| Cult of Mac

Pozio Cradle keeps your phone from listening to you while you charge it

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The Pozio Cradle is a wireless charger that jams your smartphone's ability to hear you until you tell it to stop.
The Pozio Cradle is a wireless charger that jams your smartphone's ability to hear you until you tell it to stop.
Photo: Pozio

A device shown at CES 2022 that made some publications’ “weirdest stuff from the show” lists is the Pozio Cradle. It’s a “listening blocker” that wirelessly charges smartphones. It ensures your gadget and its voice assistant can’t hear or record what you say, according to the company.

Vermont bill would ban cellphones for anyone under 21

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Sydney
Teens are going to love this law.
Photo: Apple

Democrat lawmakers in Vermont are trying really hard to lose the youth vote in 2020 with a newly proposed law that would ban anyone under 21 from using a smartphone.

The bill, introduced to the committee by Democratic senator John Rodgers, lists cyberbullying, terrorist radicalization and mass shootings as a few of the reasons why people under 21 aren’t mature enough to possess a cellphone.

Samsung allegedly plans to launch folding clamshell phone next year

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Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
Apple invents a unique, no-crease folding iPhone screen
Photo: Samsung

Samsung plans to reinvent the flip phone next year with yet another folding display smartphone, only unlike the Galaxy Fold, this one will come with an old-school design.

The new Samsung folding phone will reportedly launch next year and instead of folding out into a tablet, the new design folds inward to make the phone more pocketable.

Microsoft is working on mobile Xbox controllers for iPhone

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Microsoft-mobile-Xbox-controller
They would be perfect for streaming Xbox games.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft has started developing new Xbox controllers for mobile gaming. Prototype images reveal how the gamepads might attach to the sides of your iPhone and iPad for portable play.

The controllers would be ideal for Microsoft’s upcoming Project xCloud service, which will allow players to stream Xbox games to their smartphones and tablets.

New Pokémon Masters details will be revealed this week

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Pokémon Masters
It will feature every Trainer and Pokémon from every region.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

The Pokémon Company will reveal new information about upcoming mobile game Pokémon Masters this week.

Its first presentation since the game was confirmed ahead of E3 is just a couple of days away. We know very little about it so far, but we have been promised battles against Pokémon Trainers from the main RPG series.

Uh-oh! Huawei delays its first foldable smartphone

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Huawei’s Mate X isn’t exactly svelte.
You’ll have to wait until September for the Mate X.
Photo: Huawei

If you’re itching to get your hands on a foldable phone and you thought choosing Huawei over Samsung would be a good idea following the Galaxy Fold’s delay, think again.

Huawei has confirmed that it, too, is delaying its first foldable handset. The Mate X is now pegged for a September debut so that extra tests can be carried out to avoid another Galaxy Fold fiasco.

Google, Qualcomm and others cease partnerships with Huawei

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Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Google has suspended its business with Huawei and revoked its Android license following a U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology companies.

It’s a massive blow for the world’s third-biggest smartphone-maker — and it’s not the only one it received this weekend. Intel, Qualcomm, and other chip manufacturers have also halted their partnerships with the company.

Slowing smartphone sales hit Samsung profits hard

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Galaxy A7
Samsung says that Q1 operating profits will be down 60 percent.
Photo: Samsung

The massive rise of the smartphone is coming to a close, and Samsung is bearing the brunt of it.

As well as a manufacturer of its own handsets, Samsung also provides memory chips and display panels to other companies. Due to slowing demand for smartphones around the world, Samsung today revealed that its operating profits have plunged. It expects that its first quarter takings will be down by 60 percent compared to last year.