Apple made more from its wearables and services businesses, as compared to its iPhone business. Does this point of a paradigm shift? Apple TV Plus costs less but for less content. It is such unfamiliar territory for this company.

Sony is soon shutting down the Playstation Vue, but it is not slowing down in other areas. What would attribute to PS4's popularity even with the Switch having a better record in a similar lifespan? #PS4 #gaming #playstation #videogames #gamer

It may have taken Motorola 4 years to introduce this device after the second-gen smartwatch, but still, the Moto 360 has a few problems as the older devices. Either way, it is snappy and easy to use on the watch. Despite not supporting wireless charging, it comes in sizes for all wrists and has a minimalist design. #Motorola #wearables #SnappyUI #Moto360

When you’re presented with a smartphone that’s just as powerful as flagships from the likes of Samsung and Apple yet 50% cheaper, you tend to be sceptical. In this case, you go on a fault-finding mode rather than an objective analysis of what it has to offer. It’s not a state of mind to make a purchase decision but it’s a state of mind that you can’t just shake off. This scepticism is what plenty of people felt with the Pocophone F1 last year. It’s a feeling that’s bound to be replicated with the Realme X2 Pro - a $380 smartphone that can go toe-to-toe on paper with the $1,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the iPhone 11. Like the Pocophone, Realme is a start-up eager to make a name for itself in a world dominated by the goliaths like Samsung and Apple. This is probably why their first foray into flagship territory has been designed to make an immediate impact on the entire industry. It’s a total package of raw power and design that anyone in the market for a new phone this year would find it difficult to look away. Build Quality and Design are Par for the Course Let’s start with what’s perhaps the weakest point of the phone – the design. It's uninspired, to say the least. The teardrop notch in front has been done before by countless other more established brands. For the untrained eye, it would look exactly like the well-received OnePlus 7T. The back of the phone is much of the same story. It's made of glass with glossy metallic colour. Again, the sheen is extremely similar to other phones that people already have in their hands. As for build quality, it's fair to say that it's par for the course with the current generation of smartphones. This means its aluminium frame is sandwiched between two slabs of strong glass. But, however strong these Corning-branded Gorilla glasses are, they’re both still not shatter resistant. One bad fall should be all it takes to crack either of them. A minor one, on the other hand, would surely scratch them. Knowing that it is in this particular aspect that the Pocophone chose to cut corners makes the Realme X2 Pro standout in the budget flagship space. For a sub-$500 device, this phone has become the no-brainer choice for anyone who doesn’t mind brandishing a no-namer phone. What it’s got going for it is that the screen isn’t bent like most phones these days are. It’s simply flat. This makes it less prone to accidental touches compared to its peers. This, however, has a downside. It makes the screen unnecessarily sharp which, for certain users, might cause some discomfort. Flagship Performance When it comes to raw power, this phone is an excellent performer. It comes equipped with the latest and greatest from Snapdragon – the 855 Plus. In comparison, the Galaxy S10 devices only have a Snapdragon 855. Just having this particular chipset onboard automatically makes the Realme X2 Pro a cut above any the Samsung flagship. It should, therefore, be able to run any app on the Google Play Store very well with some room leftover for multitasking. The storage options also have subtle improvements that will delight even hardcore smartphone aficionados, at least for the mid and top tier phones. The lowest tier only has a 64GB UFS 2.1 storage while the 128GB and 256GB variants have a UFS 3.0 storage. This gives it a slight edge in terms of data transfer speeds and battery efficiency. As for the Android OS that this hardware drives, it’s a bit clunky. It’s called Colour OS and it’s not its strongest suit. However this can easily be remedied by installing a launcher. At this level of performance, the phone has become untouchable in the price segment that it’s currently in. The OnePlus 7T, the phone most likely to be compared to it because of performance and capabilities, is more than $100 more expensive. Not Even $1,000 Flagships Have These Features Come to think of it, there are a lot of other features on the Realme X2 Pro that aren’t present on a lot of flagships that sell for more than twice the price. The most prominent one has to be the 90Hz screen. A higher than the usual 60Hz screen is probably the most exciting screen innovation since the OLED came into the picture. The Realme X2 Pro is one of the first and definitely the most inexpensive so far to come equipped with it. It’s not a huge deal breaker if a phone doesn’t have it. But for those who’ve already tried tinkering with a 90Hz – 120Hz screen phone all say that they’d find it difficult to go back to the regular 60Hz screen. Another outstanding feature is that it comes with Super VOOC charger that can deliver 50W of power to the device. This means the large 4,000MaH batter can be charged from 0% to 100% within 30 mins. In comparison, iPhone users are already singing Apple praises for letting their phones get charged within 120 mins. This impressive phone is made even more impressive by the fact that you can have it for just $380. Considering what the other manufacturers have in this price range, it’s a ridiculously small amount of money for such a well-specced and decently built device. But then again, branding can drive prices up. Realme just can’t command the type of premium that Samsung and Apple does. They’ve made their reputations, Realme is just starting to lay the foundations for theirs. In a way, this phone is a make or break device for the company. Can it accomplish what it set out to do? Only time will tell.

