Nokia has teased the inclusion of its robust HERE services suite, which includes Maps and Navigation among others to make its way onto Samsung’s Gear series of wearables.

Among those devices slated to get the HERE services is Samsung’s just-announced Gear S smartwatch, which will get turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation courtesy of Nokia’s service. Read more »

Microsoft recently reported that a large number of its Windows Store apps are misleading users with inaccurate titles and descriptions. This has prompted the company to purge more than 1500 apps from its app catalog.

The removal of the apps in question comes as part of an attempt by Microsoft to improve the quality of its app selection, and is also reflected by the company’s updated app certification requirements. Read more »

After being free for Android and iOS for quite some time, Spotify for Windows Phone is finally set to offer ad-supported streaming to users at no cost.

The app will bring in the functionality from its Android and iOS counterparts by letting users stream playlists and music in shuffle mode. Read more »

In a somewhat unexpected revelation from digital analytics leader comScore, two out of every three US smartphone users don’t download any new apps for their smartphones.

The study, which examines US smartphone trends, shows that under 35% of smartphone users install at least one app per month, and of those less than 11% install more than 3 apps per month. Read more »

Last weekend, we asked you to rate how the brand new Samsung Galaxy Alpha stacks up to the compact droid competition by pitting it against other top devices.

According to you, Samsung’s first attempt at premium materials turned out to be a success, at least according to our preliminary polls. Check out how the device fared against the likes of the HTC One mini 2 and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, among others. Read more »

We heard about Samsung’s virtual reality plans last month after several leaks showed off what a potential Samsung virtual reality headset looked like, followed by a a fairly legitimate look at a Samsung software interface for the Gear VR.

Now, reported images of the Gear VR, model number SM-R320 have surfaced. With IFA 2014 just weeks away in Berlin, it’s very likely that we could see Samsung’s first virtual reality headset at the event. Read more »

Google made some waves with its ultra-capable second generation Nexus 7 tablet released last year, and now the device is available for just $130.

The device is available as a factory reconditioned unit from popular US online retailer Woot.com. Read more »

LG today has taken a step forward in home audio optimization with the introduction of its new LG Music Flow system.

By combining its new Music Flow Player app and a wide range of new speaker units, Music Flow is set to help you easily create a robust multi-room home audio system, sans any wires. Read more »

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha made quite a stir this week as the first Samsung device not to rely entirely on polycarbonate in its body. Not only that, but Samsung has also kept the dimensions well within limits, and its 4.7-inch display and ultra-slim 6.7mm waistline put it firmly in compact smartphone territory.

In our latest poll we’ll be pitting the Alpha against the usual suspects, including offerings from LG and HTC, its Galaxy S5 mini compatriot, and the original small-stature droid, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Read more »

Last week we asked you to vote on which flagship has the best camera, based on our comprehensive camera shootout.

The results are in, and among capable offerings from Samsung, Sony, and LG, it was Nokia who came out on top with its Lumia 1020 flagship with a 41MP PureView sensor. Read more »

Google’s Voice Search has come a long way since its inception, and the latest feature allows you to add multiple language support to your search queries.

Not only does this help multi-lingual users by adding up to five supported languages, but even has the ability to differentiate between them in the middle of your query. This means that you can start in English, then throw in a word here and there in another language and Google Voice will recognize it. Read more »

The OnePlus One flagship has been one of the most hyped-up flagships in recent months, part of the reason being the special version of the popular CyanogenMod Android ROM that it runs.

With OnePlus still struggling to meet the excessive demand for its new flagship, a clever Android dev has created a OnePlus One Conversion Kit that ports all of the extra OnePlus One features onto any device running CyanogenMod 11. These include the camera, Hexo theme, lockscreen and even the AudioFX app. Read more »

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 is the Chinese company’s first tablet attempt, and we’ve got our hands on the import in our latest hands-on video.

The Mi Pad takes some obvious design cues from the Apple iPad mini 2, but comes in significantly less than the Cupertino offering. But is it worth it? Let’s find out. Read more »

Xiaomi’s Mi 3 has had a long trek westward to our studios, but finally the device has made its way here and we’re ready to give the popular Chinese smartphone our full review treatment.

But before that, we’ll be taking a quick look at the device in front of our camera. The Mi 3 comes in a stylish unibody that houses a robust quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 chipset alongside Adreno 330 graphics and 2GB of RAM, all at a price that’s significantly lower than most flagships. Read more »

Windows Phone 8.1 has seen its first major update, GDR1, which has just seeded out to developers. Naturally, we can’t let devs have all the fun to themselves so installed it on one of our test devices.

As you can imagine, that gave us access to all the latest on Microsoft’s updated mobile OS. Highlights include folder support, Cortana for additional regions, and the new Apps Corner. Read more »