Mobile

The industry practice of "70/30" revenue cuts between developers and app store owners have been put under a microscope in the past few years, especially after Epic Games made some big noise about it. It did force a few platforms to make changes to their policies, usually reducing the so-called "developer tax" under certain circumstances only. In general, however, storefront owners still take 30% of the profits by default, but Google is making a significant change in that policy to push subscriptions to the forefront.

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Samsung is expected to soon announce what could be the biggest upgrade to its Exynos chips in years. The partnership it started with AMD a few years back is anticipated to level up the silicon's graphics game, utilizing AMD's rDNA technology for the benefit of mobile users. There has been some uncertainty, however, about which devices will be betting this Exynos 2200, especially with the ongoing chip shortage. The latest word gives a small amount of relief to would-be Galaxy S22 buyers, but the actual availability of this chip might still be in question.

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The industry-wide push to get 5G adopted as fast as possible doesn't come without costs, even for those who have no intention of moving to the next-gen network yet. As part of upgrading their systems and infrastructures, carriers are also taking the opportunity to sunset old technologies and equipment, from 2G to even some 3G. T-Mobile is similarly using the time to quit using the CDMA technology it inherited from its Sprint acquisition, and it's moving its deadline for that shutdown next year to give partners like Dish more time to prepare.

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If you disregard the almost complete overhaul that the Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to bear, the Galaxy S22 might sound terribly disappointing based on the majority of rumors that have come our way. One of the biggest disappointments is related to the two non-Ultra models' battery capacities and charging speeds, feeling like a downgrade rather than an upgrade. Of course, these are based on unofficial and potentially inaccurate information, as proven by the recent Apple Watch Series 7, and one other such information tries to assure buyers that the Galaxy S22 Ultra will at least have a faster charging speed than its peers.

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If leaks are anything to go by, the "Ultra" models of Samsung 2022 devices are the ones to keep an eye out for. The Galaxy S22 Ultra could be so far removed from the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus/Pro that it might as well be called the Galaxy Note 22 Ultra. That distinction might actually carry over to the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. If these renders are accurate, Samsung might be taking a page out of Apple's MacBook Pro book and will probably get a lot of flak for it.

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In reviewing the latest iPad (9th generation) released here at the tail end of 2021, it quickly became apparent that I'd need to bust out the archives. If you've not purchased a new iPad for the past half-decade, a new iPad should seem like a revelation. If you purchased an iPad (we're talking standard, here, not Mini, Pro, or Air), you might have a bit of trouble calculating the value of each individual feature.

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Krafton, the company you may still know as Bluehole, has finally revealed the release date for its upcoming mobile twist on the popular battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The company first announced PUBG: New State in February alongside preregistration for the game, noting at the time only that it would arrive later on in 2021.

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In its latest drastic bid to rake in new subscribers, T-Mobile has announced that it will pay off your existing smartphone, assuming you owe no more than $1,000 under your current contract. The promotion, of course, is contingent on switching from your existing carrier to T-Mobile, which launched the new offer on Friday. How does the promo work? T-Mobile says it'll dish out the payoff funds on a prepaid MasterCard.

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The freshly announced Pixel 6 series is a considerable leap when we talk of performance, features and design. If you have recently bought the Google Pixel 5, you could have second thoughts; but how far ahead are the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro? Is it worth the upgrade if you own an older Pixel device or any other smartphone for that matter?

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Darkrai counters in Pokemon GO for Raid Boss Battles are here! It's time to get going on the second part of Halloween in Pokemon GO, and the big boss - non-Mega - is Darkrai! To take this monster on, winning style, you'll need plenty of Fighting-type, Fairy-type, or Bug-type Pokemon. You'll also be happy to know that Shiny Darkrai IS in the game, and your potential for finding a Shiny Darkrai is not altogether terrible!

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As part of a larger update on Android for enterprise users, Google revealed plans to expand Work Profile availability. The feature enables users to separate their work and personal lives on a single handset, but it is only available for managed devices at this time. That'll start to change next year when Google brings the feature to Workspace users with more to follow.

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Google just recently unveiled what may be its most notable Pixel phone since the first one in 2016, and, save for a few relatively minor kinks, it turned out to be just as good as we had hoped for. Sure, availability isn't immediate, and that strip of plastic at the top definitely looks out of place, but, all in all, the Pixel 6 is almost the perfect Android phone. Almost. Unfortunately, it fell short in one rather important aspect that's almost taken for granted, failing to take that one small crucial step towards becoming the first true Android iPhone.

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