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One of Google’s simpler services is Google Tasks, which offers traditional to-do lists that are synced across your devices with your Google Account. However, while Google Tasks has a convenient app for Android and iOS, the only way to access it from the web is from the sidebar of other Google apps like Gmail. A third-party developer has created an alternative way to access Google Tasks in full-screen on your laptop, desktop or Chromebook.

While there are undoubtedly more featureful to-do apps available, Google Tasks is used by many for its simplicity and integration with Gmail. Unfortunately, Tasks doesn’t have its own website, and instead can only be accessed via a small UI within other apps like Gmail, Calendar, and Docs.

Frustrated with that state of affairs, a developer has created a Chrome extension that gives Google Tasks a full-screen UI, even somewhat mimicking the design of the existing apps. Once launched, the extension opens as a standalone app, which you can also pin to your shelf on Chrome OS.

The app’s two-pane design makes editing and organizing your tasks simple. The full-screen UI is also quite useful on Chromebooks, as the Android app for Google Tasks only works in an awkward vertical orientation, not a horizontal one.

9to5Google’s Take

At this point, it’s just silly that Google hasn’t made a proper full-screen web interface for Google Tasks, especially after shutting down the old one early this year.

AMD may not keep us waiting much longer for the anticipated Radeon RX 5500, which the company unveiled back in October. The new graphics card, particularly the rumored Radeon RX 5500 XT could be coming next week, according to VideoCardz.

There’s still little detail on the Radeon RX 5500 XT. We know the 5500-series graphics cards will have 22 compute units with 1408 stream processors, a bit more than half of those found on the RX 5700 XT. The new cards will use a 128-bit memory bus (half that of the 5700-series) and offer up to 8GB of GDDR6, according to an official slide from AMD, shared by Hot Hardware.

That leaves some room for guessing as to just what the RX 5500 and 5500 XT could do. The two cards would need to differentiate somehow, and if it’s not in stream processors or clock speeds, it could be in memory. VideoCardz believes the RX 5500 may come exclusively with 4GB of GDDR6 memory while the RX 5500 XT could offer 4GB and 8GB variants, similar to the way the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 has come in 3GB and 6GB variants.

A contest of variety

AMD is playing a hard game against Intel on the processor side and Nvidia on the graphics processor side. This has been working for AMD in the processor fight, with Ryzen CPUs stealing market share from Intel, but Nvidia’s cards still offer the most power at the high end.

AMD has still managed to make progress against Nvidia’s market share, and these new Radeon RX 5500-series cards could help it snag even more of the budget market. Team Red will be positioned to challenge Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1650 and 1660 models, including the Ti and Super versions. Given that Nvidia effectively has six graphics processors in the low-to-mid-range space, it makes sense for AMD to introduce more than just one version of the RX 5500.

Leaked benchmarks have shown the Radeon RX 5500 giving the GTX 1650 serious competition, and a higher-spec 5500 XT could be the card to run against the GTX 1660. If the new graphics cards come out this month, we may get to see just how the competition heats up just in time for the next big shopping rush.

Qualcomm took a different approach from the rest of the smartphone industry last year when it announced its 3D Sonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Instead of relying on an optical image of your finger for authentication, the 3D Sonic system uses ultrasound to get an impression of the surface texture of your prints. That method has a couple of benefits, namely the ability to use the scanner with wet fingers as well as better security over optical sensors. Today, the company is announcing the 3D Sonic Max fingerprint sensor that it says is the world’s largest and is 17 times larger than its predecessor. It’s so big, in fact, that it can authenticate two fingers at once.

That brings about numerous benefits, but most important of these is improved security. Both optical and ultrasound fingerprint readers had a major drawback. Their relatively small size made them far less secure than the larger ones that guard banks and entryways, for example. According to Gordon Thomas, senior director for product management, existing fingerprint sensors for mobile devices (including the existing 3D Sonic) typically measure around 4mm x 9mm. That would only detect part of your finger.

A larger sensor captures more information and looks for more signs to identify you, and is inherently more stringent. For example, if you’re looking at a slice of a pizza, you can generally guess if it’s Hawaiian or meat or vegetarian, but it takes evaluating the entire pie to know for sure. Full fingerprint authentication is simply more secure. “The police would never accept partial prints,” Thomas told Engadget.

The 3D Sonic Max scanner measures 20mm x 30mm for a 600 square millimeter area. This decreases the chances of fooling such a system greatly, and Thomas said the company is aiming for a 1 in a million accuracy rate. That’s the same level of accuracy that Apple claims Face ID has.

