Get a free Galaxy S6 with any current Samsung flagship on AT&T
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A great time to get a nice deal on the outgoing Samsung Galaxy S6 flagship, now that the Galaxy S7 is right around the corner. An unlocked Galaxy S6 is now going for $450 in the US, but if you're on AT&T and looking for a contract, you can can get one for free.Of course, that's the marketing talk, and the reality is somewhat different. First off, you need to buy one of the current Samsung top-shelf models (the Galaxy S6 itself, S6 edge, S6 edge+, S6 active or Note5), and then also activate a second line.The primary line must be on an AT&T Next plan $70 or up, while the new one gets an AT&T Next 24 subscription (effectively a 30-month commitment). Three bill payments into the subscription AT&T will start waiving the monthly installments for the second smartphone up to $30/month for a total of $595, rendering it "free".Reading the tiny text also reveals that the offer applies not only to the Galaxy S6, but also to the S6 active, and other select Samsung models. It's then your best bet to contact AT&T directly if you want to get a different combo. The offer expires in March 31, and is void in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Miami-Dade.Source |...
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Marshmallow update for Android Wear promises battery boost
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] With a little over 1% penetration, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is still very much a rarity within the mobile realm and an illusive update most users are still waiting on. But it appears you handset won't be the only device to benefit from the update, Android Wear units will eventually get a taste of Marshmallow goodness as well and with potential major benefits.One of the main expected consequences of the new OS is improved battery life for the wearables. As most of you surely remember, Doze is a key feature of Android 6.0 and it appears it will be carried over to the wearable version as well. We can't really say how much this will extend average battery life, which currently sits at around two days, depending on usage, as well as how it will play with always on mode enabled. Still, there is bound to be at least some improvement, so we'll take it.As for availability, we understand that last generation Moto 360 watches already ship with the new Wear 1.4 OS. As for other devices, it appears a rollout has been in progress for a few days now, but no official update schedule has been provided. It is also worth noting that the new update brings support for speakers and making calls (currently limited to the Huawei Watch and the 49mm Asus ZenWatch 2, which have a built-in speaker), as well as a number of new gestures and voice...
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Microsoft cutting more jobs from its struggling mobile division
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Back in July last year, Microsoft announced that up to 7,800 employees will be laid off globally, with majority of those working in the company's phone business. Now, there are reports that the software giant is cutting "dozens" of more jobs from its mobile division.While the exact number isn't yet known, it has been confirmed that this new round of layoffs is not part of the move announced in July. Also, those being laid off now are said to be part of the marketing team working with the company's mobile subsidiary in Finland.The news comes nearly a couple of weeks after the Redmond, Washington-based company released its Q2 fiscal 2016 earnings report, revealing that only 4.5 million Lumia phones were sold in the last quarter of 2015, down from the 10.5 million reported in Q4,...
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HTC One M10 tipped to go on sale in US in May
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] While we already know that HTC's upcoming flagship smartphone will be unveiled in London on April 11, there has been no word on its US launch. That, however, was until now, as the usually reliable tipster @evleaks has revealed that the phone will go on sale in the US in the second week of May.HTC M10: Hitting US retail the week of May 9th— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 11, 2016As you might already know, the name One M10 is also not final, with latest rumors suggesting that the 'M10' will be ditched in favor of some other (yet unknown) moniker. The 'One' brand, however, isn't going anywhere.Its rumored specs include SD820/unspecified Mediatek SoC (depending on the region), 5.1" QHD AMOLED screen, 4GB RAM, and 12MP UltraPixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and laser-assisted AF. In terms of OS, it is said to run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense...
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Unlocked LG G4 down to $350 in the US, again
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you recall, US retailer B&H Photo was offering the LG G4 for around $350 last month. That promo, however, was only for a day. For those who missed that deal, here is some good news: the retailer is selling the device at the same price, again.Shelling out $349.95 will net you an unlocked LG G4 unit which is fully compatible with GSM carriers in the US. The model comes with a black leather back cover. Other third party retailers like Amazon are currently selling the device at much higher rates.This latest price cut comes just over a week before the South Korean company is set to unveil the G4's successor - the...
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Lenovo K4 Note to go on open sale starting next week
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Lenovo has announced that its K4 Note smartphone - which was unveiled early last month in India and went on sale in the country a couple of weeks later - will be available for purchase without registrations.1.1 M Regs and 180,000 phones sold! Announcing an open sale from 15thFeb + a new color, Pearl White! Stocks Limited pic.twitter.com/gkDcxa395o— Lenovo India (@Lenovo_in) February 10, 2016An Amazon exclusive, the device was being sold through flash sales until now. The Chinese company claims to have received 1.1 million registrations for the handset, with 180,000 units sold so far. The open sale begins next week - February 15 to be precise.In addition, Lenovo has announced that the K4 Note will now also be available in Pearl White color option. The phone was only available in black until...
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GFXBench listing reveals 4GB RAM, 16MP camera for Gionee Elife S8
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] After Geekbench, the Gionee Elife S8 (with model number GN9011) has now been spotted listed on GFXBench. The chipset (MediaTek MT6755), RAM (4GB), and Android OS (v6.0 Marshmallow) information revealed by the GFXBench listing is inline with the device's Geekbench listing.In addition, the listing also gives an idea about the handset's camera combo - a 16MP rear unit and an 8MP front shooter - as well as internal memory (should be 64GB). Although it also says the device sports a 4.6-inch FULL HD display, keep in mind that benchmarks have got this wrong quite a few times in the past.Gionee has already announced that its upcoming device will be launched at this year's MWC, which starts just over a week from now. There's little doubt that we'll see the Elife S8 getting unveiled at the event, especially given that fact that the Elife S7 made its debut at the same event last year.Source |...
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Android Runtime for BB10 updated to fix app uninstallation issue
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] BlackBerry has pushed a new update to Android Runtime for BB10 that is aimed at fixing an issue that was introduced after installing the OS 10.3.2.2876 update that rolled out last month.The issue in question is related to the un-installation of Android apps on BB10 devices. BlackBerry explains the issue as, "Upon uninstalling an Android application, the application icon is removed from the home screen, however, the application is still installed on the BlackBerry 10 smartphone."To install the update, head to the Source 2 link below from the browser of your BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Once the update process completes, just restart your device, and the Android Runtime (and hence the app removal) should work properly.Source 1 | Source...
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Microsoft apps to come preinstalled on Acer's Android phones and tablets
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Microsoft has entered into a partnership with Acer that will see Taiwan-based company installing the former's apps and services on some of its Android smartphones and tablets starting H2 2016.As for what all will come preinstalled, Microsoft did reveal a few names, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype. There was, however, no word on exactly which of the Acer's upcoming phones and tablets will be affected."We're excited to partner with Microsoft to provide enhanced mobile productivity to our products," said ST Liew, president of Acer Smart Products Business Group. "By integrating the Microsoft software suite, Acer customers will enjoy productivity on-the-go along with the familiar computing experience on their smartphones and tablets."Commenting on the partnership, Nick Psyhogeos, president of Microsoft Technology Licensing, said, "We're pleased that we have been able to enhance the already strong partnership that exists between Microsoft and Acer. Mutually beneficial and collaborative agreements such as this one promote innovation and lead to better products and experiences for consumers."If you aren't already aware, Microsoft signed a similar deal with Samsung last year. The Redmond, Washington-based company also revealed that globally nearly 74 hardware manufacturers are currently pre-installing its apps and services on their Android devices.Source 1...
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LG officially reveals Quick Cover case for unofficial LG G5
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LG is at is again, after teasing the LG G5's newest Always ON display, the company has introduced its Quick Cover case for the LG G5 which now has a mesh design that allows touch gestures through to the screen.This reminds us of the HTC One M8's dot-case that allowed certain functions of the phone with the cover still on.The mesh design takes after the K10's quick case and allows the user to answer calls, dismiss alarms, check notifications, and check the time on "the Always-ON Display of the yet unseen LG G5 even with the cover closed.It looks to us like LG wants some attention, especially after fully rendered images of the Galaxy S7 were leaked.Anyway, LG's Quick Cover will be on display at Mobile World Congress along with the LG G5. We can't wait to see what LG has to offer this...
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Archos announces the 50d Oxygen coming in May for £129
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The next member in Archos' Oxygen line of smartphones has been unveiled today. It's called Archos 50d Oxygen, and we assume that means it's supposed to act as the successor to the 50c Oxygen from two years ago.The 50d keeps the 5-inch screen size from its predecessor, but ups the resolution to 1080p. It's powered by MediaTek's MT6753 chipset, featuring a 1.3 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU, aided by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. 4G LTE support is built-in, as well as dual-SIM functionality.The main camera is a 13 MP unit with a LED flash, while selfies will be taken care of by the front-facing 5 MP snapper. The phone has all the usual connectivity options (except NFC), and a removable 2,100 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop. Its dimensions are 141.4 x 70.8 x 8.2 mm, and it weighs 140g.It will become available at some point in May, for a recommended retail price of £129 (SIM-free and unlocked, of...
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32GB Moto X Pure Edition (2015) is now $75 off at $374.99
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Moto X Pure Edition (2015) is the equivalent of the Moto X Style for North America, and the brand's current flagship offering for the region. And now it's cheaper than before in three variations.If you don't necessarily want to use MotoMaker to customize the hardware of your Pure Edition, but do want to save a cool $75, then make sure you buy from Amazon. Oh, and you need to get the model with 32GB of storage, but that's an easy pick since it's now actually cheaper than the one with half that.While the 16GB Moto X Pure goes for $399, you can pick up the 32GB iteration for just $374.99 (it normally sells for $450). You can choose from black or white hues at this price. If you want the bamboo back (with white front), then you need to shell out $25 more - that's the price of that particular material...
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Alcatel Fierce XL with Windows 10 is now available at T-Mobile
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Exactly as rumored, T-Mobile has made the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL with Windows available for purchase today. The phone didn't even get an announcement press release, but if you're interested in picking one up you can already do so from the magenta carrier's website.This version of the Fierce XL runs Windows 10 Mobile, being indeed the first Alcatel device to do so. It can be yours for $139.99 upfront. Or you can go with T-Mobile's famous installment plan, in which case you shell out $0 initially, then followed by 24 monthly payments of $5.84.You obviously don't get high-end specs for that amount of cash. The Fierce XL boasts a 5.5-inch 720p touchscreen, an 8 MP main camera with LED flash, a 2 MP secondary snapper, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 SoC (with a 1.1 GHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, LTE, and a 2,500 mAh battery.The phone appears to only be available in the color version you can see above, with a black front and a bright blue...
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Twitter intros algorithmic 'best tweets first' timeline option
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Ever since it launched many years ago, the timeline you see on Twitter has been all about the reverse chronological order - you get the newest tweets at the top. This is set to change, however, following many rumors on the matter.In the past Twitter brought you the "While you were away..." section, which was the first thing to ignore the reverse chronological order of tweets. And now the social network is taking that to the next level with the "show me the best tweets first" option.This is rolling out "in the coming weeks". You'll be able to toggle it on and off through a dedicated item in Settings. When it's on, you'll see "the Tweets you're most likely to care about" at the top of your timeline after you've been away for a while. These will be "recent" and in reverse chronological order themselves - they just won't be the latest tweets. To get to those, you scroll down past the "best tweets" section, or just pull-to-refresh at any time.Twitter says the new feature should create more and livelier conversations, as well as generally more tweets and retweets. When this becomes available for you, Twitter will put a notification in your...
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LG G5 visits Geekbench packing Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LG is all set to announce the G5 at a special event at MWC on February 21. And while we wait for that to happen, the Korean company is teasing us about the handset's features. Behind the scenes, however, LG is also extensively testing its newest creation, as you'd imagine.In fact, someone with a G5 prototype has run Geekbench on the thing, and that has resulted in a couple of its specs getting confirmed, along with the fact that it runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. The information gathered by the benchmark says the G5 sports Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset along with 4GB of RAM.None of those are surprising, of course, as the presence of both should be par for the course in a flagship Android device in 2016. The phone that was tested here is the LG F700S. That "S" means it's meant for SK Telecom, one of the three carriers in South Korea.The model number, F700, strongly implies this is the G5 we're seeing here. That's because for its home market LG has used F600 to describe the V10, while the G4 had the model number F500. So by that logic, the next high-end smartphone from LG is the F700. Which will be known commercially as the G5.The LG G5 may arrive with a modular design of sorts, its volume buttons on one side (not the back), a 20 MP rear camera, an 8 MP selfie shooter, and a 5.6-inch QHD touchscreen, previous leaks have said.Source | Via (in...
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Apple Pay down for some, can't add Visa cards
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Users of Apple Pay (who have more than 2 million locations to use the service now) have been experiencing issues with it for a few hours. The single yellow blemish in the otherwise perfectly green dashboard for Apple system status has been there since a little past 4AM ET.More specifically, users have been unable to add Visa debit and credit cards, and Apple is, obviously aware. On the positive note, cards already in the system have been working just fine.Source |...
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T-Mobile now selling the LG K7 for $140
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] T-Mobile listed the LG K7 today for $139.99. The handset was unveiled at CES 2016, back in January, along with its higher-end sibling, the K10, which is yet to be spotted in a listing. Both set the tone for the Korean giant's new "K" line of budget-friendly handsets and at $140, the K7 does sound pretty affordable.It's specs, however, are rather underwhelming, especially by 2016 standards. It comes with a 5-inch 854x480 touchscreen, a 2,125 mAh battery, a 5 MP selfie shooter, and Android 5.1 Lollipop. All the other specs vary depending on whether you get the 3G or the LTE version. Luckilly, T-Mobile is offering the latter, which does run on a Snapdragon 210 SoC with 1.1 GHz, quad-core CPU and 1.5 GB of RAM. Storage is set at 8GB with up to 32GB extra via microSD and the main shooter is 5MP as well, while other versions are said to feature an 8MP one.Both K series devices have LG's new "glossy pebble" design language, which employs a "curved, modern finish aimed at a younger audience". They both have 2.5D curved glass on top of their displays and the body of the LTE K7 up on offer at T-Mobile is in a "Titan" hue.For a more in-depth overview of the K7 as well as the K10, you can check our hands-on review.Source |...
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HTC One M10 to launch on April 11
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] We've been hearing about HTC One M10, codenamed Perfume, for quite some time now. It is touted to be HTC's big return on the market, following the controversial One A9 expensive mid-ranger and the company's premium model for Asia - One X9.HTC One M10 was supposed to be announced at the MWC in a few days, but some recent reports push its announcement for somewhere in March. Its One M9 predecessor also launched in March so that wasn't be such a surprise.But today a new rumor sheds some light on the official launch date. The announcement event, which was previously reported to take place in London will take place on April 11.The One M10 is also rumored to lose the M10 for another moniker, but the One brand will stay, of course. .The One M10 is rumored to follow the One A9 design language and come with a 5.1" QHD AMOLED screen, Snapdragon 820 (EU/US) or unspecified MediaTek chip (Asia), 4GB RAM, and a 12MP UltraPixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and laser-assisted AF. It will runAndroid 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense...
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Gold Nexus 6P now $50 off at BestBuy
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Huawei-made Nexus 6P is now $50 off at BestBuy, following Google's identical price cut in its own store. The offer is valid for the Gold color option, and applies to both the 32GB and 64GB versions.The base model now costs $449.99, while double the storage comes at $499.99. If you want the top model with 128GB, however, you're stuck with one of the other color options, and neither Graphite nor Aluminum gets the discount, so you'd be paying the full $649.99.If you do decide to take advantage of the offer and get a Gold Nexus 6P, BestBuy will also throw in a $25 gift card. It's worth mentioning that while $50 off is a nice deal, the Nexuses often get similar discounts, so if you miss this promo, there may very well be another one down the road.Source |...
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Samsung Galaxy S6 edge review: Double down
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] How big of an impact can a small change have? The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has only the extra screen curves compared to the vanilla Galaxy S6, but these two phones couldn't feel any more different - a difference that you can readily feel when you...
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, both 9.7" and 8", spotted in benchmarks
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A couple of weeks ago two Samsung tablets were imported into India for testing - the SM-T718 and the SM-T813. Those have now passed through GFX Bench and confirmed suspicions that they are the successors to the AMOLED-packing Tab S2.The SM-T819, the 9.7" Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, will have a Super AMOLED screen with 2,048 x 1,536px resolution (same as the iPad and the Tab S2).Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 specs, according to GFX Bench It will come with a new chipset, though, the Snapdragon 652. It sounds like a mid-ranger, but actually, it has four Cortex-A72 cores and four A53s. Compare that to the four A57s and four A53s of the S810. There are two issues - first, the 28nm build (limits clockspeed and power efficiency) and the Adreno 510 GPU. Still, early benchmarks suggest some improvement over the Exynos 5433 used in the Tab S2 generation..jrGraphContainer { background: none !important; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee !important;} ul.jrGraph { left: 146px !important; } ul.jrGraphControls { padding: 0; margin-left: -10px !important; } JRGRAPH_EXPANDABLE_VERSION = false; GeekBench 3 (multi-core)Higher is better Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 4275 Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 4122GeekBench 3 (single-core)Higher is better Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 8.0 1312 Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 1225Moving on, little else seems to have changed. The Galaxy Tab S3 will launch with the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It will have 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 8MP/1080p main camera and 2MP/1080p selfie. 150Mbps LTE will be an option.The SM-T719, the 8" Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, will be virtually the same - same resolution as the bigger S3, same chipset, same camera. The only differences will be screen size and battery backup.Source (in German) |...
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Xiaomi Mi 5 camera sample by Hugo Barra himself packs plenty of detail
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Xiaomi Mi 5 is bound to become official in a couple of weeks, and as befitting a Xiaomi flagship (or any flagship, for that matter) it has been the star of numerous leaks. The company's president posted a shot captured with the Mi 5's camera a few days ago and now VP Hugo Barra has taken it to Facebook to share a sample of his own.The single shot of what looks like a Cycas Revoluta (we know our plants, also have access to the internet) presents plenty of detail even in its undoubtedly altered for social media state. Colors are nice, and the Mi 5 has done well with exposing the scene.(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Spent the holidays hanging out with my folks..aaaaand playing around with the insanely AMAZING #Mi5 camera. I didn't...Posted by Hugo Barra on_Thursday, February 11, 2016Naturally, Facebook posts aren't the best place to evaluate a camera, but they do the job to give us a hint at what to expect from Xiaomi's future smartphone. And is that the Mi 5 itself in the bottom right corner casting its shadow?Source |...
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Facebook testing multiple account management and SMS integration on Android
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Some Facebook Messenger users over on Android Police have reported that their Facebook Messenger app has been looking different for a couple of weeks now.On top of all the changes already made, Facebook is testing a few new features for a future app release.The most unusual of which is SMS integration for Android. A few years ago, Facebook Messenger featured a way to set Messenger as your default SMS app. This was a way for users to quickly message people both on Facebook and SMS quickly without leaving the app. The problem was that it wasn't adopted as much as the Facebook Team had hoped.Just like the Facebook message color is blue, the SMS color is purple to differentiate it from a Facebook message.The feature has been pulled back in 2014 but Facebook's new business strategy for the year involves being able to look up people to talk to by name, not even using a phone number.There are some new Material Design elements found like the blue action bar and the blue status bar. Facebook is testing several different layouts and hasn't seemed to finalize on one yet.Also new, is multiple Facebook account support. The ability to add more than one account to Facebook Messenger account on a single device.This would be especially useful for business users who manage multiple business accounts with high volume customer interaction.Source |...
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Rose gold and platinum Samsung Gear S2 Classic will be out in the US tomorrow
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Last month, the two new Gear S2 Classic models Samsung unveiled at CES began their global rollout. And now this is about to take them to the US.Both the rose gold and the platinum Gear S2 will become available stateside tomorrow, for a recommended retail price of $449.99. You'll find them at Samsung's own online store, as well as at Best Buy, Amazon, Macy's, and other outlets in the country.Both smartwatches are only plated with the metal that's mentioned in their names, and not actually made out of a solid piece of it - hence the rather affordable pricing. You get an Ivory genuine leather band with the rose gold model, and a black genuine leather band with the platinum one. Spec-wise nothing has changed from the original Gear S2 Classic, so these models also have the same exact innards.We're talking about a 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED touchscreen with 360x360 resolution, a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, a bunch of sensors (including a heart rate monitor), and a 250 mAh battery with support for wireless...
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Instagram will show how many times videos are watched
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Just a few days ago, Instagram revealed that all its users would get to use multiple accounts inside its apps starting later this week. And today the Facebook-owned photography-focused social network is at it again, with yet another new feature being announced.It's something much simpler this time around, but should prove very useful for the content creators using Instagram. "Over the next few weeks", view counts for videos will be shown underneath them, as portrayed in the screenshots below. A view is registered once a video has been watched for at least three seconds.This introduction comes as apparently "views are the most widely expected form of feedback on video". The information about how many times a video was viewed will replace that about how many likes it's received. To get to the number of likes, you'll need to tap on the word "views".Instagram promises that this is only the first of many ways in which it plans to improve its handling of video content this year.Source |...
