Android

Magnasonic’s pocket-sized LED Pico projector lets you take the big screen anywhere

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 1, 2023

Magnasonic's new LED Pico Projector is just what you need if you're an on-the-go business person, want to watch movies on your wall, or need a quick way to show off a presentation at work or in class. But the uses don't stop there.

I first saw these little portable LED projectors emerging on the market just a couple of years ago, and I've been itching to try one ever since, but the technology is really coming around to being practical for use and the prices are just starting to become more affordable.

In this review, we'll show you how Magnasonic's new LED Pico Projector works and walk you through all of its features.

Android TV now plays nice with iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2016

If you're invested in Android TV and own a compatible TV set or set-top box, you'll appreciate that you can now control your Android TV from the comfort of your couch with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, as Google was kind enough to release the official Android TV app on the App Store.

The free of charge app works with all Android TV devices and includes remote functionality much like Apple's own Remote app lets you control Apple TVs with an iOS device.

BatteryBox Mini keeps your iPhone (and much more) powered while on the go

Anthony Bouchard ∙ April 11, 2016

Because I'm always out and about, and my iPhone can always use a good charge when I'm away from an outlet, external battery accessories are always of great interest to me. BatteryBox, which you may remember made it to both my top 5 accessories for iPhone and top 5 accessories for Mac lists, has long filled that void for me.

Nevertheless, I've been looking for something a little easier to carry around with me when I leave the house or leave the car, and something I can use a little more easily while walking around and while not carrying a backpack.

One solution I've found to work quite well for this need is BatteryBox's little brother, dubbed BatteryBox Mini, which can be had on the BatteryBox website for less than $35. In this review, we'll take you through the features of BatteryBox Mini and show you whether it's a good investment for your needs.

Google is considering making Apple’s Swift a “first class” language for Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2016

Google is considering making Apple's Swift a “first class” language for Android development, The Next Web learned from unnamed sources. Facebook and Uber are also said to potentially make Swift “more central” to their operations.

Representatives for Google, Facebook and Uber were recently at a meeting in London to discus Swift possibilities. Swift couldn't have received a bigger endorsement than that, which is saying a lot about Apple's effort to produce a modern programming language not only for iOS and OS X development, but for the web as well.

Review: ZhiYun Z1 Smooth-C gimbal gives your iPhone all the video stabilization it’ll ever need

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

If you use your iPhone for any kind of video production, then a gimbal should definitely be one of the top things on your wish-list if you don't already have one.

In this review, we'll be giving you an in-depth look at the ZhiYun Z1 Smooth-C 3-axis handheld stabilizing gimbal. This is a tool that many videographers use to keep their recording device of choice nice and steady, even when walking or running around.

How to recycle your old tech with Apple’s Recycling Program

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 6, 2018

If you have old tech sitting in your closet or attic that you don't use anymore because you've got something better, Apple will gladly make sure that tech is recycled properly free of cost via the Apple Recycling Program. In some instances, the company will even give you an Apple Store gift card as credit towards a new Apple device or accessories.

The Apple Recycling Program has been around for ages, but is often overlooked as an option. Although better deals can often be had elsewhere, the urge to trade in your device can come at inopportune times, and when you want quick money for your old Apple devices, or a quick and easy way to get rid of your junk tech, Apple can come in handy in a pinch.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can use the Apple Recycling Program to make better use of your unused tech.

LMcable: a 2-in-1 Lightning and Micro USB connector

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 1, 2016

Lovers of technology who own both iOS and Android devices are forced to use two different cables for charging their batteries – a Lightning cable and a Micro-USB cable.

The discrepancy in charging cable type can be a pain for people who don't want to carry around more than one cable with them, and that's why a new Kickstarter campaign for a product called LMcable is trying to make its way onto the market to make charging easier for everyone.

Apple Music for Android now supports saving songs to SD cards

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 3, 2016

Apple released an update for the Apple Music app on the Android platform via the Google Play Store on Wednesday with a much-needed new feature: the ability to save songs from the app to your Android device's removable SD card storage.

Confidential Google documents reveal that Android has generated $31 billion revenue in its lifetime

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

Since its inception in 2008, Android has generated revenue of $31 billion and $22 billion in profit, a lawyer for Oracle said in a federal court, marking the first time Android's financial performance was publicly revealed.

As a quick refresher, Oracle, the database maker, is suing Google's parent Alphabet over using its Java software without paying for it to develop Android. The figure is based on information Oracle derived from Google's confidential internal financial documents.

Google promptly asked a San Francisco federal judge to redact and seal portions of the public transcript of last week’s hearing because improperly disclosed data contains “extremely sensitive information” from documents that were marked “Attorney’s Eyes Only.”

Remix OS alpha is here: run Android on your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 12, 2016

Remix OS, a software platform created in partnership with the Android-x86 project, is now available for download from the Jide website. Remix is basically a custom engineered version of Android Lollipop that can be installed onto a USB thumb drive to boot your Mac right into Android.

This is a pre-release alpha version of Remix intended for developers so it may be a bit rough around the edges and exhibit some hiccups. That being said, Remix OS is pretty cool: it has a custom user interface with built-in Amazon App Store, but you can sideload Google Play services to run virtually any Android app on your Mac.

No, Apple is not working on a tool to facilitate iOS migration to Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 11, 2016

Apple today shot down a report published last Sunday by The Telegraph newspaper that it was building a tool at the request of EU carriers that would permit iPhone owners to transfer their contacts, photographs, messages and other data to Android smartphones.

“There is no truth to this rumor,” a spokesperson told John Paczkowski at Buzz Feed.

Move to Android: EU carriers pushing Apple to provide an app to help people leave iOS ecosystem

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2016

Due to complaints by European mobile operators, Apple is reportedly under pressure to provide software that would permit iPhone owners to easily switch to Android, The Telegraph reported yesterday.

Carriers contend that Apple's decision to only provide the 'Move to iOS' app but not a similar tool to shift user data over to an Android device is limiting competition while weakening their hand in negotiations with Apple over contractual terms.