android, app, asus, aws, huawei, google, phone

Battery champ

Samsung Galaxy Buds+

$138 at Amazon $150 at Best Buy

Pros

Class-leading battery life
Excellent comfort
Great, customizable sound
Integration with Spotify
Improved microphone for calls
Wireless charging

Cons

Lacks active noise cancelation

The Galaxy Buds+ may look similar to the Galaxy Buds but they offer much better battery life and integration with Spotify. Plus, the call quality has been greatly improved.

Great value

Samsung Galaxy Buds

$101 at Amazon $110 at Best Buy

Pros

Excellent comfort
Great, customizable sound
Cheaper
Wireless charging

Cons

Lacks active noise cancelation
Call quality could be better
Worse battery

The Galaxy Buds are an incredible value for what they offer. While battery life isn’t as great as the Buds+, it’s still more than enough for most people.

The Galaxy Buds+ are for those who absolutely need long battery life and great call quality in a small package. Battery life is great at 11 hours with just the buds and a …

You shouldn’t have to overpay for your next phone.

It’s no secret that phone pricing has gone up significantly in recent years. Back in 2017 when Apple announced the iPhone X, the starting price of $1000 was shocking, but when Samsung followed suit with the Galaxy Note 8 shortly afterwards, it quickly became clear that four-figure phones would be the new norm.

Of course, at the time, each company still offered cheaper alternatives for those who simply needed something functional. The iPhone 8 launched alongside the iPhone X for a much more reasonable starting price of $699, while the Galaxy S8 started at $720. These days, though, the market has shifted.

Even OnePlus can’t kill flagship pricing anymore.

The Galaxy S20 starts at $1000, with the upgraded version of the S20 Ultra reaching all the way up to $1600. The LG V60 comparatively feels like a value pick at “only” $900, and even the OnePlus 8 starts at $700 — up $100 from the launch price of last year’s 7T, from a compa…

It will begin rolling out to select Mi and Redmi phones in China in June.

What you need to know

Xiaomi today unveiled the latest version of its custom Android skin – MIUI 12.
MIUI 12 comes with an improved UI design, new animations, improved navigation gestures, enhanced privacy, Dark Mode 2.0, AI calling, and more.
Xiaomi will begin rolling out the stable MIUI 12 update to its smartphones by the end of June.

Xiaomi today announced the newest version of its MIUI Android skin at the Mi 10 Youth Edition launch event in China. MIUI 12 comes with a cleaner user-interface design and a bunch of new features aimed at enhancing the user experience. While the MIUI 12 beta program begins in China today, the stable rollout will commence by the end of June.

The most significant change that MIUI 12 brings to the table is the new UI design that looks much cleaner than before. Xiaomi has also incorporated several visual elements to make it easier for users to view system information such as…

The coronavirus has spread to 181 countries around the world, and it shows no signs of abating. The pandemic has proved particularly devastating in recent weeks, with total confirmed cases crossing 2.6 million and fatalities of over 183,000 globally.

The virus has effectively shut down all sporting leagues around the world, major gatherings including tech events and music festivals, and closed down restaurants and malls. It has transformed how we live and work, and how we connect with our friends and families. Tech brands are doing their part to assist, with Google teaming up with Apple to build a coronavirus tracking tool.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and how it’s affecting not only the tech industry, but also the world at large.

April 27, 2020: Global COVID-19 cases inch closer to 3 million

Global COVID-19 cases saw another surge over the weekend, with 150,000 new confirmed cases. The global tally now stands at 2,982,933, with total fatalities of 206,833. The U.S. has …

You probably already have some kind of Amazon Echo device in your home, be it the Echo Dot, Echo Input, or even the full-sized Echo, and while chatting with Alexa is fun and all, if you don’t have an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, you’re seriously missing out on one of the best features the devices have to offer: music streaming. Amazon usually offers just one free month for those looking to try out Music Unlimited, but new members can score three months of service absolutely free for a limited time.

Tens of millions of songs, exclusive Alexa voice features and programs, unlimited skips, and ad-free programming are just a few of Amazon Music Unlimited’s features. You can even download songs for offline listening. Best of all, the Amazon Music application is available to download on your computer, smartphone, tablet, and even some smart TVs so you can listen wherever, whenever.

