PlayStation 5 By Sony

$ 499 purchasing options

Positives Superfast loading times The DualSense controller is incredible Tons of games available with PS Plus and PS Now Graphically enhanced games with ray-tracing Negatives Bulky and awkward form factor Only 667GB of available storage Many games are 30fps with enhancements or 60/120fps without, not both

Bottom Line Sony brought a lot to the table with its next-gen console. Unless you’re dying to play one of the PS5 exclusives or you can’t wait to experience the enhanced graphics and smoother gameplay, existing PS4 owners may want to wait for discounts. However, if you’ve never owned a PlayStation console, now is a fantastic time to press start.

Read the full review

Reviews – Android Authority

The Sony Xperia 1 II isn’t the cheapest flagship phone on the market, coming in at a considerable $ 1,200. Nevertheless, it’s tough to argue that you aren’t getting a well-rounded premium experience for the most part.

Between the powerful chipset, ultra high-resolution screen, water resistance, wireless charging, and pro-focused camera software, there’s certainly a lot to like about the early 2020 flagship.

There’s definitely room for improvement though, so here’s what we’d like to see from the Sony Xperia 1 III or whatever the new Sony phone for 2021 is called.

A streamlined camera experience

The Sony Xperia 1 II delivered three camera-related apps, with your standard camera app, a Photo Pro app, and a Cinema Pro app. Right from the get-go, we’d like to see the brand combine the Photo and Cinema Pro apps into one Pro app for the sake of simplicity.

It’s understandable that Sony would want to go for two separate camera apps, with one being for casual use and the other being for a pro-level experience. What isn’t understandable however are a few other bizarre decisions, such as restricting HDR to the Pro app. The main camera app also doesn’t automatically switch between lenses as you zoom in and out, forcing you to manually switch instead. You’d expect the main camera app to offer both of these options.

Related: The Sony Xperia 1 II camera is a case study for nonsensical software design

This isn’t the first time we see oddball camera app decisions from the firm, as it previously opted to make 4K a separate mode in years gone by instead of a video quality option. Hopefully, the Xperia 1 III marks the beginning of more sensible camera app design.

More photography smarts

Sony does offer multi-frame processing features on the Xperia 1 II, such as HDR and a night mode. But there’s definitely room for more smart photography features that reduce the need to hop into an editing suite.

See also: The best Sony cameras to spend your money on

For one, we’d love to see the brand deliver something similar to the Pixel’s Dual Exposure Controls. This way, you can adjust shadow levels before taking that shot. We’d also like to see functionality to help newcomers get to grips with advanced camera settings (e.g. ISO, exposure, etc). For example, LG offered the Graphy app on its last few high-end phones, which showed off a variety of great photos and associated camera settings. Best of all, this app lets you quickly apply those settings to your camera app so you can try to get similar results.

We’d also add improved selfie quality to our Xperia 1 III wishlist, as selfie snaps were rather disappointing on the Xperia 1 II.

Please keep the headphone port

The Xperia 1 II marks one of the few occasions where a smartphone manufacturer has revived the 3.5mm headphone port for its flagship phones after previously killing it. We definitely applaud the company for this, even if its reasoning was a bit weird.

More reading: The best smartphones with a headphone jack 

So we’re definitely adding the 3.5mm port to our Xperia 1 III wishlist, and the presence of the port on the Xperia 5 II gives us some hope that Sony will keep it this time. Our own Rob Triggs also wants to see Sony do away with extra headphone apps and build support directly into the platform.

A high refresh rate

The early 2020 Xperia flagship follows in the footsteps of the Xperia 1 and Premium line by offering a 4K display. We don’t blame you if you think it’s a pointless move given that many consumers can’t tell the difference between QHD+ and 4K resolution with this screen size. Still, they’re the only major brand offering this option nowadays, so we’re expecting it on the Xperia 1 III.

