Author Archives:
Switch view

Windows 10′s Continuum will turn your phone into a PC when you connect it to a monitor

by 84 comments

When it first unveiled Windows 10 last year, Microsoft briefly talked about a new feature called Continuum, but back then it was in the context of switching UIs on convertible devices based on whether you have the keyboard connected or not. And Continuum can still do that, but today at its Build conference, the software giant has announced a more interesting use case, with Continuum for phones.

This kicks in when you connect a smartphone running Windows 10 to a monitor. The UI you’ll see on the monitor won’t just be a 1:1 representation of the handset’s screen. Instead, the phone is basically turned into a makeshift PC, which will even work with a mouse and keyboard for interaction. Read more »

Microsoft Edge is the official name of the Project Spartan Web browser for Windows 10

by 31 comments

Today during its Build conference, Microsoft has finally announced what it’s going to call its new Web browser for Windows 10. This has been known so far as Project Spartan, but its official name will be Microsoft Edge.

Edge will be the default browser in Windows 10, although a version of Internet Explorer will also be in there just for compatibility’s sake. Read more »

Angry Birds now out for Tizen

by 44 comments

The Angry Birds franchise is seemingly everywhere you look these days, but one place it wasn’t present up until this point was Samsung’s Tizen OS. That all changes now with the launch of Angry Birds on Tizen.

The game can be downloaded from the Tizen Store, which can be found on the Samsung Z1 – the only smartphone running Tizen at the moment. Read more »

Instagram adds three new filters, emoji hashtags

by 13 comments

Today Instagram announced the latest update for its mobile app for both iOS and Android. The new release should become available by the end of the day in the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store. It sports three brand new filters.

This comes after the Facebook-owned service previously added five new filters back in December of last year. The new entrants this time around are called Lark, Reyes, and Juno. According to Instagram, these are “modern, subtle filters” which brighten and enhance your photos in “refined, beautiful ways”. Read more »

Facebook Messenger gets video calling

by 18 comments

Following the introduction of voice calling a while back, as well as other features such as sending money to friends, Facebook Messenger now supports video calls as well. The new functionality will become available today for people using the Messenger app on iOS and Android.

Video calls only work from a phone to another phone, but they do work even if the person you’re calling is on a different platform – so iOS to Android or Android to iOS, no problem. Read more »

It’s time to find out if the Apple Watch will blend

by 24 comments

For some entirely mysterious reason, “Will it blend?” is still a thing, even now in 2015. As you may have expected, the latest gadget to go through this ordeal is the Apple Watch.

So if our pre-review parody wasn’t enough for you and you want to see some more of Apple’s first wearable, here you go. You may even enjoy the obvious iPhone as a watch on someone’s wrist joke. But do note that an Apple Watch was hurt in the making of this video. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has the best smartphone camera ever tested by DxOMark

by 174 comments

Move over, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and even Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The new king of DxOMark is the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge – and, by extension, the Galaxy S6, since these two handsets share the same camera and internals (except the screen).

Today DxOMark has published the results of its testing of Samsung’s newest flagship and, more specifically, its camera. The S6 edge got an overall score of 86. That makes it the best performing smartphone camera ever tested by DxOMark. Read more »

Google Keep gets Android Wear support

by 50 comments

Today Google has started rolling out a new version of its note-taking app, Keep. The main new feature inside this release is support for Android Wear. So, in other words, you can now use Google Keep on your Android Wear-running smartwatch.

A note-taking app is obviously a good fit for your wrist – not only for quickly creating new notes, but also for viewing the ones you’ve already added from your phone or tablet. If you use Keep for grocery shopping lists, you may find it easier to glance at such information on your watch instead of your smartphone. Read more »

Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition for Galaxy S6 and S6 edge goes on pre-order in the US tomorrow

by 22 comments

As we told you a few weeks ago, the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition is now up for pre-order in Japan. If you’re in the US, though, you only have to wait until tomorrow to get in your pre-order. Samsung has officially announced that starting on April 24, Best Buy will have the virtual reality headset available for pre-order for interested customers.

The Gear VR Innovator Edition will be in stock on May 8, both at Best Buy and at Samsung’s own online store for the US. In-store availability will follow on May 15. Read more »

New TV ad focuses on the ultra vivid screen of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge

by 59 comments

Today Samsung made yet another TV ad for its latest flagship smartphones official. This ad is around 30 seconds long, and thus it has time to focus on just one feature: the display.

As you may know, both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge have 5.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreens, with the insane QHD (2,560×1,440) resolution. These displays, according to certain professional opinions, are the best ever seen in a smartphone. Read more »

Facebook launches Hello, a new dialer and contacts app for Android

by 41 comments

Facebook Home may not have been a success at all, but the social network isn’t ready to give up on the idea of replacing built-in functionality on Android with its own apps. Case in point – today Facebook has launched a new app called Hello. This is basically an alternative dialer app for Android, and it’s already up for grabs in the Google Play Store (though it seems to be geo-restricted, so you may not be able to download it depending on where you are).

Hello combines a dialer with an interface for viewing contacts, along with easy call blocking and seamless search for people and places. The search part feels especially well tailored for queries relating to businesses. You just need to type a few letters of the name, and if that business has a Facebook page you’ll then be able to call it with one tap (if it has a phone number listed on Facebook itself, of course). Read more »

Voice calls now available in WhatsApp for iPhone

by 14 comments

The Android version of WhatsApp finally let everyone use the voice call feature at the end of March, and now the same can be said for the app’s iOS iteration.

The latest version of WhatsApp for iPhone, 2.12.1, has just gone live in the iTunes App Store. Once you install it (or update to it), you’ll get the ability to call your WhatsApp contacts. However, the functionality may not be immediately available for you, even if you do use this iteration of the app. Read more »

Video shows Office universal apps working on the next build of Windows 10 for phones

by 15 comments

Like we told you a few days ago, Office universal apps are headed to the Windows 10 for phones preview before the end of April. It looks like they will land as part of a new preview release that’s due to be out soon for members of the Windows Insider program. The new build has the number 12544, and it’s been given a short video preview somewhere in China.

Unfortunately if you don’t speak Chinese you won’t understand the audio, but the video is still very useful because it shows us the upcoming Office universal apps on a working smartphone. Read more »

LG’s new promo video is all about the G4′s camera

by 47 comments

LG is continuing its teaser campaign for the G4, a smartphone that it will finally make official on April 28. Today the company put out a new promo video for the device, and this one is all about the camera.

The star of the video, aside from the G4′s camera, is Colby Brown, a full-time photographer turned LG fan. This transformation, we’re led to believe, has happened because of how good the G4′s camera actually is. Read more »

Huawei P8 VIP Service will offer same-day replacements in the UK

by 11 comments

Huawei unveiled the P8 a couple of days ago. The flagship smartphone is headed to stores soon, and it looks like the Chinese company has a surprise prepared for its customers in the UK. The leaked image you can see below is complemented by a rumor saying UK-based buyers of the P8 will get “VIP Service”.

What this means is that you’ll get same-day courier replacement if you have a faulty unit. According to a source inside Huawei, customers will be able to call a special number and speak to a customer rep who will diagnose the problem. If the issue is covered under warranty, then a new handset will be dispatched immediately, with same-day or next-day arrival (if the call happens after the cut-off time for the same-day option) at the customer’s doorstep. Read more »