Nexus 5X
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Remembering LG's finest (and strangest) phones
LG has never been the biggest, most important smartphone maker, but consumers always benefit from more competition — it drives smartphone makers to innovate faster, and to make those innovations more affordable. But nothing lasts forever. Rather than sit around all glum, though, I think our time is better spent remembering some of the truly great — and truly wild — phones LG has made over the years.
The Pixel's release doesn't mean your Nexus is completely toast
Google unveiled its fancy new Pixel phone during a press event on Tuesday. If you haven't seen it yet, it's an impressive handset, with VR capabilities, a fast-charging battery, supposedly the best-ever phone camera, a super-smart AI assistant and Android 7.1. It's also the harbinger of death for the current line of Google Nexus smartphones.
Google's Android Sensor Hub knows how your Nexus is moving
In addition to its new Nexus 5X and 6P handsets, Google also revealed a low-power secondary processor during its September 29th event. This added chip resides in both models. It's called the Android Sensor Hub and acts to monitor the device's movement, not unlike the co-processor in the new iPhone 6s. The dedicated processor connects directly to the camera's sensors to reduce the phone's overall power consumption. This chip allows the phone to run advanced activity-recognition algorithms that, say, notice when you start a run or hop on your bike -- even if you haven't turned on the screen. This feature also will allow users to subtly check their notifications. With the Sensor Hub, the phone knows when it's been picked up and will automatically display notifications in a low-power white-on-black text until the screen has been properly activated.
