTE, but you can expect it will be significantly higher than the WiFi model. I’d guess somewhere around $420-$479.

Multiple media app instances coming to Chrome OS

Perhaps the most exciting and simultaneously boring upcoming feature unearthed this week: Your Chromebook will soon allow you to run multiple media app instances. If this sounds kinda basic, it really is. Linux, Windows, and macOS have had this capability forever. Currently, on Chrome OS the local media app only magically appears when you open something. That also means you can’t have multiple images together side-by-side for comparison or other research purposes.

This is really one of the silliest things about Chrome OS in my opinion, but Google likely doesn’t want the local app to supersede their precious Photos app in users’ minds. Luckily, the Canary channel recently received the option to run multiple media instances with the media viewer. This should trickle down to the other channels eventually, which is a good thing for all Chromebook owners.

Google should really rethink their strategy with media on Chrome OS as a whole. They could easily invoke the Photos PWA each time a photo opens on a Chromebook. This could accommodate multiple media instances and make things a whole lot less confusing. Plus, Google gets to promote one of their favorite cash-cow apps even more. It’s a win-win for everyone!

ASUS CX9 review coming next week!

The last bit of news this week is just a little bit of hype for a big review coming next week. I’ve now had the i7 model of the ASUS Chromebook CX9 for exactly one week, as I’m writing this article. This weekend I’m going to get to work on what should be a fairly long review. I have a lot to say about this Chromebook. If you’ve been on the fence about purchasing this device, make sure to look out for my review next week.

And that’s it for me this week. I expect to see more exciting Chromebook releases in the next month or so, especially with back to school season in full swing. I’m also planning plenty of coverage around utilizing Chromebooks for technical degrees and engineering as colleges get back in session this fall.

As an applied mathematician and professor, making a Chromebook do everything I need for research has always been one of my favorite hobbies. If you’re interested in pushing the limits of your Chromebook, look out for some cool stuff here at XDA. See ya next week!

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Some of the Best Icon Packs on Android to Customize your Home Screen: Minma, Rondo, Rugos, and more!

The biggest advantage of using an Android phone is the ability to customize it. From changing elements on your home screen like the launcher, wallpaper, widgets, etc. to Substratum theming on some devices, Android gives you the freedom to change the way the software on your phone looks. One such thing is the ability to change icons. Most Android launchers have support for third-party icon packs which you can use to completely change the look of your home screen.

There are many options when it comes to icon packs on the Play Store. Since it isn’t very practical for you to try them all, we’ve shortlisted ten of the best ones that would make your Android home screen setup a lot cooler. Note that these icon packs are supported on most launchers except for a few stock launchers that come pre-installed on your phone.

If you’re looking for a good launcher with additional features to use these icon packs with, you can check out our list of the best Android launchers. If you’re planning to get a new phone that you want to customize, you can also take a look at the best Android phones to buy.

Minma

Minma is a beautiful, modern-looking icon pack. If you’re a fan of minimalistic looks with a dash of color, you’re really going to like the way Minma redesigns your icons. There’s a dark, grayish background to the icons which looks good especially when matched with dark wallpapers.

The main part of the icon is designed using lines and strokes that are minimal and colorful. The colors are bright, almost neon-like and they stand out which makes it easy for you to identify the icons even without a label. The icons add a good level of contrast when used with a black background, especially on OLED displays.

Minma Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Whicons

Whicons has been one of the top recommendations for icon packs for quite a while now and for good reason. The name comes from joining together the two words – white and icons – and that’s exactly how the icons look with this pack. The icons are pure white which gives a simple, yet elegant look to your home screen. You can use any dark-colored wallpaper with this icon pack and your home screen will look attractive.

The icons don’t have a definite shape or background so if you’re a fan of symmetry, this might put you off a bit. Match it with a minimalistic white widget, and you’re good to go.

