The OnePlus 5 was announced today, and while many appreciated the company’s decision to build a more premium handset, others were upset at the increased cost of the smartphone. As someone who dislikes the OnePlus 5’s price tag, what features would you have happily given up if it meant a less expensive cell phone?
This morning we got our first hands-on look at the OnePlus 5 and most importantly, its camera. In addition to the flagship’s design change, the biggest addition is a dual camera setup for taking portrait-style photographs and the ability to zoom in without actually cropping down on the image. What is your favorite dual-camera smartphone feature?
If there is one thing that Twitter users have been begging for, it’s the ability to edit tweets. In response, Twitter has instead decided to introduce a brand new design in its mobile and desktop applications. All jokes aside, do you like the new design that features a round interface or was the old look better?
Custom launchers are one of the best ways that users can take full advantage of Android’s open ecosystem. Without having to modify their smartphones, users can simply install a third-party launcher and change up the look of their device. Today, Nova Launcher received an update which makes it even better with native Google Now built-in. What other launchers should have this functionality?
Although we are still several months out from an official announcement, yesterday we got news that “muskie,” believed to be the Pixel XL 2, was being shelved. Then we found information that suggests that “taimen,” a larger smartphone being developed, is being manufactured by LG. Would you purchase the second generation Pixel XL if it were being made by LG?
A report emerged yesterday claiming that Sprint would be the exclusive carrier for the Essential Phone, a move that was confirmed by Sprint this morning. What this means for customers in the US is that Andy Rubin’s brand new smartphone can only be bought unlocked for full price or through a single carrier. Will the prospects of you purchasing the Essential Phone be diminished if you can’t buy it from a different cellular carrier?
About a week earlier than we had expected, Google today announced that it would begin pushing out the third Android O Developer Preview. After spending most of the day digging through it, we found a bunch of small yet noticeable user-facing changes. Which of these changes is your favorite?
Two of the most popular trends in the technology industry today are AI and machine learning. With that, some of the larger tech companies have created voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, and now Bixby. So that they can actually be useful, companies are attempting to add the assistants to everything, including speakers.
If Samsung were to one day create a smart speaker powered by Bixby, would you buy it over one from the company’s competitors?
Several days ago, Andy Rubin officially unveiled the smartphone that his new startup, Essential, had developed. What Rubin believes will make the handset stand out is its ability to add accessories via magnetic pogo pins, such as a 360-degree camera. Do you think the 360-degree camera is compelling enough to purchase the phone alongside it rather than a standalone camera?
Today, at WWDC, Apple unveiled its long-awaited “Siri speaker” which it named the HomePod. Its strange name aside, the HomePod does offer much better sound performance when compared to the Google Home and the Amazon Echo thanks to its seven built-in speakers. Would you buy a Google Home that provided a more premium speaker setup?
Essential, Andy Rubin’s latest startup, has been teasing its upcoming smartphone for some time now. Today, it took to Twitter to announced that it will finally unveil the mysterious device on May 30th. With so many other great devices on the market, what does Essential’s forthcoming smartphone have to offer to get you to purchase it?
Today we found out that by just installing an APK onto the Samsung Galaxy S8, you could “replace” the preinstalled navigation buttons with another OEM’s design. While this technique doesn’t actually remove Samsung’s keys, it does allow users to make them appear like stock Android’s. Is there a particular company’s navigation buttons that you like most?
For the last couple of days, there has been rumors and speculation floating around that LeEco might be letting go of some of its staff. A report came out yesterday saying that roughly 80 percent of the US-based hires could be cut. LeEco followed that up by officially laying off 70 percent of its staff due to a “lack of funding” so now we’re curious… Did you ever purchase any of LeEco’s products?
Over the last couple of years, Google I/O has become less of a spectacle where people are literally skydiving onto the top of the Moscone Center and more of a place for Google to talk directly to developers. Because of this, people have started calling Google dull. Do you think that this year’s Google I/O developer conference was boring?
This past week at I/O 2017, Google finally introduced a long-awaited and requested feature for Google Assistant: keyboard input. Although it is already quick and easy to trigger Assistant with your voice and ask a question, you couldn’t use it when in a quiet environment. Now that keyboard should be rolling out to all, which form of input do you prefer using?
For years now, Google’s emoji have stood out from the crowd because they didn’t share the typical round design seen on other smartphones. Many called these emoji “blobs” because of their shape and it was pretty hit or miss as far as if someone liked them. Now that they have been updated in Android O, do you miss them or are the new emoji better?
Today has been a busy day in the world of Google as the company kicked off its annual developer conference with a keynote address. During this presentation, Google unveiled new features coming to Android, Google Assistant, and all sorts of improvements for some of its other apps and services. What was your favorite announcement from day one of Google I/O 2017?
Google kicks off its annual developer conference tomorrow morning with a keynote address. Based on past keynotes, we know that Google normally lays out the company’s plans for upcoming versions of Android, Chrome OS, and sometimes even previews new projects and hardware products. What do you want to see Google announce tomorrow?
One of the long-time rumored features of the upcoming HTC U 11 is something that we are now calling “Edge Sense.” Theoretically, the metal frame of the handset will be pressure sensitive and will trigger different actions when squeezed. Do you think this Edge Sense technology will actually be useful?
One of the biggest problems facing Android is fragmentation. This is brought on by the fact that every smartphone manufacturer installs its own modified version of Android on its devices. This means it takes time and money to update each handset whenever a new version of Android comes out. Do you think Google should require OEMs to use stock Android so that this becomes less of an issue?
Today a new report came out that showed that as of Q1 of 2017, Samsung’s Tizen OS now has a larger market share than Google’s Android Wear. Although Tizen is still well below Apple’s 57% market share with watchOS, it does show that a majority of Android users who want to a smartwatch are turning to Samsung. Do you think this amount of popularity will eventually get people to try out other Tizen-powered products?
Today, we got a first look at a brand new operating system that Google has been building called Fuchsia. Although we do not know what Google plans to do with this new OS, the pre-alpha build does give us a quick peek into how it may work one day when completed. What do you think of Fuchsia’s user interface so far?
After being reported on earlier this year, a new set of leaked images has revealed Amazon’s new Echo with a built-in display. With it being rumored that the next Home will also act as a mesh router, do you think it should also have a touchscreen?
Our review of the BlackBerry Keyone dropped today and one of the smartphone’s standout features is its physical keyboard. The problem with the physical keyboard, though, is that while some people love using it to quickly write out a message, others dislike it because it’s always there and takes real estate away from a potentially larger display. Could a physical keyboard phone like the Keyone become your daily driver?