That isn’t to say that you’re doomed if you rely on your phone’s fingerprint scanner today. The industry standard for commercial smartphones is 1 in 50,000, which is what Apple says Touch ID offers. While it’s nowhere near acceptable by government standards, it’s generally good enough. But for those of us who are more paranoid about protecting our data, 3D Sonic Max is good news.

Qualcomm is also enabling dual-fingerprint authentication with the larger surface area, which means the system will be looking for two unique prints at the same time. This can be used for situations that require even tighter security, like accessing your bank apps or sensitive company information, for example.

The larger scanner also adds a few other conveniences. For one, you can register your fingerprint on your phone just by tapping once, instead of repeatedly for about 16 to 20 times. With such a large target area, too, you can more easily sign into your device instead of blindly jabbing your finger at a spot where you think the scanner is.

Thomas also said that because Qualcomm built its reader on thin-film-transistor (TFT), which is similar to the material used for LCDs, it’s able to keep costs low and maintain a small footprint. The sensor itself is just 0.15mm thin, so it doesn’t cut into space that would otherwise be devoted to battery or result in a larger phone. 3D Sonic Max will also be able to make out the shape of your finger and look for geometric signs like the distance between the tip of your thumb to the middle of it, and use these as additional layers of identification.

Compared to the last-gen 3D Sonic, the Max carries out its ultrasonic identification (i.e. telling the difference between skin and other materials based on the sound waves) within its hardware, instead of having to rely on algorithms and processing elsewhere on the device. That would theoretically also make it more secure than before by minimizing potential points of vulnerability.

Qualcomm expects the 3D Sonic Max will show up commercially next year. Since Samsung used the 3D Sonic in the Galaxy S10 and Note 10+ flagships, it wouldn’t be surprising if the phone maker adopts this next-gen component in its upcoming phones. For now, we just have to wait for other companies and apps to adopt more-secure methods of ID-ing us. The good news is, the 3D Sonic Max is sure to create some competition in the mobile security space, which should lead to improvements overall.

Rumor has it that AWS (Amazon Web Services) is set to bring in more powerful second-gen processors for use in its servers and data centers, with the ARM-based CPUs apparently bristling with as many as 32-cores.

The next-gen chips will reportedly be based on ARM’s Neoverse N1 architecture and would succeed current AWS’ first-gen Graviton processors, being something like 20% faster, according to a report by Reuters which cites two industry sources.

As Anandtech, which spotted the report, further notes, Neoverse N1 is designed around providing maximum single-thread performance, running at relatively high frequencies.

We are talking clock speeds of up to 3.1GHz, with a likely TDP of around 100W.

Price perspective

While Amazon’s chips obviously won’t be able to rival the likes of Intel’s or AMD’s server processors in terms of pure performance, by the looks of this, they are set to offer an impressively beefier level of performance than their predecessors. And they will likely do so at a very competitive price/performance ratio (both in terms of the overall price, and the ongoing cost of running the chips).

So this could represent a reasonably potent threat to Intel’s dominance in the server market, because if these efforts pan out – and remember, this report is just speculation (albeit from one of the more reliable sources in the tech world) – AWS could certainly turn to use more of its own hardware.

Of course, Intel is already under heavy fire in the server market, fighting a battle against AMD’s rival chips.

AMD’s latest Epyc (Rome) processors are innovative and powerful offerings (running with up to 64-cores) which have already tempted some big-name defections away from Intel, including Google and Twitter (and indeed AWS itself – for the time being, perhaps).

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL launched with a newer version of Android 10 that included features not found on the public release in September. Gesture navigation on third-party launchers and a handful of other features are now available for the Pixel 3a and older Google phones.

Late in the Android Q Beta, Google announced that its new gesture navigation system would not be compatible with third-party launchers until a post-launch update. The December security patch allows you to use gestures with a homescreen experience other than the Pixel Launcher.

This notably includes swiping from the corners to launch Google Assistant with a delightful light bar. Users were previously stuck with 2-button or 3-button navigation.

Meanwhile, there is a new Pixel Launcher version for older devices that lets you swipe down anywhere on the homescreen to expand the notification shade. This accommodation was added in light of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL lacking a fingerprint sensor to perform that gesture.

Pixel Themes customization is now officially on non-Pixel 4 devices. When long-pressing on the homescreen, there’s a new “Styles & wallpapers” menu item that opens the usual background picker. There’s now a “Style” tab that lets you change the font, icons, and accent color.

Similarly, clipboard suggestions to paste copied text into corresponding fields by just tapping on the preview pop-up are now available on older phones.

Lastly, Google’s Live Caption feature for automatically transcribing playing media is now accessible on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a.