Whicons - White Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Delta

Delta is the exact opposite of Whicons. Instead of a plain, white look, Delta makes your home screen colorful with its flat-style icons. The icons themselves give out a slightly retro vibe and the color scheme is also subtle. If you don’t like a lot of vibrance, you’ll appreciate the sober colors used for the icons.

To put it simply, the icons in this pack look like a bag of assorted candy of different flavors. The icons do not have a background so the shapes vary based on the app.

Delta - Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Crayon

The name itself is self-explanatory. Crayon makes your home screen look like you gave it a fresh coat of paint, except with crayons. The icons have a pastel look to them which is unique. Some may find the icons to be slightly childish but that’s the whole point of this icon pack. It makes your icons look more fun and colorful.

It adds a slightly animated look, almost like what you would expect to see in some cartoon shows. If you want a break from the typical flat and material style icons, you can give this a try.

Crayon Icon Pack ($0.99⁺, Google Play) →

Rugos

Rugos is quite similar to Crayon in the sense it makes your home screen look more fun and colorful than serious, like some of the other icons. However, the difference is that Rugos has a persistent background for all icons which brings about some consistency and symmetry. If you have OCD with icon sizes and shapes, you’ll surely appreciate the uniform squircle look you get with this pack.

Icons appear as though they are tiny bits of crumpled paper which gives a slightly cartoony look. Pair it up with colorful wallpapers and you’ll have a nice funky look.

Rugos - Freemium Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

LineX

While there are multiple different variants of the LineX icon pack, we’ve chosen the most basic one with colorful icons. The idea is to have outlines of the app icons in vibrant, neon colors without any background, almost giving them a glow effect. If you’re not a fan of neon colors, the developer also has different variants of the icon pack in different colors like red and black, green and white, lime and white, etc. If used with dark wallpapers on an OLED display, this icon pack gives out a neon signboard outside a bar vibe.

LineX Icon Pack ($0.99⁺, Google Play) →

Charcoal

You’ve probably got an idea of what this icon pack is all about just by reading the name. The Charcoal effect however, is mainly applicable to the circular background that surrounds every icon. Just like Whicons, the main icon itself is white which gives a minimal look. However, unlike Whicon, Charcoal adds a circular perimeter around every icon for symmetry.

If you want white icons but prefer a clean, uniform look across your home screen as well as the app drawer, this is a good option. If you want the exact reverse, i.e. a white background with dark icons, you can check out Ash from the same developer.

Charcoal - A Flatcon Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Basit

Basit is for all of you who want the utmost minimalism on the home screen. If you’re someone who doesn’t like having icon labels on your home screen or app screen, this icon pack would look great. The basic idea of this icon pack is to highlight just the outline of an app icon or logo to make it look minimal and tidy.

The outline is done using colorful lines and curves that match the color scheme of the app itself. It’s almost like a stencil of the app icon. Use it with plain white or other bright wallpapers for the best look.

BASIT- Free Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Rondo

This is like a universal fit that most people are going to like. Rondo doesn’t modify the icons to a large extent. Instead, it opts for a simple, flat look with symmetry being the priority. All icons have a circular background with the app icon at the center in a flat, material-style look.

The extra element that adds the finishing touches to the icons is the shadows for the main icon itself which extends to the boundary of the circle. The background color differs from app to app but the color of the icon remains white.

Rondo – Flat Style Icon Pack (Free⁺, Google Play) →

The Grid

If you want a modern, Cyberpunk style home screen with glowing icons, The Grid will help you achieve that. The icons have a distinct teal glow to them which looks cool and futuristic. If you fill up your home screen with icons and add a few matching widgets with numbers and information, your phone will begin to look like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The icons have a 3D look to them. In fact, the icons resemble the good ol’ Cyanogenmod colors, something the OG XDA visitors especially from the forums will appreciate.

The Grid - Icon Pack (Free, Google Play) →

These were some of the best icon packs for Android you can use to change the look of your home screen. From minimalistic icons to ones that replicate neon signs, there’s something for most people. If you like a simple look, you can opt for Minma or Whicons. If you want to make your home screen look like it’s on steroids, you can try LineX or even Crayon if you want a playful look.

