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What Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip may mean for the Galaxy S9

Your next Android smartphone is about to get a lot smarter.  Qualcomm on Wednesday detailed its upcoming Snapdragon 845 processor, which will likely power most high-end Android phones launching in 2018. The chip boasts improved image- and video-capture abilities, smarter artificial intelligence features, “lightning-fast connectivity,” “vault-like security,” and better performance and power efficiency. In other …

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The Huawei P11 may come with a triple lens 40MP camera

The cameras in phones keep getting better and better — but the next Huawei P-series phone sounds like it takes them to a new level. Several ads for a “Huawei PCE Series” phone were spotted online by mobile tipster Evan Blass. Is the next Huawei P-series going to be an imaging powerhouse? A digital artist at one of the company’s …

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Windows 10 gets a Whiteboard

Remote workers, multicontinental teams, crowdsourced projects — there are a lot of reasons to use collaboration tools, but few that are built around stylus or pen input. Microsoft has been teasing its own Whiteboard app for some time, and a public preview is now available. Back in May, Microsoft showed off a tiny bit of Whiteboard and other stylus-friendly Office …

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4 ways your phone’s next camera could get more awesome

The camera inside your smartphone does amazing things we’d have only been able to dream of even five years ago, and with each passing year, the photos you take and videos you capture will only get better. That isn’t just down to the quality and setup of the lenses, though they’re important, too. The processors inside your phone play an …

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Facebook’s Oculus Home update gives you a VR room of your own

Every great hero has a secret lair. Batman has his Batcave, filled with high-tech gear, cars — and even a giant animatronic T-Rex. Charles Xavier has the School for Gifted Youngsters, with its secret underground bunker for storing aircraft and bad guys. And Superman has his hideaway, the Fortress of Solitude. Now Oculus wants to make sure you have someplace …

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Google

Now playing: Watch this: Google-Amazon spat means no more Youtube on Fire TV (The… 4:12 On today’s podcast, we talk about: Google cutting off Amazon’s access to YouTube amid a growing fight between the two tech giants. Qualcomm and Microsoft again trying to popularize phonelike PCs. CNET’s interview with US Sen. Maggie Hassan on better security for Internet of Things devices. …

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Amazon Prime Video comes to Apple TV

Apple promised it before the end of 2017, and just under the wire, it’s finally here. The Apple TV platform now supports Amazon Prime Video, thanks to a just-launched app. Amazon Prime Video support was promised at Apple’s WWDC conference in June. Its addition makes Apple TV, along with Roku, one of the most flexible streaming devices, especially now that …

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Grandpa’s old Flex band seems fresh on an Apple Watch

What’s old is new — at least when it comes to Speidel’s Twist-O-Flex Band for the Apple Watch.  My grandfather once told me he wore the Twist-O-Flex with his Timex because he didn’t want to deal with buckles or clasps, he just stretched it over his wrist and was good to go. The holiday’s best smartwatches and fitness trackers +14 …

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Sonos and Ikea team up for… something

Home furnishings giant Ikea and audio company Sonos have announced a collaboration that will “democratize music.”  What form this ultimately takes is unclear, but it could include adding Sonos audio hardware to Ikea products, or designing Ikea products specifically around Sonos hardware, such as the excellent new Sonos One.  In a news release, Björn Block, the head of Ikea’s Home …

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10 texting tips to gain control of iMessage

If your iPhone ($162 at Amazon) is constantly binging and buzzing and you are continually apologizing for missing texts and not responding in a timely fashion, then it might be time to dig in to some of the features in iMessage that can help prevent your texts from taking over your life. Let us begin. 1. Mute group text alerts …

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