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HTC One M10 camera specs leak
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] By all accounts, HTC's next flagship will skip MWC 2016 and possibly come out a bit later, on April 11, but the delay hasn't deterred eager fans and leaksters from gathering info on the handset.An new source now claims to have the inside scoop on the camera info of the handset, codenamed "Perfume". According to the info, the phone is going to have a 12 MP Sony IMX 377 sensor on the back with a pixel size of 1.55 um. It will be supported by laser autofocus as well as phase detection autofocus. As for the front camera, HTC is apparently referring to it as an UltraPixel one. However, its sensor is said to be a 5MP Samsung s5k4e6 one, which has 1.34µm pixel size - much smaller than the 2µm of the original UltraPixel cameras. OIS was previously said to appear in both the front and back shooter.HTC Perfume "UltraPixels":Main Camera - Sony IMX377 12MP 1.55um + Laser Autofocus + PDAFFront Camera - Samsung s5k4e6 5MP UltraPixel— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) February 11, 2016As far as we currently know, other specs on the One M10 include a QHD AMOLED display, with a diagonal of either 5.1 or 5.2 inches. The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset, which will be aided by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (of which around 23GB will be user-accessible). A microSD card slot will be available too. A fingerprint scanner is also suggested, most-likely in the home button below the screen. In terms of OS, it will most-likely boot Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense 8 on...
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Marshmallow update is now rolling out for the original Moto 360 too
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A few days ago Google announced the latest version of Android Wear, 1.4, which is based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, along with the new features this will bring to a smartwatch near you. Then, shortly after that, we saw the rollout of the update commence for the second-generation Moto 360.While that's still not reached all units, Motorola has also started pushing out the update to its first smartwatch, the original 360 from 2014. The image below confirms that at least some people have already received and installed it.The new software has support for more languages, screen dimming, new wrist gestures, Doze mode (which should improve battery life), manual settings for date and time, audio improvements for Bluetooth headsets, and the ability to send messages with your voice through popular third-party apps.As with all staged rollouts, it could still be a few days until every Moto 360 device out there pops up the coveted notification, so all that's required now is a bit of...
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Samsung Pay launching in the UK and Spain "very soon"
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung Pay is expected to launch in the UK and Spain early this year. The head of Samsung Pay Europe revealed that the launch will be "very soon," but said the exact date and other details will be revealed at the MWC.The Samsung Galaxy S7, the start of Samsung's MWC show, will be unveiled on February 21 and we'll most likely see Pay piggyback on its media attention (the MWC is held in Spain, after all).Also in the first wave of expansion for this year is China, with Australia, Singapore and Brazil following later. It's not just the S7 that supports Samsung Pay, the new Galaxy A (2016) series does...
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A free Samsung VR headset to come with each Galaxy S7 pre-order
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung Galaxy S7 is going to premiere at a special UNPACKED event at the MWC next week. It has been in Rumorland for quite some time and the speculations have gone wild throughout the past few days.Samsung is also keen on getting a piece of the growing VR market, and as suggested by Rory O'Neill, Vice President Brand & Product Manager of Samsung Electronics, most of the VR content will be in fact produced by the consumers. That's why Samsung will be offering a free Gear VR headset with each Galaxy S7 smartphone or at least in the Netherlands.As per some reports Samsung Netherlands will be throwing a free Gear VR headset with each Galaxy S7 pre-order placed between February 21 and March 10. The Galaxy S7 is going to be unveiled on February 21, which means it will go on pre-order in Europe on the very same day.It's unclear whether this promotion will expand to other markets, but if Samsung wants some nice share of the VR universe, the logic says yes.In just a few days the Galaxy S7 will say ‘hi' from Barcelona for the first time. Naturally, we'll be there to cover the event for you as it unfolds.Source 1 • Source 2 • Source...
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Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC unveiled, LG already working on smartwatches
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Qualcomm's on fire today. Not only has the US chipmaker announced 3 smartphone SoC's, but it's also followed up with a brand new platform for wearables, dubbed the Snapdragon Wear. The sole chip in the new range at this point is the Snapdragon Wear 2100, bringing significant improvements over the so far default smartwatch choice, the Snapdragon 400.The dedicated solution for smart devices you'll be strapping to you wrist or chest this year is 30% smaller in physical size than the S400, enabling more compact designs and thinner wearables. It also boasts 25% better power efficiency than the old model.The Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset packs a quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at up to 1.2GHz, and its Adreno 304 GPU (featured in some of the 200-series chips) can feed displays up to 640x480 pixels at up to 60Hz. Two versions of the chip will be available, one tethered (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi only), the other - connected, with full 2G/3G/LTE cellular connectivity. The chip also supports NFC and GPS, and comes with Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities.LG was also keen to point out the collaboration between the two companies in the field. Wearables branch vice president David Yoon indicated that the Korean giant is already working on smartwatches, but also other wearables, to be launched later this year.Source 1 Source 2 Source...
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Qualcomm announces new Snapdragon 625, 435 and 425 chipsets
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Here's the mid-range chipset from Qualcomm that we've been waiting for, the Snapdragon 625. The company also brought faster LTE connectivity to the 400-series with the 425 and 435.Snapdragon 625Despite its low model number, the S625 is the first 600-series chipset to be built on a power-efficient 14nm process. This allows its eight Cortex-A53 cores to be clocked at over 2GHz.This is also the third 600-class chip (after the 650, 652) to record 4K video (with both AVC and HEVC codecs); it also supports up to 24MP cameras with its dual ISP.It's paired with an X9 modem for Cat. 7 LTE - up to 300Mbps downloads and 150Mbps uploads. The chipset also supports Wi-Fi ac. Other goodies include an Adreno 506 GPU and Quick Charge 3.0.The only limiting factor is the display support - the Snapdragon 625 tops out at 1,900 x 1,200 at 60fps or 1080p at 30fps. So, we won't see it in QHD flagships, but premium mid-rangers are about to get better. You can expect new devices with the 625 in the second half of this year. Finally, Qualcomm mentioned that the 625 uses up to 35% less power than its Snapdragon 617 predecessor, so all the goodies won't cost you anything in terms of battery life. Snapdragon 435This one is built on the old 28nm process, so its eight Cortex-A53 cores top out at 1.4GHz. Also, it comes with Adreno 505 GPU and supports displays up to 1080p at 60fps.It's still a solid offering with an X8 modem (Cat. 7 for 300Mbps down, 100Mbps up), Wi-Fi ac and Quick Charge 3.0. This is the first 400-series chipset with Cat. 7 LTE.The S435 chipset supports 1080p video recording (AVC and HEVC) from 21MP cameras.Snapdragon 425A small difference in model number, a huge difference in hardware. The Snapdragon 425 chipset has a quad-core processor, Cortex-A53 up to 1.4GHz (28nm build), and an old Adreno 308 (which means no OpenGL ES 3.1 support).Display support is capped at 1,280 x 800 at 60fps. At least you get to keep the 1080p video capture (max camera resolution is 16MP, though).The Snapdragon 425 uses an older X6 modem, which puts its maximum speeds at Cat. 4 levels - 150Mbps down, 75Mbps up. You still get Wi-Fi ac. Quick Charge version 2.0 is supported.Both the Snapdragon 435 and the 425 are pin-compatible with last year's S430, so phone-makers have an easy upgrade path to the new chipsets.X16 modemYou may have glossed over the modem designations, but to compare it quickly to the high end, the upcoming Snapdragon 820 chipset has an X12 chipset. It boasts download speeds of up to 600Mbps.Today Qualcomm also announced the X16 - the first modem to reach 1Gbps (that's 1,000Mbps) download speeds. It's also the first modem to be built on a 14nm process (the X12 is at 20nm). This modem won't arrive in consumer devices until 2017 though. Anyway, the X16 modem also supports LTE-U, aka LTE-Unlicensed, which operates in the 5GHz spectrum, sharing room with household...
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Right to be forgotten to expand over all Google domains
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Google offers the ‘right to be forgotten' option for all EU citizens, by EU regulations. If a person asks Google to remove all information about him, Google is obliged to remove any references and information from its search engine.As this rule applies to EU citizens and for the EU only, Google scrubs such information only from its .fr, .co.uk, .bg, .de, and similar EU Google Search domains. This allowed for an easy workaround - just open Google.com or any other non-EU Google Search website and repeat the search string.This is about to change in just a few days, though. Google is going to address this workaround, and the ‘right to be forgotten' rule will apply to all Google domains when used within the EU (detected by IP address). Soon, the only way to see results under the ‘right to be forgotten' rule will require you to be out of the EU or use a proxy server.According to BBC, Google will apply the new rules in mid-February and if some information is under the ‘right to be forgotten' rule it won't be accessed by any Google Search engine invoked within the EU borders.Source •...
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HTC One M10 render shows its hybrid One M9 and A9 looks
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] As expected, the HTC One M10 will break away from the old M-design and inherit that of the One A9. We had a peek at a murky photo a week ago, but now we can gawk at smooth 3D renders.The M10 does look quite a bit like the A9 with its flat back with beveled sides. One noticeable change is that the camera is below the top antenna line, just like it was on the previous M models. You can see the laser focus element below the flash. The big camera on the front will reportedly be quite impressive too.One disappointing feature of the A9 was also brought over to the One M10 - no stereo speakers, not on the front, not on the back. On the plus side, the HTC logo below the screen, the one that needlessly took up vertical space, is gone. Now the M10 is expected to be the same size as the A9, despite the slightly bigger screen.HTC One M10 (leak) • HTC One A9 • HTC One M9The phone is expected to have a 5.1" QHD AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 820 chipset and a 12MP UltraPixel camera. The updated Sense UI is expected to be much closer to stock Android. The HTC One M10 may not show up at the MWC, but it should launch on April 11.Source |...
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Put the Alcatel Idol 4s back in the package for a VR experience
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4s was recently accidentally listed on the company's website, revealing all specs ahead of the alleged MWC announcement. What it didn't tell was that the upcoming smartphone will come bundled with a VR headset.Or rather, inside one. The retail packaging of the Idol 4s will double as a Google Cardboard-style rig, only made of plastic. Having in mind that Samsung sells one of these (the Gear VR) for $99 or $199, depending on generation, the inclusion of a VR headset with the smartphone is a nice touch, especially considering its alleged sub-$400 price point.The Idol 4s will also have the hardware to facilitate its VR use - a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 652 and 3GB of RAM. There will also be a 16MP/8MP camera combo, each with a flash, and the reversible design of the Idol 3 will be taken to the next level. Source |...
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TSMC allegedly to be the sole manufacturer of iPhone 7 processor
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] According to a report by South Korea's The Electronic Times, TSMC is to become the sole supplier for the next generation AX processor in the upcoming iPhone 7.According to the report, TSMC won the contract with Apple over Samsung due to its more efficient 10nm manufacturing process, and is expected to go in full production in June.Both TSMC and Samsung are the suppliers for the A9 processor in the iPhone 6s. Unfortunately for Samsung, users noticed differences in heating and battery life between the chipsets from the two companies, with the TSMC one coming out the better of the two.This wouldn't be the first time Apple went with just TSMC. After a long time of relying on Samsung to supply its chips, Apple switched to TSMC for the A8 and A8X, and even the A9 would have been made entirely by TSMC had Samsung not stolen TSMC's trade secrets, which is said to have helped the company get the contract with Apple. With the A10, TSMC is likely to be the sole supplier for Apple, assuming it can keep up with the demand.Source •...
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Samsung closing in on Apple in the US
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Parks Associates's latest report on the sate of the US mobile market reveals a few interesting facts. Perhaps most intriguing is the reduced gap between the two titans in the realm - Apple and Samsung. The former currently controls 40% of the local mobile market, but the Korean giant is quickly catching up with 31%. Samsung's US expansion is definitely impressive, but other foreign OEM's are exhibiting the same trend, although on a much smaller scale. Third place on the list goes to LG, with 10% market share and other major brand names, like Motorola and HTC have about 5% reach, combined.On a global scale, Samsung still led the race in 2015, with a total of 324.8 million units shipped, leaving Cupertino at second place with about 231.5 million sales.Another interesting trend, unearthed in the Parks Associates's research concerns smartphone upgrade cycles. The numbers show that about a third of iOS users still own a handset that is more than two years old, while only 30% of Samsung users are on a device as dated. This could be interpreted as a testament to the futureproofing of Apple handsets, but it might also have to do with carrier efforts to shorten hardware upgrade cycles as much as possible and encourage more frequent sales.Operators are pulling out all the tricks to encourage phone upgrades... The once-familiar two-year contract, which tied consumers to a two-year phone upgrade cycle, is gradually fading. U.S. carriers started to do away with two-year contracts in 2012, and by the third quarter of 2015, only 51% of mobile consumers had a contract, down from almost 70% at the end 2011. A few other curious statistic from the report state that:More than 70% of smartphone users now watch short streaming video clips, and more than 40% watch long streaming videos on their device.Almost 40% of smartphone users use the voice recognition function; among iPhone users, more than half have used Siri.36% use Wi-Fi calling35% stream music from the phone to speakers26% use a payment app for purchases at a retail location24% stream video from the phone to a second screen (e.g., TV, PC, etc.)Source |...
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Marshmallow update for Android Wear promises battery boost
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] With a little over 1% penetration, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is still very much a rarity within the mobile realm and an illusive update most users are still waiting on. But it appears you handset won't be the only device to benefit from the update, Android Wear units will eventually get a taste of Marshmallow goodness as well and with potential major benefits.One of the main expected consequences of the new OS is improved battery life for the wearables. As most of you surely remember, Doze is a key feature of Android 6.0 and it appears it will be carried over to the wearable version as well. We can't really say how much this will extend average battery life, which currently sits at around two days, depending on usage, as well as how it will play with always on mode enabled. Still, there is bound to be at least some improvement, so we'll take it.As for availability, we understand that last generation Moto 360 watches already ship with the new Wear 1.4 OS. As for other devices, it appears a rollout has been in progress for a few days now, but no official update schedule has been provided. It is also worth noting that the new update brings support for speakers and making calls (currently limited to the Huawei Watch and the 49mm Asus ZenWatch 2, which have a built-in speaker), as well as a number of new gestures and voice...
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Microsoft cutting more jobs from its struggling mobile division
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Back in July last year, Microsoft announced that up to 7,800 employees will be laid off globally, with majority of those working in the company's phone business. Now, there are reports that the software giant is cutting "dozens" of more jobs from its mobile division.While the exact number isn't yet known, it has been confirmed that this new round of layoffs is not part of the move announced in July. Also, those being laid off now are said to be part of the marketing team working with the company's mobile subsidiary in Finland.The news comes nearly a couple of weeks after the Redmond, Washington-based company released its Q2 fiscal 2016 earnings report, revealing that only 4.5 million Lumia phones were sold in the last quarter of 2015, down from the 10.5 million reported in Q4,...
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HTC One M10 tipped to go on sale in US in May
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] While we already know that HTC's upcoming flagship smartphone will be unveiled in London on April 11, there has been no word on its US launch. That, however, was until now, as the usually reliable tipster @evleaks has revealed that the phone will go on sale in the US in the second week of May.HTC M10: Hitting US retail the week of May 9th— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 11, 2016As you might already know, the name One M10 is also not final, with latest rumors suggesting that the 'M10' will be ditched in favor of some other (yet unknown) moniker. The 'One' brand, however, isn't going anywhere.Its rumored specs include SD820/unspecified Mediatek SoC (depending on the region), 5.1" QHD AMOLED screen, 4GB RAM, and 12MP UltraPixel rear camera with optical image stabilization and laser-assisted AF. In terms of OS, it is said to run Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense...
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BlackBerry enters into patent licensing agreement with Canon
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] BlackBerry has announced that it has entered into a patent licensing agreement with Canon for what the company describes as "certain power charging technology used by Canon products." "Our agreement with Canon substantiates the value companies place on BlackBerry's innovative and foundational power charging patents for mobile and consumer electronic devices," BlackBerry said in a press release. "With the agreement in place, Canon can continue to incorporate convenient charging solutions in its exciting new products." While specific terms remain confidential, the Canadian company did reveal that the deal was signed in the month of November last...
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Another price cut for Samsung's 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablet; now available for $449
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung's humongous Galaxy View tablet has received another price cut in the US. The 18.4-inch device now costs just $449, which is $50 down from the price tag it has been carrying for the past few months now. The discount is available on Amazon, but it shows up when the device is added to cart. Other third party retailers including Best Buy and B&H Photo are also selling the over-sized tablet for $449. The latest discount comes a few months after the Galaxy View received a $100 price cut in the country, something which happened just a couple of weeks after the tablet was launched in the US. Source 1 2...
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Apple Music now boasts over 11 million paid subscribers
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Apple has revealed that its Apple Music service now has more than 11 million paid subscribers. The revelation was made by company executives Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi in a recent interview. That number was at around 10 million last month, meaning the Cupertino-based company added a million new Apple Music paid subscribers in the past one month. Aside from Apple Music, stats on various other Apple Internet services were revealed. For example, iCloud has 782 million users; the company processes a whopping 200,000 iMessages per second; and 750 million worth of iTunes and the App Store purchases per...
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Apple wants judge to settle the iPhone unlocking case soon
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you recall, for the past few months, Apple and the US Justice Department are battling it out in court over whether the government can force the company to unlock the iPhones the latter is capable of. Now, the Cupertino-based firm wants the judge to settle the case soon. If you aren't already aware, the current case involves Justice Department's request to force Apple to extract data from a locked iPhone that the government agency wants to investigate. The device in question is an iOS 7-powered iPhone 5s, meaning Apple is capable of what the agency wants, but is reluctant fearing that doing so will tarnish the trust between the company and its customers. In a newly submitted letter, Apple has argued that the government is planning to make similar requests in future, so it's important for both parties to know what the court thinks, and that too without any further delay - the case has been dragging on for nearly 3 months now. "Apple takes no position on whether and to what extent information from the Apple device in the government's possession is relevant to any ongoing investigation, or necessary for the criminal defendant's sentencing. But Apple has received additional requests similar to the one underlying the case before this Court. Apple has also been advised that the government intends to continue to invoke the All Writs Act in this and other districts in an attempt to require Apple to assist in bypassing the security of other Apple devices in the government's possession," the company said in its...
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HTC One smartwatch now said to be launching in April
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Another HTC smartwatch rumor, and guess what... another delay. Just when we thought that the Taiwanese company would launch the long-rumored (in fact very long-rumored) device this Mobile World Congress, a new rumor is claiming otherwise. Back in December last year, the usually reliable leakster @evleaks said the wearable would be launched in February. But now, he is claiming that would happen in April. Small consolation, HTC fans: you'll be able to pick up the watch before the end of April.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 11, 2016 Meanwhile, there has been no word whatsoever on the device or its release time frame from HTC. FYI, rumors that HTC is developing a smartwatch first cropped up in 2013. So far, from what we've heard, it's an Android Wear-powered device with 360x360px display, and is codenamed...
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LG H840 with 5.3-inch display and 3GB RAM spotted on GFXBench
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A new LG phone has been spotted on benchmarking website GFXBench. The listing reveals that the device is powered by a Snapdragon 652 chipset and sports a 5.3-inch Quad HD display. It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. In terms of camera, both front as well as rear units are listed as 8MP, although we're expecting the main camera to be better. As for the operating system, the listing says the handset runs Android 4.4 KitKat, which is definitely a mistake of some sorts. The smartphone carries a model number of H840, suggesting it could be a variant of the South Korean company's upcoming LG G5 flagship (LG-H830) - LG G5 Lite may...
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US and UK BlackBerry discounts for Valentine's Day
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The official BlackBerry store is offering a couple of cool offers for this Valentine's Day weekend on the BlackBerry Priv. Up until February 24, the US and UK BlackBerry stores will be offering the BlackBerry Priv in black for a discounted price of $650 or £529. The deal is sold as a bundle so it also includes a complimentary set of accessories for your BlackBerry Priv at a value of $99 or £74. These accessories only include a smart cover case and a sync station that doubles a phone stand. Still, it's a great offer even with the discounted phone. Also, the BlackBerry Passport can be purchased for $399 or £349 in either black or white. Source: BlackBerry US UK |...
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Google finally decides to shut down Picasa, sort of
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Amazingly, Google's Picasa photo service still exists. You probably thought that with the big launch of Google Photos last year Picasa would have been put out of its misery, but no. Not then, anyway. After a long time of analyzing the situation, the search giant has finally decided to "retire" Picasa and focus on Google Photos. Which obviously makes perfect sense, unlike running two different photo services at the same time. That said, Google still hasn't actually said when Picasa will be gone forever, just that the process will take several months. The Picasa desktop application will no longer be supported starting on March 15. It will keep working after that date, but won't be updated anymore. On the other hand, the web service will remain unchanged until May 1. And even after that, you'll still be able to view, download, or delete your albums, you just won't be able to create, organize, or edit albums anymore. Perhaps rather confusingly, you can always go to Google Photos and see your photos and videos from Picasa over there. Since this is the case, it's really unclear why it's taking Google this long to shut down Picasa for good. Anyway, expect some more news about this on or around May...
