Joe has been writing and making videos about mobile tech since 2012 when he worked under the alias of, “MobileCupOfJoe.” After retiring his personal channel, Joe worked for a number of different sites before finding his way to 9to5Google. When he isn’t writing or making videos, Joe can be found flying drones and channeling his inner white girl at Starbucks.
Starting a new company from the ground up is anything but easy, and Andy Rubin has quickly been learning that with Essential. A recent customer service error revealed personal customer info to other buyers, Verizon compatibility is still shaky, and the dual-cameras leave a lot to be desired. However, despite these woes, the Essential Phone is now arriving on buyers’ doorsteps.
LG officially unveiled the V30 to the world in the wee hours of the morning, and our initial hands-on time with the phone has been quite positive to say the least. The software on the V30 remains mostly unchanged from the G6, but as with the majority of phones, the V30 brings a ton of new wallpapers to spruce up its look. If you want to give your own device some of the V30’s aesthetic right now, you can download the official new wallpapers right here.
At the very beginning of the month, a Limited Edition Black version of the BlackBerry Keyone debuted as an exclusive to India. A few weeks later, AT&T announced that it would be the exclusive carrier of the Space Black Keyone here in the United States. Now, during IFA 2017, TCL has confirmed that the Black Edition Keyone will be expanded to 30 countries across the globe.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen pretty substantial leaks for both the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact. Sony took the stage at IFA in Berlin this morning to talk about some of its upcoming products for the rest of the year and beyond, and as we expected, part of the company’s press conference was dedicated to talking about Sony’s two new flagship smartphones.
Over the past few days, we’ve gotten announcements for new smartwatches/fitness trackers from both Samsung and Fitbit. The Samsung Gear Sport and Fitbit Ionic are shaping up to be two of the best smartwatches for all of 2017, and the latest wearable announced alongside them is the Garmin Vivoactive 3.
IFA 2017 is well underway, and although LG’s V30 announcement might have been the highlight for a lot of people, there are still plenty of new gadgets and product announcements to talk about. Following LG’s event earlier this morning, the next company that will be taking the stage is Sony.
Following weeks upon weeks of leaks, rumors, and even statements from LG itself, the time has finally come for the unveiling of the V30. LG’s press event for the V30 is set to begin in a little less than 7 hours at the time of publication, and just ahead of this event, another render of the phone has popped up showing the flagship in a few different colors.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note used to be the star of the show for IFA in Berlin, but since the company started holding its own separate events for the Note series, LG’s V-series has quickly become the highlight of Germany’s premier mobile trade show. In the wee hours of tomorrow morning here in the States, LG will be livestreaming its press conference so you can watch the V30 unveiling in real-time.
Over the past few days, we’ve seen announcements for new smartwatches from Fitbit and Samsung. These latest wearables are shaping up to be some of the best options yet from each company, and in that same breath, possibly two of the best smartwatches for all of 2017. Neither the Fitbit Ionic or Samsung Gear Sport are powered by Android Wear, but in all honesty, that might be a good thing.
Earlier today, Samsung took the wraps off of its new Gear Fit 2 Pro and Gear Sport wearables. In addition to these two announcements, Samsung also unveiled an updated version of its Gear IconX wireless earbuds. The big feature this time around? Access to a voice assistant that likely won’t do what you want it to.
Before the likes of the iPhone, Samsung’s Galaxy flagship series, and Google’s Pixel, brands like BlackBerry, Palm, and Motorola were the pioneers of mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Motorola’s still going strong under Lenovo’s ownership, and the BlackBerry name returned with the Keyone earlier in the year with open arms from both critics and consumers. Now, in 2018, the famous Palm brand will be returning to the mobile landscape.
Blu’s been making affordable Android phones for a few years now, and following a misstep with Amazon earlier this month, the company has announced its latest smartphone — the Blu Vivo 8. The Vivo 8 won’t knock your socks off, but the features and specs it offers are quite impressive for its price.
Samsung held a press conference in Berlin today ahead of the official opening of IFA 2017, and unveiled its two new wearables that we’ve been expecting for some time now — the Gear Fit 2 Pro and the Gear Sport. Here’s everything you need to know.
Xiaomi was the first company to announce and release a near bezel-less smartphone last October with the Xiaomi Mi Mix. The Mi Mix was (and still is) one of the most futuristic-looking smartphones around, and we’ll soon know everything about its successor..
Announcements from IFA are slowly starting to trickle in, and one of the first comes from Acer with the company’s updated Chromebook 15. This latest model of the Chromebook 15 makes some solid improvements over its predecessors, and for those in the market for a large and powerful Chromebook option, this looks like one of your best bets.
Just about a week ago, Google released the official factory images for Android 8.0 Oreo following the unveiling of its dessert name and statue. Eight days after that announcement, Verizon is already starting to push the 8.0 update to Pixel and Pixel XL handsets on its network.
Between turn-by-turn navigation, being able to see how busy a business is at any given time, the ability to easily hunt down gas stations, and plenty more, Google Maps is a true powerhouse when it comes to maps/navigation. In the most recent update to the service, Google has announced that Maps will now make it easier than ever to find a place to park your car when you’re out and about.
When it comes to virtual assistants, the Google Assistant has quickly grown to be one of the best the market currently has to offer. That might sound a little biased considering the nature of our site, but when compared to the likes of Siri, Alexa, and others, Google has the upper-hand in many key areas — that is, unless you’re talking third-party integration.
Thankfully, with the Android 8.0 Oreo update, this won’t be the case any longer.
Following the big 2.0 update that was released at the beginning of the year, Android Wear has been in something of a slump. A lack of truly compelling hardware is keeping new buyers at bay, and upcoming competition from Samsung and Fitbit is giving the platform a run for its money. However, for those of you that still rely on Google’s wearable OS, a new update that’s coming with 8.0 Oreo will help to keep you on top of all incoming notifications — even when your battery’s low.
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Earlier this month, full device renders for Fitbit’s first-ever smartwatch popped up online to give us a pretty clear look at what to expect from the wearable. Now that the official announcement has been made for Fitbit’s first smartwatch — the Ionic — the company is promising to deliver a wearable that offers powerful fitness-tracking and smartwatch features in one single package.
LG has been anything but quiet about its upcoming V30 smartphone over the past few weeks, and although we know nearly everything about the upcoming handset, it still looks like one of this year’s more interesting flagship offerings. Thanks to a new hands-on photo that’s surfaced online, we now have a clear vision of how the finished product will look.
At the end of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 announcement event last week in New York City, the company teased its upcoming press conference that will be taking place in just a few days at IFA in Berlin. Samsung hinted at multiple devices being announced at the upcoming trade show, and one of them just might be a new Gear 360 camera.
Following the announcement of the Galaxy Note 8 last week, Samsung has finally given in to the trend of dual rear-cameras. The next Samsung phone to boast dual cameras on its backside is reported to be the Galaxy J7+, and a new batch of hands-on photos for the device leaves very little to the imagination.
At the time of this article being published, Andy Rubin announced the Essential Phone exactly 87 days ago. Those 87 days have been far from perfect for Essential following shipment delays and executives jumping ship, but at long last, the company’s very first device, the Essential Phone, is shipping out to buyers.
