Tech news

Apple’s wireless tracker aided US authorities to track down and arrest what seem to be Texas’ graverobber state champions, if such a discipline existed. http://dlvr.it/SrS9tx

Venmo is rolling out support for accepting payments with Tap to Pay for business users on both iOS and Android. The feature uses the NFC function built into many smartphones and requires no extra hardware. "Small business owners can onboard in just a few simple steps and start accepting contactless cards and digital wallets through their Venmo business profile. Tap to Pay on Android will be available for all Venmo business profile users in the coming months.... Tap to Pay on Android is also now available for all PayPal Zettle users in the U.S. ... In addition, Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available to select Venmo business profile and PayPal Zettle users, with plans to make it available to all Venmo business profile and PayPal Zettle users in the U.S. soon." http://dlvr.it/SrPQCp

Roku has just announced an amazing deal for those who love racing competitions. http://dlvr.it/SrLc3x

Qualcomm has a new Snapdragon 4 chip for entry-level phones. Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 brings improved performance and efficiency, largely thanks to a newer 4nm manufacturing process. (The Gen 1 used an older 6nm process.) Qualcomm claims the Gen 2 has up to 10% better CPU performance. Despite the name, Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 isn't necessarily a direct replacement for the Gen 1. Qualcomm Director of Product Management Matthew Lopatka explained that the goal with this chip is to make a 5G Snapdragon chip that is more affordable. Still, the Gen 2 is a more modern chip and does have several upgrades over the Gen 1. For example, the memory and storage systems get a bump: Gen 2 supports faster LPDDR5x RAM (up to 3,200 MHz) and UFS 3.1 (2-lane) storage. Qualcomm has also added new noise-reduction features to the image processing systems, including Multi Camera Temporal Filtering (MCTF) for video. The 4 series also gains Qualcomm's impressive AI-enhanced background noise removal for clear sound ...

Samsung's affordable Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is 25% off. http://dlvr.it/SrDsdk

A lucky man in the U.K. received his Pixel Fold a few days early and shared his impression of the device on Reddit. http://dlvr.it/SrBnLt

The NFC Forum — the group tasked with developing and overseeing the standards for NFC ("tap") technology — has announced five specific priorities for enhancing NFC technology over the next five years. Increased range will allow NFC "taps" to work at a distance of up to 3 centimeters, eliminating the need for precise alignment of antennas. (The current standard calls for a range of just 5mm.) Increased Power for NFC Wireless Charging will boost the charging power from 1 watt to 3 watts, making this little-used feature applicable to more use cases. Multiple Purpose Tap will enable multiple transactions in a single tap, such as providing loyalty card and payment card info at the same time. The NFC is also looking to standardize SoftPOS, the feature that allows any smartphone to act as a payment terminal. Apple introduced its own version of this last year as "Tap to Pay on iPhone". Another new feature will standardize a type of electronic recycling label that ...

The recently released OnePlus Nord N30 5G mid-ranger is discounted by a cool $100 with upfront carrier activation and bundled with a nice little gift card by Best Buy with no strings attached. http://dlvr.it/Sr689t

Oops. Amazon is in trouble. But Prime Day is still going to happen! http://dlvr.it/Sr67zy

Instagram is rolling out a new feature for its users in the US, allowing them to download public Reels. http://dlvr.it/Sr3F1Q

If you've always wanted to go on an off-grid adventure with all your gadgets and not worry over battery life, pick Jackery's portable power station. http://dlvr.it/Sr0LhL

The Apple Watch gets a bad rep for not having enough customization options and Apple seems to have a good reason for keeping it that way. http://dlvr.it/Sr0LWS

Carl Pei reveals new transparent type C cable for Nothing Phone 2 http://dlvr.it/SqxNf2

You did not expect a charger in the box, did you? http://dlvr.it/SqtbjG

Carl Pei’s sneaky genius combines the best of iPhone and Android + killer price for the new Nothing Phone 2. Take an early look. http://dlvr.it/SqtbSq

High-quality Galaxy Watch 6 and 6 Classic images have leaked. http://dlvr.it/SqrWYc