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Skype for Android and iOS is getting ready for Valentine's Day with special video cards
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Skype has been getting ready for the Valentine's Day weekend, and with the latest updates for its Android, iPhone, and iPad apps it comes with some new love-themed features. An all-new Love tab brings you emojis and emoticons specially crafted for the occasion (including a new set of emojis featuring custom compositions from Sir Paul McCartney, which should help you "express different forms of love through music"). And if you want to share other emotions, you can do that more easily too by searching through the various available emojis and emoticons. Furthermore, you can record a special Valentine's Day video message, complete with floating hearts as seen in the image above. According to Skype, this will "help set the mood". And if you're particularly proud of your creation, you can share it via email or to Facebook to make it more generally available. To do the video deed, you tap on the new heart symbol which shows up on iOS to the right of the Skype logo inside the app, and on Android after you hit the "+" button in the...
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Verizon starts pushing Marshmallow update to the Droid Turbo 2
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Droid Turbo 2 employee edition started receiving the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow back in December, but for some reason it took Verizon this long to release the same software to the public. Anyway, it is finally out. If your phone hasn't yet notified you about the update, be patient as these things are usually staged - so it may be a while before all Droid Turbo 2 units out there get it. You'll need to be on Wi-Fi to download it. The new software comes with Now On Tap, App standby, Doze mode for better battery life, the new and improved app permissions system, adoptable storage, the slightly revamped Do not disturb mode, expanded volume controls, Direct share, and Attentive Display now part of Moto Actions. After applying the update, you'll be on build 24.14.9. Source 1 • Source...
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iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 will reportedly go on sale on March 18
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] According to some unnamed sources, the upcoming iPhone 5se and the iPad Air 3 will both become available from Apple, online and in stores, on March 18. If true, it means that Apple is planning a release of the two models very close to the much-rumored announcement date of March 15. The two events will thus occur during the same week, with the introduction on a Tuesday and the start of sales on Friday. While the company's plans could still change, the sources for this leak claim there will be no pre-order period for the two new devices. The iPhone 5se will look like the iPhone 5s from 2013, but it will come with the A9 chipset, NFC and Apple Pay support, always-on Siri activation, as well as the iPhone 6's camera. The iPad Air 3 is set to borrow many features from the bigger iPad Pro, such as the Smart Connector, Apple Pencil support, and four speakers. Its main camera may include a LED flash for the first time on an Apple...
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Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) camera up-close [VIDEO]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Our review of the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) has been up for a week now, and you're probably already familiar with our impressions. This year's A-series 5.5-incher got praised for its supreme build, battery endurance, and color-accurate AMOLED display, to name a few. It was particularly interesting to see the new 13MP camera in action. It's used in no less than four models in the A family this year - from the A3 (2016), where it's only been stripped of OIS, to the A9 (2016), so if that many devices are relying on it, it better be good. And it sure is, to the point where it can rival the outgoing Galaxy S6 flagship. Okay, maybe not in all cases - there are instances, where the A7 struggles to match it top-shelf brother, for example shots in less than ideal light. We've summarized our findings in the video below for those who have just 2 minutes to spare. The rest can refer back to the camera section of the review where you can pixel-peep to your heart's...
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T-Mobile's HTC One M9 gets Marshmallow on February 16
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you own an HTC One M9 purchased from T-Mobile you may have been wondering when the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow will finally hit your device. And today that information has been made public by none other than Mo Versi, HTC's VP of product management. The update has now received technical approval from the carrier, and the over-the-air rollout is set to commence on Tuesday, February 16. Of course, as with all such releases, do expect it to take a few days before Marshmallow graces all of T-Mobile's M9 units out there. But at least now we have a date to speak of. The Marshmallow update has already made it to units sold unlocked in the US, as well as those sold by Sprint. And it looks like TMo's M9 is next in...
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Pandora declines commenting on sell-off rumors
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Internet radio company Pandora has refused to comment on recent reports that it is looking to get acquired. "We won't comment on rumors," said Pandora's CEO Brian McAndrews during the company's recent earnings call. "We will say we're very confident in our ability to drive significant value to our shareholders," he added. "We're focused on working as an independent company." The New York Times had recently carried a report that Pandora held internal discussions about a potential sell-off, following which a Reuters report suggested that Yahoo, Hulu, and Amazon could be among the potential buyers. The rumors came just a few months after it was revealed that Apple Music has significantly dented Pandora's user-base. For those who aren't in the know, the company acquired several of Rdio's key assets after the later filed for bankruptcy last year. Via | The New York Times |...
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Huawei Honor 5X is now available from Three UK
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] After having gone on sale in SIM-free form in the UK not long ago, the Honor 5X from Huawei is now also available from Three. This operator even claims an exclusive on the device, so you won't see the Honor 5X at the likes of Vodafone, EE, or O2. As you'd expect, the Honor 5X is affordable. You can get it for nothing upfront on contracts starting at £13 per month - in which case you get 100 minutes, unlimited texts, and 500MB. Thankfully there are many more options to pick from, including a £40 per month deal which nets you unlimited everything (including data). If you'd rather choose the Pay as you go route, the handset can be yours for £189.99 - which is exactly as much as it costs if you buy it SIM-free from Huawei itself. The Honor 5X has a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP main camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie cam, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chipset (with a 1.5 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 4G support, and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Huawei's EMUI 3.1 on top. Source |...
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Shoemaker ASICS acquires Runkeeper app
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] ASICS, a popular Japanese sportwear maker, has bought the Runkeeper fitness-tracking app. It's hardly a surprise as Adidas kicked the acquisition season by getting Runtastic app. According to Runkeeper's track data, ASICS is the most popular shoe brand within its user database and this maybe one of the reasons for the move. Runkeeper's CEO is also keen on this kind of joint operations as it will provide for "a deeper, more trusted relationship with consumers". The companies are keeping mum on the value of this acquisition, but they both promise Runkeeper will suffer no significant changes or interruptions and will continue to work as it is. Source |...
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Microsoft boasts 1 billion gaming hours for Xbox One but Sony PS4 was still top seller in January
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] NPD's data for the first month of this year has arrived and its reveals status quo in Xbox One vs PS4 battle. Like December 2015, Sony's gaming console held onto the top spot in terms of sales in the US. As is usually the case, specific sales numbers weren't revealed. "Thanks to our fans and partners for making PlayStation 4 the top-selling platform and software sales leader in January, according to NPD," Sony said. "PS4 also saw impressive year-over-year growth in both hardware and software sales. We appreciate the support and will continue to deliver on our promise to bring the best entertainment experiences to gamers." While Microsoft again had to settle for the second spot, it still had something to trumpet - the number of gaming hours. "In January, the total number of hours spent gaming in one month on Xbox One worldwide surpassed 1 billion hours," the company said. "Looking ahead to this spring, fans can enjoy more great games with the upcoming releases of ‘Quantum Break,' ‘Rocket League' and ‘Tom Clancy's The Division.' We can't thank our fans enough for their continued support and passion for Xbox, and we're looking forward to bringing more of the games and experiences our fans want most in 2016." The NPD report revealed a decline in overall hardware sales. "As we enter 2016, the majority of console hardware sales will occur on eighth generation consoles as evidenced by the 96% share of console hardware sales from eighth generation consoles, up from 84% in January 2015," the market research firm said. In the battle of games, Call Of Duty: Black Ops III bagged the top spot - it was at the top in December as well as for the whole of 2015,...
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WSJ: Standalone VR headset from Google in the works
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Less than a week after there were reports that Google is planning to launch a Samsung Gear VR competitor later this year, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Mountain View, California-based company is also working on a standalone VR headset. Google's existing Cardboard VR headset (Star Wars edition) As the term suggests, a standalone VR headset is one which doesn't rely on a smartphone, PC, or a gaming console to function. Currently, there isn't any such VR product in the market. "The headset will include a screen, high-powered processors and outward-facing cameras," the report said. It "appears to aim for a middle ground: a quality experience not tethered to an expensive PC or game console." Startup Movidius will supply the technology for the headset. As for the availability, things aren't set in stone it seems. While one of the WSJ's sources said the device could be unveiled this year, others refrained from offering any specific timeline, cautioning that it's in early stages of development and could even be scrapped. The Samsung Gear VR competitor, meanwhile, could be unveiled at Google's this year's annual developer conference along with a new VR-compatible Android version, the report...
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LeTV Le 1s hands-on: First look
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LeTV's claim for fame was at this year's CES where Qualcomm announced LeTV would be the make+r of the first phone with the high-end Snapdragon 820 chipset.
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Huawei Honor Holly 2 Plus to hit the shelves next week
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Unveiled late last month in India, the Huawei Honor Holly 2 Plus smartphone will go on sale starting next week - February 15 to be precise. Carrying an INR 8,499 (around $125) price tag, the device will be available for purchase through online retailers Flipkart and Amazon. Specs-wise, the handset is powered by a MediaTek MT6735P SoC, and sports a 5-inch HD IPS display. RAM is 2GB, while internal memory is 16GB, although expandable. It packs in a large 4,000mAh battery. The camera department is handled by a 13MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. Featuring textured design on its back and a poly-carbonate body, the Honor Holly 2 Plus runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with EMUI 3.1 on top. The handset is scheduled to get the Android 6.0-based EMUI 4.0 update soon. Source 1 2 |...
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Weekly poll results:_Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) loved, A7 (2016) also ge
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Well, you've had a week to think about it and the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) got a warm reception, stealing the spotlight from its bigger Galaxy A7 (2016) sibling (which got a tentatively positive response).The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) got 63% Hot votes. It also garners more interest when we compare specs page visits - the A5 (2016) is in the Top 10, slightly above the old A5.The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016) is slightly behind that (right outside the Top 10) and the voting was more evenly split - the A7 (2016) got 57% Hot votes.There are two more phones in the A 2016 series - the smallest of the bunch, the Galaxy A3 (2016), and the biggest, the Galaxy A9 (2016). Both of them stray from the current ideals of screen size though and are less popular than their siblings, 5 and...
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Top 10 trending phones of week 6
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Not much has happened this week in our traditional Top 10 trending chart, at least in the top half, that is. Positions 1 to 6 have stood still, and the chart-toppers have been the same for while now, save for Vibe K4 Note's brief two-week stint in number 1.So the list goes like this. The Galaxy J7 rules again, followed by its usual sidekick - the J5. The K4 Note we mentioned completes the podium.Samsung's soon-to-be-replaced flagship Galaxy S6 sits in 4th, Galaxy J2 rests in fifth and long-time champion Grand Prime now long past its prime is still in 6th. The iPhone 5s is the only Apple smartphone in this edition, and it too keeps its 8th spot from last week.What about 7th, we hear you ask. Well, it's one of the new entries, and that's the Galaxy A5 (2016). The older model has also made the chart, in 10th, and the two combined have scored more hits than the J5 in 2nd, but it doesn't quite work like that. The third new entry, at 9th, is the Oppo F1, the company's reasonably priced offering that aims to look like its premium bros..news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 25%; text-align: center;}.news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 75%;}.news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; }#review-body .news-item .n-right h2,.reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px;}.n-right p { margin-top: 25px; line-height: 155%;}.news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc;}.news-item p { margin-left: 0; }.n-right h2 .phone-name { display: inline-block; width: 325px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: text-bottom;}.n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000;}.flat-button{ text-align:center; text-decoration: none !important; font: 400 22px Google-Oswald,Arial !important; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 150%; padding: 20px 60px !important; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius: 5px; margin: 10px 0; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #fff !important;}.flat-button-1 { background: #0CADA7;}.flat-button-1:hover { background: #0A948F; color: #666666 !important;}.flat-button-2 { background: #FF7E47;}.flat-button-2:hover { background: #EE7440; color: #666666 !important;}.n-right .rank-info { display: inline-block; font-family: "Google-Oswald",i€‹Arial,i€‹sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100;}.n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px;}.circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #8fb28f; border-radius: 50%; height: 23px; width: 23px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px;}.arrow { width: 0; height: 0; border-style: solid; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px;}.arrow-up { border-width: 0 15px 25px 15px; border-color: transparent transparent #0cada7 transparent;}.arrow-down { border-width: 25px 15px 0 15px; border-color: #ff7e47 transparent transparent transparent;} Samsung Galaxy J7 RANK: 1WAS: 1 specs review Samsung Galaxy J5 RANK: 2WAS: 2 specs review Lenovo Vibe K4 Note RANK: 3WAS: 3 specs gallery Samsung Galaxy S6 RANK: 4WAS: 4 specs review Samsung Galaxy J2 RANK: 5WAS: 5 specs review Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime RANK: 6WAS: 6 specs review Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) RANK: 7NEW IN specs review Apple iPhone 5s RANK: 8WAS: 8 specs review Oppo F1 RANK: 9NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy A5 RANK: 10NEW IN specs...
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Telegram update brings new voice messaging features, improved Secret Chats
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Telegram has released an update on iOS and Android that brings with it several cool new features that users should love.One of the features is improvement to voice messages. You can now just pick up and place the phone to your ear to activate voice recording and then bring it down for it to stop recording. Then you can choose to send or delete that clip. There is also a new waveform design for the voice notes.Secret Chats also get an update. They now get all the features from standard chats, such as GIFs, replies, captions, sticker set previews, inline bots, and optional link previews.Also, you can now choose precisely who can add you to groups, so you don't end up on groups you don't want.Lastly, there is also a new image editor, with rotate, fade, tint and curves tools.iOS •...
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Apple called out for copyright infringement with 3D Touch
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] When you're as big as Apple, you get used to staffing a strong legal department pretty quick. Copyright claims and lawsuits have become such a mundane part of the tech business that we honestly can't even remember a time when Cupertino and Samsung weren't at each other's throats over some legal claim. Plus, suing a gigantic corporation is often a viable way to earn a few bucks and many have even turned it into a questionable, but still quite profitable business model.Still, there is always the honest case of being mistreated as a little player on the market and asking for some justice, which is precisely what Immersion out of California claims to be doing with its recent lawsuit against Apple and its Force Touch and 3D Touch technology.The claim revolves around three patents awarded to Immersion. The first is titled "Haptic feedback system with stored effects " and seems to describe software that shows previews after a light press and actions after a firm one. That does sound quite familiar to Apple's "Peek and Pop", but we definitely won't pass judgment.The second and third patents are "Method and Apparatus for Providing Tactile Sensations" and "Interactivity Model for Shared Feedback on Mobile Devices", which Immersion ties to Apple's haptic feedback on touch. But that sounds like a bit more vague of a claim.Currently Immersion is pursuing legal actions against Apple seeking reparations for damages, but has also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC), requesting a sales injunction on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus within the US, which sounds like the more troubling...
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Curious date bug can brick your iPhone pretty badly
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A rather intriguing phenomenon has been circulating reddit and it has to do with a recently discovered vulnerability affecting most current iPhones. It appears that if you set the date on a 64-bit iOS device to January 1 1970 and then restart it, you get a vicious boot loop. Worse yet, simply restoring the unit through DFU can't fix the issues and you will most likely end up on a trip to the nearest Apple Store.Digging a bit deeper into the problem, it seems it relates to UNIX time, which is basically a standardized counter for the number of seconds since January 1 1970. It plays a pretty important role in the tech realm and from what we can gather, rewinding the clock so far back on the affected Apple devices, plus any potential timezone offset or other transformation to obtain a date and time metric results in a corrupt result that prevents the OS from booting. The bug was allegedly discovered by chance, as it so happens that iOS allows you to go as far back as 1970 withing the date setting, but doing so requires a lot of scrolling.As for the affected devices, it seems the odd behavior is only exhibited by 64-bit versions of iOS, which would go as far back as the A7 chip and iOS 7. In model terms that should mean any iPhone 5s an newer models, as well as potentially iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 tablets, running on at least iOS 7. Besides being a curiosity that we definitely urge you not to try on your device, unless you really feel like sending it in for repair, the bug actually has quite a lot of damage potential if it falls into the wrong hands.Consider this, most current devices, including the affected Apple tech, rely on NTP servers to automatically set their time and date. If a hacker were to theoretically spoof responses and pose as such a server on a Wi-Fi network, he could potentially kill every current iPhone or iPad on the same network.That does sound scary, but fear not, as there is a fix. It is a hardware one, but simply entails disconnecting the battery, waiting a bit and connecting it back up, which resets the corrupt settings. Sadly, that usually requires an Apple technician, unless you want to open the unit up yourself and void your warranty. Depleting the battery fully has also worked for some users, but it takes time and effort.Apple has been notified about the issue and all that remains is to see when and how it gets addressed. In the mean time, again, please resist the urge to try it for yourself, now that you know what is going to happen.Source |...
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ZOPO teases new Speed 8 flagship unveiling at MWC 2016
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] In case you were wondering, no, there is no typo in the title, it is ZOPO, not the much better know Oppo brand. As far as Chinese manufacturers go, ZOPO is definitely no household name, but the relatively small company has brought us some interesting offers in the past and just like the ZOPO TOUCH that made its debut ant MWC 2015, the new Speed 8 handset planned for this year deserves a mention.The #MWC16 is upon us. Be ready to discover the new #ZOPO Speed 8... pic.twitter.com/849qvnr4wT— ZOPO Mobile (@ZopoMobileBrand) February 13, 2016Today ZOPO send out its invitation to the unveiling of their new flagship, which will take place at the Barcelona venue on February 24 at 10:30AM. As evident by the poster, it will be hosted by MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, if that just happens to spike your interest in any way.Other than that, no new info has been shared about the Speed 8 and its specs, but we already have a pretty good idea what to expect, based on previous rumors. The handset is going to employ Mediatek's powerful Helio X20 SoC, actually making it one of the first devices on the market to experiment with the deca-core setup. Other alleged specs include 4GB of RAM, a 2K display and a fingerprint reader, mounted on the back.Source 1 | Source 2 | Source...
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HP might actually have an upcoming Windows 10 phone, dubbed the Elite x3
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] It has definitely been a while since HP's last appearance on the mobile scene and even longer since the company dipped its foot in Windows Mobile territory. However, 2016 might actually mark a return to said market, as suggested by a mysterious Windows 10 handset, that has been popping up in various rumors since the end of last year.Originally dubbed the HP "Falcon" a new leak, courtesy of reputable source Evan Blass, claims that the device will actually come out as the HP Elite x3. This is a slightly perplexing title choice, as a quick search reveals that the HP Elite x2, pictured below, is actually a 2-in-1 device released back in 2012 - quite a different cup of tea.Windows 10 Mobile-powered HP Falcon is coming to market as the HP Elite x3.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 12, 2016In any case, it appears that @evleaks is referring to the same smartphone that was initially spotted in a GFXBench listing back in December 2015. According to said source, it will tun on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 820 SoC and have a quite spacious 5.8-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel display - an impressive setup, especially within the Windows realm. Oddly enough, the same benchmark reported only 1GB of RAM, but that seems like a mistake, when considering the rest of the specs, like the 64GB of storage, for instance. The suggested camera setup also looks impressive on paper, with a 20MP shooter on the back and a 12MP one on the front.Besides the name change, Evan also mentioned that the device looks "pretty smart -- except, maybe, for the odd pattern of speaker grille holes.", which is cryptic at best, but does spark hopes that the HP Elite x3 will come with an elegant exterior.It is also worth noting that another industry source reported that the HP Elite x3 could actually be announced at MWC 2016, which could explain why we are starting to hear more and more about it. Here's to hoping the high-end Windows phone does become reality at the Barcelona venue in a few...
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Apple replacing faulty USB-C charge cables
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Apple has launched a USB-C charge cable replacement program that will see the company providing replacements for the cables that were included with MacBook computers through June 2015.The iPhone maker says the cables in question have a design issue that may cause them to fail. "As a result, your MacBook may not charge or only charge intermittently when it's connected to a power adapter with an affected cable," the Cupertino-based company explained.The replacement program also covers Apple USB-C charge cables that were sold as a standalone accessory. Eligible customers will get a new, redesigned USB-C charge cable (see image above) for free. For more details on the program, head to the Source link...
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Windows 10 update starts hitting Microsoft Lumia 535 in Middle East
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Windows 10 update for the Microsoft Lumia 535 has started rolling out in the Middle East. Specifically, Lumia 535 users in Egypt and Jordan have reportedly confirmed the roll-out.Sadly, no other information related to the update - including even the version number - is available at the moment. On its part, Microsoft is yet to formally announce the roll-out.If you recall, there were reports last month that Windows 10 Mobile rollout for older Windows Phone device will finally begin in the "early to mid February" timeframe. So, the Middle Eastern roll-out is very much inline with that timeframe, and indicates that other regions (as well as devices) will get the update soon.This comes nearly a month after the update started hitting Lumia 535 units in Latin...
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Another price cut for Samsung's 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablet; now available for $449
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung's humongous Galaxy View tablet has received another price cut in the US. The 18.4-inch device now costs just $449, which is $50 down from the price tag it has been carrying for the past few months now.The discount is available on Amazon, but it shows up when the device is added to cart. Other third party retailers including Best Buy and B&H Photo are also selling the over-sized tablet for $449.The latest discount comes a few months after the Galaxy View received a $100 price cut in the country, something which happened just a couple of weeks after the tablet was launched in the US.Source 1 2...
