Author Archives: JC Torres

The public launch of Android 11 was a big day for Android users but it was an even bigger day for some Android phone makers. While it may have been once normal for some like LG or even Samsung to announce some commitment to the new Android version in one way or another, OPPO was making a big splash about being one of the first few to announce a beta program on the same day as Android 11's launch. That was, however, just the tip of the iceberg and we took the upcoming ColorOS 11 beta for a spin to see if this is more than just a facelift.

Continue Reading

Apple's AirPods design has become so iconic that it was only inevitable that many TWS earbuds would start sporting the same basic look. It was also inevitable that there would be countless knockoffs trying to rip consumers off that aren't able to tell the difference. It seems that even authorities may have been confused as the US Customs and Border Protection office proudly announced they seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple AirPods that were clearly marked as OnePlus Buds.

Continue Reading

The iPhone 12 series will be announced in practically two days, which hopefully means mass production of at least the base models have started by now. Indeed, if the phones have to be available within just weeks after the announcement, production lines should already be churning the units. That also means, of course, that hardware features should already be locked down and fixed and, unfortunately, that also means that one still debated feature is no longer coming according to one leak source.

Continue Reading

Putting all speculation to rest, NVIDIA has finally announced that it is making an official bid to acquire Arm Limited from SoftBank. While the final say will be with regulators, this would mean that NVIDIA could soon be the owner of the intellectual property that pretty much powers the world's smartphones, cars, and many embedded devices. That does raise concerns about NVIDIA's hold on such IP and the computer graphics tech giant promises it will be business as usual as far as that licensing business goes.

Continue Reading

Aside from cramming more sophisticated health-related sensors inside, smartwatches have pretty much remained the same in the last two or so years. Given the popularity and sales numbers that the Apple Watch enjoys because of that, it's not surprising that few want to stray from that well-trodden path. That's why when someone like Nubia dares to present something new, it definitely turns heads. But is the tall and semi-flexible screen of the Nubia Watch enough to make the leap of faith on Kickstarter? We get to wrap one around our wrist to bring you that answer.

Continue Reading

Although its mobile business has definitely seen better days, LG remains one of the big names in the TV and display markets. It is also one of the few in that market that develops and uses its own smart TV platform rather than adopting something like Android TV. While that has the benefit of giving LG more control over the experience, it also means it has less access to some of the apps and services consumers might expect are already there. Case in point, it's only now that Amazon Music is coming to the TV but at least it will be coming even to four-year-old products.

Continue Reading

Bose's QuietComfort, better known as "QC", headphoens are often considered to have one of the best active noise cancellation technologies, at least when it comes to consumer audio accessories. That, however, has mostly applied to its larger products or earphones that at least have enough room for the electronics needed to make ANC work. That's why Bose is so proud of its new QuietComfort Earbuds that, for the first time, bring its popular QC technology to a form that's just as large as a quarter.

Continue Reading

For a while, it seemed that Apple would just be doing the bare minimum to get its Apple Music on Android and then leave it at that. Of course, that would have reflected badly on Apple's service and its development skills rather than Android as a platform and, fortunately, it does keep the app fresh and the latest update even has clear signs of the rumored Apple One subscription bundle coming really soon.

Continue Reading

Smart assistants today let us do many things with our voice or sometimes a tap or two but the things they allow are often dictated by product manufactures and service providers only. Long before these home automation platforms came to be, IFTTT, short for "If This Then That", democratized connecting web services or even smart appliances together. It always has had one hard limit but now you can go beyond IFTTT's simple operation. That is if you're willing to pay the literal price.

Continue Reading

Much to the consternation of Play Music users, Google is clearly pinning its music business on YouTube Music. Naturally, it is trying to convince the users that the latter offers an even better experience than the former. While some are still looking for feature parity, YouTube Music is busy rolling out new features that would put it on the same footing as its bigger and stronger rivals like Spotify and Apple Music, features like making playlists more dynamic and even more collaborative.

Continue Reading

It's a fact of life that things get lost, whether under the couch, left at Starbucks, or, worse, taken by someone. Technologies have been developed to help remind you when you and your stuff stray too far from each other or even help you locate these things when the inevitable does happen. Not all lost things get found, even with things like Tile trackers but the company is willing to reimburse what you lost, presuming you agree to pay an annual fee.

Continue Reading

Google has just announced the public availability of Android 11, at least as far as the stable version of the code is concerned. Of course, that doesn't mean it will be immediately available to end users and will still depend on manufacturers, some of which have already announced their plans in the next few weeks. Not to be outdone, Samsung has also announced the start of its beta program for One UI 3.0 which will be based on Android 11. That catch? It's for one phone generation only.

Continue Reading