Many companies that design their own chips including Apple, Huawei and Qualcomm are known as fabless chip makers. No, it doesn't mean that their chips aren't fabulous. It only indicates that they do not own the facilities required to manufacture their chips, known in the industry as "fabs" or fabrication plants. A company that manufactures chips using other firm's designs is known as a foundry. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) happens to be the largest independent foundry in the world.As a result, there is a strong connection between the state of ...
If you've looked at renders of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and even the photo of the Pixel 4 that the company shared, you'll notice that something is missing. The fingerprint scanner, found on the rear of every Pixel handset since the OG models, is missing. And the bottom bezel is too small to accommodate a front-facing fingerprint reader. Sure, we could assume that there will be an in-display biometric sensor, but there is actually speculation that Google will endow the new Pixels with a secure 3D facial recognition feature. One way to achieve this without using the complex structured ... 
Huawei remains on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List, which means that U.S. tech companies still need to receive a license from the government before they can sell components and software to the Chinese manufacturer. And even though three-weeks have passed since President Donald Trump said, "U.S. companies can sell their equipment to Huawei. We're talking about equipment where there's no great national security problem with it," there is a great deal of confusion over what that statement meant. After all, we haven't heard Google announce that it will once again license the Google Play ... 
The refresh rate on a smartphone display measures how many times the image on the screen is updated each second. For example, most non-gaming smartphones have a 60Hz rate which means that they update the screen 60 times each second. The faster the rate, the smoother animations look; this is why a gaming phone like the Razer Phone 2 has a 120Hz rate. It also makes scrolling buttery smooth. Of course, as with everything in life, there is a tradeoff. A faster refresh rate is more taxing on a phone's battery.
While several complaints have already been made about the size of the top bezel seen on renders of the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, there could be a reason for this. The other day, we showed you a sketch that pictured a mysterious cutout on the right side of the top bezel for the Pixel 4 XL. And while it really doesn't show up in the renders that we've seen, the same cutout appears on alleged screen protectors for both upcoming Pixel models.
After marking down the high-end Pixel 3 and 3 XL by an all-time high $300 with Fi activations, Google is (predictably enough) spreading the love to its main US e-store, where you can now purchase the two phones at a decent discount with no obligations or strings attached whatsoever.
Released less than a year ago, the Pixel Slate will be left without a sequel, as Google's in-house hardware efforts are shifting squarely towards a rapidly expanding smartphone lineup and high-end laptops that haven't exactly been able to challenge Apple's MacBooks in the mainstream tech scene. Of course, the same can definitely be said about the search giant's Chrome OS-powered 12.3-inch tablet next to the crazy popular iPad family, but at the right price, purchasing a Pixel Slate doesn't sound like such a bad idea these days.
Remember the old days when airlines used to serve hot meals on flights? These days, the most important thing that an airline can offer is a good Wi-Fi connection. Free Wi-Fi would be even better. And a couple of months ago, Delta Airlines started testing free service on 55 domestic flights for two weeks. The test was run to see what the usage patterns would be and whether the increased use of free Wi-Fi by passengers would have much of an impact on data speeds. And now comes word that American Airlines will be making the skies more friendly with free Wi-Fi of its own.
Earlier this month, the latest renders of the Google Pixel 4 were spotted. Of course, Google had taken some of the mystery out of the phone the previous month when it surprised everyone by tweeting an actual photo of the device. Today, @iGeeks published a series of fresh renders once again revealing the square camera module located on the upper left corner of the back. The Pixel 4 will have a pair of cameras in that housing, most likely a 12MP primary and a 16MP telephoto. There will be a 'spectral sensor' for better low-light photos and an improved bokeh effect on portraits. The new Pixels ... 
We could just be days away from seeing T-Mobile and Sprint finally receive approval from the U.S. Justice Department to complete their $26.5 billion merger. In order to receive the blessing of the regulatory agency to wed, T-Mobile and Sprint must agree to sell some assets to Dish Network to help create a new wireless provider to replace Sprint. Back on Thursday, we told you that there was one issue holding things up. T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom wanted to include wording in any agreement that would allow T-Mobile to cancel any MVNO contract it signs with Dish if a third party took a larger ... 
