Articles by Jerry Hildenbrand

Separate work from play using Android’s multi-user options.

Every Android phone that’s Google-certified has an option that lets you have more than one login that’s completely separate from the main account you used to set up the phone. You don’t have to switch SIM cards or SD cards and you get the same features that come with your phone, but the two accounts don’t share any data.

This is a great idea if you have kids who might want to use your phone, but it’s also perfect for anyone who uses one phone for personal and for work use. Your boss might even like the idea!

There are some details you want to know before you just start setting things up. These could be a dealbreaker, so it’s good to know what’s up before you consider it.

Most Android phones sold in North America only use one SIM card so your number stays the same.
By default, a secondary account can’t use SMS but that can be changed in the account settings.
Only the Admin account — the one you used to first sign into…

Banning Huawei from being used at carriers globally was the only way to stop them.

You’ve read a million different articles about how the ban on Huawei has more to do with the company’s 5G network equipment than it does with 5G phones. The U.S. — and by its reckoning, the rest of the “free” world — just can’t have Huawei controlling the flow of information across the planet in the near future because it wants to control the flow of information. Really, it’s that simple.

Much has been said about the U.S.-led ban on Huawei, but it all comes down to 5G equipment.

While this makes some of us rise up and salute a flag and makes others completely frustrated that phones got caught up in some 5G infrastructure fight, it does make perfect sense. No country wants to get left out when it comes to the trillions of dollars of revenue 5G networks are going to create, never mind the idea that communist China would have too much control over information networks. If you’ve been paying att…

When your phone leaves the factory a full version behind, offering just one platform update isn’t good enough.

I was pretty excited to see OnePlus expanding its budget offerings with the Nord line coming to the U.S. It comes at a time when people who need a phone right now might also need a cheap phone and we’re seeing the company’s prices rise for its premium line of phones like the OnePlus 8T. Better inexpensive phones are always a good thing.

Inexpensive phones are great. Keeping them updated makes them better.

Then my excitement faded a good bit when I found out that the Nord N10 5G and N100 would ship with Android 10 and only get one Android version update. When you ship a phone that’s already a version behind, is getting on the current platform really an update?

Of course, OnePlus isn’t alone here. Plenty of cheaper Android phones only get one update and the very cheapest might not get updated at all. And OnePlus is promising two years’ worth of security updates which a…

If Samsung is going to merge the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines, this is where it should start.

There are always rumors whenever Samsung is set to release a new phone, and the coming Galaxy S21 is no exception. We’ll all find out everything there is to know in January 2021, but one persistent rumor has more than a few of us excited — the Galaxy S21 Ultra might have support for Samsung’s S Pen.

Yes, I can 100% confirm that S21 Ultra supports S Pen— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) November 12, 2020

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors like this. The past few Galaxy S phones have all been predicted to have S Pen support, but it has never materialized. But the idea itself isn’t as crazy as you might think, and now would be the right time for Samsung to do it.

This is because of another persistent rumor that Samsung wants to consolidate the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines and stop producing the Note. While I’m not predicting anything here, Samsung has shown signs that merging…

The best Chromebook docking stations can turn your laptop from on-the-go ready to comfortably cozy by plugging in a single USB-C cable. When you’re home and want to use a clicky mechanical keyboard, an ergonomic mouse, or add a secondary display, docking stations are here to keep things tidy and organized. While you could maybe get by with some tiny USB-C hub, the cables are usually too short and leave your desk cluttered, while docking stations help keep things connected while staying out of your way. If you need to get your Chromebook connected, these are the best docking stations.

Keep it tidy

Pluggable USB Mini Docking Station

Staff Pick

This compact docking station won’t take up much desk space, but it still has enough space for four USB-A peripherals, an HDMI monitor, Ethernet, and an audio jack for some speakers. It can also charge your Chromebook at full speed.

