The world has become a small town and distances matter no more. The reason for this statement is huge developments in all kinds of communications especially telecommunications. Every day there are new cell phone models in the market and one gets carried away with these very expensive new cell phones
If you’re interested in nearly purloining Verizon for a device upgrade, here’s a tip: the longer you wait, the less likely you’ll be able to grab these codes.Once again, we turn to Reddit and the Verizon subsection to check out a 20 percent discount code (simply “SAVE20”) on any 4G smartphone — most every smartphone on Big Red these days. That includes the Pixel ...
If you own an LG V20, here’s a frightful pattern you’ll want to watch for that dual-camera head unit. Perhaps you might even consider getting a case for it. Perhaps that’ll be a futile move.There have been multiple reports of the glass on the head unit either cracking or shattering and usually because of minuscule impact activities such as scratching the surface or even setting the phone down. A post on the LG V20 subreddit has logged seven incidents including an ...
Apple's iOS 10.2 beta is shaping up to be the most expressive iPhone and iPad update yet, with new emojis that symbolize what we type out all of the time.
There are more than 72 new emojis in today's developer beta, and it finally gives us an even shorter way of saying "I don't know," thanks to a shrug emoji.
The universal shrug symbol is joined by the more hopeful emoji titled "Hand With Index And Middle Fingers Crossed," according to Emojipedia.
Better known as "fingers crossed," this emoji gives you an illustrative way to say something like "Hoping that backordered Jet Black iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus comes in soon. Fingers crossed!"
When it's delivery date is still mid-November, you can go ahead of use the all-new iOS 10.2 emoji "Face Palm," available in male and female genders to accurately capture your mood.
Other emojis making their debut in iOS 10.2 developer beta include new career roles: firefighter, welder, astronaut, judge, and both genders and all races are here.
There's now a male dancing equivalent to the red-dress-wearing female dancer first seen in 2010. He struts Saturday Night Fever-like disco moves in a blue suit.
iOS 10.2 also sends in the clowns, cowboy-hat wearing smiley faces and gives sickness a two symbol icons: nauseated and a tissue-wielding sneezing face.
There are a quartet from the animal kingdom: Fox, Duck, Squid and Gorilla. Who will be the first person to message you "What did the (Fox emoji) say?" They really need an "unfriend" emoji as only a no-word response to this appropriate for that joke.
We'll have more iOS 10 update news as we further explore iOS 10.1, and also let you know what's new with the watchOS 3.1.1 and macOS 10.12.2 updates.
from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/ios-102-has-so-many-new-emojis-youve-desperately-wanted-on-your-iphone
The only new Android Wear smartwatch from a major tech manufacturer this season is about to go on sale in just under two weeks.B&H Photo has opened up the pre-order queue for the ASUS ZenWatch 3 today and the pricing is just as expected: $229.99. It’s a decent price for a
It can happen at any moment. A car crash nearly side swipes you, but it goes on down the road. You pull your Nexus 6P out and snap a few pictures and get ready to share with whoever will see them… and then your phone dies. At 50 percent.Why is this happening? What is happening? How is it happening? The Android subreddit doesn’t exactly know, but there’s a thread on it that has people talking about it happening — anything from calls to randomly browsing through ...
You know those weird, cheap apps you find every so often in your Google Play Store search results? It’s surprising how some of those can be so useful or pretty or just plain fun. Looks can be deceiving — but so can ratings and reviews.Sure, just like bots to any decent Twitter user, honest apps still can attract bot marks. But some developers obviously and copiously buy into the fake reviews and ...
Bad news: Some of you might be getting your Google Pixel phone late.
Good news: Google may reward you for your trouble!
After receiving high praise from critics - ourselves included - it appears that Google is having a hard time keeping up with preorders of its brand-new flagship phone.
This has resulted in Google sending out emails to some customers saying that it "may take a little longer" for them to get their Pixel.
To make good, the company also intends to credit affected customers $50 in Google Play Store credit once their phone finally arrives as a token of appreciation.
