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Hands on: The Surface Pro 9 looks beautiful in Sapphire and Forest, and the SQ3 model has cool AI features
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 comes in two new pretty colors, which is a big deal for the Surface lineup, and the Arm model is impressive.
Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 is official (along with the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Studio 2 Plus), coming in a couple of new colors and offering a 5G option. There are Intel and Arm options now, packing 12th-gen U-series chips on the Intel side and the new Microsoft SQ3 on the Qualcomm side.
Acer Chromebook 516 GE hands-on: One of the best Chromebooks I've ever used for gaming
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE is one of the best Chromebooks I've used, with an RGB keyboard, 120Hz screen, and stylish design.
Gaming is the last thing that I think of when I use a Chromebook. While I could fire up Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia GeForce Now on any Chromebook through the web, I never had reason to try it before because the hardware isn't specialized for it. I think of Chromebooks as laptops with long battery life, great security, and efficiency. Cloud gaming is what I usually do on my Android phone or something like the incoming Logitech GCloud. But that all changed for me recently.
Google Pixel Watch hands-on: It looks so much better in person
The Google Pixel Watch is a stunning smartwatch that is hard to believe as a first-generation product. Here are our early thoughts!
Alongside the Google Pixel 7 series, Google also introduced its first-ever smartwatch -- the Google Pixel Watch. It's been shrouded in controversy ever since its first unveiling thanks to rumors of outdated hardware, a large bezel, and potentially poor battery life. We got to play with it at the company's launch event in New York City, and I have to admit that I'm a bit of a believer now.
Google Pixel 7 series hands-on: Doubling down on a winning formula
The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have finally launched, and we had the opportunity to briefly use them. Here are our first impressions!
The Google Pixel 7 series is here, and like last year, there are two devices -- a Google Pixel 7, and a Google Pixel 7 Pro. I recently had hands-on time with both devices at the company's launch event in New York City. While I can't talk about a lot of details just yet, I'm able to talk about the brief time I spent with these smartphones at the launch event itself. These two smartphones debut the company's new Google Tensor G2, which has a few key differences over last year's Tensor chipset.
If you've ever heard the term "foldable laptop", your instinctual reaction was probably to ask what laptops aren't foldable. At least, that's what mine was. However, in recent times we've seen the advent of foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and that same foldable display technology trickling into other mediums too, most notably laptops. A foldable laptop is one where the display folds, and there's typically an external keyboard, too. We had some time to play with the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED at this year's IFA, and it's a pretty cool device.
Huawei Eyewear Hands-On: Audio glasses that pump out surprisingly good sound
Huawei has a pair of audio glasses that are lightweight and pump out good audio -- but Huawei isn't sure when or where to release it.
Huawei launched a series of flashy products at the IFA trade show in Berlin over the weekend, including a new upper mid-range phone with a whopping 60MP selfie camera, a new flagship laptop running Intel's 12th generation Intel processor, and the Huawei Watch Fit D that can measure blood pressure via a miniature pump inside the band. However, one product that didn't get any stage or show booth time was the Huawei Eyewear. These are a pair of "smart glasses" with an open acoustic system and microphone built into the arms so the wearer can listen to audio or take phone calls while wearing the glasses, without needing to access their smartphone.
Hands on: The HP Elite Dragonfly Folio is perfect for working from home
HP's Elite Dragonfly Folio has some major improvements over its predecessor, with an 8MP webcam, powerful processors, and more.
HP has announced the newest member of its Elite Dragonfly family, the Elite Dragonfly Folio. It's the third product under the brand's umbrella, with the regular Elite Dragonfly and the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook being the other two. For the first two generations, the Elite Dragonfly was an ultra-light convertible, but HP seems to changing things up. It's a clamshell now, and if you want a convertible, that's where the Folio comes in.
ColorOS 13 Hands-on: Oppo's take on Android 13 is packed full of new features
ColorOS 13 is based on Android 13, and it's packed full of features. We tested it on the OPPO Find X5 Pro, and so far, it's excellent.
