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Twitter Blue arrives in the US, leaves a lot for Android users to desire
Blessed to be undoing tweets
It's been speculated for many blue moons. Now, after testing the deep blue waters off of Australia and Canada since June, the Twitter Blue subscription service is finally crossing gulfs to New Zealand and the United States with a bevy of new bells and whistles though Android users will be left feeling a little blue with this launch.
Samsung's Tab S7 FE is coming to the US in two models, and the 'worse' version is also kind of better
One has a newer Snapdragon 778G, the other has a Snapdragon 750G
After a "worldwide" launch that expanded to India a few months ago, Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7 FE is coming to the US in both cellular-connected 5G and Wi-Fi models. Specs for the two 12.4" tablets differ beyond just connectivity, and what you're getting is definitely cut down compared to the Tab S7+, but that comes with a benefit: Prices for the new tablets start at just $530 for the Wi-Fi version, and $670 for the 5G model, with availability set for tomorrow, August 5th.
Since reviving Nokia's mobile handset business, HMD Global has been a good overall steward of it — especially in making consumers aware of its phones which are almost exclusively found online. Well, the company is now about to send four types of earbuds to American shores.
OnePlus says it will never sell the base model OnePlus 9 Pro in the US
The company confirms the cheaper phone won't come to the US due to supply constraints
When OnePlus launched the 9 Pro, the company highlighted the $969 starting price for the new phone in an 8GB/128GB "base" model. Unfortunately, it wasn't actually available for purchase in the US at the time, and all you could buy was the more expensive $1,069 version of the phone. In April, OnePlus told us that this base model was still coming, it had simply been delayed. But now, the company has made an about-face, and it has confirmed to us that the 8/128GB base model OnePlus 9 Pro is never coming to the US or Canada.To date, neither OnePlus nor any of its North American retailers or carrier partners have sold the base model of the phone. When we first reached out to OnePlus about the subject in April, an explanation for the delay wasn't provided. However, the company did claim that version would eventually be coming here, a plan that has apparently changed:
TCL announced a bunch of phones in April and they've been making their way around Europe for the past couple of months. Now, the TCL 20 series is finally heading for the U.S. and we know how much you can expect to pay for them.
Nokia's newest phone costs less than a year of 4K Netflix
The G20 does not, however, have a 4K screen
After making a play with Android smartphones at all points of the price spectrum, Nokia Mobile pre-announced a slew of low-cost phones for the 2021 summer season. We now know when U.S. customers can expect to buy one of them and for how much.
OnePlus is done putting all its eggs in one basket. It's now pushing more affordable devices under the Nord sub-branding, and the N200 5G is the next one coming to US shores. While we knew of this before, we're getting our first look at the phone and some of what it'll have to offer.
You might actually want to buy Google's new, cheaper Pixel Buds
Pre-orders for the $99 Pixel Buds A- Series will arrive by June 17
After confirming then un-confirming the existence of its newest and most affordable wireless earbuds to date, Google is going public with all the details about its Pixel Buds A-Series, including when you can get your hands on them and for how much.
The US Xiaomi ban is now completely off the table
Xiaomi has released a statement confirming that all restrictions have formally been lifted
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Xiaomi was labeled a national security threat in the United States during the waning days of the Trump administration, following similar action against Huawei and ZTE. The company filed a lawsuit against the US government in order to prevent the ban, and on May 12, both parties have reached a settlement that will remove the technology giant from being blacklisted altogether. Now, Xiaomi has published a statement on the litigation, announcing that the US District Court of Columbia issued a final order, formally lifting all restrictions.
Asus stuffs Galaxy S21 power into the body of a Pixel 4a, calls it Zenfone 8
Prior Zenfones' flip camera stays on in separate model
Taiwan-based manufacturer Asus is well-known for its PCs and, these days, its ROG Phones for gamers. But it's always had a stake in mobile tilted towards a wider audience, too. That stake gets a major update today with two new entries: the small and powerful Zenfone 8 and the highly-engineered Zenfone 8 Flip.
TCL's presence in the mobile world may be understated compared to the Samsungs or Xiaomis, but having only put out phones under its own name for the past couple of years, the company has definitely has its foot on the gas pedal. Today, three new phones are joining the TCL 20 series, bringing this year's catalogue up to five devices.
