Gabo_Arts/Shutterstock Right out of the box, your Android phone’s home screen is just a jumble of apps that the manufacturer thinks you want to use. You get a few apps preloaded, including several from Google itself. Most of the time, you barely touch these apps. So when you first set up your Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, or other phone of your choice, your first task is to customize the home screen. This mainly involves removing all those preloaded app shortcuts and adding your favorite shortcuts. While this is a good start,…
Author: Alexander Price
Apple is testing a new AI-powered “Live Notes” feature that can transcribe conversations between Genius Bar employees and customers in some of its stores, according to BloombergIt’s Mark Gurman. The system is currently opt-in, meaning it is only active if both the employee and customer agree to use it. “The transcript is then added to the employee’s iPad as part of the repair session record,” he said. “The goal is to save workers time and allow them to focus more on the client, rather than taking notes throughout the appointment.” Popular storiesiPhone 18 Pro launching in two months with these…
Robert Way/Shutterstock Chinese smartphone sellers make flagship Android phones that can compete directly with the latest iPhone and Galaxy S models, but these smartphones are much cheaper in China than in international markets where these devices are also sold. Chinese sellers are able to significantly lower prices for Chinese consumers for several reasons specific to the Chinese market. First of all, the country has a very competitive market, with several players fighting for users’ attention, including international giants like Apple and Samsung. Many of these smartphones are produced locally, meaning…
Apple increases iCloud+ prices in 8 countriesApple has increased the price of iCloud+ in Nigeria, Turkey, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines and Indonesia, according to an updated version of its iCloud support document. Price increases vary from 11 percent to 55 percent depending on the plan and country. Nigeria saw the biggest increase, and a 50GB plan now costs ₦1,300, up from ₦900. Turkey has seen the next biggest…
Mr. Mikla/Shutterstock Phone brand Nothing has quickly won over many Android phone buyers with its unique transparent aesthetic and affordable mid-range and budget offerings. Although the company sells everything from phones to audio equipment to smartwatches under two brands – Nothing and CMF – smartphones remain its most recognizable product. While there’s a lot to like about Nothing-branded smartphones, anyone considering purchasing one will likely wonder about the company’s software update policy. Unfortunately, Nothing doesn’t appear to have a standardized software update policy for its smartphones, which isn’t surprising for…
Christian de Looper/BGR In early July 2026, Nothing announced its latest phone to the market, the Nothing Phone 4(b), ushering in the company’s B series of smartphones. Like its ancestors, the Nothing Phone 4(b) retains that distinctive look that the company’s phones are known and loved for. Here you still get a glyph bar on the right side of the wide edge-to-edge camera bar, a bit more refined. But what’s exciting about the Nothing Phone 4(b) isn’t that Glyph bar that was inspired by the Phone 4(a) or its bold…
Dmitri T/Shutterstock A personal smartphone is an extension of you, which means there are a lot of things you don’t want anyone to see when they borrow your phone. You might not want a stranger opening your gallery or tampering with your messaging apps, and you definitely won’t want anyone to have access to your digital bank account or e-wallet. Fortunately, most phones offer ways to combat this problem and protect the privacy of your most confidential apps. Unfortunately, Pixel phones aren’t one of them – something that may be…
Apple may try to focus ads in Apple Maps on local businesses and points of interest, based on new advertising guidelines released by the company this week. The company has announced plans to introduce ads to its maps app in March 2026, but has not shared an exact timeline for launch other than this summer in the United States and Canada. The new rules could suggest that when the company launches, ads in Apple Maps could be significantly different from those of the company’s competitors. The advertising guidelines include several rules regarding prohibited content that are similar to Apple’s app…
Christine Persaud for Woozad There are many water-resistant smartwatches available, but it’s rare for them to be fully waterproof. That said, you can swim safely (in fresh water sources) with a model that meets IPX8, IP68 (or higher) standards. But there is still a risk of damage if the watch is not dried after submersion, which is why features like the Apple Watch’s water lock come in handy. When Water Lock is on, Apple Watch not only disables the screen so that water pressure doesn’t inadvertently trigger an unintended action, but it also ejects water from…
At $129, the Apple TV was a great, albeit expensive, streaming device. At $199, you really need to consider whether another device could give you more bang for your buck. Take the Google TV Streamer, for example. At $99, it’s $100 less than the recently re-reviewed Apple TV 4K, and yet we still gave it the title of “best all-in-one streaming device” in our buying guide. The Google TV Streamer outputs in 4K/60fps, just like Apple’s box, and supports all major HDR and audio formats. It’s not as fast as the Apple TV 4K, but it’s certainly not $100 slower.…