While Google's emails don't specify by how much its delayed shipment will miss the delivery window, some customers on Reddit have claimed their phone will only be a few days off the original mark.
Patient Pixels
Given that a little extra waiting could result in $50's worth of apps, movies, music, or YouTube Red, Google's handout seems like a pretty good deal.
That said, it's still not clear exactly how long the average customer will have to wait or who qualifies for the credits, as some users claim they're still waiting on their credits after their Pixel arrived a couple of days late.
Google has stated that demand for the Pixel has exceeded expectations, resulting in the company working to resupply its wares as soon as possible.
At the time of writing, the larger 5.5-inch display Pixel XL is also selling fast - so much so that it's currently out of stock in the Google Store and putting interested customers on a waitlist.
We have reached out to Google to learn more about the effect of the reported delays, and will update this story as it develops.
Sony’s big kahuna for the back half of 2016 is cutting its teeth at Amazon with a discount.The $699.99 GSM-unlocked phone, which debuted on the 2nd of this month, has now dropped $50 or 7 percent to $649.99. Pair that with free one-day shipping for Prime subscribers and now we’re starting to talk a little more sense.The discount is applied to all three colors ...
When it was announced that HTC would be manufacturing Google’s newest phone, we smartphone audio snobs were all hoping we’d see (hear) the same great sound quality we’ve come to expect from HTC. Recently revisiting the HTC 10 in an After the Buzz review, that phone produces some of the highest audio quality we’ve ever tested here at Pocketnow. It really is a joy to listen to, so we had fingers and toes crossed that the Pixel and Pixel XL would perform similarly.Unfortunately, it would seem that Google had ...
“When you stop investing in these things, it’s super hard, super, super hard to restart.”Those are the words of Microsoft Executive Vice President of Windows and Devices Terry Myerson.It takes more time and effort to build a Jenga tower than to knock it down. And with the company having built up Windows 10 Mobile for so long with not much to show for it, it would explain why you’re seeing fairly quick turnarounds for build updates.But what does ...
A new TV ad for the modular Moto Z opens with a Steve Jobs-type walking out on stage holding up a black square and a voiceover stating, “Remember 2007? Smartphones - big, game-changing, oh-em-gee.”
It continues, “Now fast forward to today, nothing has really changed. The camera got a little better, the headphone jack moved, rose gold is a color – not an idea. It’s time to snap out of it, people.”
Motorola is wrong - it may feel like phones innovation has slowed down as no company has revolutionized the size or way we use our phones, but a lot has happened during nearly a decade since Apple released its first phone.
From hyper-fast connection to massively improved audio all the way to insane jumps in camera technology, we should be celebrating the fantastic levels of innovation that are packed into our pockets - trust us, there are more than a few.
4G internet
In 2007, being able to download a whole album onto your phone in a matter of seconds while travelling on a bus was a pipe dream. Now most of us stream any song we can conceive of directly into our ears without giving it a second thought.
We’ve grown so used to having high speed internet many are clamouring for the introduction of 5G technology as soon as possible to get faster download times and have an even more seamless connection.
The HTC Evo from 2010 was the first phone to boast the high-speed internet connectivity and every major flagship phone has embraced it ever since.
4G has enabled us to stream high-definition video, download apps wherever we want and do everything much faster than ever before- that's definite innovation.
Front-facing speakers
It may seem like an afterthought now, but front-facing speaker tech forced a huge step forward in headphone-less audio performance on our phones in 2013.
The HTC One was the first phone to include the speaker tech - it really impressed at the time as you could watch movies, listen to music in the kitchen or share YouTube clips with chums with high quality audio with no need to cup the speakers to hear what’s going on.
Showing your friends this feature felt like a proper 'wow' moment for tech - some might argue it's not hugely necessary but it really felt like a leap forward to have our phones pumping out such great sound.
QHD displays
The original iPhone only had 165 pixels-per-inch on its screen (with a resolution of 320 x 480), but the LG G3 from 2014 came along with over three times more more at 538ppi (1440 x 2560). Phone screens have come a long way and QHD was a major turning point.
