The new HTC One (M8) does well in benchmarks, perhaps too well. Futuremark, makers of the popular 3DMark benchmark, have caught wind that HTC’s new flagship cheats when it detects a benchmark and delisted the device.

The same thing happened to HTC’s previous flagship, Samsung’s too (but Samsung phones were brought back after a software update disabled the boosting). Read more »

It’s April 1 and you know what that means – companies try to disguise marketing as 3rd grade humor. The results are funnier than the jokes themselves most of the time as HTC and Samsung – two rival companies with very different takes on the perfect smartphone – did the exact same joke.

Here’s a quick look of some of the pranks that big tech companies tried to pull. Read more »

Last week we asked you what you thought about smartwatches – there sure are plenty of them in the news recently and Google is finally taking them seriously with the dedicated Android Wear OS (perhaps because Google Glass didn’t exactly explode).

We have one clear result, while the others were much closer calls. Read more »

The HTC One received the lowest ever repairability score that iFixit has ever given a smartphone – 1/10. So, how did the new One (M8) do? it’s a massive improvement as the score has doubled to… well, 2/10.

The new design is still incredibly hard to repair, but at least you can now remove the aluminum back without damaging it. Read more »

The HTC One (M8) features a slightly bigger battery than its predecessor (2,600mAh vs. 2,300mAh) and an Extreme Power Saving Mode. That’s only for when you really need to stretch the last few percent though, otherwise it would be a shame to limit the speedy Snapdragon 801 chipset.

Note that for this test we didn’t use the power saving mode – we’re aiming to replicate regular daily usage and these modes limit the phone’s features and performance. Read more »

The Samsung Galaxy S5 has an IP67 certification, which officially means “dust tight” and surviving up to 30 minutes at 1m underwater. That seems a little abstract, it’s much better to see the device actually make the dive.

Here’s a video of the Galaxy S5 being submerged to a meter underwater and even starts ringing with an incoming call. Read more »

HTC is following in the footsteps of Google and released its custom Android launched for free download from the Play Store. Along with the BlinkFeed launcher, the company also put out SenseTV (its remote control app) and HTC Service Pack.

BlinkFeed was first to put a magazine-like UI on the homescreen, something that Samsung has added to its latest TouchWiz incarnations. Read more »

With the unveiling of Android Wear and the announcement that Pebble has sold 400,000 units, it’s pretty clear that smartwatches are the hot new gadget. But they differ vastly in functionality, looks and even intent.

Wear, a special branch of Android, is just a few days old, but there are already a few devices announced that will use it. Read more »

Motorola unveiled the first smartwatch, the Moto 360, something many people have been waiting for. But the company kept most details a secret – we know little except it on the new Android Wear platform, so we have to rely on rumors to fill in the blanks.

The screen is reportedly an OLED but even the rumors are mum on size and resolution. The smartwatch is said to feature a sapphire glass protection, which is usually reserved for high-priced watches. Read more »

Samsung unveiled a new mirrorless camera and it’s tiny – the Samsung NX mini is 22.5mm thick and its metal body weighs 158g. It may be tiny, but it’s smart – the NX mini a smart camera to boot, though Samsung is mum on the OS (it’s most likely Tizen).

With a 3” flip up screen, the NX mini is a selfie-taking machine. Read more »

Google’s Chromecast topped Amazon sales charts – it’s a small, cheap HDMI stick that streams video and music on your TV. But those use Google’s media library, Amazon can’t let that stand – and, apparently, it won’t.

Amazon subsidiary and designer of the Kindle, Lab126, is reportedly working on just such an HDMI stick. Read more »

Google may follow the trend and launch an 8.9″ tablet as its first tablet project for this year, reports Digitimes. The affordable 7″ form factor is dominant at the moment, but makers have been experimenting with various sizes for a while.

This includes Samsung’s 12.2″ tablets, while Asus is reportedly working on a 13.3″ tablet based on an Intel chipset and a dual-boot setup. Read more »

We’ve caught glimpses of HTC’s Sense UI through leaked HTC M8 / All New One videos, but HTC’s current flagship will get it too eventually. Here’s a screen recording of Sense 6.0 running on the HTC One.

You’ll spot several changes to how things look in the new UI starting with the lockscreen. Note that it’s a beta ROM and might not have been finalized. Read more »

We’re writing an LG G Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 article, but before we are done we decided to get some input from you, our readers. Both phablets pack some of the best technology available on the market, they are very evenly matched.

We have several key categories – design, screen, software and camera – for you to vote on. Read more »

You’ve had a week to vote for your favorite hardware from the MWC, now it’s time to review the results. The Mobile World Congress saw brought us several new flagships and expanded the wearables category, but there were plenty of other interesting devices too.

Most results from the polls are very clear – those were some good devices, but the companies still have a lot to work on. Read more »