The humble QR (or Quick Response) code has become ubiquitous. Invented back in the 1990s to scan car parts, the barcodes got a popularity boost during the pandemic when touchless tech became prioritized, and they’re now a regular part of daily life. You’ll find them deployed to help you order food, connect to Wi-Fi, shop…
If you’re taking your laptop away from the safe environs of your home or office desk and still want to stay online, you’ve got a couple of choices (assuming it doesn’t have cellular connectivity built in): hunt around for a Wi-Fi network you can connect to or run a Wi-Fi hotspot from your phone. Running…
In recent weeks, airport Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have drawn public outcry for denying travelers US entry based on searches of their phones. A doctor on an H-1B visa was deported to Lebanon after CBP found “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah leaders. A French scientist was turned away after a device search…
There are probably a lot of simple tasks you do repeatedly on your phone, like muting it in a meeting, reducing the screen brightness late at night, or turning on the battery saver when you leave for work. If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, then you have access to a Routines tool that can…
After two years telling anyone who’d listen that Chinese manufacturer Vivo made the best cameras in any smartphone, last year’s Xiaomi 14 Ultra changed my tune. It became my favorite phone and camera, handling everything from holiday snaps to product review photoshoots. With the 15 Ultra, Xiaomi took the best and made it better with…
The Nothing Phone 3A and 3A Pro have leaked in new images and videos that show off the two phones’ designs and detail the key specs. So far, the two phones appear to be almost identical, with only two camera changes — and slightly different rear camera designs — to pull them apart. First Android…
TikTok’s app is still working for people in the US — as long as it’s already on their phone. While the service quickly returned after the brief shutdown in January, the app itself is no longer available on either Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store. That means that if you removed the app, never…
The Barbie Phone, much like the doll it pays tribute to, is a thing of beauty. But like that doll whose proportions, historically, are impossible, the Barbie Phone just isn’t built for the modern world. Even if the ultra-feminine aesthetic isn’t your thing — and it’s not really mine — you have to hand it…
I’ve been playing around with OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode for the last week, and it’s the most convincing taste I’ve had of an AI-powered future yet. This week, my phone laughed at jokes, made them back to me, asked me how my day was, and told me it’s having “a great time.” I was talking…
Look, fun is fun and all, but sometimes boring is better. A flip phone dripping with nostalgia that comes in bold colors and lets you run apps all willy-nilly on the cover screen? With inviting wallpapers and playful UI touches? That’s fun. It’s also not the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. But while I thoroughly…