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Which icon pack do you use on your phone? If you think we should include it in this list, let us know in the comments below.

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Samsung Galaxy Book Go review: Crazy value at a crazy price

I can’t tell you how excited I was to write this review. When Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon 7c chipset back in December 2019, it really piqued my interest. It promised the traditional value propositions like integrated cellular connectivity, thinner and fanless designs, and better battery life, but at a price point that most certainly wasn’t traditional. The sub-$500 laptop market isn’t a good one, and has few products I can recommend, but the Samsung Galaxy Book Go offers things that others don’t.

When Snapdragon 7c devices first started shipping, they were in educational devices, and later, on Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook Spin 513. Now, the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is here in the Galaxy Book Go. Like the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, the new chipset is only a clock speed bump over its predecessor.

The Samsung Galaxy Book Go, unfortunately, sheds integrated cellular connectivity in the base model, but the rest is there. It’s a fanless PC that weighs in at three pounds. Indeed, that’s not something you see on a laptop that only costs $349. There are 4G LTE and 5G tiers as well.

Navigate this review:

• Design: The Samsung Galaxy Book Go looks and feels premium
• Display and audio: The 14-inch FHD screen
• Keyboard and touchpad: It’s a standard Chiclet-style keyboard
• Performance and battery life: The Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 doesn’t get help from 4GB RAM
• Conclusion: Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book Go?

Samsung Galaxy Book Go specs

Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2, 2.55GHz
Graphics	Qualcomm Adreno
Body	12.75″x8.85″x0.59″, 3.04 pounds
Display	14 inches, 1,920×1,080, 220 nits, LED
RAM	4GB LPDDR4x
Storage	128GB eUFS
Battery	5,480mAh, 2-cell Li-ion
Ports	(2) USB 3.1 Type-C (1) USB 2.0 Type-A (1) 3.5mm audio MicroSD card reader
Audio	2 x 1.5W Dolby Atmos
Webcam	720p
Wireless	Bluetooth 5.1, 802.11ac
Material	Plastic
Color	Silver
OS	Windows 10 Home
Price	$349.99

This model was provided to me by Qualcomm, and it’s the base model. There are going to be more variants, such as the 5G model with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2.

Design: The Samsung Galaxy Book Go looks and feels premium

As far as design goes, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go looks and feels like a premium device.

I’ve reviewed hundreds of laptops in my career, and many of them are meant to be entry-level. All of those have a common theme though. They’re a lot thicker and heavier than premium devices. Indeed, they often offer the same Core i5 or even the Core i7 that you’d get in an ultrabook, with a solid 8GB of RAM, but you make compromises in other ways.

As far as the design goes with the Samsung Galaxy Book Go, it looks and feels like a premium device. What I mean by that is if I put this on a shelf with a half-dozen premium ultrabooks and convertibles, you probably wouldn’t be able to guess which one costs $349. And when I say it feels premium, I have to say I was surprised when I saw it was made out of plastic. Just by the feel, I thought it was metal.

The color it comes in is silver, so there’s nothing about it that really stands out. I still like the look a lot better than a gray laptop, like other Samsung laptops. The only marking on the lid is the shiny Samsung logo.

This is actually the first Windows on ARM device that I’ve seen with a USB Type-A port, which is cool. It’s USB 2.0 unfortunately, but you can still use it for connecting basic peripherals like a mouse.

You’ll also find two USB Type-C ports, one on each side. It’s always nice to be able to choose which side to plug a charger into. On the left side, there’s also a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card slot, so the ports really do check the right boxes.

Display: The 14-inch FHD screen

While it’s impressive that a PC at this price has an FHD resolution, the screen is where you’ll start to remember how much the Galaxy Book Go costs. Frankly, it’s just not good. There’s noticeable color distortion if you try to look at it from any angle, and it screams budget PC.

As you can see from my testing, the color gamut isn’t impressive at all.