Dating app Tinder has a UI designed to allow users to make quick decisions on whom to meet. In fact, it has become part of pop culture. Swiping to the right on a profile indicates that you are interested in that person while swiping to the left means that you have no interest. According to Bloomberg, which cited research done by Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter, Tinder's parent company is swiping left on the Google Play Store's in-app subscription platform. Similar to music streamer Spotify's complaint against Apple, Tinder's parent company, the Match Group, objects to Google taking a 30% cut ... 
The heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch has already saved a few lives. Typically the watch owner receives a warning that his or her heart rate is too high prompting a visit to the ER. There, the doctors usually are able to come up with a diagnosis and a treatment plan. But the latest story, published in The Telegraph (via 9to5Mac), reveals how a heart rate that is too low can also be life-threatening.
Just yesterday we passed along a report out of Korea stating that the redesigned version of the Samsung Galaxy Fold had successfully passed a durability test. The test consisted of sending these units to people in the industry and to professors at Seoul National University and the KAIST research institute. Not one person among this group could replicate the issues that influencers had discovered when they received their review units earlier this year. And while this would seem to indicate that the phone will soon be given a new launch date, a new report puts this in doubt.
While the Motorola Moto G7 Power has what you might call low to mid-range specs, it does possess a 5000mAh battery and a low price that has made it a phone of interest for many consumers. The other day, we told you that Best Buy was offering the phone for $79.99 with the activation of a new Verizon phone line. Suppose we told you that you can do better than that price. Want to know where? At Best Buy.
Amazon Prime Day is over. Sorry, but it's true. Yes, there is always next year to look forward to. However, just because Prime Day is done for the year, it doesn't mean that Amazon has stopped offering discounts on the kind of technology that we know you're in to (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, smart speakers and smart displays to name a few). For example, the mid-range unlocked Dual SIM Nokia 6 (2017) is now on sale for $129.94 at the online retailer, a 27% savings from Amazon's usual price of $175.
So let's say that you're currently rocking the Samsung Galaxy Watch and you're not happy with the virtual assistant on the timepiece. After all, Bixby is an acquired taste. And since the watches are running Tizen, well the Google Assistant is out. Or is it? According to Android Police, the GAssist.net app can help you put much of the Google Assistant's functionality on your Tizen powered timepiece. You will need to visit the Galaxy Store to load the app on your watch and the Google Play Store to load the companion Android app on your phone.
T-Mobile announced a new promotion today that will give new and existing T-Mobile subscribers the opportunity to grab a new smartphone for free. There is one catch; to receive a free phone, a new voice line must be added to any of the carrier's postpaid voice plans. The phones are free thanks to the 24 monthly bill credits that are applied to each participating subscriber's account.
We've already seen a few Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL renders, and Google itself has shared a photo of the device. So today's leak of some Pixel 4 XL case renders by a Twitter member named Sudhanshu Ambhore (via MSPoweruser) might have less impact than usual. The renders show the square cutout for the rear-facing camera module and the thinner bezels (by Pixel standards) on the phone, especially on the bottom. The Pixel 4 XL will have dual front-facing selfie cameras and a triple-camera setup in the back; that compares to the two sensors that are on the back of the Pixel 4.
T-Mobile just unveiled that it's getting ready to release two affordable Samsung smartphones that boast modern designs: Galaxy A20 (seen above) and Galaxy A10e, both officially announced not long ago. The new handsets will go on sale at T-Mobile next week, on July 26, with one of them being available for free in certain conditions.
Qualcomm just recently announced the rare mid-cycle refresh of a flagship chipset in the Snapdragon 8-series but it is already giving us strong reasons to upgrade to a phone carrying the processor later this year. The Asus ROG Phone II will be the first handset announced with it but another gaming phone, Xiaomi's Black Shark 2 Pro, will be a closed second, it seems.
Samsung is gearing up to unveil two new high-end phones with a lot of cameras in tow, a beefed-up processor, more memory and storage than ever before, and plenty of other exciting upgrades, but if you don't think you'll be able to afford the Note 10 or Note 10+, there's nothing wrong with settling for a discounted member of the Galaxy S10 family, a Galaxy Note 9, or even a Galaxy S9.
There aren't a lot of super-compact 4-inch phones left on the market today, and with the recent launch of a seventh-generation iPod Touch, pretty much all our iPhone SE 2 hopes have been crushed. But the 2016-released iPhone SE lives on at AT&T, as well as various small prepaid carriers, and occasionally even Apple's own (clearance) e-store.
One of the top dogs in the audio industry — JBL — has decided to surprise us with an awesome July sale. Called "Christmas in July", the promo will only last a couple of days and has discounts of up to 70% off.
If you like your smartphones affordable and creative, the LG Stylo 5 may have already piqued your interest with its debut on Cricket Wireless late last month, followed shortly by an expansion to Boost Mobile. While there's still no word on an official US release of an unlocked variant, the pen-wielding mid-ranger has become available on its first major US carrier today, just as expected.
Smartphones are the pocket computers that we used to dream of back in the 90s and early 00s. Not only are they great for browsing the Internet, chatting, and emailing on the go, but they can run a game pretty well on their own.
Just when you thought Huawei's situation in relation to the US government, American suppliers and major business partners, as well as the smartphone industry as a whole couldn't possibly get any more confusing, the company itself is now adding to the uncertainty.
Samsung's first effort at brand consolidation for its phones and wearables, the Galaxy Watch, made its debut in the United States at the tail end of 2018, and not only can you now buy it for less than $300 but it has also received numerous major updates making it better with time, including the arrival of One UI.
YouTube might be the world's most popular video hosting service (by far), but its eponymous music streaming app doesn't exactly look like a fierce rival for market leaders Spotify and Apple Music... yet. 
Samsung is looking for ways to quickly expand the foldable phones ecosphere once it launches its own Galaxy Fold later this summer. One of these is to supply flexible OLED panels aimed for bendable handsets to those Chinese manufacturers that are also planning to release such devices, like Oppo or Xiaomi. Not Huawei, though, as that one is too much of a direct competitor with its expensive and excellent, at least on paper, Mate X.
Amazon didn't exactly knock our socks off with its Prime Day deals on Google's latest stock Android handsets, which either matched or narrowly surpassed previous discounts offered by Best Buy and the search giant itself. But now the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are available at new all-time low prices with Google Fi activation, and for 24 hours only, Best Buy will let you save even more than 300 bucks... under certain conditions.
A sequel to 2017's Movado Connect smartwatch appears to be in the works. Recently spotted getting FCC certification (via Droid-Life), the documentation found on the FCC website indicates that the timepiece will once again sport a round dial. More importantly, the FCC filing shows that the watch will be equipped with 1GB of memory and 8GB of storage. Those are some pretty hefty numbers compared to most Wear OS phones, so you should see some improved performance from the Movado Connect 2.0.
Do you remember the last feature phone you owned before getting a smartphone? Once you purchased a smartphone, you figured that you would never consider buying a feature phone again. But suppose you could purchase such a device powered by Android? 9to5Google posted a photograph today that it received from an anonymous source. The image shows a device that resembles a Nokia feature phone running the Android operating system. The phone doesn't use a touchscreen for navigation and relies instead on a d-pad, number keys and some other buttons (how could we have been so primitive back then). There ... 
Smartphones are joining the war on crime. Earlier this week Samsung announced that 2018's Galaxy S9 will be included with the duty vests worn by deputies in the Kit Carson County Sheriff’s Office in Burlington, Colorado. The phones will provide the deputies with another way to communicate from the field to the station house. In addition, they will be used as a body camera and as a tool to document the discovery of evidence. The digital cameras on the device will be helpful to the officers as will the push-to-talk walkie-talkie capabilities that will be available to them. The handsets will ... 
