Google Wallet (installed from the standard Play Store) on my T-Mobile US HTC One (both M7 and new M8) works great paying for purchases anywhere they accept NFC payments (including Apple Pay locations). I previously used it at CVS before they turned off their NFC terminals, I use it at Panera, McDonalds, Kroger, Best Buy, Target. You're making claims that are not based in fact.

In Chrome you can use the Manual Geolocation extension, in Firefox use Geolocator. With both you can enter the location you want (your actual location or somewhere else) and it will then tell any website that queries that location instead of the default. I use both and they do work, and are much simpler than using a proxy or VPN or other measures.

Are you sure they're not talking about GOP conservatives in the US?

On any modern Android (version 4+) system, using some third-party "task manager" is counterproductive. You're causing more problems than you're trying to solve. Let the system manage itself as designed. There are some poorly-written apps that can thwart any system. That's the app developer's fault, not Android and not the manufacturer of the phone. If you must use something, try Greenify, which can auto-hibernate many poorly written apps that attempt to keep the phone awake. No manufacturer can overcome the stupidity and ignorance of developers and users.

Unlike nearly every other commenter in this thread, I've actually used Uber (and Lyft and standard taxis). I had actually stopped using taxis before Uber (or Lyft) came along here in Atlanta because they are simply horrible. Horrid service, horrid drivers, high fares. Just horrible experiences one after another. When Uber arrived here, it was like a breath of fresh air. I don't own a car, so I use public transit, Zipcar, and now Uber/Lyft for my needs. Uber is reliable, every driver I've had has been super nice and professional, the cars well-maintained, and the fares more than reasonable. And I don't have to worry with surly drivers demanding tips they don't deserve or jacking up the price or refusing to accept a credit card, etc. Uber vets the drivers far better than the taxi services here in Atlanta. I've also use Uber when I travel, even in Shanghai, China. To the standard taxi companies, I say, suck it! You had your chance, you blew it.

Which is still less than the 469 PPI of my year-old HTC One (M7). "Retina" is so cute. :-P

Last year the GFW began blocking OpenVPN connections. Many VPN providers were blocked, their DNS entries erased from the standard DNS servers that the Chinese ISPs use. The way around that now is to hardcode a DNS server like OpenDNS or Google DNS and to use PPTP or L2TP VPN connections. I can attest that those still work, I was back in China over the Chinese New Year holidays. I was able to use VPN on my laptop connected to a Shanghai ISP as well as on my Android phone using China Mobile HSPA+ data.

If they're using the same translation engine as they do for Bing, it is already a failure. If you think Google translate is bad, Bing seems to purposely make the most absurd choices.

Come to Atlanta, the land of the car fire. Traffic report: "Today's car fire is on I-20 Westbound at Gresham Rd...." They calm down a bit in winter, but late Spring thru Fall it is a daily occurrence.

Perhaps the reason for all the congressional/government banning of Huawei equipment was really not because there was any proof of Chinese government spying, but because there was no way for the NSA to get THEIR backdoors into Huawei equipment. The NSA could not allow US government and telecommunications companies to begin using equipment they could not hack.

"ITworld's Peter Smith is shedding a tear for his $250 Turtle Beach PX5 headset." Sorry, but no sympathy for him. Instead of shedding a tear for your "beloved" device, why not DON'T BUY A PS4. But no, everyone will bitch and moan and gnash their teeth and rant online, but they'll still hand over their money to Sony, who doesn't give a rat's ass. Hey Peter Smith, it's YOUR fault, yours and those like you who keep giving these greedy idiots your money.

Add me to the users that have never broken a microUSB port. My current 2+ year old phone gets plugged into the charger at least every day, previous phones were used even longer with no broken plugs. Several other devices I've used daily with plugging/unplugging their microUSB connections. Until reading of the few people in this thread complaining about broken plugs, I would have never assumed it to be much of a problem. I am an active participant on XDA forums where many Android smartphone owners discuss many issues with devices, including hardware. The only time I've ever encountered much discussion of broken ports, it is when someone accidentally did something really stupid with the device/plug.

When Apple first became available in China, the "status" drove sales. But, that market was quickly saturated. The Chinese market typically demands several things of a smartphone: microSD support and swappable batteries. Phones without those abilities are simply not as well received. Some manufacturers make special products just for the Chinese market, like HTC does with their One model. In the US and Europe, the HTC One is completely sealed, no access to battery, no microSD slot. But in China, the HTC One has at least the microSD because that market demands it. In China, they put a lot of video onto microSD to play on their devices, whether phone or tablet. The Apple system requires those videos to be converted on a host computer before they will play on the device. Android typically does not require any conversion, it plays many more formats than Apple. The microSD can be loaded up with movies and tv shows to watch on the commutes to/from work and school. Apple doesn't seem to understand the Chinese market. They had the initial status-driven people, but those don't offer continued sales/growth.

That's one way to force the use of proprietary hardware. Such a benevolent company. Use Official Apple Product or DIE!

So now we know who is kissing the Fed's ass.