They now feature a noise-isolating design and have silicone ear tips (small. medium and large sizes) that push into the ear canal, ensuring that they fit comfortably and securely. For all its capabilities, I expected the AirPods Pro to cost more.

Not only are they cheaper than the AirPods, but they also feature hands-free Alexa and Bose noise reduction. I would consider them a direct rival, even though Apple has announced noise-cancelling AirPods Pro.

According to the company, it expected changes in the Pay-TV industry to be fast. While it is true that the content and network deals are expensive, Vue might have failed to generate the target revenue!

Privacy is slowly becoming an elusive subject, with more and more apps gathering data (at times) without users' consent. Would you opt for an app that enables you to share your location, speed and battery life, among other things? It should never enter public use.

Gaming laptops, aside for their gaming capabilities, are known to be bulky machines. It’s needed because of the added components and for ventilation. Razer has always had an outstanding gaming laptop line. The Razer Blade 2018, for example, was one of the best gaming notebooks you could buy. It had a powerful GPU and CPU combo, a great 15.6-inch screen, and most importantly, an almost impossibly thin profile. It was an incredible mix of internals because of the chassis that it came wrapped in was that of a 14-inch laptop. In fact, some laptops with much less powerful GPUs and a slightly bigger profile tended to heat up when taxed. The Razer Blade had none of these issues. For the Ultrabook segment, they have the Razer Blade Stealth. But that was straight up not a gaming-oriented device no matter how much they tried to push is it as such. Therefore, when I heard that the company is coming up with a Razer Blade Stealth with a GTX 1650, I was genuinely flabbergasted. Thin and Light The new 13.3-inch screen makes it as stealthy as ever. In a coffee shop filled with MacBook Airs and Surface Pros, the Razer Blade Stealth would feel right at home. It doesn’t take up much space on the table, so you’d have room leftover for your coffee. For a computer that comes with a GTX 1650, the 0.6-inch thickness is nearly impossible to imagine. Sure, some high-end ultraportable notebooks like the Huawei Matebook X Pro come with a discrete MX 250, but the performance in graphics crunching power is nowhere near the GTX 1650. It's important to note, however, that while it still falls within the category of an Ultrabook, it’s quite a bit heavier and thicker than its predecessor. The added GPU component takes its toll here. Having said that, it's still quite a looker. It’s a got a unibody metal construction in matte black that gives credence to its stealth moniker while giving it a touch of luxury too. However, its thinness limits some of its capabilities too. For example, instead of individually lit RGB keys, Razer opted for a single colour across the entire keyboard. Although you can still change the colour if you want, you'll just have to settle for just one. Another concern is cooling. Will the slim design have the proper ventilation? That’s something that we’d have to figure out later when they finally start shipping. Ultrapowerful Ultrabook It’s the first