HiTechEdge

Category: Gadgets

All news related to gadgets.

  • Fairphone 4 Has a Five-Year Warranty

    Fairphone 4 Has a Five-Year Warranty

    Fairphone has announced its new model, the Fairphone 4, has a five-year warranty.

    Fairphone is a unique entry in the smartphone market, a company that is trying to provide an ethically and sustainably sourced smartphone. The company’s goal is to put the planet first, and it designs its phones to last longer, be easily repairable and waste less, compared to traditional smartphones.

    In harmony with that goal, the company says its latest model comes with a five-year warranty.

    A phone’s biggest environmental impact comes from making the thing in the first place. So the longer you keep it, the more sustainable it becomes. Simple.

    We don’t just promise long-term support, software updates and friendly customer service. We have it in writing: A 5-year warranty for every Fairphone 4.

    Customers will need to purchase before December 31, 2022 to claim the warranty.

  • Honor Smartphone Brand Hangs in Balance as US Officials Weigh Ban

    Honor Smartphone Brand Hangs in Balance as US Officials Weigh Ban

    US officials are split on whether to ban the Honor brand of smartphones and tablets, a move that could have devastating consequences.

    Honor was one of Huawei’s brands, and was impacted by sanctions imposed by the US, as well as other countries. Huawei was accused of having extremely close ties with Beijing, representing a security risk as intelligence agencies around the world feared Beijing could use Huawei as a conduit for spying.

    Ultimately, Huawei sold off the Honor brand as sanctions impacted the company’s ability to produce smartphones. A consortium of Chinese companies bought the brand, leaving questions about if the change of ownership was enough to warrant a different approach.

    According to The Washington Post, US security agencies are divided on whether to ban the Honor brand. The Pentagon and Energy Department were in favor of blacklisting Honor, while the Commerce Department and State Department were opposed.

    Given the impact such measures had on Huawei, should Honor find itself on the US blacklist, it’s a safe bet it would be disastrous — just as it was for Huawei.

  • Surface 2 Duo Will Have 5G

    Surface 2 Duo Will Have 5G

    New details about Microsoft’s Surface 2 Duo have arrived, and the device will feature 5G.

    The Surface Duo is a dual-screen Android smartphone. The device offers the best of both worlds, combining the Android and Microsoft ecosystems. Microsoft is preparing an update, the Surface 2 Duo, and the new model includes some major improvements.

    According to Windows Central, the new model will feature some type of wireless charing and 5G connectivity. It’s unclear what the wireless charging is for. It may be for charging the device, or it could be Apple Pencil-style charging for an attached stylus.

    Users shouldn’t have long to wait, as Microsoft is expected to unveil the Surface 2 Duo September 22.

  • T-Mobile Adding In-Store Repairs to 500 US Locations

    T-Mobile Adding In-Store Repairs to 500 US Locations

    T-Mobile is upgrading some 500 US stores, adding same day, in-store device repairs.

    Device repair has become a hot topic in recent years, with many lawmakers pursuing right-to-repair legislation. While T-Mobile’s news doesn’t fall under right-to-repair, it nonetheless should make it much easier for users to get their devices repaired.

    “New in-store authorized repair locations,” reads the company’s blog post. “T-Mobile is upgrading 500 stores across the country to now include in-store device repairs by industry-certified experts from Assurant, with more locations to come. This is the first time T-Mobile will offer in-store repairs, and service locations are coming to nearly every major city across the country. Starting November 1, customers with Protection can check the T-Mobile Store Locator to find an authorized location and then use the online appointment tool (coming soon!) to get same-day repairs right inside a T-Mobile store. Repairs will be completed with some of the most highly-credentialed mobile repair technicians in the industry — that use only manufacturer-approved parts and are committed to fast and reliable service.”

    T-Mobile’s announcement is good news for its customers.

  • Samsung Phone Owners at Risk of Losing Their Photos

    Samsung Phone Owners at Risk of Losing Their Photos

    Samsung smartphone owners are in danger of losing their photos if they don’t retrieve them from the cloud soon.

    Samsung offers its Samsung Cloud service for backing up one’s smartphone, and that includes backing up one’s photo library. Unfortunately, Samsung is killing off that particular feature. Samsung Cloud will still be able to back up other data from a smartphone, such as contacts, calendars and documents, but not photos or videos, according to Forbes.

    As a result, users have a limited time to retrieve their photos before the service shuts down. Unfortunately, Samsung isn’t making it very easy to know which group a person is in, as the company has split its users into two groups, each with their own cutoff date.

    Consider this a PSA: Download your photos off of Samsung Cloud now, or risk losing them forever.

