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Tech NewsGadgetsRemember How Bad Android Was?
Over the last week or so, bloggers have been posting warm and fuzzy reflections about Android because we’ve just passed the 10th anniversary of the reveal of the T-Mobile G1, (AKA the HTC Dream, or colloquially the “G phone”), the platform’s first commercial device. Many folks—including this here blogger—had basically the same idea: Get your … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets5 Frustrating Smartphone Problems You Can Fix With a Simple Dongle
Smartphone dongles and adapters can tend to get a bad rap, seen as unsightly and unnecessary add-ons that ruin the curved aesthetic of a smartphone, and become just one more thing to forget or lose. But used right these plug-in peripherals can help you do more with your phone than you ever thought possible, here … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsHow to Watch the Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford Hearings Today, No Cable Required
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, one of the women who accuses Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, will both testify in front of a Senate committee today. You can watch the livestreams below even if you’re not near a TV. The hearing is scheduled to start at 10:00am ET, 7:00am PT. And depending … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ReviewsAccessories & WearablesSamsung’s New Galaxy Watch Comes So Close to Delivering the Modern Wearable Dream
Divorce yourself from the far out scifi depictions and crazy nerd dreams of what a smartwatch is supposed to be for just a second, and instead think about what makes sense for a wrist-mounted device in 2018. You’ll quickly realize there’s a huge gap between reality and expectation, because while the idea of playing games … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsHow to Completely Customize Your Phone’s Sounds
You might occasionally swap around the wallpaper on your smartphone, but do you give much thought to the bleeps and buzzing sounds that your handset makes—they’re just as customizable as any other part of your handset, and can help you make your phone your own or just reduce the stress brought on by an incessant … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityThe Tor Web Browser Officially Lands on Android in Alpha
At long last, the Tor Project is releasing an official web browser for Android users. The new Android app is available now as an alpha release in Google’s Play Store and on the experimental releases section of the Project’s download page. Even if you don’t use the Tor Browser to browse the web more securely … Continued
By Harri Weber -
Tech NewsPhones Are So Boring, I Want to Believe This Wild Pixel 3 Theory
Yesterday, Google finally sent out invites for its annual fall product event set for October 9, and even with the preponderance of leaks showing the alleged Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, the announcement instantly reinvigorated speculation about what else Google might have planned for the day. That brings us to YouTube channel Front Page … Continued
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Tech News
Google Day Finally Gets an Official Date: October 9
With all the Pixel 3 leaks making their way around the net, we’ve been wondering when Google would finally get around to announcing a date for its annual fall launch event. Well, now we know: It’s going to be on October 9 in New York City. Unfortunately, the invite Gizmodo received containing the date of … Continued
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Tech News
EU Officially OKs Apple’s Shazam Acquisition
After Apple announced plans to acquire Shazam at the end of 2017, the deal was put on hold when the EU launched an antitrust investigation to determine if it would decrease competition between streaming music providers. The worry was that, because one of Shazam’s functions is recommending where users can buy or stream a song … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle Finally Added a Dark Mode to YouTube on Android
Android 9 Pie has been out for a month, and while the addition of things like digital wellness controls and handy app actions have made Google’s mobile OS friendlier to use, I can’t help but think one of Android 9’s most glaring omissions is the lack of an OS-wide dark mode. Dark mode UIs help … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
9 Apps to Try if You Want to Learn Something New Every Day
Sure, smartphones and smartphone apps can waste our time and bring out the worst in people, but they can most definitely also be a force for good: They can educate, inform, and inspire. With that in mind we’ve put together a list of our favorite apps that can teach you something new every day, in … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsGadgets
How Location Tracking Actually Works on Your Smartphone
As the recent revelation over Google’s background tracking of your location shows, it’s not as easy as it should be to work out when apps, giant tech companies and pocket devices are tracking your location and when they’re not. Here’s what you need to know about how location tracking works on a phone—and how to … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsGoogle’s Notchless Pixel 3 Seemingly Revealed In Yet Another Big Leak
After the entire Russian blogosphere seemed to get its hands on Google’s upcoming Pixel 3 XL, we weren’t expecting any more surprises from the Pixel camp. But now, some alleged pictures of the smaller Pixel 3 have made their way onto the net and brought back some hope for people unhappy with what we’ve heard … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
HTC’s U12+ Looks Like an Awkward, Budget Hybrid of an iPhone X and a Pixel 2
Earlier this summer when I took a look at HTC’s most recent flagship phone, I was terribly conflicted. On one hand, I was a big fan of the U12+’s clear glass back (haven’t you heard, translucent gadgets are cool again), while its dual cameras on the back are probably the most underappreciated cameras in the … Continued
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Tech News
Google’s Wear OS Finally Gets the Refresh it Needs, Hints at More to Come
Earlier this year, I got a little annoyed when Google renamed Android Wear to Wear OS because even though Google’s intention to make its smartwatch OS less platform specific was good, it kind of felt meaningless without any new software or hardware features to improve how Wear OS actually works But then, at Google I/O … Continued
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Tech NewsYouTube Will Now Tell You How Much Time You’ve Spent on YouTube
Even though the digital wellbeing features in Android 9 Pie are still in beta (and only currently available on Pixel phones), today, Google is expanding its online health and wellness endeavors to YouTube, ostensibly to help you prevent yourself from watching too many bad videos. The new tools themselves are pretty straightforward and consist of … Continued
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Tech NewsGigantic Leak Seemingly Blows the Lid Off Google’s Pixel 3 XL, RIP Surprises
New flagship smartphones are some of the most closely guarded secrets in tech, and while leaks often occur a month or two before an official release, there’s typically enough mystery to keep things interesting until then. But in a nearly unbelievable turn of affairs, Russian blog Rozetked appears to have gotten its hands on a … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Use the New Tools in iOS 12 and Android 9 Pie to Fight Your Phone Addiction
Apple and Google are falling over themselves to offer new native tools for tracking how long we spend staring at screens, unlocking our phones, and wasting time on social media. We’ve been testing the new ‘digital wellbeing’ tools in iOS 12 (which is currently in public beta) and Android 9 Pie (currently only available on … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech News
Google’s Revamped Fitness App Turns Activity Tracking into a Game
There’s a whole host of Google apps that people use on a daily basis, like Chrome, Gmail, Drive, and so on. But Google Fit hasn’t really caught on like that. In an effort to improve its Android heath and fitness app, Google has basically redesigned Fit to better support people’s activity and wellness goals. To … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsHow Much Would You Actually Pay For an Essential Phone?
When the Essential Phone first came out, I didn’t like it very much. But my main objection wasn’t its build or features—no, it was basically that for $700, its camera simply wasn’t in the same league as the Galaxy S8, the iPhone 7, or any other expensive flagship. Thankfully though, post-launch, Essential didn’t just give … Continued