There’s no touch, which is no surprise given this is a clamshell laptop instead of a convertible. The bezels are about what you’d expect, narrow on the sides and larger on top to make room for the webcam. Sadly, that webcam is 720p, although again that’s not surprising given the price.

One thing that’s surprisingly good is audio quality. The two 1.5W speakers are placed on the bottom of the device and they support Dolby Atmos. Listening to music on this machine is a much better experience than I’d expect.

Keyboard: It’s a standard Chiclet-style keyboard

One of the biggest pain points of this machine is the display, but the rest of it is pretty good. The Chiclet-style keyboard obviously isn’t winning any awards – it’s not an HP EliteBook or a Lenovo ThinkPad – but it’s solid. For the price, it’s pretty good and I have no complaints.

As you can see from the image above, there’s nothing that stands out here. It’s your standard black keys on top of a silver deck. Above the keyboard is the power button, which sits flush with the deck; however, it’s not a fingerprint sensor. Indeed, any Windows Hello biometric authentication isn’t happening here. That’s a sacrifice made to get to the price, and a reasonable one.

The touchpad is nice and big, at least big enough given the amount of real estate. The whole input experience is pretty good, or at least there isn’t anything bad about it. I’ve had laptops that cost two or three times as much with keyboards that are awful. I’d call this a win.

Performance: The Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 doesn’t get help from 4GB RAM

Like the Snapdragon 8cx before it, the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 is a 150MHz improvement in clock speed over its predecessor. It’s designed for the entry-level, including Chromebooks and the educational market. Samsung is the first to put a Snapdragon 7c in a Windows-based consumer laptop.

It does feel sluggish in every day use, and for the most part, I use native apps. The bulk of my work is done in Microsoft’s Edge browser, which is native to ARM64. Other apps include Skype, OneNote, and Slack, the latter of which runs in emulation.

To be clear, Windows on ARM can run native ARM64 apps and emulated 32-bit x86 apps. There is x64 support coming with Windows 11, and in fact, I did install the Windows 11 preview about halfway through my testing process, just to see how much the experience improves. Indeed, Windows 11 does include various improvements for ARM PCs.

It doesn’t get much better with Windows 11, because there’s only so much you can ask for here. If you want to look across the board at the Intel Pentium Silver or Celeron processors that you’d expect at this price point, performance doesn’t really get any better. In fact, it’s probably worse.

What’s really the bottleneck here is that the Samsung Galaxy Book Go only has 4GB RAM. Windows PCs in 2021 need more than that. If you’ve got a lot of tabs open in the browser, you’re going to find that it has to reload pages from time to time.

On the other hand, Adobe Photoshop was surprisingly smooth. Of course, that’s another app that runs natively these days, along with Lightroom. Unfortunately, Adobe doesn’t offer 32-bit apps for emulation anymore, nor can you get the x64 apps through the Creative Cloud apps. In other words, your only options for Adobe apps are Photoshop and Lightroom.

Honestly, I think 8GB of RAM would completely change the experience for the Galaxy Book Go. There are supposed to be configurations for that, but right now this is the only one on Samsung’s website. In short, the chipset is pretty good for this price point, but 4GB RAM simply isn’t enough.

It’s worth remembering this is a really low price point. I say that because even people that buy inexpensive laptops might not realize how little you get for $350. This is normally a tier I wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

For benchmarks, I only used Geekbench, since that’s all that’s natively supported on ARM. Unfortunately, it doesn’t paint a full picture. Geekbench tests are for the CPU, but Qualcomm’s SoCs are a lot more than that, including the Adreno graphics and the DSP, which combine for the AI Engine.

	Samsung Galaxy Book Go Snapdragon 7c Gen 2	Microsoft Surface Go Pentium Gold 4415Y	Huawei MateBook E Snapdragon 850	Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Core i5-L16G7	Samsung Galaxy Book S Snapdragon 8cx
Geekbench	561 / 1,626	401 / 909	494 / 2,045	510 / 1,727	726 / 2,909

Battery life is fine, but it doesn’t live up to what I expect from Windows on ARM. After all, that’s supposed to be one of the key value props. I only got about six hours of real-world usage. Sometimes it was a bit better, but with a full-sized laptop, I expected more. For example, the Lenovo Flex 5G got over 12 hours for me.

