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Google Duo and Meet are merging as Google’s strategy for communication apps continues its haphazard evolution

Google has made a habit of launching, changing, and eventually killing text, voice, and video apps so many times that I have a hard time remembering which ones are still around. Now the company is taking another step in its confusing communications strategy and merging its Google Duo and Google Meet video calling apps. Within […]

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Now you can make video calls on a PinePhone (but it’s very much a work in progress)

When the PinePhone began shipping to early adopters, it had all the hardware you’d expect from a smartphone, but it lacked the software needed to make some of that hardware work. If you were one of the first people to get your hands on a PinePhone, you had a Linux-friendly phone with a camera that […]

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Lilbits: Getting what you pay for with enthusiast-grade hardware

Pine64 has produced some of the most interesting hardware aimed at open source enthusiasts over the past few years. They’re not exactly high-performance machines, but what they are is cheap – among other things, Pine64 sells Linux smartphones for as little as $150 and Linux laptops for as little as $100. Those low prices, combined with […]

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Google Meet video conferencing goes free for everyone (Calls with up to 100 people for 60 minutes)

Video conferencing is having a moment… or a few months at least. With millions of people around the world stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom has seen an explosion of new users who are holding work meetings, birthday parties, and everything else on the internet. Rivals have been rolling out new features as […]

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Facebook launches 3 new Portal video-calling devices with prices starting at $129

As promised earlier this year, Facebook is launching its Portal line of video-calling smart displays in more countries and adding support for WhatsApp video calls as well as Facebook Messenger. But the company is also launching three new Portal devices, all of which are cheaper than the original models Facebook launched last year. The new Portal […]

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Google launches Duo video calling app for Android, iOS

Google is starting to overhaul its mobile communication apps. In May the company announced plans to launch a new text-based chat app called Allo which would be like a cross between WhatsApp and Snapchat, as well as a new video chat app called Duo to offer a simple solution for 1-on-1 calls. Now Duo is available […]

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Google introduces Duo video chat app for Android, iOS

Google is launching a new video calling app for Android and iOS called Duo. As the name suggests, it’s designed for one-on-one video calls, and Google says it offers a simple user interface, high-quality video even on slow networks, and end-to-end encryption. But it also has a few features that make it unlike most video […]

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Facebook brings free, cross-platform mobile video calling to Messenger

Facebook Messenger is a free mobile app that lets you chat with your contacts using text, images, emoji, and voice recordings. Now it has a new feature: video calling. Facebook has added a video button which you can tap from any conversation to start a video call. It doesn’t matter if you’re using Android or iOS, […]