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The Amazon Appstore is just as bad as I thought it'd be (but there is hope)
The Amazon Appstore is mostly an afterthought, but after an audit, we found some surprising twists that we didn't expect.
I've been testing the Amazon Fire 7 tablet recently and one thing I've always suspected is that the Amazon Appstore is not...to put it politely...good. Yes, that is putting it politely. I had a bit of anecdotal evidence to support that, but nothing concrete. So I decided to look where the rubber meets the road when it comes to the app store. I audited the Amazon Appstore with an admittedly limited sample. That sample was the apps I already had installed on my Android phone. My sample is obviously limited, but I do have some of the best Android apps installed as well as some lesser-known apps.
I checked out Samsung's 'Galaxy Harajuku' flagship store in Japan, and it was amazing
I had an opportunity to visit Samsung's Galaxy Harajuku experience in Tokyo Japan. The building offers a showroom, cafe, and more.
Over the past decade, Samsung has become quite the technology juggernaut, dabbling in all aspects of consumer and commercial products and dominating many of the same segments. So it would make sense to have a presence in major markets, not only with its products but also with physical retail locations. In 2019, Samsung opened its flagship store in Japan, calling it 'Galaxy Harajuku' located in the city of Tokyo. I was in Tokyo recently and figured the flagship store is worth checking out as a tourist and a tech enthusiast.
I use an Amazon Echo Dot as an alarm for the dumbest reason...in the world
Would you welcome Clarkson, Hammond, and May into your bedroom to wake you up in a morning? I did, with an Echo Dot and The Grand Tour.
Is it old-fashioned to keep a clock on your nightstand? Perhaps, but even in the age of smartphones and smart speakers, I can't live without one. I don't like waking up all blurry-eyed, still mostly asleep, scrambling for a phone, and still not really seeing the time. And sometimes I want to wake up to an alarm that isn't my kids clamoring for breakfast.
Why I spent $350 on an Amazon Kindle e-reader twice, and would do so a third time
If you think that $350 is too much to spend on an e-reader, I disagree. The Kindle Oasis is worth buying more than once.
"I love the smell of a book."
Is the Amazon Echo Sub worth buying over other speakers in 2022?
It's been a few year since Amazon launched its Echo Sub subwoofer. You can still buy one but is it worth buying in 2022? Let's find out.
Amazon has a vast array of smart speakers and other home devices. There are many ways to get Amazon's virtual assistant into your home, and the list of these Alexa-enabled devices continues to keep growing. If you haven't been paying attention to Amazon's ever-evolving lineup of Echo devices, then the Echo Sub may have flown under your radar. I don't necessarily blame you for letting this one slide because it's different from other Echo speakers out there.
iOS 16 reflects Apple's submission to the Android philosophy
iOS 16 introduces plenty of rich customizations and options that reflect Apple's submission to the flexible Android mindset.
The iOS vs Android argument predates human civilization has existed since the release of these operating systems. We're all entitled to our own opinions. Whether these subjective views are logical, factual, or in sync with the hive mind is irrelevant. As mature adults, we accept these differences in others. Nonetheless, we also get to criticize them in a cultured manner. Objectively, perhaps we can all agree that Android has always been more flexible than iOS. The latter OS seemingly has been catering to average users by sticking to familiarities and avoiding sudden, major changes. In recent years, though, I've been noticing Apple's slow progression towards liberating its mobile OS. This vision -- which could tempt undecided Android users to switch sides -- is particularly apparent in iOS 16. In my opinion, this release highlights Apple's submission to the Android philosophy -- through advanced customizations we had never seen on iOS, and more.
The Amazon Echo Flex is so cheap, it's the perfect starter smart home device
If you want to listen to music, there's the Amazon Echo Dot. But for beginners getting into smart home, the Echo Flex is a great buy.
I've written previously that the Amazon Echo Dot is the cheapest smart speaker from the company that you would want to buy. While I stand by that, I'm also not afraid to admit that it's quite harsh on the Echo Flex. The crucial difference is that only one of these two is good for listening to music.