If you're out for a new gadget to make daily tasks easier, you might want to check out the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. It's now on sale at Amazon UK, too. http://dlvr.it/SqpYzR

OnePlus has launched the OnePlus Nord N30 5G in the US, offering well-rounded mid-range specs but two unusual features: a 108 megapixel main camera and 50-watt fast charging. It's available from T-Mobile, Metro, and unlocked. The Samsung main camera sensor operates in 9-pixel-binning mode by default, outputting high-quality 12 megapixel images even in low light. Or it can use the extra pixels to offer up to 6x zoom. The two other rear cameras are a 2 megapixel macro camera and 2 megapixel depth camera. The front camera is 16 megapixel. The 6.72-inch LCD display offers FHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh. It's powered by a Snapdragon 695 chip paired with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage (expandable by up to 1 TB). Other features include NFC, a headset jack, and stereo speakers. OnePlus promises one OS upgrade and three years of bi-monthly security updates. T-Mobile is selling the phone for $264, Metro is selling it for $280, and OnePlus is selling it directly for $300. It is approved ...

On June 15th, AT&T kicks off pre-orders of the Razr+ with a deal that offers the phone for 36 monthly payments of $5 without a trade-in. http://dlvr.it/Sqj1v0

A team at Google has revealed that the Pixel Recorder App is mostly being used for short memos of 3 minutes or less. http://dlvr.it/Sqf7qc

Google is optimizing the Google Drive and Docs apps on Android to improve the experience on foldable devices. http://dlvr.it/SqbFKc

Microsoft's impressive Surface Pro 7+ plummets to an affordable price and also includes a free accessory. http://dlvr.it/SqXP83

Detailed report says the Pixel 8 Pro will get two new cameras and many new features. http://dlvr.it/SqVKZx

Android 14 may bring some nifty stylus features to the Pixel Tablet, and possibly other devices. http://dlvr.it/SqSBRH

Almost all of the best phones money can buy right now, from the Pixel 7 Pro to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and from the iPhone 14 Plus to the OnePlus 10T, are featured on our latest weekly list of hot mobile tech deals at killer discounts. http://dlvr.it/SqSBCj

Last year, we were introduced to the Zenfone 9, and now, its successor, the Zenfone 10, has been officially confirmed by ASUS, along with the phone's front design. http://dlvr.it/SqPLQ1

The smartwatch if full of fancy features and is just perfect for runners, skiers, surfers, and climbers http://dlvr.it/SqLJ67

The newest version of Google Photos is rolling out a more streamlined and decluttered Settings menu http://dlvr.it/SqH9tV

Apple has announced iOS 17, due in the fall. It includes a long list of new features. StandBy is a new interface mode that activates when you turn the iPhone 90º while idle. It acts like a home smart display, offering a clock, widgets, photos, music, and a special interface for Siri. The Phone app adds contact Posters, which let you customize a full-screen photo with text for each contact, displayed during incoming calls and across the OS. Live Voicemail displays a live transcript as someone leaves you a voicemail message. FaceTime now includes video voicemail. Autocorrect now uses more intelligent machine learning, considers sentence context, and adds sentence auto-complete and personalized learning. Apple also promises fewer "ducking" mistakes. Check In lets someone receive automatic updates on your trip to a safe destination. It provides interactive prompts if you're running late. If you're late and not responding, (and therefore potentially in trouble,) it automat...

All 1.8 billion active Gmail users need to read this warning before opening the next letter in their inbox. http://dlvr.it/Sq8xf7

Samsung's weird choices ruined the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera for millions of users but this will help you fix it forever! It works on almost all Galaxy phones. http://dlvr.it/Sq6k0T

Tipster Digital Chat Station says to expect the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 to be introduced a few weeks earlier than last year's SoC. http://dlvr.it/Sq4W5R

Some say there are only Apple and Samsung in the starry smartphone sky, but they're wrong. The brand that started it all has an ace up its sleeve, and now you can get it with a hefty discount. We're talking about Motorola, of course. http://dlvr.it/Sq1cVz

A bill of materials (BoM) analysis shows that the price Samsung paid for components is minuscule compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra's price. http://dlvr.it/Spyb0N