Search Results for: samsung

When all of your devices are Apple, you can live quite happily knowing that everything works well together. When I owned a MacBook Pro, for instance, it was wonderful to get my text messages and phone calls on my laptop -- I didn't need to run and find my iPhone. The same goes for iPad -- I can get my iPhone calls and texts on the Apple tablet too. When my friends and family are nearby, and they use iPhone, I can easily share things with them using AirDrop.

If you aren't familiar, AirDrop uses a mixture of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to allow you to wirelessly share things like files, photos, URLs, and more with other nearby Apple devices -- no need for an internet connection. This isn't just helpful for sharing with others, but with yourself too. When you want to transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac, for example, you can use AirDrop instead of a USB to lightning cable. Many have wanted Google to copy AirDrop, and now, the search giant has thankfully done exactly that. Called "Nearby Share," it is coming to both Android devices and Chromebooks.

Continue reading →

Around the world, many consumers are cutting cable, opting instead for online TV streaming services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Hulu+Live TV to name a few. Another streaming TV service, Philo, isn't the most comprehensive option, but it is one of the cheapest at just $20 monthly for more than 50 channels.

Today, Philo gets a new feature that subscribers should absolutely love -- Chromecast support. Called "Philo Connect," subscribers can now choose to "cast" what they are watching on an Android device to their TV via a Chromecast dongle (or television with integrated Chromecast).

Continue reading →

If you want to store your data externally, you can always go with a mechanical hard disk drive. That makes sense, as HDDs are typically a more cost effective option when compared to solid state drives. With that said, SSDs have dropped in price a lot lately, and are getting larger storage capacities all the time. For instance, both Sabrent and Samsung recently showed off 8TB SSDs. Not to mention, solid state drives are faster and have no moving parts, making them worth the premium for some consumers.

Lexar recently announced a new portable SSD that uses USB-C for connectivity, and it is rather affordable. Called "SL200," it appears to use a SATA drive internally, so it isn't the fastest option on the market. With that said, it is still significantly faster than a USB hard disk drive. Your PC doesn't have USB-C? Don't worry. The attractive drive comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable in the box.

Continue reading →

With absolutely zero fanfare, Google has rolled out a system that lets you turn off RCS chat features to help avoid problems such as missing messages.

The simple form that has appeared online is very similar to the one used by Apple. The online system can be used even if you do not have your previous phone with you, so you can deregister your phone number from your computer.

Continue reading →

Synology makes some great network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures. Whether for home or business, its devices can be filled with storage disks to set up collaborative file-sharing over a network. Synology's offerings are fast and dependable, making them smart choices for consumers. There's a reason so many people trust the brand.

The company's NAS products can work with any brand of storage disk, but still, Synology has decided to begin selling its own solid state drives for some reason. Yeah, it is kind of odd to see drives with Synology branding, but here we are. I suppose the company saw a money-making opportunity, so who can blame it for trying to increase profits. The company isn't just offering 2.5-inch SATA SSDs either, but M.2 PCIe-based drives too. Nice.

Continue reading →

Android is the most popular smartphone OS, but new research suggests that its security landscape is fragmented due to region-specific issues that affect users in some countries but not others.

Researchers at F-Secure examined devices including the Huawei Mate 9 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S9, and the Xiaomi Mi 9 to understand the exploitation process for vulnerabilities and configuration issues, as well as the impact, and found it varies from device to device.

Continue reading →

There is no shortage of news about solid state drives these days, with many new models being announced from popular manufacturers like ADATA, Samsung, and Kingston, to name a few. This includes both SATA and PCIe-based internal SSDs, plus external models that interface by USB and Thunderbolt 3.

Today, Lexar unveils an all-new solid state drive for professionals, although home consumers can obviously use it as well. Called “NM700,” it is an M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe SSD with impressive performance.

Continue reading →

One of my favorite films is World War Z. It is a very flawed movie, but I still enjoy it. In the film, Brad Pitt's character utilizes a satellite phone, which I just find to be extremely interesting. I am sure such a thing is expensive -- particularly the service contract -- but how cool is it to be able to communicate without the need of cellular?

And so, today, a new product caught my eye -- the SPOT X Jeep Edition 2-Way Satellite Messenger. While not a phone, it can send and receive text messages via satellite, which is rather neat. I expected such a product to be very expensive, and carry a high monthly service cost, but actually, it is surprisingly affordable. Not to mention, it looks to be quite rugged, and the Jeep branding -- while gimmicky -- actually looks pretty cool.