We’re holding thumbs that a 4K display is accompanied by a high refresh rate as well. The high refresh rate doesn’t need to take effect at 4K either, as that would likely cause extreme battery drain. We’d be perfectly happy if it kicked in at a lower resolution such as FHD+ or QHD+. High refresh rate support would definitely be handy with Remote Play via the PS5. Speaking of…

Step up the PlayStation connectivity

Microsoft is bringing Xbox Game Pass and associated cloud gaming functionality to Android, allowing subscribers to stream a wide library of games on their mobile devices. Sony has Remote Play for Android as well, but unfortunately it’s not compatible with the PlayStation Now streaming service.

Related: A PlayStation Phone should be Sony’s answer to Xbox game streaming

So we’re definitely putting PlayStation Now Remote Play on our Xperia 1 III wishlist, allowing subscribers to play PlayStation titles without needing to actually own a Sony console. We’d also like to see Sony integrate its PlayStation controller/accessory and messaging apps into the platform itself as opposed to making it a separate download.

Faster charging speed

Sony improved its charging situation in 2020, with the Xperia 1 II delivering 21W wired charging and 15W wired charging. The latter is pretty solid nowadays, but we’d definitely like to see improved wired charging in 2021.

Faster charging does generally present a higher risk of degrading the battery at an even faster rate, but we don’t need to see 65W or 100W charging here. Even 30W or 40W charging would be a welcome improvement over the current 21W charging solution. Faster charging is also integral today as battery capacity increases in the 5G era.

That’s it for our Sony Xperia 1 III wishlist! What would you like to see from Sony’s 2021 flagship? Take our poll below!

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Android Authority

Earlier today, reliable smartphone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer posted some images that he claims are of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S30. Usually, Galaxy S phones don’t start leaking like this until late December or early January. However, since there are multiple rumors suggesting Samsung could launch its newest flagships much earlier than usual in 2021, these early leaks appear to back up those rumors.

You can see the leaked images below. Keep in mind that Hemmerstoffer has a ton of clout when it comes to leaks such as these, but these are still leaks. As such, take them with the proverbial grain of salt.

Samsung Galaxy S30 renders

For the record, Hemmerstoffer says these renders are for the vanilla Galaxy S30, i.e. the smallest of the series as far as we know. He says it roughly measures 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm. That last measurement increases to 9.0mm when you include the camera bump, though.

Speaking of the camera bump, it looks to be far more subdued in this design as compared to the Galaxy S20 series (and especially the Galaxy Note 20 series). We can’t conclude anything from the renders alone, but it does seem Samsung incorporated the bump module directly into the body of the phone. If that’s true, that’s a pretty brilliant way to keep the module’s thickness for the benefit of better photo quality while not increasing the thickness of the phone by as much.

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As expected, the renders also show off a centered selfie camera within a display cutout (no in-display selfie cam this time around) and the lack of a headphone jack. It appears Samsung is fully committed to going without the 3.5mm port in its flagships for good.

What do you think about these designs? Answer the poll above and then hit up the comments!

Android Authority

Samsung

Microsoft’s Your Phone app is perhaps one of the most useful ones out there for people who use Android phones and Windows PCs. The app allows users to seamlessly access notifications, reply to text messages, as well as make and receive calls on their PCs.

Now, Samsung is extending its partnership with Microsoft to bring yet another useful feature to its phones. You can now drag and drop files from your Samsung phone to your Windows 10 PC, without having to hook up any wires.

The new file drag and drop feature requires a Samsung device running Link To Windows version 1.5 or higher. This means that most recent Galaxy phones and tablets like the Galaxy Note 9, Note 10, S9, S10, S20, and more will be able to make use of the feature. Here’s the complete list of Samsung devices that support Link to Windows.

Microsoft notes that the new file sharing system is currently available to its Windows Insider community, so we can expect it to roll out more widely pretty soon.

Types of supported files

The new drag and drop feature supports all kinds of file types apart from folders. However, you can only transfer up to 100 files at a time and no single file can be larger than 512MB in size.

You can currently drag files from your Samsung phone’s Gallery app or My Files app only. From your PC, you can drag and drop any file of your choice to the Samsung device.

How to drag and drop files from Samsung phones to Windows 10 PCs?

