Phil Berne
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philipberne.com
Phil Berne
@philipberne.com
Senior Editor for mobile reviews and buying guides, TechRadar.com
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Hi! I'm Phil, I review phones, tablets, e-readers, and everything mobile

I've been doing this a long time, but I did a stint in PR at Samsung, where I led mobile reviews and crisis management

Also: high school English teacher in Brooklyn, Boston, Dallas, and D.C., when the other jobs got boring
Can confirm, it is (always) a good day to listen to The Downward Spiral

music.apple.com/us/album/the...
The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails on Apple Music
Album · 1994 · 14 Songs
music.apple.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Is it really really weird this story doesn’t once use the word Wicca?
npr.org NPR @npr.org · 3d
Mostly they're charmed. Some witches we talked to couldn't wait for the new Wicked release. But some worry that the films have helped move the secret, spiritual art of witchcraft into the mainstream. n.pr/4pkP5jF
What do actual witches think of 'Wicked'?
Mostly they're charmed. Some witches we talked to couldn't wait for the new Wicked release. But some worry that the films have helped move the secret, spiritual art of witchcraft into the mainstream.
n.pr
November 18, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
Commentary: Not Sure How They Deal With Criminals In Your Town, But ’Round Here We Use A Restorative Justice Process https://theonion.com/not-sure-how-they-deal-with-criminals-in-your-town-but-round-here-we-use-a-restorative-justice-process/
November 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
i’ve said this before and i remain convinced it’s true, the 2028 platform that would deliver obama 08 results is “i am gonna
bring the hammer down on the corrupt self-dealing politicians and their rich friends and there are no sacred cows id give a pass”
November 13, 2025 at 2:07 PM
For the first time in memory, I've given a smartphone a perfect review score

The OnePlus 15 is the best smartphone you can buy. No questions, thank you...

www.techradar.com/phones/onepl...
The OnePlus 15 has exceeded my high expectations for what a smartphone can do, and it’s one of the best phones ever
Everything I’d wish for in a phone
www.techradar.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:33 PM
"Who cares about the penny, I barely ever use cash!"

Okay go ahead and brag Mr. Gold Bars some of us can't carry 400 troy ounces in our trousers
November 12, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
This is big: Valve has officially entered the console gaming space with Steam Machine www.techradar.com/gaming/pc-ga...
Valve's long-awaited new Steam Machine has been revealed and it's 'over' six times more powerful than the Steam Deck
Round two?
www.techradar.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Step 1: Pull up Digital ID on your phone
Step 2: Hand your phone to the authoriti... ok I'm gonna stop you right there
November 12, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The best part is feeding my toddler a steady diet of classic rock and underground hip-hop and now he’s a teenager, fan of Steely Dan and MF Doom, and swears I had no influence on his taste
Watching (and listening) to my teenage children’s taste in music evolve as they get older is a privilege.
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
The AirPods 4 are $85 on Amazon right now -- one heck of a deal. (This is an affiliate link, I may make a couple of bucks if you use it. Still trying to get my API access back)

https://amzn.to/3XjCOQe
November 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The reason that Democrats cave is because all politicians make money from the same evil sources

If we want a real democracy:

1. Repeal the Citizens United ruling through law
2. Outlaw anybody in government trading futures, except through a blind trust
3. Ranked choice voting
November 10, 2025 at 2:27 PM
If it wasn't clear before that the legacy Dems and the right are profiting from the same terrible policies, the Mamdani race crystallized it

Mamdani should have been the perfect, knock-out candidate for the party the Dems claim to be, instead they fought him using right-wing tactics
it’s moments like today that make it really clear that it was imperative for zohran mamdani to oust andrew cuomo and prevent all these republican-lites from controlling anything
November 10, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
Read this thread. This is what @katmabu.bsky.social was protesting, and why she repeatedly says getting beaten up by ICE outside is nothing compared to the torture and crimes being committed inside Broadview. These thugs must be held to account.
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I will only vote for candidates who insist on putting all of these criminals on trial so this can never happen again
He said there was no room to sleep. People sat up, slept on the floor, standing up. He saw many pregnant women there too. The conditions were unbearable. His wife is horrified by his account.
November 7, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
Her husband told her that detainees at Broadview had to get up at 5am to get in line for one bathroom. He often peed himself. One time he had to wait until 2pm to use the bathroom. You could only use the bathroom once a day. He said the agents would beat you if you used the bathroom on yourself.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Phil Berne
It shouldn’t be forgotten that a big piece of Mamdani’s campaign was simply “cities are cool and lots of people enjoy living in them” which in and of itself dismantles alot of rightwing talking points
November 7, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Gotta say I'm a little disappointed

Where's the interior details? No bridge? Holodeck? Ten Forward?

Also, starting with TNG was the right call, but the OG NCC-1701 would have been a sleeker model, and minifigs for the original cast would be stellar (if Spock gets pointy ears)
November 6, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
May his name be blotted out and forgotten.

May the names of the innocents slaughtered for his greed live on forever.
a woman is sitting at a table with a sticker that says sorry to this man on it .
Alt: a woman is sitting at a table with a sticker that says sorry to this man on it .
media.tenor.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The climax of Oceans 15 will be thieves driving over a curb and the entire LVPD destroys their axles in pursuit
The nation’s largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks is set to begin patrolling the streets of Las Vegas in November thanks to a donation from a U.S. tech billionaire, raising concerns about the blurring of lines between public and private interests.
Nation's largest fleet of police Cybertrucks to patrol Las Vegas
The nation’s largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks is set to begin patrolling the streets of Las Vegas in November.
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
This labeler is such a clever way of making spam visible. Bluesky wins yet again: bsky.app/profile/stec...
November 1, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
On the left, the refurbished Lincoln bathroom. On the right, picture I took in Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra in 2005.
October 31, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Phil Berne
This whole Nazi tattoo dude in the Senate nonsense is revealing of a lot of white folks. Oh your friends have Nazi tattoos too? Oh it doesn't bother you at all? Oh your whole crew you been rolling with has them & y'all are all perfectly democratic? Fascinating. Taking notes.
October 30, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Threads is the Bixby Button of social networks

Nobody goes to Threads on purpose, and most people would turn it off if they could
i think this is the best description of Threads i've seen yet and of course it's by @katienotopoulos.bsky.social
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The Baltimore Oriole is a gorgeous bird and I didn't see a single one in the 18 years I lived growing up near Baltimore
October 30, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Really puts the Wee in Withi...you know what I'll just see myself out
October 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM