Buyer’s Guide

LG has finally revealed its hand. Save for HTC and Motorola, we pretty much have the lineup of flagship smartphones for the first half of the year. For some, it may even be the only flagship for 2018. With many of them bearing mostly the same basic specs, how do these premium, and sometimes expensive smartphones stack up against each other. We take a look a the Samsung Galaxy S9+, the Huawei P20 Pro, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium, and the LG G7 ThinQ and size them up for this year's battle.

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Today we're having a peek at the new iPad compared to the old iPad, specs on specs. These two devices are exceedingly similar to one-another, looking a whole lot like each-other on the outside save one minor detail. It's what's inside the counts, in a big way. It begins with the Apple Pencil, a device which works on the new iPad, but does not work with the old.

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One of the best things about Android has always been its openness to customization, best exemplified by the staggering number of app launcher and home screen replacements in the Google Play Store. Lately, however, that number seems to have dwindled down to a few big players. Some have been left to decay and rot. Others have been or will be shut down, like Yahoo’s Aviate launcher. There are, however, still a good number of Android launchers that offer features and options you might not find elsewhere. Here are seven of the younger and smaller ones that might just pique your interest.

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Streaming seems to be the way to go these days. Analysts expect that the market would soon overtake and devour traditional TV services, becoming the be-all and end-all of video entertainment at home and on the go. These services, some of them smaller than the network giants that run cable and live TV, often compete on more than just the licensed content they can deliver to their subscribers. They compete, sometimes even more viciously, over original shows that none of their competitors will be able to broadcast. We take a look at some of today’s streaming services to check which ones offer the best selection of original content.

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There has never been a better time to be mobile. And not just in the road warrior kind of mobility. It’s almost as if we’ve entered the couch potato counter-culture age, where there is no shortage of incentives, tricks, and devices to get you up and about, from Pokemon GO to gamifying activity tracking. But walking hither and thither is just half the equation. The other half is making sure you’re actually burning that lunch or dinner you just had. When it comes to running, jogging, or exercising, you probably don’t want to do so in silence. Here are some of the best workout companions that won’t tie you down or snag you up while you channel the spirit of Rocky.

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Unlike with music streaming, video streaming is going strong, perhaps even stronger. While cord-cutting alternatives like Netflix, YouTube, and the like continue to rise, the desire and need for live TV programs have never gone away. In fact, it’s exactly because of the rise of video streaming that the demand for live TV streaming services has also increased.

Just like traditional cable or satellite TV services, there are quite a few to choose from, and sometimes more choices within each service. We take a look at five of the biggest live TV services, AT&T DirecTV Now, Hulu Live TV, Dish Sling TV, Sony PlayStation Vue, and Google YouTube TV to see how they fare against each other.

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The reviews have finally come out and, as you might have expected (or not), the Galaxy S9 has pretty much set the pace of smartphones, especially Android ones, for the rest of the year. But, of course, that doesn’t mean it will be the premium Android phone of 2018. We’ve only just begun and there are lots more coming in the months to come. So before you settle your mind or wallet on the Galaxy S9 or S9+, take a quick peek at what is yet to come in the next month or two.

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Today thousands of users will pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S9 for a price that'll have them overcharged for no good reason. The folks at Samsung have changed the game this year, selling their device themselves at the same time as carriers in the USA. In the past, the company didn't have the device on sale until several weeks after the device was already available at carriers across the nation.

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Apple has always been regarded as a trendsetter, whether or not the trends have made sense or not. No matter how much some critics bash it, Apple’s trends, especially around design, often get copied by others. “Others” here being Android phones. Nowhere is that perhaps truer than the divisive notch on the iPhone X. Many of Apple’s own fans have lambasted it but, if MWC and certain leaks are to be considered, it’s pretty much the next big trend alongside bezel-less screens. So if you’re in the market for a notched Android phone and don’t mind being compared a lot with the iPhone X, here are some of the top choices, from those already in the market to those still coming soon.

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MWC 2018 may have formally just begun but as far as big smartphone announcements go, the show is over. Samsung has already unveiled its early 2018 gamble and the only OEM bold enough to stand up against it is Sony. Now that the flurry of camera flashes and embargoes are over, it’s time to put these two face to face. If you’re in the market for a new high-end Android phone, no holds barred, which one should you take? The refined Galaxy S9 or the very new Xperia XZ2? Here’s a little checklist to help you make that decision.

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The Internet of Things has brought technology into our homes in a more integrated and invasive way. From smart bulbs to smart speakers to even smart refrigerators, technology is slowly but surely becoming a staple in modern homes. But why put off for tomorrow what you can start today? If you’ve ever dreamed of living inside the home of the future, you can already do so as long as you have a home Wi-Fi network. You don’t even have set it all up in one go. You can even get started with a simple bulb. Here are some of the essentials to get you started on upgrading your house, piece by piece.

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MWC 2018 is almost upon us and so are the next generation of smartphones. Some of them will be quite drool-worthy, but many will probably be beyond reach, both in time and in budget. If you’re in need of a new mobile partner soon and your resources are a bit stretched thin, there are still some Android phones for you. And you won’t even have to compromise that much. Here are some of the best mid-range, wallet-friendly phones that you can actually buy now instead of waiting for a few months.

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