New York’s anti-terror reporting app could easily cause problems
New York state is understandably more anxious than ever about terrorist threats, and it’s hoping that some mobile technology will bolster its defenses. Governor Cuomo has launched a campaign that encourages New Yorkers to use See Something, Send Something, a smartphone app that helps you report suspicious activity to officials. While the software is already in use in five states, this promises to be its biggest test yet....
CyanogenMod gives select smartphones an Android 6 update option
Lots of folks still don’t have Android 6 “Marshmallow” on their shiny new phones, but owners of some older models can now it from CyanogenMod. The Nexus 7, LG G4, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, LG G3 Verizon, Moto X 2014 and, yes, the OnePlus One models are all primed to receive a “nightly” version of CyanogenMod 13. There are certain caveats, however. If you’re moving from a stable CyanogenMod 12.1 (Android...
Pepsi Phone comes out of the blue in China
We don’t exactly know why, but China seems to have a thing for the Pepsi brand. Following the Pepsi edition Oppo N1, another company from the Far East is launching a new device that’s simply dubbed the Pepsi Phone. From afar, you may mistake this aluminum device as a rebadged Oppo R7 Plus, but it’s actually a variant of the $250 Koobee H7 featuring the same 5.5-inch 1080p display (maybe IPS LCD?) with 2.5D glass,...
Motorola’s Chicago flagship store is the antithesis of an Apple store
Motorola has exactly one retail store, and it’s located in the heart of Chicago’s downtown Loop district. I happened to be in the area recently and stopped by on a Friday afternoon before its grand opening. As I found, it is, in many ways, the antithesis of an Apple store. Whereas Cupertino’s retail locations feel cold, sterile and a little disconnected, Moto’s outpost is warm and welcoming, with an earthy...
Microsoft app tries to lure you from Android to a Windows phone
It’s true that Windows Phone (and now Windows 10 Mobile) doesn’t have as many apps as Android or iOS. However, the perception of that app deficit may be just as problematic — why would you switch to a Lumia 950 if you assumed that none of your favorite apps had Windows equivalents? Microsoft clearly isn’t happy with this state of affairs, as it just released AppComparison for Android to help set the record...
