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If you're not familiar with it, CrossOver is a program for Mac and Linux that allows you to run Windows programs through a compatibility layer (without actually running or owning a copy of Windows). It's based on Wine, and the developers frequently contribute code back to Wine, but CrossOver is commercial software and has a few additional features.
Virgin Mobile has been a popular pre-paid wireless carrier in the United States for a while now, using Sprint's network as a backend. As with most carriers in the US, both iPhones and Android devices were available to customers. However, Virgin has now partnered with Apple and will only offer iPhones moving forward.
The ZTE Axon 7 has had fairly speedy updates - it received Android 7.0 in February, and 7.1.1 in March. The Axon 7 Mini, on the other hand, has been stuck on 6.0.1 Marshmallow this whole time. ZTE started previewing the Mini's Nougat update in March, and it's finally being rolled out to the masses.
The LG G5 was by no means a perfect phone. It was pretty expensive when it launched, and the modular add-ons never really caught on. Still, it received positive feedback for its wide-angle camera and removable battery (among other things). Now you can get an unlocked G5 for $259.99 on Newegg, at least $50 less than what any other US retailer is currently charging.
The main reason headphone jacks remain a staple of most phones is because they work. There's no pairing and re-paring, or worrying about how much longer the batteries in your earbuds will last. Anker's new "apprentice brand," Zolo, is trying to make Bluetooth earbuds without any compromises. The Kickstarter for Zolo's Liberty+ earbuds was revealed yesterday, and it has already passed its funding goal ten times over.
As a side effect of the version fragmentation that Android suffers from, even the latest apps tend to support Android versions a few years old. For example, most of Google's apps nowadays have a minimum requirement of Android 4.1 or 4.2. If you're still stuck on 2.3 Gingerbread, at least you'll get to keep using WhatsApp.
Google's own carrier, Project Fi, is a pretty great service if you don't use much data. However, the lack of affordable devices compatible with Fi (unless you can find a non-bootlooping Nexus 5X) has made it a bit less popular. If you're on Project Fi and using a group plan, you can now easily split up your phone bill.
Back in April of last year, Nokia announced its intent to purchase French health company Withings. Withings was known for its large range of consumer health products, including smart scales, activity trackers, Bluetooth thermometers, and more. Today Nokia is not only announcing new health products, but also discontinuing the Withings brand entirely.
I've never actually seen anyone with an Xperia smartphone here in the United States, but presumably someone is buying them, because Sony still sells them here. The latest entry in Sony's line of devices, the Xperia XZ Premium, is now available to purchase in 'Murica for a penny shy of $800.As the same might imply, this is a very similar device to last year's Xperia XZ. However, it does have an upgraded CPU, one more GB of RAM, and a back camera capable of recording stunning 960fps slo-motion video. Here are the full specifications:
HTC's latest flagship, the U11, isn't really a bad phone. It has some issues, notably light bleed on the display and no headphone jack, but it's a much better phone than the U Ultra. If you've been wanting to buy one, HTC is about to start selling a new 'Solar Red' color, plus the company is discounting several other phones and accessories.
After years of sticking to physical navigation buttons, Samsung finally switched to a virtual navigation bar on the Galaxy S8. Not only did the software navigation look cleaner, you could also change the order of the buttons. Now Samsung is introducing another customization option, but only on certain S8 models for now.
You might have one or two (or more) phones sitting unused in a desk drawer or in a closet. Maybe your iPhone 3G or Droid 3 hasn't seen the light of day for a few years. If that's the case, and you've been eyeing a Galaxy S8, Samsung has just the deal for you.
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- Engadget claims that the YotaPhone 3 will have a Snapdragon 625 processor, which would make sense for the device's price point. The front screen will be a 1080p 5.5" display, with a 5.2" 720p e-ink display on the back. The phone will also have 4GB of RAM, dual SIM slots (one of thm can also be a microSD card slot), a 12MP back camera, a 13MP front camera, a 3,200mAh battery, and a USB Type-C port.
Pictured: YotaPhone 2
AirDroid remains a popular way to manage Android devices from a computer, despite security issues in the past (which were later fixed). Sand Studio, the developers behind AirDroid, has released version 3.5 of the desktop client with a full file manager built-in.
One of the more controversial features of the Galaxy S8 is Samsung's 'Bixby' assistant, which has a dedicated button to activate it. But Bixby isn't very helpful, partially due to Samsung delaying English voice command support. But if you're in the United States and have an S8, you can sign up for Samsung's new Bixby Early Access program to try out voice commands.
Android O is on the horizon, but in the meantime, Samsung has continued to update its devices to Android 7.0 Nougat. Many of the company's phones and tablets have already received it, including some models of the Tab S2. Now, Android 7.0 has arrived on the AT&T Galaxy Tab S2..
The first Developer Preview for Android Things OS was released at the end of 2016, as a lightweight version of Android intended for Internet of Things devices. Since then, it has been updated multiple times to support more hardware and fix bugs, and today Google has released Developer Preview 4.1.
Google promised that all Chromebooks shipped in 2017 and beyond would support Android apps, but the company has been a bit slow to deliver on that claim. However, Google has just updated its list of Chrome OS devices compatible with the Play Store, and a whopping 16 more devices can now run Android apps officially.
Let's face it - LG phones have had problems with long-term use in the past. Many former phones from the company experienced the famous bootloop issue, which plagued the G4, Nexus 5X, G5, V10, and others. This was especially a problem for phones outside the warranty period. LG wants you to know that it's confident in the G6's longevity, and as a result, the company has extended the phones' warranty period to two years.