$129 at Amazon
$129 at Walmart

Tall or flat, your choice

Baseus 16-in-1 USB-C Dock

Some folks prefer a…

Pixel phones are still exempt from Google Photos’ new storage limits.

The news that Google Photos will stop granting us unlimited space for standard quality photos is not completely unexpected. It costs money to provide enough storage for the 28 billion new photos being uploaded each week and Google doesn’t use anything from your photos library for advertising or account profiling. The Google Photos service is a complete financial loss for Google.

Google says that this doesn’t apply to anything you’ve uploaded before June 1, 2021 (so start uploading all your photos and videos now!) and it expects it will take three more years for most users to reach the new 15GB limit. Unless you’re using one of Google’s Pixel phones, that is.

Every Google Pixel, from the first model through to 2020’s Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5 are exempt from this change. Every full-resolution photo you upload still counts against the original 15GB storage limit, but you’ll still have unlimited space fo…

Differences in the market and the cost of doing business make for flagship phones in Asia with budget phone pricing.

The “budget” market of cheap Android phones is booming in 2020 across the globe as the world economy is under strain from the COVID pandemic. But one thing hasn’t changed, and you’ll find phones without flagship prices in Asia that are as good or better than what $1,000 will get you in the west.

Budget doesn’t only mean the very cheapest goods available, something Samsung showcases with the Galaxy S20 FE — a phone that reaches well above its price point in every way. This segment of phones in the $450-$700 range is particularly where we see a large difference in what you can buy in the U.S. compared to other places worldwide.

The reason why things are this way is an ease to answer, but why those answers are the right ones isn’t so simple as it appears on the surface.

How we buy phones

I’m going to reach into a hat and grab the name of a large-scale phone maker…

Why do features we see from phone makers take so long to make it into Android itself?

Google likes to tell everyone that Android is all about choice. We have hundreds of great phones that all run on Android, and you’ll probably be able to find exactly what you want when it comes to things like color or size or price. From the top phone makers, you also find a little extra. Sometimes, you find that same “extra” in every great phone except Google’s Pixels.

There’s a reason this happens. Google Pixel phones do not run bare-bones Android built using only the open-source version. Like Samsung or LG or OnePlus, it takes that code and adds a little to it. But the system itself only uses the standard set of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that Google has built for Android while companies like OnePlus or Samsung use those to add in some of their own for their apps to use.

That doesn’t mean that the Pixel doesn’t have its own features — the great call screening comes to mind, …

Make sure prepaid is the right fit for you

Having good and affordable cellular service is an important thing for most people so there are a few important considerations when switching to an MVNO. We use our phones for everything from keeping in touch to keeping entertained when we have a few quiet moments. It’s pretty great that we have such powerful machines in our pockets and nobody is happy when their service lets them down. That’s why it’s worth taking your time and checking out a few things before you switch carriers.

This can be especially important when switching to a prepaid alternative carrier, sometimes called an MVNO. Because they aren’t the ones installing new facilities and building out the physical networks they operate on, they sometimes have to do things a little differently. These differences usually mean the service is cheaper every month, but it can also pose a few problems if you haven’t done your homework before you made the switch.

That’s what we’re here for!…

LG makes some of the best phones money can buy — as long as you leave the screen off.

LG makes a lot of different products and almost all of them are best-in-class. Whether it’s a washing machine or a television, you owe it to yourself to check out what LG has to offer. The same thing could be said about the company’s phone business, if only it could fix its horrible software.

Normally, this is not a problem I would waste any internet bandwidth on. Lots of companies make phones that very few people buy for one reason or another, but with LG, things are different. LG makes really excellent phones that look good and are built extremely well. And every one of them is spoiled by the software running on them.

LG has never been afraid to make quirky phones that were beautiful and well-built.

I’m not going to be shy — LG is my favorite phone manufacturer when it comes to quality. The company also isn’t afraid to keep doing something different, like tiny ticker-style windows on t…