Verizon Announces Official Prices for the Galaxy S10 5G and It Sure Ain't Cheap

Featuring a massive 6.7-inch screen, a big 4,600 mAh battery, bonus 3D time-of-flight sensor, and of course a built-in 5G modem, we knew the Galaxy S10 5G wasn’t going to be cheap. But now that Verizon has officially announced pricing for the S10 5G, we finally have an idea for how hard Samsung’s first 5G phone will hit your wallet.

For the base model with 256GB of storage, the Galaxy S10 5G will cost $54.16 a month for 24 months, which translates to a full retail price of $1,300. And if you opt for the model with 512GB of storage, you’re looking at $1,400.

That’s almost twice the price of Verizon’s only other current 5G phone—the Moto Z3—which when combined with a 5G Moto mod results in a total price of $680. So to help entice potential 5G pioneers, Verizon is offering discounts of up to $650 on the Galaxy S10 5G plus a free “Samsung VIP kit”, but you better read the fine print first.

According to the Verizon’s online store, to get the full $650, you will need to be a new Verizon customer and sign up for an unlimited plan to get a $200 pre-paid debit card, and then enter a promo code after you activate your new line of service. Then to get the rest of that $650 discount, you’ll need to trade in an old phone, which basically has to be an iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, or flagship LG phone made within the last two years in order to get the full $450 trade-in.

The only bonus that’s actually easy to get is the Samsung VIP kit—which includes free pair of Galaxy Buds, a wireless charging battery pack, and a free water bottle (lol)—as the only requirement for the kit is that you pre-order an S10 G5 between now and May 15th and then register your device in the Shop Samsung app.

Samsung has fixed sign-in problems with its Galaxy Wearable app

The Samsung Galaxy Wearable app was down for several days starting over the weekend, with hundreds of users reporting login and update issues. The issue affected Samsung Gear and Galaxy Watch Active watches, with the app freezing on a white screen when users attempt to sign in on their phones.

A thread on Samsung’s community forums, which was started last Thursday, now spans 65 pages of users reporting problems with the app. The login troubles appeared to affect several Android devices ranging from Google Pixel phones to the OnePlus 6T, Moto G7, and the Xiaomi Mi 9.

Reviewer Gavin’s Gadgets reported that Samsung was aware of the problem and working on a fix on Sunday. By Tuesday, the company had resolved the sign-in bug, according to user reports on the Samsung forums, so everyone should now be able to use the app without any problems.

iFixit pulls Galaxy Fold teardown at Samsung’s request

What in the world is going on over at Samsung in the wake of the Galaxy Fold delay? The whole situation keeps refusing to normalize, and instead gets weirder nearly every day. The latest is that iFixit has decided to honor a Samsung request to pull its Galaxy Fold teardown off the internet, even though Samsung apparently didn’t ask iFixit to do so directly.

This oddity follows AT&T’s seemingly arbitrary decision to email a potential ship date for the Galaxy Fold despite the fact that Samsung hasn’t officially set a new release date. By requesting that iFixit pull the teardown, Samsung is apparently willing to risk the Streisand effect when it comes to people clamoring to see the innards of its device. Here’s part ofiFixit’s statement on the matter:

We were provided our Galaxy Fold unit by a trusted partner. Samsung has requested, through that partner, that iFixit remove its teardown. We are under no obligation to remove our analysis, legal or otherwise. But out of respect for this partner, whom we consider an ally in making devices more repairable, we are choosing to withdraw our story until we can purchase a Galaxy Fold at retail.

Why is Samsung doing this? We’ve asked for comment, obviously, but we suspect an answer may not be forthcoming. That leaves us with a whole pile of possible reasons we can only speculate on.

On the charitable end of the interpretation scale is that Samsung is definitely reworking the Fold, the design will change, and Samsung doesn’t want to have a teardown out there for a device it isn’t ever going to ship. Possibilities get successively less charitable from there. Perhaps the partner who provided the Fold to iFixit wasn’t supposed to, and Samsung is just enforcing a contract.

iPhone XI "final" CAD-based renders appear, huge camera bump and all

Remember those renders claimed to portray the iPhone XI (the successor to the XS) with a huge ghastly camera bump on the back? Today sees the leak of the alleged "final" CAD-based renders of the iPhone XI, and - shock horror - the hump is still there. 

