Tag: phone

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Tech Radar

Forget the Nokia 9.3: the next Nokia phone could be the Nokia 10

What’s in a name? A lot, by the sounds of it, because it sounds like Nokia is struggling to name its next flagship. We’ve heard it could be the 9.2, 9.3, or even the Nokia 10, but a new leak has come down decisively on one of those three. A leaked document, acquired by Nokia fan site Nokiamob, lays out loads of details about the company – so much so that the site opted not to publish the entire document, though that does mean it’s way harder to validate this leak. One of the key takeaways is that there’s only one phone named in the document – the Nokia 10. This was one of the names we’d heard for the new flagship Nokia phone, as in general terms ‘higher numbers = better’ for the brand’s devices. This is very compelling evidence that the new premium phone will be called that, and not the Nokia 9.2 or 9.3, though those certainly could be other devices we see at some point. Still, as we said it’s hard to verify this leak. The rest of the document is more business-oriented, naming key markets, sales figure plans and details about Nokia’s relationship to Google – none of the information tells us anything else about the phone. When could it come out? It’s hard to tell when the Nokia 10 will be announced, and even harder to guess when it will be released – the Nokia 8.3 5G was revealed at the beginning of 2020…Continue readingForget the Nokia 9.3: the next Nokia phone could be the Nokia 10

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Tech Radar

Asus ROG Phone 3 gets permanent price cut ahead of festival sales

ROG Phone 3 can be bought with its price reduced by Rs 3000 starting the Flipkart Diwali Sale. You can also avail the EMI offers in case you wish.View Deal The annual festival sales ensure that you can upgrade to your favourite smartphone at a much lower price than normal. And in case you are a gamer who likes to kill virtual zombies on your smartphones then the Asus ROG Phone 3, touted as the most powerful Android gaming phone, is available at its lowest price during the Flipkart Diwali Sale that starts from today i.e. October 29, and on till November 4. Asus is now offering the ROG Phone 3 at a starting price of Rs 46,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant while the 12GB+128GB variant will now retail at Rs 49,999. The top-end variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage is available at Rs 54,999. Remember, this Rs 3,000 discount is a permanent price cut and the phone can be bought at even lower price during the Big Diwali sale on Flipkart thanks to the sitewide 10% discount offered on Axis bank cards. Also, in case you do not want to pay the entire amount in one go, the phone will be available on a no-cost EMI for 3,6, or 9 months. To recall, the ROG Phone 3 comes with the latest Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset and has a massive 6.59-inches AMOLED panel boasting 144Hz refresh rate making it ideal for media consumption as well. The display…Continue readingAsus ROG Phone 3 gets permanent price cut ahead of festival sales

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Tech Radar

Biggest iPhone 12 mini threat? A truly cheap phone with 5G

The TCL 10 5G is finally coming to US shores, bringing more affordable 5G phone at a $399 price tag that undercuts nearly all other phones with next-gen connectivity in the US market.  The TCL 10 5G will be especially attractive to Verizon customers, who have often had to pay more for specialized versions of new phones that can connect to the carrier’s mmWave 5G network, but TCL’s phone is compatible at the $399 price point. The TCL 10 5G looks much like the phonemaker’s budget TCL 10L released earlier in the year, though the new handset has markedly better specs. It packs a Snapdragon 765G chipset – the same as in the new Pixel 5 – along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is a pretty standard array for 2020 mid-range phones. Combined with a 6.5-inch Full HD Plus LCD display, a 4,500mAh battery, a triple rear camera (main, ultra-wide, and macro), and a 3.5mm headphone jack, the TCL 10 5G has respectable perks for a phone at its price point at the more affordable end of mid-range.  (Image credit: TechRadar) TCL 10 5G: another contender in a crowded mid-range market The TCL 10 5G is an iteration on the TCL 10L with its improved specs and, yes, 5G connectivity. But it’s entering a US market that has seen a bunch of powerful mid-range and budget phones this year. The 4G-only selection of 2020 phones is strong, with the Google Pixel 4a priced at $349 and…Continue readingBiggest iPhone 12 mini threat? A truly cheap phone with 5G