Back in January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took chip maker Qualcomm to court. Qualcomm's business practices from its "no license, no chips" policy, to its refusal to license standard essential patents, to the use of a phone's retail price to calculate royalties was on trial. And in May, the decision made by Judge Lucy Koh was handed down in favor of the FTC. Qualcomm has been seeking a stay of the ruling until it can go completely through the appeals process. This makes sense since the ruling would require Qualcomm to renegotiate the contracts it has with phone manufacturers. The ... 
Razer may or may not have abandoned its plans for a third gaming-centric Android handset after laying off a few dozen employees earlier this year, but in case you were wondering, the company remains committed to supporting the two smartphones it has released so far from a software update standpoint.
Boost Mobile has just announced two new products aimed a Internet-hungry consumers: a data plan and a hotspot device. The new data-only plan option is aimed at both new and existing customers and offer no less than 50GB of data for just $50 per month, which can be used with any 4G LTE device.
CNBC's David Faber has been following the twists and turns of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger, and his latest report suggests that the Department of Justice is giving T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom one week to reach a settlement with the regulatory agency before it sues to block the $26.5 billion deal. The German telecommunications giant has one issue with the deal being worked out between T-Mobile, Dish and the DOJ.
Ever since phone manufacturers started to find alternatives for the placement of the selfie camera on their phones, the industry has been moving toward the Holy Grail; a 100% screen-to-body ratio. Former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive admitted a few years ago that he wanted an iPhone that looked like a single sheet of glass. Today, a tweet from tipster Ice Universe (@Universeice) brings us some new information about full-screen phones. First, he states that earlier this year Samsung canceled a project called Full-Display 2.0. The team working on this project was trying to develop a phone ... 
Sony announced the Xperia Z5 Premium in September 2015 as the world’s first 4K smartphone. It followed the achievement up with the Xperia 1 this February which debuted with the world’s first 4K HDR OLED display. Now, reports suggest Sony could be preparing the world’s first phone with a 5K panel.An incredibly high pixel density of 899ppi
Unless you've been living under a rock, you have heard about it: FaceApp is the new must-try app sensation! This latest seemingly inconspicuous app uses AI to perform a magic trick (it really is incredibly realistic): it changes your photo so you look younger or older. But along with the fun and laughs, a few people -- us included -- have quickly noticed how the app provides all that fun at the costly price of getting access to your data... and keeping it.
Foldable phones should have been here by now but both Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X are facing delays due to concerns about the main element of the two devices: the flexible display. Both manufacturers are overcoming numerous challenges in their efforts to bring a consumer-ready smartphone with a foldable display to the market. But make no mistake, this new breed of smartphone-tablet hybrids will become part of our everyday lives sooner or later and such products will be coming from every major brand.
We already know what Google’s Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL will probably look like, but today the folks over at BGR have obtained a bunch of specifications which allegedly belong to the next-generation Pixel flagships. Although, as per usual, do take everything with a pinch of salt.Taller displays, more RAM, and more storage
You've heard of FaceApp, haven't you? How could you not when all media outlets report these days that someone actually sat and read the app permissions T&C. If not, a primer - FaceApp takes your pretty visage, and can fast forward your skin's collagen and hair's melanin content decrease to portray how you'd look like when wisdom strikes.
Verizon is taking another small step today towards a nationwide 5G coverage dream that continues to seem so annoyingly distant by expanding the list of cities embracing the next standard in mobile connectivity to five. As expected, St. Paul, Minnesota is joining Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Providence, but fret not, as this sluggish rollout is about to substantially speed up. 
The end is nigh! For phone sales growth that is. Sales of phones (mostly smartphones these days) have hit a plateau in the past couple of years and research agency Gartner now estimates that in 2019 the global phone market will shrink by a sizable 68 million units, or 3.8% if you compare to phone sales last year.
Walmart has extended its Prime Day deals on a few Apple, Samsung and Bose gadgets and while these are not flashy doorbuster type of deals, they are definitely worth considering for bargain hunters. The deals for the Walmart "Big Save" event were supposed to end on July 17th, but are now being extended for an undisclosed amount of time.
If you were looking forward to buying one of Apple's newest iPad Pros at an unbeatable price from Amazon earlier this week, you may have been unpleasantly surprised to see the 2018-released 11 and 12.9-inchers missing out on the Prime Day fun. Of course, the razor-thin powerhouses have been deeply discounted a number of times in recent months by a number of different retailers, with a fresh batch of deals available at Micro Center right now.
The European Commission has ruled out that Qualcomm sold 3G chips at predatory prices between 2009 and 2011 in an attempt to drive competing supplier Icera out of the market and has slapped a $272 million anti-trust fine.
Samsung did smart in sending a few preview Galaxy Fold units to assorted YouTubers and "influencers." Not only did some of them try to peel off the top transparent polyimide layer thinking it's a screen protector, but also issues with crease gaps and hinge debris were identified so that the launch could be postponed until these kinks are ironed out.
The iPhone XS Max
The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 fitness tracker was one of the top-selling wearables of 2018. According to IDC, Xiaomi shipped 23.3 million units last year giving the company a 13.5% share of the market. That placed the Mi Band 3 behind only the Apple Watch, which held a 26.8% slice of the wearables pie in 2018. One of the big reasons that the Mi Band has traditionally been a big seller is that like many Xiaomi products, it offers plenty of functionality for a low price; the Mi Band 3 has been available on Amazon for $30.
Although Casio is one of Google's oldest smartwatch-making partners, the Japanese company never tried to compete against the likes of Apple, Samsung, Huawei, or Fitbit in terms of the mainstream appeal of its Android and iOS-compatible wearable devices.
During the announcement of Huawei's newest phones in the Nova 5 series, the mobile department chief Huang Wei disclosed some news around the foldable Mate X release, too. It seems that the phone hasn't been delayed to test it further for the mishaps that happened with the Galaxy Fold preview units, but rather because it awaits 5G testing and "certification" which we'd wager to guess meaning a wait to see what happens with Huawei's Google Services ban.
Not long ago, Samsung announced a phone camera sensor that carries a record resolution of 64 MP. That's way more than the current ubiquitous 48MP Sony sensor that every Chinese maker seems to slap in their handsets these days.
Apple has uploaded not one and not two, but three new iPhone ads to the company's official YouTube channel for Australia (for some reason) in the past 24 hours, highlighting topics that have been the center of attention of various previous publicity stunts and marketing materials.
There wasn't really much doubt that Samsung would release a new Galaxy Watch this year, but now we have confirmation that the company is working on a new smart watch under the codename "Renaissance."
If you can't afford a member of Samsung's newest high-end smartphone family even after a recent onslaught of substantial discounts and killer bundle deals offered by everyone from Best Buy to Costco, B&H, and Microsoft, it might be a good idea to settle for last year's Galaxy S9 or S9+.
Like many other mobile device makers, from Samsung to Xiaomi, Sony, and even HTC, LG is putting its faith into 5G cellular technology to start a new industrial revolution and turn things around for the stagnating smartphone market. 
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to scan a QR code, only to realize that you don't have a special app installed on your phone? Downloading it on the spot wouldn't be that big of a hassle, but do you really need yet another app just to scan a QR code? The answer is no, you don't. The functionality should be built into the camera app itself and seamlessly work when you point your phone at a QR code.
The V40 ThinQ is not LG's newest or fastest smartphone, having been released around eight months ago with a then-impressive Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood. But although the G8 ThinQ and 5G-enabled V50 ThinQ have seen daylight in the meantime packing Snapdragon 855 power, their forerunner is back in the spotlight thanks to official Android Pie updates recently distributed across the US.
The Galaxy S10 lineup is comprised of not just some of the best-reviewed smartphones in the world right now, but also some of the most often discounted high-enders on the market, which are constantly available at hundreds of bucks off their list prices, with cool gifts included as well from time to time.
What not as popular in the U.S. as it is overseas, the Telegram messaging app offers end-to-end encryption and no limits on the number of people you can chat with or broadcast to at one time. It's no wonder that protesters of all types outside of the states love to use Telegram. And today, the company announced some changes that will be found in version 5.8 of the messaging app.
Quick. Name the most valuable brand name in the world. Apple? nope. Google? That answer is so 2018. According to the 2019 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands rankings computed by WPP and Kantar, Amazon is the most valuable brand with a value of $315 billion. Since the report considers Amazon to be a retailer, Apple is the leader among tech brands just edging out Google with valuations of $309.5 billion and $309 billion respectively. Google was the most valuable overall brand last year.
Remember those cool concept images of what we all hoped would be a foldable Surface Phone from Microsoft? Last summer, the software giant put the so-called Andromeda project on hold although a patent published earlier this year for a hinge left hope that a foldable device might resurface. Today, Forbes reports that a small foldable Surface device is scheduled to arrive during the first half of next year, possibly as soon as the first quarter.
Apple's official iOS 13 rollout is not too far away, and despite the advanced age and relatively modest specifications of the iPhone 6s, the 2015-released 4.7-incher (as well as its 5.5-inch sibling) is guaranteed to receive the next big software update as soon as it will be made available.
There is a good possibility that the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad will be among the next group of Chinese products to get socked by an import tax. U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to escalate the U.S.-China trade war and add tariffs to another $300 billion worth of imports from China. The tax is paid by U.S. companies like Apple and then passed on to U.S. consumers. Some firms are eating the cost of the tax in order to keep retail prices from rising; this is what Apple is doing with iPhone cases and covers that are made in China.
Just because the Surface Pro 5 is the previous generation of Microsoft's high-end tablet doesn't mean that it isn't still a serviceable device. And now Microsoft has a deal on a bundle package that includes the tablet and a Platinum Surface Pro Signature Type Cover for only $599. That's a remarkable $310 or 34% savings on the entire package.
Despite the fact that it was launched on the market two years ago, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro remains a great product to this day. Unfortunately, Apple feels the same way, which is why prices for the model hasn't dropped in the slightest since launch.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, a Democrat, was confirmed by the Senate in January to that position joining fellow lefty Jessica Rosenworcel to make up the 2-3 minority on the regulatory agency. In an interview with CNET, Starks says that not only should the U.S. continue to prevent Huawei networking equipment from being used to build out 5G networks, the gear should also be removed from older 3G and 4G pipelines.
The launch of the Moto G7 series made the previous generation quite cheap. You can grab a Moto G6 at half the price more often than not these days, especially if you know where to look. And so it should since the Moto G7 phones are fairly better and not in the slightest more expensive.
Scammers apparently live by the motto "where there's a will there's a way." Take the Google Calendar app. As Wired notes, criminals with malicious intent are taking advantage of one of the default settings on the app. This setting automatically adds invitations to your schedule even if you haven't responded to them. A few moments before such an event is about to start, a reminder is sent to the device owner.
With Apple releasing iPadOS for the iPad and iPad Pro later this year, the company's tablets are going to have plenty of new features that will improve the experience of using one of these devices. Multitasking will be improved, Safari will offer up only the desktop versions of websites, highlighting text will be much easier and there will be a new home screen that is able to show more app icons. The new iPadOS also features support for external hard drives and will allow users to wield a wireless mouse with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity.
As developers keep adding new features and improvements via regular updates, Microsoft's Android launcher is becoming better and better. The upcoming update promises to further enhance user experience thanks to a number of important new options and abilities added.
Lenovo smartly decided to buy Motorola to have a foothold in the US market, but smartphones aren't the only products the Chinese company is selling in the country. The smart display market only at the beginning, but we already have a couple of major players, including Google and Facebook.