The new era

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL review: The new standard for Android

flagships

Huawei Mate 10 + Mate 10 Pro hands-on preview

Save us, Ethernet

Everything you need to know about KRACK, the WPA2 Wi-Fi vulnerability

Mopping up

Has your router maker issued a patch to prevent the KRACK exploit?

Strange time

Sony's Xperia XZ1 gets most everything right

Android Central Digital Offers

Kickstart your IT career with this 11-course bundle, now 98 percent off!

Android & Chill

Is any phone actually worth $1000?

Help is on the way

Common Galaxy Note 8 problems and how to fix them

FAQ

Everything you need to know about the Google Pixel 2!

New option

Should you use your Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL on Project Fi?

Android Central Digital Offers

Become a certified AWS solution architect with this $49 bundle

The waiting game

Are you feeling any buyer's remorse for your Pixel 2 preorder?

Android Central Digital Offers

Enjoy your music wirelessly or wired with this great headphone deal!

OF COURSE NOT DEAR

Google Pixel 2 vs iPhone 8: Do these bezels make my phone look fat?

Form vs function

Is metal really a better material than plastic on phones?

You don’t know headphone jack

Google Pixel 2 XL vs. LG V30: The perfect pair for right now

All big

Google Pixel 2 XL vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Big phones, big prices

Bezels

Google Pixel 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8: Let's argue about bezels

Second gen

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL hands-on: Act two looks great

Alex's thoughts

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review: A second opinion
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Pre-order Google Pixel 2: Verizon

All Posts by Jerry Hildenbrand

The Pixel 2 camera's secret weapon: A Google-designed SoC, the 'Pixel Visual Core'

2 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 17 Oct 2017 9:00 am
A custom built eight-core processing unit that can run three trillion operations each second powers Google's camera — and it has even more planned. We've been using the Pixel 2 and it's bigger sibling the Pixel 2 XL for a bit. While getting things ready for a review and testing all the things there was one consistent discussion, and it centered around the photos the Pixel 2's cameras were...

Amazon says a patch for WPA2 exploit KRACK is in the works

2 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 16 Oct 2017 1:34 pm
Amazon is evaluating their products to determine how to go forward and patch KRACK. Phones and computers aren't the only devices affected by the KRACK WPA2 exploit. In a connected world, everything from your toothbrush to your doorbell to your stereo uses Wi-Fi, and every one of them also needs a patch. Good luck with that. One manufacturer with untold millions of things in homes around the...

Why don't phone makers use last year's high-end chips in budget phones?

36 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 16 Oct 2017 12:00 pm
There's more to making a phone than Megahertz. Everybody loves budget-friendly phones that are still pretty high-end devices. Motorola, ZTE, and other companies have delivered some great products at great prices, and for many, it's crazy to spend almost $1,000 to buy the best from Google or Samsung. These "budget" phones can do everything they want them to do at considerable savings. But there...

Everything you need to know about KRACK, the WPA2 Wi-Fi vulnerability

57 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 16 Oct 2017 7:15 am
Exploit in WPA2 means it's open season on your Wi-Fi network, no matter what router you use. Update: Wpa supplicant (the method used to set up a Wi-Fi handshake in Linux) has been updated and is already available. Google has implemented this fix and the November 6, 2017 security update will include it. Google Wifi will automatically install the update as soon as it becomes available. The...

Chill out in this Sunday's comments thread

64 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 15 Oct 2017 10:00 am
A friendly atmosphere in the middle of an internet at war. This is your spot to kick back and talk with your friends. We see the same regular faces here in our little corner every week, and it's interesting watching everyone get to know each other a little better. It's also great to see the new faces, even if it's just for a single visit. And let's be honest — it's nice to find something besides...

Is any phone actually worth $1000?

300 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 14 Oct 2017 5:02 pm
Are we crazy, or can something really make a phone worth the same amount as a used Honda? Welcome to 2017, when the best phones from almost every company that makes high-end smartphones will cost just shy of $1,000. And plenty of people are buying them. Samsung and Google tend to be pretty firm on the price and aren't going to haggle with you. I'm not wondering why people are buying them...

5 high-capacity power banks that are great for the traveling techie

33 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 13 Oct 2017 2:00 pm
These aren't your pocket-friendly power banks, but they can be your lifeline when battery life runs short across multiple devices. Given today's power-hungry phones and tablets, any power pack under 20,000mAh shouldn't be considered high-capacity. While the majority of these beefier backup batteries aren't suited for storing in your pocket, they're still compact enough to toss in a backpack,...

Google Pixel 2 XL vs. Pixel XL: Should you upgrade?

53 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 13 Oct 2017 12:00 pm
Google Pixel 2 XL and Pixel XL
Does the new hotness bring enough to upgrade from the old hotness? Google has shown off what they are bringing to the table for the next year with the Pixel 2 XL. Awkward name aside, it's a flagship product with a flagship price and while they are courting new converts to the Pixel brand, they're also dangling it in front of people who loved the original Pixel XL. They think you'll love this...

