Global smartphone shipments bounced back in the fourth quarter from the sales slump caused by the outbreak a year ago of the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures released on Wednesday by market researcher IDC. And much of that rebound can be credited to Apple. Vendors shipped 385.9 million handsets during the quarter, a 4.3% increase …
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Apple’s iPhone sales surged to their highest point ever, as eager fans snatched up the company’s new iPhone 12 during the holiday shopping season, despite the continued spread of the coronavirus. The three months of Apple’s fiscal first quarter included the launch of its new series of phones, ranging from the $699 iPhone 12 Mini to the $1,099 iPhone 12 Pro Max. They weren’t …
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I was expecting Anker to release a noise-canceling version of its popular Liberty Air 2 earbuds last year, but the launch apparently got delayed a few months, thanks in part to the pandemic. But the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro ($130, £130), the company’s first earbuds to feature active noise canceling, are now available and except for one small but …
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Spotify on Monday began testing the appeal of audiobooks by adding nine classic public domain titles recorded by professional narrators and celebrities. If you open Spotify on your phone or computer, you’ll be able to find the titles under a section called Audiobooks: Hear the Classics. The books are available for free and premium users. Here’s a list of the titles …
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Noise-canceling headphones have become so plentiful — and so good — that there’s hardly any reason to buy audio gear without active noise canceling built in anymore. But before you plunk down $550 on Apple’s AirPods Max, know that there are many more affordable (and arguably better) alternatives. Case in point: Phiaton’s snazzy 900 Legacy headphones usually cost $250 and …
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After an unpredictable year, Verizon on Tuesday announced its fourth-quarter earnings. The company reported earnings per share of $1.11 for the quarter, down from analyst estimates of $1.17, according to Yahoo Finance. On an adjusted basis, which excludes special items such as a $404 million payment to severance and a $119 million net loss “primarily related to the disposition of the HuffPost …
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Samsung pretty much knocked it out of the park with its Galaxy Watch series — the smartwatch was a great alternative to the Apple Watch right from the start thanks to its gorgeous looks, smart Tizen operating system and wealth of features. The LTE version of the original Galaxy Watch from 2018 still sells for $220 or more on Amazon …
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With Mozilla’s release of Firefox 85 on Tuesday, Adobe’s once ubiquitous Flash technology is really gone for good. The software had been widely used to expand gaming, video and animation on the web, though Adobe stopped supporting it at the end of 2020. Firefox was the last major browser to support Flash. Apple, whose late boss Steve Jobs helped sink Flash …
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Former US Ambassador to Morocco Marc Ginsberg has sued Apple, demanding it remove the Telegram app from its App Store. According to the Jan. 17 lawsuit, the messaging app is used to help coordinate violence, extremism, racism and anti-Semitism. “Telegram is being used to intimidate, threaten and coerce members of the public,” says Ginsberg’s complaint. The Coalition for a Safer …
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Good morning, fellow cheapskates! Ever wonder what goes through my head when I choose deals to share? Here’s the core of it: Is this a genuinely good product at a genuinely good price from a reputable seller? As noted in the little blurb up top, I pick the items that appear on these pages. No one else is involved; it’s …
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