One of the hallmarks of Google Stadia is the ability to game on traditional devices like computers and TVs along with more portable form factors like a Pixel phone. To make the most of playing Stadia on your Pixel, you’ll need a phone mount for your controller. But is the official Made for Google Stadia Controller CLAW from Power Support worth your money?
Each year, Chromebooks become thinner and more portable, but this unfortunately comes at the cost of once-indispensable ports like HDMI and Ethernet. Some devices, like the Pixelbook, don’t even have so much as a full USB-A port.
These can, of course, each be replaced with a separate dongle, but many Chromebooks have only two USB-C ports, which would make it impossible to use two dongles and charge simultaneously. The Moshi Symbus Q, which plugs in with just one USB-C port, is able to replace all of these dongles, charge your Chromebook, and wirelessly charge your phone simultaneously.
As Chrome OS continues to improve and offer consistent features and experience across all devices (with the exception of the Pixel line’s special treatment), the only real difference between two Chromebooks is the external and internal hardware. The Acer Chromebook 514 has hardware that certainly sets itself apart from the pack, but not always in a good way.
HMD is doing an excellent job with the Nokia brand and that continues with the Android One powered Nokia 7.1. The handset doesn’t try to introduce anything majorly groundbreaking or particularly innovative, instead, it does a whole lot to a high enough standard that could make it a great purchase for a substantial subsection of the public.
Having had plenty of time to make a decision on the handset, I’m almost certain that this could be one of the best sub-$400 smartphones on the market. With the software update security net of Android One on top of a solid build and quality experience, anyone looking for a great backup or an Android device for a tech-fearing loved one, the Nokia 7.1 deserves some serious attention.
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Ed. Note: After publication, Acer changed the price from $250 to $270 which is only $20 more but quite a bit in this budget segment.
The Chromebook train keeps on trucking with Google’s partner companies turning out new, better specced, higher quality devices every few weeks it seems. Today we are taking a quick look at Acer’s new $270 fanless 4GB Chromebook 11 (CB311-8H-C5DV) in an Indigo Blue matte finish. It puts a speedy higher end 4GB/32GB SSD storage into a durable package kids will love.
LG has a funny habit of announcing new phones way ahead of their release, then losing excitement from the would-be buyers who get tired of waiting and decide to buy something else. That’s a shame, because LG has really started to offer some phenomenal flagship devices.
That couldn’t be more true of the V30, which we’ve already had for months in the forms of both retail and preview units, but the phone only just launched in the US over the past week, and you know what? The V30 is the best phone LG has ever made, and I’d even say it’s one of the best Android phones of the year — with some caveats, of course.
Sony has never had a strong presence in the Western smartphone market, but that doesn’t mean its phones aren’t worth your time. The Japanese company was one of the first to introduce water resistance on a smartphone, as well as a two-stage camera button (at least on the Android front), and now it’s the first and only manufacturer with a 4K phone.
These days, 1080p is still perfectly fine for the vast majority of users, and a lot of people can’t even tell the difference between 1080p and QHD on such a small screen anyway. So why is Sony cramming even more pixels into its latest superphone? Well, simply put, because it can.
OnePlus has a reputation for making high-performance phones — self-branded “flagship killers,” at abnormally low prices. Those prices have climbed with each new phone the company puts out, and the OnePlus 5 sits in the same price range as some “true” flagships like the LG G6.
That might not necessarily be a bad thing, though. The higher cost also means OnePlus was able to put better specs in the 5, and it’s starting to look less like a flagship killer … and more like a proper flagship.
When ZTE released the ZMax Pro last year, we were very impressed with its performance and features — especially for a device as inexpensive as $99. It had some minor drawbacks — a lack of fast charging and a subpar camera, to name a couple — but it was undeniably one of the best deals around for MetroPCS customers.
The Blade X Max is essentially a refreshed version of the ZMax Pro coming soon to Cricket Wireless, bringing updated specs and minor improvements to an almost identical design. While the price is slightly higher this time around, it’s still a great prepaid option for all the same reasons as its predecessor.
Smartwatches tend to range from incredibly basic, offering not much more than just notifications, to supercomputers that have everything built-in while also making the watch big and bulky. Ultimately, the smartwatch that most customers want is one that lands somewhere in between these two categories. The LG Watch Style is an Android Wear 2.0 device that resides more on the basic side of the spectrum but at least it does the basics extremely well…
I still look back to the day that Android Wear debuted as the one that I finally took wearable devices seriously. I remember getting excited that, finally, someone had gotten a wearable operating system right. However, after its debut, that shine quickly wore off. I found myself no longer enjoying the ecosystem I had come to love, and looking into other options.
Now, it’s 2017, and it’s been almost a year since Android Wear was on my wrist on a daily basis. In the time since, I’ve used a variety of wearables like the Pebble, the Ticwatch, and Samsung’s Gear S3, all while Google worked on Android Wear 2.0 in the background. Now, Android Wear 2.0 is here, and with it, new hardware.
Google partnered with LG for this new hardware, resulting in two new devices: the LG Watch Sport, and the LG Watch Style. For the past several days, I’ve been using the “flagship” of the two, the Watch Sport…
Smartwatches still haven’t proven themselves to me. I was quick to jump on the Android Wear train with the launch of the LG G Watch, but since, this Android Wear ride has been nothing more than mundane. I think one of the easiest ways to sum up my underwhelming experience is to say that this watch — the third generation of the budget “ZenWatch” line from ASUS — is almost functionally identical to the Moto 360 that launched two years ago.
That’s not to say that this watch is bad. It’s actually pretty good. It actually might be the best Android Wear device that you can buy right now. But for me, that’s not enough. It has required discipline to go out of my way for the last week to wear this thing, and I probably won’t keep wearing it every day from now on. But this review isn’t about me; don’t let me sway you if you’re dead-set on getting a smartwatch. If you are, the ASUS ZenWatch 3 might be a great option for you…
I typically review Android phones, so looking at Google’s new non-phone products this year — including its Daydream VR headset, Google Home, and now Google Wifi — has been a nice change of pace. Over the last month, though, these posts have only gotten further and further from being phone reviews. The Daydream View uses an Android phone to function, while the Home is an always-listening Chromecast without the screen — although it functions very similarly to using Assistant on the Pixel.
The Google Wifi, as you probably already know, is a router. It’s what Google hopes will replace that little gray box that probably sits in the corner of your office, collecting dust since the cable guy came a couple years ago. Thankfully this isn’t just any router, though. This is the successor to the OnHub, and that means we get an attractive design, as well as a delightfully user-friendly app that lets you “set it and forget it” if you want to, but puts all the most important features at your fingertips if you ever need them…
Huawei is an ambitious company. Over the next two years, the Chinese behemoth plans to overtake Apple to become the second biggest smartphone maker on the planet. It sounds impossible, but considering the company took the number three spot in just four years, I would give them a chance at reaching that goal. Why?
Huawei releases a ton of phones each year and for the most part, they’re all pretty solid. We’ve reviewed several Huawei-made devices over the years including the Nexus 6P, Honor 5X, Huawei P9, and most recently, the Honor 8. All four of these devices are fantastic in their own respects, but there’s a common flaw on all of them ─ the software, but we’ll get into that.
Now it’s 2016, Huawei isn’t slowing down in the slightest, and we’ve got the Huawei Mate 9. Long story short, this phone is great, but let’s take a closer look…
Like many of you, I first heard of Google’s Daydream platform — then rumored to be called Android VR — back at Google I/O 2016. I had hope that Google would pull an actual VR headset out of a hat at its annual developer conference, but, unsurprisingly, that didn’t happen. I felt a bit let down when I learned that the company was rather going to double-down on Cardboard.
It seemed like a good idea in theory, but I was skeptical. Would smartphone-in-a-headset ever be a good enough experience for people to use VR for any longer than 10 minutes? Can phones handle captivating VR experiences? I’m still not completely sure, but having now spent a week with Daydream, I feel for now that the answer is going to be yes and no.
We didn’t expect it to come as soon as it did, but Google’s first solely self-branded smartphone, the Google Pixel, is finally here. In light of how mature the smartphone market has become in the last few years, it’s hard for a new phone to stand out as something that takes anything more than a few baby steps forward. This phone isn’t that much different. But what is different is that it isn’t just any Android phone made by one of Google’s partners. This one is Google’s, and that’s special.
