Next-level note apps

Plus a brilliant browser time-saver  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Tello logo]()​ Note to self (that's you!): You will absolutely want to take notes on this week's Things to Try section, which includes my latest recommendations on the most exceptional Android note-taking apps available — along with a really cool new twist to my favorite Android browser trick. 📢 But first, a quick announcement: We'll be opening up the gates for new members to join our exclusive [Intelligence Insider club]( next week. 🔒 In order to maintain a truly exceptional, interactive, and personal experience, we limit Insider sign-ups to a small number of newcomers during a few short windows each year. 🔑 If you'd like to get in the gates and guarantee your spot ahead of the public access, [click the button to join the waitlist on this page](, and we'll send you an exclusive early invitation to join us ahead of next week's opening. Thanks for supporting our independent journalism and making all of this possible! Now — let's get into the good stuff, shall we? [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute 40 seconds ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute 10 seconds ⌚ Just for Funsies: 30 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Android 15 will power up your downtime ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google's second preview of Android 15 is officially out in the wild this week, and it's shedding new light onto some unexpected ways the update will help us. 🔎 KNOW MORE: In addition to the more typical surface-level enhancements, Android 15 looks to be sporting some really interesting upgrades around how our phones work during times of disconnection. - First, this latest preview paves the way for smarter satellite support that'll let our devices automatically interact with high-in-the-sky connections and allow us to send and receive messages even when we're in areas without regular reception. - Beyond that, some recently spotted signs suggest Android 15 will empower us to track and locate our phones even when they're powered off completely — a very cool and potentially useful touch. - That feature will depend on specific hardware and software support to be available, but Android 15 is the foundational layer that'll make it possible — if a phone-maker opts to allow it. 📌 READ MORE: [Explore the latest developer preview](=) and read over [this smart analysis]( of the offline phone-finding feature. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Android web browsing is about to get even safer ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google's introducing an improvement to Android's web browsing environment that'll make it even more unlikely for you to stumble onto something dangerous. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The Chrome Android app has long offered a Safe Browsing system that alerts you anytime you open a site known to do shady stuff, and this latest change will inject a ton of extra power into that protection. - Previously, Safe Browsing relied on a list of dangerous sites stored on your device to identify threats and surface warnings. - Google says that list was updated only every 30 to 60 minutes, though, whereas shady sites often show up and exist for as little as 10 minutes — or less. - Starting this month, the system will look at sites in real-time, using Google's always-updated server-side list of bad actors. That way, if you click on a link to something shady, you'll have an even higher chance of knowing it immediately and being warned before anything bad can happen. 📌 READ MORE: Google's official [Safe Browsing upgrade announcement]() has all the details of what's changing and when. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Your still photos may soon be able to speak ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: In this week's "BUT WHY?!" news, Google researchers have come up with a way to create lifelike videos of people talking and moving around based solely on a single still image and a short audio sample. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The development comes out of the Google Research division and isn't connected to a current product yet. But it's clearly something Google's thinking about and something we could see in some form before long. - The system basically creates an animation of the person pictured, complete with realistic gestures, and makes it look like they're saying anything — with the audio sample guiding the sound of their voice. - The results aren't perfect. But they're pretty damn convincing. - This isn't the first time AI has been used for this purpose. But it might be the highest profile and highest quality example to date. And it's hard not to wonder if it might ultimately end up doing more harm than good. 📌 READ MORE: [This official project website]() has all the info, including lots of eyebrow-raising real-world examples. SPONSORED MESSAGE Unlimited phone plan for just $25/mo 👏 [Child throwing money out the window]()​ Wish you didn’t have to flush $40, $50, even $60 or more down the toilet on your phone bill each month? Thankfully, there’s a ~savvy~ alternative that the Big Cell Carriers don’t want you to know about: Introducing the [Tello UNLIMITED plan](). For a jaw-dropping $25/month, you can score the same great cell features you love: unlimited calls and texts, and unlimited data with 35GB of high-speed data on the same great 4G LTE/5G network. ​[Save up to 50% (or more) on your phone bill]() with Tello: 🎁 Freebies: Hotspot, international calls to 60+ countries, eSIM, Wi-Fi calling, and more. 