After years of neglect, Google is finally getting serious about Android tablets. Google’s first real effort in recent years for large screen devices came in Android 12L, which brought along some much-needed UI optimizations for tablets and foldables. But many felt that Google should lead by the example and release its own Android tablet to showcase its commitment to large form factor. At Google I/O 2022, Google gave us the first look at the Pixel Tablet, a widescreen Android tablet that will arrive sometime in 2023. While details about the tablet’s hardware remain scarce at this point, it looks like it could arrive with USI pen support.
A Google tablet codenamed Tangor has been spotted on the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) website. The listing confirms that the tablet in question has been certified by USI as being compliant with the USI Stylus and the Device specification. Sadly, the listing doesn’t reveal much beyond the device codename. We aren’t aware of any other Google tablet in the works besides the Pixel Tablet, so it’s highly likely this is the upcoming Google tablet.
For the unaware, USI is an organization that maintains a standard specification for interoperable styluses that can work on a wide variety of touchscreen devices, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Google has been a member of USI since 2018 and has already added support for USI in Chrome OS.
The Google Pixel Tablet supporting USI styluses will indeed be a great thing, allowing Android apps to support exciting new use cases on tablet form factor. The team behind Android tablets has already expressed interest in pen input. “If tablets really are going to become this new device for people to be creative and productive, what new apps would take advantage of people who may be doing things stylus-enabled out of the gate?” said Google’s CTO of tablets, Rich Miner, during The Android Show livestream in March.
After years of neglect, Google is finally getting serious about Android tablets. Google’s first real effort in recent years for large screen devices came in Android 12L, which brought along some much-needed UI optimizations for tablets and foldables. But many felt that Google should lead by the example and release its own Android tablet to showcase its commitment to large form factor. At Google I/O 2022, Google gave us the first look at the Pixel Tablet, a widescreen Android tablet that will arrive sometime in 2023. While details about the tablet’s hardware remain scarce at this point, it looks like it could arrive with USI pen support.
A Google tablet codenamed Tangor has been spotted on the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) website. The listing confirms that the tablet in question has been certified by USI as being compliant with the USI Stylus and the Device specification. Sadly, the listing doesn’t reveal much beyond the device codename. We aren’t aware of any other Google tablet in the works besides the Pixel Tablet, so it’s highly likely this is the upcoming Google tablet.
For the unaware, USI is an organization that maintains a standard specification for interoperable styluses that can work on a wide variety of touchscreen devices, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Google has been a member of USI since 2018 and has already added support for USI in Chrome OS.
The Google Pixel Tablet supporting USI styluses will indeed be a great thing, allowing Android apps to support exciting new use cases on tablet form factor. The team behind Android tablets has already expressed interest in pen input. “If tablets really are going to become this new device for people to be creative and productive, what new apps would take advantage of people who may be doing things stylus-enabled out of the gate?” said Google’s CTO of tablets, Rich Miner, during The Android Show livestream in March.
It doesn’t take long for dust, dirt, and debris to find their way into all of the nooks and crannies of your phone, irrespective of whether it is an Android flagship or an iPhone. If your phone speaker has started to sound a bit muffled, or the grille is looking a bit furry around the edges, then it’s probably time to give it a clean. Here’s how to clean your phone’s speaker grille.
How to clean your phone’s speaker grille with things around the house
While there are definitely advantages to having the right tools to clean your phone, you can also get good results using things you probably already have lying around the house.
Sticky Tape
Sticky tape is surprisingly versatile and is great for getting surface dust and dirt off your phone’s speaker grille. Simply tear a piece off and loop it around your finger and then gently dab your phone’s speaker grille.
Blu Tack
Blu Tack or any other non-branded adhesive putty is also a pretty good way to get the dust out of your phone speaker grille. While sticky tape fails to get inside the tiny holes of the grille, adhesive putty will morph into the right shape, allowing it to lift dirt from deeper within the speaker.