In terms of surface area, this has to be the biggest bump ever seen on a smartphone, so Apple can brag about that in its presentation this fall. Jokes aside, if this is indeed the final design of the iPhone XI (or whatever it will end up being called), then it's going to be polarizing to say the least.
Anyway, the huge hump houses three camera sensors and a pretty big LED flash array, along with a mic hole. Interestingly, the entire back of the device is made from one single sheet of glass - that's also covering the camera bump.
On the front there's a 5.8" AMOLED display with its size unchanged from the iPhone X and XS. The source of these images says the bezels all-round have gotten ever so slightly (but not noticeably) thinner, and yet the upcoming phone is bigger on all axes than its predecessor, so something doesn't add up there.
The iPhone XI's dimensions are reportedly going to be 143.9 x 71.4 x 7.8 mm, while the XS clocks in at 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm. The mute switch on the side now looks different, and it's similar to those found in old iPads. There's no trace of a USB-C connector at the bottom, as Apple is apparently still going to be using Lightning for this generation of phones.

Video leak shows Apple’s iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max designs side by side

Just a few short months ago, Apple’s next-generation iPhone 11 lineup was shaping up to be one of the most boring iPhone updates in recent history. It couldn’t be the most boring iPhone update, since there’s no way Apple will be able to top the iPhone XS in that department. Thankfully, a few new reports from well-placed sources over the past few weeks have painted a much more compelling picture of the iPhone 11. While the overall design of Apple’s upcoming new iPhone lineup will remain largely unchanged, we’ve seen more and more news of big upgrades lately. Most recently, the world’s top Apple insider reported that Apple’s iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max will both feature triple-lens rear cameras that pack all sorts of new tricks, while the iPhone 11R (or whatever Apple ends up calling it) will sport an upgraded dual-lens camera. On top of all that, Apple has big things planned for iOS 13 and some of the details surrounding the company’s upcoming new mobile software update have already leaked.

Long story short, 2019 is looking a bit brighter for Apple fans than it was a couple of months ago. iPhone owners who don’t plan to upgrade to a new phone will still have a pretty huge software update to look forward to in September (or in June, if they’re brave enough to install the early beta versions following WWDC 2019). Meanwhile, people who do upgrade will apparently get an updated design, plenty more power, and a massive camera upgrade that’s much-needed, considering how far Apple has fallen behind the likes of Google and Huawei in this crucial area. If you’re wondering what all that will look like when it comes together, a new leak that just hit the web this morning is just what the doctor ordered. The video in question shows Apple’s final iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max designs side by side, and it shows what they’ll look like in real life as opposed to just pictures.

Remember back in 2016 when Apple released the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus? They used the exact same designs as the iPhone 6s series that came before them, and the iPhone 6 series that came before that. In order to make up for that, Apple introduced some sleek new finishes, a bunch of new features, and an upgraded dual-lens camera on the larger iPhone 7 Plus. It worked quite will for the company — Apple sold a record 78.29 million iPhones in the holiday quarter following the iPhone 7’s release. That’s a record that still stands to this day

Apple's Shocking New iPhone Design Makes Sense

Working with Cashkaro, OnLeaks (aka Steve Hemmerstoffer) is back with detailed renders of the so-called iPhone 11/XI and new specifications. But it is the truly eye-opening size of the new iPhone’s cameras which grab the headlines because they look unlike anything Apple has ever done.

Yes, the renders show the new iPhones are moving to triple cameras (exact specs here) but so have many rivals. Instead, it is the massive size of each lens which fills by far the largest camera bulge seen on an iPhone, which is head-turning. Questions have been asked why Apple was going for an ugly triangular arrangement, but now we know: they are simply too big for a neat, vertical alignment.

All of which suggests a quantum leap in iPhone photography is coming and this isn’t a moment too soon. After all, even the most ardent Apple fan will admit the iPhone has been falling down the smartphone camera rankings for some time. Apple, one tip: do not cover these up!

Hemmerstoffer also adds substance to his renders. He confirms Apple’s iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max will stick to 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch displays respectively, with the former being fractionally larger than the iPhone XS: 143.9mm x 71.4mm x 7.8mm Vs 143.6mm x 70.9mm x 7.7mm. The bezels and notch will also shrink but by such a small amount as to be "almost indistinguishable".

Lastly, Hemmerstoffer reveals the iPhone 11 will move from a horizontal to a vertical mute button (like older iPads), the rear microphone be repositioned at bottom of the camera bump, the Lighting port remains and the back panel will be a “new and unique” single piece of glass. This sounds interesting, but it is likely to make Apple’s infamous glass back repair charges even higher.

