Author Archives: Ewdison Then

Amazon has always made versions of its Android-powered Fire tablets that are designed for younger users that came with a service that gave parents some control over those devices. Amazon's branding, which revolved around the name "FreeTime", hasn't always been on point and could easily be mistaken for some other feature. Starting today, Amazon FreeTime is being called Amazon Kids and it is getting a few more features to make that rebranding worthwhile.

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Despite their pedigree, Sony's smartphones haven't exactly been known for their photography prowess. If you really want a Sony-branded shooter, you'll have to look to its dedicated cameras, many of which might be literally too heavy for comfort. Perhaps trying to appeal to a more mobile audience, Sony is launching its new Alpha 7C camera which, together with a new FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 zoom lens and HVL-F28RM flash, is touted to be the world's smallest and lightest full-frame camera system.

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The Nokia brand's golden age is far behind us but HMD Global managed to at least salvage its reputation and give it a new image in this smartphone age. The company has made a lot of promises, most of them coming to fruition, and Nokia has once again earned a place in the smartphone market. Now it seems poised to start something new, though what that will be is anyone's guess. Fortunately, one only has to wait a week before HMD Global makes that grand reveal, along with a mystery special guest.

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With the clock ticking down to Apple's official virtual event on Tuesday, last-minute leaks of this year's iPhone generation continue to come in. Not all of them, however, are encouraging, like word about the expected 120Hz refresh rate display on the iPhone 12 Pro. Swinging to the other side of the spectrum, however, a new leak now seemingly confirms one other debated details about the Pro iPhones, putting a LiDAR sensor on the back of the smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro.

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In about 12 hours, LG will be revealing one of its craziest smartphones yet. Having tried the dual-screen idea and not really that interested in an expensive foldable phone, the company will instead be putting a smaller second screen underneath the main one. The LG Wing's swiveling system will surely raise a few eyebrows, both users' and developers', so it has prepared its new mobile developer portal to explain why app makers might want to take advantage of the unconventional extra real estate.

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With just a few days to spare, the drama around TikTok's fate in the US has suddenly gotten intense again. TikTok would have been banned from the US Tuesday had it not found a buyer of the popular short-video social platform and that buyer was expected to be Microsoft. In an almost strange twist of events, Microsoft has announced that TikTok owner ByteDance would not be selling it to the software giant and sources claim it was because Oracle had a better offer.

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Despite living in a mostly digital age, there always comes a time when we end up having to print something. It isn't always a smooth and uneventful experience, especially when you discover only then and there that you don't have enough ink left in the first place. If would definitely be grand if you could simply command your printer to do that for you. If you have an Amazon Echo, you now can, well, sort of.

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Huawei is perhaps best known for its smartphones and its networking hardware but it does also have other products for consumers, including laptops. On their own, Huawei's MateBook X seemed poised to take on the bigger players, particularly Apple's MacBook line, with its mix of design, performance, and features that tie in with Huawei and Honor smartphones. Its 2020 iteration of the MateBook X may prove to be one of its best yet but might, unfortunately, be dead on arrival in markets where it will even be available.

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The back and forth between game house Epic Games and Apple have quickly turned ugly and, as always, it's the users and developers that are suffering the most from it. It isn't just because Fortnite is practically dead on Apple's platforms but even integration Epic Games' products and Apple's services are getting affected at the inconvenience of people other than Epic and Apple. The latest chapter in that bickering is Sign in with Apple for Epic Games accounts which is actually staying but only until further notice.

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The Surface Duo just went on sale and immediately went out of stock for a brief moment. The Android-based phone, however, wasn't the only dual-screen device Microsoft had planned to launch this year but it will be the only one that actually sees the light of day. Much to fans' disappointment, the Windows-based Surface Neo was put on hold, some saying indefinitely even. Microsoft's Panos Panay now sets the record straight that the device is only delayed and even teases that more might be in the works, too.

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When the first smart speakers, led by the Amazon Echo, appeared, there was some confusion at what they'd really be good for. These devices eventually became commonplace inside more modern homes but they initially lacked one feature people presumed they would have: making and taking phone calls. That also eventually arrived in one form or another but now Amazon and AT&T are making it easier by linking subscribers' accounts with their Echo speakers for convenient hands-free calls.

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It might have been too easy to belittle the US ban on supplying Huawei with semiconductors but the full brunt of that rule is now coming to light in full. While the primary and immediate casualties are, of course, the mobile processors that will power Huawei's chips, the rule's chilling effects actually covers anything and everything that is powered or controlled by a chip, including the screens that Samsung and LG will no longer supply Huawei exactly for that reason.

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