Conclusion: Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book Go?

The Samsung Galaxy Book Go would be my pick if you’re looking to spend $349.

Now for the big question. Should you buy it? The answer is, it depends. It all depends on how much you’re willing to spend on a laptop. When people ask me for laptop recommendations, my first question is what their budget is. Sometimes they say something crazy like $200. Others are more reasonable, and like I said earlier, I normally don’t recommend anything that costs under $500. But if $349 is what you’re looking to spend, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go would be my pick.

There’s just a lot of value here, and it feels so premium. When I first took it out of the box, I actually said “wow” out loud, because I totally didn’t expect what I got. The build feels great, and that’s made possible by the Snapdragon chip.

It’s not perfect, of course. The display isn’t great, but again, this price point doesn’t get you a great display. The bigger issue is it only has 4GB RAM. To put it simply, you’ll need more, but of course, that means paying more.

All around, the Samsung Galaxy Book Go is a phenomenal value. It’s got a design that’s unheard of for the price, and the overall experience is pretty good.

Samsung Galaxy Book Go

Samsung's Galaxy Book Go is an entry-level laptop with a Qualcomm processor and a unique value proposition

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Samsung

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The Ultimate Guide to AirDrop on iPhone and Mac: Everything you need to know about the super convenient file transfer solution

AirDrop is Apple’s file-sharing feature that allows you to easily transfer files among Apple devices. It’s arguably one of the most seamless offline file transfer methods around, and it removes the need to upload your files to the cloud and then download them onto another device. It works on all modern Apple iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

In this article, we’ll talk about everything you need to know about AirDrop, and how you can use it.

Navigate this guide:

• What is AirDrop?
  • History
  • How does it work?
  • Supported Devices
• How to use AirDrop
  • Turn AirDrop on/ off on iOS or iPadOS
  • Turn AirDrop on/ off on Mac
  • How to AirDrop files from iOS or iPadOS
  • How to AirDrop files from Mac
    • Transfer files using the context menu
    • Transfer files using the Share button
    • Drag-and-drop files to AirDrop
  • How to accept AirDrop
• Troubleshoot AirDrop problems
• AirDrop alternatives on iOS
• Nearby Share: Android’s AirDrop alternative

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What is AirDrop?

AirDrop is a proprietary file-sharing feature from Apple. It uses an ad-hoc Wi-Fi connection to transfer photos, videos, documents, websites, map locations, and a lot more to other Apple devices. Moreover, it doesn’t require any setup, and can automatically detect other Macs or iPhones that are using AirDrop. The feature works completely offline and doesn’t need any kind of internet connection.

History

AirDrop made its debut as a part of Mac OS X Lion back in 2011. But it didn’t arrive on iOS until 2013 when it was added to the iPhone operating system as a part of iOS 7. Even then, the macOS AirDrop protocol and iOS AirDrop protocol weren’t interoperable.

The AirDrop protocol present in Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks only used Wi-Fi, whereas the iOS AirDrop protocol uses both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. So to make AirDrop interoperable on both its platforms, Apple added support for iOS AirDrop protocol to OS X Yosemite. However, the legacy Mac AirDrop protocol is still used to transfer files between a Mac running OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks and another Mac running macOS Mojave or an older version.

Apple finally removed the legacy AirDrop protocol in macOS Catalina. Now, the iOS AirDrop protocol is used to transfer files among all modern iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.

How does AirDrop work?

The iOS AirDrop protocol (which we’ll just refer to as AirDrop from now on) uses both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to identify nearby devices (within 30 feet) and transfer content. It employs Bluetooth to detect any compatible devices in the vicinity. When a compatible nearby device is selected for a file transfer, AirDrop creates a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection to complete the actual transfer.

