Android Archives - Lon Seidman & Lon.TV Blog

Android 16 Beta Turns Pixel Phones into a Desktop—Sorta..

Android 16 is now out for Google Pixel phones, and a new beta of Android 16 has a (very) early desktop mode feature. While this kind of functionality isn’t new—Samsung’s DeX has been around for a while—this is the first time we’re seeing Google itself build something like this directly into Android. You can see it in action in my latest video.

The idea is to turn a phone into something that more closely resembles a desktop computer, complete with windowed apps and external display support.

Performance on mobile devices is getting to a point where this sort of thing actually makes some sense. Apple’s iPads, for instance, use the same chips as their MacBook Airs. There’s no technical reason a tablet couldn’t run a full desktop OS at this point. So while desktop modes might have felt like a gimmick in the past, they’re starting to feel like a real alternative—or at least a supplement—to a traditional PC.

To get this working, I had to enroll the Pixel 8 Pro in the Android 16 beta program. This particular phone had not yet received the Android 16 update, so after opting in the update was immediately available. That wasn’t the case with another Pixel 8a I tested on a different account, which had already received Android 16—it took a few days longer for the beta to show up there.

Only Pixel 8 and newer models support HDMI output via USB-C, so older devices won’t be compatible. I enabled developer mode, scrolled down to the “window management” section, and turned on the desktop mode features. After a reboot, I plugged the phone into a dock that provides HDMI, power, Ethernet, and USB input. I used that to connect a keyboard and trackpoint combo and sent video to an external display.

The result was a desktop-style interface on my display. Apps appeared in movable and resizable windows, and I could open and interact with multiple apps at once—like Google Docs and my blog—side by side. That said, the experience was clearly still in the early stages. Visual quality was disappointing, with text appearing blurry even though the display was set to 1080p. I also didn’t see any built-in options to adjust resolution or text scaling.

I tried running it on a 4K display as well, but everything was too small to be usable. Sticking to 1080p was more manageable. App support was inconsistent. YouTube, for example, didn’t scale well and maintained a layout more suited to a phone screen, even in a resized window.

There’s clearly a lot of work to be done. It doesn’t feel like something that’s close to release-ready, even as a beta. Still, I’m glad Google is exploring it. I’ll be keeping an eye on how this develops and plan to revisit it as the feature matures. There’s real potential here, even if it’s a little rough around the edges for now.

Lenovo Tab M9 9″ Tablet Review

My latest video is of the Lenovo M9 tablet. With a nine-inch display, this compact device caught my attention, especially at its current sale price.

The Lenovo M9 tablet is a nice alternative to some of the “no-name” tablets available on the market. The display doesn’t have the highest resolution (800 by 1340), but its smaller size does provide enough pixel density to make it easy to read text and colors are vibrant.

Under the hood, the tablet is powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 processor, along with 3 gigabytes of RAM and 32 gigabytes of storage. While these specs might sound basic, they are sufficient for typical Android tasks. There’s also an SD card slot to augment its limited amount of internal storage.

One of the things that stood out to me was the tablet’s build quality. It boasts a glass front and a metal back, giving it a premium feel that’s not often found at this price point. In terms of ports, it offers a headphone jack and a USB type-C port. The USB-C port only supports USB 2.0 data speeds and does not have a video output feature. The tablet also has stereo speakers that deliver surprisingly decent audio quality.

A feature I found particularly useful was the reading mode. This mode turns the display into a grayscale, mimicking the look of a printed page. It’s not quite e-ink, but it’s a comfortable reading experience that reduces eye strain.

When it comes to performance, the Lenovo M9 handles basic tasks like web browsing smoothly. However, if you’re into gaming, it’s a mixed bag. While casual games like Horizon Chase and Minecraft run well, more demanding games like Roblox can be a bit laggy. But for game streaming, such as Xbox cloud gaming, the experience is seamless.

One concern many have with tablets is the longevity of support. Lenovo has addressed this by providing a clear roadmap for updates. The M9, currently running Android 12, is slated to receive an Android 13 update by the third quarter of this year and will continue to get security updates until April 30th, 2026.

Battery life is another strong point. In my use, I found that it easily lasts 10 to 12 hours, which can be extended by reducing screen brightness.

The Lenovo M9 tablet is a solid choice for those seeking a compact, affordable tablet from a reputable brand. It may not be the most powerful device out there, but it is more than capable of running most of the tasks a tablet like this is typically used for.

Things of Note from Google I/O 2022

I attended a Google event in New York city to watch the Google I/O keynote. Here are the things I found most of interest:

Google will be releasing a new low cost phone this summer called the Pixel 6a. The new 6a, like the prior models, incorporates many of the features of their flagship phones. This one will get the same Google Tensor processor as their flagship Pixel 6 phones along with what will likely be a great display and camera system. It’ll sell unlocked for $449 in July. If you like pure Android phones but don’t want to spend more than $500 I think this will be a winner.

Oddly they also announced a Pixel 7 phone even though we’re only a few months into the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The new phone will have a second generation Tensor processor.

You can see all of my prior Pixel device reviews here.

Google also announced the much rumored Pixel Watch that will launch around the same time as the Pixel 7. It’s a sleek Wear OS device designed to pair up with Android powered smartphones.

I’ve always found smartwatches to be big and clunky – and that includes my beloved Apple Watch which has largely followed the same design as the original from 2015. The Pixel Watch looks like a real improvement in overall smartwatch industrial design. It might very well be the nicest looking consumer product I’ve seen Google put together. I’m eager to see how this performs and looks in person.

After abandoning Android tablet devices a few years ago, Google is getting back in the game. This includes releasing a new Pixel Tablet and also redesigning their core Android apps to work better on tablet devices. Those tablet app updates are apparently rolling out at the time of this writing. The Pixel tablet, however will not be released until sometime in 2023. It’ll be powered by Google’s Tensor chip.

The last thing that intrigued some of my fellow watch party attendees are these new translation glasses that were teased at the end of the presentation. The glasses will project a translation from a speaker into the lens for the wearer to read.

No doubt this is something that was iterated from the ill-fated Google Glass project from a decade ago. This use case seems to make a lot more sense. And these actually look like glasses! See my original coverage of the Google Glass here.

Google also had a bunch of other software feature announcements including continued work on their AI systems which are getting better and better each year. They will soon release an app called the “AI Test Kitchen” that will demonstrate the progress they have made with natural language interaction. It’s really fascinating stuff.

Hopefully we’ll get some of these things in for review!