These Android 10 features should be available on the Pixel 2/XL, Pixel 3/XL, and Pixel 3a/XL with the December security patch rolling out today. There are reports in our comments that the 2016 Pixel/XL did not receive these usability improvements, while the original phone was not included in this month’s official release notes.

Here’s one thing the U.S. government might not have considered when it banned Huawei from doing business in the country: The Chinese networking and smartphone giant doesn’t necessarily need the U.S. to thrive. In fact, its latest smartphones and 5G networking equipment are now “America-free.”

According to an analysis by UBS and Fomalhaut Techno Solutions and cited first by The Wall Street Journal, the Huawei Mate 30 series of handsets are made entirely without any U.S. parts, a first. The expectation is that all 2020 Huawei smartphones will be made similarly.

And it’s not just handsets.

“All of our 5G [hardware] is now America-free,” Huawei cybersecurity official John Suffolk told the Journal. “We would like to continue using American components. It’s good for American industry. It’s good for Huawei. That has been taken out of our hands.”

The net result is harmful to U.S. component makers, of course: Huawei is the world leader in the networking hardware market and is number two in smartphones. And this change mirrors the effect of Huawei not using software made by U.S. corporations like Google and Microsoft, a situation these tech giants warned the U.S. government about when it blacklisted Huawei: This action will make the U.S. weaker, not stronger, because Huawei and other Chinese tech firms will no longer rely on products and services that originate here.

What this change signifies, of course, replacing hardware components is simpler than replacing core software platforms like Android and Windows. But it’s only a matter of time before China catches up in the software arena. The clock is ticking.

There are plenty of deals on older camera models right now, but the D3500 is a current model in the Nikon line-up, and it has a winning combination of simple controls, novice-friendly interface and a low, low price – and to get a Nikon 70-300mm lens, 32GB memory card and a license to Skylum’s Luminar 4 software is just something else!

We rate the Nikon D3500 as one of the best cameras for beginners right now, not to mention one of the best DSLRs all round. This would be a pretty good price even with the camera and the kit lens, but to get the 70-300mm lens too is just terrific. It’s not the VR version of this lens (that would be too much to hope for!) but it’s still a great way to get started in sports and wildlife photography.

Don’t forget, the Cyber Monday camera sales are on until midnight December 2, so you’ve still got time to get those Cyber Monday camera bargains!

Never mind Apple expanding the use of OLED in its devices — it may go one step further with its future hardware. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who has a reputation for largely accurate Apple predictions) believes that Apple will start using mini LED displays in its devices in late 2020, starting with updated versions of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (what, no love for the 11-inch model?) and the 16-inch MacBook Pro. There will eventually be four to six products in Apple’s lineup using mini LED, Kuo claimed, but there will be a gradual transition.

In theory, mini LED offers many of the benefits of OLED screens without the usual drawbacks. The extremely dense array of LEDs promises high contrast ratios, a wide color range and a thin panel, but remains power-efficient and won’t risk burning in like OLED can. Mini LED makes sense for pro devices where accuracy is important, but content might remain static for hours at a time (say, in media editing software) and otherwise wouldn’t be a good fit for OLED.

While Kuo is generally accurate, it’s still worth treating the forecast with some skepticism. Other reports have suggested that Apple might release new iPad Pro models in early 2020. Even though Apple has updated high-end iPads twice per year before, it would be odd for the company to make relatively minor changes months apart instead of saving them all for one big update. Don’t be surprised if Apple isn’t quite so eager to revise its hardware.

When ASUS took the wraps off two new Chromebooks late in 2019, I was a bit skeptical. In my review of both the ASUS Chromebook C425 and the Flip C433, I was honestly just baffled by their introduction into the ASUS Chromebook lineup. Sure, ASUS didn’t have a ton of devices in the portfolio, but the Flip C302 and Flip C434 were basically legendary Chromebooks and many users’ favorite devices. Why would you mess with that formula with a couple knock-off type Chromebooks at similar prices?

When both of these devices surfaced, they came with price tags that were way, way too close with the Flip C434 and both offered too many concessions and trade-offs versus that universally-loved device. The C425 dropped the 360-degree hinge, the touch screen, and the all-aluminum build. The Flip C433 opted for a lesser screen, a flimsy build, and added a very questionable magnetic closure that is still a confusing choice.

Of the two, the C425 was by far my favorite, even though at the time of my review I couldn’t exactly recommend it. After all, at that time it was $499 and the Flip C434 was consistently on sale for $559. That price gap was far to close to make the sacrifices of the C425 tolerable. However, I suggested back then that ASUS might be playing the ‘on sale’ game with these new models, and that looks to be exactly what they are doing.