The latest heat-vision-equipped smartphone is making its way to the US
Runs hot, cold, wet, however you'd like
Have the need or in the mood for a thermal-seeking camera on a ruggedized smartphone. The Cat S62 Pro — made as with most Cat-branded phones by U.K.-based Bullitt Group — is about to come online to retailers in the United States for a slightly better price than was first quoted.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnM9YUHndGc[/EMBED_YT]The S62 Pro was initially announced last July with a FLIR-supplied camera that quadruples the thermal resolution of the one it gave to 2018's S61. The Verge points out that it comes at the cost of a couple other sensors like one for air quality and one for spatial distance that were on the older phone, but it might be better to stick with one great play than three okay ones.It also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, a 4,000mAh battery, a 5.7" 1080p+ display, and a programmable key, backed by a non-slip plastic coating in the rear, an IP68 rating, and MIL-STD-810 testing that shows resistance against 1.8m drops onto steel. As a bonus(!), it'll launch with Android 10 with a guaranteed path to Android 11.Originally announced with an MSRP of $749, the U.S. unlocked version equipped with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is just about ready to go from Cat, Amazon, and Home Depot for $699 — though the buy links haven't exactly gone live yet. You can chance an international version from Amazon, though, if you don't mind mismatched bands.
Spotify is bringing full, live lyrics to music streaming in the US
Currently in testing with select users
Those who listen to music on Spotify may have wanted to look at lyrics at one point or another. For many of them, Genius's "Behind the Lyrics" experience, which only gave some lyrics alongside a big dose of trivia for some songs, hasn't cut the mustard. But after years of demand, the streaming company has relented, confirming that it is testing a full lyrics experience in the U.S.
Trump administration issues one more middle finger to Huawei and its US suppliers
Reuters: $120 billion in US trade with Huawei held up
One of the President Donald Trump's choicest adversaries during his term has been China. He considers the country to be a trade scofflaw while politicians in intelligence circles have pegged it as a digital security threat. Huawei has been targeted to be the biggest casualty from multiple sanctions that have blocked it from acquiring American goods and services. Now, as the current administration makes way for another, we're learning of one of its final moves symbolizing a door slam.
Xiaomi responds to being blacklisted by the US government
Billions of dollars in funding could be at risk
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The Trump administration is dubbing Xiaomi a national security threat in a fashion similar to how it did Huawei and ZTE. However, the "Communist Chinese military company" label has a greater effect to this particular tech manufacturer than the others.
More Chinese tech manufacturers are under the gun from President Trump's Commerce Department. Semiconductors firm Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation and DJI, known best for its drones, have been added to the Entity List which prohibits them from U.S. imports. But while the White House rattles SMIC's closely-knit integrations to the military, the case for DJI is less clear.
UK government to ban installation of Huawei 5G equipment from September 2021
As part of plan to remove all Huawei 5G tech by 2027
After recent rumors about further sanctions, the UK government has outlined its plans to remove Huawei completely from its 5G network by the end of 2027. The purchase of new equipment made by the Chinese company will also be banned from December 31, 2020. Existing 2G, 3G, and 5G network equipment made by Huawei will remain until it is no longer needed, however, as it's deemed too difficult and costly to replace any sooner.
T-Mobile now supports 988 calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
You'll still need to remember 1-800-273-8255 if you use other carriers for now
T-Mobile customers can now dial 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the carrier announced today. It's the first major telephony service to program the newly classified shortcode after President Trump signed bipartisan legislation in October.
United States military has been purchasing user location data from apps with millions of downloads
Muslim Pro, Screen Stream Mirroring, and Global Storms are some of the affected apps
The lack of strong data protection across most of the world, combined with the need for free smartphone apps and services to create some amount of revenue, has often led to private user data being shared with third parties. This time around, several high-profile Android apps have been sending location data to data brokers, which in turn are selling them to defense contractors working for the US military.
Ring recall reminds owners to install 2nd-gen Video Doorbell correctly
Don't use a wood screw to install the thing, please
If you own a second-generation Ring Video Doorbell and haven't installed it yet, check to see if you've got the right screws for it: the Consumer Product Safety Commission in conjunction with Health Canada are recalling a total of more than 350,000 units. But unlike a lot of recalls, customers won't need to return their bells to the store.