Google's Android mobile operating system is open source, which means anyone can, in theory, build their own mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Why, then, are there not many different versions of Android to choose from? Well, the good news is that there are a …
Read More »The 21 Top New Android 15 Features
The next version of Google’s mobile operating system—Android 15—is finally here with a host of new features and improvements. Google promises productivity enhancements, better privacy and security, and smoother performance. There are also upgrades for foldable and larger-screen devices. Android 15 is rolling out to supported devices starting today. We …
Read More »With Gemini on Android, Google Points to Mobile Computing’s Future—and Past
Nearly a decade ago, Google showed off a feature called Now on Tap in Android Marshmallow—tap and hold the home button and Google will surface helpful contextual information related to what’s on the screen. Talking about a movie with a friend over text? Now on Tap could get you details …
Read More »Google’s New $500 Pixel 8A Smartphone Will Get 7 Years of Software Updates
Google’s Pixel A-series Android smartphones have long proven that there's no need to spend anywhere close to $1,000 for a great, feature-packed smartphone. While the price of these handsets has slightly increased since the first Pixel 3A in 2019, the new Google Pixel 8A seems to have everything you'd want …
Read More »The New Hot Handset Is a Cute and Transparent Dumb Phone You Can’t Buy
We're only spending more and more time staring at our smartphones, and over the past few years, tech companies have tried to offer salves to this very problem they created. Apple and Google launched tools within their respective mobile operating systems to curb screen time. Devices like the Light Phone, …
Read More »Apple Is Making It Slightly Easier to Repair Your iPhone
Apple will make it a little bit easier to get an iPhone fixed with used parts, marking a reversal of long-standing, strict rules around swapping out iPhone parts. The change, announced Thursday, will begin with “select” iPhone models this fall (The Washington Post reported it will cover iPhone 15 and …
Read More »Screen Time for Kids Is Fine! Unless It's Not
The anti-smartphone movement is having a moment. On March 25, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning children under 14 from social media platforms. In February, the UK government backed tighter guidance to keep children from using their smartphones at school. In the past year, grassroots organizations like Smartphone …
Read More »Mobile Gaming Is Having a Moment—and Backbone Wants to Unite It
Mobile gaming has never received the same respect as console and PC gaming. Yet it generated over $90 billion in 2023, accounting for half of the global games market, and runs the gamut from casual to AAA titles. It's continuing to grow, and the boundary between mobile gaming and “regular” …
Read More »These Companies Have a Plan to Kill Apps
Everyone wants to kill the app. There’s a wave of companies building so-called app-less phones and gadgets, leveraging artificial intelligence advancements to create smarter virtual assistants that can handle all kinds of tasks through one portal, bypassing the need for specific apps for a particular function. We might be witnessing …
Read More »Polar ID Is the Face ID Rival for Android Phones, and Could Even Beat Apple
A little more than six years ago, Apple unveiled Face ID. It was a new method to biometrically unlock iPhones and authenticate purchases by scanning your face. Yet after all this time, there still hasn’t been a meaningful competitor on Android—at least, not with the same level of security and …
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