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Apple Music now boasts over 11 million paying subscribers
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Apple has revealed that its Apple Music service now has more than 11 million paying subscribers. The revelation was made by company executives Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi in a recent interview.That number was at around 10 million last month, meaning the Cupertino-based company added a million new Apple Music paying subscribers in the past one month.Aside from Apple Music, stats on various other Apple Internet services were revealed. For example, iCloud has 782 million users; the company processes a whopping 200,000 iMessages per second; and 750 million worth of iTunes and the App Store purchases per...
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Apple wants judge to settle the iPhone unlocking case soon
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you recall, for the past few months, Apple and the US Justice Department are battling it out in court over whether the government can force the company to unlock the iPhones the latter is capable of. Now, the Cupertino-based firm wants the judge to settle the case soon.If you aren't already aware, the current case involves Justice Department's request to force Apple to extract data from a locked iPhone that the government agency wants to investigate. The device in question is an iOS 7-powered iPhone 5s, meaning Apple is capable of what the agency wants, but is reluctant fearing that doing so will tarnish the trust between the company and its customers.In a newly submitted letter, Apple has argued that the government is planning to make similar requests in future, so it's important for both parties to know what the court thinks, and that too without any further delay - the case has been dragging on for nearly 3 months now."Apple takes no position on whether and to what extent information from the Apple device in the government's possession is relevant to any ongoing investigation, or necessary for the criminal defendant's sentencing. But Apple has received additional requests similar to the one underlying the case before this Court. Apple has also been advised that the government intends to continue to invoke the All Writs Act in this and other districts in an attempt to require Apple to assist in bypassing the security of other Apple devices in the government's possession," the company said in its...
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HTC One smartwatch now said to be launching in April
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Another HTC smartwatch rumor, and guess what... another delay. Just when we thought that the Taiwanese company would launch the long-rumored (in fact very long-rumored) device this Mobile World Congress, a new rumor is claiming otherwise.Back in December last year, the usually reliable leakster @evleaks said the wearable would be launched in February. But now, he is claiming that would happen in April.Small consolation, HTC fans: you'll be able to pick up the watch before the end of April.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 11, 2016Meanwhile, there has been no word whatsoever on the device or its release time frame from HTC. FYI, rumors that HTC is developing a smartwatch first cropped up in 2013. So far, from what we've heard, it's an Android Wear-powered device with 360x360px display, and is codenamed...
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LG H840 with 5.3-inch display and 3GB RAM spotted on GFXBench
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A new LG phone has been spotted on benchmarking website GFXBench. The listing reveals that the device is powered by a Snapdragon 652 chipset and sports a 5.3-inch Quad HD display.It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory. In terms of camera, both front as well as rear units are listed as 8MP, although we're expecting the main camera to be better. As for the operating system, the listing says the handset runs Android 4.4 KitKat, which is definitely a mistake of some sorts.The smartphone carries a model number of H840, suggesting it could be a variant of the South Korean company's upcoming LG G5 flagship (LG-H830) - LG G5 Lite may...
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US and UK BlackBerry discounts for Valentine's Day
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The official BlackBerry store is offering a couple of cool offers for this Valentine's Day weekend on the BlackBerry Priv. Up until February 24, the US and UK BlackBerry stores will be offering the BlackBerry Priv in black for a discounted price of $650 or £529.The deal is sold as a bundle so it also includes a complimentary set of accessories for your BlackBerry Priv at a value of $99 or £74.These accessories only include a smart cover case and a sync station that doubles a phone stand. Still, it's a great offer even with the discounted phone.Also, the BlackBerry Passport can be purchased for $399 or £349 in either black or white.Source: BlackBerry US UK |...
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Google finally decides to shut down Picasa, sort of
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Amazingly, Google's Picasa photo service still exists. You probably thought that with the big launch of Google Photos last year Picasa would have been put out of its misery, but no. Not then, anyway.After a long time of analyzing the situation, the search giant has finally decided to "retire" Picasa and focus on Google Photos. Which obviously makes perfect sense, unlike running two different photo services at the same time. That said, Google still hasn't actually said when Picasa will be gone forever, just that the process will take several months.The Picasa desktop application will no longer be supported starting on March 15. It will keep working after that date, but won't be updated anymore. On the other hand, the web service will remain unchanged until May 1. And even after that, you'll still be able to view, download, or delete your albums, you just won't be able to create, organize, or edit albums anymore.Perhaps rather confusingly, you can always go to Google Photos and see your photos and videos from Picasa over there. Since this is the case, it's really unclear why it's taking Google this long to shut down Picasa for good. Anyway, expect some more news about this on or around May...
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Skype for Android and iOS is getting ready for Valentine's Day with special video cards
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Skype has been getting ready for the Valentine's Day weekend, and with the latest updates for its Android, iPhone, and iPad apps it comes with some new love-themed features.An all-new Love tab brings you emojis and emoticons specially crafted for the occasion (including a new set of emojis featuring custom compositions from Sir Paul McCartney, which should help you "express different forms of love through music"). And if you want to share other emotions, you can do that more easily too by searching through the various available emojis and emoticons.Furthermore, you can record a special Valentine's Day video message, complete with floating hearts as seen in the image above. According to Skype, this will "help set the mood". And if you're particularly proud of your creation, you can share it via email or to Facebook to make it more generally available.To do the video deed, you tap on the new heart symbol which shows up on iOS to the right of the Skype logo inside the app, and on Android after you hit the "+" button in the...
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Verizon starts pushing Marshmallow update to the Droid Turbo 2
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Droid Turbo 2 employee edition started receiving the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow back in December, but for some reason it took Verizon this long to release the same software to the public.Anyway, it is finally out. If your phone hasn't yet notified you about the update, be patient as these things are usually staged - so it may be a while before all Droid Turbo 2 units out there get it. You'll need to be on Wi-Fi to download it.The new software comes with Now On Tap, App standby, Doze mode for better battery life, the new and improved app permissions system, adoptable storage, the slightly revamped Do not disturb mode, expanded volume controls, Direct share, and Attentive Display now part of Moto Actions. After applying the update, you'll be on build 24.14.9.Source 1 • Source...
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iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 will reportedly go on sale on March 18
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] According to some unnamed sources, the upcoming iPhone 5se and the iPad Air 3 will both become available from Apple, online and in stores, on March 18.If true, it means that Apple is planning a release of the two models very close to the much-rumored announcement date of March 15. The two events will thus occur during the same week, with the introduction on a Tuesday and the start of sales on Friday. While the company's plans could still change, the sources for this leak claim there will be no pre-order period for the two new devices.The iPhone 5se will look like the iPhone 5s from 2013, but it will come with the A9 chipset, NFC and Apple Pay support, always-on Siri activation, as well as the iPhone 6's camera. The iPad Air 3 is set to borrow many features from the bigger iPad Pro, such as the Smart Connector, Apple Pencil support, and four speakers. Its main camera may include a LED flash for the first time on an Apple...
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Microsoft Lumia 650 is the smart choice for your business, promo video
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The ink is still drying on the Lumia 650 press release (so to speak), and in due time Microsoft has posted a promo video highlighting the smartphone's key features. Titled "The smart choice for your business", the short clip positions the Lumia 650 as a company phone - read not one you get for yourself, because you actually want it.The video starts with an exploded view of the components, followed by a close-up on a microSD card. The second half focuses on the software side of things with Windows 10 taking center stage and a few productivity features...
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Job listing reveals HTC working on new Windows 10 Mobile devices
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] HTC's last Windows Phone device was the One (M8) for Windows, which was released back in 2014. The Taiwanese company has been launching only Android-phones since then. Does that mean the firm has given up on Windows Phone completely? Well, doesn't seem so.HTC One (M8) for WindowsA recently-spotted job posting from Microsoft indicates that HTC is continuing its partnership with the Redmond, Washington-based company as far as mobile devices are concerned. The listing says Microsoft is looking for a director of account management in HTC's home country, and refers to a "goal to build product portfolio that highlight focused user scenarios around our Windows 10 Mobile and Microsoft services combined with HTC's devices, applications, and services."Here is the complete listing:The team is seeking a Director of Account Management, located in Taipei, Taiwan to report to the Director of Device Sales in Shenzhen, China. In this global role, the Director is responsible for developing this dynamic and fast growing Ecosystem and Partnering with business groups and channel teams while sharing deep insight and strategic vision. The Taiwan ecosystem contains our global tier 2 ODM partners including ECS, Uniwill, Shuttle, Clevo in addition to tier 2 IDHs and SIs for which this person will manage. In addition, this person will lead all aspects of sales and business development interaction with HTC, one of our top 3rd party phone device partner accounts. Being the HTC AM will have a heavy emphasis on coordinated strategy development with OSG, Marketing, and OEM. Impact must be driven through senior executive levels up to and including CEO level with the goal to build product portfolio that highlight focused user scenarios around our Windows 10 Mobile and Microsoft services combined with HTC's devices, applications, and services.It's amply clear now that Windows 10 Mobile devices aren't selling well. Although new OEMs like VAIO and HP have recently hopped on the Windows 10 Mobile bandwagon, it would be interesting to see if HTC takes this risk given that the company itself is struggling at the...
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Panasonic announces LUMIX GF8 for selfie lovers
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Panasonic has announced the LUMIX GF8, a variation of the GF7 but with more emphasis on self portraits.Panasonic LUMIX GF8The GF8 has the same 16 megapixel CMOS sensor with Micro Four Thirds lens mount. The sensor is capable of ISO 25600 sensitivity with contrast AF system that has face as well as eye detect. It can also record 1080p60 video and has Wi-Fi for wireless image transfers.The GF8 also includes a flipping touchscreen 1.04M dot display. Flipping the display switches the camera to self portrait mode. The camera also applies several effects such as changing skin texture, slimming the face, teeth whitening, etc. Effects that are commonly seen on smartphone camera apps but now included on a digital camera because why the hell not. You can further change your face by choosing the color of foundation, lips, cheeks, eye-shadow and so forth. Plastic surgeons hate this camera.The pricing and availability hasn't been announced...
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Microsoft Lumia 650 is official: aluminum and Windows 10 for $200
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Microsoft has just pulled the wraps off the Lumia 650. The handset frequented our rumor mill over the past few months, and is now finally official.The specsheet starts with a 5-inch 720p display, but unlike the lesser Lumia 550, the 650 packs an AMOLED panel. Microsoft is so proud of it that it calls it "our most beautiful screen ever" ... "at this price point".The Snapdragon 212 is in charge of powering Windows 10 (but no Continuum), and its quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU clocked at 1.3GHZ - the sole difference to the S210 in the Lumia 550. It's coupled with a single gig of RAM too, but storage has gotten a bump to 16GB, expandable via microSD. Imaging department is represented by an 8MP primary camera (type 1/4 inch sensor, 28mm equiv. focal length, f/2.2 aperture), while on the front you're getting a 5MP sensor behind f/2.2 lens.You get a full set of connectivity options, with multi-band 2G/3G/4G, and LTE is Cat 4 (150Mbps down, 50Mbps up). There's Bluetooth v4.1, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou. A dual-SIM version of the smartphone is also present. An FM radio receiver is on board too, for those who asked.Microsoft Lumia 650 press imagesThe Lumia 650 boasts a solid aluminum frame, with exchangeable back covers and upon launch it will be available in black and white color schemes. The smartphone weighs 122g and measures a pretty sleek 142 x 70.9 x 6.9mm. Inside there's a 2,000mAh battery, user-replaceable too.The Microsoft Lumia 650 will be available in select European markets starting February 18, priced around $199 before taxes or subsidies. Yes, we too are wondering why Microsoft has announced a European launch with a price in dollars.Source 1 Source 2 |...
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Apple took home over 90% of mobile profits last year
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Apple pocketed more than 90% of the mobile market's profits in 2015, according to data posted by Michael Walkley, who works as an analyst with market research firm Canaccord Genuity. The iPhone maker's share of the smartphone market stood at 17.2% last year.Samsung, on the other hand, captured around 24% of the market, but its profit share stood at only 14%. If you notice, the combined profit pocketed by both Apple and Samsung comes in at 105%. However, the figure comes back to 100% given that many of the other players in the market were in loss.Quarter-wise, the Cupertino-based company has been taking home over 90% of the market's profits for the past five consecutive...
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Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge color options revealed in new renders
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A couple of new Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge renders have leaked, showing off the devices in various color options. The render for the S7 edge reveals that the handset will be available in grey, black, and gold colors.The information comes from the usually reliable leakster @evleaks. He also shared a Galaxy S7 render (shown below), which reveals only a couple of color options for the device: black and gold.Scheduled to be unveiled on February 21, both flagships have already been the subject of endless rumors and leaks until now, with a latest one suggesting that the Galaxy S7 will carry a price tag of €700, while the S7 edge will set you back €800.Via 1...
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Meizu teases new Ubuntu device for MWC 2016
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Chinese smartphone manufacture Meizu will likely unveil a new Ubuntu-powered phone at the Mobile World Congress next week. The company recently released a teaser that suggests the same, although it doesn't reveal anything specific about the device.If you recall, this is not the first time Meizu will be presenting an Ubuntu smartphone at MWC - back in 2014, the company showed off the Ubuntu MX3, and last year's MWC saw the company unveiling the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu.There's currently no official word on which Ubuntu-powered Meizu device we'll see at this year's MWC event, although reports say that the company could unveil the rumored Pro 5 Ubuntu Edition. The teaser shown above reveals that the handset will be on display beginning February 22, the day MWC 2016 kicks...
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Microsoft Surface 3 receives $150 price cut in US; deal ends today
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you are in the US, and are planning to purchase a Microsoft Surface 3, here is some good news: the company is currently running a deal on the tablet that lets you save up to $150, depending on the model you choose to buy.The $150 discount is on both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + LTE models with 4GB/128GB memory configuration, bringing their prices down to $449 and $549, respectively. The 2GB/64GB models, on the other hand, are currently available for $399 and $499, respectively, which is down $100 from their regular prices.Those interested in availing the $150 discount need to act fast given that the promo ends today - February 15. The $100 discount is, however, available till February...
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LG to unveil new 'X' smartphone series at MWC next week
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LG has announced that it will unveil a new 'X' series of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress next week. Two models from the series - X cam and X screen - will make their debut at the event. The company says the devices "are designed for customers who do not want or need all the bells and whistles that come with today's high-end phones but still desire a great camera or advanced display."The X cam is powered by a 1.14GHz octa-core processor and sports a 5.2-inch FHD display. It comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory, and packs in a 2,520mAh battery. In terms of camera, the device features two (13MP and 5MP) rear units and an 8MP front shooter. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box, and weighs in at only 118g.On the other hand, the X screen is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and sports a 4.93-inch HD main display as well as a 1.76-inch LCD (520 x 80) secondary display, similar to the one the V10 sports. Memory configuration is 2GB/16GB, while the camera department is handled by a 13MP/8MP duo. The device packs in a 2,300mAh battery, and runs Android Marshmallow."Everyone has a favorite smartphone feature," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "At LG, we think there's room for devices that do one thing very well and that customers shouldn't have to pay for features that they don't want. At the end of the day, we're committed to offering consumers more choices."The handsets will be unveiled on February 22, a day after the G5 event, and will go on sale in Asia, Europe and Latin America next...
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Best Apps and Games of the Week
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] These are some of the best apps and games that came out this week.1Password1Password for Android received a major update with version 6. The app now has a complete redesign with full support for Google's Material Design. It also supports fingerprint sensor on devices running Marshmallow, which means you can now lock the app with your fingerprint. It also now includes teams feature, so you can share your passwords with a group of people.iOS • AndroidLaunchifyLaunchify is an app shortcut app that places a tray of apps on your lockscreen so you can quickly launch the apps from the lockscreen itself. It can also place them in the notification menu, so you are a swipe and a tap away from your favorite apps. It can also learn from your usage and change the shortcuts to your most used apps.AndroidInfltrInfltr's claim to fame is infinite filters. Instead of having present filters for your images, the app lets you move your thumb around on the image and it smoothly adjusts the colors to give practically infinite options for you to choose from. Apart from having countless filters, the app is also easier to use than thumbing through multiple presets. Only drawback could be no way to jump to one particular favorite color filter as in most apps.iOSAlto's AdventurePopular iOS game Alto's Adventure is now on Android. The game is a side scrolling endless runner of sorts, where you are skiing down a slope, collecting llamas, avoiding rocks, and jumping off cliffs doing sick backflips. The game is beautiful to look, simple enough to play, and quite addictive. Also, completely free on Android.iOS • AndroidGTA: Liberty City StoriesYet another GTA game has made its way to the mobile platform. Well, to Android actually, as the game has been on iOS for some time now. The mobile version features shortened missions but other than that it's the same game that came out on the PSP back in 2005. If you're a fan of GTA and want to relive some of the old school action then give this one a try.iOS • AndroidBombing BastardsPreviously released for the consoles and the PC, Bombing Bastards is an arcade game that should be familiar to anyone who played Bomberman growing up. The game is identical to the console version and has now been optimized for the touchscreen. It has 30 levels across 5 worlds with plenty of enemies to blow up including 5 boss battle levels.iOS •...
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MWC 2016 rumor roundup - Galaxy S7, LG G5 and the rest
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] MWC 2016 is now merely days away and excitement is in the air. However, with the constant influx of rumors, leaks and speculations, it is somewhat hard to keep track of everything. To address this situation, here is our take on a concise rundown of what each manufacturer allegedly has in store.SamsungWe kick things off with the big guns. The Korean giant is due for an upgrade to its flagship line and it will come in the form of the Galaxy S7 family. As of writing this article, we have solid evidence that at least a basic Galaxy S7 and a curved Galaxy S7 edge will be announced.The former is said to come with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display, while the latter will probably be slightly bigger at 5.5 inches. We have also heard rumors of a bigger still 6-inch model that will be offered in both a flat and edge variant as well - a sort of successor the the Galaxy S6 edge+, but it might come at a later point in time.The rest of the Galaxy S7 specs include Samsung's own Exynos 8890 chipset or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, depending on which version you go for and performance differences are expected. RAM is set at 4GB with 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. As for the camera, the main shooter will probably use the new Samsung BRITECELL sensor with a resolution of 12MP and a large 1/2" size.The camera module is also expected to protrude just 0.8 mm from the back of the phone. To wrap things up, industry sources have suggested waterproofing on the Galaxy S7, bigger 3,000 mAh and 3,600 mAh batteries for the S7 and S7 edge, respectively, as well as an Always On display.Finishing up with Samsung, there is the distinct possibility that a new Galaxy Tab S3 line will be unveiled at MWC. It should consist of a smaller 8-inch and a 9.7-inch members. As for specs, both should run on a new Snapdragon 652 SoC, with four Cortex-A72 and four Cortex-A53 cores, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The resolution will be 2,048 x 1,536 pixels and 150 Mbps LTE will be an option.LGLG is also expected to update its flagship offer at MWC 2016, which, introducing the G5. Unlike with previous generations, this time around, the OEM is likely to mix things up quite a bit with a brand new design. If rumors are to be believed, this entails removing the power button and volume rockers from the back of the phone in order to shave some girth and placing them on the sides. Another interesting concept that has been tossed around is a removable bottom segment on the phone that reveals a sliding out user-removable battery.As for specs, a leaked Geekbench test hints at a Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage with a microSD card slot. The phone is said to be equipped with a 5.6-inch QHD display with an Always On feature. A small secondary display, like the one on the LG V10 is also a possibility. As for the camera, we are currently expecting a dual sensor setup on the back (16MP + 8MP) along with two LED's.XiaomiThe Chinese OEM doesn't have a history of announcing devices at MWC, so we don't expect anything different this time around either. However, the Xiaomi Mi 5 is expected to debut on February 24 and rumors suggest that the device will still be present at the venue, despite the lack of a formal event. This hopefully means that we will get a chance for a first hands-on experience as there is actually quite a bit to be excited about.The Xiaomi Mi5 is still shrouded in a lot of mystery, mainly concerning all its alleged variants. Some sources claim that a 1080p version with 2.5D glass will exist alongside a flat QHD variant, also with some differences in memory - 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB. As for display size, most agree on 5.2 inches.Under the hood, we expect a Snapdragon 820 SoC and a 3,600 mAh battery pack. The main camera is said to be a 16MP one and a 13MP shooter on the front. Another extra is the fingerprint reader in the home button on the front.SonyLast year, Sony decided to skip on a formal event at MWC, but this year, the Japanese giant has scheduled something for February 22. Sadly, not much is known about what devices might be present there. An Xperia Z5 Tablet seems possible and we will likely see the Xperia C6 Ultra. A flagship smartphone is still a few months away, it seems.HTCAs of writing this article, HTC is yet to...