The service is affordably priced at $7.99 monthly for Amazon Prime members or $9.99 for non-members,…

The OnePlus 8 Pro brings the best and most capable camera system OnePlus has ever put in a phone, thanks to a new primary sensor and improved processing. You still get a dedicated telephoto and ultra-wide camera, too, giving you extra shooting options to inject some variety into your photos. There are lots of tools and plenty of options at your disposal with the OnePlus 8 Pro’s cameras. Here’s how you can make the most of it all for the best photos.

Clean the damn camera lenses

This isn’t specific to the OnePlus 8 Pro, but an important tip nonetheless: clean your camera lenses! As smartphones get to the point of having three or more lenses, there’s a lot back there to accidentally touch and smudge up throughout your daily use of the phone.

Nothing else matters if your lenses are smudged up.

No matter what you do with your software, framing, and a steady hand, if your camera lens is dirty, it’s all a waste of time. Be sure to regularly take a look at your camera lenses and giv…

Ring’s video doorbells have been super popular entry points for those wanting to sure up their home security, especially when they go on sale. Today only, you can add a Ring Video Doorbell 2 to your door from just $69.99. Woot is offering the smart home device in used condition at that price and that’s about half the cost of a refurb model. Each unit has been tested to ensure they are in full working order, though the used devices may exhibit some cosmetic blemishes. There’s also a 90-day Woot warranty included with your purchase in case of any issues.

With the Ring Video Doorbell 2, you can see, hear, and speak to visitors at your door by using an app on your phone, tablet, or computer. It’s equipped with a camera that records in 1080p HD with infrared night vision so you can see what’s going on outside your home no matter what time of day it is, and it’s all accessible from anywhere in the world. All you’d have to do is open the app on your preferred device. The doorbell has a rec…

A pilot program is now live in three Indian cities.

What you need to know

Reliance has begun testing its WhatsApp-backed JioMart online shopping portal in India.
The e-commerce portal is now serving consumers in three cities around Mumbai.
Consumers in the three cities can place an order by texting “Hi” to JioMart’s WhatsApp number 8850008000.

Last week, Facebook announced an investment of $5.7 billion in India’s Jio to bring millions of small businesses across the country to WhatsApp and to enable people to shop directly from the encrypted messaging app. JioMart, which is a joint venture between Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail, has now started testing a WhatsApp-based “ordering system” in three cities just outside Mumbai – Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Kalyan.

Consumers in the three cities can now order groceries by typing “Hi” and sending it to JioMart’s WhatsApp number 8850008000. Once users send the message, they will receive a link to open a mini store in a browser. The sto…

OnePlus 8 Pro

Performance king

$899 at OnePlus

Pros

Incredible 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display
Snapdragon 865 chipset with 5G
30W wireless charging
IP68 water resistance
Exciting camera upgrades
Clean software with regular updates

Cons

No 3.5mm headphone jack

The OnePlus 8 Pro delivers all the features fans have been asking for several years. The device features the latest internal hardware and a stunning 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display that is one of the best on any phone today. Then there’s 30W wired and wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, huge camera upgrades, and the best software on any Android phone today.

OPPO Find X2 Pro

Zoom in

£1,099 at Carphone Warehouse

Pros

Incredible 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED display
Snapdragon 865 chipset with 5G
65W wired charging
IP68 water resistance
Incredible cameras with 10x hybrid zoom

Cons

Costly
No wireless charging
Not available in the U.S.

The Find X2 Pro has the same gorgeous 120Hz AMOLED panel and the same great internal h…

It’s not a new game, it’s not live, but it is new sports related content and we are here for it. There’s no denying that Michael Jordan is one of the best players who has ever stepped foot on the basketball court, and right now you can take a look back at his incredible career through a new documentary mini series called ‘The Last Dance’. The first two of the ten episodes have already aired on ESPN, and if you happened to miss them you can still tune in and watch before the next one airs.

The series contains a mixture of gameplay from Jordan’s time with the bulls, present day interviews, and some exclusive rare archival footage. It follows along with the story behind Jordan’s departure from the team, which was due to Phil Jackson being removed as head coach despite the winning streak the team was on. Originally, the series was set to debut later this year, but thanks to the lack of sports and the troubling times we are facing right now ESPN has decided to push things up.

There are …