How much should you trust this information? Based on Hemmerstoffer’sremarkable track record, I would suggest a lot.

Will potentially game-changing cameras be enough to reignite interest in what is still an ugly iPhone which will lack 5G? Maybe. I suspect it won’t be enough to arrest Apple’s sliding iPhone sales, but it may slow them enough to buy Apple time until its truly game-changing iPhone arrives

Being Mary Jane’ Series Finale Recap: BET Drama Ends With Wedding And Tears

After four seasons of failed relationships and family drama, BET’s Being Mary Jane came to a dramatic conclusion Tuesday night.

The two-hour series finale gave Gabrielle Union’s character Mary Jane Paul and fans, the closure they wanted, albeit with some heartbreak, tears and a newborn along the way.

Picking up where Season 4 of the Mara Brock Akil-created series left off, Mary Jane discovered she was expecting a baby.

The pregnancy caused a huge strain on her relationship with fiancé Justin (Michael Ealy), who couldn’t see himself raising another man’s child, especially since MJ didn’t tell him she had been implanted with embryos from donor sperm before accepting his proposal. Justin couldn’t take it and walked away. (Grab the tissues)

“I don’t even know how to process it,” he said. “I just can’t find a way to make this work. I wish you and your child all the best. I know you’re going to be an amazing mom.”

Despite her engagement ending, a new — and just as dreamy man — entered her life during a chance encounter. That would be Morris Chestnut, who played her old college flame, Beau. The two began to date and Beau was there for MJ when she gave birth to son Albert James Patterson.

But… other issues would arise.

Kara (Lisa Vidal) — MJ’s best friend and boss — received the devastating news that she had breast cancer and was forced to take extended sick leave.

“I’m scared,” Kara said through tears.

After undergoing a double mastectomy, she left the hospital and went home to recuperate. That opened the door for Justin to return to Great Day USA as her temporary replacement. We later found out Kara orchestrated Justin’s return because she knew he was still in love with MJ.

It didn’t take long for MJ and Justin to patch up their differences and return to the bedroom, or this case a barnyard. After rushing to MJ’s house because of an emergency, Justin began to bond with her baby.

But what about Beau? He just happened to show up with an engagement ring, while Justin was there. Awkward. That left MJ with a huge dilemma — which dreamboat would she choose to spend the rest of her life with?

It’s the question that set Twitter on fire, making Being Mary Jane the platform’s top trending subject of the night.

game of thrones

game of thrones

game of thrones

game of thrones

game of thrones

game of thrones

Game of Thrones season 8 episode 2 recap: The night is long (and full of sexual tension)

Another episode of Game of Thrones is behind us, and you know what that means: It's time to lock the front door and heat up some of Mama's eatin' snacks. We've got an episode of event television to watch!

Season 8, episode 2, titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, aired on Sunday, and while we didn't get any action on the battlefield, the action was on for young and old in Winterfell.

First things first. If you haven't seen this week's episode, here's everything you need to know on how to stream it. If you didn't watch last week's episode or you plain can't remember it (I know, it's been a tough week), you may want to check out everything that happened in the season 8 premiere (TL;DR it was Westeros reunion soup and Bran was a super creeper). 

Also, head here if you want to watch the trailer for next week's episode

Episode 2 recap: Quivering in antici... pation

The season 8 premiere brought everyone back to Winterfell, but episode 2 set the stakes. The battle with the White Walkers is close, but still hasn't begun. The day is about to dawn, but we're still in blackest night. And what's the perfect way to sum up that anticipation?

Sexual. Tension. 

The episode opened where the premiere left off: Jaime is in Winterfell and everyone kinda remembers him as a jerk. He's rocked up in Winterfell's lunch room to appear before Daenerys and, to be honest, she's kinda TO'd because Jaime's sister promised an army that never came. (Dany will also later chastise Tyrion for not anticipating Cersei's betrayal and being a clueless Hand.)

But back in the lunch room, Jaime reminds us he's not exactly stoked with Cersei right now and that despite those family ties, he'd rather fight for the living than stay shacked up in Kings Landing with a woman who's getting sketchier by the minute. "This goes beyond loyalty," he says. "This is about survival." 

Brienne vouches for Jaime, Sansa vouches for Brienne, and because Sansa is wearing a pretty mean leather corset right now, everyone decides the older Stark sis is legit. OK Jaime, you can sit with us. But not before we establish that Brienne might have some complicated feelings toward you. 

Sexual tension: 1 out of 10.