Google's Two Pixel Problems
Like unwanted mushrooms popping up after rain, Pixel 3/XL rumors are everywhere. Google gets gravy from all the free fan- and blog-post hype. Am I imagining, or is there even more buzz than for the next iPhone(s), which presumably comes soon (Apple sent out invites yesterday for a September 12 product event).
Buzz is the measure of interest—and while iPhone has commanding market share, Pixel's mindshare is formidable. Someone tell me: Is Google's new device really going to be that good? The leaked photos aren't that inspiring with respect to design (little is different). Or perhaps expectations about iPhone X (and its companions) are low—and maybe for good reason.
Report: Apple to launch three iPhones later this year
Following the success of the iPhone X, the tech world is waiting to see what Apple has up its sleeve next -- and with new devices expected to be announced mid-September, we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out. Now a new report suggests that next month we'll see not just one or two new iPhones... but three.
Citing "people familiar with the matter", Bloomberg says that Apple is set to launch no fewer than three handsets with the full-screen look of the current iPhone X. The trio of phones has been designed to have broader appeal with a wider range of pricing, sources say.
Google confirms it misleadingly tracks your location even with Location History disabled -- but it's not changing that
Call it bad wording, call it blatant lying, call it what you like -- Google was recently found to have been misleading people about what disabling Location History on their phones actually meant. Many people understandably thought that turning off this setting would prevent Google from tracking and recording their location. They were wrong
But despite the upset caused by this revelation, Google is not backing down. Rather than changing the behavior of the setting so it did what people would expect it to do, the company has instead chosen to simply update its help pages to make it clear how misleading it is being.
Kids are dying because of their parents' obsessive phone use
Although it is the children of today who have never known a world in which mobile phones do not exist, it is the parents of these children that are causing serious problems -- and not just by using phones while driving.
The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) has warned that children are dying because of their parents' phone usage. The organization says that rather than keeping an eye on their kids as they swim, parents are "fixated by their smartphones" and fail to notice when their youngsters get into trouble.
If you want to record calls in Android 9 Pie, you'll need to root your phone
Recording phone calls is dodgy territory legally speaking, but whether you choose to do it depends on where you are in the world, and whether you're concerned about complying with the law. Since Marshmallow, Google has made it difficult to record calls on Android phones by killing the recording API, but this has not stopped third party developers finding ways around it.
But with Android 9 Pie, Google has made it impossible for apps such as Call Recorder - ACR and BoldBeast Android Call Recorder to be used to record calls. Unless, that is, you're willing -- or able -- to root your handset.
Need a rugged Oreo smartphone without (too many) compromises? Try the Poptel P10
As Samsung, Apple and even the likes of OnePlus push out flagship smartphones with ever-larger price tags, it's little wonder that people are increasingly seeking out cheaper alternatives. Where there's demand, supply follows, so there's no end of choice when it comes to handsets that pack a punch without breaking the bank.
It's possible -- probable, even -- that you've not heard of Poptel, but the Poptel P10 is a phone that's worthy of a second look. No, it's not a flagship-killer. No, it's not anything even approaching a competitor for the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy Note9. But it is a highly capable dual-SIM phone which is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, that boasts good looks, a slim design, and a pair of decent cameras.
Samsung unveils Galaxy Note9 with exclusive Fortnite access, plus Galaxy Watch
Today -- after weeks of leaks -- Samsung finally revealed the eagerly anticipated Galaxy Note9. While we already knew just about everything about this smartphone, we now know that it has an astonishing price tag (between $1,000 and $1,250) and that it includes exclusive access to the beta version of Fortnite for Android.
At the same event, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Watch -- dropping the Gear branding once and for all. Available in 42mm and 46mm models, the watch features LTE connectivity and boasts impressive battery life. But has the launch of the two products lived up to expectations?
Unpacked: Watch the Samsung Galaxy Note9 launch live stream here!
Just about everything you could possibly want to know about the Galaxy Note9 has already leaked out, but there's still the official launch event to look forward to later today in New York. The chances are you're not going to make it to the event itself, but you can watch it here, live.
Things kick off in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 11:00 EDT (that's 16:00 BST), and watching the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2018 live stream is the best way to get the lowdown on this flagship handset as soon as possible.
Leaked: the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is a super power
Samsung is getting about as leaky as OnePlus these days, and there have been all manner of details about the upcoming Galaxy Note9 slipping out over recent days. Now an official image and leaked video show off the handset in all its glory.
The Galaxy Note9 is due to be unveiled on August 9, but an image (now removed) that appeared on the Samsung site in New Zealand gives us a great look at what to expect. Even better, a leaked teaser video gives us an even better view showing off a new yellow S Pen, and revealing that the phone is "1 terabyte ready".
EU hits Google with record €4.34bn fine for 'very serious illegal behaviour' in Android antitrust case
The European Commission has fined Google a record €4.34 billion ($5 billion) in an antitrust case that saw the company accused of using Android as a "vehicle to cement its dominance as a search engine".
The Commission said that Google forced phone makers to pre-install its software on their handsets, taking advantage of Android's popularity, and breaching European antitrust rules. The EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager summed things up by saying Google has been "denying rivals a chance to innovate and compete on the merits".
Panos Panay: Microsoft is not working on a Surface Phone
If you were getting your hopes up about the possibility of a Surface Phone appearing, we have some bad news. Speaking with Wired, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft Panos Panay said that the company is not working on that form factor.
In the course of the interview, Panay said that Microsoft is working on various new form factors for future devices. Asked whether this included the fabled Surface Phone, he dashed the hopes of many -- although news has leaked out recently about a future "pocketable" Surface device.
The iPhone 6 is Apple's most problematic handset -- over a fifth suffer some form of failure
When you spend a few hundred dollars on a phone, you expect it to last you a while. But if you splashed out on an iPhone 6 there's a very high change that you've experienced some sort of problem with your handset.
A report shows that the iPhone 6 is by far Apple's least reliable handset, with a staggering 22 percent of them suffering failures. The iPhone 6S isn't far behind, and for Android users, Samsung handsets fare poorly too.
Samsung opens the world's largest mobile factory in India
Today Samsung is opening what it describes as the world's biggest mobile phone manufacturing facility. The factory is opening in India as the South Korean giant looks to take advantage of the fastest-growing mobile market.
Located in Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi, the new facility will give Samsung the ability to output handsets at an unprecedented rate -- said to be up to 120 million smartphones a year.
People really want Microsoft to launch a Surface Phone
There has been a lot of talk about the possibility of a Surface Phone (or Project Andromeda), but so far rumors have amounted to very little. Recently, however, documents leaked that showed plans for a "pocketable folding Surface device" and levels of interest and excitement rose.
Now a petition has appeared online to try to show Microsoft just how much interested there is in a Surface Phone. The title of the petition -- "Show Microsoft the demand for the Surface Phone or Andromeda!" -- is self-explanatory, and it has gathered a great deal of support in a single day.
Privacy warning: Samsung phones are leaking photos to random contacts
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ or Note 8, you might want to check that your contacts haven't got hold of some of your photos. Some owners of the handsets are reporting that the Samsung Messages SMS app has been sending out images from their camera rolls to random contacts.
Worryingly, many people who were affected by the privacy-invading leaks were only made aware of the problem when their friends asked about the images they'd received -- the Messages app does not reveal that anything has been sent. Samsung says that it is aware of the issue and is investigating what is happening.
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