Ultrabook-class laptop that has a proper GTX GPU. So right now, it’s the only one in its category - a proper gaming Ultraportable. This lets Razer charge a hefty premium for this device. They’re shipping it at $1,800. But that’s for the FHD equipped with the GTX 1650 GPU. If you want to go 4K, you’d have to fork out $2,000. There’s a $1,500 ‘mercury white’ version without the GPU, though. What it’s got going for it is the 25W TDP processor with an integrated GPU. If you already loved the previous versions of the Razer Blade Stealth, you’d love this spec update too. If your workflow is more on the processor-heavy side, you should opt for this one. The integrated Iris Plus graphics card that it comes with is also a capable gaming performer even if it is a bit underwhelming compared to the next option. Those are, admittedly, pretty steep prices but for the performance you’ll be getting, they’re pretty reasonable. It must be noted, however, that the GTX 1650 that it comes with is Max-Q. This means it’s not as powerful as the desktop version. But, whatever the case, it’s the most powerful GPU ever put on a 13-incher. Which 13-inch laptop have you used that can play ultra-settings on Doom at 60 frames per second? Each model also comes with 16GB of RAM. So, whether you’re a multitasking savant with 52 browser tabs open or you just like playing RAM hungry games, you’re sure to be home free with the Razer Blade Stealth. As a bonus, all the models would also come with a faster M.2 SSD which makes more efficient use of the Thunderbolt 3 port that it comes with. Data transfers using that port should be a lot faster than the last model because of this upgrade. To make sure that the processing power can keep up with the graphics power, Razer paired the GTX 1650 with a 10th Generation Intel i7 on all versions available. Monster Battery Life When it comes to battery life, discrete GPU-equipped laptops are usually the laggards of the notebook world. For one thing, space constraints because of the added component make a big battery a physical impossibility. Another thing is that the GPU draws extra power when it’s being used so when you’re actually engaging it in a task, you’ll use even more battery power. This makes the unplugged gaming experience, not even worth it to try. Razer boasts that it can last 10-11 hours per charge if you use it as a regular laptop. Gaming use, however, is still a bit of a mystery. But, knowing how other gaming laptops perform with the same day-to-day activities, I reckon the Razer Blade Stealth could go for at least an hour longer. The Razer Blade Stealth has always been marketed as a gaming Ultrabook. The previous versions, however, have been limited as a gaming machine by the integrated graphics that they came with. Sure, they were capable of playing games but they weren't capable of playing them well. To do that, you must plug it into some sort of an external GPU via the Thunderbolt 3 port. This upgraded Razer Blade Stealth is the first in its line to truly embody what they’re marketed for. A true gaming laptop that could play games at max settings with decent frame rates. In fact, it’s probably the first in the Ultrabook category to be able to boast this. It’s now become a truly portable gaming PC that you can take anywhere. Well done, Razer!

