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Google’s Reading mode app makes Android more accessible for blind, low-vision and dyslexic users

Google is introducing a handful of new features that are available or coming soon to Android. Among other things, there’s a new YouTube Search widget that lets you find videos from your home screen, the ability for some folks who use their phones to unlock a car to share their digital car keys with friends […]

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Google is bringing easier file sharing to Android, new features to Gboard and Google Meet, and more

Google is announcing a series of updates coming soon to Android devices that are designed to make it easier to communicate, share files, personalize your devices, and for people with hearing or visual impairments to use their devices. For example, Google’s Nearby Share feature already lets you send files between Android phones or tablets or […]

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Lilbits: MIPS pivots to RISC-V, Intel staggers desktop Arc graphics release, and Google releases I/O Pinball

Last year MIPS Technologies announced that it was going to stop designing MIPS processors. That might sound surprising given the company’s name, but maybe it was inevitable when looking at trends in the semiconductor industry. So MIPS pivoted to RISC-V architecture. And the company’s first chips based on that open instruction set are set to […]

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Lilbits: Google buys Raxium, Thunderbird is going mobile, and Zoom puts time limits on free 1:1 calls

Zoom became a household name shortly after the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, as folks flocked to the easy-to-use software for hosting group video calls. The company’s freemium model doesn’t hurt: calls up to 40 minutes are free, while you have to pay for a subscription for longer group video calls. Up until this […]

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Lilbits: Steam Deck Dock updated ahead of launch, Google kills call recording on Android (again), and more

Valve’s Steam Deck is a gaming PC designed to be held in your hands. But if you want to use it for desktop-style gaming, you can always connect an external display, keyboard, mouse, or other hardware. And the company plans to begin selling an official Steam Deck Dock later this spring that will make it […]

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Windows 11 Voice Access will let you control a PC by talking to it, available now in preview

Microsoft has been including speech recognition software in Windows for years, but historically it’s been designed as an accessibility setting that allows you to input text by talking instead of typing. Soon you’ll also be able to launch and switch between apps, browse the web, and generally control your computer by voice thanks to a […]

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Lilbits: A DIY Spotify Box, Microsoft’s Surface Adaptive Kit for accessibility, Fairphone 4, and more

This week Microsoft introduced new Surface tablets, a new Surface Duo 2 phone, and a new Surface Laptop Studio that are all scheduled to hit the streets soon. But the company also unveiled a new Surface Adaptive Kit that’s designed to make those devices, and many others, easier to use for people with disabilities. The […]

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Android 12 will let you control your phone by making faces at it (accessibility features)

Google’s Android Accessibility Suite is a collection of apps that make it easier for people with disabilities to interact with Android phones and tablets. And starting with Android 12, a new accessibility feature will make use of your phone’s camera to let you control your phone with your face. According to a report from xda-developers, […]

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Lilbits: Windows 11 on handhelds, Fitbit’s ring, and OS X 10.7 and 10.8 are now free to download

When software updates roll out for Windows, Android, iOS, or macOS these days, you’re probably used to getting it for free. But once upon a time companies used to charge for those sorts of updates. In fact, Apple didn’t start offering free updates to Mac users until OS X 10.9 Mavericks was released in 2013. […]

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Google turns Android phones into a massive earthquake detection system

Most smartphones have accelerometers that make automatic screen rotation and other features possible. Now Google has found another user for them: earthquake detection. The company is rolling out a feature for Android smartphones that can allow your mobile device to sense the kind of movements that might indicate an earthquake is happening. Then your phone […]