You will first need to download the Your Phone app on your Windows 10 PC. Once you’ve done that, follow the steps given below to transfer files from your Samsung phone to your PC.

• Open Phone Screen in the Your Phone app on your PC
• Navigate to a folder in the My Files section
• Long press on the desired file until a checkmark appears
• To transfer additional files, simply tap on them
• Use your mouse to long-press again on the files you’ve selected and wait for a thumbnail to appear
• Drag the files to your desired location on your PC
• The cursor will change to show when you’re able to drop the files

If you’re transferring images from your phone’s Gallery app, follow the instructions given below.

• Open Phone Screen in the Your Phone app on your PC
• Navigate to Albums and select one
• Long press on a photo until a checkmark appears
• To transfer additional photos, simply tap on them
• Drag and drop images the same way as mentioned above

Vice versa, if you want to copy files from your PC to your phone, follow these steps mentioned below.

• Open Phone Screen in the Your Phone app on your PC
• Select files from your PC that you’d like to transfer
• Drag files to the Your Phone window
• The cursor will change to say Copy and that’s when you can drop the files by releasing the mouse
• Navigate to Internal Storage > Downloads folder to see your transferred files

Remember, minimizing the Your Phone app during the drag and drop process will cancel the transfer and you’ll have to start from scratch again.

Certain Samsung devices also support a text copy and paste function, as well as RCS Messaging though the Your Phone app. You can read all about it here.

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Android Authority

Android gaming is getting bigger and better every month it seems and there is always a slew of new titles coming to Google Play. Whether you’re a casual gamer or you want something with a bit more meat on its bones, there’s usually a game coming out to suit everyone’s taste. Some months are better than others, but there is usually at least one great new game on mobile every month. Let’s take a look at the best new Android games from the last month! You can watch the videos on YouTube from previous months by clicking here! You can also check out our picks for the best new Android games for 2019 in the video above! 

Looking for more new stuff? Check out these recommended app lists!

10 best new Android apps from February 2020!

15 best Android games available right now!

Digaea 1 Complete

Price: $ 32.99

Digaea 1 Complete is a mobile port of the popular PlayStation 2 game. This game includes the original game in all of its glory along with some smartphone-only features such as auto-battle, a fast forward mode for fast grinding, a cheat shop, cloud saving, and more. The game itself is a strategy RPG with a deep story and tons of extra stuff to do. The game is hilariously expensive at $ 32.99 so we only recommend picking it up on sale. However, we were happy to see the developers release updates for stability issues reported by early adopters.

Kick-Flight

Price: Free to play

Kick-Flight is an entertaining and interesting arcade game. It’s entirely PvP and online against real players. You fly around an open map and do combat with others. It’s similar to games like Brawl Stars in terms of pure premise. This one adds a vertical element as well as a horizontal one and it makes the game feel oddly fresh. It has the occasional bug, but so do all new games so we didn’t judge it too harshly.

Lucid Adventure

Price: Free to play

Lucid Adventure is a mobile RPG title and a spin-off of the popular webtoon. You start as a former number one champion who lost all of his powers. Players help recover those powers in the story mode of this game. It has the usual array of powerful skills and playable characters. There is also an online PvP mode, various events, and the usual mobile RPG stuff. It’s a solid overall game with a fun story and even the bugs aren’t that bad.

Might & Magic: Chess Royale

Price: Free

Might & Magic: Chess Royale is a departure from the game’s usual genre. This is an auto chess game and it plays like most auto chess games. You drop into a 100-player battle royale and the winner is the last player standing. These games have reasonably good strategy elements and Might & Magic is no exception. Plus, you can collect a bunch of heroes from the iconic franchise and games only last a maximum of ten minutes. It’s far from perfect, but it’s an excellent start and a decent entrant into the growing genre.

Overdrive City

Price: Free to play

Overdrive City is a racing simulator similar in premise to Kairosoft’s Grand Prix Story. You create a company, manufacture cards, and race them to victory. The game includes 50 car models from brands you actually know, a bunch of vehicle customizations, and some other features as well. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously and you can do things like a build a city with racing asphalt roads. Finally, you get a career mode and there are some social elements as well. It’s a solid game overall.