The Apple Pencil 2 isn't the magic wand I had hoped it would be
The Apple Pencil 2 is a "smart" stylus from the Cupertino firm. However, it's not as smart and innovative as I had hoped it would be.
I've had my eyes set on the Apple Pencil ever since the first-gen model came out. If you're a regular XDA reader, you're probably aware of my passion towards Apple products and the tight ecosystem that links them all together. Brainwashed FanBoi or not, there's no denying that these devices communicate on a deep level that is invisible to the end-user. Once you familiarize yourself with the operating systems, you don't think twice about copying on your iPhone and then pasting on macOS, for example. It just becomes an unconscious part of the workflow. And you only miss it when you switch to different brands -- where it's unsupported.
It's high time Google added fine-grained volume control to Android
Thanks to how Android handles media volume, finding the sweet volume spot is a perpetual struggle. Google needs to improve volume control.
I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks at bedtime as it helps me sleep better. Ideally, you want just the right amount of volume when listening to an audiobook or podcast in a quiet setting — something that remains comfortable to listen to for an extended period. A bit louder, and it becomes a distraction and causes listening fatigue and a bit quieter, and everything becomes unintelligible. I'm quite sensitive to volume changes and loudness, so I always spend some time fiddling with the volume slider to find a comfortable level. However, thanks to how Android handles media volume and volume control, finding the sweet spot is a perpetual struggle. It's always a bit too loud or too quiet no matter how carefully you try to adjust the volume slider. This issue is more evident with in-ear headphones — both wired and wireless — than with over-ear headphones.
Internet Explorer is dead - A look back at Microsoft's browser history
Today is the end of the line that Microsoft has detailed for its Internet Explorer browser, so we're taking a look back at its history.
After nearly 27 years, Microsoft is killing off Internet Explorer, its in-house web browser that's now the subject of memes and parody Twitter accounts about how slow it is. Indeed, it's been a long and bumpy road for the legacy browser, and it's a symbol of the company that Microsoft used to be.
The story of the impossible port: How Quake was ported to the Game Boy Advance
Porting Quake to the Game Boy Advance would have seemed to have been impossible, but Randy Linden managed to pull it off. Here's how.
The Game Boy Advance is a handheld games console created by Nintendo. It was released in Japan in 2001 and served as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It had an ARM7TDMI clocked at 16.78 MHz, 32kb of internal work RAM, 256kb of external RAM, and 96kb of VRAM. It's not the most powerful machine, but there are plenty of games for the handheld that many hold in fond memory. One game that never saw the light of day though for the device was a prototype port of Quake, a game developed by id Software that helped define the first-person shooter genre that we know today.
iOS 16 makes it easy to meme your friends, or create YouTube thumbnails
iOS 16's Visual Look Up feature in the Photos app makes it super simple to remove backgrounds from images. And we had some fun with it!
When I tested the developer beta version of iPadOS 16 last week, I gave the bulk of the attention to the new "Stage Manager" feature, which when paired with (also new) external display support, fundamentally changes what an iPad can become. But there was another feature I briefly touched on that has plenty of potential: the ability to quickly isolate and "cut out" subjects/objects from the background of a still photo or a video. Apple did not give this feature a new name, but rather grouped it as part of the "Visual Look Up" feature that's been available since last year. And yes, this feature is also available on iOS 16.
EU harmonizing fast charging with USB PD will be a big deal for Android
EU has agreed to USB-C everything with Power Delivery for fast charging. Here's why we think it may be a big deal for Android phones.
For those that don’t know, European lawmakers reached an agreement earlier this week to force manufacturers of electronic devices including smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, and more to use the same universal charging port -- USB-C. That's right, USB-C everything is being written into the law and it'll come into effect by Fall 2024 in the EU. Settling for a common USB-C charger will not only cut down on e-waste but it will also make our lives easier. The benefits of using a single charger with a USB-C to C cable for all the gadgets can't be understated.
