Battle of the betas: Be the first to try Motorola’s and Samsung’s AI features, now in beta. Motorola’s upgrades include notification summaries and meeting transcriptions; Samsung’s update includes call transcriptions, AI writing tools and a revamped camera interface. The betas are open for Razr, Edge and Galaxy S24 smartphones. Have fun! Just remember, beta software glitches out sometimes.
Innovative gadgets revealed at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 just went down in Seoul, South Korea, and there’s much to … unpack. All this drops in August, by the way, though you can pre-order now.
Flip it: The Galaxy Z Flip5, Samsung’s clamshell-style flip phone, got a significant upgrade over last year’s Flip4. The 3.4-inch screen on the front now looks a heck of a lot like the Razr+ from Motorola.
You can use it to scroll through widgets, reply to messages and give your pal a sneak peak of the pic you’re taking when you point the phone their way. At $1,000, do I think it’s worth it? Nah …
Fold it: The Galaxy Z Fold5 is the model that opens up like a book. Not too much different here, aside from a narrower exterior screen, a 30% brighter inside screen and a slimmed-down stylus.
My take: Foldable phones aren’t quite there yet — especially for the price. This one will set you back $1,800.
Speaking of expensive: Samsung’s new tablets are pretty sweet, with AMOLED screens (read: blacker blacks and nice contrast), Vision Booster tech to detect ambient lighting and optimize the screen, 20% bigger speakers and an included stylus that you can stick on via magnent to wirelessly charge.
But, as you can guess by now, they’re not cheap. The “cheap” model, the Tab S9, is $800, and the Tab S9 Ultra will set you back $1,200.
Tick tock: The watches are one place I can see splurging on if you’re in the Samsung ecosystem. They’ll be much more compatible than the Apple Watches and do many of the same things for a much lower price. The Watch6 starts at $300, about $100 less than Apple’s version.
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How to get the most money selling your old cellphone
When you upgrade your smartphone, don’t throw the old one in a drawer. With the right site, you can turn your dusty old electronics into a source of income.
In this tip, we’ll answer some of the most common questions people have when selling old devices. Plus, we’ll introduce you to a valuable new site to help you make money.
What’s the bestselling non-Apple, non-Android phone of all time? Is it the … A.) BlackBerry Curve, B.) Motorola Razr V3, C.) Nokia 1100 or D.) Samsung SGH-E250?
The biggest mistake I made buying a new phone
When Apple, Samsung or Google announce a new smartphone, it’s big news. The latest iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy phones are status symbols in their own right. Though there are more manufacturers, these are among the most popular in the U.S.
Have one of these phones sitting around? It could be worth big bucks
Shockingly, your phone that’s a few years old might be considered vintage. An unopened first edition iPhone recently earned a bid of over $39,000, and more than a few older smartphone models appear to be attracting similarly-interested collectors (and their pocketbooks).
Tech nostalgia: 10 iconic cellphones we miss
The first cellphone call was placed in 1973 by the “Father of the Cellphone,” Marty Cooper. He used a prototype Motorola phone that laid the basis for the first commercially available cellphone 10 years later.
“The battery life of this phone was less than a half-hour of talking,” Marty told Kim Komando in a radio interview last year. “It turns out that wasn’t a problem, Kim, because you couldn’t carry that phone up to your ear for 25 minutes, it was so heavy!” Tap or click here to listen to what Marty told the head of AT&T’s rival project when he placed the first-ever cellphone call.
True or false: Apple and Google slow down older phones when a new model is released
Smartphones are responsible for our expectation of instant gratification. Whether you are or what you’re doing, you can whip out your phone and look up anything. Use Google to back up your argument with your spouse. Check out Yelp reviews to find the best sandwich in town. Place an online order for that trinket you saw in a store window and get it at a lower price.
Blast from the past! BlackBerry, the OG smartphone, is back
To say that smartphones have changed over the past decade would be an understatement. Starting in 2007, we went from clunky, button-filled flip phones to sleek, featureless rectangles that respond to our touch in a matter of only a few years. And now…we’re still using the rectangles mostly — but they sure can shoot a good photo.
Return of the legendary Motorola RAZR - you can pre-order now
The ’00s were a drastically different time than today. The internet was just starting to become mainstream, smartphones were nowhere to be found and the king of the mobile arena was a modest flip phone with a sleek design: Motorola’s Moto RAZR.