Articles by Joe Maring

Let’s chat with the AC forums.

As hard as it is to believe, it’s been close to a month since the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra were released. Both phones have since established themselves as strong contenders in the Android space, especially with the higher-end Ultra model.

Now that the honeymoon phase is starting to wind down and owners of the phone are all settled in, we wanted to take a look through our forums and see how folks are still liking/disliking the new Notes.

Here’s what some of them have to say:

o4liberty
09-11-2020 05:03 PM

“

Had my note 20 for two weeks today and absolutely zero complaints the note is going strong great device can’t go wrong!!
Reply

srbell67
09-12-2020 02:06 PM

“

The battery is a disgrace. My iphone 11 pro max’s battery lasts twice as long. Samsung should be as…

A breath of simplicity in a market of growing complexity.

When it comes to the best smartwatches and fitness bands, they’re seeing something of a revolution right now. Now that just about every company in the niche has gotten really good at doing all of the basic workout and activity tracking, new avenues are being explored to find ways to expand these devices’ usefulness even more. This can be seen with wearables like the Fitbit Sense and Amazon Halo, with the Sense monitoring users’ stress and Halo analyzing your voice to help you speak better.

The potential for these radical new features is really exciting, but as I talked about in a previous editorial, the transition to that point will likely be a rocky one. It’s going to take a while for us to get comfortable with a watch telling us how stressed we are or an Amazon-made device listening to our speaking patterns. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of room for traditional tracker options — room for something like the Samsun…

The ever-important subject of affordability.

I think we’re well beyond the point of labeling folding phones as a fad or simple trend. Even though the form factor has only been around for less than two years, it’s clear that companies are pumping tons of money and research into making foldables the next big thing in consumer tech. Just look at the differences between the original Galaxy Fold and the new Z Fold 2. In about a year’s time, Samsung drastically improved its hinge and display tech, making the Fold 2 a lot more appealing than its predecessor ever was.

Tech publications and influencers have already started to sing the praises of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, and that’ll likely continue once full reviews can be published. I don’t blame them one bit, because from what I can tell by watching from afar, Samsung has crafted the most promising foldable yet. It address the issues of the first model, improves all of the key specs, and keeps the same general design that got people so hyped i…

Everything you need

Cowin E7

From $60 at Amazon

Pros

Solid sound quality
Active noise cancelation
Bluetooth and NFC pairing
30-hour battery life
Available in a multitude of colors

Cons

Plastic design

The regular Cowin E7 have just about everything you could want in a pair of mid-range headphones. They have a good sound, active noise cancelation, and reliable battery life. For the price, these are a steal.

More oomph

Cowin E7 Pro

From $80 at Amazon

Pros

Bigger drivers for more powerful audio
Increased noise cancelation
30-hour battery
Tons of colors
Slightly nicer design

Cons

No NFC
Still made out of plastic
More expensive

For a few more dollars, you can step up to the Cowin E7 Pro. The headphones are mostly the same, but for a few more dollars, you get slightly improved noise cancelation and larger speaker drivers for more powerful sound.

Both the Cowin E7 and E7 Pro are worth a look if you’re shopping for Bluetooth headphones under $100. The reg…

William Barr is reportedly pushing to finalize the case as soon as possible.

What you need to know

A new report says that the DOJ is almost done preparing its antitrust case against Google.
William Barr has apparently been pushing to have the case finalized by the end of September.
Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple were all questioned during an antitrust hearing in late-July.

This year has been filled with a lot of concern over antitrust issues with big tech companies, with one of the primary targets being Google. According to a new report from The New York Times, the United States Department of Justice is getting ready to issue its official antitrust case against it.

It’s being reported that the antitrust case could be brought to Google’s attention as soon as the end of September, with Attorney General William Barr pushing to have the case finalized as soon as possible.

Per the report:

The Justice Department plans to bring an antitrust case against Google as soon as thi…

Fifth time’s the charm?