It’s special because Google really has made an effort at building a good top-to-bottom user experience. It’s special because Google has made some clear — in some cases major — improvements to its software and how it works with the hardware. It’s special because it has a great camera. It’s special because it’s the first Android phone to ship with the Google Assistant. It’s special because it’s the first Daydream-ready smartphone. It’s special because it’s the best portal to Google’s services, full stop.
But most of all, I think the Pixel is special because it seems to me that Google’s newly-rebirthed smartphone line has a lot of potential. Yes, there are some things that this phone doesn’t have. But what phone doesn’t? Let’s talk about what the Pixel has going for it.
I hope that a day will come that I can review a Huawei/Honor device and not mention that software is its biggest weakness. Unfortunately, today is not that day. But I have good news. If the Honor 8 wasn’t a remarkable step forward for Huawei’s millennial-focused sub-brand, I probably wouldn’t be reviewing it. But here I am. I’m reviewing it. And that’s because it’s worth talking about…
I’m already late to the game on this one, but now seemed just as good a time as ever to share some of my thoughts on Sony’s mid-2016 flagship performer. Basically, this is the Xperia X with a Snapdragon 820. We already gave you our full review of the Xperia X, and most of what we said there rings true with this phone. It’s a nice handset with a high-quality build and all the features you would expect from a smartphone. Here’s what stands out to me about this version of the device, though…
Admittedly, I haven’t had enough time with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to be able to get used to it as a daily driver. As with all of the other reviews including Dom’s, we’re under a week in over here. But that doesn’t mean this thing hasn’t blown me away in a lot of respects. Nor does it mean that it is flawless.
Today is the first day you can pick it up at Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T in the US and through your favorite retailers, and I know a lot of you have itchy trigger fingers.
The question: Should you get this smartphone?
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Meet Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. We recently got a hands-on look at it at the official press event, but now it’s time to dig a little deeper. After our initial impressions of the phone, we decided to get a better perspective on everything involved here and let you know if Samsung’s latest and greatest is worth your hard-earned cash…
When you think of ZTE, generally it’s not a name you’d associate with flagship devices. Despite its best efforts, the Chinese company just can’t get away from lower-end budget smartphones. But with its latest device, the ZTE ZMax Pro, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Just a few weeks ago the company launched the 6-inch, spec-heavy mid-range smartphone that would be impressive for most price points, but at just $99, it blew us away. I’ve been using the ZMax Pro for the past couple of weeks, and now I’m here to find out if it’s actually a good deal…
I’ve long been a big fan of the Moto G since the original version, and I’ve used an iteration or two since its initial debut. The latest smartphones to bear the G-series moniker are the Moto G4 and the Moto G4 Plus, and upon first glance, you might have trouble discerning which is which.
That’s because both smartphones look strikingly similar. In fact, the Moto G4 Plus is essentially a Moto G4 with a few notable enhancements. As such, I’ll make references to both devices throughout this post.
Starting at just $199.99 (or as low as $149.99 via Amazon Prime special offers), the Moto G4 family of smartphones are unlocked out of the box, and work with LTE on all US-carriers. Is the Lenovo-owned Motorola still on top of its game when it comes to offering great value to budget-minded customers?
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Last week, Spigen sent over a few cases for the recently released HTC 10. That was great news for me, as I’ve been extremely hesitant to use the device as my daily driver without some sort of protection.
If the HTC 10 wasn’t so pretty and well designed it wouldn’t matter, but it’s a beautiful smartphone that I wish to keep in tip-top shape. As such, I was more than happy to take Spigen’s offerings for a test drive. Take a look at our hands-on video to see the cases in action.
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I’ve long be intrigued about the potential of virtual reality, and as such, I’ve been dying to try the Oculus Rift or the HTC Vive. Sadly, I’ve yet to have the opportunity to try either.
I humbly settled on Google Cardboard, which is a nice novelty, but a less than ideal experience. For all that Google Cardboard lacked, it made it clear that VR is more than just a passing fad, and that it features some serious potential.
Google Cardboard, for all of its merits, doesn’t do the idea of VR justice. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend ~$1500 to enjoy a proper VR experience. Samsung’s Gear VR, an idea brought to reality via a partnership with VR pioneer Oculus, is a legitimate VR experience that makes me downright excited about the future of this technology.
Gear VR is far from perfect, but it’s a huge upgrade over Google Cardboard, and cheap enough to where the masses can both experience and validate it.
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