Brad Molen
Articles by Brad Molen
IRL: Samsung's Galaxy Note Edge isn't great for lefties
I've been using my phone upside-down for the last two weeks. I didn't lose a bet, nor am I carrying out some weird social experiment. I'm doing it because I hold my phones left-handed, and that's the only way I can comfortably use the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. With a screen that wraps around the right side of the phone, the Edge is the only smartphone I've used where being a righty or lefty has had a direct impact on my purchase decision; to a lefty, it's uncomfortable and inconvenient to use, and you're better off sticking with its close relative, the Galaxy Note 4. Here's why.
HTC RE Camera review: a fun personal shooter with room to grow
My father's camcorder was a common sight on childhood vacations. Trips to Mount Rainier, the Oregon Coast, Disneyland, skiing, weddings -- you name it, there's video evidence of my siblings and I enjoying time together. I'm lucky to have grown up in an era where this technology was available, but today these memories can be captured more easily and with less sophisticated (read: less expensive) equipment. We have quick and easy access to cameras at a moment's notice, thanks to smartphones and tablets, and now another form factor is starting to gain momentum: personal cameras. With the exception of the GoPro, this genre is now seeing an influx of small, hand-held devices that are small enough to put in your pocket or bag and can still take decent photos and videos. HTC is one of the companies rushing to get into this space with the RE camera (pronounced "Ree"), an awkwardly named gadget that's shaped like a tube, packs a 16-megapixel camera and 1080p HD video capture and features cross-platform support so Android and iOS users alike can take advantage of it. Can this tiny camera take the place of my father's camcorder? What else is it good for? And is it worth paying $200 even if you already have a smartphone camera? Keep Reading to find out.
Dropbox Carousel comes to iPad and web today, Android tablets soon
Ever since the first cloud storage services hit the web, they've been a prime destination for thousands upon thousands of uploaded photos. Unfortunately, many of those services don't have polished user interfaces that allow for easy viewing and sharing -- unless you're just a big fan of file manager-esque folders and list views. In April, Dropbox debuted Carousel, an app that seeks to solve that problem by grouping your images together by date and letting you scroll through endless years of photos and sharing your favorites with friends and family. The service was only offered on iPhones and Android smartphones until today, when Dropbox announced that it's now available for iPads and the web, with support for Android tablets coming in the coming weeks.
Unsure about buying an EV? This Heads-Up Display may someday help
Say you've thought about getting an electric vehicle but didn't want to take the plunge until you were absolutely certain that you wouldn't wind up on the side of the highway with a dead battery. It's a legitimate concern known as "range anxiety," but assuaging that problem involves either manually keeping track of everywhere you go from day to day or actually buying the car and figuring it out as you go along. The AT&T Foundry, a startup incubator tasked with coming up with clever new tech products, has designed a Heads Up Display (HUD) that may sooth the nerves of skeptical EV shoppers. The lightweight HUD can be placed inside your gas vehicle and programmed to mimic the dashboard of whatever EV model you're thinking of buying. As you go through your daily grind, you get a feel in real-time of how far you can drive before needing a recharge.
Samsung's streaming video service comes to US Galaxy phones today
Over eight months after releasing Milk, its own take on streaming music, Samsung's unleashing an online video service in the US called Milk Video. Just as its music service seemed to take on competitors like Spotify and Rdio, its movie counterpart is similar to options such as YouTube and Vimeo, with a few differences here and there. Much of the free app's content comes from partnerships like Funny or Die, Vevo, The Onion and CollegeHumor, and the list of videos is curated by Samsung and placed into category-specific feeds, such as tech, comedy and music; you can also set up your own personal feed that's comprised of stuff you and your friends like. There's also a social aspect, in which you can follow brands, users and groups and see which videos they repost, and you'll be able to share your favorites on Twitter or Facebook.
