Say goodbye to Swype
Android and iOS users who are not happy with the stock keyboard on their device have lots of third-party options to choose from. Among the established alternatives is Swype, which has been available for nearly five years on Android and over three on iOS. It's actually one of the first third-party keyboards I tried on both platforms.
Swype, however, hasn't really caught on in quite the same way that, say, SwiftKey has, which is likely the reason why the company behind the app, Nuance, has announced that it's reached "end of development." In other words, Swype users, your favorite keyboard is now discontinued.
Don't buy Huawei devices, say US spy heads
Huawei has been trying to break into the US market for quite some time and it looks like things will not get easier from here on out either. The top intelligence officials in US have warned consumers to avoid the company's products, due to security concerns.
Huawei is joined by ZTE on the "no buy" list, which is backed by the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA, among others, according to a CNBC report. The officials are said to have "commended" US carriers for resisting to the Chinese companies' push.
Amazon offers refunds to people who paid to remove ads from Prime Exclusive Phones
For anyone looking to bag a bargain-priced handset, Amazon Prime Exclusive Phones were a great idea. There was just one drawback: lockscreen ads. Of course, there was the option to pay to hide the advertising, but that sort of negated the benefit of the initial low price.
Last week, Amazon announced it was going to get rid of these ads. This is great news for owners of Prime Exclusive Phones, but it irked people who had paid for ad removal. Now Amazon has announced that it will be offering refunds to anyone who parted with money to hide ads.
Google Pixel sales still no match for iPhone, Galaxy S series
Google has high hopes for the Pixel line. Its smartphones compete against the best the market has to offer, featuring cutting-edge hardware, vanilla Android and, unlike many of its droid-toting siblings, three years of support. But consumers aren't (yet) enamored with them.
According to IDC, Google shipped 3.9 million Pixel smartphones last year, which is not a whole lot when you consider just how many tens of million of units the big players ship in a single quarter.
Low-cost Nokia 2 comes to the UK with two-day battery life
Nokia is a name -- for more seasoned mobile users, at least -- that's synonymous with phones that seem to last forever between charges. Now HMD Global is bringing the Nokia 2 to the UK, complete with impressive two-day battery life.
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 Quad-core processor, the Nokia 2 boasts a 5-inch screen and 8GB of memory -- which can be increased by up to 128GB with a MicroSD card. The phone ships with Android Nougat 7.1.1 (it's described as being "Oreo ready" although there's no word on when an upgrade might appear), and it will be available in two weeks for just £99.
Xiaomi deletes MIUI vs Android One Twitter poll after the voting didn't go its way
Which is better -- the MIUI skin, or Android One? This is what Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi decided to ask on Twitter, and the results were... interesting.
Presumably the company was rather hoping that Twitter users would vote for its own MIUI which it could then rub in Google's face -- but the poll actually went against Xiaomi. Rather than leave the results of the vote up for anyone to see, the company decided to simply delete it and pretend it never happened.
Samsung rolling out Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8
Samsung has kicked off the Android Oreo roll-out for the Galaxy S8, three months after introducing a public beta program. The first to get it are the testers who enrolled, starting with those in Germany.
What's interesting is that, even though version 8.1 exists, Samsung is pushing Android 8.0 Oreo. That's pretty much what happened last time round with the Galaxy S7, which received Android 7.0 Nougat, when 7.1 was available.
iOS 11.3 beta 2 includes performance throttling opt-out and new battery health options
Apple raised the anger levels of some iPhone users when it was revealed that handset performance was being purposefully reduced to maintain battery health. Some of this anger was dissipated when the company offered up cheap battery replacements, but Tim Cook also promised that users would soon be able to opt out of performance throttling.
The option to disable performance reduction is due to hit the masses with iOS 11.3, and the second beta of this version of Apple's mobile operating system has now been released to developers. It gives us our first glimpse at what the new battery health features look like.
NYPD replacing Windows phones with iPhones
The New York Police Department is finally giving its officers smartphones they can rely on, as it moves to replace its aging Windows smartphones with iPhones. The NYPD made its decision public last year, in August, but has only recently started to hand out the new devices.
According to the New York Daily News, the NYPD started the roll-out around Christmas. Around 600 devices are handed out every day and, based on what the report says, officers are excited about the change.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro flagship Android smartphone now available for pre-order
Despite foolish actions by some US cellular carriers caused by political pressure, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro Android smartphone is still coming to the USA. If you aren't familiar with the controversy, both AT&T and Verizon have refused to carry this device because xenophobic politicians are concerned about Huawei being a Chinese company. Tons of products for sale in the USA are made in China, so it is odd that Huawei is being singled out for alleged espionage. Of course, with the USA's current president, all logic has seemingly gone out the window.
Huawei has wisely decided to just go the unlocked route, meaning the Mate 10 Pro will work on T-Mobile, AT&T, and other GSM carriers in the USA -- Verizon and Sprint are not compatible. If you want to buy this flagship Android smartphone, you can pre-order starting today. Quite frankly, Huawei makes absolutely gorgeous products that are high-quality, so I would recommend that you do.
OnePlus 5T in Lava Red arrives just in time for Valentine's Day
In a world where smartphones only seem to be available in black, white or gold, it's nice to see something different. The OnePlus 5T in Lava Red, which launches tomorrow in anticipation of Valentine's Day, is a perfect example.
As its name suggests, it's red. And it looks pretty cool, if you ask me. I've been using the Midnight Black model in a red silicone case for the past couple of months and, if I could switch, I wouldn't think twice about it.
iPhone X bug leaves some users unable to answer calls
A number of iPhone X users are complaining about a bug that leaves them unable to answer incoming calls. Reports of the bug are spreading through Apple's support forums, and the company is looking into the problem.
People who are experiencing the bug say that when they receive a call, their iPhone X rings, but the screen does not wake up. While the problem has been around for a couple of months, complaints seem to be growing in number at the moment.
Apple launches free repair program for 'No Service' iPhone 7 bug
Apple has launched a new repair program aimed at iPhone 7 users who are experiencing a "No Service" problem. Apple says that affected models that were sold since September 2016 will be repaired free of charge.
The company explains that the No Service bug only affects a "small number" of handsets, and it is caused by a failed component on the main logic board. So which handsets are covered, and how do you go about claiming your free repair?
Nintendo is bringing Mario Kart to smartphones
Following the success of Super Mario Run, Nintendo has confirmed plans to bring Mario Kart to mobile devices.
The game will be called Mario Kart Tour, and it is currently scheduled for release by the first quarter of 2019. This is the first Mario Kart title to make its way to smartphones, and a title that will be eagerly awaited by fans of the Italian ex-plumber.
OnePlus 5T officially receives Android 8.0 Oreo
OnePlus today kicked off the roll-out of OxygenOS 5.0.2, which finally brings Android 8.0 Oreo to its latest flagship killer, the OnePlus 5T. This build also adds a couple of changes to the UI and updates a number of the built-in apps.
The official Android 8.0 Oreo release lands nearly a month after OnePlus introduced the first public beta. Given the nature of such major under-the-hood changes, it will reach a limited number of OnePlus 5T users on day one, with a broader roll-out set to start in the next couple of days.
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