A remarkable new reminder system

And an Android shortcut upgrade  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Android Intelligence](#) [Android Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Esper Logo](=)​ Time for a bit o' brutal honesty: I'm not sure how I'd even function in the world if it weren't for my Android-managed reminders. As my wife will eagerly attest, this mushy ol' man-brain of mine can barely retain any new info these days. (To be fair, that was also mostly true even when I was in my 20s.) So I set reminders for anything and everything — replying to a message, returning a call, pondering pasta sauce, you name it — and then rely on those like my life depends on it. Well, get this: Hardly anyone's noticed, but Google snuck a brilliant new setup into the latest Pixel devices that completely reinvents the Android reminder arena. I'm already hooked, and I suspect you might be soon, too. I'll show you why it's so special in this week's Things to Know section — then show you a crafty way I came up with to create something similar on any Android device, no matter who made it or how old it is. Believe you me: If your noggin is anywhere near as rusty as mine, you'll be very glad to have this in front of you. --------------------------------------------------------------- 📢 Real quick first, two fast announcements: - Thanks to everyone who entered their name for our latest round of [Intelligence Insider]( scholarships. We randomly drew four winners and contacted them earlier this week. Stay tuned for more opportunities in the future, courtesy of our incredible Intelligence Insider community! - There'll be no new Android Intelligence newsletter or Cool Tools newsletter next week, as I'll be taking a few days off around the U.S. Labor Day holiday. We'll be back up and at 'em with our regularly scheduled programming on the following Wednesday and Friday — the week of September 9th. [JR Raphael, Author] JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 1 minute ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds ​ [] [3 Things to Know This Week] 1. Google's got a brilliant new take on Android reminders ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: After two weeks of living with the latest Pixel devices, the feature that's impressed me the most is one that's barely been mentioned by Google — or anyone else, for that matter. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The Pixel 9 devices include an incredible new system for setting instant reminders around any screenshots you capture — with all the visible context included. That provides a simple, consistent, and completely universal way to create a reminder about anything, anytime, which is an incredibly useful power to wield. 📌 READ MORE: Dive deeper into [how exactly this system works and why it's so special](=) — and be sure to read through to the Things to Try, below, for a creative way to bring something similar to any Android device. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Your future phone's stamina could be much stronger ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Samsung's just revealed what's being called a "breakthrough" with a whole new kind of display technology that uses less than half the power our current phone screens require. 🔎 KNOW MORE: This, suffice it to say, could be huge. The screen is almost always the biggest drainer of battery life on any mobile device, and if there's a way to make it use substantially less power without any real downsides, our phones could last a heck of a lot longer on each charge. Color me extremely — if also cautiously — intrigued. 📌 READ MORE: Take a peek at [what Samsung's promising](, and let's see if, when, and how this actually comes to fruition. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. The button-free phone is coming (...again) ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: In today's "But WHY?" news, it's lookin' like at least one Android device-maker is dead-set on killing off the physical buttons on our phones. Anyone else feeling a hint of déjà vu? 🔎 KNOW MORE: The influential China-based company Xiaomi is supposedly cookin' up a new flagship device with no physical power or volume buttons. HTC tried this in 2018. It wasn't great, from the perspective of a person who actually wanted to use said gadget. Color me skeptical and concerned about how quickly this concept could spread. 📌 READ MORE: See [the full scoop]( on the upcoming device — and for pertinent perspective, revisit [HTC's ill-fated attempt](=) at something similar. Cast your vote... ​[What do you think about the idea of a buttonless phone?](​ SPONSORED MESSAGE When was your last audit? 