Android News

* Wrapping up 2018 with Google Play and Android* How Android can help you switch off and enjoy the holidays* Making Google Play ratings and reviews more trustworthy* Google is deprecating the Android Beam API used to share files with NFC

App News

* Firefox 64 brings better browser tab management and smart recommendations.* Poweramp v3 finally reaches stable after 3 years in development.* Movies Anywhere now supports 4K on Android and has come to Xfinity.* Dark Sky now available on Wear OS* YouTube adds 1.75x playback speed on Android and the web.* Google Duo reaches 1 billion downloads* Action Launcher adds Pie Styling, more granular QuickTile settings, etc.

In Other News

* 2018 saw people using eleven new dumb passwords, including ‘donald’.* Man sues feds after being detained for refusing to unlock his phone at the airport.* Google Home can now read events from shared G Suite calendars for some users.* Google Assistant now shows predicted flight delays* For the first time in nearly 20 years, copyrights will expire in the US.* TicWatch Users can now set Google Fit as their default left swipe app.

Home Automation

* Logitech Harmony removes local API but reverses course* These Smart Thermostats don’t require a C wire* Douglas Adams was right, “Genuine People Personalities” are coming to our gadgets*