Phones

With the summer now in full swing, we're getting closer and closer to the expected fall debut of the next generation of Google's Pixel smartphones, tentatively known as the "Pixel 2." We've already heard about how Google was once considering three different sizes for the devices, with the middle-sized model, codenamed "Muskie," getting canned. But now we're getting the first solid leaks on the specs for the "Walleye" and "Taimen" models, or what will become the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, respectively.

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Pokemon GO Raids were released today in a Beta for some users in the game, while others had to sit it out - that's about the change. About halfway through the day, Niantic changed the requirements for each and every Pokemon GO Raid in the game, starting with a higher level and moving down to one slightly lower. This news seems to be changing how the game is played - and tested to be played - as the day goes on. If this continues, we could see a full release before Monday!

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If you have a top-tier flagship smartphone, there's a good chance you paid somewhere between $600 and $800 for it...or more. That's a fairly substantial sum, and the reason why many find it hard to turn down their carrier's monthly phone insurance. That insurance, though, adds up on its own, typically being $11.99/month -- that's just under $144/year, not including the 'deductible' many charge when you need to use it. The good news is that you don't have to pay this; there are much cheaper options on the market with arguably better coverage.

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The list of iPhone 8 leaks seems to be never ending at this point, but a new one today could potentially be pretty big. The leak comprises just two images, showing off the front and back of what is said to be the iPhone 8. Obviously, a pair of images won't give us any details about internal hardware, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and there's plenty to talk about when it comes to this supposed iPhone.

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Smartphone trends have come and gone, form factors change from time to time. One thing that seems to refuse to die, however, is the flip phone clamshell design. Sure, it's no longer the fashionable phone design almost a decade ago, but if you live in East Asia, they never really went away entirely. Every year without fail, Samsung puts out such a smartphone, powered by everyone's favorite Android OS. This year, its home town of country is getting another taste of the clamshell with the launch of the Galaxy Folder 2.

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Another high-profile smartphone, another device to teardown to see whether its maker wants anyone else to get their hands into it, for good or for ill. The OnePlus 5, being the new kid in town, is naturally the latest to undergo this test. But while its predecessors seemed to have made it relatively easy for technicians to get inside, the new OnePlus 5 seems to be turning over a new leaf, and not for the better.

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The latest version of Nova Launcher for Android devices bring futuristic elements of Google's main operating system to older smartphones. While not too long ago we had an encounter with the early release version of this app, the latest version enacts additional feature upgrades. This version no longer requires that the user be on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the Android Lollipop OS that came before it.

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The OnePlus 5 has finally broken cover and, with that, we are almost through this year's expected roster of flagship smartphones. While still waiting for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the LG V30, the Moto Z2, and, of course, the iPhone 8, we can take stock of what we have so far and see how they measure against the smartphone that's promised to "Never Settle". Does OnePlus still have that special sauce that helped its meteoric rise to international fame, or in some cases, infamy? Or has it already fizzled out and has become yet another "also ran" phone? Let's see how it compares with the other runners in this race.

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Samsung has finally opened, though only slightly, the gates that would unleash one of its most promised and so far most disappointing Galaxy S8 feature: Bixby Voice. Owners of Samsung's latest flagship have started reporting the ability to finally control their smartphones using only their voice. Initial impressions seem to be positive so far, but we'll have to wait until next week to see if it will really hold p to its promise.

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One of the advantages that Chinese smartphone makers have is that they are able to take bigger risks and jump on fads faster than more mainstream giants. And when it comes to jumping on fads, there is probably no OEM quicker or bolder than Vivo. The company was one of the first to reach the thinnest mark and was one of the first to come out with 6 GB of RAM. Now it might also be the first to have a fingerprint sensor embedded in the screen, beating Samsung and Apple to the punch.

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Each and every high profile smartphone gets a round of leaks and speculation before launch. Especially when you're as high-profile as the Samsung Galaxy S8. Some of those might have been just wishful thinking, but others turned out to be actually planned features that were later scrapped. Such is the case, for example, with the Galaxy S8's rumored dual cameras. Another photo of an abandoned prototype again "confirms" that this was a planned feature that, sadly, never saw the light of day.

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Virgin Mobile USA have announced a new iPhone-only business model in which they forego selling any other device. They're making the push to this iPhone Exclusive way of living on Virgin Mobile with a sort-of deal which begins with unlimited talk, text, and data for $1 for the first year of service - of course you still need to buy the iPhone for its full off-contract price.

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