Do you not like in-app purchases or freemium games? Try these lists!

15 best free Android games with no in app purchases

15 best non-Freemium Android games!

Pico Tanks

Price: Free to play

Pico Tanks is an entertaining online battle game. You and other players join up against a team of opponents to see who can duke it out to victory. The game includes a few game modes such as a capture the flag variant, a standard deathmatch, and a neutral flag game where you fetch cargo and return it to your base. There are decent controls and aside from a few hiccups here and there, the game runs pretty well. We’re absolutely not fans of the game’s in-app purchase strategy, though, and we recommend bailing out if the pay-to-win aspects get too obnoxious.

Shadowgun War Games

Price: Free to play

Shadowgun War Games is the biggest game launch for February 2020. It’s by MADFINGER Games, the same developers of Dead Trigger, UNKILLED, and the other Shadowgun games. This one is similar in scope to online battlers like Overwatch. You select a character with unique abilities and use those abilities to gain an edge against opponents. Matches are relatively quick, the graphics are reasonably good, and the controls are classic mobile FPS. There is also hardware controller support if you want it. The game is very much still in the feedback and improvement stage so the Google Play rating is a bit lower than it probably should be. The game should definitely improve over time and it’s already pretty good now.

Sins Raid

Price: Free to play

Sins Raid is a second good strategy RPG from February 2020. Players can select their own heroes complete with team role, lore, and other stuff. Some other game features include decent controls, the ability to control multiple characters as once, solo game modes, multiplayer game modes, and even an official Discord server to talk with other players. There are some pay-to-win elements, but they’re easily enough to ignore if you stick with the single player modes.

Summer Catchers

Price: $ 3.99

Summer Catchers is the latest game from Noodlecake Studios, developers of Alto’s Odyssey. This one is a 2D side-scroller with platformer elements along with some rhythm game, puzzle, and racing elements. It’s a neat array of genres and the game includes all of them quite well. It feels more modern than its colorful retro graphics would suggest and players can unlock a bunch of abilities and such to get through the game easier. This is a premium game so there are no additional micro transactions. You can’t pay your way to the end of this one.

Symphogear XD Unlimited

Price: Free to play

Symphogear XD Unlimited is a weird mixture of mobile RPG and the anime idol genre. Players collect various anime girls and use them to beat up on opponents. The moves are hilariously over-the-top and the battle system is easy enough to learn. The game has some early optimization issues and long loading times. Plus, the cloud saving feature is very convoluted and we don’t know why since Google Play Games cloud saving exists. In any case, this one is quite entertaining if you like loud, flashy anime games with RPG elements.

Thank you for reading! Here are some more great Android games!

15 best free Android games available right now!

15 best arcade games for Android! (Updated 2019)

If we missed any great new Android games, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android apps and games lists!

Android Authority

There’s been a trend lately of extremely curved displays on smartphones. We saw a very curved display in the OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T Pro, and an even more curved Waterfall display on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro. While these displays can help devices feel more premium and even add features like edge glow for notifications, they’ll often make some apps extremely frustrating to use.

Because the app is reading that waterfall display as well, part of the display, some apps will bleed touchable elements over the side. This can be really frustrating because it can be difficult to interact with an element when it’s stuck on the side of your phone.

Google knows this and has implemented an API into Android 11 that should make your experience much better. Now, when a developer is creating an app, they can specify the interactable area of the display to prevent elements from bleeding over the edge.

See also:

Huawei Mate 30 Pro review: The forbidden fruit

Let’s get it out of the way. Reasonably speaking, you shouldn’t buy the Mate 30 Pro, not in its current form. It’s a superb device, but the Google uncertainty makes it impossible to recommend to …

This is similar to the screen cutouts API in Android 9 Pie, which allowed for better app integration of devices with notches, camera cutouts and the like.

I’m personally not a fan of over-exaggerated curved displays myself, and it seems like even Samsung has scaled them back with the S20 series. Still, we’re likely to see a lot more curvy phones launching in the future.

