Will Windows Phone 8.1 see a new version of Office?

Posted on by Adam Z. Lein

With all of the excitement over the release of Microsoft’s Office for iPad, the newly free-to-use versions of Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones, as well as the reveal of a touch-friendly version of Office for Windows 8 tablets at Microsoft’s Build conference… it got me wondering if Windows Phone would ever see a more comprehensive version of Microsoft Office. Since Windows Phone 7 was released back in 2010, the only real changes to the mobile Office suit was removing OneNote from the Office hub and giving it its own app icon. Microsoft has said that the mobile ...

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Desperately seeking surprise: what we don’t know about the All New HTC One

Posted on by Michael Fisher

As we’ve mentioned on countless episodes of the Pocketnow Weekly, the HTC One is one of the most widely-leaked devices in history. Thanks to an explosion of prematurely-released info, including a lengthy and rather strange hands-on video and a photo of the

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Would you quit the Internet if net neutrality dies? (Poll)

Posted on by Taylor Martin

Net neutrality. If you’ve been a responsible Internet user in the last few months, you’re familiar with the term and what it means for us, the paying subscribers. For those unaware, it’s the movement (or set of rules, rather) that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all online activity equally. In other words, you pay your fees, and you have unadulterated access to the Internet, regardless of the sites you visit, the services you use, etc. Last month, a federal appeals court shot down the FCC’s net neutrality rules, and that opened the door for a Wild ...

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When is a gimmick not a gimmick?

Posted on by Adam Doud

When the Samsung GS5 was announced, it brought some interesting features to the table. The one that made me stand up and take notice was the ultra-power saver mode that according to Samsung could make a phone last for 24 hours receiving phone and SMS on just 10% battery life. That’s just silly good. But we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about water. Water resistance was also brought to bear in the GS5. Not the GS5 Active, but the GS5 itself. Yes, there is a USB flap/door/thing that needs to be closed, but this phone is water resistant. That’s a pretty big deal. ...

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When do you put your tech to bed?

Posted on by Taylor Martin

The quality of my sleep has drastically declined over the years, as well as the amount I get each night. On a rare great night, I might get six hours of sleep. If it’s the weekend, I may get eight. But an average night of sleep is five hours or less. Sometimes much less. It’s a safe bet to assume the seemingly harmless smartphone in my pocket or tablet in my bag play a major part in this. Oh, and that incessantly buzzing smartwatch that rattles off the table every night … it plays a part, ...

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Goodbye LogMeIn, hello TeamViewer

Posted on by Adam Z. Lein

You may have heard the news recently that LogMeIn’s free accounts are being discontinued.  I switched to LogMeIn for remote PC access back when Microsoft discontinued their super-awesome Live Mesh software which did a similar thing and much more.  Basically, you install the software on which ever computers you own and then you can use your single LogMeIn account to access those PCs remotely via the web or any of their mobile apps.  Now that LogMeIn is no longer free, it’s time to find something else that will let me access my home personal computer periodically.  Goodbye ...

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My fondest tech wish for 2014: a global away message

Posted on by Michael Fisher

Like most members of the Pocketnow team, I tote a lot of gadgets. After all, “Captain2Phones” isn’t just a Twitter handle – it’s a lifestyle. It’s also a massive, ridiculous understatement: at any given time, my online persona is logged in to many different mobile devices, all of which titter and chirp incessantly when even the most minor of messages arrives. Couple that with a very busy inbox and a slew of friends for whom the enter key is a form of punctuation all its own, and sometimes I ...

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TLDR: Call quality versus camera quality

Posted on by Adam Doud

Is it just me, or does it seem a tad ironic that this headline exists? I mean seriously; we’re talking about phones here. Of course call quality has to be the most important right? Ehh.. not so much. It’s really funny. I was watching our own Michael Fisher’s review of the LG G Flex. He got to the part talking about call quality, and I found myself thinking to myself, “Who cares about call quality…wait.” But it is true. Call quality and camera quality are both pretty highly ...

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What to look for from 2014 smartphone cameras

Posted on by Taylor Martin

The year is quickly coming to a close, and looking back, it’s safe to say this has been the year of smartphone cameras. HTC, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, LG, Sony, and several others have tried their hand at innovating the next breakthrough in camera technology, creating the perfect balance of mobility, pocketability, and image quality. Some, obviously, did better than others. HTC, for one, proved that while the image sensor on the One wasn’t ...

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TLDR: I returned my Nexus 5

Posted on by Brandon Miniman

On paper, the Nexus 5 is a stunner. It comes with the latest CPU combined with the newest version of Android, plus a big battery, a camera with OIS, a high-PPI display, and a fantastic price tag. And indeed, we’ve determined (along with the rest of the Nexus 5-buying population) that Google’s latest Nexus is a fantastic piece of smartphone hardware and deserves serious consideration if you’re looking to buy a new Android phone. As has been the case with all previous Nexus releases, I bought a Nexus 5 for ...

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TLDR: A radical approach to your smartphone’s status indicators

Posted on by Joe Levi

Take a look at the homescreen on your smartphone. I don’t care who makes it or what OS its running, they all share this similarity. It’s not just today’s phones, tablet’s suffer the same malady — and they’re not alone. Even from the days when our phones weren’t “smart”, they all had one thing in common — one thing that we don’t need, at least not all the time: status indicators. That’s right, those icons that are across the top of almost every screen on your phone or tablet take up a dozen or so pixels in height that ...

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Vine and Instagram on Windows Phone are bigger than you think

Posted on by Adam Doud

This is going to sound silly. But one of the biggest eyebrow raising announcements to come out of Nokia World today was the announcement that Vine and Instagram were releasing official apps for the Windows Phone platform.  Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t really use either, and not just because I’m on Windows Phone. I share photos and video via Facebook or Twitter depending on the subject matter. I’ve never had a use for either. Vine and Instagram on Windows Phone is pretty huge. These are probably two of the top ten apps that are often cited as missing from ...

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The Galaxy Round’s curved display may not be so bad after all

Posted on by Taylor Martin

Rumors of curved and flexible displays have flooded the Internet for well over a year now. Samsung announced its flexible YOUM OLED displays at CES 2013. Concepts and word of such flexible smartphones reach back even further, like the Galaxy Skin concept from late 2011. It has long been understood that flexible displays would not initially bring flexible smartphones. Battery technology breakthroughs have introduced flexible cells. In smartphones, most other components, ...

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TLDR: Why doesn’t Microsoft’s Sync in-car computer work with Windows Phone?

Posted on by Adam Z. Lein

One time I rented a car to go away for a long weekend and I was happy to see that it had Microsoft’s Sync MyFord Touch in-car computer built in.  I thought, “Cool! This should work great with my Windows Phone since it’s made by Microsoft!”  Wrong!  It turns out, Microsoft’s in-car computer works best with the iPhone according to this compatibility chart (PDF).  You’ll notice that only Windows Phone 7 devices are on that list. 

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TLDR: I can get a 64GB microsd card for under $50, so why are 64GB smartphones so expensive?

Posted on by Joe Levi

Before the iPhone was born, everyone wanted an iPod. Back then you could carry around your entire music collection with you. Today, times have changed. MP3s have gotten larger and higher-quality, and individual songs are now easier to find and much easier to download.  Taken together, the size of our music libraries has increased significantly since the “good ol’ days” of the original iPod. Luckily, iPods have improved as well, but now most of us use our smartphones to do that which our iPods used to. Interestingly, a good deal of smartphones still come with only 8GB or ...

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