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A blast from the past: What MWC brought 10 years ago
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Well, it's that time of the year again and MWC 2016 is almost upon us. In the wake the mobile world's biggest and most important event, we decided it would be fun to take a look back in time to MWC 2006 (called 3GSM world congress back then). Partially to reminisce about the history of mobile tech, but also to try and get a better perspective on just how far we have come in 10 years.It might not be regarded as that long in historical terms but a decade, especially the last one, seems like a millennium in tech innovation. Despite the rapid pace of change, the MWC conference was already around for a few years in 2006 and it was just as important as it is today, perhaps even more so.Originally called the GSM World Congress, back then it was referred to as 3GSM World Congress, which became the Mobile World Congress, now simply called MWC. 2006 was the first year the show took place in Barcelona, which has been its home since. Prior to that, Cannes was the preferred location, so the 2006 show was definitely marked by some transition turbulence.Still, the spirit of innovation was just as strong and announcements were plentiful. So, without further ado, let's take a look at some of the highlights of the show in no particular order.Sony EricssonSony Ericsson was a big player back in 2006 with many dedicated fans and some of the hottest tech around. The K610 was definitely a star attraction. At the time it was actually one of the smallest 3G phones on the market and getting the significantly faster network connection was a top upgrade priority for both manufacturers and users at the time. In a lot of ways, the K610 took inspiration from the 2004 Sony Ericsson K700 - one of the company's signature devices.Sony Ericsson K610Upgrades were introduced all around, besides the aforementioned 3G, the display got bigger at 1.9", had a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and was a lot more colorful with 256K color support. The camera was significantly better - a 2MP shooter, rather than a VGA one and there was even a secondary VGA camera for video calls, which were becoming trendy at that point. Another important aspect is storage, the K610 supports Sony's proprietary M2 micro cards for up to 2GB extra - a whopping amount at that point.Sony Ericsson W950Sony Ericsson W810The 2006 show saw the introduction of a couple of Walkman phones too - the W810 and the W950, the latter being a true flagship offer. It had everything going for it - a huge 2.6" 256K display with a resolution of 240x320 pixels, 3G, a powerful 208 MHz processor, 4GB of storage and last, but not least, it was a true smartphone, thanks to Symbian OS 9.1.Sony Ericsson P990But speaking of a huge display and productivity, few could match Sony Ericsson's "P" series. You might remember these models by their chubby and really extravagant appearance with a touch screen and a hinged overlay keyboard. The design was bold and innovative and in a lot of ways really emphasized how much more diversified phones were back in the day, as opposed to today's "slate" design.But there were other far more extravagant offers out there, which we will get to later. The P990, which was the last and very best to use this form factor, was all about productivity with a 2.7" resistive touchscreen, 64MB of RAM and a 208MHz processor, among other things.SamsungSpeaking of alternative design, Samsung, like many other OEMs was constantly experimenting with radical new concepts to slip in between the large number of bar and flip phones. Few are more radical than the Samsung Serene, featured at the 2006 MWC show.It was a collaboration between Samsung Electronics and Bang & Olufsen and technically came out in 2005, although very few people have actually seen it in person. It is an eccentric piece of tech, with a ludicrous price tag of about €1000 at launch, but the very fact that it exists, proves our point about the freedom for design experimentation.Samsung SereneWhile we are on to topic of alternative concepts, there are the Samsung P900 and P910. Their standout feature was built-in T-DMB or DVB-H tuner for TV watching on the go and a rotating screen to go with it for a better viewing experience.Samsung P900Samsung...
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Weekend poll: MWC expectations - what device are you looking forward t
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Mobile World Congress officially starts on February 22, but announcements will start even earlier than that. Which phone are you most excited about?The Samsung and LG have events set for the day before, the 21st, and obviously, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S7 (along with edge and edge+ variants) and the LG G5.The LG G5 will scale back the screen size a touch, it will add Always On functionality and bring the next generation camera upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to bring back things the S6 lost - things like S5's water resistance and the microSD slot.Sony's event is scheduled for the next day, the 22nd. But this is too soon for the Xperia Z6, so what then? Well, the Xperia C6 is the rumor mill's best guess.Unlike Sony, Xiaomi's February 24 event is pretty clear - the Xiaomi Mi 5 will be the star. Hugo Barra even posted camera samples from the phone this week. Interestingly, the phone may have a Windows variant so we'll be on the lookout for Microsoft employees.You'll have a week to vote, by that time we'll have arrived in Barcelona. We will attend these events and report first-hand impressions if these devices have lived up to...
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Week 6 in review: Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 rumors galore
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The rumor mill has been overflowing with info on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, mixed in with some whispers about the HTC One M10, Xiaomi Mi 5 and Lumia 650.MWC 2016 is only a few days away now and we are about to see the next wave of flagships, hence the large influx of rumors, leaks and speculations. It is crazy, the industry has been preparing for what's coming for a long time and each player is hoping to improve their standing once all phones have seen the light of day.We now have live shots of the Galaxy S7, its edged sibling, as well as renders and plenty of other new info to go around, like word of a 3,600 mAh battery in the S7 edge, water resistance and an Always On display. The LG G5 has also been hitting the rumor mill hard. We now have a more in-depth overview of the performance its Snapdragon 820 chip with 4GB of RAM delivers, as well as another Always ON realization.The HTC One M10 has also had a major presence in the news section this week. Despite missing the MWC stage, we are already unearthing info about the handset, like renders of its hybrid One M9 and One A9 design, or its camera setup, featuring a new UltraPixel front shooter and last, but not least, the suggested April 11 release date.A few other articles did manage to slip by this week, but even they are straight out of the rumor mill. They put a few other devices on the radar, like the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro and the alleged Lumia 650 and provide extra info on others, like the iPhone 5se and the 2016 Motorola Moto X and Moto G. The only actual announcement to gather any significant interest was courtesy of Qualcomm, who introduced a set of three new interesting chipsets that show a lot of promise..news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 28%; text-align: center;}.news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 70%;}.news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; }.news-item .n-right h2,.reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px !important; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px;}.n-right p { line-height: 155%;}.news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc;}.news-item p { margin-left: 0; }.n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000;} Samsung Galaxy S7 leaks in its first live shot The photo comes out of Vietnam, looks quite believable and brings along confirmation of most of the expected specs on the flagship. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge shows up in a live image too It's been revealed mere hours after the non-edge Galaxy S7 first smiled for the camera. Samsung Galaxy S7 photographed in Gold We've seen it in Black, now for a brighter hue. Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro spotted on GFXBench with 4GB of RAM and a 16MP camera The smartphone with an SM-A9100 model name is listed at 5.5 inches, but that last bit seems unlikely. Apple iPhone 5se to come in Pink, in addition to Silver and Space Gray The 4-inch smartphone tipped to share the tint of the 6th-gen iPod touch. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge flaunts its curves in a new render Pictured in silver, the smartphone unsurprisingly looks a lot like the old model. First Xiaomi Mi 5 camera samples surface online The shots reveal an impressive level of detail and hint at awesome focusing abilities. Galaxy S7 will have Always On Display, trademark filing implies The Korean smartphone maker is interested in trademarking the term, probably for use in its next flagship's marketing materials. LG G5 visits Geekbench packing Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM One of the G5 variations destined for the company's native South Korea has been tested recently. LG confirms Always ON feature for LG G5, still teasing us LG teases its latest flagship's newest feature. LG's G5 could have an Always ON screen for notifications. Live images of an alleged Microsoft Lumia 650 XL raise all sorts of questions Photographed next to a Lumia 1520, the unannounced smartphone looks a...
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Top 10 trending phones of week 6
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Not much has happened this week in our traditional Top 10 trending chart, at least in the top half, that is. Positions 1 to 6 have stood still, and the chart-toppers have been the same for while now, save for Vibe K4 Note's brief two-week stint in number 1.So the list goes like this. The Galaxy J7 rules again, followed by its usual sidekick - the J5. The K4 Note we mentioned completes the podium.Samsung's soon-to-be-replaced flagship Galaxy S6 sits in 4th, Galaxy J2 rests in fifth and long-time champion Grand Prime now long past its prime is still in 6th. The iPhone 5s is the only Apple smartphone in this edition, and it too keeps its 8th spot from last week.What about 7th, we hear you ask. Well, it's one of the new entries, and that's the Galaxy A5 (2016). The older model has also made the chart, in 10th, and the two combined have scored more hits than the J5 in 2nd, but it doesn't quite work like that. The third new entry, at 9th, is the Oppo F1, the company's reasonably priced offering that aims to look like its premium bros..news-item .n-left { float: left; width: 25%; text-align: center;}.news-item .n-right { float: left; width: 75%;}.news-item a { padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; }#review-body .news-item .n-right h2,.reviews-item .n-right h2 { clear: both; padding: 0 0 3px 0px; font: 400 19px Google-Oswald, Arial; margin-top: -4px;}.n-right p { margin-top: 25px; line-height: 155%;}.news-item { padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc;}.news-item p { margin-left: 0; }.n-right h2 .phone-name { display: inline-block; width: 325px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: text-bottom;}.n-right h2 a { text-decoration: none; color: #000;}.flat-button{ text-align:center; text-decoration: none !important; font: 400 22px Google-Oswald,Arial !important; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 150%; padding: 20px 60px !important; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; -moz-border-radius: 5px; border-radius: 5px; margin: 10px 0; -webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; -o-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; color: #fff !important;}.flat-button-1 { background: #0CADA7;}.flat-button-1:hover { background: #0A948F; color: #666666 !important;}.flat-button-2 { background: #FF7E47;}.flat-button-2:hover { background: #EE7440; color: #666666 !important;}.n-right .rank-info { display: inline-block; font-family: "Google-Oswald",i€‹Arial,i€‹sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 100;}.n-right .rank-info .current-rank { font-size: 23px;}.circle { background: none repeat scroll 0 0 #8fb28f; border-radius: 50%; height: 23px; width: 23px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px;}.arrow { width: 0; height: 0; border-style: solid; display: inline-block; margin: 0px 10px -1px 10px;}.arrow-up { border-width: 0 15px 25px 15px; border-color: transparent transparent #0cada7 transparent;}.arrow-down { border-width: 25px 15px 0 15px; border-color: #ff7e47 transparent transparent transparent;} Samsung Galaxy J7 RANK: 1WAS: 1 specs review Samsung Galaxy J5 RANK: 2WAS: 2 specs review Lenovo Vibe K4 Note RANK: 3WAS: 3 specs gallery Samsung Galaxy S6 RANK: 4WAS: 4 specs review Samsung Galaxy J2 RANK: 5WAS: 5 specs review Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime RANK: 6WAS: 6 specs review Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) RANK: 7NEW IN specs review Apple iPhone 5s RANK: 8WAS: 8 specs review Oppo F1 RANK: 9NEW IN specs review Samsung Galaxy A5 RANK: 10NEW IN specs...
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Telegram update brings new voice messaging features, improved Secret Chats
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Telegram has released an update on iOS and Android that brings with it several cool new features that users should love.One of the features is improvement to voice messages. You can now just pick up and place the phone to your ear to activate voice recording and then bring it down for it to stop recording. Then you can choose to send or delete that clip. There is also a new waveform design for the voice notes.Secret Chats also get an update. They now get all the features from standard chats, such as GIFs, replies, captions, sticker set previews, inline bots, and optional link previews.Also, you can now choose precisely who can add you to groups, so you don't end up on groups you don't want.Lastly, there is also a new image editor, with rotate, fade, tint and curves tools.iOS •...
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Apple called out for copyright infringement with 3D Touch
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] When you're as big as Apple, you get used to staffing a strong legal department pretty quick. Copyright claims and lawsuits have become such a mundane part of the tech business that we honestly can't even remember a time when Cupertino and Samsung weren't at each other's throats over some legal claim. Plus, suing a gigantic corporation is often a viable way to earn a few bucks and many have even turned it into a questionable, but still quite profitable business model.Still, there is always the honest case of being mistreated as a little player on the market and asking for some justice, which is precisely what Immersion out of California claims to be doing with its recent lawsuit against Apple and its Force Touch and 3D Touch technology.The claim revolves around three patents awarded to Immersion. The first is titled "Haptic feedback system with stored effects " and seems to describe software that shows previews after a light press and actions after a firm one. That does sound quite familiar to Apple's "Peek and Pop", but we definitely won't pass judgment.The second and third patents are "Method and Apparatus for Providing Tactile Sensations" and "Interactivity Model for Shared Feedback on Mobile Devices", which Immersion ties to Apple's haptic feedback on touch. But that sounds like a bit more vague of a claim.Currently Immersion is pursuing legal actions against Apple seeking reparations for damages, but has also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC), requesting a sales injunction on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus within the US, which sounds like the more troubling...
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Curious date bug can brick your iPhone pretty badly
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A rather intriguing phenomenon has been circulating reddit and it has to do with a recently discovered vulnerability affecting most current iPhones. It appears that if you set the date on a 64-bit iOS device to January 1 1970 and then restart it, you get a vicious boot loop. Worse yet, simply restoring the unit through DFU can't fix the issues and you will most likely end up on a trip to the nearest Apple Store.Digging a bit deeper into the problem, it seems it relates to UNIX time, which is basically a standardized counter for the number of seconds since January 1 1970. It plays a pretty important role in the tech realm and from what we can gather, rewinding the clock so far back on the affected Apple devices, plus any potential timezone offset or other transformation to obtain a date and time metric results in a corrupt result that prevents the OS from booting. The bug was allegedly discovered by chance, as it so happens that iOS allows you to go as far back as 1970 withing the date setting, but doing so requires a lot of scrolling.As for the affected devices, it seems the odd behavior is only exhibited by 64-bit versions of iOS, which would go as far back as the A7 chip and iOS 7. In model terms that should mean any iPhone 5s an newer models, as well as potentially iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 tablets, running on at least iOS 7. Besides being a curiosity that we definitely urge you not to try on your device, unless you really feel like sending it in for repair, the bug actually has quite a lot of damage potential if it falls into the wrong hands.Consider this, most current devices, including the affected Apple tech, rely on NTP servers to automatically set their time and date. If a hacker were to theoretically spoof responses and pose as such a server on a Wi-Fi network, he could potentially kill every current iPhone or iPad on the same network.That does sound scary, but fear not, as there is a fix. It is a hardware one, but simply entails disconnecting the battery, waiting a bit and connecting it back up, which resets the corrupt settings. Sadly, that usually requires an Apple technician, unless you want to open the unit up yourself and void your warranty. Depleting the battery fully has also worked for some users, but it takes time and effort.Apple has been notified about the issue and all that remains is to see when and how it gets addressed. In the mean time, again, please resist the urge to try it for yourself, now that you know what is going to happen.Source |...
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ZOPO teases new Speed 8 flagship unveiling at MWC 2016
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] In case you were wondering, no, there is no typo in the title, it is ZOPO, not the much better know Oppo brand. As far as Chinese manufacturers go, ZOPO is definitely no household name, but the relatively small company has brought us some interesting offers in the past and just like the ZOPO TOUCH that made its debut ant MWC 2015, the new Speed 8 handset planned for this year deserves a mention.The #MWC16 is upon us. Be ready to discover the new #ZOPO Speed 8... pic.twitter.com/849qvnr4wT— ZOPO Mobile (@ZopoMobileBrand) February 13, 2016Today ZOPO send out its invitation to the unveiling of their new flagship, which will take place at the Barcelona venue on February 24 at 10:30AM. As evident by the poster, it will be hosted by MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, if that just happens to spike your interest in any way.Other than that, no new info has been shared about the Speed 8 and its specs, but we already have a pretty good idea what to expect, based on previous rumors. The handset is going to employ Mediatek's powerful Helio X20 SoC, actually making it one of the first devices on the market to experiment with the deca-core setup. Other alleged specs include 4GB of RAM, a 2K display and a fingerprint reader, mounted on the back.Source 1 | Source 2 | Source...
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LG G5 to come with a secondary ticker display
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The rumor of a second screen on the LG G5 has been flying around in the open for quite some time now. Today, however, brings new proof for the theory, courtesy of Evan Blass, who has proven quite a reputable source in he past.Finally saw the G5; secondary screen confirmed.— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 16, 2016Sadly, no more information was shared on the feature, but, we can only assume that it will resemble the one on the LG V10 or the recently announced "X" line of devices. However, there is also a possibility for the 160 x 1040 pixel resolution and/or the size of the module to be changed for the new flagship. It is also worth noting that this does not necessarily negate the "Always ON" display functionality of the G5, which was recently teased by the manufacturer. Put the two together and the LG does have a unique mix to stand out from the crowd.LG's announcement event for the handset at MWC 2016 is officially set for February 21, which just so happens to coincide with Samsung's unveiling of the Galaxy S7 line, so, it is definitely shaping up as an interesting...
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Sony announces 22.5MP IMX318 sensor with built-in hybrid AF and 3-axis image stabilization
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Sony has announced a brand new Exmor R sensor for mobile devices. Called the IMX318, it is the first stacked CMOS sensor with integrated hybrid autofocus and 3-axis electronic image stabilization.The built in hybrid AF is the key feature here. Hybrid AF usually consists of more than one form of autofocus, usually contrast based AF and phase detect AF. Usually, a separate application processor was used for this purpose but the IMX318 is the first to incorporate both within the sensor's internal signal processor. Sony claims a focusing time of 0.03 seconds for stills and as fast as 0.017 seconds during 60fps video.The other important feature is the integrated 3-axis image stabilization. The sensor can correct for pitch, roll, and yaw by taking the input from an external gyro sensor and processing it within its own internal signal processor. The internal processing also helps save on power compared to software processing in the external application processor. Moreover, the sensor can also correct lens distortion along with motion.The IMX318 is a 1/2.6 type sensor with an effective resolution of 22.5 megapixels. The sensor has a pixel pitch of 1.0μm, which is smaller than its predecessor, the popular IMX230. However, despite the smaller pixel size, Sony claims there is no drop in image quality in low light situations.The IMX318 should start making an appearance in high-end smartphones and other devices (such as drones) later this...
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Samsung Galaxy Note 6 rumored to come with whopping 6GB RAM, 5.8-inch display
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The successor to Samsung's Note5 flagship will come with a whopping 6GB RAM and 5.8-inch display, according to a new rumor out of China. For comparison, the Note5 has 4GB RAM and 5.7-inch display.Samsung Galaxy Note5While 6GB RAM definitely seems ambitious, we can't just dismiss it as hot air. If you recall, Samsung started producing 6GB RAM chips for smartphones back in September last year, and some of the upcoming Chinese flagships are already rumored to come with this much RAM. So, Galaxy Note 6 with 6GB RAM is entirely possible.Anyway, moving on, the rumor also says that the South Korean company will be using RGB matrix for the device's screen, something which hasn't been used in Samsung's flagships since the Galaxy S II. The phone is also said to come with a larger battery.In addition, the rumor also notes that the handset's screen will be pressure-sensitive with 1,024 pressure points. This, however, doesn't seem correct as it's a downgrade from the Note5, which already has 2,048 pressure points.As for the other specs, the phone is said to be powered by two different chipsets (like it is in case of the Galaxy S7 we assume), and will have 64GB and 128GB UFS 2.0 internal storage options. The rumor also notes a 12MP rear camera with Super OIS.Needless to say, none of this has been official confirmed, so take it with a pinch of...
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Xiaomi slashes Mi 4, Mi 4i, and Redmi Note Prime prices in India
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Xiaomi is celebrating Mi Week (Tuesday to Friday) in India, and as part of it the Chinese company has slashed the prices of some of its Mi series smartphones, including the Mi 4 and Mi 4i.The 16GB variants of the Mi 4 and Mi 4i are now available on Amazon India at INR 12,999 and INR 9,999, down from their usual price of INR 14,999 and 11,999, respectively.In addition, the Redmi Note Prime - the company's second Made In India handset after the Redmi 2 Prime - has also received a price cut. It is now selling for INR 7,999, which is INR 500 down from the device's launch price in the country.Via | Amazon 1 2...
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New Xperia M5/M5 Dual update is aimed at fixing bugs
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Sony has started rolling out a new update to its Xperia M5 and M5 Dual smartphones. The update seems to be a minor one - it bumps the build number to 30.1.A.1.46 and 30.1.B.1.46, respectively, and reportedly only brings along bug fixes.This comes just a couple of weeks after the Android 5.1 Lollipop update started hitting the Xperia M5 and M5 Dual units. That update also included Android security patch for the month of January.Late last year, users started reporting an automatic shutdown problem with the Xperia M5 - the phone would only power back when connected to the charger through the USB cable. Sony acknowledged the problem in December. It isn't yet known whether or not a fix to this issue is included in the latest...
