Those quotes up there in the title do more than apologize for our unoriginal, lame pun: they acknowledge a truth that's gotta be tough for Amazon to swallow. The company's first smartphone, which we laid hands on last week, has seen mixed reviews in its first wave of press. There are good reasons for that. With a dubious exclusivity deal in place, a boatload of extraneous features masking its not-quite-Android OS, and a price point that's all kinds of wacky, the Fire Phone's utility isn't clear outside its role as a portal to easier, faster Amazon purchases. Factor in the ho-hum ...

Neither is the smashing circular sensation of the Moto 360, but neither is by any means ugly – and aesthetic considerations aside, sometimes there's something to be said for promptness. The LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are the two devices gracing our review desk on today's Android Wear unboxing, the smartphone accessories Google has chosen to redefine the role of a smartwatch. We're not strangers to wearables around these parts, of course. Some of us backed the Pebble long before that device and its descendents came to our professional attention, while others put their money on ...

We first officially saw the Desire 610 at Mobile World Congress in Berlin, Spain back in February. A low-end update to the Desire lineup, HTC didn't aim to wow the masses, but rather offer a pretty, capable device for a fair price. Joe published our review of the Desire 816 – the 610's bigger, higher-end sibling – and felt moderately pleased with the phone. Point being, we have high expectations for the 610, and with a growing number of compelling low-end handsets, this particular handset has its work cut out for it. Devices like the Moto G, Moto E, and even the One mini 2 have ...

Our opinions related to the Padfone concept have been divided here on Pocketnow. However, if you often find yourself switching from your phone to your tablet, and vice versa, AT&T's got you covered with the ASUS Padfone X. Sales start next Friday, June 6, both online, and in retail stores, so, if this is something you might be interested in, check out our ASUS Padfone X unboxing below. There's both a tablet -- which is not a real tablet, per se -- and a phone in the box, alongside the usual accessories, like bundled headphones (yay!), charger, and USB cable. For those interested in ...

The utility of a jumbo-screen without the jumbo-sized price tag, all inside a case that many may confuse with that of an HTC One. The HTC Desire 816 is the mid-range smartphone that looks great, without breaking the bank. We recently got our hands on this gem, and are eager to unbox it for you! We'll be taking the Desire 816 for a drive over the next few days, after which we'll show you how it compares to the other phones you might be considering. Want to help? Drop your comments below! Let us know what questions come to mind as you watch our Desire 816 unboxing video, and tell us what ...

The Sony Xperia Z2. We got our hands on it back at MWC 2014 for an initial impressions video and a comparison or two, but things have been awful quiet since those heady days in Barcelona. That's because we're primarily an American news outlet, and the Xperia Z2 won’t be coming to the United States until summer (when it will likely fly the flag of Verizon Wireless). But thanks to the fine folks at GSM Nation, we were able to get our hands on one just the same! The retailer is one of the first in the US to carry the Xperia Z2, and the team there was kind enough to loan us one of their ...

Yesterday will be a day long remembered: it saw the end of Nokia as we know it. After a long regulatory approval process, the company's devices and services division has finally been scooped up by the company whose software has powered its offerings for the past few years: Microsoft. But the looming acquisition by Windows Phone's corporate overlord didn't stop Nokia from experimenting with new ideas in the months leading up to that merger. At this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company finally laid bare its new offerings for developing markets: a trio of midrange ...

"You know what this is?" "I know what this is." That's a dialogue couplet from the film True Lies, an Arnold Schwarzenegger action-comedy from the mid 1990s that has positively nothing to do with the newest stupendo-smartphone out of Seoul. Nothing, except for those two lines. Because you do know what this is. Even under the AT&T finery, even under the thick veneer of faux wood packaging, even despite the fifteen seconds of playful banter at the top of this video, you know what we're looking at: it's the most hyped smartphone of the year, like always. It's another Samsung flagship ...

Update: Our full Throwback Review of the HD2 is now available here! Update 2: Looking for something a little more modern? Check out our full review of HTC's latest flagship, the HTC One M8, here! We're real suckers for nostalgia at Pocketnow, as those who caught this week's HTC Mogul throwback are already aware. As we approach the release of the company's All New HTC One, we thought we'd continue mining the history of HTC for context - and it just so happens that one of the firm's most significant achievements is also one of the most-requested devices for a Pocketnow Throwback. This ...

When we first went hands-on with the Galaxy TabPRO 10.1 at CES 2014, it wasn't always easy to tell it apart from its immediate neighbors in the Galaxy Note line. Down to the stitched leatherette and chromed-out accents, the new Tabs were doing their utmost to ape the higher-end Notes, making a meaningful comparison much tougher than in generations past – particularly in the bustling atmosphere of the show floor. Fortunately, Samsung has since graced us with demo copies of both the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. The latter has been dispatched to the offices of the ...

When we first went hands-on with the Z1 Compact at Sony's CES 2014 press event, our heads were still ringing with Sony's proclamation that despite its small size, it was a "no-compromise" flagship phone. Sony's website makes the claim a bit plainer: The Xperia Z1 Compact is everything you expect in a premium smartphone, beautifully crafted to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. The timing couldn't be better for us to test this claim: we've just spent a few days with the Xperia Z1S for T-Mobile USA, whose user experience was by and large wonderful - especially in terms of camera ...

We know, we know: unboxings come first, then come the features and reviews. That's how it's supposed to go. Well who says breaking with tradition is such a bad thing? Actually, that's not why we're posting this unboxing out of sequence. The real reason: an absurdly busy week that's only going to get busier as 2014 picks up steam and more devices come tumbling down the chute - including smartphones like the Z1S's close cousin, the Z1 Compact, which should arrive in our labs in mere days! So let's get down to business (we don't got no time to play around, what is this?). This is the Sony ...

It's a Jolla phone! Er ... a Jolla. Our Jolla. Whatever the proper phrasing, the flagship device from Finland's most ambitious mobile outfit has finally landed on our doorstep - and we're here to show you what unboxing it feels like! We're pressed for time on this one though, folks, so we're relying on you to help us out with our first-ever Sailfish OS review! With only three days to spend with a demo unit, we need you to tell us exactly what you want to know about Jolla Ltd., the Jolla itself, and the fresh new operating system powering it. Normally we'd answer those questions ourselves ...