You see, the C425 debuted with a $499 price tag, but that was likely never the real price ASUS wanted for this machine. Instead, like many other manufacturers, this thing was priced to go on sale. Sales like these bring Chromebooks from head-scratching prices down into the range where they make more sense and fly off shelves. While I don’t think the C425 is worth the $499 MSRP, I 100% do think it is worth the $319 or $279 price it has fallen to at Amazon and Walmart. At these prices, I think you’ll find great value in a Chromebook that is not only fast but very enjoyable to use.

You can check out the full review here or watch it in the video below, but you’ll hear me comment about how this Chromebook grew on me as I used it: and that was with me dropping $499 for it. At $319 or $279, this Chromebook becomes an absolute steal. There are differences in the two models, so you need to know what you are after going in. The $319 model at Amazon is the model we tested with a Core m3, 8GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The device at Walmart for $279 is the same, except with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

For me, I’d go with more RAM over more storage, but you can make that decision for yourself. Feel free to take a look at our helpful buying guide if you aren’t sure which is best for you. Either way, you’re going to end up with a Chromebook that performs really well, looks great, and is a joy to use. At these kind of prices, that just feels like a win all around.

Chrome is the most popular mobile browser, with over 60% market share as of August 2019. This comes as no surprise considering the lightweight browser offers great features, speed, and ease of use. Not to mention the fact that it comes pre-installed on most Android phones. But even if it didn’t, people usually go out of their way to use Google’s popular browser.

With this in mind, we wanted to bring some of the coolest Chrome for Android tips and tricks to your attention. While Google’s mobile browser is known for its simplicity, it has plenty of features (both official and experimental) that will improve your experience. These can be hidden in places most people don’t look, so let’s shed some light on them with these Chrome for Android tips and tricks list.

1. Enable dark mode on Chrome for Android

Developers are bringing dark mode to their Android applications, and it comes as no surprise Google is doing the same. Whether you want less strain on your eyes or just like the look of dark mode, it’s easy to change the look of Chrome for Android.

Open Chrome.

Hit the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner of the screen.

Select Settings.

Select Themes.

Select Dark.

2. Enable Data Saver on Chrome for Android

Not only will this make your browsing faster, but it will also help cut down data consumption. We all know how expensive data can be. Even if you have an unlimited internet plan, most carriers will throttle you if you get too wild with your data consumption. Why not optimize websites for mobile use and save data?

How to turn on Data Saver on Chrome for Android:

Open Chrome.

Hit the 3-dot menu button.

Select Settings.

Select Data Saver.

Toggle the setting on.

3. Sync bookmarks, passwords, history, and more across devices

Chrome for Android is all about the internet, and therefore, the cloud. Google makes it possible to sync most of your Chrome data across devices. This includes bookmarks, history, passwords, open tabs, credit card info, and more. It will also analyze your usage data to provide better predictions.

Open Chrome.

Hit the 3-dot menu button.

Select Settings.

Under Account, select Sign in to Chrome.

Follow instructions to sign in.

You can now access Sync and Google services to customize options.

4. Preload pages for faster browsing

Preloading pages is a Chrome feature that will proactively load sites you are likely to click on. This means a page will often be loaded in the background before you decide to go into it. It makes the whole experience much faster using cookies, but it can also waste data you otherwise wouldn’t use. This is not cool if you are on a tight internet budget, but those who don’t mind wasting megabytes will enjoy the added speed.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button.

Select Settings.

Select Privacy.

Toggle Preload pages for faster browsing and searching on.

5. Switch your default search engine on Chrome

Google is considered the king in its category, but if, for some reason you want to use another search engine as default, Chrome for Android gives you the option to switch it.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner.

Select Settings.

Select Search engine.

Select your search engine of choice.

6. Swipe to switch tabs

Something as simple as switching tabs can get annoying when it requires a few taps. The experience has been simplified by Google; you can switch tabs with a simple gesture. Swipe from side to side in the address bar area. This action will let you seamlessly navigate all your tabs.

7. Horizontal tab switcher

If you still want to use the regular tab switcher, but would prefer something other than the vertical configuration, you can opt for Chrome’s experimental horizontal tab switcher. This will make Chrome’s tab switcher more similar to Android’s app switcher. It is nicer for getting a good look at other pages, and seems better organized.

Open Chrome.

Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.

Search for “Enable horizontal tab switcher”.

When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.

8. Enable Tab Groups to keep pages organized

Another convenient feature to keep your tabs better organized is tab grouping. This essentially allows you to make tab folders and keep all your browsing neatly categorized.

Open Chrome.

Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.

Search for “Tab Groups”.

When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.

