Ryan Whitwam
Recent posts
It's a running gag that Google has too many messaging clients, but the core of its messaging strategy on Android is RCS. This service, sometimes branded simply as "Chat," relies on servers to relay messages, but not all carriers use the same ones. AT&T has been rolling its own RCS platform for the last few years, but...
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Blizzard released Diablo IV earlier this month in early access, giving owners of the enhanced and ultimate editions of the game a chance to explore Sanctuary a few days before the standard edition plebs. Now, Blizzard has flung the doors wide open, and the servers aren't quite keeping up. After intermittent server...
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Cloud gaming has been an option for more than a decade, but only recently have companies like NVIDIA and Microsoft hit their stride as faster network speeds unlocked cloud gaming for more players. Sony, however, isn't pushing its cloud gaming service very hard, and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida says that's intentional...
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Android is a mature platform after almost 15 years on the market, so we don't see as many major feature rollouts as we once did. Google is still finding ways to enhance its mobile platform, though. Today, Google is announcing the release of seven new features for Android phones and Wear OS watches. Some have been...
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Motorola has been on a tear lately, announcing a new phone every time we look away. In recent weeks, Moto has revealed the 2023 Edge+, Moto G Stylus, and Moto G 5G. Now, there's yet another new Moto phone, and this one's got a stylus, too. The Moto G Stylus 5G is a pumped up version of the non-5G stylus with a...
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Windows XP is the operating system that just won't die. After its 2001 release, XP would go on to sell more than 400 million copies. Microsoft tried to end support for the OS several times over the years, but there were too many people still relying on it. In 2014, Microsoft finally moved past XP, but the community...
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It's not often that a new player manages to break into the smartphone market, which has matured to the point that even some legacy players are unable to compete. However, Nothing founder Carl Pei has an advantage as a founder of OnePlus. Nothing launched the Phone (1) internationally last year, but its second device...
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Sony never got deep into the metaverse, a supposed VR-based successor to the internet that was all anyone could talk about in 2022. The metaverse has since cooled, leaving gaming as the primary use case for virtual reality. Sony is reporting some surprising success there. After weeks of conflicting reports about...
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The generative AI genie is out of the bottle, and we're still not sure what form this electronic entity will take. Microsoft and Google are both pushing a new version of web search based on AI, and these machines are increasingly being used to generate images, videos, and text that look like they were created by...
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Microsoft is eager to complete its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but some regulators aren't having it. One of the ways Microsoft has sought to allay regulatory fears is by handing out 10-year cloud gaming deals like candy—a good thing for fans of cloud gaming. Microsoft's streaming deal with NVIDIA is going into...
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Motorola was early to the foldable game with the Razr brand, but it didn't stick with it initially. Samsung has since surpassed Motorola as the undisputed king of foldable phones, in both tablet and flip phone form factors. Moto is teasing the next phase of its foldable journey, however, announcing that the expected...
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PC gaming used to be all about building the biggest, badest tower with ample room for a beefy GPU, but PC games are increasingly coming to the small screen. The Steam Deck's success has gamers looking for more ways to play PC games on the small screen, and Asus hopes the ROG Ally will be able to pick up where Valve...
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Samsung has been the clear leader in foldable phone technology for the past several years, but it finally has some competition. Google unveiled the Pixel Fold at I/O this week, following months of leaks and speculation. This device aims for the same ultra-premium market as the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but there are some key...
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We're less than a month away from the release of Diablo IV, and NVIDIA has teamed up with Blizzard to give you another way to lay your hands on the latest installation in the iconic series. All you have to do is buy a video card. Not just any video card, though. For a limited time, select RTX 40-series cards will come...
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Google has some big hardware plans for the next few weeks, with a foldable, a budget smartphone, and a tablet all dropping within weeks of each other. Google pre-announced the tablet, predictably known as the Pixel Tablet, at last year's Google I/O. We won't have to wait for this year's I/O to get all the details...
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Game controllers exist in myriad price brackets, from ultra-premium gamepads that cost $200 to barebones wired models that cost a few bucks. Naturally, the cheaper controllers aren't very good, but 8Bitdo just launched pre-orders for its new budget controller that could prove to be the exception. The 8BitDo Ultimate C...
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OnePlus Pad - $479 MSRP The first OnePlus tablet offers slick, beautiful hardware in a compelling form factor, but its software support could use some work. Sharp, bright display with 7:5 aspect ratio Fast 67W charging and included plug Excellent battery life Sleek aluminum chassis Consistent performance Sharp...
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While some previously prominent smartphone manufacturers, like LG and HTC, have dropped off, Motorola is still at it. Moto has struggled to produce a widely successful flagship smartphone in recent years, but it's not giving up. The new Moto Edge+ for 2023 is shaping up to be the best phone Motorola has released in...
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Veteran smartphone leaker Evan "evleaks" Blass is back at it, having just revealed a raft of Google Pixel Fold images and info. Naturally, Google hasn't acknowledged this upcoming foldable's existence, but these are no blurry-cam photos. Blass has posted high-resolution press renders, as well as some precise...
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Conventional wisdom holds that adding two-factor authentication (2FA) is the best way to secure your online accounts. With this feature enabled, a threat actor would need your login credentials, as well as a one-time code to access your data. Google Authenticator is a popular way to store two-factor codes, and a...
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A new piece of Windows malware is making the rounds, but what else is new? You never want to fall victim to a malware campaign, but this one is particularly troublesome. EvilExtractor is billed as an "all-in-one" solution for your online criminal needs. With this one tool, a threat actor can monitor keystrokes, steal...
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ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate - $2,499 MSRP ($999 for non-Ultimate) The latest ASUS ROG Phone offers unparalleled, consistent mobile gaming performance and speed, but the flagship design will come at a premium price. Sharp, bright display with 165Hz refresh Fast 65W charging and included plug Excellent performance...
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