Be very careful when using Blu Tack or putty to clean your phone as pushing it in too deep can end up causing more harm than good – especially if it breaks off inside!
Cotton Buds
Image Credit: Pexels
While they may not be very good at cleaning your ears, cotton buds make a good alternative to the sponges found in professional phone cleaning kits. Use a dry cotton bud to lift surface dust, and apply a spritz of alcohol cleaner to lift away more stubborn grime.
Last but not least, when it comes to getting dust and dirt out of your phone’s speaker grille, a toothbrush or interdental brush can get into the smallest of spaces. Angle the bristles into the tiny holes of your speaker grille and carefully brush the dirt away. Be careful not to force the bristles too hard, and remember you’re trying to lift the dirt away, not jam it in further. Interdental brushes can also come in handy for cleaning deep down between the keys of your mechanical keyboard.
How to clean your phone’s speaker grille the professional way
If you’re looking to do things in a more professional way, then there’s no shortage of phone cleaning kits available on the internet. Generally speaking, these contain a combination of the following:
Compressed air is one of the safest ways to remove dust from hard-to-reach or delicate places such as your phone’s speaker grille. Some cleaning kits come with a squeezy rubber air duster, while others may come with a can of pressurized air. Whichever you choose, place the nozzle near your speaker grille and blast the dust away.
Cleaning Sponges
Professional cleaning sponges come in a wide range of sizes and shapes because they’re designed to fit into all of your phone’s hard-to-reach places. While cotton buds can shed lint, cleaning sponges are static-free which makes them a better choice if you don’t mind buying some.
You can use dry sponges to wipe away any build-up of dust, and then gently spritz them with alcohol-based cleaning spray to remove any more stubborn grime.
Cleaning Brushes
As with cleaning sponges, cleaning brushes are the professional version of your toothbrush or an interdental brush. They’re designed to be stiff enough to work without causing damage and come in lots of different sizes to ensure they fit into all of the small spaces on your phone.
Cleaning Putty
Lastly, if you want to use the professional version of Blu Tack, then invest in some cleaning putty. Cleaning putty is designed to be flexible and sticky while leaving no residue. It’s also reusable and can be used to clean your Macbook or other laptops and to remove dust and debris from your keyboard too.
Removing dust from your phone speaker
For best results, you’ll want to use a combination of the above to remove the dust and dirt from your phone’s speaker grille. Start by blowing or brushing away the loose fibers, then go in for a deeper clean with some putty before sponging away any remaining residue. If you’re looking to clean deeper still then consider taking your device to a professional who can open it up and clean the speaker grille from the inside out.
It doesn’t take long for dust, dirt, and debris to find their way into all of the nooks and crannies of your phone, irrespective of whether it is an Android flagship or an iPhone. If your phone speaker has started to sound a bit muffled, or the grille is looking a bit furry around the edges, then it’s probably time to give it a clean. Here’s how to clean your phone’s speaker grille.
How to clean your phone’s speaker grille with things around the house
While there are definitely advantages to having the right tools to clean your phone, you can also get good results using things you probably already have lying around the house.
Sticky Tape
Sticky tape is surprisingly versatile and is great for getting surface dust and dirt off your phone’s speaker grille. Simply tear a piece off and loop it around your finger and then gently dab your phone’s speaker grille.
Blu Tack
Blu Tack or any other non-branded adhesive putty is also a pretty good way to get the dust out of your phone speaker grille. While sticky tape fails to get inside the tiny holes of the grille, adhesive putty will morph into the right shape, allowing it to lift dirt from deeper within the speaker.
Be very careful when using Blu Tack or putty to clean your phone as pushing it in too deep can end up causing more harm than good – especially if it breaks off inside!
Cotton Buds
Image Credit: Pexels
While they may not be very good at cleaning your ears, cotton buds make a good alternative to the sponges found in professional phone cleaning kits. Use a dry cotton bud to lift surface dust, and apply a spritz of alcohol cleaner to lift away more stubborn grime.
