All posts tagged: phones

The best phones to buy in 2025

The best phones to buy in 2025

Published by skeptic

It’s 2025, and the smartphone season is starting out with a bang. OnePlus just launched its flagship phone, the OnePlus 13, and Samsung is slated to announce the Galaxy S25 series of handsets in a matter of weeks. As the releases hit the market, we’ll be testing and reviewing the best devices from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and Apple to determine which ones are most worthy of your consideration. While the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy may not look dramatically different from previous models, the real evolution is in the software. These systems are designed to keep us connected, boost productivity, and inspire creativity. And the highlight of 2025? Our money is on on-device AI. Every major brand, including Apple, has made it a focal point of their latest releases, as you’ll learn more about throughout this tier list. Also: The best 5G phones: Expert tested What is the best smartphone right now? After extensive testing of dozens of devices, our pick for the best phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, thanks to its immersive and …

These faith and spirituality influencers kept us glued to our phones in 2024

These faith and spirituality influencers kept us glued to our phones in 2024

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — For tens of millions of Americans — and people around the world — social media is a daily part of life. They turn to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or other social media to share memes with their friends (Moo Deng, anyone?) or consume the top news story in 60 seconds or less. But an even newer phenomenon — using social media as a tool to dive more deeply into personal faith and spirituality — has emerged, appealing especially to those who may be stepping further away from religion IRL, but who are looking for community in the online world.  Here are RNS’ top picks for the most influential influencers on the virtual stage this year. The Rev. Karla Kamstra If the patriarchy had a TikTok nemesis, it would probably be the Rev. Karla. With over 700,000 followers, Karla Kamstra’s candid takes on deconstructing faith spaces, dissecting Bible verses or calling out toxic theology are inspiring her followers, mostly women, to find freedom and explore faith on their own terms.  A variety of recent …

Bereaved families and MPs call for tougher measures on mobile phones for under-16s | Politics News

Bereaved families and MPs call for tougher measures on mobile phones for under-16s | Politics News

Published by skeptic

Bereaved families and MPs are urging the government to take tougher steps to protect younger teenagers from “horrific” content on social media.  The Australian government’s decision to legislate for a smartphone ban for under 16s has reignited the debate in the UK about further restrictions, and a Labour MP is hoping to get government support for curbs on social media. Stuart Stephens is among those campaigning for the government to go further and spoke to Sky News. Image: Olly Stephens, 13, was murdered in 2021 Image: Olly with his father Stuart His son Olly was just 13 when he was murdered by other teenagers following a row which began on social media. Mr Stephens said his son had been trying to stand up for another child who was a victim of “patterning” – humiliating someone and circulating it on video to blackmail them. Three 14-year-olds were jailed for Olly’s murder in 2021 – following an investigation involving 11 social media platforms. “We are angry,” Mr Stephens said. “Without a doubt, without all that interaction he …

HMD Fusion Review: A Cheap Modular Android Phone

HMD Fusion Review: A Cheap Modular Android Phone

Published by skeptic

I have probably tested close to 100 cheap phones over the last 9 years, and I’ve never really had to worry about bringing a backup in case things go awry. Budget phones are usually sluggish but work well enough. But I almost immediately regretted not bringing a spare smartphone when I took the HMD Fusion on a short trip to another state. The first sample of this Android phone kept freezing and restarting itself on the way to the airport. Then, further fueling my panic, it would boot up the home screen but my passcode wouldn’t work. “Passcode is incorrect.” What? Thankfully, a forced restart would set it back to normal. However, for the entirety of the weekend of my friend’s wedding in Kentucky, the Fusion would restart itself constantly. It also refused to launch Slack—though that may have been a blessing as work was off my mind that whole time. HMD said it could not replicate my issues, so the company sent me another unit. It’s been perfectly fine. It’s hard to suddenly shift …

10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

10 Best Mobile Games for iOS and Android

Published by skeptic

Don’t doomscroll more depressing news, use that phone to lift your mood instead. The best mobile games will bring a little joy to your day, whether you’re killing time on the commute or chilling on the couch. And these games are all addictive slices of gaming pleasure that we have been gorging on for years. As smartphone screens and processing power have grown, the lines between mobile gaming and just gaming have blurred, and you can find tons of great mobile games that have been ported or adapted from other systems (Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Roblox, Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto, and the list goes on). But all of these titles are best enjoyed on other platforms. Our picks here are games that work especially well on your phone. Snag one of the best mobile controllers to level up your smartphone gaming. You may also be interested in subscription services like Google Play Pass or Apple Arcade. You can even play some Android games on your PC now. Power up with unlimited access to …

Massive Verizon outage: Customers nationwide left without service, phones in ‘SOS mode’

Massive Verizon outage: Customers nationwide left without service, phones in ‘SOS mode’

