It has been a while since CyanogenMod 12.1 has received a snapshot, right? Though these tend to be released about once a month, the CyanogenMod team took around 2 months to release the roll out the latest one, but it is finally out today. First, let’s start by clearing out an important point. What is a snapshot? No, it is not a picture. CyanogenMod snapshots are pretty much a step between a stable version and a nightly.

Opolar LC-06 Laptop Fan CoolerThe Opolar LC-06 Laptop Fan Cooler is not your average fan cooler. If it fits your laptop, your desk, and your lifestyle, it can provide decent cooling for a decent price. The multiple fan speeds let you go nuclear if you need to and the helpful display shows you the device functioning. However, if it doesn't fit your computer, your desk, or your lifestyle, it's a non-starter.

Battery life is integral to a smartphone’s user experience. Devices in 2020 are coming with big, high-resolution displays, many cameras, and high-powered processors. There are more features to power than ever before. You can’t play with all the cool stuff if the battery dies early! As part of our Best of Android: Mid-2020 awards, today we’re analyzing the smartphones with the best battery life according to our objective testing. We’ll compare and analyze the finalists and announce the battery life king!

Kris Carlon / Android Authority TL;DR A Xiaomi survey has apparently revealed that a Redmi Pad 5G tablet is coming. We’re guessing this will slot in below the current Xiaomi Pad 5 series. Xiaomi has offered its Pad tablet line for years now, dating back to 2014’s Xiaomi Mi Pad. These slates have generally been upper mid-range offerings, but it looks like the company has another tablet line in the works.

A UK man has found himself in hot water this week after strolling into the London Stansted Airport with what appeared to be a pistol. The object was in fact a iPhone case ‘cleverly’ designed to look like a firearm. In a turn of events that surprised no one, the man was swiftly arrested and could face charges. Police have long been irritated with this trend of gun-shaped smartphone cases, calling them a terrible idea that complicates the already difficult job of identifying and controlling real threats.

TL;DR Xiaomi unveiled its Mi Box 4 and Mi Box 4c set-top boxes earlier today. Using MIUI TV on top of Android Marshmallow, the devices use AI to make movie suggestions. They will be available starting February 1 in China for less than the full price video game. Set-top boxes might not make as many waves as they did a few years back, but Xiaomi is giving the market another crack with the Mi Box 4 and Mi Box 4c.

With large phones (or “phablets”) gaining popularity, we’re starting to see phones like the HTC J Butterfly popping up with 1080p displays. Now that we have the ability to create phones with 1080p displays, the question is: do we even need them? Of course manufacturers are going to push the improved resolution, claiming it makes photos and videos clearer and more eye-pleasing. While the increased resolution certainly isn’t going to hurt image quality, it may not be as necessary as we might think.

Samsung, LG, HTC, and a few others have long been the staple brands leading in the way in the Android smartphone industry. However, the falling costs of technology and the growth of new marketplaces has opened up opportunities for new blood to challenge the status quo, with new innovations, software, and prices. Here’s my list of six smartphone brands that are hoping to shake up the smartphone industry. NextbitGoogle’s Photos and Docs apps might already have sold some people on the virtues of cloud data, but Nextbit took the whole idea to a new level with the Robin.

When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, it’s not about what the phone offers, but rather what it represents – a glimpe of something new from Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha has generated a lot of buzz ever since rumors about it first began to surface. What makes the Galaxy Alpha special is Samsung’s experiment in using a metal body, a departure from its old all-plastic approach. In a lot of ways, this device is as a precursor to the Galaxy Note 4, which also boasts a metal frame, though the Galaxy Alpha is no slouch either.

Samsung and HTC have launched their latest flagships, and the two devices have very different roles and aspirations. While Samsung hopes to maintain its position as the undisputed king of the Android hill, HTC is hoping to claw its way back into a market it dominated only a few years ago. The age old battle of plastic vs metal comes to the fore once again, but both devices have a lot more than just build material and quality to offer.