Last but not least, when it comes to getting dust and dirt out of your phone’s speaker grille, a toothbrush or interdental brush can get into the smallest of spaces. Angle the bristles into the tiny holes of your speaker grille and carefully brush the dirt away. Be careful not to force the bristles too hard, and remember you’re trying to lift the dirt away, not jam it in further. Interdental brushes can also come in handy for cleaning deep down between the keys of your mechanical keyboard.
How to clean your phone’s speaker grille the professional way
If you’re looking to do things in a more professional way, then there’s no shortage of phone cleaning kits available on the internet. Generally speaking, these contain a combination of the following:
Compressed air is one of the safest ways to remove dust from hard-to-reach or delicate places such as your phone’s speaker grille. Some cleaning kits come with a squeezy rubber air duster, while others may come with a can of pressurized air. Whichever you choose, place the nozzle near your speaker grille and blast the dust away.
Cleaning Sponges
Professional cleaning sponges come in a wide range of sizes and shapes because they’re designed to fit into all of your phone’s hard-to-reach places. While cotton buds can shed lint, cleaning sponges are static-free which makes them a better choice if you don’t mind buying some.
You can use dry sponges to wipe away any build-up of dust, and then gently spritz them with alcohol-based cleaning spray to remove any more stubborn grime.
Cleaning Brushes
As with cleaning sponges, cleaning brushes are the professional version of your toothbrush or an interdental brush. They’re designed to be stiff enough to work without causing damage and come in lots of different sizes to ensure they fit into all of the small spaces on your phone.
Cleaning Putty
Lastly, if you want to use the professional version of Blu Tack, then invest in some cleaning putty. Cleaning putty is designed to be flexible and sticky while leaving no residue. It’s also reusable and can be used to clean your Macbook or other laptops and to remove dust and debris from your keyboard too.
Removing dust from your phone speaker
For best results, you’ll want to use a combination of the above to remove the dust and dirt from your phone’s speaker grille. Start by blowing or brushing away the loose fibers, then go in for a deeper clean with some putty before sponging away any remaining residue. If you’re looking to clean deeper still then consider taking your device to a professional who can open it up and clean the speaker grille from the inside out.
The newest, hottest, best graphics cards are remarkable. Even five years ago, were we really expecting the sort of performance we can get right now? PC gamers and custom builders have never had it better. Well, assuming you can even buy one. But I’m looking at the current landscape and thinking I might never buy a new graphics card for gaming ever again and be happy.
This isn’t a sudden realization, it’s actually a thought that first entered my mind a few years ago. A number of different things have all come together and I’m finally ready to commit. I think.
2022 might well be the time to call it a day chasing graphics cards.
The price is offputting
Almost five years ago I spent a not insignificant £670 on a new Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti. I was so excited to get that thing hooked up inside my Alienware Aurora gaming PC and it didn’t disappoint. Even upgrading from a GTX 1070 there was a tangible increase in performance and the visual quality I could enjoy. It was expensive, but it was worth it.
Graphics cards are getting really expensive even without recent shortages.
Fast forward five years and we’re only just starting to see stocks of graphics cards come back. A combination of global chip shortages and crypto bros scalping every available unit left gamers frustrated. Those you could buy were sold at a premium. But even those that aren’t are still expensive.
In the UK where I live you’re looking at about £400 for an RTX 3060 right now. It’s a fantastic graphics card, I have one in my collection of PC parts. But it’s not even technically the “mid-range” anymore and it’s that price. The last graphics card I bought at launch was an AMD RX 5700 and that was £370 at the time. But even AMD cards don’t really have price on their side anymore.
I want to focus on the Nvidia RTX 3080, specifically. I don’t have one, right now they’re at least £800, and not even the highest performer in the Team Green stable. But it’s an important card to me, because thanks to the cloud, I can now play my games with one.
The cloud is the answer?
