Articles by Carl Velasco
Instagram Now Allows Brands, Influencers To Tag Products In Posts
Certain celebrities and influencers will soon be able to tag products to regular Instagram posts. A new Donation Sticker has also been added to Stories.
Forget Foldables — Samsung Might Be Developing A Wraparound Smartphone Display
Samsung’s latest patent puts a wraparound display on a smartphone. Potential uses for this include doubling as a viewfinder, a live language translator, and others.
Google Admits Slow Pixel 3 Sales, Hints At New Midrange Phone At I/O Event
Pixel phone sales slowed down this past quarter, says Google, citing mounting market pressure, high prices, and decreased demand as the main causes. It might launch the midrange Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL devices to recover from this.
OnePlus 7 Pro Camera Can Compete With Top-Tier Phones, Will Feature 3x Optical Zoom
Wired got a chance to test the camera on the forthcoming OnePlus 7 Pro, and the initial results were impressive. The phone will launch on May 14 alongside the base OnePlus 7 model.
Heads Up, New Yorkers: Uber And Lyft Are No Longer Accepting New Drivers, Here’s Why
Both Uber and Lyft aren’t hiring new drivers in New York City at the moment following new wage floor rules passed in December. The freeze hiring won’t be permanent, though.
Yup, Samsung Really Built A Vertical TV For The Instagram Generation
The Samsung Sero easily pivots between horizontal and vertical modes, allowing users to use it like a conventional TV or a massive smartphone projector. It’s coming out at the end of May in South Korea.
Apple Systematically Removing And Restricting Third-Party Screen Time Apps, Developers Claim
Apple has removed a handful of third-party screen management tools from the App Store after debuting its own Screen Time feature. Companies are pushing back with antitrust complaints.
AT&T Claims Its 5G Network Reached 2 Gbps Speeds
AT&T is boasting about its 5G network again. The carrier claims that it just reached a whopping speed of 2 Gbps on the network — only in Atlanta, though.
Nintendo Switch ‘Boost Mode’ Overclocks CPU, Makes Games Load Faster — But There’s A Catch
Nintendo Switch’s new Boost Mode speeds up loading times on some games. Emphasis on 'some games' because developers must first update their software to support the new overclocking feature.
The Nubia Red Magic 3 Is The First Gaming Phone With A Cooling Fan
Nubia just made the first-ever phone with an internal cooling fan. It’s called the Red Magic 3, and it’s got a lot more features besides a fan that makes it a beastly gaming powerhouse.
This Chrome Phishing Exploit Tricks Users With Fake Address Bar, Here’s How To Avoid It
An exploit found on Chrome for Android can replace the address bar with a fake one. This could lend an opportunity for phishing campaigns to make fake sites even more believable.
Confirmed: OnePlus 7 Pro Will Feature Triple-Camera System
The configuration isn’t clear yet, but OnePlus could go with a standard, telephoto, and ultra-wide setup for the OnePlus 7 Pro. The flagship phone is set to launch on May 14 alongside a base OnePlus 7 model.
5G iPad Pro In The Works, But Don’t Expect It To Come Soon
Next-generation iPad Pros will include LCP soft boards inside them, according to trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. This component will apparently be crucial to ensuring the devices gain higher-speed connectivity.
Make Gmail Less Cluttered With This Extension Created By The Cofounder Of Inbox
The Simply extension, from former Gmail designer Inbox cofounder Michael Leggett, cleans up Gmail for a calmer, more sensical interface. It’s free, and it looks so official one could be easily be tricked into thinking Google itself designed it.
Google Bans Developer With More Than Half A Billion Downloads For Committing Ad Fraud
Google is expunging apps owned by DO Global from the Play Store. These apps were found to be generating ad revenue through a program that registers fake clicks.
Amazon Reportedly Working On Hi-Fi Music Streaming Service That Sounds Better Than CDs
Amazon’s alleged Hi-Fi music streaming option will offer listeners songs that sound better than CDs. No word yet on when it might come out, though.
Walmart Unveils Artificial Intelligence Store That’s Like Amazon Go But Also Not
Walmart’s Intelligent Retail Lab finally opens to the public, dubbed as the future of stores. But unlike Amazon Go locations, they don’t intend to erase employees from the equation.
Nintendo: No New Switch Model Announcement At E3
It looks like Nintendo’s E3 will be about games entirely. Nintendo’s president has confirmed that there’ll be no announcements whatsoever of a new Switch model at the presentation.
One-Day Amazon Prime Shipping Will Soon Be A Thing
Amazon Prime members could soon get their items in just one day by default. The company has revealed that it’s working to make this new option the new standard moving forward.
Snapchat Will Let You Scan Bitmoji And Put Them In Video Games
Snap Inc. is giving a select few developers a Bitmoji SDK for them to integrate Bitmoji characters into video games. Is Snap Inc. trying to make the next Mii?
Verizon’s 5G Galaxy S10 Will Ship On May 16 For $1,300
You can get a Samsung Galaxy S10 5G from Verizon on May 16 for a whopping $1,300. But you can significantly reduce the price.
Super Mario Maker 2 Will Be Out On Nintendo Switch This June 28
Nintendo will release 'Super Mario Maker 2' for the Switch on June 28. Other things, such as whether it’ll get a co-op mode, remain unclear at this point.
Google Duo Group Calling Rolls Out To Select Countries
Group calls are now available on Google Duo, particularly in Indonesia, where it’s being advertised in time for the Ramadan period. No word on when it might come to the United States yet.
Instagram Now Lets You Put Quiz Stickers On Stories
Quiz stickers are now available on Instagram Stories. Unlike polls, you can add multiple questions and set a correct answer for each, and it’s as easy as placing any sticker option already available.
Cheaper Nintendo Switch ‘Mini’ Might Be Revealed At E3
Nintendo might surprise-reveal a Nintendo Switch Mini at its E3 presentation this June. There’s a modest upgrade apparently in the works, too, but no Pro model, says Bloomberg.
Mark Zuckerberg Starts His Own Podcast About Tech And Society
Mark Zuckerberg is publishing audio versions of his discussions with high-profile individuals as episodes of his new podcast, 'Tech & Society.' Only Spotify has it at the moment, but expect it to reach more platforms in the coming days.
Google Maps Now Shows You If An EV Charging Station Is Occupied
Electric vehicle owners can now open up Google Maps, look for EV charging stations, and know if someone’s already using it. The feature is now available in the United States and UK.
AT&T Says The Samsung Galaxy Fold Will Ship On June 13
AT&T is telling customers a new release date for the Samsung Galaxy Fold. It could be just a placeholder date, though, so don’t get too excited.
Take All Your Amazon Returns To Kohl’s Beginning This July
All Kohl’s stores around the country will begin accepting Amazon returns this July, marking an expansion to an earlier pilot program by both companies. Some items are ineligible, though.
MacBook Keyboard Repairs Just Got Faster As Apple Commits To Next-Day Turnaround
Apple’s Genius Bar employees are fixing MacBooks with faulty keyboards in-store instead of sending them to a facility. It marks what appears to be its latest effort to address one of the biggest issues still plaguing newer Macs.
