After years of examining the Android operating system, the European Commission has launched a formal antitrust investigation into claims that Google unfairly forces competitors into bundling its own apps on their devices.
Available for both iOS and Android, Google’s Snapseed has long been one of my favorite on-the-go photo retouching apps. After a year without updates, then, I was excited to see Google update Snapseed to version 2.0, with several new features, including the ability to copy edits from one image to another, five new filters, adjustable lens blur, and brush tools.
Unfortunately, the Snapseed 2.0 update wasn’t all for the better. In fact, it stripped the app of one of its best features: the grunge filter.
Samsung has proven with the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge that it really can make a premium smartphone that looks and feels like it is worthy of a high price tag. The S6 Edge is so premium, in fact, that it costs more to make than the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Eligible for an upgrade on your Sprint handset? If so, you may be able to take advantage of a great new offer from the company, whereby a Sprint representative will personally deliver your new phone and configure it for you — all from the comfort of your home.
Check out a video below.
You know Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker which copied Apple designs en route to becoming the world’s most valuable startup?
Well, depending on who you are, get ready to bust out a tune on the world’s smallest violin, because Xiaomi’s quest to conquer the smartphone-owning world has apparently hit a bit of a snag: people keep copying its designs.
Yes, seriously.
We’ve been patiently waiting for Google to make Android Wear watches compatible with the iPhone, and according to a source in Google’s development team, the search giant is now closer than ever to marrying the unlikely duo.
It’s well known that Samsung is happy to take a bit of inspiration from Apple when it comes to the look and feel of its mobile devices, but it’s also willing to splash the cash to try and match Apple’s strategy of establishing itself as an upmarket designer brand.
At a time when Apple is focusing on getting its Apple Watch sold alongside luxury fashion brands in department stores, Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones have popped up in full-window displays as the chic Harrods store in London, where they will be displayed until April 26.
Last year, right around when iOS 8 was released, Apple quietly snatched up Dryft, a startup that made a popular Android keyboard that seems perfect for the iPad. Not only that, but the CTO of Dryft now heads up iOS keyboard development.
Samsung’s not had too much luck with smartwatches, but a newly-published patent application shows that it’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
The patent describes what is less a traditional watch than a wristband or He-Man-style manacle. It features a wraparound widescreen display, able to function in both bent and flat states, and describes its possible applications as multimedia viewing and communication.
After all, you never know when you’ll need to summon Battle Cat to help in your ongoing war with Skeletor and his cronies!
Instagram has been inching towards being an all-in-one edit suite, and today the app took another small step in that direction.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a giant iPhone 6 ripoff. And like Apple’s bigger-than-big devices, it also comes with some bending problems.
Tests have found that the Galaxy S6 Edge is just as easy to bend as the iPhone 6 Plus, only its display is even more likely to crack. Samsung finally responded today, claiming the 110 lbs of pressure used in SquareTrade’s tests were way more than would be exerted in real-world use. LG isn’t letting Samsung’s bendgate problems go unnoticed though.
Take a look at this tweet they sent mocking Samsung:
Following the “Bendgate” rumors which dogged the iPhone 6 Plus last year, it was inevitable that Samsung’s next flagship phone was going to come under scrutiny the moment it landed in the hands of customers.
Samsung all but invited the comparison; putting out ads which boldly claimed its handsets could survive even the biggest butts. Well, the long-awaited Galaxy S6 Edge is finally out, and there’s good news and bad news for fans.
The good news? The phone’s as easy (or as difficult) to bend as the iPhone 6 Plus. The bad news? Its glass display is far more likely to crack under pressure.
Check out the video comparison below.
15 percent of Samsung’s management left the company late last year following its dismal smartphone sales, according to a new report from Korea-based news outlet Yonhap News.
The tech giant had 1,219 management staff on its books as of 2014’s Q3 — only for this number to fall by 177 people by the end of the year. 44 of the 177 people who resigned or were fired were from Samsung’s IT & Mobile Communications department.