Sony one-upped QHD by releasing a 4K phone - the Xperia Z5 Premium with 806ppi (2160 x 3840)- but QHD has been widely embraced while the Ultra HD option hasn’t been seen anywhere else but on that phone.
Although initially seen as pointless, there have been benefits to having QHD displays on our phones apart from having better-looking video and pin-sharp web browsing - it’s perfect for virtual reality too. Our phone screens are now so good we can put them in a headset and disappear to other worlds.
The App Store
When the iPhone originally launched it was packing ‘apps’, but each was made by Apple and didn’t offer any functionality outside of Apple services or tasks such as the calculator or contacts.
Some app portals existed for Nokia phones, but these were rogue wastelands that offered a few Java games or timer apps - and were a nightmare to use.
Nine years later and everything you need to do in life is possible through a few taps and a speedy download. Finding love, finding what music is playing or working out what you want for dinner is now possible in no time at all, and it’s Apple’s App Store launched in 2008 (and the subsequent popularity of the Google Play Store) that changed how we use our phones forever.
High quality smartphone cameras
It’s easy to brush the updates to our phones aside, saying each camera tweak is a minimal upgrade, but the shooters on the back of our handsets have improved with higher resolutions, better low-light capabilities and tons of new features geared to amazing us with the quality of image that comes up.
A key moment of cameraphone innovation came with the HTC One M8 in 2014, which featured a 4MP ‘Ultrapixel’ camera. It may not sound like much by today’s standards, but it allowed for much better low-light shots and featured a dual sensor to give better depth to your photos - this was a true watershed moment and paved the way for the impressive dual sensors on the iPhone 7 Plus and the Huawei P9.
Selfies have also become a true cultural phenomenon since 2007 and the front-facing camera has been a massive change, forcing all phone manufacturers to rethink and put two cameras on every device out these days.
Gorilla Glass and durability
Phones of the past have been fragile and prone to breaking at the slightest bump, but the upgrades in the last few years to durability tech means your phone is much less likely to get damaged.
It’s not all about whether your phone can take a dip though - Corning’s Gorilla Glass has been a major step forward to help you phone survive knocks and drops as well.
It has given smartphones an even higher level of toughness to ensure the odd bump doesn’t ruin the device for good. According to Corning, the latest Gorilla Glass 5 protects your phone from 80% of drops at 1.6 meters - we don't like the original iPhone's odds at that height.
Your iPhone 7 can now also be dipped into water and survive, unlike your original iPhone. That’s a big step forward and the first to do so was the Sony Xperia Z back in 2013.
Even Motorola made what was called the “unbreakable” phone with the Moto X Force last year, which had a shatterproof display. That’s smartphone innovation, and this new advert from the brand shows it's not embracing even its own history.
So to say that the smartphone world is devoid of innovation is insane - we've seen some of the biggest technological advances crammed into tiny devices in the last decade, and it's not all just because of Apple.
from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/no-motorola-the-iphone-wasnt-the-last-big-phone-innovation
While we’re going to be the first to admit we didn’t hear many iPhone, iPad or iPod users complain of an “issue where Health data could not be viewed” once their operating systems were brought up to build number 10.1 last week, such a problem must have existed, and it must have been serious if Apple dedicated an entire update to its fix.Well, technically, the so-called changelog of the iOS 10.1.1 makeover alludes to bugs (plural) being ironed out, but aside from the aforementioned, nothing specific is pointed out. ...
