Cell Phones

Sometimes two products work together so well that they mesh into an extension of one another and become that much better than either is on its own. Each might be pretty cool, but together, they becomes something special. That’s the case with Samsung’s Galaxy S5 smartphone and its Galaxy Fit fitness band. I had a week to try out these Samsung flagship devices and came away impressed with how well the two combine into what’s currently one of the best experiences out there for someone with an active, connected lifestyle.

Every year Google holds a conference aimed at its developer community. Every year a preview of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system is shown and sometimes there are some surprise appearances —like the public debut of Google Glass at I/O 2012. This year, a wicked fast and new-look Android was revealed (it’s “L” for now, with no sweet-themed name attached), Android Auto was announced for connected cars, Google Fit confirmed the rumours Google is interested in your health, Android Wear showed off awesome new smartwatches from LG and Samsung while Android TV is another crack at conquering your living room. Basically, the theme was Android everywhere. Here’s what you need to know from Google I/O 2014.

Samsung unveiled the latest two iterations of one of its flagships in the Galaxy Note 10, plus a new smartwatch and tablet to round out a new product suite.

Avani has taken a different approach to designing smartphone cases. They’ve used premium materials and combined them with stellar workmanship and attention to details. The results are fashionable, elegant and sophisticated cases that make your Samsung Galaxy , Samsung Note and iPhone  really stand out from the crowd. Here’s a preview of these stylish cases, now available at Best Buy.

Fans of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system have less choice in smartphones than their Android counterparts, so it’s always news when a new device arrives in Canada. Nokia’s Lumia line of smartphones set the standard for the Windows Phone experience and the Lumia 625 is set to raise the bar for value-priced Windows mobile devices. Improving on 2012’s Lumia 620, the 625 gains a faster Snapdragon CPU, bigger display, LTE compatibility and a leap in battery life. There are some compromises compared to the 620 (for example, NFC support has been dropped) but the Lumia 625 provides much of the experience of more expensive smartphones in a budget-friendly device. Expect to see it soon at Best Buy.  

In some respects, LG has nothing to lose. Quietly building momentum with the previous two flagship smartphone iterations, the G3 and G4, the G5 has turned the company’s previous efforts on their heads. Having embraced an all-metal body for the phone, the design philosophy swerves dramatically to make it modular, too. Not only is the battery removable, but the idea is to enhance the phone’s features with hardware add-ons.

During the past week, the world’s leading manufacturers of mobile electronics —smartphones, tablets and wearable technology— have been showcasing their latest products at Mobile World Congress 2014. MWC is the mobile industry’s equivalent to the Consumer Electronics Show and that means big names (Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a keynote) along with big product reveals —like the Samsung Galaxy S5. Basically, If you want to know what to expect in the world of mobile for 2014, just look at what’s on display at Mobile World Congress. Our MWC 2014 wrap-up covers the big news from Barcelona.

I’ve cracked, smashed, and did a little water damage to a few smartphones in my time, so when I was asked to try Hitcase iPhone cases, I was happy to do it. But Hitcase goes beyond a standard iPhone case; they have TrueLUX lenses to give you a new perspective on every iPhone photo you take.

Following the trend of most smartphone makers that have phones in 2 sizes, ASUS ZenFone 5Z and 5Q offers a standard sized and a larger supersized model.

Motorola has already unveiled its reimagined Razr smartphone, but CES 2020 offered the opportunity to see how cool a newer flip might be.