Remember when it was said, long ago, that Oppo and OnePlus were working on a Unified OS? The premise was simple: it was the best of both ColorOS and OxygenOS packed into one clean operating system based on Android. While that has since been dead and buried, it's clear that there is more than just a passing similarity when comparing recent OxygenOS versions to ColorOS. It seems the companies have doubled down though, as if you've seen the recent OxygenOS 13 Open Beta, you've also seen ColorOS 13.
Motorola Edge (2022) Hands-on: Motorola is finally using its strengths from Lenovo
The new Motorola Edge has a 144Hz display, a 50MP f/1.8 camera, a 5,000mAh battery, and some Lenovo integrations with Ready For.
Today, Motorola announced the third iteration of its Edge flagship smartphone. The Motorola Edge 2022 comes with a 144Hz OLED display, a MediaTek Dimensity 1050 processor, an improved camera system, and fun new features like improvements to Ready For.
OxygenOS 13 Open Beta Hands On: This is what official Android 13 looks like on OnePlus smartphones
The OxygenOS 13 open beta is now available to download on the OnePlus 10 Pro, and here's everything new with the software.
OnePlus faced a torrent of backlash for dropping the ball on the software front by merging its software codebase with Oppo's ColorOS. The subsequent software releases were littered with bugs, and even the stable update -- that hit many OnePlus devices including the OnePlus 9 series -- felt like an afterthought with many inconsistencies. Soon after that, the company decided to walk back on some of the changes, indicating that OxygenOS 13 will right the wrong that had been done, and will go back to what OxygenOS UI used to be in the past. Well, the update that's supposed to deliver a "familiar OxygenOS experience" is finally here as a part of the company's Open Beta initiative. That's right, I've sideloaded the OxygenOS 13 Open Beta based on Android 13 on a OnePlus 10 Pro, and here are some of the first things I've noticed:
One UI 5.0 Open Beta Hands On: New features for your Samsung Galaxy phone
One UI 5.0 is here, and this is our hands on with the Open Beta on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra that you can now download.
With Android 13 just around the corner, Samsung fans have been waiting patiently to get their hands on the next iteration of One UI: One UI 5.0. Samsung has now started the One UI 5.0 public beta program, beginning with the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. We've sideloaded the Open Beta on our Galaxy S22 Ultra and these are some of the first things that we've noticed. One UI 5 is the name for Samsung’s next major Android-based software and it’ll be based on Google’s Android 13 release. The current open beta is available for download in Germany and South Korea at the moment, but will also be available in the U.S. at a later time.
MacBook Air M2 First Look: a breath of fresh Air
The new MacBook Air M2 brings a welcome refresh to the MacBook Air lineup, as well as power, more RAM and new colors. Here's our first look.
The evolution of the personal computing industry over the past ten years has seen a shift towards smaller, lighter, and more powerful machines than ever before. This shift towards portability was arguably kickstarted by the original MacBook Air, which was launched to much aplomb in January 2008.
Pixel Experience 12 Hands-On: This is what you get with the official builds
We spent some time with both the vanilla and Plus variants of the Pixel Experience custom ROM to experience all the new features and changes.
For many smartphone enthusiasts, the software on the Google Pixel devices is the epitome of the vanilla Android experience. Compared to a barebone AOSP build, it has a number of innovative features that are hard to port to other devices. This is where the Pixel Experience custom ROM comes in.
Sharp Aquos R7 Hands-On: Sharp needs to take more credit for being the first
In our brief hands-on with the Sharp Aquos R7, we take time to recoginzie the firm's achievements and the innovations it has brought.
When we talk about smartphone OEMs at the forefront of innovation, we don't particularly repeat the name "Sharp" often, despite all of its contributions to the phone scene as it stands today. While the beginning is kind of murky, Sharp was supposedly one of the first to introduce an integrated camera on the phone, allowing people in Japan to take photos and send them to loved ones while on the go. Simply put, it was revolutionary. Sharp has consistently delivered innovation and has had many "world's first" moments over the past three decades. Yet, we rarely talk about the company. With the release of the Sharp Aquos R7, we thought it would be the perfect time to celebrate the phone, and the company, by giving it some more time in the spotlight.
