Author: zppiot
In what is one of the finest movies ever made (last, this or next century) – No Country for Old Men – there’s a famous line. I’m not going to spoil it by unraveling who says it, who’s been said to, or what follows, but here it is:If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?I’m going to slightly rephrase that into:You may have the world’s greatest smartphone in your pocket, but of what use is it, when you run out of battery?Yup, your phone is as good as its battery is – packing…
Mid-range phones are incredibly tricky to “get right”, because they try to be “affordable” and “flagship-y” at the same time, and if you’ve lived long enough, you’d know that one of the hardest things to achieve in life is… balance.Of course, this doesn’t stop phone-makers from trying, with the current (and arguably undisputed) value champ being Google’s Pixel 7a, which (remember) was a pretty sizable upgrade compared to its predecessor.Of course, you also have the best-selling mid-range phone (according to some stats), the Galaxy A54, which is about to be replaced by the Galaxy A55 any minute now. Samsung knows…
These days, smartwatches go beyond just displaying the time; they provide various ways to check it. Now, Google is reportedly enhancing the capabilities of its Pixel Watch, exploring additional methods for users to check the time.9to5Google reports that a Reddit user found a new Vibration watch option on their Pixel Watch 2. This feature lets the watch tell the time with vibrations. When the screen is on, you can just tap the watch face with two fingers to check the time – one tap for the hour and two taps for the minute. Looks like there will be two vibration…
A delicate balance The helium we use today formed from the breakdown of radioactive materials millions of years ago and has been trapped in rocks below Earth’s surface ever since. Helium is usually extracted from these underground reservoirs along with natural gas, as John Mattill explained in an article from our January 1986 issue: “Helium can be readily separated from the gas before combustion, but the lower the helium concentration, the higher the cost of doing so.” Generally speaking, helium concentrations must be at least 0.3% for gas companies to bother with it. Such levels can be found in only…
Cricket Wireless kicked off its tax time phone sale at the beginning of the month and promised to refresh the list with new phones as we near the end of tax season. This week the carrier revealed a new set of deals for iPhone and Android smartphones, which will be available for a limited time.Starting today, customers who activate a new line of service or switch to Cricket’s $60 per month Unlimited voice plan can enjoy savings on the following phones:These deals will be available until April 4, but Cricket says that we should expect new deals until the end…
Our smart devices simplify our lives in so many ways by helping us with everyday tasks, work, and entertainment. Since typing is something we all do regularly, it’s great to see tech companies working on making it quicker and simpler, too.As per information from reliable leaker Mishaal Rahman (via Android Central), Google is introducing a new feature called Scan Text to Gboard. When you use the feature, your camera will open, taking up a bit more than half of your display. A button will appear at the bottom center, along with a tagline that says, “Take a photo of words…
As we said, Google obviously had a keen interest in watching the talks between Apple and Microsoft. In the court filing, Google wrote, “In each instance, Apple took a hard look at the relative quality of Bing versus Google and concluded that Google was the superior default choice for its Safari users. That is competition.” Per StatCounter, Bing has a relatively paltry 3.4% market share in search compared to Google’s 91.5% slice of the global search engine pie. A chart included in the court document reveals that Google faces more competition in search from Amazon than from Bing The court…
The iPhone 16 may still be many months away, yet when has such a timeline ever stopped people discussing and chewing over a device so far off?Recently, there have been a bunch of iPhone 16-related rumors and leaks:Report says iPhone 16 Pro Max will have the best battery life found on any iPhoneLeaked iPhone 16 component confirms rumored change to the non-Pro camerasLeaked iPhone 16 mold showcases a design stuck in 2017These two colors could be among the color options offered for the iPhone 16 Pro seriesNow, get your salt cache out and prepare to chug down a large portion…
Back in September 2023, a serious portion of Apple’s Wonderlust event was dedicated to the Cupertino giant’s eco-friendly re-orientation.That’s when the FineWoven was introduced: a new luxurious material to replace leather in Apple products.This move may have won Apple the PETA Company of the Year, but the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern is far from okay with the way FineWoven is aging:There it is, everyone. My iPhone 15 Pro Max’s FineWoven case after five months of use. The edges are peeling, the fabric is scratched up like an old CD, and it’s browning like a rotten banana. I’ve been waiting…
Samsung is unveiling the anticipated Galaxy Ring at this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, Spain.Prior rumors claimed the Galaxy Ring could launch in July with ECG, blood flow tracking, payment support (and more), but it seems that there’s no need to wait four more months to see what this wearable is all about, as Samsung’s official post reads.Apart from the Galaxy Ring’s public display for the first time, visitors to the Samsung Galaxy Experience booth at MWC 2024 (located in Hall 3 of the Fira Barcelona Gran Via) can also experience Galaxy AI hands-on.Samsung’s TM Roh, President and…
Early on Saturday, we told you about an AT&T subscriber who posted on “X” that she was refunded $52.50 because of the huge nationwide outage that AT&T subscribers had to deal with Thursday morning. We also suggested that AT&T subscribers had nothing to lose by asking for some amount of credit due to the outage which AT&T admitted was due to an incorrect process it used to expand its network.Thursday afternoon AT&T said, “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our…
Remember when we labeled last week’s Motorola Edge+ (2023) promotion that bundled the discounted high-end phone with a complimentary pair of premium noise-cancelling Bose earbuds as unbeatable? Well, with the risk of contradicting ourselves and looking like amateurs in the eyes of our dear bargain-hunting readers, we’re here today to argue that the latest deal on the same handset has in fact done the impossible, beating the previous offer.That’s because the 6.67-inch Edge Plus from last year is once again sold at a nice discount with an extra deal sweetener included, and this time around, said freebie looks undeniably more…
We’ve got some awesome news to share with Android lovers looking for a new smartwatch. Some time ago, we shared a smashingly good offer on the Bluetooth-only Galaxy Watch 5 Pro at Walmart. The deal in question first went live at the merchant over a month ago, sporadically reappearing on several occasions. Surprise, surprise; the fantastic offer is back on, allowing you to get it at $169 off!Again, this epic deal only applies to the model with Bluetooth connectivity. If you wish to get an LTE-enabled Samsung smartwatch, we suggest shifting your attention over to Amazon, where you can save…
If you are in the market for a budget phone and don’t need a lot of firepower, feel free to snag the Motorola Moto G 5G 2023 at Amazon, where this bad boy is still enjoying the lovely 32% discount we told you about a few weeks back.That’s right, you can still save $80 on this already pocket-friendly smartphone if you snatch one through this deal while it’s still available. However, we suggest you act fast though, as this deal has been available for a while and may expire soon. Being an affordable phone, the Moto G 5G 2023 is…
According to Bleeping Computer, a new version of the XLoader malware (aka MoqHao) is making the rounds. Previously, this malware was spotted in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The malware is disseminated through SMS text messages that feature a shortened URL link and XLoader can launch immediately after installation. This allows the malware to run undetected in the background while personal data is stolen away. Fake permission requests are made to look like they are coming from Google Chrome McAfee says, “While the app is installed, their malicious activity starts automatically. We have already reported…
Last summer, Google made a big change to the Android wordmark by using a capital “A” instead of the lower-case version of the letter previously used. At the same time, Google changed the look of the Android robot from the 2D “head only” look to a 3D version of the mascot. Now, Google is allowing Android and iOS users to customize the Android mascot by selecting clothes, accessories, props, and other items. Once customized to your liking, you can share your Android robot with others online.To make the Android mascot your own, go to the Android.com homepage or click on…