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Tech Radar

Another rebadged Samsung F series phone might be in the works

The Samsung Galaxy F series made its debut in India earlier this month with the Galaxy F41. The new series will have another device soon in the market as Samsung is now working on another F series device. A new Samsung Galaxy smartphone with model number SM-F127G is said to be in the works according to a report from Sammobile. The device will be most likely called Samsung Galaxy F12s or Galaxy F12. But, Samsung may just stick to Galaxy F12.  (Image credit: Flipkart) As of now, the details are very limited as it is still in the development stage. But, the carrier model number SM-F127G is all we have for the time being. The report also suggests that the device will be an entry-level affordable smartphone.  Currently, the F series has a solo member in the family with the Galaxy F41 which is water down version of the Galaxy M31 with slight changes. Going by the track record with the Galaxy F41, the Galaxy F12 or the Galaxy F12s might be a rebranded version of other Galaxy M series device. It could be a rebranded version of the Galaxy M11, Galaxy M21 or might even be a completely new device.  Since the Galaxy F series was exclusive to Flipkart and most of the M series devices are sold on Amazon, if the Galaxy F12/F12s arrives in India we can expect that to be available on Flipkart.  The Samsung Galaxy F41 packs in a 6,000mAh battery. It supports 15W Type-C…Continue readingAnother rebadged Samsung F series phone might be in the works

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The Next Web

Why can’t I fix my own phone, toaster, or tractor?

As critically ill COVID-19 patients started showing up in droves at emergency rooms around the world, ventilators became a crucial technology keeping patients alive. When hospitals’ own resources became overwhelmed, the Strategic National Stockpile dusted off and distributed thousands of the life-support machines throughout the country. But not all were in working condition. J. Scot Mackeil, a biomedical technician with more than 40 years of experience, worked on a team tasked with inspecting machines sent to Massachusetts’s Emergency Management Agency. In mid-April, while performing spot checks on hundreds of ventilators packed in freight pods, Mackeil discovered one with a damaged power connector. But when he asked the manufacturer to send him a replacement part, he was surprised to receive the manufacturer’s response: “ ‘Absolutely no.’ ” “I had just expected, ‘Oh, no problem. Where can we send it?’ ” he said. “I wasn’t expecting them to dig their heels in.” Mackeil was well aware of what’s become a common obstacle for hospitals: Manufacturers not only have a monopoly over even simple replacement parts, but they also often allow only their authorized service technicians to repair equipment. Mackeil told The Markup that over his career, manufacturers resisting hospitals doing their own repairs has become the norm. “Medical equipment manufacturers look at the service phase of the device life as a huge profit center,” Mackeil said. With the ventilator, he had thought they might relent. “It was just a shame,” he said. It’s not just medical device manufacturers who keep a tight grip on…Continue readingWhy can’t I fix my own phone, toaster, or tractor?

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Engadget

Senators push for investigation into CBP use of phone location data

In the same Senate call, CBP also didn’t comment on whether the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision on Carpenter v. United States applies to its use of commercially-available location data. The ruling prevents law enforcement agencies from obtaining cell-site information without a warrant.  “CBP outrageously asserted that its legal analysis is privileged and therefore does not have to be shared with Congress,” the letter states. “We disagree.” The group wants the DHS Office of the Inspector General to investigate the practice and determine whether CBP is breaking the law. An aide for Senator Wyden told Motherboard CBP isn’t stopping its personnel from using the data only at the border either, and it’s buying information on people from all across the country.  The Department of Homeland Security’s use of location data came into the spotlight earlier this year when The Wall Street Journal published a report that said the organization had been buying and using location data since at least 2017. Law enforcement agencies like US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that operate under DHS have reportedly used the information to source leads on illegal border crossings. In one instance, location data may have helped the agency find a drug-smuggling tunnel between Mexico and an abandoned KFC in San Luis, Arizona. Venntel, the company the Department of Homeland Security buys the location data from, sources it from digital advertising firms that in turn obtain it from apps and games. In most cases, it’s information people consent to sharing every time they install…Continue readingSenators push for investigation into CBP use of phone location data

