ANALYSIS

The VisionTek BTi65 Speaker: Impressive Sound at an Impressive Price

A few months ago VisionTek Products shared word that they were coming out with a new Bluetooth speaker. The BTi65 was IP65 waterproof rated, could remain connected up to 30 feet and play for 10 hours. Over several months I have tested this, thinking I may have missed a problem with it. But what originally turned to suspicion...

Opinion: The Problem with Default Launchers and Why OEMs Should Take Pointers from Alternatives like Nova

On my desk, I have a multitude of devices from different manufacturers, with different price tags and some running vastly different software. They all have one thing in common, and that’s their homescreen setup. The homescreen is undoubtedly one of the most essential components of the Android experience; from the most casual of users to the...

China’s Fluctuating Mobile Market And Future Trends

China's mobile market is by a comfortable margin the largest in the world, with over 1.3 billion monthly mobile subscribers across the three carriers. It is understandable then that short term trends and fashions can have a huge effect on the incomes of OEMs and the market as a whole. If are unfamiliar with the Oppo...

The Death of CyanogenMod and What it Means for Development

Cyanogen Inc. has finally delivered a bullet to the brain - of CyanogenMod. After years of tumultuous turnovers in the company, Cyanogen recently announced that the company would consolidate all of their efforts into a new Cyanogen Modular OS program. As a part of their consolidation, the company announced that many of their employees, including Cyanogen (Steve Kondik) himself,...

The Best ROMs, Kernels, and Mods for the OnePlus 3

The OnePlus 3 brings forth a design refreshment that does away with the signature sandstone back of the previous two phones, and shakes up the design language by softening curves and edges, as well as changing the material employed. While the OnePlus 2 introduced a sturdy magnesium frame to complement the sandstone back, the all-metal OnePlus...

Ulefone Metal XDA Review: An Often-Hilarious Trainwreck of a Phone, But a Step Forward For Ulefone’s Developer Relations

The Ulefone Metal is an entry level smartphone with a premium finish, that just can't quite stick the landing. It comes incredibly close to being a phone with good price-performance (especially thanks to Ulefone releasing the kernel sources and trying to support developers), but some issues with polish and a couple “What were they thinking?”-style...

The Inherent Problems in Speed Test Videos and Their Validity as Performance Benchmarks

Clarkson, Hammond, and Mays line up, each of them driving one of the world's fastest “Hypercars." Millions of in dollars metal, aluminum and carbon fiber waiting to barrel down the track, each wanting to take the throne as the fastest of the litter. If you aren’t familiar with the description above, this scene took place in...

How India’s Demonetization Policy is Affecting Smartphones, Carriers and Mobile Payments

For Android fans, 2016 has been rather uneventful. Sure, we've seen the end of the Google Nexus line, the release of Android Nougat, and the rise and fall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The two Google Pixel phones, besides the price hike, are not that different than the Nexus phones of old. Android Nougat,...

OP3 Nougat Beta Impressions: OnePlus Scales Back to Stock Android for a Sweet Breath of OxygenOS

When I first reviewed the OnePlus 3, I had plenty of positives to sing about the device’s software UI and the resulting user experience. OnePlus had accomplished a truly-lightweight ROM that enhanced the UI in meaningful ways, while leaving the core of Android alone. This was one of my favorite parts of OxygenOS, and the user...

Clearing up Misconceptions regarding OP3 and OP3T Storage Speed Differences and F2FS

Among the improvements that OnePlus touted for its OnePlus 3T release, we were told that the company had managed to improve app opening speeds and general loading times, something especially noticeable on heavy applications such as 3D games. This struck us as a surprise, because the device ultimately packs the same kind of UFS 2.0 storage...

OnePlus 3T XDA Review: What Has Changed, and by How Much

The OnePlus 3T quickly became a controversial release for OnePlus -- while the company has managed to make a great smartphone even better, many wish they knew ahead of time that the best was yet to come, especially those who bought the OnePlus 3 very recently. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that OnePlus 3 sales...

Which Current or Upcoming Processor Would You Want in Your 2017 Device?

Details regarding new processors are starting to surface as the Snapdragon 835 became official and it'll be built on Samsung's 10nm process. Not to long ago, we also saw the release of the Huawei Mate 9 with the Kirin 960, which we tested in preparation for our review, and news of a 10nm MediaTek chip. We also...