With Movie Creator, Microsoft wants to help produce better highlight reel videos
HTC's done it. So has Sony. It's available on iOS. Even BlackBerry's got one. Apps that let you take your favorite clips and images and merge them together into a fun highlight reel aren't uncommon these days, but that's not stopping Microsoft from coming out with one of its own -- and one that it feels is even better than the competition. Called Movie Creator, the premise is exactly the same as what everyone else has, but Microsoft promises its version will come with more customization, an easier user experience, less time required to create a video and no price tag. It'll be available as a free beta starting today for all WP8.1 Lumia devices, the Lumia 2520 and Surface tablets, which means that Microsoft will even offer the feature on lower-end devices like the Lumia 530.
Nexus 6 review: Google shows it can make a big-screen phone
Which is easier to juggle on your daily commute: a small smartphone and tablet together, or a 6-inch phone that merges features from both? Consumers once leaned toward the former, but many have lately changed their minds. The so-called phablet has come a long way since Samsung came out with the first Galaxy Note in 2011, and now it's not uncommon to see several of them as you walk down the street. Nearly every manufacturer has at least one or two such devices in their lineup, so it's about time Google stepped in with some outsized hardware of its own. The company just launched the Nexus 6, a 6-inch phone made in collaboration Motorola that comes with a winning feature list and is just as glorious as the Moto X it shares a likeness with. Aside from being a strong handset in its own right, it's meant to be a blueprint to inspire Google's partners as they work on their own devices. It's not as affordable as Nexus phones from the past two years, but at $649 it's still less than most premium-grade flagships of similar size. With that in mind, let's find out if the Nexus 6 serves as an encouragement... or a disappointment.
Saygus announces a new high-end Android smartphone after five year hiatus
Saygus has been long forgotten over the course of time, only to be remembered by the most hardcore phone enthusiasts. The Utah-based phone maker enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight at CES 2010 with its VPhone, a high-end (at the time) Android QWERTY device capable of doing two-way video calls over molasses-slow networks. The phone disappeared after becoming certified on Verizon's open development initiative in August 2011. Surprisingly, the company's not only alive and kicking, it's working on a brand new high-end phone called the V-Squared (V2?). The smartphone will come with a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon processor (the chipset is unknown, but we'd guess 801), 64GB onboard storage and expandable memory that will "best any competitor," 60GHz Wireless HD for low-latency wireless HD streaming, Qi wireless charging, 3D audio, a high-end camera with OIS, root access and a new type of biometric scanner on the right side of the device. It also says that it has a 3,500mAh battery, but a mysterious new tech is supposed to extend its life by 50 percent. We've obtained images of the V-Squared, which show an interesting angular design on the top and bottom, as well as a hardware camera shutter button.
Five questions for the creator of Google's modular smartphone
It's been just over a year since Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division announced Project Ara, a full-scale effort to produce the world's very first modular smartphone. The team has been working hard and fast to get a unit on the market before the end of its two-year mission, and it's progressing quite nicely: We recently saw a functional "Spiral 1" prototype running on Android, and the next version -- "Spiral 2" -- should be getting into developers' hands later this year. Paul Eremenko, who heads up the Ara team, will be onstage at Engadget Expand with me for a live demonstration and fireside chat. We'll catch up on how things are progressing, how Ara has evolved since its inception, the most interesting use cases for a modular smartphone he's seen so far and also discuss the next Developer Conference, scheduled for January 14th, 2015, in Mountain View, California. In anticipation of his appearance at Expand, I reached out to Eremenko for a quick Q&A about Ara.
I typed my entire BlackBerry Passport review on the phone's tiny keyboard
Apparently I'm a masochist. That's an odd way to begin a review. But to give BlackBerry's latest handset, the Passport, as thorough a review as possible, I decided to type the entire thing from the phone itself. My twisted idea came from a realization that this (mostly) square oddity is the first phone with a physical keyboard that I've used since the Motorola Droid 4 in 2012 or the BlackBerry Q10 in 2013. It's not even a normal keyboard by modern smartphone standards -- it's a flattened, hybrid setup with both physical and virtual elements and a curiously placed space bar. Needless to say, it's an odd device, one that truly deserves the ultimate test: Can I use it to crank out several thousand words of text? Of course, there's more to the Passport than just its odd shape and the company's desire to resurrect a now-antiquated smartphone feature. I'm going to dive into what sets this phone apart from the hundreds of others already on the market -- that is, if my thumbs hold up through the experience.