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LG Stylus 2 announced, to be unveiled at MWC next week
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] We already know that the LG G5 flagship will be made official at this year's Mobile World Congress, and just yesterday, LG announced that a new, mid-range 'X' series of smartphones will be also be unveiled at the annual event.Turns out that's not all, as the South Korean company has now announced that a sequel to last year's G4 Stylus - dubbed Stylus 2 - will also be unveiled at MWC 2016.As clear from the device's name, the Stylus 2 will also come with a pen, but with a nano-coated tip instead of the previous rubber-tipped pen. LG says the change is aimed at attaining "more accuracy."The phone will include a set of proprietary features that the company claims will enhance the user experience. These include Pen Pop and Pen Keeper. While the former "toggles a popup menu when the stylus is removed to offer shortcuts to Pop Memo and Pop Scanner," the latter is aimed at preventing the stylus from being misplaced - it displays "a popup message when the phone is detected as being in motion when the stylus bay is empty."Specs-wise, the Stylus 2 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, and sports a 5.7-inch HD display. RAM is 1.5GB, while internal memory is 16GB, although expandable. There's a removable 3,000mAh battery to keep the lights on.In terms of camera, the device features a 13MP rear camera, and an 8MP front shooter. Measuring 155 x 79.6 x 7.4mm and weighing in at 145g, the handset runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and will be available in titan, white, and brown color options. While LG didn't reveal any pricing-related details, it did say that the Stylus 2 will be "exceptionally-priced.""LG Stylus 2 provides both the big screen and premium notetaking functions of a premium large phone at a price of a mid-tier phone," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "This device is another example of our commitment to the mass-tier segment where there is so much opportunity for growth and...
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Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact receive price cuts in US
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Just a week after they were launched in the United States, the Sony Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact have received price cuts in the country. While the former's price has been slashed by $60, the latter has got its price cut by $50.This means that the Xperia Z5 is now available for $539, while the Compact variant will now set you back $449. As for availability, while Amazon is selling both devices at these reduced rates, Best Buy is only offering the discount on the Compact variant - apparently, the retailer doesn't have the Z5 listed on its website.If you're planning to buy any of the handsets, keep in mind that Sony hasn't included the fingerprint sensor on its Z5 line of devices for the US - reason isn't yet officially known, although reports say it's due to logistics.Amazon 1 2 | Best...
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Samsung Pay to launch alongside Galaxy S7 in Russia
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you recall, Samsung has already announced that its mobile payments service - Samsung Pay - will be launching in several countries this year, including the UK, Spain, China, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil. However, now it looks like the service will also be available in Russia soon.Going by the promotion material prepared by the country's largest carrier, Samsung Pay is expected to launch alongside the company's Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone.If you aren't already aware, the Galaxy S7 is all set to be unveiled at a dedicated event on February 21, a day before this year's MWC officially kicks off. At the event, Samsung is also expected reveal its plans for the mobile payments service's global...
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Samsung Galaxy Tab E 7.0 leaks out in all its glory
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Last month, specs of a 7-inch variant of Samsung's Galaxy Tab E tablet leaked online. This was followed by reports that the device is heading to the US - it also received the FCC approval. Now, the tablet has leaked in all its glory.Specs-wise, from what we've heard so far, the device will be powered by a 1.3GHz processor, and sport a 7-inch (1280×800 pixel) display. RAM will be 1.5GB, while internal memory will be 8GB, although expandable. Weighing in at 283g, the 8.7mm thick tablet will pack in a 4,000mAh battery, and run Android 5.1 Lollipop.It will carry a model number of SM-T280, and there will also be variant (SM-T285) offering 4G connectivity. Reports also say that the tablet's name isn't yet final, and could be launched as Galaxy Tab A 7.0 instead - a March-April timeframe is being tipped for its arrival. It could carry a price tag of around €170.Via 1...
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Microsoft Lumia 650 confirmed to be headed to Cricket
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] In 2015, Cricket was the first US carrier to offer Microsoft's Lumia 640 mid-range smartphone, and it now looks like the company is set to do the same thing this year for that handset's successor.As has been previously rumored, Cricket will sell the Lumia 650 which has just been unveiled earlier today. The confirmation for this comes straight from Microsoft's own website, specifically the support section for the Lumia 650. From that page, you can download the "Lumia 650 User Guide Cricket" in PDF form.This leaves no doubt about the fact that Cricket will be offering the smartphone in the near future. Rumors on the matter had the release date occurring sometime in April at the carrier. It's unclear if other, bigger networks will choose to carry this device too, but you probably shouldn't get your hopes up.Source |...
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Apple is aware of the January 1970 date bug that bricks iPhones, will fix it in a future update
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A couple of days ago news emerged about an odd but deadly bug for 64-bit iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch units - setting your date to January 1, 1970 and then restarting the device will result in a pretty much unfixable bootloop. If you do this for whatever reason, you'll need to visit your local Apple Store to fix the problem, because you won't be able to get rid of it at home.Now after the Internet was filled with people being generally angry about all this, as well as others, amazingly, trying it even after they knew the consequences, Apple has acknowledged the existence of the bug. The company promises to fix it as soon as possible and incorporate that fix in a future software update that will go out to all affected devices. A timeline for that rollout hasn't been provided unfortunately.Apparently you don't even have to set the date to precisely January 1, 1970, for the bug to do its magic - any date prior to June 1, 1970 will work. Obviously the big mystery here remains why anyone would do something like this and change the date to one from 1970. To top it all off, people have reportedly been going to Apple Stores and changing dates on the demo devices on display there, with the sole intent of bricking them.Source |...
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Lenovo will unveil international expansion plans for the Lemon 3 at MWC
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Lenovo introduced the Lemon 3 smartphone for the Chinese market last month. So far it hasn't been launched elsewhere, but that's set to change soon.The company is now teasing the unveiling of a new device at MWC in Barcelona next week, and the handset in question looks exactly like the Lemon 3.So this means we'll soon see it becoming available in other countries, probably starting with India - because the teaser image you can see above has originated at Lenovo's official Twitter account for the subcontinent.The Lemon 3 is basically Lenovo's competitor for the Xiaomi Redmi 3. It's even priced the same at around $100, so it's incredibly affordable. That said, it doesn't necessarily disappoint in the specs department.It's got a metal construction and features a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 5 MP selfie shooter, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 616 SoC at the helm (with a 1.5 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, LTE support, dual-SIM functionality, and a 2,750 mAh battery. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop.Source |...
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Huawei might announce Matebook hybrid laptop at MWC
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Huawei is holding a special event in Barcelona this coming Sunday, on February 21, as are many other companies. Yet it's still unclear what Huawei is going to announce on the eve of MWC.That said, one possibility could be a hybrid laptop. With a stylus. This has been rumored before, and it will apparently be called Huawei Matebook. Richard Yu, the Chinese company's CEO, has published the invite you can see below on his Weibo account.That stylus can't be part of the package for a high-end phablet, since the Mate 8 has been unveiled only around three months ago. So given the past mumblings about the Matebook having both a detachable touchscreen and a stylus, it would make most sense for it to be the product under the spotlight at MWC.The Matebook will allegedly come with a 12.9-inch display, an Intel processor, Windows 10 on board, a focus on business customers (which once again fits well with the teaser above), and premium pricing.Source (in Chinese) |...
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European Honor 7 units to get Marshmallow update by the end of February
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Huawei's Honor 7 units that have been purchased in Europe are finally set to receive the update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This should happen in the next two weeks, so the rollout will commence by the end of the month.Up until this point we've seen the new tasty treat being out in India, but only with prior registration, which means it might actually have been a beta build. Speaking of that, Huawei launched the first beta for the new software in the UK at the beginning of December 2015.It's now in the process of sending out the final version of the update to those who signed up to be beta testers. The final build should reach these people in a few days, and the rollout to the general public will follow after that.Source |...
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ZTE sets date for MWC press conference - February 21
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] ZTE has announced that it will be holding its Mobile World Congress 2016 press conference on coming Sunday - February 21, a day before the event officially kicks off.As you can see below, the invite sent out by the company doesn't reveal much about what all will be unveiled at the event - it just says Imagination and Beyond, followed by the details.A quick look, however, at ZTE's official website reveals that the company's theme for the event is "the Enabler of mobile Internet (M-ICT)." In terms of mobile products, the company will "showcase and announce a range of smart devices," in addition to displaying some of its existing products, including the AXON global flagship smartphone...
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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge in black photographed
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge pair have been thoroughly leaked over the past weeks and one of the latest bits was the set of renders depicting a few color options. Conservative choices on Samsung's part, mostly, and that may disappoint those looking for some rose gold flair.However, the ones hoping for an all-black flagship will be pleased to see that Samsung has abandoned last year's Black Sapphire color option (which was really dark blue). It's a proper deep black paint job now, as revealed in these two live images of a Galaxy S7 edge.Samsung Galaxy S7 edge live imagesBlurry as they may be, the photos show no peculiar color shifts at an angle, but also reveal an inherent issue with the all-glass design - fingerprints. So if you're after a dark Galaxy, you better be prepared for regular wiping sessions.Alternatively, if you find the regular designs too bland and utilitarian, you will be able to pick a superhero-themed Galaxy S7, it seems. Always great to have...
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Sony Huis - the crowd-funded, e-Ink based universal remote
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Sony's new e-Ink based universal remote is called Huis (allegedly pronounced "house"). The always-on display means the remote is always ready to use (smartphone IR remote apps always need to wake up the screen).The Huis is designed to stand upright to blend in with the rest of your electronics (it measures 123 x 68 x 24mm, 130g). The 1,500mAh battery is rated at about a month (based on 100 uses per day).The remote also has Bluetooth LE built-in, which will be enabled in the future. You can download remotes for various gadgets - TVs, air conditioners, anything IR-based really.You can also use a PC app to design your own remote interface, complete with cute images to appeal to children.The Sony Huis is a product of the First Flight crowd funding platform (which previously brought an e-paper smart watch). The Huis will be available only in Japan for now, starting in March. Pre-orders run for JPY 27,950 (around $250), putting it against the Logitech Harmony remotes on price.Source (in Japanese) |...
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Microsoft Lumia 650 goes on pre-order in Europe for £160/€230
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Microsoft Lumia 650 just became official today and it's already on pre-order across Europe. Sales start February 18 (the 19th in Italy).Here are the official prices from the Microsoft Store: United Kingdom £160 Germany €230 France €230 Italy €240Judging by the way the Lumia 950 price has been falling by £10/€10 every week or two, we'd wait a bit with the pre-order. Also, keep in mind the Lumia 640 is around...
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Xioami teases 0.45mm thick clear case for the Xiaomi Mi 5
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Xiaomi's promo campaign for the Mi 5 continues - check the out official clear protective case for the phone, which will be officially unveiled on February 24.The case is only 0.45mm thick and adds protection to the glass back of the Xiaomi Mi 5.A clear protective cover for the Xiaomi Mi 5Previous teasers included camera samples from Hugo Barra, tweets about the slogan ("All you ever imagined and more") and confirmations of the February 24 date from the company's co-founder.The Xiaomi Mi 5 is expected to come in several versions (as many as four), but the base version will have a 5.2" QHD screen (a big 5.7" option is also rumored), a Snapdragon 820 chipset and a 16MP camera.Source (in Chinese) |...
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Marshmallow update starts hitting Moto G (3rd gen) units in Europe
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Motorola started rolling out Android 6.0 to the Moto G (3rd gen) back in December. The update first arrived in the United States and Canada, with units in India getting it last month. Now, the device has started receiving the update in Europe, too.What's worth mentioning here is that it's not exactly the same update that rolled out in other regions. The software version it carries is 24.41.33.en.EU, which is newer when compared to the 24.11.25.en.US version it carried in the US and India.Unfortunately, it isn't yet known how the European update differs or exactly what new changes it brings along. The roll-out is ongoing, meaning you should receive an OTA notification soon. Alternatively, you can also manually check for the update by heading to your handset's...
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Samsung's 'Seven Days of Unboxing' Galaxy S7 promo gets off to a very
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] In case you haven't heard, Samsung is launching a new phone soon. The Galaxy S7, as it will be known, is coming at MWC later this week. And Samsung has started the hype machine with a series of weird unboxing videos. Samsung is calling it 'Seven Days of Unboxing'. There is no actual unboxing in any of these. Just a bunch of people (and a llama) who supposedly unbox it off camera, and then it gets even weirder. It's wholly pointless but if that somehow piqued your interest then you can catch it all in the link...
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Xiaomi Mi 5 specs leaked: 5.15" FullHD screen, Snapdragon 820
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Xiaomi Mi 5 is expected to arrive on February 24, and reports on its specs have so far have been abundant. Rumors of two body types have been floating around with little intel to confirm if we'll see different diagonals or Xiaomi will take the Galaxy S6/S6 edge route (both at 5.1 inches). What we do have confirmation on now, seemingly, is at least some of the specs of one of the versions. The data checks out with previous rumors - for the most part, that is. A single shot, possibly of a retail package sticker, mentions a Snapdragon 820 chipset, and 16MP/4MP camera combo. Display size is quoted at 5.15" (which does round up to the agreed-upon 5.2"), but resolution is said to be FullHD, while QHD was considered more likely until now. Xiaomi Mi 5 alleged specs (click for full size) Battery capacity is listed at 3,000mAh, which is smaller than the rumored 3,600mAh, but the large number may be reserved for the potential Mi 5 Plus model, if there is one indeed. USB Type-C will be Xiaomi's choice for wired connectivity, the sticker says, and goes on to list the supported cellular bands. Xiaomi has been playing the teasing game too, with both president and global VP posting camera samples online. Meanwhile, word also got out on the pricing on all four combinations on body type and...
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Archos updates its Oxygen line with three new tablets
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Ahead of this year's Mobile World Congress, France-based Archos has announced three new tablets: 70 Oxygen, 80 Oxygen, 101b Oxygen. The European company plans to show them off at the annual event. As the name suggests, the 70 Oxygen sports a 7-inch screen. Similarly, the other two sport 8-inch and 10.1-inch screens, respectively. The 80 Oxygen and 101b Oxygen pack in 4,000mAh and 6,000mAh battery, respectively. Other known specs of the tablets include 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1080p full HD display, 2GB RAM, and Android Marshmallow. More details are expected to be revealed at the MWC 2016, which is scheduled to kick off February...
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Sony's PlayStation VR launching this fall, GameStop CEO says
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] While Sony is still tight-lipped on PlayStation VR's launch time-frame, we now at-least have some idea on when the headset could arrive. This is all thanks to GameStop CEO Paul Raines, who said in a recent interview that they "will launch the Sony product this fall." Keep in mind, however, that the actual launch could happen earlier than the 'fall' time frame revealed by Raines given that it isn't yet known whether or not the retailer will start selling the headset immediately at launch. As for the price, there was no word on it from Raines. But we do have some idea on the headset's pricing - last month, it was spotted listed on three different Swiss online retailers, carrying price tags in the range of CHF 499 - CHF 552.45, or $505 - $560 at current exchange rates. Coming back to Raines, aside from revealing the launch time frame for PlayStation VR, he also said that the company is "in discussions" on carrying Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets,...
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Deal: Buy a 64GB Moto X Pure Edition and get Moto 360 (2014) for free
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] If you are a Motorola fan, and are in the market for a smartphone as well as smartwatch, here is a deal for you: for a limited time, the company is offering a Moto 360 smartwatch for free with every purchase of the Moto X Pure Edition smartphone. Keep in mind, however, that the Moto 360 being offered is the first-generation variant, and you need to purchase the 64GB model of the smartphone to avail the deal. Another thing worth mentioning here is that the promo is not available on the purchase of Jonathan Adler-designed Moto X Pure Edition variants. As already mentioned in the beginning, it's a limited-time deal - it runs through February 18, 10:59 a.m. CT. So, if you're planning to take advantage of the promo, you need to act...
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Freedom 251 is a $4 smartphone that packs in quad-core CPU and runs Android Lollipop
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] India's Ringing Bells has unveiled what is being touted as the country's most affordable smartphone. Dubbed Freedom 251, the Android-powered device carries a price tag of INR 251, which translates into just under $4 at current exchange rates. For that much, you get a handset that is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, and sports a 4-inch qHD IPS display. It comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. In terms of camera, the Freedom 251 features a 3.2MP rear unit and a 0.3MP front shooter. The phone runs Android 5.1 (Lollipop), and packs in a 1,450mAh battery. Connectivity options include 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, and GPS, while color options include white. Ringing Bells says the phone is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for "empowering India to the last person, transforming India's growth story." It will be available to order from a dedicated website (Source link below) starting 6:00 AM tomorrow (February 18). India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will officially launch it later today. Source |...
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Instagram bumps up security, rolls out two-factor authentication feature
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Instagram has confirmed that it has started rolling out the the two-factor authentication feature. The confirmation came after users of the mobile photo-sharing service reportedly spotted the feature in testing. As you might expect, the feature adds an extra layer of security to your Instagram account by sending an authentication code to the verified phone number associated with the account. The code is required to be entered alongside the regular username/password combo for a successful login. This comes shortly after the Facebook-owned company rolled out a feature aimed at displaying view counts for videos. Prior to that, support for multiple accounts was rolled...
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Sony UK: Xperia Z5 series, Z4 Tablet, and Z3+ to get Marshmallow update starting March 7
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Sony has announced that the Android 6.0 update will start hitting Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia Z3+ units as well as Xperia Z5 series devices in the United Kingdom beginning March 7. The announcement was made by the UK subsidiary of the Japanese company on Twitter. @FalseNugget it's set to roll out from March 7th for Xperia Z5 series, Z4 Tablet and Z3+ - we will share confirmed timings when its ready— Sony Xperia GB (@sonyxperiagb) February 15, 2016 What's worth mentioning here is that the tweet makes it clear that the date is not set in stone at this point in time. Also, given the fact that such updates from Sony have been off the mark in the past, at best we can say that the roll-out is 'likely' to begin at the said date. For those who aren't already aware, the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update has already started rolling out to Sony Xperia Z5 (and possibly its Compact and Premium variants, too) in Turkey. Source |...
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vivo X6S visits TENAA, has images and specs outed
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The vivo X6 was launched alongside the X6 Plus last November. So it only makes sense that the recently leaked X6SPlus would be complemented by an X6S when it becomes official in the near future. That's pretty much been confirmed by TENAA having just certified the X6S for sale in China. As always, this has resulted in both images of the device becoming public, as well as the list of its most important specs. The vivo X6S has an extremely thin metal build as you can see, a fingerprint scanner on its back, a 5.2-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.8 GHz octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 13 MP main camera, an 8 MP selfie snapper, and 4G LTE. It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop. Its dimensions are 147.9 x 73.75 x 6.56 mm, and it weighs 140.5g. With MWC now fast approaching, perhaps vivo is waiting for that event to finally announce the X6S and the X6SPlus. Even if that doesn't happen, the two handsets should be unveiled in the coming weeks. Source (in Chinese) |...
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The 200GB SanDisk microSD card is now selling for only $89.95
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Last June, SanDisk officially released its much-hyped 200GB microSD card, which was originally announced a few months before. As you'd expect from such a high-capacity card, it wasn't cheap, retailing for $239.44. Now though you can get one for just $89.95. That's right, the 200GB SanDisk microSD card is a whopping $149.49 off at the moment, provided you purchase yours from Amazon. It's unclear how long this pricing will last, so if you want one of these, act fast. The card has a transfer speed of up to 90MB/s. It is waterproof, temperature proof, shock proof, X-ray proof, and magnet proof according to its maker, and it naturally comes with an SD adapter. If you don't actually need all that storage space, you can pick a 128GB card for just $44.99, or the 64GB model for $22.83. Source |...
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Verizon sends out Marshmallow to the HTC One M9, LG G3 and G4
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Today is a pretty big day for owners of three Android smartphones sold by Verizon. That's because the carrier has started rolling out Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates for the HTC One M9, LG G3, and LG G4 - all at the same time. As always in these cases, it may be a few days before you see the update hit your particular device, as the rollout is staged. That said, if you're impatient you can always manually check by going to the relevant section in Settings. For the HTC One M9, the new software version is 3.37.605.7, while the LG G3 gets VS98546A and the G4 will run VS98624C. Of course you can expect all of them to pack the latest goodies included by Google in the Android 6.0 release - Now On Tap, the new permissions system, Doze mode (for battery savings), direct sharing, and many more smaller things. The LG G4 is also getting support for Wi-Fi...
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Samsung acknowledges the 14nm mid-range Exynos 7 Octa 7870 chipset
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Today Samsung has chosen to unveil its next mobile chipset destined for mid-range smartphones. It's the Exynos 7 Octa 7870, and it's produced "using the company's most advanced 14-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology", according to the official one-paragraph information on it. Unfortunately no other details about the Exynos 7870 have been shared by Samsung at this time. Thankfully though, the 7870 has already been caught in a couple of benchmarks while powering the upcoming Galaxy J7 (2016). If the info tabs from those benchmarks aren't lying, then Samsung's newest mid-range SoC features a 1.7 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU and a Mali-T830 GPU. The Exynos 7 Octa 7870 is probably meant to be the successor to the Exynos 7580 which has been seen in the first Galaxy J7 phone from last year, for example. Hopefully Samsung will decide to share every single tidbit about the 7870 once the new J7 becomes official. Source |...