  • Saygus CEO Charged With Fraud Over Vaporware Phones

    Saygus CEO Charged With Fraud Over Vaporware Phones

    Be careful what you promise — that’s the lesson Chad Leon Sayers is learning after being charged for fraud over vaporware smartphones.

    Sayers pitched the Saygus V2 as “a revolutionary new smart phone” to investors, ultimately convincing them to invest roughly $10 million. The investors were “promised imminent billion-dollar success.”

    Unfortunately for investors, the Saygus V2 was vaporware and never saw the light of day. Instead, Sayers used the money for personal expenses, as well as used money from new investors to pay old investors.

    The US Attorney’s Office, District of Utah, has now filed fraud charges against Sayers. Moral of the story: If you take millions of investors’ dollars, you better deliver what’s promised.

  • Samsung Will Remove Ads From Its Stock Apps

    Samsung Will Remove Ads From Its Stock Apps

    Samsung has finally decided to stop putting ads in its stock Android apps…something it should never have been doing in the first place.

    Samsung is one of the biggest Android smartphone makers and is considered a high-end smartphone manufacturer that competes head-to-head with the likes of Apple. Despite that, and despite prices upwards of $1,000, Samsung seemed to think it was a good idea to include ads that were, as The Verge described, the“kind of ad that’s normally at the bottom of a crappy, overloaded website.”

    It’s truly amazing that a company charging a premium for its devices would think bombarding its users with ads is an acceptable business model. Fortunately, Samsung has seen the light and informed The Verge it plans to stop.

    “Samsung has made a decision to cease the advertisement on proprietary apps including Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme,” the company said in a statement to The Verge. “The update will be ready by later this year.”

    “Our priority is to deliver innovative mobile experiences for our consumers based on their needs and wants,” the company continued. “We value feedback from our users and continue our commitment to provide them with the best possible experience from our Galaxy products and services.”

  • 5G Fairphone 4 On the Horizon

    5G Fairphone 4 On the Horizon

    A 5G-equipped Fairphone, the Fairphone 4, is on the horizon, marking the next generation of the sustainable smartphone.

    The Fairphone aims to be a smartphone built with more sustainable and responsible parts and labor sourcing. The phone is designed to be easily serviced and repaired, unlike many of the top smartphones on the market.

    According to Android Authority, a “Fairphone 4 5G” was recently certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This would seem to indicate the phone is weeks, or possibly months, away. The filing also indicated the phone will run Android 11 and be powered by a Qualcomm processor.

    The revelations is good news for fans of Fairphone and responsibly sourced technology.

  • ITC Judge Finds Goole Infringed Sonos’ Patents in Preliminary Ruling

    ITC Judge Finds Goole Infringed Sonos’ Patents in Preliminary Ruling

    A judge has dealt Google a major blow in a preliminary ruling, finding the company infringed Sonos’ patents.

    The International Trade Commission (ITC) judge sided with Sonos, in a suit the company brought against Google over its smart speaker patents. Sonos accused Google of abusing the partnership between the two companies to steal its technology.

    Sonos acknowledged this ruling was merely the opening salvo in what is sure to be a long battle. In a statement to The Verge, a Sonos spokesperson said the ruling “is only a first step in a lengthy battle,” but an “important milestone in the ongoing effort to defend Sonos’ technology against Google.”

    Google is denying any wrongdoing, issuing its own statement to The Verge:

    “We do not use Sonos’ technology, and we compete on the quality of our products and the merits of our ideas. We disagree with this preliminary ruling and will continue to make our case in the upcoming review process.”

    Should the ITC uphold the ruling, Sonos is asking for a sales ban against Pixel phones, Chromecasts and Nest Hubs.

  • Xiaomi Is Now the Number One Smartphone Maker

    Xiaomi Is Now the Number One Smartphone Maker

    Just weeks after knocking Apple off as the number two smartphone maker, Xiaomi has now overtaken Samsung for the number one spot.

    Xiaomi has been making major moves in the smartphone industry. The company has benefited significantly from Huawei’s recent misfortunes, as the latter’s smartphone business has been sanctioned into near-oblivion.

    According to Counterpoint Research, that has created an opening for Xiaomi to become the top smartphone maker worldwide.

    “Ever since the decline of Huawei commenced, Xiaomi has been making consistent and aggressive efforts to fill the gap created by this decline,” noted Research Director Tarun Pathak. “The OEM has been expanding in Huawei’s and HONOR’s legacy markets like China, Europe, Middle East and Africa. In June, Xiaomi was further helped by China, Europe and India’s recovery and Samsung’s decline due to supply constraints.”

    Samsung will have its work cut out to regain the top spot moving forward.