Since it uses a peer-to-peer connection, the two devices don’t need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. You can be anywhere with or without internet, as long as you have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi working on both devices. There’s no file size limit either. So you can transfer files as large as you want, given there’s enough space on the recipient device. You can also share pretty much everything between devices.

For data security, AirDrop uses TLS encryption over the peer-to-peer network, so your data is secure as well as private. It also creates a firewall between devices, so no one can access your phone or computer over the connection.

Which devices work with AirDrop?

AirDrop can work with iPhones, iPod touch, iPads, and Macs. The iPhones and iPads need to be running on iOS 7 or newer. To use AirDrop on Mac, you must have the 2012 or newer model (except the 2012 Mac Pro). In the case of the Mac Pro, you should have the 2013 or newer model.

As explained earlier, the older Macs can use the legacy AirDrop, but only if they’re running on macOS Mojave or older, and are airdropping files to another Mac running Mac OS X Lion to Mavericks. Macs running any macOS version older than Lion don’t come with AirDrop, and the legacy AirDrop was dropped in macOS Catalina. So there are very few combinations where legacy AirDrop still works.

Moreover, AirDrop can only be used with Apple devices. There’s no support for Windows or Android. Android has its own AirDrop alternative called Nearby Share. We’ll talk about it later in the article.

How to use AirDrop

Turning it on or off on iPhone or iPad

You can enable the AirDrop feature for just your Contacts or Everyone on iPhone or iPad, or set it to Receiving Off to disable it.

• To enable AirDrop, open Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. Depending on your iPhone model, Control Center can be opened by swiping up from the bottom edge or swiping down from the top right corner of your screen.
• Once Control Center is open, long press on the Wi-Fi button or anywhere in the network settings card, and you’ll see a number of connections-related options, including AirDrop.
• Tap on it to select from Receiving Off, Contacts Only, and Everyone. Everyone means any random person in your vicinity will be able to send files to you.

Turning it on or off on Mac

Similar to iPhone or iPad, you can set AirDrop to No one, Contacts Only, or Everyone on Mac.

• Open Finder on your Mac.
• Click on AirDrop in the left Navigation.
• Under the Allow me to be discovered by dropdown, select No One, Contacts Only, or Everyone.

How to share files from iPhone or iPad

You can send files using AirDrop from any iOS or iPadOS app that includes the Share Sheet.

• Open the app from which you’re trying to send something. For example, open the Photos app if you’re trying to share a photo or photos.
• Select what you’re looking to send and tap on the Share icon.
• Select the contact or device to which you’re trying to AirDrop the file.

Between iPhones and iPads, you can transfer all sorts of things, including photos, videos, contacts, Passbook passes, Voice Memos, websites, and Map locations.

How to share files from Mac

There are multiple ways to AirDrop files from a Mac. You can drag and drop them, share them using the context menu, or use the share sheet.

How to share files using the context menu

• Open Finder on your Mac.
• Locate the file or folder you want to share.
• Right-click on the file or folder and select AirDrop under the Share option.
• You can now click on the device or contact to which you want to send the file.

How to share files using the Share button on Mac

Apart from the context menu, you can also share files using the Share button.

• Open Finder on your Mac.
• Locate and select the file you want to share.
• Click on the Share button in the option on the top bar.
• Select the device or contact to whom you want to send that file.

How to share files using drag and drop

• Open Finder on your Mac.
• Locate the file you need to share.
• Open a new Finder window and select AirDrop from the sidebar.
• Now you can drag and drop files from the other Finder window to a contact or device in the AirDrop window.

From Macs, you can send documents, photos, videos, websites, map locations, and more to iPhones, iPads, other Macs, and iPod touch.

How to accept AirDrop transfer requests

AirDrop to iPhone (left) and Mac

When someone shares something with you using AirDrop, you’ll see a notification on your Mac or iPhone. The notification will show a preview of what has been shared, and you can accept or decline it. If you accept it, the content will get transferred to your device.

