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Walmart and Sam's Club will start accepting contactless / tap payments at select locations starting August 24, with all locations accepting them by the end of the year. This will extend to the company's fuel stations by mid-2027. This will include Apple Pay, Google Pay, smartwatches with NFC payment, and contactless/tap plastic cards. The company, one of the US's largest retailers, has long…
Fairphone has started selling its sustainable, repairable phones directly in the US, starting with the new Fairphone (Gen. 6+). Previous Fairphone models were only available in the US via partner Murena, which pre-loaded its own /e/OS, a "de-Googled" version of Android. Fairphone will now ship its phones directly to the US with a standard Google version of Android, with software updates until…
Google has announced the Pixel 11 series of phones, with the same general design and three options as last year's Pixel 10 series, but with a few upgrades. All three are powered by Google's new Tensor G6 chip, which Google claims delivers 25% faster web browsing, 15% quicker app launches, and AI processing that's up to 3.5x faster and 3.5x more power-efficient. Fast Qi 2.2 25W wireless charging —…
Google has made a good number of improvements to its flagship foldable phone, while keeping the book-style design mostly the same. As expected, the price has ticked up by $100 to start at $1,899, although for the next two weeks, Google is offering a free Pixel Watch 5 (worth $399) or $350 Google Store credit. The new Pixel 11 Pro Fold is 10% lighter and ~1mm thinner than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.…
Google has introduced its newest smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 5, with a long list of improvements over the Pixel Watch 4. The watch's GPS system now compensates for nearby buildings and real-time weather conditions when calculating location. Google claims this offers 2x accuracy in challenging environments, outperforming high-end competing smartwatches. New health features include Breathing…
Google has introduced the Pixel Tag, its first tracking tag device. While Google has long offered its own, Android-device-based Bluetooth tracking network via Find Hub, it has previously relied on third parties to make the actual tracking tag hardware. The new Pixel Tag has a flattened pill shape with stainless steel on one side to resist flexing. Crucially, it has both Bluetooth Channel Sounding…
The FCC today voted to start a formal exploration of how it might allow D2D (direct-to-device) satellite services for unlicensed devices (Wi-Fi or similar) in unlicensed radio frequencies (the same as used by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth). Before any such service can be launched, the Commission will still need to investigate how to avoid interference with existing devices and services, solicit industry and…
"Apple Upgrade" is the company's new program for leasing its devices, in partnership with Klarna. Leasing options include one or two years for iPhones. For an iPhone 17, a two-year lease is $23/month while a one-year lease runs $33/month. At the end of the lease term, customers can pay the remaining amount to buy the phone outright, return the phone to lease a newer model, or return the phone and…
The US Department of Justice is attempting to prosecute someone for giving border agents a "duress password" when they asked to search his phone. The duress password is a feature of the privacy-focused GrapheneOS that immediately wipes all data from the phone instead of unlocking it. GrapheneOS is an open-source project that aims to be Android-app-compatible and can be loaded onto certain Pixel…
Google has announced that select Pixels and new Samsung foldable phones will be the first Android phones to come with a new and improved, built-in transfer tool for users switching from an iPhone. The new tool can wirelessly transfer your Google Account, passwords, Wi-Fi credentials, and even your eSIM. This is in addition to data already supported by such tools, including photos, videos,…
Mophie has introduced four new Powerstation Plus power banks with integrated USB-C cables plus another USB-C port for dual-device charging. They come in two sizes: "mini 5K" with 5,000 mAh capacity, and "10K" with 10,000 mAh capacity. The higher-end Signature series is made with premium materials and offers faster charging (20 or 30 watts). The top-end 10K model has two cables and can charge three…