Do you like curved displays on smartphones? Happy about the feature? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Android Authority

Update: December 26, 2019 at 9:55 a.m. ET: ToTok’s cofounders have issued a follow-up statement refuting the claims that the chat app tracks users’ personal appointments and functions as a spy tool built by Israeli officers.

“… our distractors continue to spread misinformation and stir up the “spying” allegations, to vilify our work, to jeopardize our business, even to insult our users by mocking their enthusiastic appreciation of ToTok,” reads the statement. “Here is the fact – since day one, we have built ToTok with user security and privacy as our priority.”

The cofounders go on to say that a former NSA employee has performed a technical analysis and concluded ToTok “simply does what it claims to do, and really nothing more.” No details of the NSA employee’s findings were mentioned in the statement, painting what seems to be a vague and questionable picture of the so called technical analysis.

Still, the cofounders are confident that their app will be reinstated in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. As of this writing, the app is still absent from both.

You can read the full statement here.

Original article: December 23, 2019 at 3 p.m. ET: In a sudden turn of events, The New York Times just revealed popular messaging app ToTok is most likely a secret surveillance tool used by the United Arab Emirates government to spy on millions of people around the world. The app popped up only a few months ago, and it apparently tracks nearly everything about its users inside and outside the UAE.

ToTok has been downloaded across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, recently becoming one of the most downloaded social apps in the United States. According to The NYT, the UAE government knows “every conversation, movement, relationship, appointment, sound, and image” of everyone who used the app.

“ToTok is a cleverly designed tool for mass surveillance, according to the technical analysis and interviews,” reported The NYT. “It functions much like the myriad other Apple and Android apps that track users’ location and contacts.”

Related: Product warning issued after attacker hacks Amazon Ring, harasses little girl

The app is officially developed by Breej Holding, but The NYT believes this is most likely a facade, saying ToTok is actually affiliated with DarkMatter: an Abu Dhabi-based cyber intelligence and hacking firm. The firm is made up of Emirati intelligence officials, former National Security Agency (NSA) employees, and former Israeli military intelligence operatives.

The app’s initial success began in the UAE because the local government blocks certain features on apps like WhatsApp and Skype. ToTok even received recent support from Chinese manufacturer Huawei after the company promoted the app in a recent Facebook post.

The FBI is further investigating the situation, and ToTok has since been pulled from both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. Users who already downloaded the app will be able to use it until they manually uninstall it from their devices.

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Android Authority

In America, trials are rarely cut-and-dry events: even after a decision is reached the losing party can often demand a retrial, and the escalation process then begins, possibly even reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. In Apple v. Samsung, a rather unusual turn of events has just taken place. Despite Samsung having finally agreed to pay the (reduced) damages it owed Apple, the latter company is now demanding even more money. How much? $ 180,000,000 to be exact.

Those who have followed the trial since it began in 2011 may recall that Apple sued Samsung for allegedly making illegal use of patents and designs related to the iPhone. The trial originally ended with a verdict favorable to Apple and requiring Samsung to pay $ 1.04 billion in damages. Years later the total stood at a reduced $ 548 million, which Samsung paid on December 14th. In doing so however, Samsung also stipulated that if the ongoing disputes related to that first trial ultimately end in the Korean OEM’s favor, Apple must give back the money. Apple, in turn, argued no such reimbursement would take place.

The new damages, filed on Wednesday, argue that Samsung must pay around $ 180 million “in supplemental damages and interests…These further damages relate to five Samsung devices that infringed Apple’s patents and were sold after a 2012 jury verdict finding Samsung liable in the dispute” according to Reuters.

While a new trial will begin next year related to the damages from this original trial, Samsung meanwhile has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, arguing that Apple’s compensation was far too much given the patents involved. Before a hearing can be scheduled, the Supreme Court Justices would first need to agree to review the case, something it could just as easily refuse.

Suddenly, Samsung?