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Here Maps for iOS now supports 3D Touch, comes with better usability features
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Here Maps app for iOS has received a pretty consistent update today. First off, 3D Touch is now supported, which means that if you own an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus and apply pressure onto the Here Maps icon on your home screen you'll get the option to navigate to your home. Next up are a couple of features that we're amazed took this long to arrive. On the map, you can now tap place icons for stores, sights, and transit stations. Yes, seriously, this hasn't been available so far. Once you do tap on those, you'll obviously get more details about each - things such as opening hours, phone numbers, and official websites. And for some places you'll even see reviews from TripAdvisor or other sources. You can also tap anywhere on the map, and once you do a menu of shortcuts will appear. These will let you get directions, start turn-by-turn navigation, collect the place, or share the location. The exact address of the spot you tapped will be displayed at the top of your screen. Finally, you're now able to save your home address and then simply tap on the Home icon in the top-right part of the app at any time in order to receive instructions on how to get there quickly. The new version of the app is already available in the iTunes App Store for...
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Leaked Huawei P9 renders confirm a metal body and dual camera design
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Huawei will definitely be attending MWC 2016 - that was made pretty clear, after the Chinese manufacturer officially sent out invites for its February 21 event. What still isn't clear, however, is what announcements we can expect to see there. Yesterday, a rumor hinted at the possibility of a hybrid laptop, dubbed the Huawei Matebook. But even before word got out for the alleged PC offer, the possibility of a new Huawei P9 has been discussed at length. Now, a new set of official-looking renders seems to further prove the imminent announcement. The shots also provide some eagerly-anticipated insight on the design of the phone and provide proof for some of its previously hinted features, namely a dual rear camera setup and a back-mounted fingerprint reader. It also seems clear now that the Huawei P9 will have a metal body and a 2.5 curved screen on the front. From the looks of it, it will also be offered in a number of colors, including gold, white, pink and gray. Huawei P9 As for the specs, from what is known up until now, the Huawei P9 will be powered by a Kirin 950 SoC, 4GB of RAM and sport a 5.2-inch display. This, however, is still not confirmed, as there have been hints of as much as 6GB of RAM, as well as a total of four distinct versions of the Huawei P9, each with different display and camera resolution. Source |...
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Huawei Honor 5X review: Aiming High
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Honor made a last minute swipe at CES and blew us away with what its 200 dollar phone could offer: a metal body, a large 3000mAh battery, quick fingerprint unlock, and a 5.5" 1080p screen. Honor is also entering the US market with the launch of the Honor 5X, selling it as an unlocked and dual-SIM smartphone.
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Alcatel Idol Pro 4 to be a true Windows 10 beast
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL is available with Android Lollipop and Windows 10. The model running on Microsoft's latest OS was introduced in January and Alcatel promised there are more to come. In fact Steve Cistulli - the senior vice president of the North America region for Alcatel - spilled the beans on an upcoming 'superphone' later in 2016. Today WMPowerUser got some exciting information on this particular 'superphone'. According to their source, the Windows 10 flagship will be called the Idol Pro 4. Some of the touted specs include a 1080p display, the latest Snapdragon 820 chipset, and Continuum support. The Alcatel OneTouch Idol Pro 4 should be launched on T-Mobile US, just like it happened with the Fierce XL mid-ranger. The Idol Pro 4 is rumored to be under development, so there is a chance some of these specs go through some changes in the future. Android Marshmallow-based Alcatel Idol 4 has been in the rumorland for some time now, and we suspect its Pro model, if real, may be released running on Android as...
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Meizu Pro 5 mini photo reveals slightly different design
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Meizu Pro 5 mini rumors sparked interest as compact flagships are few and far between, but we hadn't heard much of the metal-clad champ recently. Now a live shot of the Pro 5 mini, next to the big Meizu Pro 5, revitalizes interest in the rumored handset. If you look below the camera, you'll notice a dual-LED flash on the Meizu Pro 5 mini. On the big one, it's a Laser focus element and it's oriented the other way too (this differs from leaked renders we've seen so far). The all-metal mini will allegedly bring a 4.7" AMOLED display, a 10-core processor (Helio X20), a 20.7MP camera and a fingerprint sensor. In other words, Xperia Z5 Compact is about to get some stiff competition. The expected reveal is for April and cost will be CNY 2,000-2,500 ($315-$395), depending on storage (32GB or...
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Recommend Lumia 950 or 950 XL to a friend and get €50 voucher each
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Microsoft launched yet another promotion for its hottest Windows 10 smartphones - the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL flagships. Now you can get some money back as Microsoft Store credit if you recommend those to a friend after you get it. Here is how this Lumia Rewards promotion works. 1.You need to buy a Lumia 950 or 950 XL from an official Microsoft reseller in your country. 2.Register within the Lumia Offers app on your phone. Send recommendations to your friends. 3.Once a friend of yours also buys a Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL, he needs to identify you (and your email) within the Lumia Offers app as the person who referred him to this phone. 4.You both get $50, €50, or £50 Microsoft Store credit voucher depending on your country. 5.You can repeat this one more time with another friend for up to $/€/£ 100 total store credit. So, you can make up to $100, €100, or £100 of Microsoft Store credit if you participate in this Lumia promotion and have some friends in need of a new phone. The promotion begins today and lasts through March 16. We've read the terms and conditions carefully, but there is nothing mentioned about those who bought a Lumia 950 or 950 XL before February 16. We think those should be eligible for referrals, too, so just download the Lumia Offers app from the Store and try it anyway, maybe you'll get lucky. The Lumia Rewards is available in lots of markets including the USA, UK, France, and Germany. If you are interested, you should check with your local Microsoft website. Source |...
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LG outs the LG K8 in Europe; 5" display, a quad-core processor, and Android 6.0 in tow
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LG K7, and K10 went official earlier this year at CES while the entry-level LG K4 was launched earlier this month. It is expected to be showcased at the MWC expo next week in Barcelona. But LG seems to be working on a lot more than those three devices. Of course, the LG G5 is a sure bet, but we also had a glimpse of the upcoming X series. Today LG announced yet another device - the LG Stylus 2, the successor of the LG G4 Stylus. And while we thought we are done with the LG buzz for today, LG Hungary uploaded the LG K8 fella on its website. LG K8 is 5" smartphone with an IPS HD display, which utilizes the signature design with the rear control deck. It's powered by the MT6735 chip with a quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 processor, Mali-T720MP1 GPU (yes, this means single-core graphics), and 1.5GB RAM. The K8 has an 8MP camera on its back and a 5MP selfie shooter at the front. There is 8GB оф expandable storage, LTE Cat.4 connectivity, and a 2,125 mAh battery. Just like all other newly announced LG handsets, the K8 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The K8 is expected to launch very soon, and we bet we'll find it at the LG's MWC booth next week. Source |...
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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and LG G5 surface in live images, units for sal
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] You would have thought that buying the latest flagship smartphones before they've actually been announced is out of the question. Not so with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 edge, and LG G5. The three are available for purchase in Dubai, at least, on a site that lists classifieds. They are all brand new, in original packaging and with valid IMEI numbers. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge live images The Galaxy S7 edge commands the highest price, at AED 4,500 (€1,100/$1,225), significantly more than what is rumored to be the MSRP when it does launch. The regular S7 is AED 300 cheaper, which translates to about €1,025 ($1,140). Compared to those, the LG G5's price of AED 2,500 (€610/$680) sounds like lunch money. Prices aside, the S7 edge's retail box contents have been revealed. A charger and a USB cable are hardly exciting, and the separately packaged headset we've already seen before - it's the same model as the one bundled with last year's Samsung flagships. The last item is a bit puzzling as it's most likely a USB OTG adapter, but why Samsung would include one in the bundle is beyond us. It's unclear what the G5's standard equipment will be, but it's perhaps the best look we've got so far of its back, where there's a lot going on. It does have a Nexus 5X vibe about it (LG made that one too), only the circular lens of the 5X has been stretched to accommodate the G5's dual camera setup. LG G5 live images The smartphones have all been imported from the US, the listings read, and are supposedly genuine, but we obviously have no way of verifying that. We'd generally wait for the official release before shelling out that amount of cash, but we can also appreciate the appeal of having that S7 edge a month ahead of everyone else. Thanks to Shiva D and Luis for the tips! Source 1 Source...
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CAT S60: world's first smartphone with built-in thermal camera
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The new CAT S60 is more than a smartphone - it's a professional tool. It's the first smartphone to feature an integrated thermal camera.It can measure the temperature of objects from 15m-30m (50ft-100ft) away and can even see through smoke. It can, for example, be used by firefighters to look for people in a smoke-filled building or just a contractor to check your insulation.The thermal camera is courtesy of Flir and shows 640 x 480px thermal video. That's actually pretty good, the Seek Thermal only manages 206 x 156px.Anyway, the CAT S60 goes beyond casual smartphone toughness. If you batten down the hatches (closing the mouth and earpieces with the yellow covers), it can go under 5m of water. Otherwise, the limit is 2m.CAT dropped the phone 26 times from 1.8m (6ft) to make sure it survives hard hits. The display is covered with 1mm Gorilla Glass 4 (normal phones get 0.4mm) and very bright - 540nits. The touchscreen works with gloves, of course.You also get a beefy 3,800mAh battery to last you a long day at work and a 105dB loudspeaker. The rest of the CAT S60 put it in the mid-range - 4.7" 720p screen, Snapdragon 617 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 4G LTE connectivity. There's also a 13MP main camera, 5MP selfie cam.The CAT S60 will be shown off at the MWC and will retail later this year for $600/€650. Keep in mind that a Flir One (a smartphone add-on thermal camera) alone costs $250.Source |...
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vivo XPlay5 confirmed, to come with dual-curved display
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The XPlay5 has been finally confirmed by vivo - the Chinese company outed a teaser that reveals the name of its upcoming flagship. The device is said to be the successor to the Xplay3S smartphone launched way back in 2013.In addition to the name, vivo also confirmed an important design aspect of the XPlay5. The company released another teaser revealing that the handset will feature dual-curved display.As for the phone's specs, a recent Antutu listing revealed that it will be powered by SD820, and sport 5.5-inch QHD display. In addition, the listing also revealed 4GB RAM as well as 16MP rear and 8MP front...
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Canon announces EOS 80D DSLR
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The EOS 80D is the Canon's newest mid-range DSLR, and successor to the previous 70D. It seems the company is finally listening to feedback, as the 80D features both, still and video related enhancements.Canon EOS 80DThe 80D has a new 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. Combined with the new DIGIC 6 processor, it is capable of an ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to 25600) and a burst rate of 7 fps.The autofocus system has been overhauled completely, featuring 45-point all cross-type system. Improved low light performance means the system can work all the way down to EV-3 at the center point so you can even focus in the dark. The AI Servo AF II system has been improved with a 7560-pixel RGB+IR metering sensor for better tracking of moving subjects. The viewfinder has been enhanced to support the larger AF spread and now offers approximately 100% viewfinder coverage.Now coming to the video part, the 80D can now record videos in up to 1080p60 in MP4 format in either ALL-I or IPB compression with optional embedded time code. The camera also features a headphone jack, a microphone jack, and a built-in stereo microphone with manual audio level adjustment.Other than that, the 80D has the usual bells and whistles you expect from a camera in this price range, including a fully articulated 3-inch, 1.04M dot touchscreen display, Wi-Fi, NFC, and GPS.Canon also announced a new EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens with a Nano USM focusing motor that combines the speed of Canon's USM lenses with the silence of STM lenses. There is also a new Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1, which lets you electronically control the zoom on lenses such as the new EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM in smooth steps, which is perfect for video use. It can also be controlled remotely using the Canon Camera Connect app. Canon also announced a new DM-E1 directional stereo microphone.The EOS 80D is priced at $1,199.00 for the body only and $1,799 with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens. The lens alone will set you back by $599.99. The PZ-E1 is $149.99 and the DM-E1 is $249.99,...
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T-Mobile added 1.3 million new postpaid customers last quarter, Y-o-Y profit tripled
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] T-Mobile has released its Q4 2015 financial results, revealing a net profit of $297 million, which is nearly three times the $101 million figure reported in Q4 2014, and more than double the profits announced the quarter prior.The magenta carrier added a total of 2.1 million new subscribers in the quarter, including 1.3 million postpaid customers. This compares to the 1.5 million new postpaid customers Verizon added last quarter.Overall, for the complete year, T-Mobile added 8.3 million new subscribers, of which 4.5 million were postpaid subscribers. The No. 3 US wireless provider, expects to add further 2.4 - 3.4 million postpaid customers this year.Speaking of churn rate (the rate at which a company loses customers), the carrier reported a figure of 1.46%, compared to 1.62% 1.14%, and 1.02% reported by Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, respectively.Source |...
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Google now lets Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail users 'Gmailify' their inbox
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Google has rolled out a new feature - dubbed Gmailify - that allows users of non-Gmail accounts, including Yahoo Mail and Hotmail/Outlook.com, to access some of the Gmail's best features."Gmailify links your existing account to Gmail so that you get all the bells and whistles—spam protection, inbox organization and even Google Now cards based on your mail—without having to leave your current address behind," the Mountain View, California-based company said in a blog post.To use the new feature, just open the Gmail app, sign in to your non-Gmail email account, and enable Gmailify (head to the Source 2 link below for more details on how to do it). Should you change your mind, you can also unlink your address from Gmail.Source 1 | Source...
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Another rumor says Galaxy S7/S7 edge will come with Always On feature
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] There have already been rumors about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S7/S7 edge flagships sporting an Always On display, and there has been some credible information as well.Now, adding weight to these previous reports, Russian tech blogger Eldar Murtazin - who has decent track record when it comes to smartphone leaks - has also confirmed the same.So now, we can say that it is all but officially confirmed that the Galaxy S6 successor will come with this feature. In case you missed, LG has already confirmed that its upcoming G5 flagship will come with Always On display.Both devices are set to be unveiled this Sunday - February 21.Via | Eldar Murtazin...
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Google Translate adds support for 13 new languages, covers 99% of online population now
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Google has announced that its Translate service now supports 13 new languages. This brings the total number of supported languages to 103, Google revealed, claiming that the service now covers 99% of the online population.The newly-added languages include Amharic, Corsican, Frisian, Kyrgyz, Hawaiian, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Luxembourgish, Samoan, Scots Gaelic, Shona, Sindhi, Pashto, and Xhosa. Google says the addition "helps bring a combined 120 million new people to the billions who can already communicate with Translate all over the world."The software-giant also touched upon exactly what goes into adding a new language, revealing that until now more 3 million people have contributed approximately 200 million translated words. Head to the Source link below for more...
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Huawei Mate 8 February security update rolling out
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Huawei has started rolling out a new update to its Mate 8 flagship smartphone that includes Android security patch for the month of February. The update also brings along fixes to several issues, including those related to security, privilege escalation, and remote code execution.If you are a Mate 8 owner, you should see an OTA update notification soon, if not already. However, if you're feeling impatient, you can also check for the update manually by heading to your handset's settings menu.Among other devices, BlackBerry's Android-powered Priv and Nexus devices have already received this month's Android security...
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Microsoft Lumia 950 XL receives $100 price cut in US
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL smartphone has received a price cut in the United States, where retailer B&H Photo is currently selling the flagship device for $529.95, which is $100 down from the handset's usual price.The discount is available on both Black and White variants of the phone. Microsoft is officially selling the device for $649, while other third party retailers like Amazon also have it listed for over $600.What's worth mentioning here is that B&H says there is "limited supply at this price," so you'll have to act fast if you want to take advantage of the deal.Source | Amazon |...
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Apple Pay officially launched in China
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Cupertino, CA Company successfully launched the mobile payment service just as planned for a February launch as reported back in November. Apple Pay is slowly but surely shaping up the mobile payments industry starting in October 2014 with the launch of the iPhone 6.Apply Pay's countries of availability include: the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and newly added to the list: China.Apple has its own work cut out for competing against other mobile payment companies that are already established in China, such as WeChat Payment and Alipay from Alibaba Group.Source |...
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You can sign up for Nintendo's newest mobile game, Miitomo
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Nintendo is going to launch its newest mobile game next month which all surrounds interacting with other Mii's. But today, you can sign up to receive notifications regarding the launch of the game.Miitomo is half game and the other half communication app. It will offer refreshing and new ways to chat and interact with your friend's Mii's as well as offer new ways to get to know your friends better. It sounds like a much more interactive version of the Tomodachi Life game available for Nintendo 3DS and 2DS.The Japanese game maker plans to release a total of 5 new mobile games before March of next year. The second of which is Pokémon GO, which is slated for release this year, though, there is no other indication of its estimated release date.Source |...
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Vimeo gains Chromecast compatibility for Android app
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The popular video streaming service has gained Chromecast support for its Android app's latest update. Vimeo was among the first companies to voice support for the Chromecast in its original run back in 2013.Additionally, with the new update, a bunch of stability fixes and bug squashing has been done for this release of the Android app. Vimeo was founded in 2004, just one year before YouTube invaded computer screens all around the world, and became the first online video service to support 720p HD videosSource |...
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New Samsung teaser basically confirms that the Galaxy S7 will be water resistant
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung will officially introduce the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge this Sunday in Barcelona, as you may know. And as we get closer to that moment, the Korean company is teasing more and more aspects of its upcoming flagship smartphones.One of the things that has been rumored to return to this generation of the top of the line Galaxy S devices after an absence in last year's S6 and S6 edge is water resistance. This did feature in the Galaxy S5 from 2014, and along with microSD card support will be making a comeback with the S7 line.Change your idea of what a phone can handle on 2.21.16. #TheNextGalaxyhttps://t.co/saU2TutJ5T— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) February 17, 2016That fact has pretty much been confirmed by the teaser video you can see above, which originates at Samsung's official Twitter account. There's no point in focusing on the fact that people sometimes drop their phones in water, unless the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge can withstand such an encounter. Now all that's left is for us to find out the exact IP code for the new models, which will tell us how long they can be safely submerged. But we assume that's a tidbit that will only be officially revealed on February...
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Buy three months of Spotify Premium, receive a Chromecast for free
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Here's a very nice deal that will appeal to you if you like Spotify and have pondered buying a Chromecast. If you purchase a three-month Spotify Premium subscription, you'll receive a Chromecast dongle entirely for free. The subscription itself costs $29.97.The offer is only valid in the US and the UK, and it expires on February 28 at 11:59 pm CET. There's also a limit of one Chromecast per person. One important caveat here is that you can't take advantage of this deal if you are a current or previous Premium subscriber, even if you've just used a free trial of the Premium functionality in the past.You need to sign up for Spotify Premium using this link if you're in the US or this link if you're in the UK. Then, within a week of that, you'll receive a voucher for the Chromecast in your email inbox. The voucher can only be used at the Google...
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Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition becomes official
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The collaboration between Meizu and Canonical (the company behind the Ubuntu operating system) is still going strong, it seems. Following the Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition from last year, today the two have unveiled a new smartphone - the Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition.This is the fifth handset launched in the past twelve months running Ubuntu, according to Canonical. It's also the highest-end Ubuntu phone to date.Like the Android-running iteration of the PRO 5, the Ubuntu Edition comes with a 5.7-inch 1080p AMOLED touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-tone LED flash, a 5 MP front camera, Samsung's Exynos 7420 chipset at the helm (with an octa-core CPU clocked at up to 2.1 GHz), 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and dual-SIM slots.Ubuntu's official listing doesn't mention the battery capacity, but since all of the other specs are 100% identical to those of the Android version of the phone, we assume it will be a 3,050 mAh cell in this case too. 4G LTE should be supported as well.The Meizu PRO 5 Ubuntu Edition will go up for pre-order internationally at some point during MWC next week. Pricing information hasn't been revealed...
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Qualcomm confirms that LG's G5 will sport the Snapdragon 820 chipset
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] As you may already know, practically all the countless rumors and leaks that we've seen so far describing the upcoming LG G5 have said it would come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset powering it. That obviously makes sense, as the G5 will be LG's new flagship smartphone, and it doesn't look like the 820 has the same kind of overheating problems as its predecessor, the 810 (which LG decided to skip in the G4 in favor of the 808).And now Qualcomm has gone ahead and confirmed that the Snapdragon 820 will indeed be inside the G5, as seen in the tweet below.Don't miss a whole new way to play with @LGUSAMobile and #Snapdragon820-coming February 21. 📱 🎧 📷 👓 pic.twitter.com/ynshxqBgKS— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) February 17, 2016A focus on playfulness has been front and center in LG's invites for its MWC event this Sunday, as has been the robot you can see outlined in Qualcomm's tweet above. Oh, and it's not like LG would put the Snapdragon 820 inside anything less than its top of the line offering. Hence it's clear that it is the G5 that will be powered by Qualcomm's newest high-end...
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Twitter launches GIF search button
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] According to Twitter's data, over the last year people shared over 100 million GIFs on the social network. And now it's planning to make that even simpler for GIF fans.The company is rolling out a new button across its Android and iOS apps as well as its website. This GIF button will let you instantly search for a GIF across a catalog that's been put together by Giphy and Riffsy.You can search by keyword if you want to, but there's also the possibility to browse through categories if you don't have anything specific in mind. Either way, your tweets are sure to get more dynamic.This new functionality should become available to every Twitter user out there "over the coming weeks", so be on the lookout for the new GIF...