The tech world moves fast. It feels like every other month new handsets are coming out from the countless smartphone manufacturers out there. Each one routinely releases phones that are just a simple spec bump from the last generation. A couple of new colour options and a slight change in the processor and Apple calls the iPhone 7 an upgrade from the iPhone 6. Samsung has a similar approach. The jump from the Galaxy S8 to the S9, for example, is so unimpressive that you might mistake one for the other if you don’t look at where the fingerprint scanners were placed. This is because the tech hardware industry’s release schedule has become famous for following a strict release schedule for upgrades just to maximize sales. iPhones, for example, are released on or before the final quarter of the year to make sure that they get some of that holiday shopping cash. During this segment of the year, people are more willing to part with their cash than at any other time. Others take this even further. OnePlus, for example, release phones in both the 2nd and 4th quarter of the year. This makes innovating less of a priority. What we end up in is a sea of new phones every year and an even bigger ocean of outdated ones that can still function well for what they’re intended for. All of this results in an avalanche of choices for consumers. This aggressive upgrade cycle has a pretty nuanced effect on consumers. While some people need to scratch the itch of the new upgrade whenever their favourite device gets a new model, some people have the complete opposite reaction and choose to hold on to their devices even longer. Which they can do because outdated doesn't mean unusable in the gadget world. In the long run, it’s the consumers who win. It all makes for an exciting market. So, if you're one to go for value rather than flashy new features, here are a few tips on how you can leverage the highly competitive market to score great gadgets for less. Buy Last Year’s Model As mentioned before, some manufacturer's release schedules are so gruelling that it leaves virtually no room to implement innovations between devices. The iPhone SE, for example, is basically a recycled design with updated specs. If you're not too conscious about using an old-model phone, you can save a lot of money by buying last year's model. They're often just as capable as current-generation models. Some companies don't even stop manufacturing old models because they often keep selling them even if they've already released new ones. The sales numbers for these outdated phones often sustain a decent range because of the slashed prices. Versions of the bestselling iPhone 6, for example, stopped rolling out of assembly lines only in 2018 – a good 4 generations since its original release. You can stretch your cash even further by buying gadgets second-hand. Just make sure that you have the know-how on choosing which ones to pick. Research Where and When to Buy Gadgets at the Best Price Geography can play a huge role in a certain product’s pricing. For one thing, the laws of the land must be observed in pricing. Some places impose more on certain products which could drive the prices of products higher in some places and lower in others. Ever thought about buying a Surface device in Canada? Holding off on your purchase until you go to a US territory could potentially save you hundreds of dollars. Different stores might also sell the same items for different prices. Everything depends on what sale is in place in each location. This makes it important to do your research before pulling the trigger on your purchase. Know when the item you’re after is going on sale and buy it when the price is more acceptable to you. Your gadgets, after all, are a kind of investment. Buy low when you can so you can make most out of it. If you prefer shopping for your gadgets online, you could also take advantage of the vast browser extensions available. They scour the internet for deals for the same item you're looking at. This saves you the hassle of searching the internet manually for each store. With just a click of the button, you can compare prices and deals on offer. This applies to current-generation devices as well. Black Friday is one of the biggest sales of the year in a lot of countries. Retail stores such as Bestbuy and Gearbest in the United States often put the latest devices on sale at these times too. The Surface Pro 6, for example, went on sale immediately during Black Friday which took almost $100 off on the original price. Make Your Devices Last Inflation isn’t the only thing making new gadgets cost more over time. Manufacturers have been slowly increasing prices too. For a while, the iPhone’s base price was at $1,000. But upon noticing a dip in sales because of it, they’ve brought it back down with the current generation of iPhones. If people are willing to spend a premium on devices, their prices will continue to rise. The keyword there is ‘if'. People were unwilling to buy $1,000 iPhone XS. This gave rise to the popularity of the iPhone XR. The pricing and branding of the follow up to that generation of iPhones is a direct response to this. It proves that upon reaching resistance, Apple and presumably other tech companies, are nimble enough to adapt to the market forces. Devices have gotten so good in recent years that you don't need to buy the next-generation device that directly comes after yours. This makes it easier to hold on to the device that you currently have especially if you don’t need the current generation of devices. There are also software and hardware upgrades that you can still exhaust. Is your iPhone battery giving up on you? Get the Apple-branded Smart Battery Case. Or better yet, try to see if you're eligible for the battery replacement schemes that Apple has implemented recently. The same goes for the other components of your phone. So, if you don’t need to buy the latest one, my simple advice is to just don’t. You’ll be saving a lot more money that you can use to buy the generation or two after the current one.

We have subscription services all around us, but I don't see how buying MP3s can be an alternative to Spotify. With Microsoft pushing us to a subscription model of Office, Google Docs comes in handy!

I have always been restarting my PC through the Start menu, but the method I like most is through the command prompt, with a batch file. It will be interesting to alternate between all these options, from time-to-time.