smartphones - SlashGear

Pokemon GO is fun again, thanks to COVID-19

Chris Burns | Apr 3, 2020

During the outbreak of COVID-19, novel coronavirus, the global pandemic, and the quarantine therein, Niantic's made Pokemon GO fun again. At the start, the game held great potential. It was the closest a gamer could get to the feeling of finding, capturing, and battling Pokemon in the real world. Then it got complicated. Now, here amid massive changes made by its creator to make the game playable during quarantine, Pokemon GO's become fun once again.

Samsung’s 2019 flagships are getting my favorite Galaxy S20 feature

Chris Davies | Apr 3, 2020

If you want the latest and greatest smartphone features, you usually have to buy the latest and greatest smartphone, but a software update for the Galaxy S10 series and Note 10 is bucking that trend with my favorite Galaxy S20 camera feature. Rolling out from today in the US, the new firmware adds several of the photography features from Samsung's 2020 flagships to last year's phones, including one I'm still very excited about.

Android 11 update DP2.1 released with a fix for jankiness

Chris Burns | Apr 2, 2020

Developer Preview build 2.1 for Android 11 was released this afternoon by Google for the masses. This new update was officially released on April 2nd, 2020, and is build RPP2.200227.014, with Google Play Services 20.06.15 and x86 (32/64-bit) emulator support. This is a relatively minor update to the otherwise most-recent release for developers, that being Android 11 Developer Preview 2, released March 18, 2020.

Galaxy S10 and Note 10 are about to get these new S20 features

Eric Abent | Apr 2, 2020

Samsung has revealed that a new software update will bring some Galaxy S20 features to the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy Note 10. Specifically, the update will bring a few camera features with it, along with the Galaxy S10's Gallery and sharing features. Even better is that Galaxy S10 and Note 10 users won't have to wait very long for this update to arrive.

Galaxy Note 20 leak tells a big plastic tale

Chris Burns | Apr 1, 2020

A leak of a single piece of plastic today tells a story of the future of Samsung's future top-tier smartphone lineup. This single piece of plastic shows the most significant elements of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, both front and back. We can glean that this device has a rectangular backside camera array with rounded corners - this indicates the path Samsung will take with consideration for their most recently released Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup.

OnePlus 8 Pro cameras detailed in major leak

Eric Abent | Apr 1, 2020

OnePlus is slated to reveal the OnePlus 8 series later this month, and though it's released some details about the standard OnePlus 8, we haven't heard a whole lot about the OnePlus 8 Pro. That all changed today with a new leak that leaves little to the imagination. Not only are we seeing product renders of the device, but a number of specifications have been detailed as well.

Zoom becomes a household name – and that’s a problem

Chris Burns | Apr 1, 2020

The video chat system Zoom wasn't prepared for the popularity it's facing here in the spring of 2020. Much like a startup group attempting to create a new product with a crowdfunding campaign, Zoom is finding that their own popularity might be more than they can handle. Issues begin with the simple nature of the group chat, and the ease with which one can join.

Motorola G Power and G Stylus head to budget Android shelves today

Chris Davies | Apr 1, 2020

Two of Motorola's most affordable phones have arrived for preorder today, with the Moto G Power and Moto G Stylus set to arrive on various US carriers. The two new Android phones were announced in early March, and each come in at under $300.

A new iPhone in April? Features and details to expect from Apple

Chris Burns | Mar 31, 2020

The iPhone 9, or iPhone SE 2, or just "new iPhone" could be launched (or just announced) by Apple as early as April 15. That's a Friday, a day over 2 weeks into April. Clues have been stacking up - here's what we're expecting will be making its way to stores by around April 22nd.

COVID-19 could’ve ended Pokemon GO; Instead, it’s exploding

Chris Burns | Mar 31, 2020

At the dawn of pandemic here in the year 2020, Niantic enacted changes to their GPS-centric games, starting with Pokemon GO. COVID-19 quarantine could have ended the reign of the most popular location-based game in the world - but instead, Niantic turned a nightmare into an opportunity. They're still working with augmented reality, and they still encourage you to get up and walk around - but they don't require that you leave the safety of your own home. Several key changes to the Pokemon GO app allowed Niantic to have their most profitable week of the year 2020 thus far.

LG G series phone line ended, what’s next? [UPDATE: LG statement]

Chris Burns | Mar 30, 2020

Notes from LG this week suggested they're switching gears when it comes to smartphones in 2020 and beyond. Where they've been pushing a headline "G" brand series for the past 8 years, they'll fold two lines into one. Instead of releasing a "G" and a "V" each year, they'll just release a "V"... but they'll also have a new phone. So will anything really change?

OpenTable update expands to grocery store lines and retail

Chris Burns | Mar 30, 2020

OpenTable generally works with restaurants to allow reservations for tables. Now, with the latest update to OpenTable, users will be able to reserve times to shop at their favorite retail or grocery store. Not all supermarkets or other stores are onboard right out the gate, but a few certainly seem to be ready to take up with the collaboration. This update to OpenTable will be available soon - if not immediately.