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Engadget

Google Fi’s phone subscription gets you a Pixel 4a for just $15 per month

The phone insurance is priced at $6 per month, and you can opt out of it. That would let you pay $9 per month for the two years, adding up to just $216 to own a phone that sells for $349. The only risk there is that if your phone gets damaged or lost, you’d still be on the hook for the subscription payments no matter what. Source linkContinue readingGoogle Fi’s phone subscription gets you a Pixel 4a for just $15 per month

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Engadget

UK closes loophole that allowed using your phone while driving

The UK is about to make it clear that you shouldn’t grab your phone while you’re driving — regardless of what you intend to do. The government is closing a legal loophole (via BBC) that allowed people to pick up their phones while driving as long as they weren’t calling or messaging. When enacted, you’ll have to use hands-free features for just about everything. The lone exception is for contactless payment while you’re stationary, such as paying for a meal at a drive-thru. The law previously only banned “interactive communication.” Effectively, this let people escape punishment by claiming they were browsing the web, taking a selfie or otherwise doing something that didn’t involve chatting with others. Source linkContinue readingUK closes loophole that allowed using your phone while driving

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The Next Web

The Pixel 5 is still a great phone, but that’s no thanks to the specs

Sure as the sun will rise, the latest tech is supposed to be the best tech. Every year, you expect to see headlines like “The iPhone 543 is the best iPhone yet!” because, well duh. Of course, a device with the latest and greatest hardware is going to be better than its predecessor. The Pixel 5 is, fortunately, not an exception to that rule, but it feels like it should be. Usually, at least a processor upgrade is expected from generation to generation, but the Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5 is not only weaker than the 855 in the Pixel 4, it’s closer to the Snapdragon 845 before it. The Pixel 5 also still has just two rear cameras, it omits the fancy facial detection and radar gestures, and Google even got rid of the ‘squeeze for the assistant’ function. Google can get away with those omissions because $699, Google is pricing the Pixel 5 much lower than other flagships. Nonetheless, it offers few reasons to choose the Pixel 5 over the Pixel 4, let alone competitors. So why should you? Truth be told, I struggled with that question myself. In fact, until recently, I wasn’t sure if I even liked the phone, if I’d once again make a Pixel my daily driver. So as I started writing this review, I treated it as a pros and cons list, and ultimately realized that there’s a lot more that I like than I dislike. The Pixel 5 is not an exciting phone, but…Continue readingThe Pixel 5 is still a great phone, but that’s no thanks to the specs

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Wired

The iPhone 12 Mini Marks the Triumphant Return of the Good Small Phone

What’s the difference between the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12? About three square inches of display. That’s it. Everything else is the same. Which makes this the first time in years that you’ve been able to buy a smaller phone that wasn’t also a worse phone—not just from Apple, but pretty much anywhere. After a brief period in which small phones pretty much vanished altogether, like a Caspian horse they’ve made a modest retreat from extinction. But your choices, if you’re in the market, range from the gimmicky Palm phone—originally marketed as a secondary phone for when you’re on the go—to the iPhone SE, which Apple relaunched earlier this year after hiatus that began in 2018. The iPhone SE is perfectly fine, especially for the $400 price, but other than a peppy A13 processor it’s a clear and present downgrade from the rest of Apple’s line-up. Otherwise your options are a feature phone or an Android deep cut like the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact. And that’s about it. How far has phone-size creep gone? Look no further than the iPhone 12 Mini’s introduction. “With its amazing size, it fits in the palm of your hand,” said Apple vice president of marketing Kaiann Drance in Tuesday’s promotional video. Imagine that: A phone. That fits. In your hand. Yes, bigger screen sizes make sense for all kinds of reasons. You can put a bigger battery in them, and they’re more fun to watch Disney+ on. But for too long smartphone…Continue readingThe iPhone 12 Mini Marks the Triumphant Return of the Good Small Phone