Continue reading →

Android smartphones are more affordable than Apple's iPhone, right? Not always. In fact, in 2020, there has been a bit of a shift. There are Android flagships that are well over $1,000, while the very capable iPhone SE can be had for a mere $399. Of course, the top iPhone models are expensive too, but still, it isn't black and white anymore. Those looking for an affordable smartphone can now go with iOS or Android.

The problem, of course, is that affordable Android phones are often of dubious quality from no-name makers. Sure, some big-name makers, such as Samsung, also make lower-cost models, but they are usually quite neutered and lame. For whatever reason, it can be hard to find an Android phone that properly balances quality and affordability.

Continue reading →

When the Apple TV 4 was first released, I was convinced it would revolutionize gaming. I even bought the SteelSeries Nimbus controller to play all these upcoming games on the device. My assumption was developers would bring all the top tier iPhone and iPad games to the Apple TV, plus more, making it a legitimate home console. Boy, was I wrong on that! Sadly, the state of gaming on Apple TV has largely stalled. With all of that said, the Nimbus controller I bought was (and still is) wonderful -- I particularly love the lightning port charging.

Today, SteelSeries launches the successor to that aforementioned controller. Called, "Nimbus+," it is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV. In addition to significant improvements over its predecessor (including better battery life), the plus variant also comes with a mount for connecting your iPhone directly to it -- for a handheld gaming experience. It is worth noting the Nimbus+ looks very much like a tweaked version of the existing Stratus Duo Android controller.

Continue reading →

While video games on PCs and consoles can be great, the titles released for smartphones are often quite bad. On-screen controls can be inaccurate and hard to use, leading to a very frustrating experience. Alternatively, developers can "dumb down" their games for mobile with simpler controls, but this often makes them nothing more than time-wasters -- something to do while sitting on the toilet, for instance.

Today, Turn 10 Studios (a Microsoft-owned game studio) releases Forza Street for iOS and Android. The racing game is "free" to play, which is cool, but sadly, it does offer in-game purchases to try and suck some money from your wallet. I installed it on my iPhone, and from what I can tell, the game kind of stinks. In my time "racing" I didn't even get to steer the car! Seriously. Instead, you just hold down a virtual gas pedal. Around turns, you let go of the pedal when the road turns yellow and then hold it down when it turns yellow again. That's pretty much it -- that seems to be the game. Maybe it gets better later, but I won't be finding out. Does the game look good? Absolutely. Is it fun? Heavens, no!

Continue reading →

The rollout of the 5G network, bringing greater speed and lower latency to mobile data, is going to provide a boost to the utility of edge computing.

The second announcement to come from IBM's virtual Think conference today is a set of new offerings built on Red Hat OpenShift, allowing enterprises to autonomously manage workloads across a massive volume of edge devices.

Continue reading →

The war over data privacy has been raging for 25 years and is far from over. Large corporations, states and criminal networks are improving tracking tools, trying to dictate their own rules, and control and manage people's need to protect their personal data. The issue of privacy is getting unbelievable traction on different levels, including the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act).

The value of personal data is constantly increasing, as it's getting harder to collect, and the possibilities of making money on it are endless. Will users ever be able to decide for themselves what information they are willing to share? To address this question, let's move away from individual cases and look at how privacy protection technologies in general will develop in the coming years.

Continue reading →

In news that will dismay the legions of tin foil hat wearers who believe it's linked to coronavirus, data released by finance website Finbold has revealed that the number of worldwide 5G connections is projected to grow by twenty times to 2.7 billion by 2025.

The data predicts that by next year, the connections will grow by 180 percent to stand at 340 million. By 2022, the connections will be 810 million and later grow by 72.8 percent to hit 1.4 billion in 2023.

Continue reading →

What is the form-factor future of smartphones? That's a damn good question. Will smartphones with foldable screens really become the norm? I'd like to think so, but as of today, the technology is just not ready. Sadly, these devices with screens that fold are far too delicate. Even when they don't break entirely, they often have an unseemly crease on the screen. Not to mention, they tend to be quite expensive too. Until those issues can be ironed out (pun intended), consumers won't be willing to part with their hard-earned money.

So, what should a consumer that likes the idea of a foldable screen do today? Well, LG has a suggestion -- the V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen. Rather than use a foldable screen for an enhanced user experience, it leverages two screens with a hinge in the middle. In other words, you can experience proper multitasking without dealing with a fragile or creased screen. While that sounds great on paper, the question is, how is it practice? I have been testing the T-Mobile variant of this device, and I am ready to share my feelings on it.

Continue reading →