🤔 IT audit, that is! [Flinstones audit](=)​ It may not sound especially glamorous, but regular audits ensure you have repeatable, efficient processes in place, so you can scale your device fleet effectively. So whether your last audit was this year, or *gasp* eons ago, [Esper’s IT Audit Checklist](=) contains 10 critical questions for you to consider. This free guide covers… - Vulnerability and change management - Disaster recovery, physical security, and backups - Process documentation …and more. Don’t let your device fleet become obsolete or compromised! ➜ [Download the free audit guide today and maximize your scalability](=). [AUDIT YOUR DEVICE FLEET TODAY ➜](=) ​ [] [3 Things to Try This Week] 1. Bring a remarkable new reminder system to any device Man, lemme tell ya: There's something really awesome about being able to capture contextual info anywhere on Android — with a single press and tap — and then create an instant reminder around that info. That's exactly what Google's new Pixel reminders system empowers you to do, and it genuinely has the potential to change the way you use your device and make your life meaningfully easier. ➜ And, as I've recently discovered, you don't have to have one of the new Pixel 9 devices to enjoy something similar. ⌚ In fact, with about two to 12 minutes of one-time setup, you can create your own on-demand universal contextual reminder system on any Android device. The only question is how ambitious you want to get. 📌 [Here's everything you need to know](). (I seriously cheered out loud at my desk when I figured out how to make this happen!) --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Upgrade your Android browser toolbar You'd be forgiven for failing to notice, but one of the most useful and easily overlooked options for efficient Android web browsing is now sporting some interesting new touches. ➜ The option of which we speak is the customizable toolbar shortcut added into the Chrome Android app a while back. It lets you choose from a series of one-tap step-savers you can add into the address bar area of your Chrome Android browser. [A screenshot showing the Chrome Android toolbar shortcut customization options] ​ At some point in the relatively recent past, Google expanded that list of shortcuts to include a bunch of new potentially useful possibilities — as you can see in the screenshot above. ⌚ You'll only need about 20 seconds to find 'em and select the shortcut that makes the most sense for you. ✅ Just open up Chrome on your device — then: - Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and select "Settings" from the menu that pops up. - Scroll down until you see "Toolbar shortcut." Tap it! - Now just select the shortcut that seems most useful to you, then back your way out of that menu. And with that, your newly selected shortcut should show up right in the address bar, atop whatever web page you're viewing — for easy on-demand access whenever you want it. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Check out a nifty new screenshot trick Google's Circle to Search system is one of the best Android additions we've seen in ages — and this week, the system is in the midst of gaining a nifty new trick. ➜ It's an easy way to capture a specific, limited area of your screen anytime and then share a screenshot of that area and that area only with anyone. ⌚ And so long as you have a device where Circle to Search is supported, it'll only take you about seven seconds to find and start using. 📌 I put together [a quick 'n' simple guide]() to help you get going. Happy capturing! ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE [Snoopy flying](=) Say goodbye to jet lag Jet lag? Nah — not with [FlyKitt](=). Trusted by pro athletes and special forces, the FlyKitt app is your personal travel guru so you can arrive at your destination ready to go. Save 10% with code NOJETLAG! [CLAIM YOUR DISCOUNT](=) [] ​ [And Just for Funsies...] If there's one thing I adore as much as ancient tech commercials, it's seeing how products are promoted in different countries and cultures. As part of my ongoing obsession with resurfacing random old Android-related ads (a habit for which I blame YouTube's annoyingly accurate algorithm), I came across a heck of a gem the other day — a clip that both brings back amusing memories of Android's earliest days and inspires giggles with its quirky presentation. ​[See for yourself](=) — and be sure to watch all the way to the end (it's only 15 seconds!): [[video preview]​](=) Now, that's what we've been missing. See ya in two weeks Remember: No new Android Intelligence or Cool Tools newsletters next week. (There will, however, still be a fresh top tips digest coming your way on Monday.) --------------------------------------------------------------- 📊 Last week's poll results: In our previous Android Intelligence reader poll, I asked if you'd ever lost a phone — and if so, how. - An impressive 57% of you said you'd never lost an Android companion - 24% said you'd left a phone behind somewhere - 10% said you'd had one stolen - 3% said you'd dropped one and broken it - And 6% said you dropped one in some manner of water [A cartoon showing an Android robot dressed as a detective, looking at a bathroom sign, and saying: "Hmm...Are we sure we're talking about actual water here?"] ​ 🤚 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? 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