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Leaked Xiaomi Mi 5 launch presentation tells us almost everything we need to know
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Xiaomi's upcoming flagship has featured in reports and renders and benchmarks popping up all over the place, but conflicting rumors made the specs of the Xiaomi Mi5 almost impossible to pin down.After analyzing yet another alleged specs leak merely hours ago, now we actually have the official slides of the launch event to source information. Xiaomi Mi5 presentationWe end up with a total of two models that will definitely be unveiled at the venue. Both will have a 5.2-inch Full HD display and a Snapdragon 820 SoC and will differ from one another in terms of memory: 3GB RAM plus 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM plus 64GB of storage.Xiaomi Mi5 presentationOther specs of the Xiaomi Mi 5 shown in the presentation include a USB Type-C plug with Quick Charge 3.0 feature, a 26MP shooter on the back, with a super bright F/1.6 lens and a Dual LED flash, from which we have already seen some impressive samples. Continuing down the leaked slides, we also find mentions of NFC, as well as the new Wi-Fi ad standard - a truly first in the smartphone world.That about exhausts the list of almost certain facts. Other things we have come to expect from the Mi 5 include a 3,600 mAh non-removable battery, an 8MP front-facing camera, as well as a fingerprint reader in the home...
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Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) with 3,300mAh battery certified by FCC
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) has been given the OK by the FCC (after it was certified by the Bluetooth SIG). This certification puts the battery capacity at 3,300mAh - a nice 300mAh bump from the original (and it also disproves the 4,300mAh claim).The phone has been benchmarked a couple of times, both in Snapdragon and Exynos flavors. The Exynos model will be the new 7870 Octa, based on Cortex-A53 and Mali-T830 and built on 14nm.The Snapdragon model is less clear - GFX Bench detected Snapdragon 615 (same as the original model), but kernel patches suggested a newer Snapdragon 650 (with Cortex-A72 cores), a better match for the Exynos.Even the amount of RAM is unclear - it goes from double (3GB) to a bit more (2GB), compared to the original J7.Anyway, it's pretty certain that the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) will increase the Super AMOLED resolution to 1080p and you'll get a 13MP/1080p camera. Note that the device the FCC tested, SM-J7109, is a dual-SIM model headed for China.Source |...
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Snapdragon 652 benchmarked: Cortex-A72 is fast, even on 28nm
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) came into our office for a review, but we'll marvel at its 6" Super AMOLED screen later. For now, let's look at the chipset - it's our first encounter with the Snapdragon 652.It's a mid-range chipset, but it's Qualcomm's first (and among the first in general) to feature Cortex-A72, the successor to A57. It has four of them, plus four A53s. Basically, it's like the Snapdragon 810, but the big cores are next generation.The GPU is Qualcomm's 5th series, an Adreno 510, which promises a speed increase and power savins compared to the 4xx generation. It also supports the new Vulkan API, which is a low-level, low-overhead interface between 3D games and the hardware.That's assuming equal build and it's also the only place where the S652 truly shows it's mid-range character. It was built on a 28nm process (used since at least the Snapdragon 600 in 2013). That's compared to 20nm for Snapdragon 8xx and 14nm for the latest chipsets, including another 6-series entry, the 625.The manufacturing process is important for efficiency - more nanometers mean more power is used. This limits the clock speed that can be achieved with no cooling (like on a phone).Compared to the Kirin 950 used in the Huawei Mate 8, which also uses 4x A72 + 4x A53, the clock speeds are a good 0.5GHz lower. We'll see the impact this has on performance.We kick things off with AnTuTu 6, a full-system benchmark. The Galaxy A9 (2016) trounces the A5 (2016) even though they are part of the same lineup. It also comes withing a hair's breadth of the S808-powered LG V10, a recent flagship. The Mate 8, Nexus 6P and Note5 have a significant lead, though..jrGraphContainer { background: none !important; border-bottom: 1px solid #eee !important;} ul.jrGraph { left: 146px !important; } ul.jrGraphControls { padding: 0; margin-left: -10px !important; } JRGRAPH_EXPANDABLE_VERSION = false; AnTuTu 6Higher is better Huawei Mate 8 91609 Huawei Nexus 6P 89345 Samsung Galaxy Note5 81615 LG V10 67547 Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652) 64591 Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) 35689Let's investigate closer. The single-core performance of the A72 cores should be 20%-60% faster than an A57 clock for clock. That's the key though, the flagship chipsets are clocked high enough to offset this.Basemark OS 2.0 (single-core)Higher is better Huawei Mate 8 7332 Samsung Galaxy Note5 6745 Huawei Nexus 6P 6014 Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652) 4455 LG V10 4261 Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) 2469Still, when all eight cores are engaged, the Galaxy A9 (2016) pulls ahead of the S810-based Nexus 6P. It comes close to the Galaxy Note5 too.Basemark OS 2.0 (multi-core)Higher is better Huawei Mate 8 41897 Samsung Galaxy Note5 28360 Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652) 22334 Huawei Nexus 6P 17661 LG V10 17127 Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) 16466Finally, the GPU. Adreno 510 is the base for the 5xx series, but even it should be competitive with the 4xx generation. Apparently not as fast as the Adreno 430 (probably due to clock speed reasons again), but it's as fast as the Adreno 418. It even matched the Mali-T880 in the Huawei, but that one is low on cores, just 4 (the Note5 has 8 T760 cores).GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)Higher is better Huawei Nexus 6P 17 Samsung Galaxy Note5 15 LG V10 10 Huawei Mate 8 10 Samsung Galaxy A9 (S652) 9.3We mentioned heat. You would expect a 28nm chip to get pretty steamy, but the Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016) and its Snapdragon 652 chipset run cool even under load.We'll be back with a full review of the A9...
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Smartwatch sales surpass Swiss watches, Apple Watch leads the way
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Smartwatch sales have surpassed Swiss watches for the first time, and you have Apple to thank.According to a report by Strategy Analytics, 8.1 million smartwatches were shipped in Q4 of 2015 compared to 7.9 million Swiss watches.Out of the 8.1 million, 5.1 million were Apple Watches with 63% share, 1.3 million were the various Samsung smartwatches with 16 percent share, and the rest were from other manufacturers, such as Pebble.Compared to Q4 2014, smartwatches saw an increase of 316% in one year. The only difference between 2014 and 2015 being, you guessed it, the release of the Apple Watch.We are now seeing watchmakers such as Tag Heuer, and Fossil starting to dip their toes in the smartwatch waters. While overall smartwatch numbers may be up, it's important to note that it's mostly the Apple Watch that's holding the entire segment up on its shoulders. It will be a while before we know if people are interested in smartwatches or just the Apple Watch. And it will be even longer before we see the demise of mechanical watches.Source •...
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Gartner: Samsung retains smartphone leadership in 2015 with over 20% market share
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung was the top smartphone vendor for both Q4 2015 as well as the complete year, according to a latest report by market research firm Gartner. Specifically, the South Korean company sold over 83.4 million units last quarter, claiming 20.7% share of the market, which is up from 19.9% share reported in Q4, 2014.Apple came in second with 17.7% market share, down from 20.4% share the Cupertino-based company claimed in the year-ago quarter. Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi rounded up the top five with 8%, 5%, and 4.5% shares, respectively. Notably, Huawei achieved the best growth with a 53% jump in sales.Overall, global smartphone sales saw an year-on-year jump of 9.7% last quarter, which the report said was the slowest growth rate since 2008.For the complete year too, as already mentioned, Samsung retained the top spot - its market share stood at 22.5%, although that was down from the 24.7% share it had in 2014. Apple's share slightly increased and stood at 15.9%, giving the company the second spot.Here also, Huawei was the best performer in terms of sales jump.Talking about the smartphone operating system (OS) market, Android retained the No.1 position in Q4 with over 80% share, which is a jump of over 4% compared to the year ago quarter. Apple iOS' share fell from 20.4% to 17.7%.The data shows that Windows Phone sales dropped to 4.3 million units last quarter from 10.4 million in Q4 2014, giving the OS just 1.1% market share. This is broadly in line with what we already know.Finally, struggling BlackBerry's share of the market slid even closer to...
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New alleged HTC One M10 image leaks, shows white variant
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A couple of weeks after its black variant leaked online, another alleged image of the HTC One M10 has surfaced, showing off the white-colored model this time. As was the case before, the new image is also shared by the usually reliable leakster @evleaks on Twitter.Let's call it HTC One M10 in white. pic.twitter.com/lGfIM5SSpX— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 18, 2016A quick comparison with the alleged black variant (shown below) reveals broadly the same design, although it's difficult to exactly compare given that both images are taken at different angles. However, one notable difference is the shape of the fingerprint scanner on the Home button - seems comparatively less elongated than on the black model.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] pic.twitter.com/zsyzQWbVAt— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 5, 2016Specs-wise, from what has been rumored until now, the One M10 is powered by Snapdragon 820 and sports a 5.1" QHD AMOLED screen. It has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and features a 12MP UltraPixel camera. The device runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with HTC Sense 8 on top.It is tipped to launch in April, and go on sale in the US a month...
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Xiaomi, Huawei, and ZTE are all said to be planning their own Apple Pay competitor
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Shortly after Apple launched its mobile payments service Apple Pay in China, there are reports that the iPhone maker's competitors in country are planning to release their own payments service. The revelation was made by IHS Analyst Kevin Wang, who named Xiaomi, Huawei, and ZTE in a Weibo post.It's not that Apple Pay doesn't have any competition in China - there are mobile payment companies like WeChat Payment and Alipay from Alibaba Group that are already established in the world's biggest smartphone market. However, Apple is currently the only smartphone vendor offering such a service there.Despite coming from a well-known analyst, the news still falls in the category of rumors as it's yet to be officially confirmed by any of the companies Wang named. However, given that Xiaomi is said to be bringing back NFC support in its upcoming Mi 5 flagship despite dropping it from the Mi 4 citing low usage, the rumor does seem to carry some weight.Nevertheless, a rumor remains a rumor until it is officially confirmed, and till then it needs to be taken with a pinch of...
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Nextbit starts selling its cloud-focused Robin smartphone
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Nextbit's cloud-focused Robin smartphone, which recently started shipping to the initial 1,000 backers of the company's kickstarter campaign, is now available for purchase. Carrying a $399 price tag, the device is now listed on the company's website.Both mint and midnight color options are available for purchase. However, what's worth mentioning here is that currently only the GSM model of the handset is being sold. The CDMA version will probably start shipping to backers in April, so expect it be available for purchase after that.As you might already know, Robin's selling point is that it makes sure you never actually run out of space - everything that's important to you is made available offline, while the rest is pulled from the cloud upon...
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Nvidia fixes WiFi issues, releases Shield Tablet and Tablet K1 Marshmallow update again
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Nvidia started rolling out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for the original Shield Tablet earlier this month, but the roll-out was soon halted after there were user reports of the update causing Wi-Fi issues with the device. The good news is that those issues have been fixed, and the roll-out has resumed.A company representative posted in an official forum that Marshmallow OTAs for both shield tablet K1 and original shield tablet are back online. "At this time, we're confident we have corrected the problem and are releasing a new Software Update," the post said.For those who aren't in the know, the Android 6.0 update for the shield tablet K1 first started rolling out back in December. Notification for the new update should hit your device any time now, although alternatively you can always manually check for the availability of the update by heading to Settings -> About...
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In a first, Samsung will live stream Galaxy S7 launch event in 360-degrees
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Samsung has announced that the launch event of its upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone will be presented in 360-degree live streaming, making it the first time when viewers will be able to enjoy a 360-degree view of a Galaxy Unpacked event."During Galaxy Unpacked you will get four options for where to watch—from the auditorium, stage left, stage right or from center stage. Pick whichever spot is right for you, then use the 360 live streaming to get a complete view of the event from every angle," Samsung said in a press release.Those planning to watch the event from a PC will be able to do so by heading to the Galaxy Unpacked page on the Samsung website when the event begins. On the other hand, the Unpacked 360 View app will let you enjoy the event on your Android or iOS mobile device. However, if you're planning to watch the event with Gear VR, you need to download the app from the Oculus Store.Just to remind you, the event begins February 21 at 7:00 p.m....
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LG and B&O announce collaboration for new audio-focused smartphone
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] LG Electronics has announced a new agreement that it is going to collaborate with B&O (a high-end electronics designer and manufacturer) to come up with an audio quality-focused experience on a smartphone. The companies have apparently been working together for the Hi-Fi audio features for the highly-anticipated LG G5.B&O is a company that designs and manufactures high end TVs, entertainment systems, speakers, and audio equipment. B&O Play is the company's division of higher volume consumer electronics like high-end headphones and portable speakers for audiophiles.LG wants to differentiate itself by further planning to work with B&O to provide a significantly better audio experience than other smartphones on the market. The phone maker has been proud to say it has a long history of integrating high quality audio into its smartphones most recently, the LG...
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Apple fixed Error 53, modified Touch ID sensor won't brick iPhone
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Apple changed its mind about Error 53 being a security feature and allows a phone with a modified Touch ID sensor to function with the Touch ID feature disabled. Disabling phones from restarting, simply because they were repaired at an unapproved shop did not sit well with people. The public backlashed and Apple did what it needed for customers to be happy.Apple apologized and released a patch to iOS 9.2.1 that will disable the bricking feature that Error 53 was causing. When an unauthorized modification is made to the Touch ID sensor, perhaps when replacing a faulty home button, the iPhone threw an error and would not restart.Then when plugged into iTunes to recover the software, you were led through the restore process and the phone would never completely restore.With the new patch, iTunes will allow the device to restore and function normally, the downside is the modified Touch ID will not be active and become useless.The guys over at iFixIt.org have followed Apple's official guidelines and were able to successfully follow new prompts to restore iPhones that have a modified Touch ID sensor.Source | Via | Via...
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Samsung Gear S2 classic 3G lands at T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon on March 11
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] A few hours ago, the 3G-capable version of the Samsung Gear S2 classic has been revealed to be the first device ever to sport the new eSIM - a built-in, programmable SIM that lets you connect to the network of your choice without having to acquire a dedicated SIM card first. You can thus activate the Gear S2 classic at home, being spared a trip to your carrier's closest store.Now Samsung has announced that the Gear S2 classic 3G will become available in the US in black on March 11. It will be offered by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Pricing hasn't been outed yet unfortunately. Although Samsung is calling it the "Gear S2 classic 3G/4G", don't let that fool you - it doesn't have LTE support, yet Samsung seems to think that HSPA+ is 4G; it's not.The Gear S2 classic 3G has a 1.2-inch 360x360 circular AMOLED touchscreen, a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, wireless charging support, and a 300 mAh battery. It runs the company's Tizen-based wearable platform. It's IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, and it comes with a bunch of sensors: accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate monitor, barometer, and ambient light...
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PayPal redesigns its apps for Android and iOS
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] PayPal has unveiled a big redesign for its mobile apps today. You can already find the updated versions in the iTunes App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android.The new apps come with simplified UIs and no more clutter, according to the company. It claims that customer feedback drove much of the redesign process.Features have been simplified, and either app comes with a better global user experience, as the "iterative platform" they're both based on allows for easier customization.Sending and requesting money is now front and center inside the mobile apps, since apparently PayPal has seen over 100% growth in the number of peer-to-peer transactions happening over the last two years. A new personalized hub lets you easily add people from your contacts, while the new home screen lists all of your transaction details. That's also where you can quickly pay your pending requests or send payments to any of your recent contacts.Finally, account activity has been separated by pending and completed transactions, and fingerprint authentication on Android should now work with many more devices.Source |...
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HP Elite x3 Windows 10 phablet gets the full leak treatment, images and specs outed
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Just a few days ago word got out that HP is working on a top of the line Windows 10 handset to be called Elite x3. This device was apparently codenamed Falcon, and it may have been benchmarked in December of last year.Anyway, HP is probably going to announce the Elite x3 at MWC next week. Before that happens, however, you can feast your eyes upon a couple of leaked pictures of the device, along with the full list of its specs.The Elite x3 is surely looking to be the main competitor to Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL in the Windows 10 mobile ecosystem, as it packs some very high-end innards.It has a 5.96-inch QHD touchscreen, a 16 MP rear camera, an 8 MP selfie cam, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 chipset powering it, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, a USB Type-C port with support for USB 3.0, Qi wireless charging, a fingerprint scanner (which might be embedded in that 'chin' underneath the display), an iris sensor, a special docking connection, IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810G rating for withstanding drops from 1 meter or less.The device is 7.8 mm thin, and will probably support Microsoft's Continuum feature. It will obviously run Windows 10 Mobile. With such specs, you shouldn't expect it to be cheap.Source (in Hungarian) |...
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New leaked images show Galaxy S7 in silver, S7 edge in black, and confirm lack of USB Type-C
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] It definitely seems like not a day can go by without some new leaks about the upcoming Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which Samsung is going to make official this Sunday, on February 21. And today isn't an exception. First off, we can now show you the Galaxy S7 in silver - this was a color that hasn't previously been leaked in a press render. If you click on the thumbnail below, you'll be taken to the full resolution shot. And to the right of the vanilla S7 we can see yet another live image portraying the black Galaxy S7 edge, with its curved screen front and center.Silver Samsung Galaxy S7 and black Galaxy S7 edgeBut that's not all. Another newly leaked picture puts an end to any questions regarding the presence or absence of a USB Type-C port in Samsung's new handsets.This is a shot of the bottom side of the Galaxy S7 edge, and that's clearly a standard microUSB port, and not the newer USB Type-C variation. So Samsung has chosen to stay with the tried and tested and postpone the introduction of Type-C into its smartphone portfolio. Perhaps the Note 6 will get the new port, but that remains to be seen. This will be good news for people who have a lot of microUSB cables around and wouldn't have wanted to switch to the newer standard anyway.Source 1 • Source...
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Archos intros Diamond 2 Plus with 4GB of RAM, 6-inch QHD Diamond 2 Note
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Archos is doing its best to announce new mobile devices before Samsung and LG totally steal the show this Sunday. So, after having already outed some new Oxygen tablets and the 50d Oxygen handset, today the French company has unveiled a pair of new smartphones, the Diamond 2 Plus and the Diamond 2 Note. These could in fact be considered Archos' premier offerings from this point on, given their specs.The Diamond 2 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a 20 MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, an 8 MP selfie shooter, MediaTek's MT6755 Helio P10 SoC running things (with an octa-core CPU clocked at up to 2 GHz and the Mali-T860MP2 GPU clocked at 700MHz), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, LTE Cat.6 support, a fingerprint sensor on the back, a USB Type-C port, and a 3,000 mAh battery.It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Its dimensions are 148.3 x 73.8 x 8.3 mm, and it weighs 130g. The Archos Diamond 2 Plus will become available in May for $229, €249, or £199. That's rather impressive for a phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.Moving on, the Archos Diamond 2 Note is a 6-inch "borderless" phablet coming with QHD resolution, a 16 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED flash, an 8 MP selfie snapper, the MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10 SoC at the helm (with a 2 GHz octa-core CPU and PowerVR G6200 GPU), 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, LTE Cat.4 support, and a 3,610 mAh battery.It too runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Its dimensions are 158.35 x 82.7 x 8.7 mm, and it weighs 150g. It will also be out in May, and will be priced at $279, €299, or £249, depending on where you...
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ASUS unveils ZenPad M series slates with ADAM administration tools
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] The new ASUS ZenPad M series of tablets targets the business market and offers a single solution for software distribution and device control called ADAM.ADAM stands for ASUS Device Admin for Mobile and is a combination of tools suitable for managing all ZenPad M company tablets. The ADAM service supports remote installation and updating of apps, remote locking and secure wipe, taking screenshots for proper software distribution verification and sending messages.The ADAM tools have been available via different Android apps, but ASUS has bundled them into a single solution that works via a web browser.There are currently two ADAM-enabled tablets - a 7" ZenPad M and a 10" ZenPad M. Unfortunately ASUS hasn't revealed the specs of either of those just yet. The ZenPad M & looks a lot like the ZenPad 7, but the ZenPad M 10 seems a bit different than the ZenPad 10 as shown in the video.We expect the manufacturer to bring them at the upcoming MWC expo in Barcelona, so we'll find out more in a few days.Source |...
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Twitter adds video sharing option in direct messaging
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] Twitter is having a hard time lately especially when its users heard about the upcoming timeline changes. Keen to put this fiasco behind it, Twitter is focused on adding new features to its service.Yesterday the company launched the GIF button, which allows you to search and embed gifs from a rich catalog that's been put together by Giphy and Riffsy. You can learn more about this here.Today, Twitter launched yet another feature - video sharing within the Direct Messages. You can capture and share a video via the Direct Messages, which turns the Direct Messages even closer to a full-blown messaging service.The update to Direct Messages is already available for Android and iOS, as well as on the regular web version.Twitter already increased the character limit up to 10,000 symbols for the direct messages, among other improvements. Maybe Twitter's endgame is to separate the DM service as a standalone app just like Facebook did with the Messenger a while back.Source |...
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