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There are currently two open source Linux phones trying to make their way into regular consumers' hands and one of them is getting all the spotlight but not all for good reasons. Although it was the first to launch and, on paper, has the better specs, Purism's Librem 5 is garnering some controversy, raising questions on its capability to ship a finished product in a few months. As if it didn't have enough to worry about, Purism just started pre-orders for a version of the Librem 5 that's 100% made in the USA and costs three times the regular Librem 5 that has yet to ship in its final form.

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Facial recognition is slowly but surely becoming the focal point of the next tug-of-war on privacy as more and more companies and governments are embracing the technology for their own needs. While an effective tool in safeguarding phones and computers, it is also feared to be a more subtle but more intrusive way to monitor people without their knowledge. It is against that backdrop of uncertainty that the US Homeland Security is proposing that face recognition checks in all US airports be done on all travelers, including the country's own citizens.

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The actor Ryan Reynolds purchased an ownership stake in the company called Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile is an MVNO, a mobile virtual network operator, a company that'll sell you a smartphone data plan over the internet for a phone you've already got in your pocket. If it seems strange to you that Ryan Reynolds purchased Mint Mobile, you are not alone.

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It seems that Huawei may be able to breathe a bit easier even if it keeps on showing an unaffected and nonchalant public face. The company was recently granted another 90-day reprieve and the US Department of Commerce has started to grant or deny applications for temporary licenses to export American products to the embattled Chinese company. While the fate of its mobile business still isn't in the clear despite these developments, Huawei will at least now have access again to Microsoft software, at least until the temporary licenses are revoked again.

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The rumors were only partially correct. The US Commerce Department has indeed thrown Huawei a lifeline by granting it another Temporary General License extension but not the short 14-day period earlier believed. In fact, for the third time, Huawei is being given another 90 days to do business with US companies. Despite what looks like a generous reprieve, however, the fate of Huawei's mobile products, particularly the Mate 30 series, still remains uncertain because of the limits the extension imposes on Huawei's trade with US companies.

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It has been half a year since the US government practically declared it illegal for US companies to do business with Huawei but the Chinese giant's fate still remains uncertain. That would have been sealed by Monday but it seems that the US still wants to hold power over Huawei and is likely to give it yet another extension of its license to do business in the US. This time, however, it will only be for 14 days, probably to give time for the US and China to finally sign a "Phase 1" trade agreement.

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Today we're looking at the OnePlus 7T Pro with specific emphasis on what's changed from earlier this year. Earlier this year the company released the OnePlus 7 Pro, a device with a 6.67-inch full-screen display with a mechanical pop-up front-facing camera. Now there's a OnePlus 7T Pro with almost identical specs - and it will not launch in the USA.

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There's an event happening in California of which you should be aware. The power is out for over 500,000 people on the west coast of the USA because of a threat of wildfire. The power is not out - this was voluntary. The company Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff that's now in effect - and will be spreading over the next few days.

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After the almost unending litany of scandals that have rocked Facebook, many drawing intense criticism from the US government, the social networking giant is ready to turn a new leaf. Ironically, it is also receiving criticism from the US, specifically the Justice Department. In its efforts to begger protect the privacy of users that it has violated, Facebook is reportedly planning to introduce strong encryption in WhatsApp, Instagram, and its other messaging services. For Facebook, it is to protect users but the government insists it will be putting them in danger in the long run.

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The US government's blacklists and tariffs were meant to send a strong statement to China and pressure the latter in its ongoing trade and political spat. Unfortunately, it won't just be the Chinese economy that will get affected as even the US tech market will soon feel the aftermath. The Mac Pros, already one of the more expensive computers in the market, might become even pricier now that Apple will have to pay 25% more for certain parts coming from China.

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The OnePlus 7 Pro was removed from T-Mobile USA's online store to make way for the OnePlus 7T. But why would a company remove a device that is not the direct predecessor to the device which will replace it? Let's take a look at what's happened at T-Mobile over the past year.

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The Huawei P30 Pro is not a new device - but you might be forgiven for thinking it was, reading news today. This device was re-introduced, in a way, to audiences last night at IFA 2019, a technology conference at which Huawei took an already-successful, already-released device and showed it off with a pair of new colors: Misty Lavender and Mystic Blue. Doing this allows Huawei to ship a "new" phone with Android 10, Google's newest operating system update, while their actual new device, Huawei Mate 30, cannot be launched with official Google certification.

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