Reviews

The new Fitbit Inspire 3 is an accurate, affordable, and exceedingly comfortable minimalist fitness tracker.

It turns out that just under a third of respondents are happy with camera zoom results.

Your smartphone could soon connect to satellites in space.

We want a processor that's not just a chip off the old block.

Plus, spoons and bowls that can make your food taste salty.

Over the past couple of years, cloud-based gaming has taken off allowing us to enjoy Triple-A games on our mobile devices. Some of these services, such as Google’s Stadia or Amazon’s Luna, have their own dedicated controllers, while other services rely on third-party solutions. That has opened up a market for companies like GameSir to create a lineup of controllers designed specifically for your smartphone. Previously, I reviewed the GameSir X2 Bluetooth controller and we’ve also covered the X3 controller that features a built-in fan. Now, we’ve got our hands on the brand-new GameSir X2 Pro that’s officially licensed by Xbox. DesignWithout a doubt, the GameSir X2 Pro uses the best design of any mobile controller. It is built to turn your phone into a gaming machine much like a Nintendo Switch. My favorite mobile controllers all use this design, and it’s a big improvement over mounting your phone to an ordinary gaming controller. In fact, despite owning a Stadia controller, I’ll always reach for the GameSir X2 Pro over it when playing games with Stadia on my smartphone. One of the biggest questions you probably have is, will it fit my phone? For this review, I specifically used the largest phone in my collection, which is the 6.8-inch Redmagic 6. The X2 Pro was able to fit it easily and even had a little room to spare. So, large phones are no issue for the X2 Pro, and the rotating USB Type-C connector makes inserting and removing your phone super convenient.Speaking of, there’s also a USB Type-C port on the bottom right-hand corner that allows for pass-through charging on many phones. This is such a handy feature because nothing drains your battery like gaming.If you’ve used an Xbox controller before, then you’ll be familiar with the layout. The X2 Pro features a similar layout with two analog sticks, a D-pad, and the X, Y, A, B, LT, LB, RT, RB buttons. Additionally, the Xbox, menu, and view buttons are there as well, along with a capture button for snapping screenshots. When not attached to your phone, GameSir includes a hardshell carrying case to help protect the analog sticks from being damaged while in transit. It may seem like a small thing, but nothing is worse than dealing with stick drift while trying to play your favorite game. User experienceThe GameSir X2 Pro is a little thick but feels comfortable in your hands. It features non-slip grips on the back which make it easy to hold and is still lightweight for long gaming sessions. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent time testing the X2 Pro out with a handful of local and cloud-based games from different services. The Alps 3D joysticks worked perfectly along with the tactile buttons, including the two additional mappable buttons on the back of the controller. Thankfully, setting up the programmable M1 and M2 buttons was as simple as long-pressing a few buttons. All it takes is holding in the menu, view, and M1 or M2 button for 3 seconds. Afterward, the lights on the X2 Pro will blink until you press the button you’d like to assign to the programmable buttons. Final thoughtsPlaying games with the GameSir X2 Pro was a delight. I’m in love with this format of controllers and GameSir does everything right here. There’s a rotating hardwired connection ensuring there will be no latency while gaming, a pass-through charging port, tactile responsive buttons and triggers, it supports large phones, and of course, two programmable buttons. What more could you ask for from a mobile gaming controller? Furthermore, the GameSir X2 Pro undercuts its biggest competitor the Razer Kishi V2 coming in at only $80 and is available in either white or black. Buy from Amazon Buy from GameSir

You can't put a price tag on user experience.

Google could allow Android users to try out early versions of new Google Home app features.

Google has allegedly canceled the Pixelbook and transferred the Pixelbook team to elsewhere in the company.

We've got four walls from the iPhone 14 Pro series and five from the vanilla models.

Google's Pixel 7 may only come with 128GB or 256GB of storage in Europe.

Where to watch nine titles chronicling the Queen's reign.

The first mobile apps were developed in the 1980s, and very little has changed in how they are used in that time. What started as a tool to help people use their phones more efficiently has grown into something far more powerful and integral to our daily lives. Mobile applications have turned smartphones into virtual assistants that can handle any number of tasks, including research, shopping, bill paying, calorie counting, and taking care of mundane tasks that we don’t want to spend our time on. Learn how the evolution of the phone app has impacted society today, along with what you can expect from phone apps in the future.A brief history of mobile phonesIt’s hard to believe that it’s been less than two decades since the first mobile phone was introduced. The first cell phone was created in 1973 by Motorola. However, it wasn’t until 1983 that the first commercially available cell phone, the DynaTAC 8000X, was released. In the early days of mobile phones, they were large and expensive, and only used for making calls. But today, with all the apps that are available for Android devices (many can be downloaded from Google Play), there is so much more you can do with your smartphone. For example, if you are using an Android emulator on your computer, you can install many different apps including Chrome, Google Drive or even YouTube.Why did we need mobile appsIn the early days of mobile phones, apps were seen as a way to improve the utility of the devices. They were seen as an addition that could make our lives more convenient and efficient. However, over time, apps have become much more than that.Why do we need apps todayRemember the days when you used to have to go through a physical phone book to look up a number? Or when you had to actually be in your car to use GPS? How about when you had to wait until you got home to check your voicemail? Today, there are apps for all of those things and more. In fact, there are now over two million apps available on the app store, and that number is only growing. That’s why many people are wondering what we need with an Android emulator if we already have so many apps at our fingertips. But it’s not just about having more—it’s also about having better. An Android emulator can give you access to even more games, entertainment, and information than ever before because it doesn’t have any limitations like other devices do.How will they change tomorrowThere’s no denying that phone apps have changed the way we live and interact with the world. They’ve made our lives more convenient, connected, and fun. But what will they look like tomorrow? We’ve already seen some drastic changes in recent years. For example, people who relied on just their cell phones now use smart speakers to take care of basic tasks such as playing music or taking orders for food delivery. EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be considered an editorial endorsement

Fixed batteries are a big reason why people give up their old phones, but a removable battery would help.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max can automatically turn off it's always-on display when users leave the room.

But do we really need it?