When I first started dabbling in cloud gaming I wondered if it really could replace PC gaming in the future. It’s not exactly the same – I’m not going to pretend it is – but right now, it’s close enough. The technology has come on so far in the last few years that I think I’m about ready.
I’ve written previously about how good Google Stadia is, and more recently about playing Fortnite on a smartphone with the power of an RTX 3080. The latter is what has started to make me seriously consider this as a reality, not just a dream.
Nvidia GeForce Now has a tier that offers its players the chance to play games on an RTX 3080. It’s the most expensive tier, sure, but compared to actually buying an RTX 3080 you would get about five years’ use from it for the same money. And Nvidia is bound to keep upgrading it. But the simple fact is this: My cloud gaming PC is more powerful than my local gaming PC.
Rise of the Tomb Raider on the RTX 3080 tier of Nvidia GeForce Now
I’m currently using an RTX 2080 inside my personal gaming PC and it’s still absolutely fine. But there will come a time it won’t be, even if it’s a number of years away. Nvidia provides RTX 2080 power on its regular tiers, so even on that, my cloud gaming PC is on par with my own.
Getting fiber helped but the requirements are within reach of many.
For me, the killer feature I was waiting on is fiber. Finally, I’m in a position to jump fully into the cloud. But it’s also why I’m won’t diminish the importance of local hardware. Previously I had fairly slow broadband. Enough to enjoy a spot of cloud gaming, but only if nobody else was home. So for everyone, it’s definitely not the answer. Though I have to say, the 40mbps base requirement for the RTX 3080 tier is pleasantly surprising. And for that, you get to play at up to 120 FPS. In most cases, higher than I can play locally. And every month more and more of my PC library finds its way into GeForce Now.
GeForce Now is certainly the most alluring cloud platform for PC gamers. I play games everywhere, but I see the appeal. The fact your library comes from Steam, Epic, or Ubisoft, all titles you’ve bought but use someone else’s PC to play. Or your phone. TV, iPad, Chromebook, web browser, there have never been more ways to play PC games. Stadia and GeForce Now both support keyboard and mouse, too.
How I game has changed
As I’ve grown older so to have my gaming habits. I’ve never locked myself into one platform, and that’ll never change, but I have fallen out of love with certain types of games. I rarely bother with competitive multiplayer titles anymore, I’m playing games that my young son can enjoy with me and I’m playing more casually, picking up for a short period and then going to do something else.
But the other big change has been getting a Steam Deck. I really do think it’s a game-changer.
I haven't played anything on my gaming PC since the Steam Deck arrived.
It might take a generation or two of hardware, but Valve has built a winner. I’m playing games in my catalog finally that I’d ignored for years. Sat on the sofa, in a coffee shop, and even in the car while I wait to pick up my kids. That falling out of love with PC gaming because I didn’t want to sit at my desk after work, reversed somewhat with the arrival of the Steam Deck.
The cloud is also a solid companion to the Steam Deck, too. Linux gaming is superb these days, but there are still those titles that just don’t work. If I want to play a little Destiny 2 on the couch, I can do so through the browser.
Performance on the Steam Deck has proved that you don’t need a stupidly powerful, stupidly expensive graphics card to have a good time. You could say the same about the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. PC gaming used to feel like the absolute best way to play, now, it just feels like a massive money pit. And I’m not sure it’s worth it anymore.
I’m enjoying gaming again, more than ever before, and it has nothing to do with having splurged on a new, insanely powerful graphics card. By embracing the cloud I can play amazing-looking, high-frame-rate games on a Chromebook. Or my iPad. Or there’s the Steam Deck, which is the only way I’ve played local PC games since it arrived at the end of March.
As rumors begin to swirl about Nvidia’s next stupidly powerful graphics cards, I’m not really interested anymore. At least not beyond a professional capacity. I admit that my situation lends well to this and that not everyone is in a position to rely on the cloud or a handheld PC yet.