🤝 Month-to-month flexibility: Upgrade or downgrade whenever you want, for free! 🤩 Prepaid: No long-term commitment, no contracts, no strings attached. Ever. ➜ [Save yourself (or your family) a fistful of cash and switch to Tello today!]()​ [​SAVE MONEY WITH TELLO​ ➜]() * Available for U.S. phone owners only. ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Upgrade your Android note-taking experience Note-takers, take note: You've got some incredible options for storing, organizing, and then finding your Very Important Thoughts™ on Android. ➜ The number of exceptional note-taking apps on this platform of ours has really rocketed lately — and if you haven't assessed your choices in a while, you might be stuck in a rut and missing something spectacular. ⌚ I put together a fresh set of recommendations for the best note-taking apps available on Android for all different types of purposes. It'll take you about five minutes to go through and figure out which setup makes the most sense for you. 📌 [Check out the complete guide]( — and prepare to enjoy a note-taking environment that's smarter, more efficient, and more carefully catered to your personal needs. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Start using a brilliant browser time-saver One of my favorite Android browser tricks is (a) something hardly anyone realizes is possible — and (b) in the midst of getting a completely new twist that virtually no one knows about yet. ➜ It's the ability to peek in at a page on the web without interrupting what you're doing or committing to fully opening it. It's been available on Android in some form for a while now, but it's out of sight and out of mind, and even I often find myself forgetting to use it! And now, the same bit of efficiency-enhancing sorcery is on its way to the desktop front, too — though in a place where you really have to dig to find and activate it. ⌚ You'll need only seven seconds to figure out the Android part of the picture and about 90 seconds to get yourself set up with the brand new desktop computer equivalent. (And note, too, that while these steps are specific to Chrome, the vast majority of alternate browsers out there outside of Firefox rely on the same core code at Chrome's center. So these same things are — or will likely soon be — possible within them as well!) 📌 [This sweet new column o' mine]() has everything you need to get going. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Access your favorite Android apps from anywhere As anyone who uses a Chromebook knows, being able to embrace the same Android apps you know and love on your computer can be both cool and convenient. But what if, like most tech-appreciating animals, you're living in the world of Windows on the desktop domain? ➜ Microsoft may have just given up on its half-hearted attempt to add Android app support into the Windows environment, but don't give up hope yet. You've still got options. ⌚ With about two minutes of effort, in fact, you can give yourself the ability to install almost any Android app directly onto a Windows computer and then use it there just like you do on your phone. 📌 My colleague and companion Chris Hoffman from Windows Intelligence will walk you through [the best ways to make it happen](=). ​ Deal alert... My two favorite phones of the moment, the [Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold](, are both substantially discounted this week — by $250 and $500, respectively. [CHECK 'EM OUT FOR YOURSELF ➜]( [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] I discovered something that's equal parts amusing and appalling this week. And I swear I'm not making this up: Here in the U.S., you can actually [still order an AOL dial-up CD]() today and get one in the mail a few days later. Yup, seriously. Do you remember those things?! Back in the 90s, they were everywhere in America. The company mailed 'em out constantly, whether you wanted 'em or not, and bundled 'em into every possible magazine and physical product on top of that. And alas, AOL apparently still has a stockpile that it'll send out on request. Who knew?! In honor of this delicious discovery, I give you this absolutely delightful symphonic rendition of the classic old dial-up modem sound — an "Ode to the Internet" performed by an actual orchestra some years back: [[video preview]​](=) That. Was. Beautiful. I have never been so moved by music. Toodle-oo to you Hey, 'tis a treat to be back here and hangin' in your inbox again. Have yourself a wonderful weekend ahead, won't ya? We'll pick back up with lots more mobile-scented musings and amusements in a matter of days. 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up](=) [Thumbs Down]( Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let me know. Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Android Intelligence, Windows Intelligence, or Cool Tools (or all three!). Hungry for even more? [Learn about becoming an Intelligence Insider](=) to gain access to our one-of-a-kind community, power-packed advanced resources, on-demand help desk, and tons of free apps and services. Independent journalism relies on you. 🤝 [An Intelligence Insider membership](=) allows you to support our work and keep this newsletter sustainable!