If there’s one way we could describe the Pixel 4, it would be “frustrating.” Google made a lot of smart moves with the phone, notably its phenomenal cameras and ultra-fast face unlock, but inexcusably bad battery life held it back from being an easy recommendation. As you might guess, this has left us eager to see how things can be improved for the Google Pixel 5.

Using the Pixel 4 is a wonderful thing, but there’s no getting around the compromises required to use it as a daily driver. All the Pixel 5 needs to do in order to be a great phone is to give us the same Pixel 4 experience, use a reasonably-sized battery, and add an ultra-wide camera.

Is that what’s happening? Read on to find out everything we know so far about the Google Pixel 5!

Pixel for less

Google Pixel 4a

$350 at Amazon
$350 at Best Buy

No need to wait

The Pixel 5 will undoubtedly be an interesting handset, but there’s no sense in waiting until October just to buy a Google phone. …

Here’s what OnePlus is working on for the second half of 2020.

Despite ongoing world events, 2020 has still been a pretty great year for Android phones — and it’s only going to get even better. Looking ahead towards the coming months, one of the releases we’re most excited about is the OnePlus 8T.

If you’ve been following OnePlus for a while, you know that it doesn’t settle with just one major release per year. Instead, we’re often treated to two — one in the first half of the year and another during the second half. We got the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro back in April, and likely around September/October, we should see their successors in the form of the OnePlus 8T and 8T Pro.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the phones, but if you’re looking for all of the latest available info, you’ve come to the right place. Without further ado, let’s talk all things OnePlus 8T!

Never settle

OnePlus 8

$799 at Amazon

So good you don’t have to wait for the 8T

There’s no doubt that …

Finding the best Fitbit Versa Lite band is easy when you have so many available options. If you’re the proud owner of this smartwatch, you know the Versa Lite has powerful fitness tracking features and an excellent design. The watch bands included with the watch are good to get you started, but if you want to shake things up, we recommend checking out any of the below replacement bands.

Easy choice

Kmasic Sport Band

Staff pick

The band you get with the Versa Lite out of the box is fine for working out, but it’s always a good idea to have a couple of workout band options. For that, we recommend this sport band from Kmasic. Its premium silicone design is soft, breathable, and looks great thanks to the many colors/patterns it’s available in.

From $7 at Amazon

Stay cool

XIMU Soft Silicone Sport Band

If you want a band that will keep your wrist feeling cool and comfortable, this option from XIMU will do. You’ll love the skin-friendly material that’s breathable with multi…

120Hz displays are in, the headphone jack is out.

Every year sees a heap of various Android phones released into the market. Some are good, some are bad. Some are really exciting, whereas others are a bit boring. Among all of the handsets to come out during a given year, one release that’s continually met with a lot of excitement and fanfare is Samsung’s Galaxy S series.

One could argue that Galaxy S phones aren’t always the most interesting, but there’s no denying how much more attention they get compared to much of the competition.

For 2020, Samsung launched a trio of phones with the Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra. These are very technically impressive gadgets with high prices to match, and if you can afford what Samsung is asking for the phones, they’re bound to be some of the best the Android landscape sees all year.

From hands-on coverage, detailed specs, accessory recommendations, and so much more, here’s absolutely everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S20 …

Sit down and get comfy — we’ve got a lot to talk about.

Google’s Pixel lineup has changed and evolved a lot since its inception in 2016, with last year giving us the Pixel 4 series. In some ways, the Pixel 4 and 4 XL stood out as two of the most interesting Pixels ever — introducing 90Hz displays, dual cameras, and more. As we all know by now, however, battery life troubles held the phones back from greatness.

It’s now 2020, and in the coming weeks, we’re expecting the Pixel 5 to arrive. In preparation of its arrival, here’s a look back at the Pixel 4, where it currently stands, and any other information you may be after.

Ready to learn more? Here’s everything you need to know!

Jump to:

The Pixel 4 has been discontinued
Check out our full review
Get familiar with the specs
Pitting the Pixel 4 against the competition
Is the Pixel 5 coming soon?
Make sure to get some accessories
Pixel 4a is the Pixel to get right now

Pixel perfect

Google Pixel 4a

$350 at Amazon
…