Some have questioned what made Samsung “suddenly” decide to pay off the existing damages to begin with, especially given the company’s demand for potential reimbursement. While it is impossible to say what was ultimately decided upon, several theories are possible:

1. Samsung’s executives became concerned with the liability-factor relating to the outstanding figure. The company has made a number of bold statements in recent weeks that underscore the difficult times currently facing the OEM. Having the Apple settlement effectively “off” the balance sheet would allow it to be taken as a loss now while the company is still in relatively good fiscal condition, rather than in the future when it might be facing a more difficult situation.
2. Samsung could have used it as bargaining leverage with Apple. It is widely known that the South Korean OEM supplies numerous components for Apple’s products, and it has even been suggested that Apple may seek to purchase AMOLED panels from Samsung in the future for use with iPhone models. Samsung’s payment could be seen as a sign of good will, or even a way of trying to gain an upper-hand as if to say “we have fulfilled our requirement, so now we expect you to take us seriously.”
3. Apple may have required Samsung to pay the damages before any deal regarding AMOLED production (or other new technology) could be considered. Given that LG also produces AMOLED panels, it is conceivable that Apple might have used the outstanding payout as “encouraging” board members and executives to lean towards LG for the new components.
4. Samsung’s legal team may have suggested that a Supreme Court hearing is unlikely to happen and that it is better to just pay the damages now as opposed to further prolonging it.
5. Samsung may be under the impression that Apple will indeed return the money should the patents related to the trial ultimately be invalidated.

It is possible one of these points has hit the nail on the head. It is also possible that the true nature may be a combination of many, or perhaps none of them at all. The politics and business decisions behind major movements like this are the stuff of speculative legend, though it is likely no one but those directly involved will ever know what happened.

At the very least, the fact that Apple is asking for even more money now stands as a rather contentious issue in and of itself: on the one hand the company seemingly has a legitimate reason to demanding damages related to such a protracted payout (the interest alone is worth a fortune) and inevitably Apple’s own stakeholders have been most displeased with the missing money not exchanging “hands”.

At the same time, for Samsung, this new filing inevitably comes across as a slap in the face. After finally paying the restitution, the company is now hit with additional fees serving to ensure the “you owe me” situation perpetuates for some time to come.

Wrap Up

While some have referred to the ongoing legal battle as the “The Patent Trial of the Century“, the title seemingly becomes more and more apropos given the continuing and prolonging twists and turns in the matter. Clearly Apple is not happy even after it has received it’s money, yet perhaps it shouldn’t be given how much time has taken to facilitate such. Samsung, meanwhile, wants Apple’s patents invalidated so as to absolve it of any legal problems.

We want to hear what you think. Is Apple in the right here? Should it have filed new charges? Please leave your comments below and let us know!

Android Authority

As of the latest update, “Ask” means type.

There is a war of words going on right now, but it’s not political or even personal. It’s digitial. While Google had voice assisted functionality from very early on, Apple’s introduction of Siri into the mobile market arguably pushed voice in a more pronounced way, at least to the general public. While Google’s own assistant doesn’t have a name per se, it is nonetheless an integral part of the Google Now experience and features quick response times and a less “synthesized” voice. Microsoft, too, has its own assistant named Cortana, taken from its cash-cow Halo videogame series.

Recently Cortana was released to the Google Play store and with it Microsoft’s move to migrate millions. Or at least attempt to. This past weekend however, it updated the app and removed what some might consider to be a key feature: “Hey Cortana” hotword support. While the feature was essentially limited to a shout out on either a device’s home screen or within the actual Cortana app itself, support for it has been removed entirely for those in the USA.

What gives (and was taken)?

While Microsoft has yet to state what prompted the sudden about face, those looking for answers on the removal decision may be able to get an idea from posts on reddit in response to the news. User shamrock013 writes:

Good. Using “Hey Cortana” broke the microphone across the whole OS. It barely worked during phone calls. It broke the “OK Google” hotkey. To top it off, the feature barely worked to begin with, so it was half-baked from the start.

Get your crap together, Microsoft.

Another user, bfodder, added:

Oh shit, I couldn’t even use the microphone by tapping on it on the Google Now widget at the top of the home screen. Now it works. And now I know why.

Finally, anthonyvardiz posted:

That explains why I couldn’t “Okay, Google” on my Nexus 6P. Just tried it and it works again!

