The world was introduced to the LG G5 on Sunday, and it has received almost universal approval from all corners of the internet. The LG G5 is a gorgeously designed phone with some really compelling features and additions. Most notably, LG adopted a sort of modular design with some accessories you can get along with your brand spankin’ new flagship. But, in the opinion of this humble tech geek, LG missed one key aspect when developing the G5’s “Friends.” Disclaimers First, I need to specify that I have zero hands on time with the LG G5. My opinion is formed from afar, which I grant ...

Smart watches - people either love them or hate them. Why this polarity? And what must be done to close that gap between love and hate? It seems to be that some recognize that the smartwatch isn't an entirely necessary accessory. It doesn't replace the smartphone and doesn't do smartphone-like tasks well enough to be entirely useful. Still, others love the accessory for having notifications available on their wrist, to be able to control some aspects of their phone hands free while running through the airport to catch the next flight. Others, who have a hole to burn through their pocket, ...

MWC 2016 is almost upon us and the rumor mill will not give a rest until the much anticipated phones are finally unveiled. Two companies who have the spotlight are LG with the G5 and Samsung with the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Each year Samsung comes out on top of the Android flagship realm and last year Samsung seemed to find a mix that really worked, at least in terms of aesthetic appeal. The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge were real beauties with their color shifting glass backs and aluminum frames. The rumor mill has revealed that Samsung has once again kept with the S6 aesthetic and who could blame ...

With the Galaxy S7, Samsung is set to release a great phone this year…maybe. Historically speaking, the last time Samsung was set to release a really great phone – the Galaxy S4 – it landed a little flat. I’m not saying it was a bad phone, but the Galaxy S3 had done a lot to revitalize the brand, and the Galaxy S4 seemed more of the iterative variety. Then again, so did the Galaxy S5. Both were described as "disappointing" in some ways. The S6 similarly redefined the brand – “revitalize” is too strong a word for the S6. That being said, the S6 did a lot of things right and a ...

One of the things we do here at Pocketnow is talk about our favorite parts about phones and tablets. I will talk about the camera, all day. Other editors have other preferences - operating system, skin, processor, etc. It almost starts to become a debate of sorts. Of course our reviews cover every facets of a mobile experience, but that's because we have to. We have to talk about every little piece of a device, even though it frankly doesn't excite us. But one of the best parts is, if you really dig down and read between the lines or follow us on social media, maybe you can figure out ...

The rumor mill suggests that there is a four-inch, cheap iPhone on the way, maybe as early as this spring. The prospect of a four-inch iPhone has garnered some admittedly strong opinions among some tech journalists whose initials happen to be “AD”, but that was one of my admittedly close-minded moments. Anyway, moving past that, we’re going to assume that a four-inch iPhone is in the works and that it’s a good idea because people dig choice. Ok, cool. We’ll run with that. Now, let’s take a look and figure out how we want this four-inch iPhone to manifest itself. What do we want ...

In any industry, you will generally find three competing standards that stand out above the rest of the field. Look no further than Windows, Mac, and Linux. That’s just one example, but there is a certain beauty to this rule of three that one must appreciate. Unless one is not an Android or iOS fan, then this rule starts to look a little crappy. There has been a long, drawn out battle to win that third spot in the hearts, minds, and pockets of the phone-buying public, but Microsoft has thus far failed to take a stranglehold on that third spot despite it being in arguably the best shape ...

There’s a pretty healthy economy online for selling and trading used smartphones. Unfortunately there’s no guarantee that even a well-kept and functional device wasn’t subjected to smoke and tar from a smoker. Maybe you can send the device back to the seller, but if you’re stuck with it, that’s a bummer. A buddy of mine recently found himself in this very situation with a phone, and it inspired me to look up what methods could be employed for cleaning a phone out. This is a problem we used to face with studio recording equipment back in the days when voice over announcers would ...

Sure we have wireless charging and cloud data back ups, but we still rely on cables for a lot of our power and data management. iOS users went through a connector transition several years ago, moving from the wide, flat, 30 pin dock connector to the smaller lightning connector. Now the rest of the smartphone industry is migrating to USB Type C. Which cable design offers the better feature set? Which connector has more longevity? Can we call something a “standard” when certain companies remain holdouts? Apple deserves a lot of credit in being the first to transition to a smaller ...

There is something that seems…silly…when you talk about a concept like a wearable battery pack. Why would someone need...no. Why would someone want to wear a battery pack? Now keep in mind, this is coming from someone who wears a belt pouch every day and who used to keep his smartphone in a holster, also on a belt. Doesn’t a battery pack seem like the next logical step? So when we first picked up the GO PUCK power pack, we were a bit dubious at first. It certainly was an interesting concept. But we needed to try it in the real world. So we did, and we’ll talk how it works, but for ...

Post a question publicly about how HTC can improve their smartphone sales and you’ll receive a number of replies from people talking about cameras. @SomeGadgetGuy A camera that wasn't tested by legally blind chipmunks would get my attention. — Russell Holly (@russellholly) February 3, 2016 Is it really that simple? Is that all HTC needs to do to stop the hemorrhaging and turn this ship around? I wonder if this isn’t a convenient reply delivered by us geeks, which ignores other issues facing this company in the consumer space. The camera does need work… To be fair, HTC cameras do ...

Tablet sales have been declining for the past couple of years. The dominant theory as to why tablet sales are declining is that smartphones are cutting into the market. The iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus in particular are culprits of this theory since the iPad is still the best selling tablet in the world, but the Note series of phones, Nexus phablets, and other 6+-inch phones are equally to blame. The larger sized phones are making it harder for OEMs to sell tablets which aren't all that much bigger. Not much more The reasons for this aren’t hard to grasp. The jump from the 5.5-inch iPhone ...

You know what's cool? Having a bunch of connected gadgets. You know what sucks? Having a unique phone number for each and every one. Thanks to the proliferation of instant messaging and VOIP calling services, being tied to a mobile phone number has become less of an issue in recent years – but there are still those who prefer the old-fashioned voice call, and the venerable SMS is still a solid standby when you've got friends who chafe at the intrusiveness of Facebook Messenger or Google Hangouts. For them, the idea of maintaining separate phone numbers for a 4G tablet, ...