It’s one of the worst-kept secrets in the phone industry: Samsung is hoping to eventually sell you a phone with a fingerprint sensor that lives underneath the screen. But how? Well, a pair of reports out of China and Korea suggest that sucker might be ultrasonic — firing high-frequency acoustic waves through the glass that capture …
Read More »Tag Archives: qualcomm
ZTE is officially alive again as US lifts ‘death
ZTE is finally, officially free of the crippling US ban that threatened to sink the entire Chinese telecom company. It’s been a long, painstaking process, but the US Department of Commerce announced Friday that the company has deposited the final $400 million in an escrow account — and so the ban is lifted. That $400 million, which will be held …
Read More »Sirin Finney phone pops up hidden second screen for cryptocurrency security
The whole point of cryptocurrency is that it’s virtual money stored in the ether. But you can still carry bitcoins in your pocket, as long as you have a Sirin Finney. The Sirin Finney joins a selection of new phones dedicated to accessing the blockchain while you’re away from your PC. And it does so in safety with a nifty little …
Read More »TicWatch Pro tries to tackle smartwatch battery life with a second screen, and fails
The TicWatch Pro is a unique new Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) smartwatch that squeezes two screens into its face. It’s available now to Amazon Prime members for $250 (£220 or AU$370). The watch is from Mobvoi, a Chinese company focusing on AI that also makes budget smartwatches and smart speakers, such as the TicHome Mini. But wait: This isn’t a great …
Read More »Xiaomi hopes to enter US market next year despite rivals’ struggle
Xiaomi reportedly plans to enter the US market in 2019, even as its competitors find themselves trapped in a political web. The Chinese phone company’s senior vice president, Wang Xiang, told Reuters Tuesday that Xiaomi is starting work on developing devices for the US. “Next year we hope we can do something there,” he said. The timeline may face challenges, …
Read More »Pixel 2 vs. iPhone: Why Google’s phone is the better upgrade
Sometimes, you just need a friend to convince you that you’re right. Over the past months, I’ve had a few friends who are “lifelong” iPhone users message me and ask about switching away from Apple. They want to break their biannual iPhone upgrade cycle and eschew the new iPhone X for the Google Pixel 2. One of my friends wrote …
Read More »Galaxy S9 vs. Pixel 2: Which Android phone is best?
If you’re in the market for a top Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 2 are probably on your list of considerations (note that the next flagship phone from each of these manufacturers–the Note 9 and Pixel 3–should be here in August and October, respectively. That’s no surprise — as the reigning Android phone maker, Samsung has …
Read More »Huawei’s first 5G phone is coming next year
5G is the next tech revolution. Slated to launch around 2020, Huawei is getting a head start. The company’s first 5G phone will go on sale next year, it announced at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, sometime before the end of June 2019. It’ll follow Huawei’s first 5G Kirin chip, which it says will come in March. Earlier this year, 18 …
Read More »Google turns over its human
On this podcast, we talk about: Google’s Duplex AI being turned over to the public in limited trials. Our take on the BlackBerry Key2. Qualcomm banking on parents and kids wanting smartwatches. The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News team in New York and producer …
Read More »Qualcomm bets more kids will wear smartwatches
Qualcomm is betting more kids will soon be sporting smartwatches. The San Diego chipmaker on Tuesday in Shanghai (Wednesday, China time) unveiled its new Snapdragon Wear 2500 Platform to help make watches geared toward kids. Yes, that’s right. Smartwatches for children. Qualcomm makes chips for everything from smartphones to Windows 10 tablet-laptop hybrids. While it already provides processors for wearables, …
Read More »