What stops YOU from using the Google Pixel 3a?

The Pixel 3a is CRAZY overkill for just covering the basics, but that seems to be the main takeaway from a lot of reviewers. So, I’m genuinely asking, what do you do on your phone? What would legit stop you from picking up a less expensive device? Let’s chat! Continue reading “What stops YOU from using the Google Pixel 3a?”

Nokia 9 PureView Check Up: No News is Probably Bad News…

Popping in for a minute to see where we stand with the Nokia 9. I slow played the review, and carved it up more, to see if HMD could properly support a premium phone built around a crazy camera experiment. Was my patience rewarded? Let’s take a look… Continue reading “Nokia 9 PureView Check Up: No News is Probably Bad News…”

#CheapPhoneChallenge Begins! TK Bay Meets the XGODY RS!

Just a bit of fun for our channels. Last year TK and I swapped our favorite premium phones of 2018. This year we’re taking a challenge from our friend @FatProduce to spend a week with a CHEAP phone. Who picked the BEST phone under $75? TK finally gets hands on with what I picked out for him! Say hello to the XGODY RS! Continue reading “#CheapPhoneChallenge Begins! TK Bay Meets the XGODY RS!”

Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite Summer Sweepstakes! (Contest Completed!)

***UPDATE 7/16/2019***

Pretty hilarious. I wanted to draw a winner live on yesterday’s podcast, but when I tried logging into Gleam, they were in the middle of a server migration and the entire site was down. You can see the carnage from the podcast here.

It took a while, but I was finally able to pick a winner. Congratulations to @warforge2004 on Twitter! And, a thank you to everyone who participated. I hope to do an international contest soon!

***

I reviewed the M5 Lite a couple months ago, and now I’m partnering with Huawei to give one away!

One lucky winner (USA ONLY) will walk away with a 10″ Android slate, which includes a stylus in the box! You can get more info in the video below, or hit the Gleam.io contest widget for the full rules and list of entries! Happy summer! Good luck!

Continue reading “Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite Summer Sweepstakes! (Contest Completed!)”

Coolpad Legacy on Metro by T-Mobile: Android at $180?

Coolpad Legacy smartphone review! I want to spend more time with mid-range and entry level phones. It’s easy to get spoiled by premium handsets. After spending some time with the $40 Ilumina, the folks at Coolpad had another budget handset for me to check out. We might think phones at this price might be cheap cash grabs targeting the most vulnerable consumers, but this inexpensive phablet might have a few tricks up its sleeve… Continue reading “Coolpad Legacy on Metro by T-Mobile: Android at $180?”

OnePlus 7 Pro: 3 weeks and a trip to Taipei

Checking in on the OnePlus 7 Pro! Three weeks after launch, and a trip to Taipei for Computex, how has this move into the premium market held up? The phone is crazy powerful. It has a gorgeous screen. But, is anything holding it back? Did it live up to my “all-mobile” travel lifestyle, or did I need to lean on another phone for work? Let’s chat! Continue reading “OnePlus 7 Pro: 3 weeks and a trip to Taipei”

Pixel 3a doesn’t just cover the basics: Your tech elitism costs you cash

Before we get into this, I’d like you to check something on your phone. Look through your app drawer. Look up your battery stats. If you use any kind of Digital Wellbeing tracking, look at the list of services used. I’d like you to look up what apps and services really get used on your phone. I’ll come back to this, but you probably already know where I’m going after reading the title of this editorial.

Quick flashback.

In 2016 I was in Germany covering IFA with Jaime for Pocketnow. We had just finished a Huawei presser, the company showing off a new pair of premium mid-range phones. This was a bit confusing between all the various lines of Huawei and Honor gear, but they sent us away with a Nova and a Nova Plus to demo and review.

I was extremely skeptical. This phone was going to be expensive for its internals, starting at 400. Pricing it above my precious Honor 8 felt “wrong”. I am a professional though, so I popped the smaller Nova out of its box, gave Jaime the larger phone, and we shot a first impressions video from our hotel.

Reading the specs, being concerned about price, and then using the phone, those concerns slowly evaporated. Continue reading “Pixel 3a doesn’t just cover the basics: Your tech elitism costs you cash”

Mrs. GadgetGuy’s First Reaction to the OnePlus 7 Pro, Written as a One-Act Play!

I like to check in with my Wife as a barometer for where “general” consumers might be when it comes to new gadgets. She currently uses a work issued iPhone 8 (which she asked for specifically as she wanted a smaller phone with TouchID), and she still has not given back my LG G7 after breaking her previous phone.

Typically when she buys her own phones, she’s leaned towards the entry level. She was excited by her Alcatel Idol 3, where she got a small phone, with stereo speakers, for less than it cost to replace the screen on her cracked Galaxy S5.

After that she got a Moto G5, where she was stoked to have a metal backed phone for cheap. Both the Idol and the Moto succumbed to the destructive environment of her purse, so she’s “borrowing” my G7, in a rugged armor case.

It’s doing OK…

So, I was curious what she would think about the OnePlus 7 Pro. No prep. No coaching. Just put the phone in her hand, and see how she would react.

Unsurprisingly, she kept it pretty practical. Continue reading “Mrs. GadgetGuy’s First Reaction to the OnePlus 7 Pro, Written as a One-Act Play!”