Samsung has not forgotten about 64-bit; “there’s a real demand, whether you need it or not”

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

What is going on with Samsung’s efforts to deliver a 64-bit Exynos chip? The company confirmed plans for such a processor just days after Apple’s announcement of the iPhone 5S (with that 64-bit A7 of its own) last summer, but ever since then we’ve been a little unsure of just how far along the company’s work might be. Some reports suggested that a 64-bit Exynos would arrive sooner than not, and maybe even in time for the Galaxy S 5 (which, clearly, has not happened).

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The base Project Ara hardware could be incredibly affordable

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Last night we heard a great development in Google ATAP’s ongoing work with Project Ara, announcing the first of several developer’s conferences to take place throughout the year. At this first one in April, interested devs will get the tolls they need to start deigning the interchangeable hardware modules that will ultimately give Ara the level of customizability that’s at the heart of the effort. Time Tech has a great write-up on what Ara’s ...

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The YotaPhone 2 is awesome, but it won’t be forever

Posted on by Michael Fisher

“We are inspired by taking risks and innovating mobile communications to bring value to users. We are a start-up company that had a big idea and we’ve executed on that idea. We looked at the smartphone from another side, literally, and created YotaPhone.” I love this quote. It’s a little heavy on the corporate buzzwords for my taste, but the idea of a small group of dedicated individuals banding together to will a dream into reality -particularly a dream as unconventional as YotaPhone- is an inspiring tale even to those who don’t share my love for the underdog. And Yota ...

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Will reduced licensing costs give Windows Phone the boost it needs?

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

With plenty of attractive mobile devices out there, consumers have the luxury of being a little picky, and especially if we’re not tied down to one carrier, we can check out dozens of different handsets as we look for the perfect smartphone. While that means paying attention to features and design, shoppers are also going to be keeping an eye on sticker prices, looking to get the most bang for their buck. Over the weekend, we heard a rumor that Microsoft could be looking to keep Windows-running PCs and tablets affordable by ...

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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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Smartwatches sorely need cross-device app standards

Posted on by Joe Levi

Wearables, especially smartwatches, are the next “big thing” in mobile technology. Exactly what they should do is still being discovered through iterative trial and error. Currently we have the Pebble 1.0 and Pebble 2.0 (referring to the firmware on the watch itself, and not to be confused with Pebble and Pebble Steel) and the Galaxy Gear. There are a few other more minor players, but already we’re seeing the proverbial floodgates open ...

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The Lumia name will go on, but what will they look like?

Posted on by Adam Doud

An interesting question came up recently in light of the news that Nokia was A. Releasing its Nokia X line of Android phones at MWC and B. Not releasing any Windows Phones at MWC, namely the rumored 630 and 930 models. It made one wonder, with in impending acquisition of Nokia’s Devices division coming soon, is the time of the Nokia Lumia over? This brought sadness to our melancholy souls. The Lumia had a good run, dating back several years. The design of these phones was almost instantly ...

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Is ZTE falling into the same trap as its competition once did?

Posted on by Taylor Martin

If you asked me last year if I would have ever considered using a ZTE smartphone as my daily driver, I probably would have chuckled, realized you might actually be serious, then answered with a solid, “No.” It’s not that ZTE is a bad manufacturer. But it has never been known for high-end flagship smartphones, something I’m admittedly a sucker for. Instead, ZTE is globally known for its prepaid and budget smartphone offerings. In fact, as recent as one year ago, ZTE was in a close fight for the position as third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. It has

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Google+ for Android update delivers photo-related enhancements

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

The new Google Now Launcher for Nexus and GPe devices isn’t the only software coming out of Mountain View today, and thankfully this next one stands to be useful to a whole lot more Android users than just the owners of those handful of models: a new update to Google+ is on its way out, and the name of the game is photos, photos, photos. Photography has been on our minds the last few times

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Google Project Ara dev conferences coming soon

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Will the ambitious Project Ara, born under Motorola and living-on with Google through the company’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (the team behind that tantalizing 3D-mapping handset), really end up shifting the smartphone market from one dominated by pre-built monolithic phones to eminently customizable models, formed from a number of individually upgradable components? That would be ten ...

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