Best Chromebox

Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 12 Oct 2017 2:00 pm
Chromebox
Best Overall Best all-in-one Best for Power Users Best overall ASUS Chromebox M004U See at Amazon Don't let the name fool you. The ASUS Chromebox M004U (generally known as the ASUS Chromebox though there are others from ASUS being sold) is dead simple to set up and use. Attach a monitor or television, a keyboard, and a mouse then turn it on. You'll be on the internet in just a few...

Which Pixelbook Should you Buy?

22 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 12 Oct 2017 11:00 am
Does anyone really need the upgraded Pixelbook (and its $500 cost)? I've seen this discussion on the internet a lot more often than I would have imagined. People are thinking about buying a Pixelbook and trying to decide if they need to spend more to get one with those beefy specs; not something you expect to see when you're talking about a $1,000 Chromebook. It's great to see interest in a...

Video frame rates: 24FPS vs. 30FPS vs. 60FPS explained

15 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 11 Oct 2017 1:00 pm
Which shooting frame rate should I use, and when should I use it? The first phones that came with a camera that could capture video were an amazing breakthrough. No longer did you need to lug around a second camera if you wanted to make sure you could grab a quick video of something memorable or cool. Sure, the quality was pretty bad, but it was a whole lot better than nothing. Today the...

How to convert your DVDs to enjoy on the Huawei Mediapad M3

20 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 10 Oct 2017 9:00 am
Rip your own DVDs and you won't have to worry about Wi-Fi or the cloud! There are a lot of Android tablets that have an amazing screen. The Huawei Mediapad M3 is a great example. A 2560×1600 display is awesome for a lot of things, but it's really great for watching movies. It's like holding a cinema in your hands. There are also a lot of movies to watch! Places like Netflix, or Google Play...

Vizio Crave Go is a Chromecast speaker that delivers big sound in a small package

2 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 9 Oct 2017 9:00 am
Big sound in the right package and it's a Chromecast device! There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to buying a wireless speaker. That can make finding the one that's right for you a little difficult. Most of us want the same thing when we're buying a speaker — the right balance between cost, features and sound quality. Vizio comes in with the right mix of each with its Crave Go...

Best T-Mobile Phones

Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 8 Oct 2017 11:00 am
The best phone options available from the third-place U.S. carrier. Whether you're a long-time T-Mobile subscriber looking to upgrade your phone or you're switching and want to find out what's available at a glance, we're here to help. We've broken down the best devices available to buy through T-Mobile. Check out our reviews to learn more about each of these and if you're ready to take the...

FCC approves 30 Project Loon balloons for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

20 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 7 Oct 2017 5:01 pm
Eight regional carriers said to be onboard for a six-month deployment. According to Wired, the FCC gave permission for 30 Project Loon balloons to fly over Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for up to six months. Project Loon is the name for Alphabet's (Google's parent company) ambitious project that provides cellular data capabilities from above. With thousands of cell towers decimated by...

It's time for your delicious weekend comments thread

92 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 7 Oct 2017 1:00 pm
Kick back and relax. Stay a while. One more week down and one week closer to the end of 2017. And it was a big deal kind of weel for Google fans as the company showed the world all the new stuff. The Pixel 2 and XL 2 look like what we expected, the new Google Home Mini and its giant brother Max are interesting, the Pixelbook is beautiful and outrageously expensive, and a redesigned Daydream...

Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel: Should you upgrade?

91 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 5 Oct 2017 1:15 pm
Is it time to send your 2016 Pixel to that farm in the country where it can run free? It's that time of year again. We get to the new Pixel 2, a phone that we want to spend our money on, even if we have a really good phone in our pockets already. The 2016 Pixel is still a damn good phone. Let's get that out of the way first thing. Unless yours is broken, you don't need to buy something new....

How to install and set up a VPN on the NVIDIA Shield TV

7 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 4 Oct 2017 10:00 am
No more region restrictions! Installing a VPN on your Shield TV is easy. There are plenty of reasons to use a VPN. Security and privacy come to mind, but when you're talking about a streaming device like the NVIDIA Shield TV, regional restrictions are right up there at the top, too. You don't turn into a pirate just because you're on vacation. The issue is that setting up a VPN sounds...

aptX vs. aptX HD: What's the difference?

35 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 3 Oct 2017 1:00 pm
In a world where a 3.5mm headphone jack is on the verge of extinction, aptX HD can make a difference. Whenever you read anything about Bluetooth, you'll come across plenty of letters and numbers and other cryptic specs. One of the latest on these is aptX HD, which takes a previously cryptic specification and adds HD on the end. We all know HD means "High Definition", but what about the aptX...

Pixels and Nexuses now receiving October security patch from Google

33 Comments
Posted by Jerry Hildenbrand on 2 Oct 2017 3:01 pm
It's once again time to furiously tap that update button. Google has released its October 2017 security patch, complete with a brand new website for Pixel and Nexus patches. As usual, the October update is pushing out for the Pixel XL, Pixel, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C. The latest security bulletin details the changes, which are mostly low-level patches...

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