Tap on Relaunch.

9. Interact with emails, phone numbers, and addresses you see online

It’s annoying to copy and paste emails, phone numbers, and addresses to use them in other apps. Safari for iOS turns them into links for reaching out to people or navigating. While Chrome for Android still doesn’t have this nifty feature, there is something similar that beats copying and pasting.

When you see a phone number, email, or address, simply long press it. A floating bar with options will appear. The first one will give you the option to use this information with Gmail, the Phone app, or Google Maps.

10. Zoom all the pages

Zooming in and out of websites is not always an option with mobile-optimized pages. This can be an issue if you are dealing with a badly designed website, want to look at something up close, or have vision problems. Chrome for Android makes it possible to force zooming on all pages which prevent this action. Follow these steps and zoom to your heart’s content.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner.

Select Settings.

Select Accessibility.

Check the Force enable zoom box.

11. Kill auto-playing videos and audio

Autoplay can get annoying, especially if what you want is peace. Those of us who frequent libraries and other quiet places know the struggle. Thankfully, there is something you can do about it with Chrome for Android. Follow the steps below to disable autoplay.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner.

Select Settings.

Select Site settings.

Select Media.

Select Autoplay.

Disable the feature.

12. Speed up downloads with Parallel Downloading

This Chrome for Android trick can be useful when downloading large files. Parallel downloading essentially divides the file in multiple parts for simultaneous downloading. This technique increases overall speeds, making your life less stressful.

Open Chrome.

Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.

Search for “Parallel downloading”.

When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.

13. Add a website shortcut to your home screen

Some websites don’t have apps, or maybe you would rather not use them. Pages and web apps can often work better and a shortcut in your home screen would be the ideal solution. Chrome for Android makes this possible with a few taps.

Open Chrome.

Go to your website of choice.

Hit the three-dot menu button.

Select Add to Home screen.

Type name (or leave the default one) and select Add.

You can drag and drop the icon where you wish. Alternatively, select Add automatically to let Android do the work.

14. Use Reader Mode to speed up Chrome for Android

Reader mode will simplify a website and provide a cleaner experience for those who want to focus on text. Images, videos, font variations, and other unnecessary elements will be slashed. This mode can be forced on in the Chrome flags settings.

Open Chrome.

Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.

Search for “Reader mode triggering”.

When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Always.

15. Move the toolbar to the bottom of the screen

We are used to seeing the home button, tab switcher, and three-dot menu button next to the address bar, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Chrome for Android makes it possible to bring those tools to the bottom of the screen, where they can be more easily reached. Because this gives the toolbar more room, they also add search and sharing buttons to the experience. It may take some of your screen real estate, but having those shortcuts handy is mighty convenient.

Open Chrome.

Type Chrome://flags into the address bar and press enter.

Search for “Chrome duet”.

When the option shows up, tap on the drop-down menu and select Enabled.

Tap on Relaunch.

16. Swipe down to refresh a website

This Chrome for Android tip may seem mundane to many, but it is a neat trick not all people know. Reloading a page can be done in multiple ways, but the simplest and fastest one is to simply perform a long swipe from top to bottom.

17. Request a desktop site on Chrome for Android

Mobile sites are best on Chrome for Android only when they are properly designed. Bad mobile websites are common, and many don’t offer all features available in their desktop counterparts. You can ask Chrome for Android for a desktop site at any time by following the steps below.

Open Chrome.

Go to your website of choice.

Press the three-dot menu button.

Check the box next to Desktop site.

18. Change text size on Chrome for Android

Having trouble reading tiny text? Maybe the text is too big and occupies all your screen space. Here’s how to fix the problem.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right corner.

Select Settings.

Select Accessibility.

Under Text scaling, drag the swiper left or right to change font size.

19. Translate any website on Chrome for Android

Chrome for Android has Google Translate integrated, and it can be used on any website written in one of the many supported languages.

Open Chrome.

Go to your website of choice.

Press the three-dot menu button.

Select Translate.

A bar will appear at the bottom. Hit the three-dot menu and select More languages to add the languages you know. This menu also has more options you should consider.

Go back to the bar and select the language you want to see the website in.

20. Use Incognito Mode to browse privately

Most people should know what Incognito Mode is, but we thought it was important enough to bring it up just in case. Browsing in Incognito mode will keep your internet activity private. Nothing you do in Incognito mode will be stored in your history or phone.

Open Chrome.

Tap on the tab switcher button next to the address bar.

Tap on the 3-dot menu button on the top-right.

Select New incognito tab.

Browse away!

These Chrome for Android tips and tricks should keep your browsing experience much more pleasant. Enjoy!