YouTube CEO confirms music subscription service is coming soon
There have been plenty of rumors about YouTube starting up a music subscription service, including a confirmation from the Google-owned group in June that it was coming later in the summer (which has obviously come and gone). Tonight we heard another confirmation, this time straight from the mouth of CEO Susan Wojcicki. In an interview at Code/Mobile, the executive said that her team was indeed "working on it" and that this is a near-term goal. While she didn't get into specifics on the program, which may or may not be called Music Key (according to rumors, that is), she stated that one of the obstacles is figuring out "how to give people options" -- likely a way of saying that YouTube is still working out the pricing tiers and what features would be available for each individual plan. And given that the service will supposedly include concert footage and other videos, it may be a bit more complex than what competitors like Spotify offer. It's not clear when exactly we'll see this service ready for the public, but this is at least a solid indication that it didn't just completely vanish, never to be enjoyed by our eyes and ears. [Image credit: Getty Images]
The Nexus 9 wasn't designed to be an iPad killer
The Nexus 9 wasn't designed to be an iPad killer; it was designed to inspire Google's Android partners to create one instead. Though you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise: It was announced one day before the iPad Air 2 and mini 3, comes with a powerful 64-bit NVIDIA chip and will be competitively priced with Apple's tablets. But Alberto Villarreal, head of the Nexus 9's industrial design, insists that this wasn't the purpose. "We wanted to accelerate the premium market for Android tablets," Villarreal said. "[The Nexus 9] has a lot of attributes and definitely will bring the quality for other companies to do better."
Android Wear's latest update adds GPS support and offline music playback
Android Wear, Google's four-month-old wearables platform, is off to a good start. But like all nascent systems, there are still plenty of areas that need some TLC. It's got a lot of features and developer support, but it's practically useless if you want to use your smartwatch as a fitness tracker and leave your phone at home. Over the next few days, Google will push a new update to the LG G Watch, Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live that will make your smart timepiece more useful when it's not tethered to your handset.
AT&T's focus on connected cars is beginning to pay off
It's no secret that the US wireless market is saturated, and that most people who want a mobile device have already purchased one by now. Naturally, this means that the national players in the industry are looking for other points of revenue to aid future growth. AT&T is proving that it's one of the most successful in this venture by announcing today that it's activated a heap of connected devices last quarter -- to the tune of 1.3 million. That's a healthy number, especially since the company accumulated only a tenth of that in the previous quarter. This genre refers to a wide range of gadgets that come with an AT&T SIM card inside, but the most interesting part of this announcement is that over 500,000 of those activated devices come from connected cars.
The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 review
It's a conflicting time for Apple. On one hand, it's a joyous occasion for the company because its latest iPhones, which come in larger screen sizes than the last, set new sales records worldwide; but on the other hand, its lineup of iPads just experienced its third straight quarterly decline. Coincidentally, this comes just a week after Apple announced its annual tablet refresh, which includes a thinner and more powerful version of the iPad Air along with a Touch ID-enabled mini with Retina display. Just because it's down doesn't mean it's out. Giving up on a product category isn't really Apple's style, and last week, it offered up the Air 2 as exhibit A. The company made it clear that making a solid top-of-the-line tablet is on the top of its to-do list, so naturally the new 10-inch device got plenty of upgrades in nearly every aspect of its design. Curiously, it didn't give the mini lineup the same kind of treatment: The mini 3 got so little love this time around that the best news about it is the fact that last year's version is now $100 cheaper. Should the new iPads still get a place in the consumer's backpack? Read on to find out.