Just when Samsung had closed the Android tablet gap, Apple widens it again with iPadOS 16
Samsung made great progress with making Android tablets great. But Apple has taken the lead once again with iPadOS. Here's how.
It is very debatable whether iPhones are actually the best smartphones, or if Macs are better than Windows machines. But when it comes to tablets, even the biggest Apple haters (or Windows/Android fans) have conceded that the iPad is indeed the best tablet.
Locking a verified business account for being underage: Where’s the logic, Twitter?
Twitter recently locked XDA's brand account for being underage, and that makes as much sense to us as it does to you. Read on to know the reasoning.
For those that don’t know, the official and verified XDA Developers' business Twitter account was unjustifiably locked by Twitter today as it was suspected of being owned by someone underage. Now, two parts of that sentence don’t make much sense.
macOS on iPad: After iPadOS 16, is it only a matter of time?
With virtual memory swap, a new window manager and more desktop-style features, is it inevitable that iPads will someday just run straight-up macOS?
Speculation around a potential merging of the iPad and Mac operating systems is nothing new. Even back when iPads ran plain old iOS, some enthusiasts argued that a full-blown desktop OS would make for a better tablet experience than a scaled-up mobile interface. More recently, the use of common Apple silicon in both iPad and Mac has signaled that Apple could run macOS on an iPad if it wanted to. Unlike the old days when iPads ran A-series chips and Macs ran Intel, there's no hard technical barrier anymore.
Apple unveiled the worst laptop of 2022 at WWDC
Apple showed off new M2-powered MacBooks at WWDC 2022 — alongside another, deliberately terrible Windows laptop. It's comically bad.
At a jam-packed WWDC 2022 today, Apple unveiled the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, alongside hotly-anticipated new Apple silicon and health features. Today's keynote also saw the arrival of the exhaustively leaked M2-powered MacBook Air, which incorporates the controversial screen notch from the company's line of 2021 MacBook Pros.
All I want at WWDC is for Apple to kill iTunes for Windows
While everyone else is getting excited for iOS 16 and the next version of macOS, all I want at WWDC is for Apple to show some love to Windows.
As Apple fans and the wider tech community gear up for WWDC, there are common areas of anticipation. Indeed, WWDC is fairly predictable in some sense, with new versions of iOS, iPad OS, tvOS, and whateverelseOS Apple has for the year being debuted. It's also a developer conference, so those building on and for Apple, get their eyes on the latest and greatest. But there's a more low-key announcement I want to see from Apple this year: iTunes being terminated. Put it out to pasture, it's done. Nobody would miss it.
iOS 16 can't fix all of Apple's iPhone problems
iOS 16 can't fix all of Apple's iPhone problems, though there's a lot of good that may still be to come from the operating system.
I like my iPhone 13 Pro quite a lot, but it helped me to realize why I love Android. The number of problems I faced when switching to an iPhone really drove the point home to me, and there have been several issues with iOS over the years -- some of which are completely nonsensical. While Apple prides itself on creating the phone that just works, there are some elements of that experience that are downright confusing. iOS 16 is just around the corner, and it's almost certain it won't fix all of the iPhone's problems.
Here's why I'm super excited for this year's WWDC
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is upon us! Here's why I'm very hyped to attend this annual, virtual event.
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference is upon us, and words hardly express how hyped I am. For those unfamiliar with WWDC, it's an annual, software-focused event by Apple. The Cupertino tech giant used to invite developers and press members to attend it in person. However, the company switched to the virtual format during the pandemic. For general WWDC fans around the world, the shift hasn't made much of a difference -- since they've been watching it online anyway. Developers and the press no longer get to socialize and connect in person, though, until this pandemic passes. The switch to an online-only event has also given Apple the opportunity to develop movie-like keynotes with special effects. These productions contribute to the dramatic effect and ensure no hiccups occur during the presentations. We're expecting iOS 16, macOS 13, and more OS betas during WWDC22. However, my excitement isn't just because of that.