Any miracles to report between July and September 2016, perhaps turning things around for a long-struggling global tablet industry? Certainly not according to preliminary IDC data, which counted only 43 million slates and detachables shipped in total during 2016’s third quarter, down a whopping 14.7 percent year-over-year.On the bright side (yes, there is one, for a change), sales were considerably on the rise
With just a few weeks to go until Black Friday, it’s probably going to take something really special to convince a well-informed mobile bargain hunter it’s already time for some sensible holiday shopping.But when it comes to current and even previous-gen iPhones, we know full well not to expect a lot from Apple. Especially with the Galaxy Note 7 prematurely out of the iPhone 7-contending picture, and
No Surface Pro 5? No problem, as Lenovo appears to be planning the release of a revised Miix-branded Surface Pro 4 “killer” just in time for the fast-approaching holiday season. And no, we’re not talking about the 510 detachable Windows 10 tablet unveiled at IFA a few months back with sixth-gen Intel Core i-series processors, a starting $600 price, and up to 8GB RAM.The Lenovo Miix 720 looks like a ...
We’ve heard a lot about the Huawei Mate 9, but so far images of it have been limited to renders and prototypes, at least until today.
Now two seemingly-real images of the phone have emerged on CNMO, showing both the front and back of the Mate 9.
These leaks largely line up with what we’ve seen and heard before, showing a big (probably 5.9-inch) screen, a metal shell in a gold color, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a dual-lens camera, rumored to have 20MP and 12MP sensors.
You can also see a dual-LED flash on the back, and Huawei’s Emotion UI running on the screen.
The images don’t give much else away, but we’ve heard previously that the Mate 9 will come in a 1080p standard and QHD Pro version, with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM (again differing based on the version you opt for), a 4000mAh battery and up to 256GB of storage.
If the higher end rumors pan out then the Huawei Mate 9 Pro could be one of the best phones of the year (albeit a bit late in the game), and we should know soon enough, as it’s likely to be announced on November 3.
Android purists accustomed to the traditionally unbeatable quality – pricing ratio of Nexus devices may find the first ever “Made by Google” smartphones a little on the steep side, starting at $650 and $770 with 5 and 5.5-inch displays respectively outright.Luckily, there’s a bunch of freebies to be had from various retailers and carriers, at least stateside, so at the end of the day, the Pixel and Pixel XL will feel like much better deals than ...
Sony’s latest attempt at flagship phones, the Xperia X series, hasn’t set the smartphone world alight. But Sony looks set to push ahead with two new phones at the start of next year nonetheless.
The Eurasian Economic Commission has revealed two new codenames for Xperia handsets with the model numbers of G3112 and G3121.
Sony has revealed phones at Mobile World Congress for a number of years now. The Xperia Z5 was revealed at MWC 2015 with the model number E6603, while the Xperia X was released last year under F5121.
Another X incoming
Considering the codenames suggest we have now moved onto the G series with these new Xperia model names, it’d suggest a release in February next year is on the cards.
So far there’s no mention of the spec or what the new Xperia X phones will even be called.
The Sony Xperia X will be a year old by the time next year's MWC rolls around, so it’d make sense for Sony to upgrade it to the Xperia X2. These model numbers would make sense for any such phone.
If getting you to “Skip the Sevens” means Lenovo has to slim down its profit margins on the modular Moto Z family, so be it. Enter a fresh new batch of discounts, this time offered through Motorola’s US website in addition to third-party retailer and deal specialist Best Buy.Until November 18, you can purchase the unlocked standard Moto Z, as ...
If you’re looking for something like an older Moto phone from Lenovo anytime soon, November 8 may be the closest that we get to it. As a bonus, we’ll be getting another phone strictly from Lenovo.That’s according to an invitation to an event in Guangzhou from Motorola. Yep, Motorola is the brand face of Lenovo when it comes to smartphones even though the actual ...
It’s a ridiculous time in the morning, and you’ve just about got out of bed. At this point, you’re extremely tired and could do with an extra few minutes of shut-eye, but you know you have work in an hour.
You quickly get washed and dressed, before making your way to the kitchen to fix up some breakfast and grab a cup of coffee. Now it’s time for that painfully boring commute, which could easily make you cry at any given moment.
Whatever you tell yourself, the fact is you can make your journey to work even better. You’ve no doubt got a smartphone tucked away in your pocket, so why not make use of it and the time you have on the bus or train?