Ambient Music Mod v2 Hands-on: Google Pixel’s Now Playing feature ported to other Android devices without root
Ambient Music Mod ports the Google Pixel’s Now Playing to other Android devices. The latest release of the mod brings several new features.
Most people will agree that the software on Pixel smartphones showcase what Google believes Android should be, and as such, the software is often well-received by enthusiasts. Nonetheless, thanks to the dedicated modding community, you don’t necessarily have to own a Pixel device to take advantage of its software features. The "Now Playing" functionality, for example, has remained exclusive to the Pixel lineup, but developer Kieron Quinn, also known as Quinny899 on our forums, managed to port it to other Android smartphones in the form of a hybrid Xposed-Magisk module named Ambient Music Mod. Now, Quinn has taken things a step further and completely overhauled the mod to make it a non-root solution.
macOS Ventura Hands-on: A sprinkle of iPadOS that streamlines the Mac
macOS Ventura is Apple's major operating system update for the Mac in 2022. We've gone hands-on with it to highlight what it introduces.
Apple revealed macOS Ventura along with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and watchOS 9 during WWDC22. Perhaps one of the biggest highlights of the event was the redesigned iPhone Lock Screen. Apple really caught us off guard with this one, as it further borrows features Android OS has had for years. But hey -- better late than never. In the Mac department, we also received some additions here and there. macOS Ventura changes certain things about the Mac. Don't get me wrong, though. It tweaks the operating system (OS) in a way that is familiar to Apple users. You won't feel lost when you use it for the first time. In fact, it'll feel like you've finally found what had been missing from the Mac experience for a very long time -- elements that we've gotten accustomed to, through iPadOS and iOS. macOS Ventura is another step towards completely streamlined Apple operating systems.
iOS 16 Developer Beta 1 Hands-on: Meaningful improvements across the board
iOS 16 has a bunch of changes, and these are some of the best and biggest that we've spotted so far in the Developer Beta 1. Read on!
I have a lot of problems with iOS as an operating system, but I'm also a pretty big fan of my iPhone 13 Pro. While the software isn't perfect, I like it overall, and Apple has been rolling out improvements to it over the years. There are a lot of features I really wish it had, but there are also some things it does do better than Android, and even more of those have been brought in with the release of iOS 16.
watchOS 9 Developer Beta 1 Hands-On: Iterative improvements focusing on exercises and sleep
watchOS 9 is the latest update for Apple Watch, and we try out the Developer Beta 1 to see how good the changes are. Check it out!
Compared to all the other software updates announced at this year's WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) including and especially the game-changing iPadOS 16, the new software for the Apple Watch -- watchOS 9 -- is a mostly iterative update with subtle improvements. But with so many people wearing the Apple Watch (reportedly over 100 million) and with the wearable being positioned as a health tracking device, watchOS 9 is nonetheless a very important update.
iPadOS 16 Developer Beta 1 Hands-On: Real multitasking makes iPad Pro a more realistic computer replacement
Apple's iPad finally gets some real multitasking abilities, thanks to iPadOS 16. Here's our hands on of the Developer Beta 1!
Apple's been calling the iPad Pro a "computer replacement" since the line first made its debut in 2015, and at the time, that claim was way too far-fetched. The iPad Pro at the time could only run one app at a time, and it didn't have a filing system. What kind of computer can't multi-task or download and store a file? The iPad Pro was a giant-sized iPhone.
Realme GT Neo 3 Naruto Edition Unboxing: An Android phone wrapped in a ninja scroll
Realme has a Naruto Special Edition of the GT Neo 3, giving users a unique box and a cool paint job and more. Check our unboxing!
Earlier this year, Realme launched a Dragonball Z-themed variant of the Realme GT Neo 2 phone, and now the Realme GT Neo 3 has also got the manga/anime-themed variant treatment. This time the manga/anime is Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, which ran from 1999 to 2014.