But I’m actually really excited. Much like buying an EV, it feels like I’m taking a step into the future. All the big players are getting into streaming and Valve has made handhelds exciting again. Nvidia can keep making crazy powerful graphics cards and filling their server cabinets with them while they’re at it. All this awesome technology is making gaming accessible to wider audiences, and that’s alright by me.
The newest, hottest, best graphics cards are remarkable. Even five years ago, were we really expecting the sort of performance we can get right now? PC gamers and custom builders have never had it better. Well, assuming you can even buy one. But I’m looking at the current landscape and thinking I might never buy a new graphics card for gaming ever again and be happy.
This isn’t a sudden realization, it’s actually a thought that first entered my mind a few years ago. A number of different things have all come together and I’m finally ready to commit. I think.
2022 might well be the time to call it a day chasing graphics cards.
The price is offputting
Almost five years ago I spent a not insignificant £670 on a new Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti. I was so excited to get that thing hooked up inside my Alienware Aurora gaming PC and it didn’t disappoint. Even upgrading from a GTX 1070 there was a tangible increase in performance and the visual quality I could enjoy. It was expensive, but it was worth it.
Graphics cards are getting really expensive even without recent shortages.
Fast forward five years and we’re only just starting to see stocks of graphics cards come back. A combination of global chip shortages and crypto bros scalping every available unit left gamers frustrated. Those you could buy were sold at a premium. But even those that aren’t are still expensive.
In the UK where I live you’re looking at about £400 for an RTX 3060 right now. It’s a fantastic graphics card, I have one in my collection of PC parts. But it’s not even technically the “mid-range” anymore and it’s that price. The last graphics card I bought at launch was an AMD RX 5700 and that was £370 at the time. But even AMD cards don’t really have price on their side anymore.
I want to focus on the Nvidia RTX 3080, specifically. I don’t have one, right now they’re at least £800, and not even the highest performer in the Team Green stable. But it’s an important card to me, because thanks to the cloud, I can now play my games with one.
The cloud is the answer?
When I first started dabbling in cloud gaming I wondered if it really could replace PC gaming in the future. It’s not exactly the same – I’m not going to pretend it is – but right now, it’s close enough. The technology has come on so far in the last few years that I think I’m about ready.
I’ve written previously about how good Google Stadia is, and more recently about playing Fortnite on a smartphone with the power of an RTX 3080. The latter is what has started to make me seriously consider this as a reality, not just a dream.
Nvidia GeForce Now has a tier that offers its players the chance to play games on an RTX 3080. It’s the most expensive tier, sure, but compared to actually buying an RTX 3080 you would get about five years’ use from it for the same money. And Nvidia is bound to keep upgrading it. But the simple fact is this: My cloud gaming PC is more powerful than my local gaming PC.
Rise of the Tomb Raider on the RTX 3080 tier of Nvidia GeForce Now
I’m currently using an RTX 2080 inside my personal gaming PC and it’s still absolutely fine. But there will come a time it won’t be, even if it’s a number of years away. Nvidia provides RTX 2080 power on its regular tiers, so even on that, my cloud gaming PC is on par with my own.
Getting fiber helped but the requirements are within reach of many.
For me, the killer feature I was waiting on is fiber. Finally, I’m in a position to jump fully into the cloud. But it’s also why I’m won’t diminish the importance of local hardware. Previously I had fairly slow broadband. Enough to enjoy a spot of cloud gaming, but only if nobody else was home. So for everyone, it’s definitely not the answer. Though I have to say, the 40mbps base requirement for the RTX 3080 tier is pleasantly surprising. And for that, you get to play at up to 120 FPS. In most cases, higher than I can play locally. And every month more and more of my PC library finds its way into GeForce Now.
