latest
Managing downloads in Chrome OS is about to get much easier
Our favorite Chrome OS feature is getting even better
There's no question that Chrome OS does (mostly) everything these days, from productivity to entertainment. One of several aspects we've grown to love is its focus on usability, and we think Tote (formally Holding Space) is a brilliant feature that can take your productivity to the next level. Google is planning on supercharging Tote even further with a fresh update we're sure most would find handy.
Samsung's trade-in values are outrageously generous for S20 owners
$700 is more than the smaller S20 is actually worth if you sold it yourself
There's a little tip making the rounds today: If you pick up a used Galaxy S20 somewhere like Swappa or eBay, where they run around $500, you can get yourself a brand new Galaxy S21 for just 0 more. That's because Samsung's trade-in values for the smaller Galaxy S20 are outrageous, earning you $700 toward an $800 phone.
Most people upgrade phones every 2-3 years, a schedule that's often dictated by carrier promotions and on-contract deals. While our readers likely buck that trend, Pixel owners hanging onto the same model for the last 2-3 years are probably considering upgrading. In the case of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, there's not much choice — it's that or stick with a phone that's less and less secure with each passing month. So is the Pixel 5 a worthy upgrade? For some of our readers, it might be, especially if they waited out the Pixel 4, as we generally recommended. But it's not the only phone Pixel fans should consider.
November officially marks the end of the line for the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL, as security updates for both phones have halted. The devices are still functional, and you can switch to custom ROMs like LineageOS to keep the security fixes coming, but the hardware is starting to age as well.This is a strange year for phone releases, especially from Google. Owners of the Pixel 2 have three Pixel phones to choose from, if they want to stick to Google-made phones, and figuring out how they all stack up is a bit complicated. Thankfully, we're here to do all the hard work.
Read update
LG's Stylo 5 launched almost a year ago with Android Pie. When we reviewed it, we noted the device had good design and amazing battery life, but its prospects for software updates were unclear due to LG's history. While the future's still far from certain, we're happy to see that LG is finally getting around to giving the phone a major refresh, with the company starting to turn the Stylo 5's Android 10 update loose on the wild.
Buying a new phone is a big decision, especially with the prices these days. For most of us, dropping several hundred bucks isn't something that can be easily done. You've got to plan for and budget it out well in advance. But once you've made the actual purchasing decision, the credit card's been charged, and you get that delivery notification, there's one more choice you've got to make: If you still have it, what do you do with the old phone?
Get Gold Play Points status through 2021 when you upgrade your Google One storage to 2TB
You've got until November 30 to grow your cloud
Google's Play Points scheme are meant to get you spending on anything and everything in the Play Store with the hopes that a freebie every so often will keep you engaged and open you up to something new. But if you're already paying out for Google One cloud storage, the company will further reward your buying with a big upgrade. And if you aren't, you've still got plenty of time to get that bonus.
Much like PCs, smartphones have become a mature enough platform that there's little benefit in upgrading every single year. Most buyers already keep their phones for around two years, and according to data collected by Samsung, the trend is shifting to three years.
With Black Friday behind us and Cyber Monday just ahead, odds are a good chunk of you just bought a new phone — or you're planning to. Whether you've got spec envy, you're moving carriers, or your old phone is just broken, there are plenty of reasons for wanting an upgrade. It may have been just yesterday or two years ago, but was your motivation the last time you bought a new phone?
Back in 2016, T-Mobile rolled out the T-Mobile One plans, which replaced the senior (and often cheaper) Simple Choice plans. Many subscribers from the era still have the old plans, and a further subset is being notified starting yesterday of a pretty swanky complimentary upgrade: unlimited high-speed data. The lucky "loyal T-Mobile customers" will get bumped to the new plans on 3/16, unless they opt out for some reason.
Manufacturer infotainment systems are, by and large, not good. More and more automakers are picking up the standardized solutions of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is s step in the right direction. Mazda started shipping the interface in some new vehicles this year, and now dealerships will be able to install it in model year 2014 or newer Mazdas.
There's an old saying that goes, "never attribute to malice what can be explained by carelessness." So I'd rather not accuse Android game publisher Noodlecake of carelessness, since they usually release games that are fun, technically sound, and sometimes even lacking those $100 in-app purchases. But since they've made the Android TV version of snowboarding endless runner Alto's Adventure a $3.99 paid game, while the phone version is free, I'm not left with many other options.
Sometimes US operators do nice little things to brighten up your day. Sure, they're still making a ton of money out of your contracts or prepaid plans, but they'd still like to keep you as a customer so they have to make improvements and additions to their offers to do so. So is the case with AT&T's latest update to its prepaid GoPhone plans.
Sometimes old stuff is too old. It's sad, but companies don't have unlimited resources, and they can't provide new software updates and service forever. That's especially true of smaller companies like Dropcam (though it's technically owned by Nest, which is technically owned by Google, so I'm not sure if it qualifies as a "small" company anymore). But instead of simply leaving owners of older hardware in the dust, or compromising on new features for the always-on home monitoring service, Dropcam has decided to simply upgrade the old models for free. Neat!
So AT&T's Next plans, with their $0 down and phone trade-in/upgrade after a year, are nifty for customers who always want the latest and greatest. They're also a valuable tool for enticing new customers away from the likes of Verizon and the ever-advancing T-Mobile. But what about AT&T customers who are stuck in a contract? Ma Bell hasn't forgotten about you: starting today, at least some AT&T contract customers can switch to a Next plan with no penalty.
This afternoon, Motorola's Punit Soni shared a post on Google+ to follow up on the company's earlier "more to share soon..." post. Soni's post pointed users toward Motorola Mobility's online upgrade checking interface, which tells users whether or not their Motorola device will be receiving any planned updates.
Play it again, Sprint. Now that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have all started accelerated upgrade programs with monthly charges (Jump, NEXT, and EDGE, respectively), Sprint wants in on the action. According to some leaked screenshots posted by Cnet, the last of the "Big Four" American carriers is planning a similar program called One Up. The plan has not been confirmed by Sprint, but the screenshot below looks genuine.
Your phone is old and you need a new one. You'd be happy as a clam if you could upgrade only one part, but to get the RAM/storage/processor you want, you have to pay for everything. This is why people still build desktop PCs. A concept called Phonebloks takes that modular PC goodness and applies it to smartphones. It's an interesting idea that will probably never, ever come to fruition.
At a time when T-Mobile is trying to redefine the less-than-stellar reputation of wireless carriers, it looks like regional player US Cellular has taken a big step backwards. The company is no longer allowing customers to access the upgrade reward in the Belief Project, which allowed those who had completed an eighteen month contract to buy a new phone at the subsidized price without signing another contract. After July 27th, US Cellular customers will have the same old contractual ball and chain if they buy a new device at the advertised price.
T-Mobile has made quite a splash with two new policies unveiled at last week's "Boldest Moves Yet" event. The JUMP! plan combines a trade-in program and insurance policy that lets you upgrade your phone every six months for a $10 monthly fee, and the Simple Choice Family Plans have some great values for families looking to save some cash on multiple lines. Both are live as of yesterday - you can start shopping on T-Mobile's website, or walk into your friendly neighborhood retail store.