Posts by John Brownlee

appdrawer-ios-9

If you like Android’s app drawer, but prefer iOS’s apps, you’re just a jailbreak away from having it on your iPhone.

tappaygive-blog

While Apple Pay has become a near ubiquitous payment option at stores across America, Android Pay is having a harder time getting off the ground. But here’s a reason to feel good about using Google’s service over Apple’s: until the end of the year, Google will donate money to special needs students across America every time you use Android Pay.

This probably won't save you from the Feds. Photo: The Next Web

This probably won’t save you from the Feds. Photo: The Next Web

Apple has taken a huge stand with the U.S. government, claiming they won’t – and can’t – remotely unlock encrypted devices running iOS 8 or higher. That’s the vast majority of devices.

Google takes the same sort of stand. Any document running Android 5.0 or higher has full disk encryption enabled by default, and therefore can’t be be remotely unlocked, even when ordered to do so by the federal government.

But Android also has a fragmentation problem, which means that most Android devices aren’t running Android 5.0 or higher. In fact, according to a new filing prepared by Google for the New York District Attorney’s Office, Google can remotely unlock at least 74% of Android devices.

Expandable storage is coming back to the Galaxy! Photo: iFixIt

Expandable storage is coming back to the Galaxy! Photo: iFixIt

One of the ways fans of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones used to be able to claim superiority over the iPhone was expandable storage. The Galaxy line of smartphones had it, and the iPhone didn’t. But that all changed earlier this year, when the Galaxy S6 abandoned both expandable storage and a removable battery, causing outcries from many.

Looks like Samsung might be backpedaling though. A new report says the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will bring back the expandable storage.

fairphone-teardown-1

Apple’s computers and devices may be at the top of the review charts, but one way in which they almost never do very well is in iFixit’s repairability ratings. With hard-to-crack cases held together by copious amounts of solder and glue, it’s practically impossible to repair your own iPhone, iPad, or Mac by yourself. Apple routinely gets ranks of 1, 2, or 3 on iFixit’s “Out of 10” repairability scale.

But smartphones don’t need to be unrepairable. iFixIt just gave a smartphone a perfect 10 on its repairability scale. And surprise! It’s an Android device.

Next Page »