But if you’re getting it on your iPhone, the content will appear in the app compatible with it. For example, the shared photo will show up in the Photos app. The files shared to Macs however get saved in the Downloads folder.

If you’re sharing something to yourself, such as from your iPhone to your Mac, you don’t need to accept the transfer. Everything will automatically get transferred, given you’re using the same Apple ID on both devices.

How to troubleshoot AirDrop problems

To make sure AirDrop works without a hitch, check that both devices fulfill the following conditions:

• Both devices are unlocked and within 9 meters of each other.
• Both have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
• The Personal Hotspot feature is turned off on each iPhone.
• Each Mac was introduced in 2012 or later (except the 2012 Mac Pro) and runs on OS X Yosemite or newer. Some older Macs can use the legacy AirDrop — you can read about them in the “Which devices work with AirDrop” section.
• The iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is running on iOS 7 or newer.
• Both devices can receive AirDrop requests.
• Block all incoming connections is not enabled in Mac > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall.
• If AirDrop discoverability is limited to Contacts Only, make sure both of you are signed into iCloud and have each other in your contacts section with Apple ID email address and mobile number.
• While sending files on an older Mac with legacy AirDrop, make sure the recipient has the AirDrop window open.
• If you’re getting random AirDrop requests, change the option to Receiving off/ No one or Contacts Only on your iPhone or Mac.

Alternatives on iOS

Given AirDrop’s deep integration on Apple devices, all third-party AirDrop alternatives fall short on ease of use and overall functionality. But if you’re still somehow having trouble with AirDrop, or are looking to share something outside of Apple devices, the following are decent alternatives to AirDrop.

Xender

Xender is a cross-platform file transfer app that allows you to share photos, documents, music, videos, and other types of files. The app can be used on iOS, Android, and any device with a web browser, including Mac and PC. It uses peer-to-peer Wi-Fi to transfer files, so you don’t need internet access.

Xender

Xender is free to download and use.

Download

AirDroid

AirDroid is similar to Xender in a lot of aspects but it packs far more features. You can transfer files both over peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and the internet. AirDroid is free to download and use, but there are some limitations in the free version.

AirDroid

AirDroid is a decent file sharing app that packs a lot of features.

Download

Nearby Share: Android’s AirDrop alternative

Years after AirDrop was introduced on iOS, Google launched its own alternative in the form of Nearby Share in 2020. Nearby Share works on all phones running Android 6.0 or newer. Unlike Apple’s solution that only works offline, Nearby Share can share content both offline and online. It uses Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, WebRTC, and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi protocols to share content, and automatically chooses the best protocol when you’re sending something. Apart from Android, Nearby Share can also be used with Chromebooks.

Nearby Share can be accessed in the Share menu on Android phones, and you can use it like any other share option. It isn’t the only file transfer service on Android but it’s something that works across devices and manufacturers.

If you’re looking to transfer files between an Android device and a Windows computer, check out our guide on How to Transfer Files between Android and Windows PC.

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This is everything you need to know about AirDrop. Do you know of any great alternatives to it? Let us know in the comments section. Meanwhile, if you’re in the market for a new laptop or a smartphone, our best phones and best laptops buying guides can help. Also, we have a great tutorial on how you can use split-screen on Mac.

The post The Ultimate Guide to AirDrop on iPhone and Mac: Everything you need to know about the super convenient file transfer solution appeared first on xda-developers.

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Get three Google Nest Mini smart speakers for just $65

Google finally replaced the original Nest Mini smart speaker (originally called the Google Home Mini) in late 2019, with the arrival of the 2nd-gen Nest Mini. The updated model looks almost identical, but it packs better sound, wall mounting support, and different manufacturing materials. It normally costs $30-35 (even though MSRP is $50), but you can now get three of them in a pack for just $64.99.

