Killian Bell is a 20-something technology journalist based in a tiny town in England. He has an obsession with that little company in Cupertino which has been growing rapidly since he bought his first Mac several years ago, and in an attempt to curb it somewhat, he also writes for Cult of Mac. His fascination with technology began with his first Nokia 5110 a long time ago. When he isn't tapping away behind a keyboard, he's either putting his thumbs to work in front of a PlayStation or spending time with his fiancée and two daughters.
Google has removed more than 300 apps from the Play Store after it was revealed that they were hijacking Android devices to perform secret distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Security researches who discovered the seemingly innocuous apps say that around 70,000 devices may have been infected. The apps claimed to provide a variety of seemingly legitimate services, such as...
BlackBerry has confirmed that the KEYone will be receiving an Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade. A timeframe for the release isn’t available just yet, but users can be sure it’s on its way, complete with features like picture-in-picture, notification dots, Instant Apps, and more. Google made Oreo official on Monday after previewing the update at Google I/O...
Kaspersky Labs has dropped its antitrust complaints about Microsoft after the software giant agreed to change the way in which it delivers security updates to Windows users. The battle started over a year ago when Kaspersky accused Microsoft of making it difficult for third-party antivirus providers to serve Windows 10 users. Kaspersky was unhappy with some of the changes made in...
It’s easy to hide your browsing habits in Google Chrome, thanks to incognito mode. But if you’re not careful, your questionable searches could be revealed by the words remembered by your keyboard. Now Google is rolling out an update to fix that. In version 6.4.11 of its Gboard keyboard for Android, Google has added a new incognito mode. It first showed up in an Android O preview, but...
Vertu, the British firm that manufactures luxury smartphones costing up to $52,000, is closing down. The news comes just four months after the company was purchased by businessman Murat Hakan Uzan, who was unable to save it from bankruptcy. Vertu has been struggling for some time as the world’s wealthiest ditch luxury handsets coated in diamonds, gold, and alligator skin in favor of...
Samsung has teamed up with ESPN to bring virtual reality sports to Gear VR owners. Starting this Thursday, those with a headset and compatible Galaxy device will be able to stream this year's X Games in VR for free. Samsung will be showing the Skateboard Vert, BMX Street, and Skateboard Street Amateurs competitions from Thursday through Saturday via its Samsung VR app. All you need to...
If you're still clinging onto a Windows Phone 8.1 handset, it might be time to think about upgrading. Microsoft is ending mainstream support for the platform today, July 11, which means it will no longer receive software updates. Windows Phone 8.1 made its debut just over three years ago, and it hasn't received a significant update since May 2015. You may have believed it was already...
If you're still running an early version of Windows 10, prepare yourself for pesky popups urging you to upgrade. Microsoft has confirmed that it will begin warning users that their operating system is reaching "end of service" and will no longer receive security updates. Every Windows release is more secure than the last, so by ensuring your computer is always up to date, you're less...
Samsung has rolled out a new update for its TouchWiz Home launcher on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that promises to address lag. It fixes a specific bug that caused devices to stutter when opening and closing the app drawer with a swipe gesture. Powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 processor, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are some of the snappiest...
You can now enjoy your favorite tracks offline when using the Spotify app for Samsung Gear S3. The feature enables users to take their music with them when they go for a run or hit the gym, without having to carry their smartphone. Spotify has been supporting Samsung watches since the Gear S2, allowing subscribers to control music playback from their...
Samsung Pay finally expanded its reach into the United Kingdom on May 16, and just over a month later, it is picking up support for two additional banks. The service now accepts credit and debit cards from six banks in total, but there are still some big omissions. As of today, customers who use HSBC, First Direct, and M&S Bank can add their cards to Samsung Pay. When the service...
If you’re planning to buy Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop, make sure you get plenty of RAM and storage on day one, because you can forget about upgrading it later. An iFixit teardown reveals the machine is even more difficult to repair than Apple’s MacBook. You can’t even get into it without causing serious, irreversible damage. Just like Microsoft’s other...
Samsung has begun rolling out a new update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ that limits the number of colors you can choose for the background of the navigation bar. Only light shades are available now, presumably to protect your gorgeous Infinity Display from burn-in. Until now, Samsung not only offered darker colors — including black, which is the...
The upcoming Nokia 9 is edging closer to making its official debut after reaching the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval. The flagship device is expected to deliver high-end specifications and premium design as Nokia partner HMD Global looks to take on the likes of Samsung, LG, and Google. Since the Nokia brand re-entered the smartphone market, fans have been eagerly...
Andy Rubin’s exciting new Essential Phone will be a Sprint exclusive in the United States. Essential says that it believes Sprint is “the network of the future” and the perfect partner to help build its new brand. Customers will still be able to purchase the handset unlocked for use on other carriers. Unveiled in late May after months of teasers, the Essential Phone is one of the most...
The BlackBerry KEYone has been surprisingly well-received by fans and critics since making its debut, but if you’re buying one, be sure you don’t accidentally sit on it. Although the device holds up well when it comes to scratches and scuffs, it fails miserably in a bend test. The KEYone offers almost everything a BlackBerry fan could want in a...
Microsoft has begun testing a massive Windows 10 update that is now available to Windows Insiders. The release brings a boosted Game Mode, improvements to Edge, a new look for Action Center, and lots, lots more. The release sports build number 16215 on PC, and 15222 on mobile. The PC release is by far the most significant, with a long list of big changes,...
Samsung has rolled out a big update for its Gear Fit2 to deliver improved fitness tracking. Users can look forward to better heart rate monitoring and exercise-tracking abilities, plus new ways to “maximize their training.” Launched last June, the Gear Fit2 delivers an improved design, built-in GPS, and better specifications. As its name suggests, it’s focused on fitness tracking,...
At Computex 2017 in Taipei today, MSI unveiled its new Infinite A gaming PC, aimed at those who enjoy silence. The machine delivers high-end performance for playing the latest titles, plus special cooling technology that prevents it from becoming too loud under heavy load. Infinite A's primary focus is to give gamers "infinite possibilities to play the way they want," MSI says. The...
Samsung has insisted that the Galaxy S8's iris scanner cannot be fooled easily in the real world. Its statement comes after a video showing the scanner being unlocked by a dummy eye surfaced earlier this week. The Galaxy S8 isn't the first Samsung smartphone to carry an iris scanner — that title goes to the Galaxy Note 7. But it is the most popular iris-scanning handset on the market...