Author Archives: Ewdison Then

Samsung has long been regarded as one of the worst phone makers when it comes rolling out updates to its phones. It's still no Essential but has gotten better, which means others are now forced to take its place of shame. That spot may now be occupied by LG, ironically a close Google partner, whose 2017 flagships have yet to receive their slice of Pie. Fortunately, based on two leaks, Android 9 may just be around the corner for the LG G6 and LG V30.

Continue Reading

Although Intel is often criticized for failing to scale its chips down to ARM's level of energy efficiency, it still has the edge when it comes to raw processing power when TDP is not much of an issue. That's especially applicable in research fields where the main concern is, to some extent, trying to make computers replicate how the human brain works. It's for that exact purpose that Intel has developed its Loihi "neuromorphic" research chip that it has now put on a specialized system to provide the processing needs of special applications ranging from research to AI to IoT.

Continue Reading

Microsoft has shifted its strategy away from forcing its operating systems on users, including mobile, to a more "services-oriented" tactic that offers apps and platforms for others to build on or use on its competitors' platforms. That seems to be the case even when it has competing products like smart assistants. In fact, in the next Windows 10 update later this year, it will be giving those assistants more control even when the PC is still on its lock screen.

Continue Reading

Recent trends in the productivity space have made pen and paper more popular and more relevant but even analog fans will admit to some shortcomings in non-digital formats. On the other hand, there are also much-defended benefits to jotting some things by hand. The folks at Rocketbook have worked to bridge the analog and digital divide in new, innovative ways and their latest product, the Rocketbook Fusion, takes all of those lessons to create an environment-friendly notebook to appeal to the productivity-loving crowd.

Continue Reading

Even before it had a chance to fully roll out, Windows 10 was already lambasted for how it nagged users to upgrade to Microsoft's latest but not so greatest. That may now be in the past but it seems that Redmond has found another way to notify users that the version of Windows 10 they're on will be reaching its end of life. What it doesn't make apparent is that it may automatically update such users to the latest version, whether they like to or not.

Continue Reading

Xiaomi phones have always sold like pancakes in China but it has had a harder time gaining traction in other markets. Part of that is due to Xiaomi's custom MIUI interface that may not appeal to markets outside of China. Surprisingly, the company recently jumped on the Android One program and it wasn't even just a one-time publicity stunt. Images of a Mi A3 phone have now popped up on the Internet to seemingly prove that third time's a charm.

Continue Reading

USB-C brought a lot of functionality and convenience in a single port but it also brought a bit of confusion. Not all USB ports and accessories are created equal and, just like in the old USB-A and micro USB world, some accessories are for single uses only. Some computers these days, however, may have only one USB-C port for data and sometimes even for power as well. For those cases, Sony is introducing the MRW-S3 hub that will solve all those problems with a single USB-C port.

Continue Reading

Most PC gamers probably see steam only has a digital games store but developers will tell you that the platform is a lot more than that. While it offers developers some features like controller support, statistics, and others, platform maker Valve is also thinking about other features to add to the platform itself. Now it is gathering those experiments under a single Steam Labs roof for the public to see and, for the daring, to try out.

Continue Reading

YouTube may be the prime venue for watching videos online but when it comes to interacting with viewers in real-time, platforms like Twitch and, more recently, Microsoft's Mixer, are the venues of choice. YouTube has been trying to get a piece of that pie with Super Chat and now it's announcing new features at VidCon that will let fans express their adoration and support. That is if they're willing to pay for it.

Continue Reading

In just a month, Samsung will be making the Galaxy Note 10 official and it might not be alone. Just like its other launches, Samsung is expected to have a wearable to go along with the phablet. Instead of the Galaxy Watch 2, however, it might announce the Galaxy Watch Active 2 instead. But despite that name, the smartwatch looks like it will be Samsung's classiest, at least based on new leaked renders.

Continue Reading

Google just recently came under fire for what could be a privacy violation involving Google Assistant on Google Home smart speakers. According to the anonymous source, just like Amazon, Google is sending some recordings to human auditors who process and tag the clips to improve Google Assistant. Google doesn't deny the role that these reviewers play in improving the service but also clarifies its stance on the privacy of its processes.

Continue Reading

The Galaxy Note 10 won't have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It will have, instead, a USB-C headphone jack. Even before the phone has launched, it is already earning criticism because of that one "feature" among many other criticized changes. Samsung may already be preparing for the backlash by providing not just USB-C in-ear headphones but ones that come with a noise canceling feature that's unusual for buds that ship inside phone boxes.

Continue Reading