GeForce Now is certainly the most alluring cloud platform for PC gamers. I play games everywhere, but I see the appeal. The fact your library comes from Steam, Epic, or Ubisoft, all titles you’ve bought but use someone else’s PC to play. Or your phone. TV, iPad, Chromebook, web browser, there have never been more ways to play PC games. Stadia and GeForce Now both support keyboard and mouse, too.
How I game has changed
As I’ve grown older so to have my gaming habits. I’ve never locked myself into one platform, and that’ll never change, but I have fallen out of love with certain types of games. I rarely bother with competitive multiplayer titles anymore, I’m playing games that my young son can enjoy with me and I’m playing more casually, picking up for a short period and then going to do something else.
But the other big change has been getting a Steam Deck. I really do think it’s a game-changer.
I haven't played anything on my gaming PC since the Steam Deck arrived.
It might take a generation or two of hardware, but Valve has built a winner. I’m playing games in my catalog finally that I’d ignored for years. Sat on the sofa, in a coffee shop, and even in the car while I wait to pick up my kids. That falling out of love with PC gaming because I didn’t want to sit at my desk after work, reversed somewhat with the arrival of the Steam Deck.
The cloud is also a solid companion to the Steam Deck, too. Linux gaming is superb these days, but there are still those titles that just don’t work. If I want to play a little Destiny 2 on the couch, I can do so through the browser.
Performance on the Steam Deck has proved that you don’t need a stupidly powerful, stupidly expensive graphics card to have a good time. You could say the same about the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. PC gaming used to feel like the absolute best way to play, now, it just feels like a massive money pit. And I’m not sure it’s worth it anymore.
I’m enjoying gaming again, more than ever before, and it has nothing to do with having splurged on a new, insanely powerful graphics card. By embracing the cloud I can play amazing-looking, high-frame-rate games on a Chromebook. Or my iPad. Or there’s the Steam Deck, which is the only way I’ve played local PC games since it arrived at the end of March.
As rumors begin to swirl about Nvidia’s next stupidly powerful graphics cards, I’m not really interested anymore. At least not beyond a professional capacity. I admit that my situation lends well to this and that not everyone is in a position to rely on the cloud or a handheld PC yet.
But I’m actually really excited. Much like buying an EV, it feels like I’m taking a step into the future. All the big players are getting into streaming and Valve has made handhelds exciting again. Nvidia can keep making crazy powerful graphics cards and filling their server cabinets with them while they’re at it. All this awesome technology is making gaming accessible to wider audiences, and that’s alright by me.
This week, Amazon sent out a notice to several Kindle users who still have a few older Kindle models linked to their accounts. As per the notice, select models will lose access to the Kindle Store starting August 17, preventing users from browsing, purchasing, or borrowing books using the older devices. That might seem like the end of the road for those rocking one of the EoL e-readers, but there’s still some hope. Read on to learn which models are losing support for the Kindle Store and how you can still get new books on them after the August deadline.
Amazon is dropping support for the following Kindle e-readers starting August 17:
Kindle (2nd-gen) International
Kindle DX International
Kindle Keyboard
Kindle (4th-gen)
Kindle (5th-gen)
If you own any of the Kindle models mentioned above, you won’t be able to browse, purchase, or borrow books from the Kindle Store starting August 17. However, according to Good e-Reader, you should still be able to access existing books and have new ones delivered to these models from Amazon’s website.
This is the first time Amazon is completely cutting off store access for older Kindle models. Sadly, the company has not provided a reason for this change. The announcement comes just weeks after Amazon announced ePub support for its modern lineup of Kindle e-readers.
Do you own any of the aforementioned Kindle models? What do you plan on doing after August 17? Will you purchase a new Kindle, or will you stick with your old faithful e-reader and purchase books from Amazon’s website? We highly recommend the new Kindle with a built-in front light, if it’s the former. The ad-supported version will only set you back $89.99, which is nothing short of a bargain. For those who don’t like its tiny 6-inch display, we recommend the brand new Kindle Paperwhite. It brings a larger 6.8-inch display to the table for a small premium of just $50.