Based on these responses, it would seem that hotword detection created interference with the normal functioning of a user’s microphone. It is currently unknown as to just how prevalent this issue was, or what devices may have been affected – though clearly the Nexus 6P was one of them. It is also unknown as to the status of “Hey Cortana” on Cyanogenmod builds, which have OS-wide integrated hotword detection.

The question now is if or when Microsoft plans to restore the feature to its fledgling Android app. Part of the draw of virtual assistants is the ability to make use of them effortlessly. By requiring manual triggering of Cortana, the app has arguably lost some of the appeal it might have had, or at least some feature parity with Google Now.

Does it even matter?

Perhaps the larger issue is if hotword removal matters at all. While some love and live by it, others feel enabling the feature drains battery life due to the “always listening” approach. It is similar to criticism raised about LG’s now-heavily cloned “Tap to Wake” display functionality wherein the digitizer must always remain on so as to detect tap input. As for how much effect on battery life this actually has, that’s a different story.

Reviews that have already been posted on the Play Store indicate that yes, this is a big problem. Pedro Ramos wrote:

Hey Cortana?? C’mon Microsoft…stop screwing with us…I really love Cortana. Unless ur doing it so that pc’s Cortana doesn’t get confused then I forgive you.

Chad White’s review goes even further however:

Uninstall Without Hey Cortana there’s no reason to use this app over Google Now why do I have to actually open the app when I could just: “Ok Google, uninstall Cortana” First Microsoft screws up with Windows, then they kept messing up the Skype app for a while, let’s see if they actually listen the the people for once the make at least one good product this year.

The other issue at large is how many Android users want Cortana in the first place. As of right now, the Play Store data lists Cortana installs between 100,000-500,000. While there are other ways to get it (such as an APK file), suffice to say the app has apparently yet to hit a multi-million milestone, or even the one million mark.

Those who want a more seamless Windows 10 experience will no doubt be interested in using Cortana, but it remains to be seen how many Android users will be interested in having a second voice assistant running on their phone, especially since many are probably unsure of how to disable Google Now’s listening in the first place.

Wrap Up

There are a variety of ways to take in this news. Some might be angered and perhaps uninstall the app. Some might be pleased Microsoft has suffered an apparent setback of sorts. Some might not care at all. Whatever you are thinking, however, we want to hear it.

Has Cortana become less relevant without the hotword detection or are you still inclined to use it? Did you even know Cortana was available for Android to begin with prior to reading this story? Leave your comments below and share your thoughts for all to see!

Android Authority

Announced back in March 2014, Sony’s Xperia M4 Aqua was thrown into the competitive mid-range smartphone market with a big price point at $ 350 unlocked. It’s not a particularly bad phone, it’s just never been worth the premium price point the company was asking for it. If you’ve been eyeing this device and have been waiting for the price to come down a bit, now’s your chance. Amazon is currently selling it for the lowest price we’ve ever seen.

Right now, you can purchase the 16GB unlocked Sony Xperia M4 Aqua in Black for just $ 199.99. This is $ 150 off the phone’s price at launch, and roughly $ 100 off what the device is normally sold for. The only real caveat here is that it’s only compatible with GSM networks, so you’ll need to be on AT&T or T-Mobile (or other GSM MVNOs) to use it.

See also: Best Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Cases

As a refresher, the Xperia M4 Aqua comes with a 5.0-inch 720p IPS LCD display, an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 2GB of RAM and microSD expansion up to 128GB. It also has a really nice 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera. The 2400mAh battery isn’t the most long-lasting cell we’ve ever used, though we’d say it’s comparable to other devices at this price point. It’s also IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. If you’d like to learn more about the M4 Aqua, be sure to check out our full review.

The Xperia M4 Aqua isn’t worth the money at $ 350, but it certainly is at $ 200. No, it’s not the most powerful mid-range device on the market, but you certainly could do worse for the price. If you’re interested, be sure to head to the Amazon link below to grab one before they’re all gone.

• Buy now from Amazon for only $ 199.99

Android Authority