Samsung has been taking a beating from Apple as of late, and apparently it’s taking its toll.
According to a new report, Samsung is responding to its diminishing smartphone sales not by fixing the root problem of its lack of originality and low quality reputation, but rather by sacking 10 percent of its workforce instead.
If you can’t beat ’em, underprice ’em. That’s been Amazon’s motto with pretty much all its hardware, especially its Android-based Fire tablets and phones.
But what do you do when even pricing your entry-level Android tablet at under $100 each doesn’t move units? Drop the price to less than $50, apparently.
An Android app that promises free porn has been secretly snapping photos of its users as they enjoy its content. “Adult Player” then locks up the victim’s device and uses their photo in a ransom note demanding $500.
Lenovo today unveiled its new Phab Plus smartphone, a supersized device with a 6.8-inch display that’s a blatant iPhone 6 knockoff. The device is coming to the U.S. later this month, assuming Apple’s lawyers can’t get it banned before then.
Samsung’s new Gear S2 smartwatch is its first to support third-party Android devices, and the South Korean company is reportedly looking extend its reach even further by supporting rival platforms, too.
According to one report, the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic could soon play nicely with iPhone.
Tracking your activity and fitness doesn’t have to be expensive. With Nuyu, you can keep an eye on how many steps you taken, the distance you’ve traveled, how many calories you’ve burned, and even how well you’re sleeping for under $50.
Modern mobile phones need a lot of power; chances are we’ve all got an external battery pack (or at least a second cable and wall plug) tucked away in a bag somewhere that will charge up our Android and iOS mobile phones while we’re on the run.
The thing is, those things need to be taken along with you when you leave the house. If you’re like me, though, that requires a heck of a lot of cognitive overhead and pre-planning.
The whole point of the Nipper, this tiny new mobile phone charger that uses two AA batteries to give you a bit of juice when needed, is to always be available.
Google Street View is no longer hidden away inside Google Maps; it now has its very own app on Android and iOS, which offers immersive 360-degree imagery, and allows you to contribute your own.
Skype is today rolling out major updates to its Android and iOS apps that bring a brand new look and a bunch of new features. Users on Android can look forward to enhanced search and improved messaging, while those with an iPad can expect to see all the features they’re used to on iPhone.
More and more these days, mobile websites will pop up a prompt to download an app associated with the site. This “app install interstitial” hides most of the actual web page and bugs users to essentially stop browsing the web and head to an app store and install an app. App install prompts suck.
“Our analysis shows that it is not a good search experience,” Google asserts in a new blog post, “and can be frustrating for users because they are expecting to see the content of the web page.”
As of Tuesday, web masters can use Google’s updated Mobile-Friendly Test page or Google’s mobile usability tools to find out if they have any offending pages.
The Polaroid Snap is a new 10-megapixel camera that instantly prints out photos you take without any ink. It works with ZINK paper that produces 2-inch-by-3-inch prints and essentially lets you keep physical copies of photos you’d put on Instagram and probably quickly forget about.
Believe it or not, it’s also pretty affordable.
Apple may have been the first to put Force Touch technology in a smartwatch, but Huawei has beaten the Cupertino company to putting it inside a phone.
At the IFA trade show in Berlin today, Huawei used the Force Touch display in its new Mate S smartphone to weigh an orange, a week before the technology is expected to make its way to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Apple’s iPhones might be on the verge of a big refresh this month, but that doesn’t make them any less appealing to those looking to take a break from Android.
In Europe, 27 percent of smartphone shoppers swapped their Android for an iPhone last quarter, while 9 percent of consumers made the same switch in the U.S.
Android Wear made the leap to iOS yesterday, meaning that iPhone owners can now buy and use Android Wear smartwatches should they feel so inclined.
One thing they can’t do, however, is to use Apple’s HealthKit platform to monitor their Android Wear fitness data. According to Apple, data such as step count and heart rate can only be tracked via the Google Fit dashboard — meaning that health-conscious users will want to hang onto their Apple Watches.
And somewhat surprisingly, the decision was entirely Google’s.
Not content with competing with Apple in the smartphone and wearables category, noted ripoff artists Xiaomi are reportedly considering unveiling their very first notebook computer early in 2016.
Photo-sharing service Instagram takes another step closer to becoming its own self-contained social network today with features aimed at the 85 million folks using Instagram Direct, which lets you send direct messages to individual users or groups of up to 15 people.
The new features include threaded messaging and a new way to share Instagram videos or photos within those direct messages.
Google revealed it’s getting a new logo today that ditches its rough edges for a more simplified (some would say childish) design. The change comes just a month after the company announced it was being restructured with Sundar Pichai taking the CEO reigns of the company now owned by Alphabet.
The new logo was introduced this morning on a blog post from Google’s VP of product management, Tamar Yehoshua, and UX director Bobby Nath, who justified their kiddie logo, saying it’s supposed to reflect the many platforms users interact with Google on throughout the day.
Amazon Prime Video today took a massive step toward beating Netflix by adding offline video to its growing list of advantages. The feature allows users to download movies and TV shows and enjoy them without a data connection while they’re on the go.
After teasing the new Gear S2 smartwatch during its Galaxy Note 5 unveiling earlier this month, Samsung has confirmed all the juicy details we’ve been waiting for.
The new wearable will be available in two flavors — the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic — both of which have round faces and are aimed at consumers who “prefer more timeless watch design.” But will the devices be good enough to trip up the Apple Watch?
Google’s smartwatch platform, Android Wear, has officially gained support for iPhones. The Android Wear for iOS app is currently rolling out and anyone with an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus can start using the Android Wear app at last. Just make sure you’re running iOS 8.2 or later.
The move comes somewhat randomly but makes total strategic sense for Google.
Instagram is no longer a photo sharing service just for squares. The company today announced that it will finally support portrait and landscape photos and videos with its latest updates on Android and iOS.
Don’t believe the critics who tell you wearables will never take off, because they’re wrong. During the second quarter of 2015 alone, the wearables market grew a staggering 223.2 percent, according to the latest figures from IDC, and Apple Watch is working its way to the top to tackle Fitbit.
Android Wear, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found.
Amazon has dismissed dozens of engineers and ditched a handful of hardware projects following its dismal attempt at tackling the smartphone market, according to a new report.
The retail giant has also restructured what’s left of its hardware division, combining what was two separate units into one.
Backed by ex-Apple CEO John Sculley, Obi Worldphone is a startup company that’s hoping to shake up the affordable Android market with two new devices that combine stylish designs and decent specifications with even more attractive price tags.
Meet the Obi Worldphone SF1 and SJ1.5, which start at as little as $129.
Pocket updated its apps for Android and iOS to version 6.0, which now tailors to your interests. The release brings a new Recommendations tab that scans your activity in Pocket and, armed with that knowledge, presents you with new stories and other content you might find interesting.