The Nest Mini is a smart speaker with Google Assistant, so you can use voice commands to stream music, ask questions, play news reports, set reminders and alarms, manage calendar events, and more. It also functions as a Chromecast target, so you can ‘cast’ audio to the speaker from supported apps on your local Wi-Fi network. For everything else, the Nest Mini can pair as a Bluetooth speaker.

Google Nest Mini (3-Pack)

Buydig is selling 3-packs of Nest Mini speakers through its eBay store for $64.40.

Buy at eBay (Charcoal)

Buy at eBay (Chalk)

The new Nest Mini isn’t much of an upgrade over the older Google Home Mini, but if you need smart speakers in more rooms, or if you’re migrating an Alexa-dominated household over to Google Assistant, this is a much cheaper way to get multiple Nest Minis at once.

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This exploit lets you unlock the bootloader of the Google Chromecast with Google TV

The Google Chromecast with Google TV is one of the best media streaming dongles out there. The little piece of hardware not only unlocks 4K video streaming at 60fps for connected devices, but it also brings support for HDR content, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio. The device can even be considered a capable gaming console thanks to receiving official support for Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service. Now, developers have been able to successfully unlock its bootloader, opening up even more possibilities.

Unlike with the Pixel smartphone lineup, Google doesn’t offer an official bootloader unlock method for the Chromecast with Google TV. As a result, the modding community had to rely on security vulnerabilities to craft an unofficial bootloader unlock method. In a recent forum post, security researchers Nolen Johnson and Jan Altensen, AKA XDA Recognized Developers npjohnson and Stricted respectively, highlighted the exploit chain used to unlock the bootloader of the Google Chromecast with Google TV. The method, which makes use of a bootROM bug in the Amlogic SoC originally discovered by another security researcher by the name of Frederic Basse, requires you to boot the dongle to Amlogic’s USB burning mode and then boot a set of modified bootloader images.

To begin with, the target Chromecast with Google TV unit must be manufactured before December 2020 and the running firmware version needs to be below the February 2021 patch level. This is because newer units come with a bootROM password protection mechanism, and Google enabled a similar mitigation policy on older units in the February 2021 software update.

If your device is vulnerable, then you’ll have to unplug it from the HDMI port and trigger the Amlogic USB burning mode by holding down the button on the rear of the device while plugging the USB-C end of a USB-A to USB-C cable into the dongle. The unlocker script, which communicates with the target through the libusb-dev library, requires a 64-bit Linux environment.

In a nutshell, the process involves downloading the unlocker suite, connecting the Google Chromecast with Google TV to a PC running Linux with a USB cable, and running a shell script that executes the exploit chain. Booting the modded bootloader essentially modifies the contents of the /env partition and puts the device in a state where it’s capable of ignoring the anti-rollback check and the signature on the U-Boot in order to declare itself as bootloader-unlocked. For more details, you can read the full writeup from Nolen Johnson and Jan Altensen at the GitHub repo linked below.

sabrina-unlock: Bootloader unlock for the Chromecast with Google TV

An unlocked bootloader is key to boot an aftermarket operating system, and you won’t have to wait long before you can flash a custom ROM onto it. Johnson says that LineageOS builds are coming soon for the Chromecast with Google TV (Johnson is listed as a “trusted reviewer” and contributor to LineageOS). In case you want to try something else, then you’ll be happy to know that Frederic has already booted Ubuntu Linux from an external USB flash drive.

Since the process is a bit tricky and requires devices manufactured before a certain timeline, it’s safe to say that the exploit isn’t meant for beginners and will most definitely void the warranty. Nonetheless, it is possible re-lock the bootloader by flashing a stock firmware package crafted by the developers. As a precautionary measure against forced updates, you’re advised to block Google’s OTA servers via your router’s DNS settings, and if possible, get rid of the “SetupWraith” application from the stock firmware. Users are also advised to steer clear of Magisk for now, because patching the stock boot image with Magisk will soft-brick the system.

Chromecast with Google TV Bootloader Unlock — XDA Discussion Thread

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