Minor delays are not rare in the world of electronics, but that doesn’t mean customers are any less annoyed when they find out their much-awaited new phone will not arrive as soon as expected. So it helps when companies throw in free money to ease the sting of a delay. [More]
smartphones
T-Mobile Wants To Subsidize Your Google Pixel, Sort Of
By 10.27.16
You may remember that T-Mobile was the carrier that pushed the rest of the wireless industry into selling phones without traditional contracts, but with interest-free installment plans. Now, though, T-Mobile wants to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Google’s Pixel phone and… subsidize it for you. Sort of. [More]
Appeals Court Rules For Apple In One Of Its Patent Infringement Fights With Samsung
By 10.7.16
Apple just won the latest round in one of its fights with Samsung over patent infringement, with a federal appeals court ruling that reinstates a $119.6 million patent-infringement verdict it scored. [More]
Google Needs To Step Up Support To Sell Its Own Smartphones
By 10.5.16
Google’s customer support has come a long way since it first began selling Nexus mobile phones and Google Voice number ports to customers. However, the success of its new suite of devices depends on how well it’s able to provide customer and technical support for those devices. [More]
Report: Microsoft Ditching Lumia Smartphones In Favor Of A New Surface Phone
By 9.12.16
It could be the end of the Lumia line of smartphones according to a new report that says Microsoft is going to kill off those devices, and focus on a new Surface Phone instead. [More]
Samsung Reportedly Preparing To Sell Refurbished Phones Starting Next Year
By 8.22.16
If you’re not willing to pay full price on a brand new phone but still want a premium device, you may have another option soon: a new report says Samsung has plans to launch a program offering refurbished versions of its phones as early as next year. [More]
Plugging Your Phone In Overnight: To Charge, Or Not To Charge?
By 8.22.16
Anyone who’s ever jolted awake 30 minutes late for work because their phone’s battery died, thus keeping the device’s alarm clock from going off, may have been tempted to keep that thing plugged in all night, ensuring full battery. But is that overnight charge a good idea? [More]
Beware: Video-Jackers Can See Everything You Type On Your Smartphone
By 8.12.16
In a great example of the fact that not every USB charging station is as innocent as it looks, security researchers have identified a new, easy way for attackers to digitally eavesdrop on your smart phone when you think you’re charging it — and watch everything that appears on your screen while you’re doing it. [More]
Samsung And AT&T Won’t Tell You If Your Galaxy S7 Active Isn’t Waterproof, Or Extend Warranty
By 8.8.16
You might be familiar with the Samsung S7 Active smartphone, which both the manufacturer and its exclusive retailer, AT&T, advertise as being waterproof. Our phone-dunking colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports tested that claim and found the S7 Active lacking, with two test phones failing after a simulated 5-foot dunk in a water tank. Yet it turns out AT&T employees aren’t aware of this issue, and owners of the phone won’t get a lifetime warranty for liquid damage. [More]
AAA Would Like To Remind You Not To Use Pokémon Go While Driving
By 7.12.16
While it might seem obvious that you shouldn’t have your phone in front of your face for any reason while you’re operating heavy machinery, AAA would still like to remind all those Pokémon Go players out there to keep their eyes on the road and not on the app. [More]
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Active Fails The Dunk Test
By 7.8.16
When a product says it’s water resistant, you probably aren’t going to test that claim out yourself (at least not intentionally). That’s why we’ve got the fine folks at Consumer Reports, who recently subjected the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active to a “dunk test” to see if the phone would live up to its watertight claims. [More]
Chinese Tech Company You May Have Never Heard Of Plans To Be Bigger Than Samsung Or Apple
By 6.3.16
If you’re reading this on a smartphone in the U.S., odds are high that you’re using either an Apple iPhone or one of Samsung’s many Android-based devices. However, Samsung’s sales are flat and Apple’s phone sales are declining, all the while China’s Huawei is drinking their milkshake. [More]
Is It Illegal To Use An App To Track Your Kid, Spouse, Or Employee?
By 5.9.16
There are a number of well-known apps that allow you remotely track your phone if it’s lost, or that track the movement of another device but do so with that user’s knowledge. What about those apps that let you track another phone — and maybe intercept calls and texts — without the other person having any idea? [More]
Dish Will Send Someone To Your House To Fix Your Broken iPhone
By 5.3.16
One of the most annoying things about breaking your phone is having to go somewhere and wait in line to get it fixed. There’s another, unexpected option now for iPhone users who have shattered their device’s screens or need help with a dead battery: satellite provider Dish has launched a new repair service that sends a technician to wherever the customer is. [More]
Microsoft Bringing Android Notifications To Windows 10 PCs
By 4.1.16
For those times when your Android smartphone isn’t clutched safely in your hand or resting at an accessible distance nearby, you may experience moments when you’re unaware if you’ve just received a text or missed a phone call. Microsoft says it’s going to ameliorate any uneasiness you may feel by funneling Android phone notifications over to PCs running on Windows 10. [More]
Unsurprising: The End Of Subsidized Smartphones Means U.S. Smartphone Sales Are Down
By 3.2.16
Do you have a smartphone? Do you like your smartphone and want to keep it going as long as possible? Now that U.S. carriers have quit giving us new free phones every 18 months to two years, smartphone users here have come to realize that the devices do not, in fact, cost $0-$200, and maybe we should keep using them for longer. Some recent sales data shows that smartphone sales are down here, and it’s not hard to figure out why. [More]
Walmart Shoppers Will Soon Be Able To Pay For Their Stuff In Stores Using Retailer’s Smartphone App
By 12.10.15
In a sign that Walmart might be giving up on CurrentC — a mobile payment system that a consortium led by the retailer dreamed up a few years ago that has yet to become a reality — the chain has announced that shoppers in its stores will soon be able to pay for their stuff with the Walmart smartphone app. [More]
Lending Startups Use Borrowers’ Smartphone Behavior To Decide If They Are Creditworthy
By 12.1.15
The wallet-sized – or larger – smartphone constantly tethered to your hand may often be seen as your connection to the outside world. Each time you surf the web, connect with friends, make purchases and check your bank account, it’s collecting mountains of data about you. And that data could soon be analyzed to determine if you’re creditworthy. [More]