Published by skeptic

Check out our live blog coverage on the Verizon outage for more up-to-date details on the major cellular network issue. On Monday, Sept. 30, a massive Verizon outage has caused widespread, nationwide connectivity issues for customers across the U.S. Based on Google Trends, there’s been an uptick of people searching for, “Why is my phone in SOS?” This captures the experience that numerous Verizon users have been reporting; many have claimed that their phones are now limited to SOS service. Verizon Down: Widespread outage disrupts customers across U.S. As of 5:03 p.m. ET, DownDetector (a site that shares the same parent company as Mashable) revealed on X that there have been over 1.6 million reports of Verizon outages. Chart showing outage reports across three telecommunication companies Credit: DownDetector Fifty percent say that the issue involves their mobile phone, 35 percent say they’re not getting any signals, and 14 percent say they’re experiencing a total blackout. DownDetector percentages regarding Verizon outage Credit: DownDetector According to DownDetector’s outage map, it appears that outages are concentrated in the …

Apple Shared Its First Public AI-Generated Image. It’s Craig Federighi’s Dog

Apple Shared Its First Public AI-Generated Image. It’s Craig Federighi’s Dog

Published by skeptic

Apple’s forthcoming iOS 18 is loaded with a slew of artificial-intelligence-powered capabilities. The new mobile OS can rewrite your text messages, summarize emails, and identify objects in photos. But one of the most fun features is Image Playground, which generates cartoon-like illustrations based on a text prompt. While Apple has shown examples of its output during its keynotes, demos, and product videos, we have yet to see a real-world example of an Image Playground character until now. Apple has shared with WIRED the first-ever example created by Image Playground that it’s shown outside of its pre-recorded keynotes and marketing materials. This image of an adorable small dog smiling in front of a birthday cake wearing a party hat isn’t just any random pup. Her name is Bailey, and she belongs to Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, who created the image for his wife in honor of Bailey’s recent birthday. Federighi referenced the illustration during his interview with WIRED’s Lily Hay Newman about Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, the secure server environment …

In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention

In Leak, Facebook Partner Brags About Listening to Your Phone’s Microphone to Serve Ads for Stuff You Mention

Published by José

“We know what you’re thinking. Is this even legal?” Actively Creepy In a pitch deck to prospective customers, one of Facebook’s alleged marketing partners explained how it listens to users’ smartphone microphones and advertises to them accordingly. As 404 Media reports based on documents leaked to its reporters, the TV and radio news giant Cox Media Group (CMG) claims that its so-called “Active Listening” software uses artificial intelligence (AI) to “capture real-time intent data by listening to our conversations.” “Advertisers can pair this voice-data with behavioral data to target in-market consumers,” the deck continues. In the same slideshow, CMG counted Facebook, Google, and Amazon as clients of its “Active Listening” service. After 404 reached out to Google about its partnership, the tech giant removed the media group from the site for its “Partners Program,” which prompted Meta, the owner of Facebook, to admit that it is reviewing CMG to see if it violates any of its terms of service. An Amazon spokesperson, meanwhile, told 404 that its Ads arm “has never worked with CMG on this program and …

How to Switch From iPhone to Android (2024)

How to Switch From iPhone to Android (2024)

Published by skeptic

Ignore the arguments about which is better, because iPhones and Android phones have far more in common than some folks will admit. Switching from an iPhone to an Android phone is pretty painless these days, and you can take all your stuff with you, including photos, messages, and other bits and pieces. With the upcoming iOS 18 update, iPhone owners will finally get RCS messaging, the upgrade from SMS that will hopefully fix many of the problems people currently face when texting between iPhone and Android. One extra reason to potentially explore a new phone operating system. This guide covers all you need to know about how to switch from an iPhone to an Android phone. What You Need to Get Started: Your old iPhone. Your SIM card (not required for eSIM activation). Your Wi-Fi details (home network and Wi-Fi password). Your Google account details (you can set up an Android phone without a Google account, but you need one to use Google services and get the best from it). A switching app (Google’s Switch …

Google tried to give new Pixel phones to influencers. Then it backfired.

Google tried to give new Pixel phones to influencers. Then it backfired.

Published by skeptic

An attempt to secure positive press for Google’s new Pixel phones has backfired after creators called the strategy unethical. Team Pixel — an invite-only program affiliated with Google — has been sending free Google products to influencers and creators since at least 2017. Though standard in the industry, programs like these have always treaded a moral grey area, and guidelines for the 2024 Team Pixel program have crossed a line for some creators. According to screenshots posted online, a Google form used for Team Pixel sign ups said that creators that join Team Pixel “are expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices.” It goes on to note that “if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.” SEE ALSO: Instagram is rolling out AI chatbot versions of creators, Mark Zuckerberg says Voices in the creator community have said that these terms make it impossible to post unbiased reviews, which is crucial to building …