Ouch!
Call it karma if you want, but after years of copying Apple’s iPhone designs, Samsung’s much-praised Galaxy S6 smartphone has apparently already received its first knockoff.
Made by a company called No.1, the phone looks extremely similar to Samsung’s new device, only minus the Samsung logo, featuring the Note 4’s user interface instead of the S6’s, and sporting a wonky home button which looks like it’s a firm shake away from falling out.
Check out more of the incriminating photos below.
You know when you’re away from the kitchen and you really need to chop up some meat, but all you have with you is your phone? We’ve all been there, which is why Samsung is launching Galaxy Blade Edge, a brand new smartphone that doubles as a meat cleaver.
Google has kicked off the April Fools’ Day festivities early this year by putting Pac-Mac inside of Google Maps. The game turns real-life roads into a virtual maze, and the more roads there are, the trickier it gets.
Speed isn’t the only reason to buy a smartphone, but it’s certainly interesting to see how Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 stacks up against Apple’s bestselling iPhone 6.
Thanks to YouTube user Android GameE, we have our first speed test of what, undoubtedly, will be many. Given the fact that Apple’s latest iPhone has been the most successful in the company’s history, while Samsung is banking on its S6 to turn around its ailing mobile division, it certainly makes for interesting viewing.
Who wins? Check out the video below.
Apple’s selling more iPhones than at any point in its history, but that doesn’t mean it’s not looking to grow its user base even more.
To achieve this, the company today launched its new smartphone trade-in program at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores — allowing owners of selected Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone handsets to swap their existing devices for credit that can be used toward buying an iPhone.
Whether it’s arguing over market share vs. profit margins, or Google Now vs. Siri, the war between Android and iOS users can sometimes can a bit heated.
But up until today, no matter how anti-Apple the crowd, I’ve never heard anyone stoop to compare Tim Cook’s company to Adolf Hitler, the mass-murdering Nazi Party leader.
That’s all changed now, however, as a new ad from Chinese Internet video site service, Jia Yueting, is drawing on the massively offensive parallel to promote its new Android smartphone.
YouTube has been supporting super-sharp 4K video for over a year now, as well as video playback at 60 frames-per-second. But for the first time, the world’s biggest video sharing platform will now allow viewers to combine the two.
Transferring your WhatsApp data to a new device can be a pain — particularly if you’re switching from Android to another platform, or vice-versa. But WhatsApp looks set to make it a whole lot easier by giving users the ability to backup their messages to Google Drive.
Today Facebook unveiled the future of Messenger, and it’s actually quite ambitious.
It’s clear that the social giant wants Messenger to be the one-stop for not just messaging, but all sorts of app interactions. Businesses will also be able to chat directly with customers through Messenger, which opens the door for communicating directly with brands like never before.
Short of Samsung, there’s no other company that gets as bad a rap for copying Apple as Xiaomi. The Chinese gadget maker, though, has just beaten Apple to market in at least one category. Although a proper Apple HDTV has been rumored by the likes of Gene Munster for ages, Xiaomi has beaten Cupertino to the punch with a beautiful — and affordable! — Android smart TV.
Apple is trying to make Apple TV more appealing than ever with a lower price tag and HBO Now exclusivity, but Amazon announced today that it’s bringing new features to its set top box too, and they won’t cost customers a cent.
Expandable USB storage, private listening via for wireless headphones, and hotel Wi-Fi support are being added to Amazon’s TV devices. The new features will rollout to customers over the coming weeks as a free, over-the-air software update for the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
The list of new features includes the following:
Google’s first foray into wearables didn’t do as well as the company expected. Despite closing the Google Glass explorer program in January though, Eric Schmidt says the project isn’t dead yet. It’s just getting ready for users.
Nest founder Tony Fadell, took over the project earlier this year after the company decided to stop selling the first version of Google Glass. According to Schmidt the technology behind Glass is too important to scrap, so they’ve moved it out of the Google X research lab and are developing it into a standalone unit.