Time is precious, and you can potentially achieve a lot during your commute - even if it’s pretty short. Get productive with an app, or have fun with a game to kill the time. There are plenty of them out there, and we look at the best apps and services for quick commutes.
Things to do in 15 minutes
Medium (Android, iOS, free)
Reading is powerful, and there’s so much you can learn by doing it. On your daily commute - especially if you’re on a train or bus - you no doubt see people with their heads buried in books, newspapers and magazines. Well, with Medium, you can read quality content straight from your phone. What’s cool, though, is that the app has a ‘read time’ feature, meaning you can identify how long an article will take to read. Most are pretty easy to get into, and you can easily get through a piece within fifteen minutes.
If you’d like to kill time and have a bit of fun as well, then it’s worth checking out Stronghold Games Timer. Available on both Android and iOS, the app offers a selection of easy games that are controlled by sand timers. They’re based mainly on the theme of space, but there’s also a whacky game about the UN Security Council. You can set a timer for each game, lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes. There’s a pre-timer option of five minutes, so you could easily play a few while you’re on the bus or train.
Sometimes, it can be hard to keep up-to-date with the things happening in the world when you have so much going on in your life. But you can change that with News In 60. The app finds all the important news in a day - covering areas such as current affairs, technology and sports - and summarises them so they only take a few seconds to read. You can easily share your favourite articles with friends and save them as bookmarks to access later on. It’s been optimised for high-download speed, low bandwidth and night use.
There are many people who commute to work by walking, especially if they live in interconnected cities and towns. Perhaps you’re one of them. You probably see it as a great way of exercising, and with Map My Walk, you can calculate your pace, route, distance, calories and steps. It’s a handy way to look at how much your daily commute contributes to your health and wellbeing. You can import data to connected devices from Jawbone, Misfit, Fitbit, Garmin and Withings. There’s also the ability to map and plan your route before you leave your house.
Serial Reader (Android, iOS, free)
It feels great to get ingrained in a good novel, but in reality, not everyone has the time to get through long-read prose. There’s just not enough time in the day. With Serial Reader, though, you can use your commutes to delve into small chunks of books. This smart app lets you subscribe to classic books and sends you an instalment to read each day. You should be able to read each issue within 20 minutes, and if you manage to do that, then there’s no reason why you can’t finish a whole book within a few days. The app has over 300 books available, including classics like The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, Wuthering Heights, My Antonia, Les Miserables and Peter Pan.
Long commutes may feel like wasted time, although they don’t have to be. You can easily do something productive when walking or on public transport - like learning a language. Duolingo covers a plethora of languages, including Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian. The best thing about it is that language learning is presented as a game, where you pick up words and earn points at the same time. There’s the option to learn in daily doses of 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes.
While the daily commute is an opportune time to sit back and relax, it’s also a good time to get productive and prepare for the day of work. Tasks managers are a brilliant for keeping organised, and 30/30 is a great example. It lets you create comprehensive task lists and track them to ensure you don’t fall behind. There’s a pre-set time of 30 minutes, meaning you could easily go over emails, documents and other work-related material while you travel to your office. Once the time’s up, you’re encouraged to start another task. It’s worth noting that you have the option to customise the duration of tasks.
When you have so much going on in life life - from family commitments to work deadlines - it’s easy to become stressed. Meditating is a good way to relieve anxiety and keep productive throughout the day, and Buddhify makes this easy. The app provides more than 80 audio-guided tasks, all of which have been tailored for different parts of the day. These include commuting, sleeping and taking a work break. They last up to 30 minutes, and you can track your progress through statistics.
The fact is, there’s so much you can do while you commute: play games, meditate and so much more. But what about journalling? That’s probably something that’s never come across your mind, but it’s actually quite fun. Using Day One, you can easily enter your thoughts and memories into diary entries that are synced and backed up in the Cloud. It lets you store up to ten journals with different colours and names, and you’re able to add as many photos as you’d like. These journals will help not only give you something to do while you get to and from work, but also map your thoughts and feelings. That’s extremely handy if you have a job in the creative world.
