OnePlus files trademark for Dash Charge; what does it mean for the OnePlus 3?

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

OnePlus is a company that seeks to give its users impeccable value for their smartphone-buying dollar, and while that means paying a lot less for your handset than you might with a bigger-name OEM, it can also mean making a few sacrifices along the way. With last year’s OnePlus 2, users did without a number of features that we might expect to see on a more full-featured flagship, especially in the power department: not only did the phone lack a wireless charging option (forgivable), but there was no ...

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FBI paid less than previously reported for iPhone hack (but still probably way, waaaay too much)

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

The story of the FBI’s efforts to access the iPhone 5c in its San Bernardino terrorism investigation may seem like it’s over – and has been over for weeks, following the agency dropping its efforts to force Apple to help break into the phone – but the story keeps going strong. And why wouldn’t it? This one has it all: technology, civil liberties, national security – we could go on. And even with the meat of the story wrapped up, we’re continuing to learn more and more about how this all went down. Last ...

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HTC confirms Marshmallow delays for AT&T users

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Sometimes it feels like choosing a mobile carrier is practically rolling the dice when it comes to your smartphone’s update future. Will you end up on the luckier side of things, ending up closer to the front of the line when updates finally start heading out, or will you be like those kids with Z last names, doomed to be at the back of the stage on graduation day? HTC fans on AT&T know what the waiting game is like all too well, and while we’ve seen Android Marshmallow updates come to

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Apple marketing head sparks unlikely controversy over how to pluralize Apple products

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Apple used to sell just one size of iPhone. But now, between the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE, there are three different … iPhones? iPhone? iPhone models? In a debate better suited for a grammar-school classroom than the digital halls of Twitter, Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller has taken some users to task over how they form the plural of Apple products – and in doing so, has created quite the little controversy for himself.It all started innocently enough, with ...

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Galaxy S7 eBay deal has new factory-unlocked models for just $560

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

We get it: you want a fancy new smartphone, but you don’t feel like paying full price it. Certainly, we’ve all been there. So you scrounge through carrier listings, hoping for a good deal, or maybe keep your fingers crossed that some generous retailer will come through with a bargain. Eventually, you probably will stumble across a price you can live with, but that deal’s not always one without its trade-offs. Take, for instance,

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Using a smartphone across Europe is becoming cheaper, as new roaming-fee limits take effect

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

A smartphone’s connectivity is its lifeblood, and without access to voice, text, and most importantly data services, a handset’s value quickly starts taking a nosedive. And while we accept the face that we’re going to have to pay up for access to that kind of connectivity, no one likes getting his with chargers well in excess of what they were expecting. That’s why we were so excited last fall to hear about a big decision the European Parliament made in regards to roaming ...

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Testers share early look at Google Trips, the new in-development travel app

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Whether you’re venturing out into a new neighborhood of a familiar city, or trekking to destinations halfway around the globe, smartphones can be indispensable tools for making your journey enjoyable, efficient, and memorable. From travel apps that recommend the best places to stay, to navigation services that connect us with local public transit options, to real-time translation software, there’s no shortage of ways our phones can enhance that travel experience. Recently, leaks started ...

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How the Google Play App Security Improvement Program is helping devs keep apps safe

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

The past year has been one where Google’s really started moving security to the forefront of the Android experience. Between the rise of fingerprint scanners on Android devices (and corresponding API support), the publication of high-profile exploits like Stagefright, and the company’s move to deliver monthly security updates for its ...

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HTC 10 carrier action: Sprint gets a date, Verizon pre-orders open

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

HTC’s next flagship is so close, we can almost taste it. In just a manner of days, the HTC 10 will descend on markets around the world, giving users everywhere some of their first experiences with the handset. Back when we reviewed the HTC 10, we called it “a great smartphone, with amazing build quality, powerful specs, and just a need for a couple of tweaks in its camera software,” and wouldn’t you know ...

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Microsoft locks down Cortana to kill Bing-, Edge-dodging hacks

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Voice-powered assistants are becoming more and more popular ways for users to get access to data, using them to conduct searches and connect with the websites holding  answers. But for as powerful as they are, use of such services can mean making certain compromises. Take Google’s voice search on Android devices, for instance: you can ask it to search for anything you choose, but it’s only going to give you results from Google’s own servers – there’s no easy way to ...

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Fenix’s return to Google Play reveals a much brighter future for Twitter apps

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Creating apps that give users powerful new ways to access Twitter has long presented an uncomfortable situation for developers: get too successful, and your app essentially shuts down. The problem’s been Twitter’s use of tokens that allow distinct users to connect with a third-party app, and so far there’s been a hard limit of 100,000 per title – hit that many, and you couldn’t sign on any new users. Earlier this week, popular Android Twitter app Fenix found itself ...

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Motorola’s Rick Osterloh heads to Google to oversee hardware projects

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Google’s acquisition of Motorola meant a lot of changes for the smartphone maker, but the company had some great talent on board that helped it through that period of adjustment. And no sooner had it adapted to life at Google than Motorola found itself being passed on to a new owner, as word of Lenovo’s acquisition plans arrived in early 2014. That meant some staffing shake-ups, and a few ...

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Google Play begins labeling apps that contain ads

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Mobile software and advertising have a long and sometimes tumultuous history. Ads help compensate developers for their time and effort, and a successful campaign can go a long way towards encouraging those devs to create more of the apps we love. But sometimes we’ve had enough of ads, and we pay to upgrade to an ad-free experience; sometimes we pay to upgrade and ads (in one form or another) continue to persist. And then there are those times when we’ve simply had enough, and we don’t want to ...

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Instagram leaves beta for Windows 10 Mobile, as Facebook and Messenger come to W10 tablets

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Smartphone users today have more opportunities to try out in-development software than ever before. From Apple’s public iOS betas, to Android’s developer preview for Nexus hardware, to the Microsoft Insider program, users who aren’t afraid of dealing with a few rough edges can check out the latest software well in advance of any wide release. Sometimes the inevitable beta bugs are minor, and while the user experience may be a little wonky, everything’s ultimately still functional. ...

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Apple receives government blessing for retail stores in India

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Apple’s one of the most successful brands on the planet, and its smartphone lineup has seen strong demand in markets the world around. But while sales may be doing alright, growth has recently seen a big drop-off, and Apple’s struggling to find ways to boost profits even higher. One obvious-seeming way to help out in that department would be bringing Apple retail stores to areas that currently lack them, and that’s

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