A first look at the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3
Unlike last month's Apple event, today's shindig was held in a tiny auditorium on the company's campus, nary a single gigantic white box in sight. Arguably, the size of the venue matched the importance of the products being announced -- minor iPad and iMac refreshes don't exactly command the same kind of attention as revamped iPhones and Apple's introduction into the wearables market. This doesn't mean the latest version of the iPad Air and iPad mini aren't worth a closer look, of course; they may be just another iteration of the series, but if you're in the market for a new tablet, there are a few new features to be aware of.
Google's Nexus 9 available early next month with Android 5.0, starts at $399
Today's the day Google fans have been waiting for: the announcement of this fall's Nexus lineup. It's essentially an annual tradition at this point, since the last few Nexus devices have arrived at the same time of year. Along with a 6-inch smartphone and a media streamer called the Nexus Player, Google's introduced an 8.9-inch tablet built by HTC aptly called the Nexus 9. This slate, which is available for pre-order this Friday and in stores on November 9th, starts at $399 for the base 16GB WiFi model; $479 for the 32GB WiFi; and $599 for a 32GB LTE variant that comes packed with penta-band HSPA+, quad-band GSM/EDGE and CDMA. As is often the case with brand-new Nexus phones and tablets, the 9 is among the first to get the latest version of Android -- in this case, it's Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Nexus 9 will be the first in the lineup to come with 64-bit support, thanks to the dual-core 2.3GHz NVIDIA K1 chipset inside. You'll also get 2GB of RAM; an 8MP rear-facing camera with autofocus, BSI and f/2.4 aperture; a 1.6MP selfie camera; dual-band WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; and a 6,700mAh battery. HTC was also able to slide in its signature BoomSound stereo speakers, which have been impressive on its flagship devices. Sadly, wireless charging isn't included. The 7.9mm-thick slate will be available in black and white and weighs in at 425g (436g for LTE).
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review: the best big-screen phone you can buy right now
What began in 2011 as a brand-new phone category has flourished into one of the most popular in the world. Smartphones with big screens (phablets, to some) are now ubiquitous, but it all started with an odd device called the Samsung Galaxy Note. At 5.3 inches, it was a behemoth for its day -- and yet, it sold like hotcakes thanks to its unique S Pen stylus, which provided users with extra functionality, and a copious amount of screen space. Four iterations later, the Note series has continued to grow, mature and dominate the genre. Not only does the latest version, the Galaxy Note 4, come with the snazziest spec sheet on the market, but it also ushers in a fantastic new direction in Samsung's design. It sure sounds like an improvement over last year's model, and it is. Now that Apple's ready to tackle the Note with a large-screen phone of its own, however, is Samsung's baby still the best in its class?
Sony's Xperia flagship and smartwatch are coming to Verizon this fall
Over the last few years, Sony has struggled to make a dent in the US smartphone market. Aside from the Xperia Z1S on T-Mobile and the Xperia Ultra Google Play Edition, American buyers haven't been exposed to the global Sony smartphone lineup. That's why we were happy to learn last month that T-Mobile will carry the electronics giant's latest flagship, the Z3, and today Verizon announced that it will begin offering its own variant, known as the Z3v, on October 23rd for $200 on-contract. Additionally, the Sony Smartwatch 3 will make its way to the same carrier later this fall for $250.
HTC's RE camera is a GoPro for NoPros
Periscope. Asthma inhaler. PVC pipe. These are just a few items that came to mind the first time I saw HTC's first standalone camera, which the company is simply -- and oddly -- calling the RE. Even though nothing about this device is normal, it's catered to the interests of the average Joe. "If you're going whitewater rafting down rapids, use a GoPro," an HTC marketing executive said, pointing out that the RE isn't supposed to compete with the popular action cam. No, HTC's brand-new imaging device, which should retail for around $200 when it hits US retail outlets like Best Buy later this month, is in a completely different category. But the biggest challenge HTC faces is in convincing buyers that this is better, faster and easier than simply pulling your phone out of your pocket when you need a quick shot.