Samsung Galaxy S20+ long-term review: trusty reliable

With Samsung primed to announce the Galaxy S21 series in a couple of days, I figured out it might be a good time to assess how the Galaxy S20 series has fared so far. I happened to own a Galaxy S20+ since May 2020, more particularly the international Exynos-powered variant which is often frowned upon by the tech geeks around the world. Here’s my long-term review.

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Lenovo Chromebook Duet review: The best value you can get

We live in a world where people no longer use just a single device. While the primary device many find themselves using is their phones, people tend to adapt to different devices as they go about their busy schedules — from phone to laptop to desktop to tablet. As platforms evolve, you’ll find that the software adapts to the hardware and vice versa. In a similar sense, Chrome OS has come a long way since the Google CR-48 — you are no longer confined to “just the Chrome browser” and the interface has transformed to fit the varying types of devices that we use on a daily basis. Enter the Lenovo Chromebook Duet: a 2-in-1 Chromebook tablet that attempts to be an entertainment and productivity device all in one package.

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How well does flagship hardware age in the long-run?

Just as the case with the past years, and despite the calamitous threat of the deadly Coronavirus causing GSMA to call off this year’s MWC, many of the tech companies have unveiled their latest addition to the lineups of their flagship smartphones. But as we drool over the rapid advancements in network speeds and processing power introduced to us every year, it still remains a tough task to guess whether these new smartphones will stand the test of time and prove to be a reliable option a year or two down the road. With the news of my Essential PH-1 will no longer receive official support, I thought it might be the best time to conduct a little experiment to deduce how well do older flagship smartphones stand the test of time.

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Moto 360 (3rd Gen) review: The pioneer of Android wearables is back, sort of

Back in 2016, Motorola made the decision to abandon the smartwatch market, citing it didn’t “see enough pull in the market” for another one. The original Moto 360 and even the 2nd Gen version were major strides in a relatively small Android wearable ecosystem. They were (and still are) pretty beloved devices by (as it was called then) Android Wear users. Fast forward to now and we now have a new Moto 360 running Wear OS, but it’s not exactly made by Motorola anymore.

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Counterclockwise: Using an Essential Phone in 2019

essential phone

Every year, the multi-million worth tech giants, in Samsung, Apple, and Huawei, introduce the world to their latest fleet of flagship smartphones, boasting about the hardware and some of the features their phones have on board. And while these phones gain a lot of traction among the average Jacks and Joes of people, these tech marvels don’t necessarily float the boat of the geeky critiques—it’s a natural progression that newer models will continue to improve and fill the voids of their predecessors. Apart from the eye-watering price tag these phones have, their manufacturers don’t really care about those who love to tweak their phones and develop interesting projects for them. And when Google wielded an ax in the Nexus lineup, there weren’t many choices left for these people other than OnePlus, a (sort of) fresh start-up company at that time. However, I think there is one brand that escaped through the nets that many have unfairly given their cold shoulders: Essential.

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dbrand Grip v2 phone case review

Two years ago, dbrand launched a campaign on Indigogo for a bumper case called Grip. It intended to offer extreme grip and shock protection, but unfortunately, after long-term use, customers reported it falling apart. This year, dbrand came out with the second generation of Grip. This time, they’ve opted for a material that offers less grip but doesn’t fall apart in the long term. Also, it’s not a bumper case but a full body case that you can customize with dbrand’s own skins.

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As a longtime Windows user, I made the switch to Chrome OS: How does it fare?

I’m a Google fan, but there has always been one product that I’ve been hesitant to try: Chrome OS, Google’s desktop operating system that powers all Chromebooks on the market. If you’ve ever heard anything about Chromebooks, chances are that you’ve heard the stereotype that it’s just a “glorified web browser.” I’ve been following Chrome OS for years and I know that there is so much more to it now—Android apps, Linux support, etc. But I never actually ditched Windows and exclusively used a Chromebook as my only laptop—until now.

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App Reviews: Fluid Navigation Gestures — gesture nav for everyone

Ever since the iPhone X was announced back in 2017, marking the iPhone’s 10th anniversary in typical fashion, people have been raving about the all-new navigation gestures that Apple employed. Truth be told, there was undeniably a learning curve for most new users, if not all of them. However, it is fair to say the ice broke quite quickly.

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